518 THE WORD OF GOD CO~lPARED TO LIGHT, Book m. 7· It is a Book that all good and godly Books are out of. , _~. It 1s a Book that hath f1llcd the W0rld with good and profitable Books. Thefe 1 lungs confidered, may ferve as a found Gradation to Jet forth the Glory of the Gofpel and Word of God. Tl;irdly, To come more direaJy unto the Thine- itfelf to fet forth and further iiluflrate the Glory and Splcndor of the Gofpel of Jefus Chri(L I. It is gloriOliS in refpeCl: of the Time and Contrivance of it. It was found out or contri,·ed before the World began. Hence Chri(t is laid to be a Lamb Dain before the Foundation of the World. . 2: It is brought in as the Refult of that great and glorious Council which was held m Eternity. Hence Jefus Chrrfl: our Mediator is faid to be delivered up by the de– tc_rmmate Counf~l and Fore-knowledge of God.-God, that is Father, Son, and holyG hofl:, all agreed that the Second Perfon fhould alfume Man's Nature, and by !heddmg_of h.:s Blood proclaim Peace and Reconciliation to Sinners. 'Ihe Cotmfel of Peace, fa1th tne Prophet, foal/ be between them both, Zech. vi. 1 3· 3· It may not be unneceffary to note here the Matter this great Council had before them, and d1d then debate about, and that was how a Way might be found out that God might Jifplay his own Glory and magnify himfelf in every one of his glorious Attnbutes, particularly how the two great Attributes of Jufhce and Mercy, might meet together in fweet Harmony and fhine in equal Glory, that God who is juH: might appear fo, and yet be exceeding gracious. 4 · It was to find Ollt a \"Vay how in a glorious Manner God might deflroy the Works and Defigns of the Devil: For w Lhis purpole, we read, the Son of God was manifeJl:ed. 5· It was a Council held upon the account of finful Man, loll: Man, (whom God then faw dead and fallen) how he might be delivered from Sin and eternal Wrath, it was not a Council held to ruin and defl:roy Men, but to fave and make them happy. This is the third Thing to illuflrare this great Truth that the Got"pel or Word of Chrifl: is a glorious Gofpel. Fourthly, The Gofpel is glorious upon the Confideration of that Revelation there is in it of God, pcrfonaily conftdered, or the Pcrfons of the blelfcd Trinity, or God's manner of Being. L Though God be often called a Father in the Old Teflament, yet how hard i• it without the Help of the Gofpel to fi nd out where he is fo called or taken in difl:inCl:ion from the Son, and Holy Spirit. Since the Father, as many Divines obferve, in fome l'laces of Scripture refpeCl:s all the three Perfons, and hence the Jcwi.fh Rabbies, who allow not of the New Tefl:ament, manifeJl:ly declare their Ignorance touching this gr~at Truth of the Trinity, thoug h that may in part be imputed tO that judicial Blindnefs they are left under, yet it muft be granted there is in the Gofpel a more clear and full Difcovery of tl.1is glorious Myflery than in the Law or Old T efl:ament, how plainly and by manife!t Teftimony is this bore witnefs eo I I. By the Angels, Luke i. 32. 2. By that Voice from the excellent Glory, Jl£att. iii. '7· 2 Pet. i. '7· 3· By the Tefl:imony of Chrilt himfelf. I thank thee, Father, Lora· of /leaven and Eartheven fo Father-the Father that Jent me is with me-the Father lo·wth the Son -the Father bath not lift me alone- ! and my Father are one ; and it is obferved that he calls God ~·ather near an hundred Times in the Gofpel of John. 4· By the Tellimony of the holy Apoa!es, how clearly is this witneffed by them, efpe– cially by the bleffed beloved Apoltle, and Paul the great ApoJl:le of the Gemiles 1 Fifthly, The Gofpel appears yet to be more glorious upon the Conftderation of the Giory of every one of the l'erfons in the bleffed Trin1ty which fhioe forth moll: excel– lently therein, I. Ih refpeCl: of the Father who did not deogn to :;lVail his own Glory, but to greaten and magnify it by th_e Gofpel. For though the Lord Jefus beheld forth m the Gofpel as touching his Delly robe eqtlal with the Father, yet thiS doth not, mu!t not lelfen or diminifh the Father's Glory; all are to honor the Son as they honor the Father, but not above the F other, nay what can or ever d1d demonftrate or greaten the
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