550 THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED To LIGHT, &c. Book III. • (3.) As they would appr?ve themfelves Wifdom's Children, by juftifying and ftand– mg by, and for, tlm glonous Gofpd held forth in the Word of God, in the worJE Times. Vl. If the Gofpel be fo glorious it may put each Man upon Examination, doll: thou perceive and clearly behold the Glory which fhines forth in it? ~ome, it is to be fear– ed, never faw the Gofpel in the Glory of it; it is as a fealcd Book to them; they fee ?ut the OutGde~ of the Book, they are not ab!• to difcern the Lu£1:re and Glory which IS contamed 1n lt; '!'he God of this World bath blinded the Minds, faith the Apo£tle, of them that belzeve 1lot, left the Lzght of the glorious Gofpel of Chrift, who is the Image of God jhould jhine unto them, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4· Some Men commend the Gofpel only becaufe it contains fo many righteous and good Laws, and holy Rules of Ju£tice and Morality, teaching Men to live foberly, and to do as they would be done unto, but fee but little more in it; which fhews thefe Men have but little of the Myftery, and Glory of the Gofpel opened to them; for thouah. it be granted, that it is one Part of the Excellency of it, yet it is not the chief, asap– pears by what hath been faid. Again there are others who feemingly are much alfeCl:ed with the Gofpel, that Book of Books, and yet cry up, and magnify the Light within above it, as if that were a more perfeCl: Rule than the holy Gofpel, and Word of God; which !hews how little of the gofpel Glory appears to them. , In the la!l: Place, if the Gofpel be fo glorious, 0! pray, whofoever thou art, that God would be pkafed to open thine Eyes, that thou maye£1: fee it fo to be; and cry mightily, that he would be pleafed never to take it away from this poor Narion, nor fulfer irs Glory and Brightnefs to be eclipfed by letting in Popifh Darknefs again among£1: us. If we once lofe the Gofpel, we may all cry Ichabod, the Glory is departed from England; and with the Church of Old, fay, '!'{le Crown is fallen f ro:1l our Heads, wo unto us that we bavejmud. Q_uqr. But fome may fay why cloth Satan cndeavor to hide tl.e Gofpel ? Anfw. I. lt is becaufe he is fuch an implacable Enemy to Mank;nd; he cannot en– <lute the Light himfelf, and he would not (fuch is his Hatred to us) have the Light of nhe Golpel !hine upon us. 2. Becaufe of that Malice he bears to the Lord Jefus, he would fain keep Men ig– norant of a Savior; not only out of Hatred to Man, but alfo out of implacable En– mity to the Lord Jefus Chri£1:, that fo he may as much as lies in him hinder our Savior's chief DeGgn and Intention in coming into the World; which wa~ to bring Men out of Darknefs into the Light. 3· Becaufe he knows whil£1: he can keep Men ignorant of the Gofpel, he hath them– fa(( enough, what Profefiioa foever they make of Rdigion, though they hear, read, pray, give Alms, nay, and in many Things reform their Lives; yet if they fee not the Way of Salvation, as it is revealed in the Gofpel, he matters it not, they f\ill re– main his Captives. 4· BecatJfe, it is hereby his Kingdom is like to fall; it is the Light of the Gofpel that tends to the utter Overthrow and Ruin of the Kingdom of Darknefs. What wonderful Things hath the Gofpel done in the World, and what Power is there in it, by the Help of the Holy Spirit to dethrone Satan, and break all his Chams to pieces ! therefore he be£1:irs himlelf to hinder _the breaking out o(Light and Know– ledge in every Nanon, and caufes fierce Oppofinon to be made agamlt thofe, who en– deavor to fupplant him, and lay open his grand DeGgns. This informs us, how it comes about there is fo much Ignorance and grofs Darknefs in the ·world; not only in Popifh Countries, but alfo where the Gofpel is preached: 'fhough Men hear lt preach– ed every Day, yet 0! how blind and ignorant are. many Sinners.. Men are fausfied with the bare Notion of Things, and Name of Chnll:!ans, never m1nd1ng Rehg10n Ill good Earoe£1:, but in a mo£1: dreadful Manner, are (?;rown fo fool·~ard1, and. venturous, as to venture and expofe their Souls to eternal Rum. The Dev1l hath bhnded the~r Minds· this alfo !hews us from whence it is, there are, and formerly have been, fo· many falfe and detell:able Opinions, Errors, and curfed HereGes in the World. Alas,. the Devil this way, er1deavors to obllru<'l: and hmder the Gofpel from bemg rece1ved, he has indeed !l:rove for a lor1g Time wholly to overthrow the very FoundatiOn of 3 ~
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