'Book IV. GODLINESS COMPARED TO A TRAD£. exal ted above the Nature of the Angels, that Man ihould fit at God's Right-hand, that Man fi1o uld be very God, and God very M an, Ill one Perfon? 0 how great is the Myflery of-Godlineis! tz. Is It nor a MyO:ery, that Chri£1: fuffered according to the Decree and determined Counfel of God, and yet the Jews did-wickedly in putting him to D eath ? Afls ii. 23. and iv. 28. Secondly; The MyO:ery of Chriftianity appears to be great, r. In .God's caO:ing off the J ews, who followed after Righteoulnels, and' in calling the Gentiles, who followed not afterRighreoufnefs! That God ihould not be found .of them that fought him, and be found ot them that fought him not ! (2.) That God fhould choofe poor and con– temptible Ones into his Service, and rejeCt the ' Vife, rhe Noble, and the Learned! and that by weak Things he overcame the Mighty, and by F olly confounded the Wifdom of tbis World! 'Thirdly ; There·is ·a great My"O:ery in EleC\ion, in Juftification, in SanCtification, in Renovation, &c. Nay, what .Br.anch or Part of the DoC\rine of Godlinefs is not full of Myfrery? Fourthly; Ther.e is a M yftery ·in every Grace: r. In Fanh: As, (1.) That a Sinner fhould believe, ;, e. go out of himfelf, and be carried above himfelf, to believe Things impa rTible to Man's Senle, and above his ·.Realon, that he fhould feek for J uO:ification by the Righteoufnefs and Obedience of ano– ther! for a Man, as one would think, to have a great deal of Holinefs, and good 'Works, and ye'.!O throw ir, .as it were, all •way, and be dead to it in Point of Truft and Dependence ! Is not this a Myftery? (2.) To believe, when every Thing is op– pofite to it: To work for Life, ar.d to oppofe fame Sin, a natural Man is ready to do; but to believe in Chri£1: for Life and Holinefs, to rely l)pon his Doings, his Works and Merits, this the H eart of Man is averfe to; nay, and Satan oppoferh it, the World mucks at it, and accounts it Foolifhnefs. (3.) That a Man fhould believe, and not fee, nay, believe, as Abrahamdid, in hope againjl hope. 2. There is a Myftery in Love, that a Man fhould love him with an endeared Af– feC\ion, with a fuperlative Love, whom the World. can fee no Beatlty in; nay, thus to love him, whom their natural Eyes never beheld, nay, love him, who is able to make great, and fave from .all Mifery, and yet fulfers his Ptaple, and beft beloved·Ones, to lte amcngfl the Pots, and to be hated and perfecuted in the World, ai1d to Appearance, to be of all Men the moll: miferable ! A Saint knows the R eafon of thefe Things, but it is a Myftery to others. The Love of Chrilt turns the AffeCtions another Way, it drives, c,s it were, Jordan back, ir makes the Waters afcend, and run up hill. Is it not a Myftery, to fee a Saint, who hath a hundred, nay, it may be.five hundred a Year, a gracious Wife, many fweet and lovely Children, enjoying much H ealth, and living in all Profperity; yet if he hath loft the Light of God's Countenance, or Chrift. be with– drawn from him, he is call: down, and greatly diflreifed and afflicted in his Spirit, and crying our, Ah I what is all that I poffefs, fince I want the Love of Chrifr, the Prefence of Chrifl? What is an Eflate, and no Chrift ? Wife and Children, and no Sight of Chrift? Chrift, faith he, is all to me, and all is nothing without him. This is a Myf– tery to carnal Hearts, they wonder at it: Nay, to fee a Man, that hath all the Corn– fans of the World, expofe himfdf to.cntel Mockings, Lofs of Goods, to Imprifon– ment, and Death itfelf for Chrifl's fake, is a frrange Thi:1g to worldly Men, they think the Man is mad, it is a MyO:ery to them, &c. Fifthly; Tee EffcC\s and Operations of Grace and Godiinefs are a Myfiery. ( r.) That God fhould make Men wife, by reaching them to become Pools, t Go•·· iii.r S. (2.) That the Vilay to become rich, .very nch, eternally rich, is to become poor : This is a Myftery, yet this Myftery is taught us in the Perfon of Chri£1:. David was a King, and very rich, yet cries our, I am poor; he was poor in Spirir. \fhis poor Man cried, 'I' here is that maketh himfelf rich, )'tl bath nothing; there is that maketh himfelf poor, and)'!/ bath ,great Riches, Prov . xiii. 7· (3·! That the Way to have all, is to lofe all; anp that a.Man gains moft, when he lofes moO:: .Is not this a Myflery·? (+) That 1\:len muO: die to live, or that the Way to live is to die; nay, that God kills by making"'iouls alive, and yet by that Killing and Death, brings them to Life; and is not this a 'Myftery ? Sin mull: die, and we muft die to Sin : Sill rev;ved, and I died, Ram.
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