each PERs o N dinclly. 261 love: The Lord indeed bath laid out and mani£efled infinite wifdom, (a) in his works' of creation, providence, and governing of the world, in wifdom hatla he made all his creatures, how manifold .are bis Works? iva wifcm hath he made theìn all; the earth is full of his. riches, Pfal. civ. 24. So in his providence, his fupportment and guidance of all things, in order to one another, and his own' glory, unto the ends ap- pointed for them ; for all thefe things Coin forth from the Lord of hofls, who is wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working, Ifa. xxviii. 29. His law alto is fur ever to be admired, for the excellency of the wifdom therein, Deut. iv. 7, 8. but yet there is that which Paul is_aftoaifhed at, and wherein God' will for ever be exalted, which.he calls the depth of the riches of the wifdom and knowledge of God, Rom. xi. 33. 'that is, only hid in, and revealed by Chrift. Hence as he, is Paid to be the (b) zeifrlom of God, and to be made limo uo wife/a,. fo the defign of God, which is carried along in him, and revealed' in the gofpel, is called the wifdom of God, and a rty/lery, even the hid- den wiflom which God ordained before the world was, Which none of the Princes ofthis orldmknirr,, r Cor. ii.7, 8. And Ephf. iii. so. it is called the manifidd wifdom of God, and to difcover the depth and riches of this wifdom, he tells us in that verfe, that it is fuels, -that principalities and powers, that very angels themfelves could not in the leaf} nteafäre get any acquaintance with it, . until. God by gathering of a church of finners, did aftually difcover it. Hence Peter informs us that they who are fo well acquainted with all the works of 'God, do yet bow down 'and defire with earneftnefs to look into thefe Things ; the thingsof the wifdom of God in the gofpel, r Pet. i. 12. It asks a man much wifdom to snake a curious work, fabrick and build- ing, but if one fhall come and deface it ; to raife up the fame build- ing to more beauty and glory than ever, this is excellency of wifdom indeed. God in the beginning made all things good, glorious and beautiful ; when all things, had in innocency and beauty, the clear (c) intprefs of his wifdom and goodnefs upon them, they were very glo- rious. Efpecially man, who was made for his fpecial glory; now all this beauty was defaced by fin, and the .whole (d) creation rolled up in darknefs, wrath, curies,. confufion; and the great praife of God, buried in the heaps of it. Man efpecially was utterly loft, and came Gott of the glory of God, for which he was created; Rom. iii. 23. Hare now doth the depth of the riches of the wifdom and knowledge of God open it fel£ A' defign in Chrift, Gaines out from his bofom, that was lodged there from eternity, to recover things to fuch an eftate as Gall be exceedingly to the advantage of his glory, infinitely above what at firft appeared; and for the putting of finners into inconceive- ably ,a better condition than they were in, before the entrance of fin. He appears now .glorious, he is known to he a God * pardoning ini- quity and fin, and advances the riches of his grace, _which was his clefigp, Ephef. i. 6. He bath infinitely vindicated .his Juftice alto, in the face of men; angels, and devils, in fetting forth his fon for a (e) pro- pitiation. It is alto to our advantage, we are snore fully eftablifhed in his favour, and are carried on towards a more exceeding (f) weight of glory, than formerly was revealed. Hence was that ejaculation of one of the ancients, O.fclix culpa, qua talent meruit redemptorem l Thus. (a) Si amabilis eft rapiencia cum cogoicioné rerum conditarum, gham amahilin eft rapieocia, quo tort= didic omnia ex nihilo ? Auguft. lib. Meditar. c. xviii. (b) Cor.. zo, ;o. (e) Gen. i. (d) Gen. iii, s7, r8. Rom. i, 18, a End. xxxiii. v. r8, 19, 2o. cap. xxxiv,s6, 7, 8, (e) i . iii. àq, vq (f) s Cor. i7r U u u Paul
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