14ÿ THE HIDDEN LIFE Or A CHRISTIAN. ator ; it is hid in God, where our Lord Jesus Christ is, and heis appointed to take careof it for us ; for he also is calledour life verse 4. The method I shall take for the improvement of this truth, is, to explain these words of the apostle more at large, and then deduce some inferences from them. Thefirstenquiry will arise, inwhat respect the christian's life issaid to be hidden in God ? And, secondly, What is meant by its being hidden with Christ ? I. First, In what respect is the life of a christian said to be hidden in God ? The word God is taken in scripture, either ingeneral for the divine nature, which is thesame in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ; or, in particular, for the person ofthe Father. And I do not see any absolute necessity to determine, precisely, which was the meaningof theapostle in this place. The three particulars bywhich I shall endeavour to explain it, will include both. The life of a christian is hidden in God ; that is, in the all-sufficiency of the divine nature, in the purpose of the divine will, and in the secret engagementsof the Father to his Son Jesus Christ, in the covenant ofredemption. 1. The- christian's life is hidden in the all-sufficiency of the divine nature. And there are immense stores of life, of every kind, hidden in God, in this sense. This whole world of beings, that have, and have not souls, with all the infinite varieties of the life of plants, animals, and angels,were hidden in thisfruitful and inexhaustible fundof the divine all-sufficiency, before God began to create a world. All things were then hidden in God ; for of him are all things, and from him all things proceeded ; Rom. xi. 36. Now this all-sufficiency of God consists in those powers and perfections, whereby he is able to do all things for his creatures, and ready to do all for hiu saints ; these are most eminently his wisdom, his almightiness, and his goodness. Thereare inconceivable riches ofgoodness andgracein God, which are employed in furnishing out life for all his saints ; and all the unknown preparations of future oIáy are theeffects ofhis _ grace. Eph. ü: 4.God, who is riche 'in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, when we were dead in sins, bath quickened us together with Christ; and he did it for this purpose, that in the ages to come, he -might chew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus; ver. 7. Not all the goodness that appears in the rich provi- sion he bath made for all the natural world of creatures, nor all the overflowing bounties of his providence, since the first creation, are equal to those unsearchable treasures of mercy
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