rity and perfections, who is the undefiled Lamb of God that taketh away the fins of the world, John i. 29. A Lamb in meeknefs and filence, he opened not his mouth, Ifa. liii. 7.; and in purity here, without Spot or blemish. My Well-beloved, fays the Spouse, is white and ruddy, Cant. v. 10. white in spotless innocency, and red in fuffering a bloody death.

For as much as ye know.] It is that must make all this effectual, the right knowledge, and due confi-, deration of it: Ye do know it already, but I would have you know it better, more deeply and practically; turn it often over, be more in the study and meditation of it; there is work enough in it ftill for the moft difcerning mind; it is a mystery fo deep, that you fhall never reach the bottom of it, and withal fo ufeful, that you fhall always find new profit by it: Our folly is, we gape after new things, and yet are in effect ignorant of the things we think we know beft. That learned Apoftle that knew fo much, and spoke so many tongues, Yet I determined, fays he, to know nothing among you, fave Jefus Chrift and him crucified, 1 Cor. ii. 2. And again he expreffes this as the top of his ambition, that I may know him, and the power of his refurrection, and the fellowship of his fufferings, being made conformable unto his death, Phil. iii. 1o. That conformity is this only knowledge: He that hath his lufts unmortified, and a heart unweaned from the world, though he know all the hiftory of the death and fufferings of Jefus Chrift, and can difcourfe well of them, yet indeed he knows them not.

If you would increase much in holiness, and be ftrong against the temptations to fin, this is the only art of it; view much, and fo feek to know much of the death of Jefus Chrift. Confider often at how high a rate we were redeemed from fin, and provide this answer for all the enticements of fin and the world: Except you can offer my foul fomething beyond that price that was given for it on the crofs, I cannot hearken to you. "Far be it from me, (will a

"Chriftian

"Chriftian say that confiders this redemption), that "ever I fhould prefer a base luft, or any thing in this "world, or it all, to Him that gave himself to death "for me, and paid my ranfom with his blood: His "matchlefs love hath freed me from the miserable "captivity of fin, and hath for ever faftened me to "the sweet yoke of his obedience. Let him alone "to dwell and rule within me, and let him never go "forth from my heart, who for my fake refused to 46 come down from the crofs."

Ver. 20. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world; but was manifeft in these laft times for you.

OF

F all those confiderations, and there are many, that may move men to obedience, there is none that perfuades either more sweetly or ftrongly than the fenfe of God's goodness and mercy towards men ; and amongst all the evidences of that, there is none like the fending, and giving of his Son for man's redemption: Therefore the Apostle having mentioned that, infifts further in it; and in these words, expreffes, . The purpofe; 2. The performance; and 3. The application of it.

1. The purpose or decree foreknown; but it is well rendered, fore-ordained, for this knowing is decreeing, and there is little either folid truth or profit in the diftinguishing them.

We fay ufually, that where there is little wifdom there is much chance, and comparatively amongst men, fome are far more forefighted, and of further reach than others; yet the wifeft, and moft provident men, both wanting skill to defign all things aright, and power to act as they contrive, meet with many unexpected cafualties, and frequent disappointments in their undertakings. But with God, where both wisdom and power are infinite, there can be neither any chance, nor refiftance from without, nor

any

any imperfection at all in the contrivance of things within himself, that can give caufe to add or abate or alter any thing in the frame of his purposes. The model of the whole world, and of all the course of time, was with him one and the fame from all eternity, and whatsoever is brought to pass, is exactly anfwerable to that pattern, for with him there is no change nor fhadow of turning, Jam. i. 17. There is nothing dark to the Father of Lights; he fees at one view through all things, and all ages, from the beginning of time to the end of it, yea, from eternity to eternity. And this incomprehenfible wildom is too wonderful for us; we do but childishly ftammer when we offer to speak of it.

It is no wonder that men beat their own brains, and knock their heads one against another, in the contest of their opinions, to little purpofe, in their feveral mouldings of God's decree. Is not this to cut and fquare God's thoughts to ours, and to examine his fovereign purposes by the low principles of human wifdom? How much more learned than all fuch knowledge is the Apostle's ignorance, when he cries out, O! the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out, Rom. xi. 33. Why then should any man debate what place, in the series of God's decree, is to be affigned to this purpose of fending his Son in the flesh? Let us rather, feeing it is manifeft that it was for the redemption of loft mankind, admire that fame love of God to mankind, that appears in that purpose of our recovery by the Word made flesh; that before man had made himself miferable, yea, before either he or the world was made, this thought of boundless love was in the bofom of God, to fend his Son forth from thence, to bring fallen man out of mifery, and reftore him to happiness; and to do this, not only by taking on his nature, but the curfe; to fhift it off from us that were funk under it, and to bear it himself, and by bearing VOL. I.

X

it,

it, to take it away; he laid on him the iniquity of us all, and to this he was appointed, fays the Apostle, Heb. iii. 2.

Before the foundation of the world.] This we understand by faith, that the world was framed by the word of God, Heb. xi. 3. Although the learned probably think it evincible by human reafon, yet fome of those that have gloried moft in that, and are reputed generally mafters of reafon, have not feen it by that light. Therefore, that we may have a divine belief of it, we must learn it from the word of God, and be perfuaded of its truth by the Spirit of God, that the whole world, and all things in it, were drawn out of nothing by His almighty power, who is the only eternal and increated Being, and therefore the fountain and fource of being to all things.

Foundation.] In this word is plainly intimated the resemblance of the world to a building, and fuch a building it is, as doth evidence the greatness of Him that framed it, fo fpacious, rich, and comely; fo firm a foundation, raifed to fo high and ftately a roof, and fet with variety of stars, as with jewels, therefore called, as fome conceive it, Pfal. viii. the work of his fingers, to exprefs the curious artifice that appears in them. Though naturalifts have attempted to give the reason of the earth's ftability from its heaviness, which stays it neceffarily in the lowest part of the world, yet that abates not our admiring the wifdom and power of God, in laying its foundation fo, and eftablishing it; for it is His will that is the firft cause of that its nature, and hath appointed that its property of heaviness, to fix it there; and therefore Job alleges this amongft the wonderful works of God, and evidences of his power, that be bangeth the earth upon nothing, Job xxvi.

7.

Before there was time, or place, or any creature, God, the bleffed Trinity, was in himself, and as the Prophet speaks, Ifa, lvii. 15. inhabiting eternity, completely happy in himself: But intending to manifeft

and

and communicate his goodness, he gave being to the world, and to time with it; made all to fet forth his goodness, and the most excellent of his creatures to contemplate, and enjoy it: But amongst all the works he intended before time, and in time effected, this is the mafter-piece, that is here faid to be foreordained, the manifefting of God in the flesh, for man's redemption; and that by his Son Jefus Christ, as the firft-born among many brethren, Rom. viii. 29. : That thofe appointed for falvation fhould be rescued from the common mifery, and be made one mystical body, whereof Chrift is the head, and fo entitled to that everlasting glory and happiness that he hath purchased for them.

This, I fay, is the great work, wherein all those glorious attributes fhine jointly, the Wisdom, and Power, and Goodness, and Justice, and Mercy of God. As in great maps, or pictures, you will fee the border decorated with meadows, and fountains, and flowers, &c. reprefented in it; but in the middle you have the main defign: Thus is this fore-ordained redemption amongst the works of God; all his other works in the world, all the beauty of the creatures, and the fucceffion of ages, and things that come to pass in them, are but as the border to this the main piece. But as a foolish unfkilful beholder, not difcerning the excellency of the principal piece in fuch maps or pictures, gazes only on the fair border, and goes no further: Thus do the greateft part of us; our eyes are taken with the goodly fhow of the world and appearance of earthly things; but as for this great work of God, Chrift fore-ordained, and in time sent for our redemption, though it most deferves our attentive regard, yet we do not view and confider it as we ought.

2. We have the performance of that purpose, Was manifefted in the last times for you. He was manifefted, both by his incarnation, according to that word of the Apostle St Paul, manifefted in the flefb,

I Tim.