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mercy upon you.' Neither is there any revelation of God, that the soul finds more sweetness in, than this. When it is experimentally convinced, that God from time to time hath passed by many innumerable iniquities, he is astonished to think that God should do so; and admires that he did not take the advantage of his provocations, to cast him out of his presence; he finds that with infinite wisdom in all longsuffering he hath managed all his dispensations towards him, to recover him from the power of the devil, to rebuke and chasten his spirit for sin, to endear him unto himself; there is, I say, nothing of greater sweetness to the soul than this, and therefore the apostle says, Rom. iii. 25. that all is through the forbearance of God; God makes way for complete forgiveness of sins, through this his forbearance; which the other doth not.

(3dly.) They differ in their ends and aims. What is the aim and design of God in the dispensation of that forbearance, which is manifested, and may be discovered out of Christ, the apostle tells us, Rom. ix. 22. What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?' It was but to leave them inexcusable, that his power and wrath against sin might be manifested in their destruction. And therefore, he calls it, 'a suffering of them to walk in their own ways;' Acts. xiv. 16. which elsewhere he holds out as a most dreadful judgment, to wit, in respect of that issue whereto it will certainly come; as Psal. lxxxi. 12. I gave them up to their lusts, and they walked in their own counsels,' which is as dreadful as condition as a creature is capable of falling into, in this world. And Acts xvii. 30. he calls it a 'winking at the sins of their ignorance;' as it were taking no care nor thought of them in their dark condition, as it appears by the antithesis, but now he commandeth all men every where to repent.' He did not take so much notice of them then, as to command them to repent, by any clear revelation of his mind and will. And therefore, the exhortation of the apostle, Rom. ii. 4. and despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffer

Eos, quibus indulgere videtur, quibus parcere, molles venturis malis Deus format. Seneca cur bon. vir. mali fiunt. cap. 4.--Pro dii immortales! cur interdum in hominum sceleribus maximis, aut connivetis, aut præsentis fraudis pœnas in diem reservatis Cic. pro Cal.

ing, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?' is spoken to the Jews, who had advantages to learn the natural tendency of that goodness and forbearance which God exercises in Christ, which indeed leads to repentance, or else he doth in general intimate, that in very reason, men ought to make another use of those things, than usually they do, and which he chargeth them withal, ver. 5. ́but after thy hardness and impenitent heart,' &c. Att best then the patience of God unto men out of Christ, by reason of their own incorrigible stubbornness, proves but like the waters of the river Phasis, that are sweet at the top, and bitter in the bottom; they swim for a while in the sweet and good things of this life, Luke xvi. 25. wherewith being filled, they sink to the depth of all bitterness.

But now evidently and directly, the end of that patience and forbearance of God, which is exercised in Christ, and discovered in him to us, is the saving and bringing unto God, those towards whom he is pleased to exercise them. And, therefore, Peter tells you, 2 Pet. iii. 9. that he is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance;' that is, all us towards whom he exercises forbearance, for that is the end of it, that his will concerning our repentance and salvation, may be accomplished; and the nature of it with its end is well expressed, Isa. liv. 9. This is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more cover the earth, so have I sworn, that I would not be wroth,' &c. It is God's taking a course in his infinite wisdom and goodness, that we shall not be destroyed notwithstanding our sins; and therefore, Rom. xv. 5. these two things are laid together, in God, as coming together from him, the God of patience and consolation :' his patience is a matter of the greatest consolation. And this is another property of God, which though it may break forth in some rays to some ends. and purposes in other things, yet the treasures of it are hid in Christ, and none is acquainted with it unto any spiritual advantage, that learns it not in him.

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3dly. His wisdom, his infinite wisdom, in managing things for his own glory, and the good of them towards whom

· Κατὰ μὲν τοῦ ἐπιῤῥέοντος βάψαντα, γλυκὺ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνιμήσασθαι· εἰ δὲ εἰς βάθος τις και θῆκεν τὴν κάλπιν, άλμυρόν. Arrian, περιπ. Ευξείνου πόντου.

he hath thoughts of love. The Lord indeed hath laid out and manifested infinite wisdom," in his works of creation, providence, and governing of his world in wisdom hath he made all his creatures; how manifold are his works? in wisdom hath he made them all; the earth is full of his riches;' Psal. civ. 24. So in his providence, his supportment and guidance of all things, in order to one another, and his own glory, unto the ends appointed for them; for all these things come forth from the Lord of hosts, who is 'wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working;' Isa. xxviii. 29. His law also is for ever to be admired, for the excellency of the wisdom therein; Deut. iv. 7, 8. but yet there is that which Paul is astonished at, and wherein God will for ever be exalted, which he calls the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God,' Rom. xi. 33. that is only hid in, and revealed by Christ. Hence as he is said to be the wisdom of God, and to be made unto us wisdom, so the design of God which is carried along in him, and revealed in the gospel, is called the wisdom of God, and a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world was, which none of the princes of this world knew ;' 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8. Eph. iii. 10. It is called 'the manifold wisdom of God;' and to discover the depth and riches of this wisdom, he tells us in that verse, that it is such, that principalities and powers, that very angels themselves could not in the least measure get any acquaintance with it, until God by gathering of a church of sinners, did actually discover it. Hence Peter informs us that they who are so well acquainted with all the works of God, do yet bow down and desire with earnestness to look into these things (the things of the wisdom of God in the gospel); 1 Pet. i. 12. It asks a man much wisdom to make a curious work, fabric, and building; but if one shall come and deface it, to raise up the same building to more beauty and glory than ever, this is excellency of wisdom indeed. God in the beginning made all things good, glorious, and beautiful. When all things had an innocency and beauty, the clear impress of his wisdom and goodness upon them, they were very glorious. Especially man, who was

" Si amabilis est sapientia cum cognitione rerum conditarum, quam amabilis est sapientia, quæ condidit omnia ex nihilo August. lib. Meditat. c. 18.

* 1 Cor. i. 20. 30.

y Gen. i. 31.

made for his special glory; now all this beauty was defaced by sin, and the whole creation rolled up in darkness, wrath, curses, confusion; and the great praise of God, buried in the heaps of it. Man especially was utterly lost, and came short of the glory of God, for which he was created; Rom. iii. 23. Here now doth the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God open itself. A design in Christ shines out from his bosom, that was lodged there from eternity, to recover things to such an estate as shall be exceedingly to the advantage of his glory, infinitely above what at first appeared; and for the putting of sinners into inconceivably a better condition than they were in, before the entrance of sin. He appears now glorious, he is known to be a God, 'pardoning iniquity and sin, and advances the riches of his grace, which was his design; Eph. i. 6. He hath infinitely vindicated his justice also, in the face of men, angels, and devils, in setting forth his Son for a 'propitiation. It is also to our advantage, we are more fully established in his favour, and are carried on towards a more exceeding weight of glory, than formerly was revealed. Hence was that ejaculation of one of the ancients, O fælix culpa, quæ talem meruit redemptorem!' Thus Paul tells us, 'great is the mystery of godliness;' 1 Tim. iii. 16. and that' without controversy.' We receive 'grace for grace;' "for that grace lost in Adam, better grace in Christ. Confessedly this is a depth of wisdom indeed, and of the love of Christ to his church, and his union with it, to carry on this business; this is a great mystery,' Eph. v. 32. says the apostle, great wisdom lies herein.

So then, this also is hid in Christ, the great and unspeakable riches of the wisdom of God, in pardoning sin, saving sinners, satisfying justice, fulfilling the law, repairing his own honour, and providing for us a more exceeding weight of glory; and all this out of such a condition, as wherein it was impossible that it should enter into the hearts of angels or men, however the glory of God should be repaired, and one sinning creature delivered from everlasting ruin. Hence it is said, that at the last day,' God shall be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe;'

z Gen. iii. 17, 18. Rom. i. 18.

a Exod. xxxiii. 18-29. xxxiv. 6-8.
c 2 Cor. iv. 17.

b Rom. iii. 24, 25.

d John i. 16.

2 Thess. i. 10. it shall be an admirable thing, and God shall be for ever glorious in it, even in the bringing of believers to himself. To save sinners through believing shall be found to be a far more admirable work, than to create the world of nothing.

4thly. His all-sufficiency is the last of this sort that I shall name.

God's all-sufficiency in himself, is his absolute and universal perfection; whereby nothing is wanting in him, nothing to him; no accession can be made to his fulness, no decrease or wasting can happen thereunto. There is also in him an all-sufficiency for others; which is his power to impart and communicate his goodness, and himself, so to them, as to satisfy and fill them in their utmost capacity, with whatever is good and desirable to them. For the first of these, his all-sufficiency for the communication of his goodness, that is in the outward effect of it, God abundantly manifested in the creation, in that he made all things good, all things perfect, that is to whom nothing was wanting in their own kind; he put a stamp of his own goodness upon them all. But now for the latter, his giving himself as an all-sufficient God, to be enjoyed by the creatures, to hold out all that is in him for the satiating and making them blessed, that is alone discovered by and in Christ. In him he is a Father, a God in covenant, wherein he hath promised to lay out himself for them; in him hath he promised to give himself into their everlasting fruition as their exceeding great reward.

And so I have insisted on the second sort of properties in God, whereof, though we have some obscure glimpse in other things, yet the clear knowledge of them, and acquaintance with them, is only to be had in the Lord Christ.

That which remaineth is briefly to declare, that not any of the properties of God whatever, can be known savingly and to consolation, but only in him, and so consequently, all the wisdom of the knowledge of God is hid in him alone, and from him to be obtained.

3. There is no saving knowledge of any property of God, nor such as brings consolation, but what alone is to be had in Christ Jesus, being laid up in him, and manifested by him. Some eye the justice of God, and know that this is

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