meruit redemptorem! Thus Paul tells us, great is the mystery of godliness, 1 Tim. iii. 19. and that without controversy. We receive grace for grace, John i. 16. for that grace loft in Adam, better grace in Christ. Confeffedly this is a depth of wisdom indeed. And of the love of Chrift to his church, and his union with it, to carry on this bufinefs, This is a great mystery, Eph. v. 32. fays the apostle, great wisdom lyes herein.,

So then; this alfo is hid in Chrift, the great and unfpeakable riches of the wifdom of God, in pardoning fin, faving finners, fatisfying juftice, fulfilling the law, repairing his own honour, and providing for us a more exceeding weight of glory: and all this out of fuch a condition as wherein it was impoffible that it should enter into the hearts of angels or men, how ever the glory of God fhould be repaired, and one finning creature delivered from everlasting ruin, hence it is faid, that at the laft day, God all be glorified in his faints, and admired in all them that believe, 2 Thef. i. 10. it fhall be an admirable thing, and God fhall be for ever glorious in it, even in the bringing of belie vers to himself. To fave finners through believing fhall be found to be a far more admirable work, than to create the world of nothing.

4. His all-fufficiency is the laft of this fort that I fhall name. God's all-fufficiency in himself, is his abfolute and universal perfection; whereby nothing is wanting in him, nothing to him: no acceffion can be made to his fulness, no decrease or wafting can happen thereunto. There is alfo in him an allfufficiency for others; which is his power to impart and communicate his goodness, and himself, fo to them, as to fatisfy and fill them in their utmoft ca pacity, with whatever is good and defireable to

them

them. For the first of thefe, his all-fufficiency for the communication of his goodness, that is in the outward effect of it, God abundantly manifefted 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-fufficient God, to be enjoyed by the creatures, to hold out all that is in him for the fatiating and making them bleffed, 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 fo I have infifted on the fecond fort of properties in God. whereof, though we have fome obfcure glimpse in other things, yet the clear knowlege 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 favingly and to confolation, but only in him, and fo confequently all the wisdom of the knowlege of God is hid in him alone; and from him to be obtained.

3. There is no faving knowlege of any property of God, nor fuch as brings confolation, but what alone is to be had in Chrift Jefus, being laid up in him, and manifefted by him. Some eye the justice of God, and know that this is his righteoufne fs, that they which do fuch things, as fin are worthy of death, Rom. i. 32. But this is to no other end but to make them cry, who among ft us hall devell with that devouring fire? Ifa. xxxiii. 14. Others

fix upon his patience, goodness, mercy, forbearance, but it doth not at all lead them to repentance; But they defpife the riches of his goodness, and after their hardness and impenitent hearts, treafure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 3, 4. Others by the very works of creation and providence come to know his eternal power and Godhead, but they glorify him not as God, nor are thankful, but become vain in their imagination and their fooli hearts are darkned, Rom. i. 20. Whatever difcovery men have of truth out of Chrift, they hold it captive under unrighteoufnefs, ver. 18. Hence Jude tells us, ver. 10. that in what they know naturally, as brute beafts, in those things they corrupt themfelves.

That we may have a faving knowlege of the properties of God attended with confolation, thefe three things are required.

1. That God hath manifefted the glory of them all in a way of doing good unto us.

2. That he will yet exercife and lay them out to the utmost in our behalf.

3: 3. That being fo manifefted and exercifed, they are fit and powerful to bring us to the everlasting fruition of himself, which is our bleffednefs. Now all these three ly hid in Chrift, and the least glimpse of them out of him, is not to be attained.

1. This is to be received, that God hath actually manifefted the glory of all his attributes in a way of doing us good. What will it avail our fouls; what comfort will it bring unto us, what endearment will it put upon our hearts unto God, to know that he is infinitely righteous, juft, and holy, unchangeably true, and faithful, if we know not how he may preferve the glory of his juftice, and faithful

nefs

nefs in his comminations and threatnings, but only in our ruin and deftruction? If we can from thence only fay it is a righteous thing with him to recompence tribulation unto us for our iniquities? What fruit of this consideration had Adam in the garden? Gen. iii. What fweetness, what encouragement is there in knowing that he is patient and full of forbearance, if the glory of thefe is to be exalted in enduring the veffels of wrath fitted for deftruction? nay, what will it avail us to hear him proclaim himfelf the Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, abundant in goodness and truth, yet withal, that he will by no means clear the guilty; fo fhutting up the exercise of all his other properties towards us upon the account of our iniquity? Doubtless not at all.

Under this naked confideration of the properties of God; juftice will make men fly and hide, Gen. iii. Ifa. ii. 21. xxxiii. 5, 16. Patience renders them obdurate, Ecclef. viii. 11. Holinefs utterly deters them from all thoughts, of approach unto him, John xxiv. 19. what relief have we, from thoughts of his immenfity and omniprefence, if we have cause only to contrive how to fly from him, Pfal. cxxxix. 11, 12. if we have no pledge of his gracious presence with us? This is that which brings falvation, when we fhall fee, that God hath glorified all his properties in a way of doing us good. Now this he hath done in Jefus Chrift. In him hath he made his justice glorious, in making all our iniquities to meet upon him, caufing him to bear them all, as the fcape goat in the wilderness, not fparing him but giving him up to death for us all. Só exalting his juftice and indignation against fin, in a way of freeing us from the condemnation of it, Rom. iii. 25. viii. 33, 34. In him hath he made his truth glorious

glorious, and his faithfulness in the exact accomplishment of all his abfolute threatnings and promifes; that fountain threat and commination, whence all others flow, Gen. ii. 17. In the day thou eatest thou shalt die the death, feconded with a curfe, Deut. xxvii. 26. Curfed is every one that continueth not, &c. is in him accomplished, fulfilled, and the truth of God in them laid in a way to our good. He by the grace of God tafted death for us, Heb. ii. 9. and fo delivered us who were fubject to death, ver. 14. and he hath fulfilled the curfe, by being made a curfe for us, Gal. iii. 13. So that in his very threatnings, his truth is made glorious, in a way to our good. And for his promises; They are all yea, and in him Amen, to the glory of God by us, 2 Cor. i. 20. And for his mercy, goodness, and the riches of his grace, how eminently are they made glorious in Chrift, and advanced for our good? God hath fet him forth to declare his righteousness for the forgiveness of fin: he hath made way in him for ever to exalt the glory of his pardoning mercy towards finners. To manifeft this, is the great defign of the gospel, as Paul admirably fets it out, Eph. i. 5, 6, 7, 8. There must our fouls come to an acquaintance with them, or for ever live in darkness.

Now this is a faving knowlege and full of confolation; when we can see all the properties of God made glorious and exalted in a way of doing us good. And this wisdom is hid only in Jefus Chrift; hence when he defired his Father to glorify his name, John xii. 24. to make in him his name, that is, his nature, his properties, his will,all glorious in that work of redemption he had in hand; he was inftantly answered from heaven, I have both glorified it, and