This End, the Gofpel has anfwered in SER M. the wisest and most perfect mannner. For XIII. though there was indeed, even under the Light of Nature, very good ground of I Hope, that God would accept the Repentance of Sinners; yet 'tis a strong additional affurance, which the divine Wisdom has now youchfafed us, in not fparing his own Son, but delivering him up for us all. This is indeed an effectual encouragement to all fincere Penitents, to All who have really forfaken every vicious courfe; to 3 draw near and apply themselves to the Heb.x.22. Throne of grace with a true heart, in full affurance of Faith; having boldness and accefs with confidence, to enter into the Rom.v. 1, Holieft by the blood of Jefus, by a new and living way which he has confecrated for us. 12. And the more; because he has not only opened unto us the Temple in Heaven by his Blood, but continues confiantly to make Heb. vii. interceffion for us, to be our Advocate with 25; the Father, and a perpetual High-Prieft Heb.x.21. for us over the house of God: And, that we might live worthy of thefe great privileges, hath himself left us an example 1 Pet. ii. of all Holiness and Purity, that we should21. follow his Steps: And, that we might not X 4 2. want Eph. iii, Heb.x.19. 1 Joh ii 1. SER M. want Motives to ingage us to imitate him, XIII. has made to us a clear and diftinct Difco very of a Judgment to come. And, because it was Wife and Fit, that That do&trine which was to be an univerfal Law and Rule of Life, which was to be the condition of Salvation to perfons of all capacities, fhould be very easy and intelligible to All; therefore he has delivered it to us with all Plainness and Simplicity, not in the abftrufe words of Man's Wif dom, (not in Terms hard to be understood, fuch as are Thofe wherewith Later Ages have corrupted his Doctrine;) but in demonftration of the Spirit and of Power, 1 Cor. ii. 4. Teaching us, that denying ungodliness and wordly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this present World, in expectation of being judged according to our works. And he is to be himfelf our Judge; who, as St Paul exHeb.ii 17. preffes it, that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest, has himself first suffered in all things like his brethren; and can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, having himself been in all points tempted like as we are; and can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are iv. 15. & v. 2. out t out of the way, for that he himself alfo had SER M. been compassed with infirmity. THESE are fome of the principal Ends and Defigns of the Gofpel. On account of the Excellency of which Ends, and the wonderful Fitness of the refpective Means, made ufe of by the divine Wisdom in the manner I have now dif courfed of, to accomplish them; Chrift is called, (in Cor. i. 24. and 30.) the Wisdom of God; and in the Text, Col. ii. 3. it is expreffed that in him are bid all the Treasures of Wisdom; and Eph. i. 8. that, by this difpenfation, the Grace of God has abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence; and Phil. iii. 8. that all other things are to be accounted as Lofs, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jefus our Lord. This is the first mark of Wisdom ; the Excellency of the Ends propofed, and the Fitness of the refpective Means to accomplish them. THE next Circumftance wherein the Wisdom of God has particularly shown forth itself in the accomplishing of the fore-mentioned Ends, is; that the Incarnation of Christ, as, after it was revealed, it appeared to be plainly in all refpects the XIII SER M. the fitteft poffible Means; fo, before it XIII. was revealed, it was on the contrary fuch an unexpected Method, and to undiscoverable by any finite Wisdom, as to be an inscrutable Mystery, not only to Men, (upon which account St Paul calls it in the words before the Text, the Mystery of God, even the Father, and of Chrift; and in 1 Cor. ii. 7. the Wisdom of God in a myftery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew; and Col. i. 26. the mystery which bath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifeft to his Saints; but it was moreover a mystery which even the Angels alfo defired to look into, 1 Pet. i. 12. and fuch an inftance of Wisdom, Eph. 9, 10. that thereby not only all Men may see, what is the fellowship of the myftery which from the beginning of the world has been bid in God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift; but even to the highest Angels also, to the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places, may be known by the Church the manifold Wifdom of God. iii. THE last circumftance I fhall take notice of, wherein the Wisdom of God has remark remarkably manifefted itself in the Go-SER M. the |