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IX.

SERMON as to be entirely unknown, for that was not the Cafe; but only that it was fhaded under obfcure and diftant Refemblances, and represented in Types and Allegories then little underftood by the Generality. The Jews, it is true, had the Writings of Mofes and the Prophets, and thefe were read every Sabbath Day to the People, yet fo great was their Blindness at the Time of our Lord's perfonal Appearance among them, that they knew not Him who was the Sum and Subftance of their Scriptures, nay, argued against his Miffion and Character from thofe very Writings which in fo many Places expressly teftified of Him: The Reason was this; their Hearts were carnal, and confequently their Understanding alfo, and therefore they erred, not knowing the Scriptures: Hence Chrift's humble Appearance in the Flesh was a hidden Mystery to those whose Minds were fet upon Vanity, and who had pictured the Meffiah on their fond Imaginations in the Likeness of earthly Majefty; and hence it was that the Words which He fpake, and the Works which He did, the Sufferings He underwent, and the Nature of that Kingdom which He came to erect, were all hidden Mysteries to

them:

them. But tho' it was thus with the

SERMON

great- IX.

er Part of the Jews, yet it was not so with all, for we read of Simeon and Anna and other fpiritual Perfons that looked for Redemption in Jerufalem at that Time; and are, given to understand by this and other Proofs, in Scripture, that our gracious and good God never suffered his Truth entirely to fail on Earth, never left Himfelf without Witness in the Hearts of fome chofen Veffels, even in Times of the greatest Darknefs and Apoftacy, to teftify of that Grace of God which bringeth Salvation, and to warn a careless World to flee from the Wrath to come: And therefore the Mystery of Godlinefs faid here to be hidden from Ages and Generations, does not mean a total Concealment of it, but one comparatively fo with refpect to that greater Degree of Clearnefs in which Life and Immortality have been brought to Light by the Gofpel, according to thofe Words of the fame Apostle, fpeaking of the Extent of this Mystery," which, faith he, in Ephef. iii. other Ages was not made known unto 5. "the Sons of Men, as it is now revealed "unto his holy Apoftles and Prophets by, "the Spirit."

I

But

~7

SERMON
IX.

But if it was thus with the Jews, that most favoured People; if Darkness was fo upon the Face of the Deep, with regard to the Difpenfation they were under, that they could hardly penetrate the venerable Obfcurity in which the Mystery of their Salvation was wrapped up; what shall we fay of the Heathen World? What, but that their Night was dark, and that their Lamp was dim indeed? The former had Mofes and the Prophets for their Guides, fignificant Figures and Emblems, and ma

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ny
instructive Miracles and Providences, to
ferve as the Moon to give them Light in
the Night Seafon, and to reflect, tho' with
a fainter Beam, the Glory of that Sun of
Righteoufnefs which was haftening his
Courfe to rife upon them with Healing in
his Wings. But with the Latter it was
far otherwise, for even the Light of this
friendly Satellite was with-held from their
Hemisphere: To thefe was appointed no
Mofes to conduct them thro' the Wilderness,
no typical Joshua to lead them into Canaan,
no Form of Worship by Divine Institution
to give them myftic Patterns and Reprefen-
tations of heavenly Things, and no goodly
Fellowship of Prophets to direct their View

thro'

IX.

thro' Shadows and Figures to fubftantial SERMON and fpiritual Verities; and therefore the great Mystery of Godliness, God manifeft in the Flesh to destroy the Works of the Devil, was to them a hidden Mystery indeed, and the Darkness of their Defpenfation compared to that of the Jews is reprefented by the Shadow of Death. But shall we here leave them as deftitute of all Hope, as cut off from all Fellowship in the Myftery of Grace and Salvation, and without any Ray or glimmering of Light to direct their Steps thro' the gloomy Vale to the unknown God of Mercy? We are not warranted fo to do, for he that made the greater Light to rule the Day, and the leffer Light to rule the Night, made the Stars alfo The fame Lord whofe Mercies are over all his Works, and who hath declared Himfelf to be the God, not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also, left not Himfelf without Witness among the latter, for tho' He gave them not the Volume of the Book wherein the facred Truths of our Religion are recorded, yet He left open to them the Volume of Nature in which they might understand the invisible Things of God, even his eternal Power and Godhead,

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IX.

*

SERMON by the Things that are made. In this in Atructive Book are written many great and glorious Truths relating both to our temporal and eternal State; nor is it hard to conceive how even the Vegetation of a Grain of Corn, by which the Apostle fo aptly illuftrates the Refurrrection of the Body, might poffibly lead the attentive and pious Obferver to the Knowledge of that Doctrine: Nay, highly credible it is, that the whole vifible Creation bears Witnefs to the Divinity of that eternal Word which gave it Being*, holding out to us in that Analogy which fubfifts between Things na tural and divine many fignificant Emblems of redeeming Love . But ftill it must be confeffed, and that with the most profound Gratitude on our Part for the gracious Discovery, that most of the important Points relating to our Redemption are on! ly attainable by Revelation, particularly, that wonderful Inftance of Divine Love,

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In toto mundo lucet Trinitas-a Trinity shines thro' all Nature is a Maxim afcribed to Zoroafter the Perfian. See his Fragments by Le Clerc.

+ Thofe Words of the Apostle where, fpeaking of the Goffel, he fays, Which was preached to every Creature which is under Heaven, if literally tranflated, will run thus, "Which was preached in every Creation under Heaven." Coloff. i. 23.

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