Ohs. 6. The last particle in tlie words is that, loitli exceeding joy. From thence note the day of Christ to the godly is a joyful day. When others howl, you shall triumph ; when others are dejected, antl 'call upon the mountains to cover them,' Rev. vi. 16, you shall 'lift up the head, for your redemption draweth nigh,' Luke xxi. 28. Christ will be glad to see you whom he hath carried in his heart from all eternity, for whose sake he came into the world and died, and for whom he went back ascain into heaven, that he miiiht nefrotiate with God in your behalf, and whom he now cometh to receive unto himself, that you may be for ever there where h^ is. And surely you that have received Christ into your hearts, and loved him though unseen, and served him though with the loss and hazard of all, will be glad to see him in all his glory and royalty, especially wdien you shall hear him calling upon you, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father, enter into the king- dom prepared for you.' Oh ! that we could act over this joy afore- hand. Faith is a bird that can .'^ing in winter. Before Christ came in the flesh the patriarchs got a sight of him by the eagle-eye of faith, and rejoiced at the thought of it: John viii. 56, ' Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.' Oh 1 surely our hearts should be warmed with the thought of that blessed day wdieu we shall be able to say, Yonder, even there, is our great Lord !
Ver. 25. To the only icise God, our Saviour, he glory and majesty, dominion and poioer, noio and ever. Amen.
The apostle in this verse goeth on with that doxology which he had begun in the former. Here you may take notice of —
1. The description of the person to whom the praise is given. He is described — (1.) By his excellency, the only tvise God ; (2.) By our interest and the benefit we receive by him, ajid our Saviour.
2. The ascription of praise, be glory, &c. There is — ■
[1.] What is ascribed, glory, majesty, dominion, and power.
[2.] The duration, how long he would have this ascribed, now and ever.
[3.] Manner, in what fashion it is ascribed, in the particle amen, with which all is sealed and closed up. This particle implieth — (1.) Our confidence that it shall be so ; (2.) Our hearty affection that it might be so. Love saith, Let it be, and faith. It shall be ; for faith is a prophetic grace. In prayer it answereth itself.
But let us go over these particulars more fully and distinctly. From the description of the person, to the only luise God our Saviou-*: That Christ is God we proved before on ver. 4, and that Christ is a Saviour, and how, on the same verse. I shall only now observe : —
368 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 25.
Ohs. 1. (1.) That God is wise ; (2.) That God is only wise ; (3.) That Jesus Christ, as Mediator, hath a right to this attribute.
I begin with the first, that wisdom is ascribed to God. God's wis- dom is a distinct notion from his hioivledge. He doth not only know all things, but hath ordered and disposed them with much counsel. The wisdom of God is asserted in the word, Job ix. 4, and xii. 13, and proved there by what he hath bestowed upon man : ' He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?' Ps. xciv. 10. Whatever man hath from God, God hath it in himself in a more eminent degree ; and it is also evidenced by the works of God, as in the works of crea- tion, providence, and the methods of his graces.
1. Much of his wisdom is seen in creation. There his wisdom is discovered in the excellent order of all his works, Ps. civ. 24, 1 Cor. i. 21. Their mutual correspondence and fitness for the several ends and services for which they were appointed. The order of the world showeth the wisdom of God, the order of placing the creatures : see Prov, iii. 19, 20, ' The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, b}^ under- standing hath he established the heavens, by his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.' The earth is set lowermost as the foundation of all the rest, the sea pent up within its channels, the air above them both, and the heavens higher than all, the stars and planets placed in the firmament, and the fishes in the sea. The order of making , God proceeding from things imperfect to per- fect ; first the rude mass, then the heavens and the vast earth and glorious creatures, but without life ; then the herbs and plants, that have life, but not sense and motion ; then the brute creatures, that have sense and motion, but not reason ; then man, with a reasonable soul, after his own image. In this order you may observe, first, the dwell- ing-place is appointed, then the food, then the creature that feedeth upon it, the beasts upon the herbs, and man upon the beasts. The Queen of Sheba was astonished at Solomon's wisdom, when she per- ceived the well-ordering of his family. Certainly, if we did observe the order of nature, we would stand wondering more at the wisdom of God. Next observe the correspondence that is between all the parts of the world, compared sometimes to a building, wherefore God is called re-xylrT)^, an ' artificial builder,' Heb. xi. 10. In this great house every part conspireth to the beauty, service, and decency of the whole. The roof is heaven ; and therefore the spheres are called 'chambers and storeys in the heavens,' Amos ix. 6. The foundation is earth, Job xxxviii. 5, 6. The stars and glorious luminaries are the windows, the sea the water-course, &c. Sometimes it is compared to the frame and structure of man's body • Heb. xi. 3, ' The worlds were framed.' It is in the original, KaTrjpriaOaL, set in joint, as all the members of the body are tied together by several ligaments, &c. Sometimes to an army: Gen. ii. 1, 'The heavens were finished, and all the host of them.' Order is necessary everywhere, but especially in a host. There every one must keep in his rank and station. Thus the stars have their courses. Judges v. 20, and the clouds their courses. Job xxxvii. 12, yea, the grasshoppers march in an army, Joel ii. 15. The next thing that showeth the wisdom of God is their fitness for use and service. The workman's skill is as much commended in the use of