Boct. 2. That grace in the discoveries of the gospel hath shined out in a greater brightness than ever it did before.
This grace appeareth in the gospel ; there and there only is it clearly manifested.
In the prosecution of this point I shall show —
1. What darkness there was as to the knowledge of grace before.
2. How much of grace is now discovered.
First, What a darkness there was before the eternal gospel was brought out of the bosom of God. There was a darkness both among Jews and Gentiles. In the greatest part of the world there was utter darkness as to the knowledge of grace, and in the church nothing but shadows and figures.
1. This grace was not known in the world, only a little of it was : Ps. xxxiii. 5, ' The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.' Some inferior grace was made known to them in the creation and in the course of providence, by showers of rain and fruitful seasons, grace on this side heaven ; but nothing of the secrets of God's bosom, of the incarnation of God, of the expiation of sin by his death, of salvation by faith in the Mediator. This depends not upon the connection of natural causes, but the free pleasure of God ; therefore the angels knew it not till it was revealed in the church : Eph. iii. 10, ' To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.' The gentiles, by looking into the order of causes, could never find it out. They might find a first being, and the chiefest good, but not a Christ, not a saviour ; there they sat in the shadows of death, and did not understand nor desire eternal Life : Acts xiv. 17, ' Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.' Much of God may be seen in the known courses of nature, rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, but nothing of Christ. The apostle speaks it there to dissuade them from the worship of Jupiter and Mercury, and other of the vanities of the gentiles ; he argues from the grace of nature and common benefits which they had received : this were enough to make them acknowledge a divine power. Pray mark, the apostle saith, ' He left not himself without a witness ; ' yet he suffered them to walk in their own ways, because he did not reveal his gospel nor give them his Spirit : Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20, 'He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel : he hath not dealt so with any nation ; and as for his judgments, they have not known them ; ' Eom. xvi. 25, 26, ' Accord- ing to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known unto all nations for the obedience of faith;'
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50 SERMONS UPON TITUS 11. 11-14. [SeR. L
Eph. iii. 4, 5, ' Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my know- ledge in the mystery of Christ ; which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit ; ' Col. i. 26, 27, ' Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made mani- fest to his saints ; to whom God would make known wliat is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in them the hope of glory.' But God suffered them to serve their own lusts, and to carry on that religion which they had feigned to themselves. But then he left not himself without a witness, for they had many corporal blessings, from whence they might easily collect that they should not worship stocks and stones and dead men, but the living God, by whose providence those blessings v/ere dispensed. Though lie gave them not the gospel, yet he gave them the light of nature, and the looking-glass of the creatures. There is much ado whether this were auxilium sufficiens gratice, a sufficient help to convert them, or to bring them to such a condition that they might gain the grace of God. It was enough to oblige them to seek after God, and to convince them that they did ill in worshipping the creatures, but it was not sufficient to find out the true God and enjoy him. Saving grace is not granted by any promise to the improvement of nature. Well, then, though the whole earth be full of the goodness of the Lord, that is, of the fruits and effects of his common bounty, yet nothing of his saving grace is known, till it appeared and broke out in the gospel.
2. To the Jews this grace began to dawn, but it was veiled in figures and shadows, that they could not see clearly. The substance of their doctrine was the same with ours, but there is a great deal of difference in the manner of dispensation ; they had the dark text, and we the exposition. There was grace and shadow by Moses, but ' grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,' John i. 17 ; because here all the types were revealed, and we have the substance itself. Christ is the light of the world. The sun, the farther off it is from rising, the less light it gives. Christ was not then risen, therefore there was but twilight and full of shadows. Grace is opposed to the condemnation of the moral law, and truth to the shadows of the ceremonial law. Christ's offices, his benefices, his person, were but darkly propounded to them. Take but one place for all. Of all the ministers of the legal dispensation, John Baptist saw the clearest ; yet, saith Christ, the least of gospel ministers knows more than he : Mat. xi. 11, 'Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist ; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.' John drawing nearer to Christ, had a clearer knowledge of the meaning and application of the types than others had ; but now those that have lived after the pouring out of the Spirit upon Christ's ascension under the gospel dispensation, have a clear insight into the doctrine of grace, far more clear than it was in the days of John.