[7.] If sin has been committed against a special relation, as suppose
SERMONS UPON GENESIS XXIV. G3. 331
that of a magistrate or a miuister, this doubles the oflfence. Your sins are imitated ; you should be fountains of religion and justice, and you poison the fountains. You are as the first sheet that is printed ofi", and all others are stamped after your copy. It was a sad title that was given to Jeroboam, that ' he made Israel to sin ; ' so when you do not show forth a special strictness of religion according to your place, it is a great aggravation.
SEKMON IX.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide. — Gen. xxiv. 63.
Thirdly, The matter I am now to propose to you is the excellent con- trivance of the gospel as a subject for your meditation ; an argument that challengeth all our reverence and thoughts and wonder, a mystery of mysteries, the fairest draught and picture that ever came out of the workhou.'^e of God: 1 Tim. iii. 16, 'And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.' This is a depth that cannot easily be fathomed ; here are miracles enfolded in miracles, and mysteries within mysteries ; God would astoniiJ mankind, and save it at the same time. Christ is called the wisdom of God : 1 Cor. i. 24, ' Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God ; ' not only as the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him, and through him conveyed to the creatures, but because herein is God's wisdom most discovered by di.s- posing and putting our salvation into the hands of Christ ; not only as a fountain of wisdom, but as a map of wisdom, as discovering the excellent contrivance of God, and the curious variety that is in his counsels. God showeth wisdom in all things: Ps. civ. 24, '0 Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom hast thou made them all' Every creature is disposed into apt cells and storehouses, and contri- butes to the glory of their creator. But here God would discover the curiosity of his wisdom. The world is his work, but the gospel is liis plot. And therefore in your solemn and most deliberate thoughts you should take a view of it. It is the great duty of saints : Eph. iii. 18, 19, ' That ye may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.' This should be your continual task and search. There are two great mysteries in the world — Clirist and antichrist, the mystery of the gospel and the mystery of iniquity. It is the great advantage of christians to discern the mystery of iniquity, and to meditate upon the mystery of godliness ; to observe antichrist's cunning, and to consider the contrivance of the gospel. Oh ! then exercise your thoughts herein, and study the excellency of God's design ; bring hallowed and reverend thoughts, that by a deliberate gaze you may raise your souls into an holy wonder and admiration.
332 SERMONS UPON GENESIS XXIV. 63.
1. I shall lay down some preparative considerations.
2. I shall come to the work itself.
I. To prepare you to consecrate your thoughts for the entertainment of so great a mystery, consider these things —
1. Wlien you have done your utmost, your thoughts will still fall short : Isa. xl. 28, ' There is no searching of his understanding.' There is an excess in every attribute above all human thought and conceit, and though we follow on after God, yet we cannot find him out to perfection. Now among all his attributes none is more hidden from us than his wisdom, as children that are only busied in puppets and baubles cannot imagine what it is to govern a commonwealth. Power is obvious, but our foolish spirits cannot trace the wisdom of providence, much more his wisdom discovered in the gospel". One of the names of Christ is Wonderful, Isa. ix. 6. It is a point that we should always be studying, and yet Vv'e can never come to the bottom of it, and therefore what is wanting in thoughts must be supplied by wonder. When we have done all, we must cry out, Rom. xi. 23, ' O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! ' As if he had said, I have done as much as I can, I have discovered as much as I am able ; but I must leave off disputing, and fall now to wondering. The light of the scripture doth not discover him fully : 1 Cor. xiii. 9, ' We know in part, and we prophesy in part.' Full knowledge is our portion in heaven ; these are but partial disco- veries we have even in the word of God. However this is no excuse for negligence and barrenness. Not for negligence, for we must ' follow on to know the Lord,' Hosea vi. 3. It is the fault of christians that they keep always to their milk and first childish thoughts and apprehensions ; we should rise higher in our considerations and admirations of the love and wisdom of God. It is notable that Moses his first i-equest to God was, ' What is thy name ? ' Exod. iii, 13. and then, ' I beseech thee show me thy glory,' Exod. xxxiii. 18. We must follow on from con- sidering God's name to clearer sights of his glory. Not for barrenness ; empty thoughts void of argument and discourse beget a confused stupor, not a wonder ; the thoughts are only stayed, not raised.