(4.) That we might have a high and glorious pattern of obedience. We are referred to angels, and to Christ himself, who would leave us a more glorious example.
3. Magnify this great contrivance of your salvation by comparisons. Compare it with creation, with other deliverances, and with the works of nature.
[1.] Compare it with creation. The Lord discovered much of his glory in making the world out of nothing, but he discovered more of his glory when Jesus Christ was born of his own creature, a vine out oi the berry or grape. This was his masterpiece and grand design, in which he purposed to gain to himself most honour and glory. The world was made with a word, but redeemed with a serious plot and contrivance. The world was made for man and woman, but Christ was made out of a woman. In the creation God made us like himself, but here the Lord made himself like us. In the creation all things were made out of nothing, here order came out of confusion. In the creation man was made out of the earth, but here God was made man. In the creation God went the high way to do us good, in redemption he came the lower way ; Jesus Christ abased himself for our sakes.
[2.] Compare it with other deliverances. It was a great thing to be delivered out of Egypt and Babylon, but it is far greater to be delivered, out of hell, and from damnation and wrath to come. Bead the story of the children of Israel's deliverances, Ps. cvii. They were delivered from the oppression of Pharaoh, but we from Satan. God gave them food, and satisfied the longing soul, and filled the hungry ; but Jesus Christ incarnate is made bread and food to the soul. They had deli- verance from diseases, but we from sin, the sickness and disease of the soul, and from the vanity of our own spirits. Then he goes on to the wonders in the deep, but we may see the depth of mercy swallowing up the depth of sin, and the glorious love of God breaking out in such a wonderful deliverance by Jesus Christ, that we may well cry out with them, ver. 31, ' Oh ! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.'
[3.] Compare it with the miracles of nature. There are strange things among the creatures, yet there may be some footsteps of reason seen ; but it cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive of this
SERMONS UPON GENESIS XXIV. 63. 339
glorious salvation brought about by the Son of God. Therefore bless God for the revelation, and complain of thyself for not thinking of these things with serious admiration, scarce vouchsafing to look into these things, but are more pleased with every bauble and vain contrivaace than the great and serious plot of the gospel.
SEEMON X.
And Isaac loent out to meditate in the field at the even-tide. — Gen. xxiv. 63.
Fourthly, The object which I shall now propose is providence, a large field, and full of useful matter. It is a draught which God hath been plotting from all eternity, and accomplishing these thousands of years. Take it altogether, and it is a continued contexture or concatenation of decrees, actions, and events, from the creation to the day of judg- ment. It is our duty to understand it for the present, and it will be our happiness to understand it perfectly hereafter : Ps. cvii. 43, ' Whoso is wise, and will observe those things, even they shall under- stand the loving-kindness of the Lord.' It is an excellent piece of wisdom to be able to link events together that we may see the wisdom and love of God in the usual occurrences that happen out. We being of short narrow thoughts, fail most herein. Power is such an attribute as is visible and obvious to a common and careless eye ; the heathens knew it : Kom. i. 20, ' For the invisible things of him from the crea- tion of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.' But to find out the beauty and wisdom of God's work, there needs the light of faith and some acquaintance with God himself; therefore it is said. Job xi. 5, 6, ' 0 that God would speak, &c., and show me the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is.' Power is obvious to sense and reason, but wisdom is scarce discernible to faith. There is an outside and an inside in aU divine dispensations ; the outside is full of beauty, but that is but dark to the inside, to the secrets of wisdom. God's works are full of mysteries as well as his word, and we cannot under- stand them unless God himself be our teacher ; we are blind and see not, and then we murmur. But the full knowledge of the mysteries of providence is reserved for our portion in heaven, when we shall know as we are known : 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ' Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face ; now I know in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known.' We shall view all the passages of providence by which we have been brought to glory, and see the beautiful order and links of them. Now ' we have known God, or rather are known of God,' Gal. iv. 9. God knoweth what is the meaning of such a provi- dence, what is in the womb of such a dispensation. Here there is a handwriting upon the wall, but we, as Belshazzar, cannot read it. As when we see a woman with child, we cannot tell what it will prove ; but when we are on the top of the mount, we shall look back, and see