6. Lastly, to instance in no more particulars, the gospel is the word of salvation, and the instrument in the hand of God for the confer- ring of it upon believers, because they shall be taken into the full possession and enjoyment of it at the last day, by and according unto the word and sentence of it. It is the symbol and tessera that gives men final admission into glory. The secrets of all hearts shall be judged according to the gospel, Rom. ii. 16; and by the word of it shall the elect receive their crown, And in these respects is the gospel a word of salvation.
But, SECONDLY, it is said in our proposition, as in the text, to be great salvation. Now, we have seen that the gospel is called sal- vation metonymically, the cause being called by the name of the effect. But in this adjunct of great, “so great,” the effect itself, salvation itself, preached and tendered by the gospel, is principally intended. That, then, in the next place, we are to declare, namely, that this salvation preached in the gospel is “great salvation.” Neither is it absolutely said to be great salvation, but “such” (or “so” “oreat salvation.” And it is usual in the Scripture, when it would suggest unto our minds and thoughts an inconceivable greatness, to use some such expressions as plainly intimate somewhat more than can be expressed. See 1 Pet. iv. 17, 18; Heb. x. 29; John ii. 16, “So great;” that is, absolutely so, and comparatively so, with respect unto the benefits received by the law; and znconceivably so, beyond what we can conceive or express. There ought, then, to be no ex- pectation that we should declare the real greatness of this salvation, which the apostle intimates to be inexpressible. We shall only point at some of those considerations wherein the greatness of it doth most principally consist and appear:—
First, It is great in the eternal contrivance of it. When sin had defaced the glory of the first creation, and the honour of God seemed to be at a stand, no way remaining to carry it on unto that end which all things at first tended unto, all creatures were, and for ever would have been, ignorant of a way for the retrievement of things into the former or a better order, or the bringing forth a sal- — vation for that which was lost; for besides that there was such hor-
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rible confusions, and such inextricable entanglements brought upon the creation and the several parts of it, which none could discern how they might be jointed and set in order again, there appeared a repugnancy in the very properties of the divine nature unto any re- lef or salvation of sinners. Let sinners be saved, and what shall become of the justice, holiness, and truth of God, all which are en- gaged to see a meet recompence of reward rendered unto every transgression? And this was enough eternally to silence the whole creation, by reason of that indispensable obligation which is on them always and in all things to prefer the honour and glory of their Maker before the being or well-being of any creatures whatever. Should the holy angels have set upon a contrivance for the salva- tion of sinners, upon the first discovery that it would interfere and clash with the glory of God (as every contrivance of wisdom finite and limited would have done undoubtedly), yea, rise up against his very blessedness and being, they would instantly have cast it from them as an abominable thing, and have rested eternally in the con- templation of his excellencies; for which end they were created. _ Here, therefore, infinite wisdom, infinite grace, infinite goodness, and infinite holiness, discover themselves in that contrivance of sal- vation which solves all those difficulties and seeming contradictions, keeps entire the glory of God’s attributes, repairs the honour lost by sin, and reduceth the whole creation into a new order and subser- viency to the glory of its Maker. Hence this great projection and design is called “the wisdom of God,” xas’ eof», as that wherein he was pleased principally to lay open the fountain and spring of his eternal wisdom, Rom. xi. 33, 1 Cor. 1. 24; and not only so, but “the manifold wisdom of God,” Eph. iii. 10,—that is, infinite wis- dom, exerting itself in great and unspeakable variety of means and ways for the accomplishment of the end designed. Yea, “all the ‘treasures of wisdom” are said to be laid out in this matter, and laid up in Christ Jesus, Col. ii. 3: as if he had said that the whole store of infinite wisdom was laid out herein And thus, though God made all things in wisdom, yet that which he principally proposeth unto our consideration in the creation of all things is his sovereign will or pleasure, joined with infinite power. For his will or plea- sure were all things created, Rev. iv. 11. But in this work of con- -triving the salvation of sinners, he minds us of the “ counsel of his will,” Eph. i. 11,—that is, the infinite wisdom wherewith the holy. acts of his will concerning it were accompanied ; and the “mystery of his will,” wherein he designed to gather up all things into one head by Jesus Christ, verses 9,10. Certainly the product of infi- nite and eternal wisdom, of the counsel of the will of the Most Holy, wherein the treasures of it were laid out with a design to display it in manifold yariety, must needs be great, very great, so great as