may be, God will apprehend them, and bring them to his Son', and " keep them unto the end," and " perfect in them the good work he has begun™." Of those whom from eternity he has given to his Son, " not one shall be losf^," " not one be ever plucked out of his hands"." At the same time, all his own perfections shall be glorified; justice in punishing the offence, and mercy in pardoning the offender : yea, mercy shall be the more magnified, because it is exercised in away of justice; and justice, because it is honoured in a way of mercy.
" O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and know- ledge of God ! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out?!" This indeed may be said in reference to any single part of his plan : and, if so, how much more in reference to the whole stupendous mystery, in all its branches ! Verily, in the mystery of redemption, as viewed in all its parts, there " are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge *!;" insomuch that, though they shall be progressively unfolding to all eternity, they shall never be fully seen, never adequately comprehended.]
Such, then, being the true character of the Gospel, we proceed to shew,
II. Whence it is that the godly alone view it in its true hght —
The persons here called " perfect," are the same as in the foregoing chapter are called " the saved'," and *'the called ^" As for absolute perfection, there is no such thing to be found in any child of man*. But persons are sometimes called " perfect," as having grown from children to man's estate" ; and sometimes as being truly upright in opposition to the unbelieving and ungodly worlds It is in this latter sense that the term " perfect" is used in our text. These per- sons, though they be only babes, behold a wisdom in the Gospel ; though doubtless their insight into the glory and excellency of the Gospel is deep in propor- tion to the attainments they have made in the Divine life.
Now these persons alone behold the wisdom of the Gospel,
1 John vi. 37. "' Phil. i. 6. " John xviii. 9.
» John X. 28, 29. P Rom. xi. 33. 'i Col, ii, 3.
r 1 Cor. i. 18. SI Cor. i. 24. ' Phil. iii. 12.
" See 1 Cor. xiv. 20. and Heb. v. 14. both of them in the Greek. * Job i. 1. Matt. xix. 21. Phil. iii. If).