who made the world, to govern it, and take care of it.

And if we be not thus affected and difpofed, we do not believe the providence of God, whatever profeffion we make of it: if we did, it would have an influence upon our minds, to free us from anxious care and difcontent. Were we firmly perfuaded of the wifdom and goodness of the divine providence, we should confidently rely upon it, and, according to the Apoftle's advice here in the text, caft all our care upon him, because he careth for us.

SERMON CXXXIX.

The wifdom of God, in the redemption of mankind.

I COR. i. 24.

--Chrift, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

I

Have, in the ordinary courfe of my preaching, been treating of the attributes and perfections of God, more particularly thofe which relate to the divine understanding, the knowledge and wifdom of God. The first of thefe I have finished; and made fome progrefs in the fecond, the wisdom of God: which I have fpoken to in general, and have propounded more particularly to confider those famous inftances and arguments of the divine wifdom, in the creation of the world; the government of it and the redemption of mankind by Jefus Chrift. The first two of thefe I have fpoken to, namely the wisdom of God, which appears in the creation and government of the world. I come now to the

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III. inftance of the divine wisdom, the redemption. of mankind by Jefus Chrift; which I fhall, by God's affiftance, fpeak to from thefe words, Chrift the wifdom of God.

The Apostle, in the beginning of this epiftle, upon occafion of his mentioning the divifions and parties that were among the Corinthians, where one LI 2

faid,

faid, I am of Paul, another, I am of Apollos, asks them, whether Paul was crucified for them? or, whether they were baptized in the name of Paul? To convince them that they could not pretend this, that they were baptized into his name, he tells them, at the 14th and 15th verfes, that he had not so much as baptized any of them, except two or three; fo far was he from having baptized them into his own name; and at the 17th verfe, he fays, that his work, his principal work, was to preach the gospel, which he had done, not with human eloquence, not in wifdom of words, but with great plainnefs and fimplicity, left the cross of Chrift should be made of none effect; left, if he fhould have ufed any artifice, the fpel fhould have been lefs powerful. And, indeed, his preaching was unaffectedly plain, and therefore the gofpel did feem to very many to be a foolish and ridiculous thing. The ftory which they told of Chrift crucified, was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness. The Jews, who expected another kind of Meffias, that should come in great pomp and glory, to be a mighty temporal Prince, were angry at the ftory of a crucified Chrift. The Greeks, the Philofophers, who expected fome curious theories, adorned with eloquence, and delivered and laid down according to the exact rules of art, derided this plain and fimple relation of Chrift, and of the gospel.

go

But though this defign of the gospel appeared filly and foolish to rafh and inconfiderate and prejudiced minds; yet to them that are called, to them that do believe, both Jews and Gentiles, Chrift the power of God, and the wisdom of God; Chrift, that is, the way of our redemption by Jefus Chrift, which the Apoftle preached, the wisdom of God, an eminent

inftance of it.

So that the redemption of man by Jefus Chrift, is a defign of admirable wisdom. This I fhall endeavour to confirm to you,

I. By general teftimonies of fcripture. And, II. By a more particular enquiry into the nature of this defign, and the means how it is accomplished.

1. By teftimonies from fcripture. You know I have all along, in my difcourfes of the attributes of God, ufed this method of proving them, from the dictates of natural light, and the revelation of fcripture: But now I muft forfake my wonted method, for here the light of nature leaves me. The wifdom of the creation is manifeft in the things which are made; the heavens declare the glory of God's wif dom, and the firmament fhews his handy-work. The works of God do preach and fet forth the wisdom of the Creator; but the fun, moon and ftars do not. preach the gospel. The wifdom of redemption is wif dom in a mystery, hidden wisdom, which none of the Princes or Philofophers of this world knew. The fharpeft wits, and the highest and most raised underftandings amongst the Heathen could fay nothing, of this. Here the wisdom of the wife, and the undertanding of the prudent is pofed, and we may make the Apostle's challenge, ver. 20. of this chapter, Where is the wife? where is the difputer of this world? There is no natural light difcovers Chrift; the wife men. cannot find him out, undefs a ftar be created on purpofe to lead and direct to him. Therefore in this L fhall only depend upon divine revelation, 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8. the gospel is called the wifdom of God in a myfery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew. Eph. i. 7, 8. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness. of fins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence. Eph. iii. 10, 11. The manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purpofed in Chrift Jefus our Lord. This work of our redemption: by Jefus Chrift, is fo various and admirable, that it is not below the Angels to know and understand it; To the intent, that unto principalities and powers in heavenLy places, might be known the manifold wisdom of God.

2. By enquiring more particularly into the nature of this defign, and the means how it is accomplished.. This is wifdom, to fit means to ends; and the more difficult the end, the greater wildom is required to L13

findi

find out fuitable and fufficient means for the accomplishment of the end. Now the wisdom of redemption will appear, if we confider the cafe of fallen man; and what fit, and proper, and suitable means the wisdom of God hath devised for our recovery.

First, Let us confider the cafe of fallen man, which was very fad, both in respect of the misery, and the difficulty of it.

1. In refpect of the mifery of it. Man, who was made holy and upright by God, having by his voluntary tranfgreffion, and wilful difobedience, fallen from him, did prefently fink into a corrupt and degenerate, into a miferable and curfed condition, of which heaven and earth, and his own confcience, bore him witnefs. Man being become a finner, is not only deprived of the image of God, but is liable to his juftice here was his mifery.

2. The difficulty of the cafe was this; man could not recover himself, and raise himself out of his own ruin; no creature was able to do it; fo that our help is only in God; and, indeed, he is a merciful God, and doth not defire our ruin, nor delight in our deAtruction: But fuppofe his mercy never fo willing to fave us, will not his holiness, and juftice, and truth check thofe forward inclinations of his goodness, and hinder all the designs of his mercy? Is not fin contrary to the holy nature of God? Hath not he declared his infinite hatred of it? Hath not he threat ened it with heavy and dreadful punishment? and faid, that the finner fhall dy, that he will not acquit the guilty, nor let fin go unpunished? Should he now, without fatisfaction to his offended justice, pardon the finner, remit his punishment, and receive him to favour; would this be agreeable to his holinefs, and juftice, and truth? Would this become the wife governor of the world, who loves righteoufness and order; who hates fin, and is obliged, by the ef fential rectitude of his nature, to difcountenance fin?

any

So that here is a conflict of the attributes and perfections of God. The mercy of God pities our mifery, and would recover us, would open paradife to, us but there is a flaming sword that keeps us out;

the

the incenfed juftice of God, that must be fatisfied; and if he takes vengeance of us, we are eternally ruined; if he fpares us, how fhall mercy and justice meet together? how fhall God at once exprefs his love to the finner, and his hatred to fin? here is the difficulty of our cafe.

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II. Let us now enquire what means the wifdom of God ufeth for our recovery. The wifdom of God hath devifed this expedient to accommodate all these difficulties, to reconcile the mercy and juftice of God. The Son of God fhall undertake this work, and fatisfy the offended juftice of God, and repair the ruined nature of man. He fhall bring God and man together, make up this gulf, and renew the commerce and correfpondence between God and us, which was broken off by fin. The work that God defigns, is the redemption of man, that is, his recovery from a ftate of fin and eternal death, to a ftate of holiness and eternal life. The Son of God is to engage in this defign of our redemption, to fatisfy the offended juftice of God towards us, fo as to purchase our deliverance from the wrath to come, and fo as to restore us to the image and favour of God, that we may be fanctified, and be made heirs of eternal life.

For opening of this we will confider,

1. The fitness of the perfon defigned for this work.

2. The fitness of the means whereby he was to accomplish it.

1. The fitness of the perfon defigned for this work, and that was the eternal Son of God; who, in refpect of his infinite wifdom and power, the dignity and credit of his perfon, his dearness to his Fa ther, and intereft in him, was very fit to undertake this work, to mediate a reconciliation between God and man.

2. The fitness of the means whereby he was to accomplish it; and thefe I fhall refer to two heads, his humiliation and exaltation. All the parts of these are very subfervient to the design of our redempti

on.

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