Light from Heaven, Part 4
Great Mysterie.
1In regard of the originall.That is the adjunct; It is a Great Mysterie. And here I might be endlesse: for it is not onelyonly great, as a Mysterie; that is, there is much of it concealed. but it is a great and excellent Mysterie, if we regard whence it came; from the Bosome of God, from the Wisedome of God: If we regard all that had any hand in it; God the Father, Sonne, and Holy-Ghost; the Angels, attending upon the Church; the Apostles, the Pen-men; Preachers, and Ministers, the publishers of it; it is a great Mysterie.
If we regard the end of it:2The end. to bring together God and man; man that was fallen, to bring him backe againe to God; to bring him from the depth of miserie, to the height of all happinesse; a great Mysterie in this respect.
Againe,3The manner of publishing. it is great, for the manifold wisedome that God discovered in the publishing of it, by certaine degrees: first, in Types; then after, he came to Truths: first in Promises; and then, performances: First, the Iewes were the Church of God; and then comes in the Gentiles: a sweet, manifold, and deepe wisedome; it was a great Mysterie, in the manner of conveying of it from time to time, from the beginning of the world.
Againe,4The worke of it. it is a great Mysterie, for that it workes: for it is such a Mysterie, as is not onelyonly a discoverie of secrets, but it transformes those that know it, and beleeve it. We are transformed by it, to the likenesse of Christ; of whom it is a Mysterie, to be as he is, full of grace: It hath a transforming changing power; it gives spirituall sight to the blind, and spirituall eares to the deafe, and spirituall life to the dead: whatsoever Christ did in the dayes of his flesh to the outward man, that he doth by his Spirit to the inward man; even by the publica…ion of this Mysterie, wonders are wrought by it daily.
5The parts of it.If we consider any part of it; Christ, or his Church, or any thing, it is a Mysterie, and a great Mysterie; it must needs be great, that the very Angels desire to prie into.
6Those that knew it not.If we regard those that could not prie into it; as it is 1 Cor. 2. that the wise men of the world understood nothing of it:1 Cor. 2. Where is the Philosopher, &c. There are no parts in the world that could ever enter into this, it is above the sharpest wit; the deepest judgement, the reachingest head, they are all nothing here; it is a great Mysterie: it is a depth above all depths of naturall parts whatsoever; it is a wondrous depth, it hath all dimensions, the depth and height of the love of God in Christ, and the unsearchable riches of Christ, sayth the Apostle Paul.
7Because it makes us great.Againe, it is a great Mysterie; because it makes us great, it makes Times great, and the persons great, that live in those times. What made Iohn Baptist greater then all the Prophets, and others in those times? Because he saw Christ come in the flesh. What made those after Iohn Baptist greater then he? They saw Christ ascend gloriously; that, Iohn Baptist did not. So persons and Times are more or lesse glorious, as they have greater or lesse manifestation of this Mysterie. Great is that Mysterie it selfe,What makes Times and persons great. that makes all things great; that makes Times and persons great. What made the Times of Christ so great? Happie are the eyes that see that that your eyes see, and the eares that heare that that your eares heare. Why? Because the Messias was come. What made the second Temple greater then the first? The first, which was Salomons Temple, was more magnificent then the other. Oh, it was because Christ came in the time of the second Temple, and taught there. So it is the manifestation of Christs Truth, that makes Times and places glorious. Will he not make the soule glorious then, where he is? Certainely he doth. What makes these Times glorious? (but that we have unthankfull darke hearts, or else we would acknowledge they are blessed times that all of us have in, under the Gospel; what makes them so glorious?) the glorious Gospel, that shines in these Times, out of Aegyptian darkenesse of Poperie: Little thankfull are we for it▪ and that threatneth a remoovall of the Gospel: for being great things, and dis-esteemed, and under-valued, (men living under the Gospel as bad as under Paganisme) will God continue these great things among us, to be thus vilified, and dis-esteemed?
Let us take heed therefore,To prize Religion. that we set a higher price on Religion; it is a Mysterie, and a Great Mysterie, therefore it must have great esteeme; it brings great comfort, and great priviledges. It is the Word of the Kingdome, it is a glorious Gospel; not onelyonly because it promiseth Glory, but it makes the soule glorious, more excellent then other persons. Let us rayse a greater esteeme in our hearts of this excellent Truth; it is a great Mysterie.
Againe,8Comparatively great. it is a great Mysterie ▪ oif compared to all other Mysteries. Creation was a great Mysterie; for all things to be made out of nothing; order, out of confusion; for God to make man a glorious creature, of the dust of the earth, it was a great matter: but what is this in comparison, for God to be made man? It was a great and wondrous thing, for Israel to be delivered out of Aegypt and Babylon: but what are those, to the deliverance out of Hell, and damnation, by the Gospel? What are the Mysteries of Nature, the Miracles of Nature, the Loadstone, &c. to these supernaturall Mysteries? There are Mysteries in the providence of God, in governing the World; Mysteries of Satan, Mysteries of iniquity, that deceive the World: the wise men of the World all wonder at the Beast; a Great Mysterie: but what are all Mysteries, either of Nature, or Hell, to this Great Mysterie? I might be endlesse in the point.
Vse 1.First of all, learne hence from blessed S. Paul, how to be affected,How to be affected with this great Mysterie. when we speake and thinke of the glorious Truth of God; that we should work upon our hearts, to have large thoughts & large expressions of it. S. Paul thought it not sufficient, to call it a Mysterie, but a Great Mysterie: he doth not onelyonly call it Riches, but unsearcheable Riches. So when he speakes of the fruits of the Gospel, what strange words the Scripture hath? Peace of Conscience, that passeth understanding; and, …oy unspeakable and glorious▪ Wee are brought out of Darknesse into marvellous Light: As if all things were full of wonder in the Gospel; both the thing, and the fruits of it. Surely, all that have the same spirit, and have their eyes open, to see in any measure these excellent Mysteries, they are in some measure so disposed, as the blessed Apostle was; that is, they have full hearts; and answerable to that, they have full expressions: out of the riches and treasure of the …eart, the mouth will speake.How to have large apprehensions of this Mysterie. Therefore let us be ashamed of the deadnesse, and dulnesse, and narrownesse of our hearts, when we are to conceive or speake of these things, and labour to have full expressi…ons of them.
And that we may the better doe this,1To see the depth of our co…uption…. let us labour to have as deepe conceits in our understandings, as we can of that Mystery of sinfulnes that is in us, and that Mysterie of misery. It is not to be conceived, the cursed state we are in by nature; It is not to be conceived, what a depth of corruption is in this heart of ours, and how it issues out in sinfull thoughts, and speeches, and actions every day: Indeed there is a height, and breadth, and depth of corruption in mans heart, & there is a height, and bredth, and depth of the misery of man: for as it is said of this blessed estate, neither eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, to conceive the things that God hath prepar'd for those that love him; so indeed, neither eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, to conceive the misery that men are in by nature; onelyonly there are some flashes of conscience, to give a little taste in this World, of that Misery that men, in the state of Nature, fall into, when they goe hence. Therefore, the more cleare knowledge we have of the Mysterie of corruption; how prone our hearts are to deceive us, and of the great miserie we are in by nature: the more we shall wonder at the boundlesse and bottomelesse goodnesse of God, in the Mysterie of our salvation; the one will sharpen the appetite of the other. And indeed, we ought to have viewes of these two every day, to looke to the state we are brought out of, if we beleeve. If wee be not yet in the state of grace, consider but what we are; how little there is betweene us, and eternall destruction; that we are ready to drop into Hell irrecoverably: and withall, consider againe the infinite love of God in Jesus. These be things fit, to take up our thoughts.
2Meditation of this great mysterie.Againe, if we would have large and sensible thoughts and apprehensions of these things, such as the blessed Apostle; let us set some time apart to meditate of these things, till the heart be warmed: let us labour to fasten our thoughts, as much as we can, on them every day; to consider the excelle…cie of this Mysterie of Religion in it selfe, and the fruit of it in this world, and in the world to come; it is a good imployment: for from thence, we shall wonder at nothing in the world besides. What is the reason, that men are taken up with admiration of petty Mysteries, of poore things? Because their thoughts were never raysed up to higher considerations. A wise man will wonder at nothing,How to …se to wonder at worldly things. because he knows greater things then those objects presented to him; hee hath seene greater matters then those; so it is with a wise Christian: Doe you thinke hee will stand wondering at great and rich men, at great Places and Honours, and such things? (indeed, he knowes how to give that respect that is due) alas, he hath had greater matters in the eye of his soule, and hath what is great in this world, to him, to whom the world it selfe is not great. What is great in this world to him, to whom Christ is great; to whom, Heaven and the Mysteries of Religion are great? All things else are little to him, to whom these things are great. Christ tooke up his Disciples, when they sayd; Oh, Master, what kind of stones are here? Here are goodly stones and buildings indeed. Oh, sayth Christ, Are these the things you wonder at? I tell you, that not one stone shall be left upon another. So it is the nature of shallow men, to wonder at the things of this world, to be taken with emptie vaine things: Are these the things we wonder at? If we would wonder, let us come to Religion; there we have him,Esay 9.6. whose Name is wonderfull: Christs Name is wonderfull, because all is wonderfull in Christ. He is wonderfull in his Person, in his Offices, in the managing of them; to bring us to life, by death; to glory, by shame▪ He is wonderfull in his government of his Church; to governe by afflictions; by conforming us to himselfe, to bring us to glorie; to perfect his worke, in abasement; to bring it low, that he may rayse it after. There are wonders every way in Christ; not onelyonly in himselfe, but in all his courses: There is Peace that passeth understanding; joy unspeakable, and glorious: Religion will teach us, what to admire at. We see those that are under Antichrist, under the Mysterie of iniquitie, Rev. 7.it is sayd Rev. 7. They wonder at the Beast. Oh, what a goodly order they have among them, one under another? What a wise fabricke it is? What a linking together of things? All is wonderfull. Indeed, it is fit for them to wonder at, that have not seene these wondrous Mysteries of the Gospel; but those that have spirituall eye-salve, to enlighten the eye of their soules, to see these blessed Mysteries, how great they are, they will be farre from wondring at any earthly thing, much lesse at the Mysterie of Antichrist. It is a great Mysterie: therefore,
Vse 2.Let us bring great endeavours to learne it, and great respect towards it,Love, and endeavour to learne it. and great love to God for it: Let every thing in us be answerable to this great Mysterie, which is a great Mysterie