These God will have in the Church together;1 the Mystery of Godliness, and Ungodliness; of Christ, and Antichrist: Why? That the one may be a foil to the other. And how shall men magnify, and relish, and highly esteem this Mystery I speak of, except they look by way of opposition to the Mystery of Antichrist, and see how contrary those courses are? Alas, the reason why they so oppose, as they do, the Gospel, and the purity of it, is, because they are contrary Mysteries; that must be maintained by ignorance: the Gospel, that is a Mystery, that must be revealed, and God hath ordained that it should be revealed more & more. Therefore those that would second Popery, that are friends of that, they are enemies to the Gospel, & to the publishers of it; they cannot carry their conveyance handsomely. ⟨p. 34⟩All Popish spirits are enemies to the Mystery of Godliness; because where this is, it blows upon the Mystery of iniquity; as indeed the overthrowing of error, is the discovering of it: for none would willingly be cozened. Popery must be discovered with the breath of Christ; that is, with a Mystery, which is too sharp a breath for his Mystery to feel: therefore blame them not, that they are so bitter opposites to the publishing of divine Truths; the one Mystery consumes the other. As Moses Rod devoured all the other Rods, so Truth eats up all opposite errors whatsoever. See but in experience; wheresoever Truth is planted, (the Gospel, and Ordinances, and Religion of God) how Satan falls down like Lightning, and Antichrist falls. But this by the way, to give a lustre to the other: There are many other Mysteries, besides the Mystery of iniquity in Popery; every Trade hath its Mystery, and there are Mysteries and secrets of State: But this is the Mystery of all Mysteries, that we should give our selves most of all to understand;2 therefore it is said to be a
These God will have in the Church together;1 the Mysterie of Godlinesse, and Vngodlinesse; of Christ, and Antichrist: Why? That the one may be a foyle to the other. And how shall men magnifie, and relish, and highly esteeme this Mysterie I speake of, except they looke by way of opposition to the Mysterie of Antichrist, and see how contrary those courses are? Alas, the reason why they so oppose, as they doe, the Gospel, and the puritie of it, is, because they are contrary Mysteries; that must be maintained by ignorance: the Gospel, that is a Mysterie, that must be revealed, and God hath ordained that it should be revealed more & more. Therfore those that would second Poperie, that are friends of that, they are enemies to the Gospel, & to the publishers of it; they cannot carry their conveiance handsomely. ⟨p. 34⟩All Popish spirits are enemies to the Mysterie of Godlinesse; because where this is, it blowes upon the Mysterie of iniquitie; as indeed the overthrowing of errour, is the discovering of it: for none would willingly be couzened. Poperie must be discovered with the breath of Christ; that is, with a Mysterie, which is too sharpe a breath for his Mysterie to feele: therefore blame them not, that they are so bitter opposites to the publishing of divine Truths; the one Mysterie consumes the other. As Moses Rod devoured all the other Rods, so Truth eates up all opposite errours whatsoever. See but in experience; wheresoever Truth is planted, (the Gospel, and Ordinances, and Religion of God) how Satan falls downe like Lightning, and Antichrist falls. But this by the way, to give a lustre to the other: There are many other Mysteries, besides the Mysterie of iniquitie in Poperie; every Trade hath its Mysterie, and there are Mysteries and secrets of State: But this is the Mysterie of all Mysteries, that we should give our selves most of all to understand;2 therefore it is sayd to be a
- 1Why God suffers the Mystery of iniquity.Why God suf•ers the Mysterie of iniquitie.
- 2Godliness a great MysteryGodlinesse a great Mystery
