Christ's certain and sudden appearance to judgment. By Thomas Vincent, sometime Minister of Maudlins…

2. The Revelation of this Contrivement of wisdom, was from God: will appear in that none could know the mind of the Lord herein, unless he himself had discovered it; What Man, said the Apostle, knoweth the things of Man, but the spirit of Man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no Man but the spirit of God. 1 Cor. 2. 11. And the spirit of God searcheth all things, even the deep things of God; and unless the spirit had revealed these things, we must have remained in our ignorance of them, since it could not have entered into our hearts to have conceived them: seeing then none could have discovered the deep contrivements of Gods wisdom, unless God by his spirit had revealed them, and seeing these contrivements are revealed in no other Book, but the Book of the Scriptures, it is evident that the Scriptures must needs be the Word of God: which also will further appear, if we consider the manner of the Revelation of the mystery of Mans redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ, that it was revealed by pieces, and more obscurely at first; and that divers Men were made use of in the discovery thereof in divers ages, who spake hereof mostly in dark sayings; and where they spake most clearly, yet ⟨p. 144⟩themselves had not a clear understanding of what they were moved to speak by the Holy Ghost; but searched what, and what manner of time the Holy Ghost which was in them did signify, when it testified of the sufferings of Christ, & the design of them; whence it is evident that they were not, neither could be the Contrivers of what they revealed, but that the Revelation was from the spirit of God, which did inspire the Prophets, and was the same in all the Pen-men of the holy Scriptures, whom Men of insight in the Scriptures may plainly perceive to be guided and acted by the same spirit in their Revelation of the contriv•ment and way of Mans salvation by Jesus Christ.

2. The Revelation of this Contrivement of wisdom, was from God: will appear in that none could know the mind of the Lord herein, unless he himself had discovered it; What Man, said the Apostle, knoweth the things of Man, but the spirit of Man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no Man but the spirit of God.