The Treasure of the Gospel

There are several degrees of the dispensation of salvation. There is first the ordaining of salvation. That took place before the creation of the worlds. Then the promise of salvation. That was when Adam fell. Then the procuring of the salvation promised. That was by Christ when he came in the flesh. Then the enlarging of salvation to all people. This was after Christ had come in the flesh. Then there is the perfect consummation of salvation in heaven. Now the execution of the promise and the performance of all good concerning salvation was reserved to Christ's coming in the flesh; and the actual enlargement of the promise to all nations was not until then. I do but touch on these things to show that God has had a special care for this latter age of the world. Some account the first age of the world to be the golden age, the next silver, and then an iron age. But indeed, we may invert the order. We live in the golden age when Christ was made manifest in the flesh. What is the glory of times and places? The manifestation of Christ. The more Christ is laid open with his unsearchable riches, the more God glorifies those times and places; and that is this golden age where the gospel is preached.
We have a confidence in the spread of the gospel to all people because the Gentiles now have an interest in Christ. Those merchants and those that give themselves to navigation may with good success carry the gospel to all people. There are none shut out in this last age of the world. Yet, remember, Christ will not abide long where he is not esteemed, where the gospel is undervalued and blended with that which is detrimental to the purity of it. The state of the gospel and truth is such, that if it be mingled with anything else, it overthrows it; and Christ will not endure this indignity. Let us take heed that we keep Christ and his truth with us purely and only; if we would have it stay with us.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
The Fountain Opened, Works, vol. 5, pp. 512
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