200 Of the I(r]owledg of (jod the Father, r"...~ muft needs mov~ him the rather to accept his Work in this, and us for it. As Bo ° KIll for lnfhnce, If a King willing and inclined to pardon a Traitor, if befidcsa ~Work of Mercy done, it could be demonftrated that the Means whereby that is to be done, would bring in a Mighty profit to the King, ten thouland Talents of Silver; as in another cate Raman faid to .AiJil{iteriH, E[ler 3· 8. Or as if wh<n David"s Heart was ofit felffet to pardon Abfolom, only he would do it with Ho. nour; if ]o11b (the Projector of his Reconciliation) could have propounded a Projdi, not only to have fetc'd .Abfolom_in again, and reconciled him to David upon the King's own Terms; but fo as withal, he fhould have allllls otherState– Ends compafled whatever he could ddire, as to fhew forth his Majefly, Power Greatnds, gratify all his Subjects, overcome his Enemies, hereby have his King: dom governed in Peace and Righteoufnds, and have his Enemies fubdued,over– come, and all his Revenues encrcaftd; would not all the World fay, that fure– ly, the propounding this would mightily help forward the obtaining ..Ab.folom's Pardon and Reconciliation? And furely fo 'tis here, the Work of Reconciliation in Chrifi's Hands (who ferves God in all thefe and many Ways more) mufi needs proJPer (as l[oi11h fays) and fpeed: And therefore, in the firft ofJolm, and in the firll of the Hebrew1, and in this Chapter, Coloj[. I. all his ufefulnefs to other Ends, all his fulnefs to other Purpofts, is prefaced and mentioned firfi,and then purging our Sins away by his Blood, and making Peace by the Blood of his Crols are fpoken of all thole other conducing unto this. And therefore, fome Schuolmen,upon the conGderation ofthefe Things,give thisCenfure ofit,Tar.toa/i– quis modu-s aptior eft ad colifcq~tendunt aliquem ji'nem q11anto fer ipjimt phtra romparrmtur. Vfe. 3· It may invite us to come to him, as bdides the work ofReconciliation, God had the Accomplifhment ofmany other Ends in him, fo may we: Beftdes pardon ofSin, and Peace with God, we may have all other overplus Ends ac· quired and accomplifhed. The Angels who are in Favour with God already, and fiand not in any need that way, what would they give to have that near Relation to him which we have? You may cori1e to him for Pardon firfi, but when you are come his Perlon will further take you. Fulnefs much invites, it is the aim ofall our Defires to hove a fulnefs ofRiches, ofHonours, ofPleafures,a ?rA<oV<(f~, as the Apofilecalls it, Eph. 4· 19. that is, a having ones Fill, fo the Word which is tranllated Greedineji fignifies. Now in Chrift, and in Chrifl only it is to be had, in whom is Fulnefs, and all Fulnefs, F11lmfi for parrs, ofall forts, and All Fulneji for Degrees ; which is never fpent, for it dwells in him; Fltl– neji for evermore, as the Pfolmifl fpeaks: Open thy Mo11th wide, flretch thy De– fires to the utmofi compafs, .as Pfol. 81. ro. may Chrift fay, and I will f/1 it. The Mind ofMan is nothing but emptinefs of it felf, it is as the Stomack is, a Vacuity and Want, fharpened with Defire and Hunger; (Empty Man, as Job calls hitr, Job 11.12.) unto which God bath fitted all Things, as fuitable to its Defires one way or other, there is no Creature but it may take fame pleafure in: But alas! the Creatures are Empty too, TJ,mity, that is, EmptineG, as Solomoncalls them, H111k.! (as in the Parable) witho11t aKernel, and Adawmade them·more vain and empty, Rom.8.2o.Subjdled them to P:mity: and at beft they ftrve but for fame one particular Want and End, and not all Ends and Purpofes; Richesferve againfl Poverty, Honour againft Shame, but Chrifl he ferves to all End and Purpoles. God would have nothing full but Chrift, that our Souls might refi in nothing elle, and have him our Center. It pleafed him that all Fulnefi fhould dwell in him, and he bath fitted him to our Wants; all we want he bath, and all be bath we want: And his Fulner is not ordained fimply to dwell in him, but to be eommumcated, as the Sun$ FulnefsofLight, wh1ch though It refides in the Body ofthe Sun, and it carries it with it whither it goes, and leaves nothing but Darlmds behind ir, yet where it comes it is wmmunicative, it diffufeth all irs Light, and Heat, and InAuencc, and fo doth Chrift. Therefore as here, all Ful-. nds is I:Jid to dwell in his Pcrfon, fo ellewhere it is C1id, He flleth all in all, as Fph. 1. ult. as Adam emptied all, fo He fills all, and is never diminil11ed; HIS Fulnefs it is not plenillulo vajis bur fimt;s, which is always full: Not as the Fulnefs of the Sea, which might be emptied, but as the Fulnefs ofthe Sun, or of Fire, Which multiPlies it felt " - .J 1 ~r.-.th 11 'h;,.-.. ;,. f"'.U' npj .. h'"'.. 'll(e. 4·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=