Of ElefJion. W Arms, asMoun~ains, 'D!ut. H· 27. which meet to grafpus then, when God't BooK IV. grace by Galling firll takes hold on us: There was, nor never will be, fuch an ~ inllance in all Eternity. We,mull needs fuppofe withal, That fuch a grace mull have grace eoougla in it.to cominue·to.aJI Eternity: As, fuppofe we a River had run under g><:~und with continue~ llreams ?f Water from Eternity, which began to break forth~ and to empty tt ftreams mto a new Chancl, though through· but a fmaH ~luce atfirft, which when once it.is broke forth, muft.needs, a.nd ,will run to Ji:ter– nity ,imt!Jat new Chanel, for tt huh water enough to do it to lrifr. upto:anmber Etern tty to come,onc fir.eam fo!lowmg another fiream i11 omne volu6ilif ~p::m. Now Calli'ng is that Sluce, the ftate of Grace and of Glory, that new ChaMI; and if indeed any thmg could faltl'our fo firon~, as t~ mu~ up , at to incbng~ the·cumng off that Courfe of Water, then mdeed tt mrghr ceafe; bu.t it>be– ing a O:ream of Grace from Eternity, and that of all Grace, continued all along, this mull needs be fo ftrong, and fo full, as to carry all afore it thot lhQuld re– till it, or obfiruet it,; yea, it will work out all that cloth oppofe it in its Current, andfwellover. ltsaSpr:ng, asJohn4· 'i· thatjbalif"1ri1lg~tp 1mto ttmuJI !Jje; an<l fuch is the grace ill God's heart, and fuch the Spirit in Calling i)at~ givenus; • I have faid it with my felf, and to others, and lhall never recall it, that if we could fuppofe fuch a fulnefs ofglory to come had not been God's Ordioatiop, but that his Called ones were to have lived upon Earth in afiate of grace only, fuch as nowwe are in, mixt with !innings, corruptions, and graee·working one again!l the other confliCting: That God had love enough in his heart to ·fave us thJ!reby in this JDixesJ condition of !inning and repenting, and to hold us on fo to Eternity. How much much more then, when he bath provided !l Glory to poifefs us of, and a prefenting us fo glo•iqus to himfelf, within fo lit-· de a while, tliat he lhall not have caufe to put himfelf to that trouble of a p,. tience fol'fo long time: How much more, I fay, according to all that bath been argued taken together,in this may we fupport our hearts with copfidence, that he wiUcontinue to hold in with us, and reduce us to himfelf again, out qf finnings, and give that glory at the !aft? I conclude with that in Ephe(. 2. 5. 6, 7• Having fpoken fir!\ of calling, who hathquickuedmtogether withChr:{l, 6y Graet ye are fmm:J, Verf. 5· An/. hath madot4 fit tog!therin Heavenly placn iu Chrifl Jefm, Verf. 6. That in th! .Ages to come, h! might jh!w th! excuditrg riches of hi. Graet, i11 his ltindt~efi towards m, through Jejl<! Chri#. B1 the .Ages to com! there, is meant Eternity, whichChap. 3· 21. Jhews, where he ufeth the fame phrafe, Glory to Chrifl throughrmt alJ AgesWorld without E1ld: This place thews us this Iifue or Cone!ution, that God having given us a right to fit in Heaven af– ter calling and quickning, fuch and fo true a right unto Glory , as that we are faid already to fit together with Chrift in Heaven, the refult is this, ThatGod having infinite Riches of Grace, out of which he called , he bath ordained aa Eternity of time, to fpend them Riches in upon us, and to make Dedaratioa of the Exceeding great (and a) the Text tells us) all Grace, which he bath iri his Heart for us; and Ages to come , and Eternities, are not enough for him to do all this in, the Grace is fo Rich and fo Abundant. Now then from hence to A~gue and make an inference from the Point in hand ; Will he not preferve us in this Life, and carry us through Temptation having fo much Grace in his Heart laid up for us? Suppofe a Father that hath a Great E!late to leave his Child, if his Child fives( and truly thofe that have Riches, defire Children to leave them unto, as well as .A6rahamdid ) and this .his Child is weakly and confumptive, and yet but fo, as fome bitter coO: ex– traordinary, would preferve, reftore, and recover him to perfeCt health in fome lhort time, would not that Father fpend {ome of that E!late wbich lies by him , thus to recover him , that he might poifcfs all ? I thiok he would, And clofi thou think that this great God of all Grace, and thus rich in Grace, would pinch it for a little while, when he profeifes that he fcts apart this In– heritance from Eternity to them that are Called. Let me tell you, that as we Jay in Nature, rather than there Jhould be a Vacuum, or Emptinefs in any parrs
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