113 / 808
V
ER.
8.
Epheflans,Chap.t.
tol
things
of
God,yea both
ofthcm
in
plentifull meafure.
In which
words marke 3.things.
s.That
God
giveth pardon
of
fins
to
Dear.
none,
to whom
he hath not
firft given
wifdome
and
underftanding;
He
doth
quit none from
finne
in
Chrift, whom
he hath
not taught
to
know
and
beleeve on
his
Chrift,
r
cer. I.
31.
God
doth
make
Chrift
an
author
of
righteoufnefs to
none,to whom he
is
not
firft
wifdome,thatis,
who doe not
firft receive
the gift
of
wifdome from
Chrift. (.4
as
26.
Paul
is
fent
to bring
men
from
darkneffc
to light,
that
fo
being brought
to be
light, that
is,
to
have
wifdome and underftanding, they
may
receive
remifion
of
finnes,
and
inheritance with
Saints.
We
mutt
learne from
the Father, that
is,
we mutt be made to
underftand be-
fore
we
can
come
to
Chrift;
My
fervant
by
his knowledge
¡hall
bring
many to
remiffìanoffinne, /haft
jufiifte many.
Lookeas
is
was in
the Type
ofChrift,none
were
healed by
that brazen ferpent, who
did
not
firft
be-
hold it
;
fo
here,
if
we be
not taught
of
God to
fee
that Chrift
cruci-
fied, made
a
corfe on
the
Crofl'e
for
us,
we cannot be healed
of
finne,
wherewith that old Serpent
bath
flung us.
Which
is
to be marked
of
them who prefume
forgiveneffe
of
finne
in
Chrift,
and
yet
have
no
wifdome,
no underftanding in
the things
of
God
:
Whereas Chrift
will
be avengedon all,
who
know
not God
;
Whereas God
faith,
he
hash
no
delight in
a ?people
of
no
under/landing; nay,
that
he
is
angry with them to
deftroy them.
There
is
no figne fo fearefullas to live, efpecially,
where
meanes of
the word
are,
withoutthis underftanding
; for it
is
a
token
that the God
of
the world hath power over
fuch,
to
keepe
them blind-
folded,
to
their
endleffe
perdition
;
even
as in
the body,the
eye which.
is
(rill
blinde after
the molt
foveraigne eye-falve applied , it
is a
shrewd
prefumption it
is
irrecoverably
blinde,
and
altogether help.
leffe.
The
fecond
thing to be obferved
is,
that true
wifdome and under-
Doit.a
(landing arc gifts
of
Gods
Grace
in
Chrift
Jells.
We
receive fuch
wifdome from the
firft man
as
did
now
remaine
with him after
finne,
but
this was
no
true
wifdome,but rather
an
earthly,fenfuall,and
devillifh
wifdome;that
wifdom
e
therefore which
is
heavenly,making wife
to
fal-
vation, mutt be from the fecond
/dam,
who
is
the Lord fromheaven
:
Even
as
reafonable underftanding
is
beyond the compaffe
of
that
knowledge which the beads have
by
kinde,
fo
is
this underftanding
farre
beyond the
reach
of
all
that wifdome
left
in
corrupted
Na-
ture.
To
cleere this
point, obferve thefe two things: Firft,
that
it
is
freely
bellowed on
us; Secondly,
that iris
a
benefit,then which
were
-
ceive
none
of
greater
ufe.
Were
it never fo
good
a
thing, yet
if
I
did
purchafe it meritorioufly, it were no grace
to
mee
;
were
it
never
fo
freely given
me,were
it
of
no
ufe no
waies
to
me,it could
not beafavour;
much
lefs
a
thing
given mein riches
of
Grace;for
that which
is a
gift
of
rich
Grace,muft come
freely
from the donour,& be greatly to the good
of the donatory
or
receiver
:
Now
how freely
we have this
wifdome,
we
all
know
;
it
is
bellowed
on
us
when
all
we are at enmity againft
ir,
yea
count
it
foolifhnefs
:How behoofefull
itis
forus,we may eafilyknow,
K
3
when