172 / 808
ido
`
Sphfian.r,Chap.t,
.
V
E
x.17,
who
is
the Father glorious
himfelfe by nature, and
the author
of
all
that glory
which
is
communicated with
his
children,
intreating
him
to
give unto
you that
fpirituall gift
ofwifedome, whereby
you
may
lx
able to underftand, and
that light
of
his
fpirir,
which doth
make mani-
feft
the things fpirituall, which are to be underftood
óf
you
;
and this
I
with
you, through the further knowing
and acknowledging
of
that
Chrift,
in
whom you
have beleeved
:
More plainely,
I
delire for you,
that God
will give you eyes
of
your
underftanding fo enlightned,
that
you may
know him.
Dell.
r.
Obferve then firft,
that
we muff fo confider of
God,
when we
come
unto him inprayer,
as
that
we may fee in
him
the
things we
defire.
The
Apoftlet
going
to Prayer
for thefe Ephefians,
who
had
beleeved
on
Chrift,
and
about
to
feeke
the
glorious gifts of
the
fpirir, which
might helpe them to know the glory
referved
forthem, he fetteth
God
before him,
as
the
God of
that
Chrift, whom
thefe had now
received
by
faith into
their
hearts,
&the father
of
all
glory,both
of
them flrength-
ning
his faith
:
For
he could
not thinke
that God, the
God
of
Chrift,
would be wanting to
thofe
who
were
Chrifts
;
or that the
father
of
all
glory would deny thefe glorious gifts, which
hee was about to
increafe.
When
men come
to
aske
at thofe who
have enough
of
that
they
feeke, and
to
aslte it
in
fuch meafure onely
as
that
it
is
not
any
thing
for thofe
they
fue
unto to vonchfafe, they
eafily perfwade
them
-
felves
that they
(hall
fpeede.
This
maketh Paul
11111
fet
God
before
him,as having that
in
him
for which heprayeth
;The
Gedef
peace
fencti-
fre,you
threughout,IThef
5.Subdue chafe
lu/ts which
fight
again/t
yourfoules.
So
feeking
the confummation,or
perfeéting
ofthe
beleeving Hebrews,
bee
doth
fet
God before him,
as
who
had from
the lowell
humiliation,
brought the
head
of
them to glory,
Heb. 13.
Thus the
Church,
Alt.y.,
feeking
courage,
and
that
wonders might
be
wrought, they let God
be-
fore them,as the God
of power,who
had made heaven
earth,
fea, &c.
pre,
Wherefore
learne thus to help
thy faith; Wouldeft
thou have
remit
fion
of
finne
?
Confider
of
God,
as a
God with whom
there
is
plenty
of
redemption or forgivenelfe
:
Wouldit
thou
have
eafe in any mifery
and griefe
Confider of him
as a
father
of
all
mercy
and confolation,
whenthou cornettto him;this dothftrengthen faith,&
enflame
affection:
We
feeke
things more fecurely, when we know them
to
be where
wee
are
in
looking
them,
and we
follow them more
affectionately, when
now
we are
gotten
after
a
manner into the fight
of
them.
Dsti,a,
Obfervefecondly, that
even true
Weevers
have great want
of
hea-
venly
wifdome
;
as
children and
youth,when they
have in
their
meafure
that
wifedome
which belongeth
to
their kinde, yet they want
in
great
meafure
the
faine
wifdome
in
which they partake
;
So
it
is
with Gods
children
;
when now they have
that
wifdome from above
in force
degree, yet they are many degrees fhort
of
that which
is
to be
attained
:
Yea, our
Saviour
himfelfe, the
head
ofus,did
fo receive
wifdome,
that
there
was place for
growth
and increafe
in
it,
Luke 2.
fine.
What
loth
the want
of
wifdome
in
children, which we may not
obferve
in