491 / 808
V$R.
8.
ephefans,
Chap. 4.
goe before grace, but
caufe
not grace.
I
muff be a
childe before
a
growne
man, yet
childhood
is
not the
caufe
of
manhood.
Thirdly,
we
mutt labour, feting our grace commeth from
Chrift,
to
come neere him,
to
put him on
in
heart and affet ion
,
to
prette
necee
into
his
prefence; for
he
being
the
head
of
grace,
the
neerer we
come
to him, the more
we fhall
be
filled
:
as
the armes
of
the
tea and
channells
next
to
it,
are
more abundantly
filled
with it, then thole
rivulets more
remote.
You may fee it
in
Chrift
himfclfe,
Why
is
that
blcfl'ed
Nature
of
his full
with grace above
men and Angels r
is
it
not
becaufe
it
hath
neerer conjun6iion
with
the God-head
then men and
Angels
?
Oh how
fhould we flocke
about
Chrill that
gives
thefe gra-
ces
as
the poore doe about the Almoners
of
the Prince.
V
E R
SE
8. Wherefore
he
faith
;
When be
afcended
up on
high,
he
led
captivitie
captive, and
gave
gifts
unto men.
Here are
two things
further
in
this propofition profecuted,the order
being inver ed
:
a,
That
Chrift
is
the
giver of
all
grace, ver.
8,
9,
r
o.
s.
That
Chrift giveth
divers graces,
from
ver.
r
r,to
17.
The
firfl
is
proved by
a
teftimonytaken
out
of
the
Prophet David,
the teftimony
is
propounded, ver. 8. then it
is
explained againft
excep-
tion, var.
9,10. For
the better
confidering
of
this
8
.
verfee.
4.
things
muft
lie
opened,
z.
Becaufe it
is a
parallel place
of
Scripture,
therefore the
differences
betwixt this
place and
that
in
the
Pfalme
muff
be reconciled.
a.
The
words mutt be elected.
3.
The
falfe colle ions
difproved.
4.
The
fumme and fcopc muli be explained.
r. The
differences
are two.
Firft, the
Pfalme'faith,
Thou
art
afcen-
dcl
on
high, this faith,
Fie
afcended.
For Antwere, the
Pfalm/
fpeaketh more
Prophetically,
as
fore
-
feeing a
thing done
a
farce
off: the Apoftle more
hiftorically,
as
of
the fame
thing now
accomplifhed.
2,
The
Pfalme
faith, fie tookegifisfor
men :
For
The
Hebrew
ufeth
that word,
as
we
ufe
the
Engulf;
word
[take]
which
doth
lignifie
not
onely
to
receive,
but reach hither or thither,
Take
me fuch
athing;fo
the
Hebrew
word
fignifieth
to
[take]
or
Eta.
king]
to reach out unto
others.
2.
For
opening the words
:
it
may be asked;
Who
faith!
cilnf.
Ei-
ther the Scripture, Pfalmift,
or
Chita,
may be underftood.
Then, what
this is,te
arend
?
Anfw.
Afcending
is
either
figurative-
ly
in
regard
of
the fíate; for
fo we fay,
a
man gets up
or
goeth
down
apace,
when hiseftatedoth ebbe or
flow; or
elfe
[afcending]
is
pro-
perly moving
froma
lower
place
to
a
higher.
Now
the latter
afcent
is
herechiefely
pointed
at, though the
ocher
is
to be underftood
to-
gether
with
ir.
For
the
giving
gifts
to
men,
is
a fruite
not
fo
much
of
Chriftslocall
afcending,
as
of
his
beingglorified.
John
x7.
39. The
Spirit
471
The
nearer tg
Chrift,the
ful-
ler
of
grace.
VERSE
B.
What
is
the
difference
be-
tween
this,
and
Pfa.68.t8,vcr.
2.
What
Afcen-
ding
is.