Chaps 41. !n Expojition upon the Book of J o a. Verf. a j. 7o Hence note ; The Lord is the great proprietour of all things in thisworld. Whatfoever is under the whole heaven is the Lords, or all is the Lords. FirPt, by creation, he bath given all things their being. Secondly, all is the Lords byprefervation, he keepeth all chinos io their being ; f efes Chrifi upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. z. 3.)that is, by his powerful word. The fame com- manding word which gave all things their being in the beginning, hash hitherto preferved their being, and will to the end.And not only fo, but, Thirdly, all things arehis in poffeffion, the Lord bath all in his hand : In whole hand foever the things of the world are, they are all in the Lords hand. As Abraham faid, in his Treaty with the King of Sodom (Gen. 14. 2 2.) I have lift xp my hands to the moll high Clod, thepoffeffor of heaven and of earth (Pial.24. i.) The earth is the Lords, and thefalnefs thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein ; that is, they are all at his di pole. And again, The world is mixe, and the falnefs thereof, faith the Lord himîelf (Pfd. 5©, is.) and therefore, if Iwere hungry, that is, if I neededany thing,I wouldnot tell thee,that is,compiam to thee, or go a begging to thee, who art but a beggar ; I can help my felf, and take what and where I will. There is a fourth title, by which all things under heaven are the Lords, even by Redemption. The Lord bath reflored the whole world to a kind of new lìfe,by the deathof his Son ; fefusCbrifi is the Saviour of all men, efpe- cia//yof themwhichbelieve (t Tins. 4. i o.) All have fore be- nefit by redemption;and fo, whatfoever is under the whole hea- ven, the whole Syflome of heaven and earth ,is the Lords by re- demption ; though the fpecialty of redemption be theirs only, and intended tothem only who believe ;who as they have a pecu- liar portion (a BenjaminsMefs) in the grace of redemption, fo the Lord calleth them his peculiars,(Exod. 19. ç.) re fall beg peculiar treafore unto me, aboveall people, for all the earth is mine. And they are called the Lords portion (Dext. 32. 9.) The Lords portion tQhispeople, Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. Thus, as all under thewhole heaven is the Lords, fo all is his by a fourfold title; by the titlesof creation and fuflentation, anal poffeflìon and redemption. All things vifible and invifible have been created, are fuflained and poffeffed by him as their great Xxxx a Lord;
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