An Expofttion of ibe Epiftle ~ A11gels ; the Scripture mentions both. ( 2) 0" Earth there are feveral ranks of Serm. X. Men. Now God affetl:s to have of all, I Tlm.2, I, 2. of all Nations, Countries, ~Families,Conditions, that {hall be made happy by him. The Heads of the e11[ui11g 'Difcourft. The eminent particulars contained in this total, of God's purpofes of Grace; the Subjetl:s of my di(courfe, are, . . . . . Fidt, The utmofi of that tht11g It felf, wluch God mtended to bnng all IllS un– to : It is an union with himfelf, and a colledion of all things to himfel( Secondly, His fetting forth and fingling out the Perfon of Chrifi, the great Him here; in Htm, I !ay, in whofe very Perfon he firfi purpofed to gather up all forts ot things, and thereby to fit him to become an Head or Center, in whicl1 he might gather all whom he loved. Thirdly, That he bath taken his Eletl: out of all forts of Perfons that were in Heavm, or arc in Em·tb, and united them in Chrifi, as in, and through, and un– der one common Head. Fourthly, That to illu{\rate his Grace, and the glory of his Chrifi the more, be ordained a fir!\ and a fecondgathermg or union of all thefe; and the firfi being !lippery and failing,he ordained a firm and cverlafiing union at !aft, in and thro.,gh his Sol). , Fmhly, The manner of his effeding this, 6y ChriJ1. And fo you have the Heads robe treated on. Thtrd!y,Let us confider the import and extent ofthis great word"'""~"'"',.;=&.,, and the fc.veral fignifications of ir, which the Holy Ghofi fingled out on purpofe to exprefs this wr.ole of God'sdefign, and the feveral particulars fore-mentioned therein. I {hall but give you what is coUetl:ed from approvod Interpreters and Criticks, of which it's too large to give the account. I. In General; it Imports to )0)'11 many things in one, and to bring them to an unity. Thisfenfeour Tran!lators favoured, rendring it fimply thus, a gatheri11g together i11 oue. And this general fenfe of the word tails fitly in with the firfi of thofe Heads mentioned,vtz. That God's mmojl dejig11 wMmt tmio11 with himjdj; II. Particularly, this more general contains many more particular fignifica· tions under it. •· It'sa fimilitude taken from Arithmetick, and fignifies a fumming up many !elfer broken numbers and accounts in one total Jum, as Merchants do : Thus the tale or total fum of Bricks to be gathered by the Ijrae!ites, Exod. 5. I 8. is ren– der'd by the Septttagmt, "~"""'"' which is a phrafe akin to that of~~·"'• the head. The Grect,ms placed the total fum of any account at the top, as we on the contraryat the bottomof it; and whereas we call it Pes comptiti, 'Difcom– putati01t, the Foot of the accottut: they termed it '·*'""'", the head or top~. The word is a f•militude from Rhetorick, that is, to fum or gather up many particulars, which have been largely and particularly dilated on, into one word or fenrcnce, which is the brief or compmdi11m of them all. Thus Rom. 1 5· g. having reheorfed many particular Commandments, Tho11 jha!t not flea!, wur– ther,f§c. he concludes, A11d if there 6e m!Y other Commmtdmmt, it is briefly comp>·ehmded ( it's the fame word that ishere) i?t this oue f!Yi1tg, Thou /hait love thy Nrigh6our as thy /elf. And thefe two fignifications do correfpond with the Second Head; and fitly ferve to exprefs, how t11at in the very Perfon of Chrifi are fum'd up, as fo many particulars in one fum, or one brief fen– tence. 5• It's a fimilitude taken from Politicks, as when we would exprefs many Na– tions or Perfons united under one Prince, as their Head: Thus Chryfof/om under– floodir, and many fince. Andfointhe Natural Body, """"'~""""'""'• is, tuCtttoff the head, Trtmcare caput, oppofite to which is this word here, To gather u11der o11e head. And this fignification fuits and ferves the Third Head, namely, that all thiugs, all forts of Angels and Men are gathered up under Chrifi, as their Head and Natural Prince, Laflly, there is an d1J added , to gathn· agai11 a jfco11d timF,
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