Jn Expojition of the Epiflle as afore, but by and upon your own Knowledg. There is not the like Speech utter'd by himfelfofany ofhis Epimes; he makes this very Epime at once the mofr full Evidence and Demonfrration ofthat Tranfcendent way of his receiving the Gofpel by immedmte Revelation. And fo fubhme was the Matter contained in it, as it argued this Original, and that it could come no other way bnt by im– mediate Revelation, as afore be had affirmed of it, and hkewife Withal refers un– to it; as the highefr Specimenofthe Depth, and Profoundncfs ofhis Knowledg, and as his choicefr Exercife to !hew his Chrifrian Learning by ; fo that, as elfe– where,he profeffed to thefe fame Ephejiani, that he had (when prefent with them) declared all the Counfel ofGod to them, Ath 2 6. 2 7. So now abfent, to have fingled out to utter in this Epi{tie the utmofr Depths of that Counfel. But what the Reafon !hould be, why Paul was thus more profoundly enlarged to them, than others ofthe Gentilu,to whom he alfo wrote,IS worth our Enquiry, and Obfervance. Some attribute the difference unto Pa11l's (the Author's) own Spirit, and the Condition he was then in. It fmells fay they ofthe Prifon, 'Pa 11 l was a Prifon_er, as Chap.4. 1. and fo more enlarged, when moll frraitned, ns in Sufferings our Spirits ufe to be. But I rather afcribe it to fome difference in thefe ~~~:·~~':;;., Epheftam written to• . !'hi!oftrat"! gives Tefrimony ?f this City of Ephe[111, that fiud;;,, PhHo- it excelled all other Cmes m Wifdom, and Learmng, and over-abounded in f?ph;s, o<'<o- tboufands of learned Men; and this their exquifitenefs in Human Learning, and d·~.~X~~.:;t:;;," fearch after Knowledg, was that which made them fo addi{J-ed to curious Arts ~!:1/:;:,:: ~~~ (as.the Holy-Ghofrfpeaking ofthe~every Ephejia~I, calleth th.em, AU. 19. 19.) cqultum wbo- which were partly Human, but vtm, partly Mag1cal and Deviiilh; as the Syriac "' fed <i><o- renders the Words ; whence alfo Ephdfn.c Liter.c, the Letters of Ephe[111 grew :illi~~sn~~~~ int? a Proverb. And Chryfoftomptys, that even unt~ his Tin:e, it abounded with ro•fupmcc,;n Ph!lofophers, above any other City, and that the chiefefiPh!lofophers and Wife– caqu< pludmen of Ajia, had had their original, and dwelling therein, and alledgeth (in his {,~~.::~~~ Preface of this Epifrle) That, asiheReafon, why Paul !hould write this Epi{tie L•>.s..uv;,; with more l!udy, and exall:nefs; and why he utter·d more profoundnefs of Apol. "f· 3· Knowledge to them, than unto others. But fure this his Reafon falls !hort ofthat which may Theologically be fuppofed the true Ground ofbis Sublimenofs therein' and it will be ufcful to improve it higher. To me it feems, that that fuperemi~ nent Self-denial, which appeared in many of thefe converted Ephejiam, even in point ofKnowledge, in their renouncing all that excellency of Learning, which was then the Glory ofthat City, in the Eyes ofall the Nations; the great Diana oftheirBrains, and Hearts, (astheGoddefswasoftheirblind Deyotions) as a Tellimony whereof, they Gcrificed the very Books themfelves unto the Fire· as the Holy-Ghofr hath given Tellimony to their Self-Denial in this particular. AU$ 19. 19. This might be the Reafon, why God honoured them with an Epime fo fublime, by way ofRecompence. And it affords us this Obfervation grounded upon like Infrances. ObC What ever ExceUency a11J one bath been eminent in,or prh'dmojl:,afore (onver– jiOJz ; b11t nowdoth tmderva/ue,and ( ai Chrijl's Word h) hatu,andforfaA§I for Chrijl'$ foA§, in that very thing Chrijl a< apparently maA§th recompence an hundredfold. Thefe Ephejians forfook the mofr exquifite Wifdom earthly, yea, the deepefr that Hell afforded; Depths ofSataJ!, as John !peaks in another Cafe ; and God therefore honours them, with this Divine Epi{tie,made as publick as their Self-denial to all the World, in which God from Heaven enlarged this Apoflle's Heart, to ~ake a profeffed Difcovery ofthe fublimefr,and deepefr Myl!eries that Heaven affordeth that were to be communicated to any ofthe Sons of Men, and that were lawful t~ be uttered, (as himfelffpeaks, 2 Cor.I2.) by him that was in Heaven. They bum their very Books,valuedat many thoufondi, (for their Price is on Purpofe valued · .Alii 19. 19.) and therefore our Apome's Heart is enlarged towards them, t~ bring forth the bottom ofthat TreaforeofKnowledg hid in Chrijl, the rmfearcbahle 'l(jchu ofChrijl, a~ ver.8. ofthe third Cha~ter. He calls them thus alfo himfelf (the Author of1t) havmg reckoned h!S Learmng, when a Pharifee (wherein he pro– fired above many of his Equals) at fo high a rate, as the Account of the World, then went; but now when converted, he accounting allbut as Dung and Dogs Meat, for the excellency ofthe Knowledg ofChrifr, 'Phil. 3.8. was therefore ac– cordingly enlarged, and filled with an Excellency in this K:nowledg above hi~ Fellow
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