178 An Expojition of the Epljfle _ _:_----:-:----:--:--::---:----c- ------ --- ---- --- ~ the whole difpoji"g of it i6 of the Lord. Here you come, and you are all caft in– Ser. xm. to the bag of the Church, and God (by his fecret Providence) thrnws and ~ cafteth Heaven upon thee, .and letteth others . go. Poor Z ache.ur "tlimbs up upon aTree (lor be was a httle man) to fee Chnft : Come dow11~ fatth Chnft, thi> day {alvatio~t is come to thme Houfe. Go, fauh he, mto th< Fhg,h-ways, tmd /;riug itJthe Begg.zrs, take whomyou ca~t ji11d, God had predelhnated them, yet it is carried fo as if it came to them by lot; even as Satsl, that went to feek his Father's Affes, and belore he cometh home he was anomted Kmg of IfraeJ. Whr1t didyego 011t to fee, (faith Chtifi to .1ohn Baptijl's Hearer~) a Reed Jhakm with the wiud'i They went out to fee a Novelty,when they went to hear .1ohll; To fee a Reed(hr1km with the wind, or to fee f•me Great rna11 clothed i11 gorgeous Apparel; ju{\ as men go out to fee Shews i but yet .1ohtJ turned the hearts of Children to the Fathers, turned many of the1rSouls to God, that went thus out for other ends, Even thus, God, I fay, by a kind Of Lottery, ca!leth Heaven upon men ; they obtained an Inheritance by Lot. · Now, my Brethren, if you ask bow, and when it was that they came to have a part and portion in Chrift; bz whom we have o6tai11ed a Lot, a Portiou, and an I~theritance? Then, when they were converted and turned unto God; then it was that they came to have a right and portion in ChritT, and in this Inheri– tance. It is not fa id expre{]y in the Text, but the coherence carrietb it !lrongly: Why? Forfir!l, he faith, they were predejli11ated by God, that works all thmgs 6~ the co:wfelof his ow11 wt/1. How came they to have it? Not limply by Pre– deftination ,l ut by a work which was the fruit of Predefiination,and by a worlt of Grace ; therelore many Interpreters trannare the word here, Vocati, we were called to an Inheritance. Then Secondly, he mentioneth Faith; We (faith he) did o6tailt tblf btberitcmce, whofir~ tru11ed i11 Chriff. So now,. when they be– gan to trufi m Chnfi, then they began to have a part and pomon in tlm Lot. T hen Thirdly,When he.applies this .:"'7''"'' to the EpbefimiS, v.q. ], whorn ;-e alfo bad a part mtdportion i11 him, (!or that is the befi reference of the words) afury • heard the word of truth, the Gofpel ofyo11rJatvation, and6etieved, e§c. So that then it is we come to have a part, aad a portion, and nght to this Inheri– tance, when we are favingly converted and called, and turned to God. T)1at is the Apoftles fcope, and is as if he had faid,Whenwe were converted and ) 't were cotJverted, thm bothye mzdwecame to have a part and portio11 ilt thu gatha– i11g rmiverfnJ, atJd i11 this !11heritana. I will give you a Scripture or two to back this, The firft is A/J .26. 1 8. Chrift from Heaven fpeaks there, that he would fend Pattl to preach to the Gentiles To opm their eyes, and to.trmt th<m from darhtu{s to light, (here is Conve.rfiod mentioned you fee) from the power of Satan rmto God, that ~hey might re– ·ceive forgivenefs of fins, and m1 btheritance (that they might receive it, and obtain it by being thus turned) among them that areJat~/Jified 6y Faith in him. Mark, when they were turned, when men believe, when they begin to trufi in Chrifl, (as he faith here of the .1ews, verfe .n.) whm after they have heard th< Gofpelof falvation,they6elieve, (as he faith of the Gmtiles, verfe q.) when they are calledandjmz/Jtfied; then 1t may be fatd, that they began to receive or obtain this ·Inheritance, though they were predeftinated to it before. My Bre– thren, you cannot without converlion either have a right to this Inheritance neither can you be made fit to be made partakers of it. .In that place Atl.8: where he fpeaks to Stmo1l Magus, ( StmOit Magus, he lay {hll in fin, he was a Carnal wretch,) Repmt, faith he, thou hnjl tuither part or lot i1t thu matter. He doth not fay, that he might not have for time to come. What reafon doth he give, why he had no part for the prefent? For thy heart is twt right itt thefight of God, repent therejort, He cloth not fay but he might have; thou that art yet ~ill in thy unrege_nerate efiate, thou that haft ~ot obtained a lot, a part and portion, yet thou matft have ; repent ther•fort, fatth he, of this thy wickedttejs, andpr4y God, if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart might be forgivm thee: and if once he repented, then he lhould come to have a part in this Inheritance, and in this Chrift, and in beinggathered togethtr itt one, with all things elfe in Heaven and in Earth. ' From hence you fee, (to give you an Obfervation upon it) what it is that giveth
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