to the E PH E S I AN S. f\reffes though I have I know nor ilow many perfonal diflretfes, yer I draw~ that co:nforr our of the news ofyour faith, which upholds my hearr, and doth Strmo11 counrerballance myaf!liaions. . . XVIII. 2 , It holds forth, That nor only the work of Conv~lion m ~thers, bur withal~ their growing up in faith and love, and walk.mg fu1tably, .1s a grea.t caufe and matter of Thankfgiving to God; fonhar th1~ 1s both an ev1dence ot the truth of converfion at lirll, without wh1ch lt proves 1r·fdf to be unfound, as alfo that whereby God is as much glorified. [Of yourfaith i11 the Lord Jefus Chrifl, andlove tmto all the Saints.] 1 • In general. You n1alllind the fame words to the fame purpofe ufed both in Colo/r.4,)·Wtgive thanks,jitJce:wtbeard of yo11~]atth 111 our Lord Jrfm Chrtf/, mJd lovt unto a!I S,;i11ts: And m h1s Ep11lle to 1'btlrmo11, a particular perfon, JittJritTg of thy love andfaith, wh:chtho11 hafl towards our Lord Jtfus Chrijl, a11 d to all Saims. He coupleth Fa1th and Love you fee together,both as the two eminent Graccs,and as the two great Evangehcal Commandements, fummmg up all in thefe two. Thus in 1 Joh.3.23. Th:s is his commrmdmmrt, that wrjhould 6dieve on the 11amt of the Lord .7efus Chrifl, a11d love O?tt mwther, as hegave tts commandemmt. Thus likewife the whole work of Converfion: The grace of ot<r Lord 7efits Chrifl was exceeding a6mtdant i11 Faith rmd Love, faith the A· poflle of his own converlion, reducing all to thefe two, 1 Tim.1.14• Particularly, Faith] That goeth firfl, (you fee;) for Faith works by love, and it is loveotlt of fazth 1 Tim.l.)· Faith brings home the love of God to the heart, or elfe fixes the hear; in a dependance upon it, and purfuir after it: and then thefe do caufe love to all the Saints. Be fure thou find Fairh in Chrifi coupled with love to the Saints, yea and to be the rife of it. Faith tn our Lord .7r{tts Chrifl.] It is Chrifl that is the objea of Faith. Faith indeed rakes in, and looks at all things elfe in the world; bur Faith, as juflifying, preyeth and feizerh upon Chrift, as its proper objea. This is therefore the ufual ftyle of rhe Scripture, fpeaking of, or G!efcribing Faith; Faith that u 0"me,faith Chrift, AEi. t6. for Chri!l is the more immediate objea of faith; we believe in God through Chrifl, that through him ourfaith might 6e i11 God, 1 Pet.I.20,2I. And it is not only upon the perfon of Chrifl, limply confidered, but it is upon Chrifl, as [Jtfus ;] fo here, Faith tn our Lord .7efm. It is Faith on Chrifl as a Sa– viom,for as fuch only he is fitted to a Sinner's Faith. Take Chri!l in his perfonal excellencies, he is rather the objea of Love than of Faith; but take him as a Saviour, and as made juflification to the ungodly, fo juflifying faith looks upon him. But of this elfewhere. Yet further, By [Faith,] as he meaneth the work of faith,. fo he meaneth con– ftancy in faith, perfevering in faith ; he cloth nor fpeak fimply of their believing at firfl, Ior then he would have fpoken of it, as out of his own experience himfelr had feen that: It was of the continuation of their faith, whereof he had heard. And thus-the Apollle of the Thelfalonians alfo, he calleth their continuing in faith, their faith, 1 Thejf.~. 6. Y.rnothy, fays he, 6rought tidin$s ofyour fait b. He had faid in the fir(\ Chapter, rhev had believed, (and himfelt was their Con· verrer, as of thefe here,) but yet afterwards he fent, and bad beardby Y.moth;• of thezrfaith, that is, of their continuance and their conflancy therein. TourFatth.] Here isonepbrafe•more to be taken notice of. That which our Tranllators have r~ndred your Faith, in the Original is ,...a·~,u;,, Faith which is amongfl; ·ott. And 1t denotes the eminency and renown of their Faith. Faith in Chrifl being held out amongfi them, as the great and main bufinefs and matter of falvarion; and not the Ooarine of it only profeft, but in the work of it; and this generally and ordinarily by them that were Believers, fo that it was notori· ous: PaJ!im apudvos, (as we in Latin fpeak) freqtu?Jt or curr.1111 ammg(/you: fo emmeotly 10 the generahty of Behevers, that their faith was renowned tanquam fides Ephefina,as the Ephejian Faith. As in like phrafe of fpeech, when we would fpeak of the Learning in an Univerfiry or Society, as generally eminent, we fay, TheLearnillf{thattsamo•,~(/ you; asPaulof the Romans Faith, Tour faith , WhiCh ts Jpokm of i1t alltht world, Rom.1 . 8. H h Mufctiltts
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