An Expojition of the Epiftle ~ But I come to the fir(\ thing which is in the 17th Verfe, he prayeth that they Ser.XlX. might have the Spirit of wifdom rmdrevelation i11 the knowledge of h1rn. The ~ Perfon he prayetl1 to I !hall handle afterward, _becaufe th~ underHandwg of it hath influence into what followeth, as well as th1s fir(\ Petmon; why God IS cal– led the God of Chrifl, why the Father of Glory; why Pa~<lletteth him up un– der both thefe conliderations to firenghrhen his Faith, that thefe particulars ihall be granted, I willlhew this afterward;_ but I will nowhandle what is meant here, by giving the1:n the Spmt of wifdo'!' and rtvelatton tn the h10w!edge of him. For the opemng of tl11S, and hkew1fe of all the refi, I Will g1ve you rhefe general Premifes: . . . Firfi, As I fa1d, the tlung he prayeth for IS [(now/edge. He doth not menuon Grace and Ho!inefl not in all this Prayer; yet it is mo!t firongly included in it, and it is the mofi necelfary effea and concomitant of that knowledge he prayeth for here. • Second!y, That he doth not I' ray fo much, that they might increafe more and more in thek11owledgeof the1r mterefl: 10 God and m 1-feaven, (.though fome think that that is the meanmg of the hope of their ca_lli~tg ;) but the main thing he prayeth for, is, That they m1ght know the thmgs themfelves; that they might knowGod, that they m1ght know what n ches of Glor)' IS131d up for them in Heaven; have enlarged apprellenlions of the thmgs themfelves to be known, and fo that they might know the power that works i?J them that believr, ~'- Thirdly, That the things he prayeth for here, were for things that befitted the fiate of grown ChriUians. He doth not pray for them as for meci to be converted: No. for it is a Prayer he framed for themfi11ce he heard of thfir Faith aud Love, of _;,horn he had faid, they were foaled too with the Spirit of Promi(e ; as in the former Verfes. Now, my Brethren, this the Apof\le doth ; he conildereth with himfelf to what pitch ChriUians- th~t are to grow in grace lhould be brought, and what is the greatefi means to caufe th~m to grow in grace; and for the working and effeCl:ual k11owledge of thofe thmgs, he prayeth here. He doth not pray, that they might know_ft11, as in the firfl: co~verfi_oo, tha~ they might repmt and /;elievr,~c. but he prayeth,. that they m1ght 1ncreafe m the k11owledge of him, in ao expenmental commumon With God, and acknowledgment of bim, (for fo, as I take it, it i; to be meant, as I lhall !hew you afterwards.) He takes the utmofl: things that lm own light reacheth to, and he putteth them into his Prayer for thcfe Ephrjirms: And read all the Prayers- that he makes for others in feveral Epifl:les, as Coloff. 1 .so. Phii.I.g. and they all fall lhort of the Prayer here. The ApoUle, his mind is more filled with a higher and a further light; he exprelfeth more glorious things; his eye was upon the utmofl: pitch of Chrifl:ia– nity, which he would have thefe Ephifimzs aim at, and which he delired God to befiow upon them. · And yet, in the lafi place, let me tell you, That here is nothing that he dotll pray for, bur that Common Chri(\ians, vulgus Chrifli,mor~tm, the Ephe(i,m Women and Men, all the Saints there were capable of, This I put in, bccaufe of the word Revelatio11, which might feem to carry things to fomewhat extra– ordinary, proper unto Apofiles. What is the meaning ot it I lhall !hew after– ward. Now, my Brethren, take an Obfervation or two before I come to the Par– ticulars. Ooforv:r: The Fir(\ is this; That Spirit11al k110wledge is the great, the main thing in the working of Grace,or m the mcreafing of Grace. He mcntioneth not a word of Holinefs, but you fee all he. prayeth !or is for k11owledge; bur it is fuch a knowledge as no carnal heart 10 the world bath. He certainly prays for the highcfi thing, and the befl: thmg he could p_ray for, that his light ·fuggefl:ed to him. He prayed for holwefs elfewhere With k11owledge; but here you fee for /mow/edge alone, becaufe btow!edge in the Scripture -~nfe includeth the Affe· Cl:ions, includeth the whole Heart to be earned after 1t; true knowledge cloth ; to know things as a man ought to know them, as the Apo!lle difiingui01cth it in, Cor. 8.5. to know the truth, as the trteth zn 1efi1S, as the truth is in the things thcmfelves.
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