An Expojition of tbe Epiflle r-.J\../\ City aw, 1 y accordmg tbeproportion of tbe man, but M it is fit for m! togivt. ir Ser.XIX. Alexa 11 der will give gifts, he gtveth Cmes; If God Will gtve gtfts,1t IS according ~to the Ricbes of bis Glory. . Jt tsHts Inberuance: . . . Secondly, it is called HIS ~uberttance, whtch m1ghuly cloth ~rgue thts to be a glorious ] 11 btritancewhrch the Samts !hall have (for tt tsbJ tht tmmts_, ~~11 take that,it all aggravateth the G/or)' of tt,) I fay 1t ts called HJS,becaufe he IS 10 a fpe– cial manner the Poffeffor of tt, and the Maker of 1t. I will give you Scripturefor it, it is Pjal. i 1 ~- 15, 16. Te m·e 6/efJed of tbt LPrd whtch made Heavm ,md Earth (he made both you fee) Tht Heaven even the Heaveus (or tbe Heavm a11d tbt /:leavens as moft read it) are the Lord,; /;ut tbe Eartb batb bet,ivm to tbe Chtldrm of melt. What do Iobferve out of this place? this, As tor the Earth (fatth he) and all the gooc;l thmgs m tt, God doth give that away, let the Sons of me_11 take 1t ; I ~tillet out th~t. (faith he) nay I will give it freely, let them take 1t and do what they will W1th It, b_ut faitli he The Htavm and Heavetu ts the Lords, he referveth that to Jumfelf, as his poiTellion, it is his Inheritance ·; the Earth he bath given away to men, thot is their l11herita11ct, and let them take 1t, faah he, I made them "both. Now if you obferve the coherence of thefe words, this fayingThe Heavm and Heavms are the Lords, that is the third Heavens, it is brought in to lhew howblelfed the Saints are, he argueth it from this,for (faith he) ye are 6/effed of the Lordwhich made Heaven a1ttfEartb; why? 1he Heaven a11d tht Heavens are the Lords a11dtbe Earth he giveth to the Sons of mm. The meaning is plainl.l' this; Ho 1; happy mufl the Saints be that mufl be taken up to Heave~ whenas Heaven is re~ ferved for God himfelf, this World he careth not ':"hat becomes of it,he giveth that away, . He argueth the Bleffednefs of the Samts from tillS, that Heaven is the Lord's inherita11ct, The Hravm and Htavem is the Lords, the Earth is not good ei:wugh for him, but the Heavms is his. Now my Brethren, what a migh– tyGlory then muft that be which Tht Lord who made both Heavm andEarth refe~veth to himfelf, and this Glory he takes the Saints up to : Therefore now i!Hhat it is His i11heritance, he is the Polfelfor of it, he hath rcferved that to himfelf, bleffed muft they needs be that do fear the.Lord. · ' I could inlarge this, that God is the M.ker of it too, out of Heb. 11.10. where it is faid that God is tht Maker a11d Builder of this Czry; it is His in that re; fpeCl: too, he hath !hewed all his Art upon that, fo the Word fignifieth. Heaven was the firfl thing made: l11the brgitmi11g hecreatedtht Heavem and tht Earth Heaven firft. lt was that he had in his eye from all Eternity, as the n>@-, th; Perfetfio11 of all, as it is called, Rom. 6. I. and therefore Mat. 25. it is faid to be prtpartdfrom the 6egitmi11g of the World, from the (oundatio11 of tiN World. The firfi thing that God ever made was that glorious State that he referveth for himfelf, whicll is called his '1Jwe!lint,·Place 1 IGtJg. 8. ;g.. and hrsThro1u Pfal. 1 1. 4· (I will not ftand upon that,) It IS called l1kewJfc Hu tnherttatJce in that fen le too. That which fetteth forth the Glory of Heaven here, is that it is the Inhet·i– tance ""'ef"~;;:, of him i11 the Sai1tls, aJ:Jd fo the meaning is this, that God him– felf is the ItJhtritance of the Saints, what is theriches of the Glory of the inhe– ritance of 'him 6y_ the Sai11ts, that is, which the Sai11ts have by i11heriti11g him. My Brethren, wtll you know what Heaven is ? It is the Tnhn·zti11g of btm, it is the Inhtritzng of God; He that ovtrcometh jha/J i11herit all thmgs, I wtllbt his God, Revel. 21. And therefore in the Scripture Phrafe, God is called Hea– ven; faith the Prodigal, I bave finned agaitJjt Heavm n11d.6efore thu: And 'Dm1. 4· 16. ti//tho11 k11o'Wejl the Heavnzs r11/e, that is, That God r"leth. The Saints they lhall inherit God, they have the poffellion of him '-'"ei'''"'"' willl fig- ~~~ . Now my Bretht~n, what an infinite Argument doth this afford of the Glory df Heaven, that 1t1s thepoffellion of God! Saah he, Mat. 2)· 21. E11ter into thy Majlers joy, that is, into that Joy that God hath materially, it is the inheri– ting of him, the inheritance of him: And the Word mtring is a Phrafe that a!· ludeth to an lnheritdnce, for then we enter into an lnheritmJce, when we take poffeffion of it, it imployeth the full poffellion of it; and it is notto partake of it, but to enter into it,to take poffellion of it, it implyeth a fulnefs, it is not a partici– pation fo much; . My
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=