.An Expofttion of the Epiftle ~ as being their Lord ; yet the glory himCelf thall have~ he c~lleth his Fathers. Ser.XXII. And fo much now for the opening of the Phrafe, why It IS put 10 to tlus Prayer, l..fTV"'tW Father of gJory. I now proceed unto the 19th. verfe. A11dwhat isthnxctediii!J. greatne(s of · h~ power to us-ward who belzeve, accordzng to the workzn~of tht mzght of his power, ( fo it is in your Margins,) whzch he wrottght in Chrift whetz he raifod him from tbe dead; &c. Here is a Third thing that the Apo!He prayeth for, That they migbt haw rii– JishttJed ryes, to know tbe exceedi11ggreatnefs of hispower to tts-ward who be– lieve; &c. I mullFirllgiveyou the Coherence of the wor~s, , why this comcth in here, and next it thooteth through the whole Chapter, It thooteth up fmall roots, it bath Coherence higher than the wordsjuft before. T he reference of thefe words is manifold. He h~d lifoken much of God's good will to his Children, in the former Verfes. Read al his difcourfes from the third V€rfe to the 15th; he telleth them there, how God had chofm tbem before the World wl14, had redeemedthem by the riches of his Grace; he had for– givm their.fins, had acceptedthfm in his beloved, he ~had prede~inated tbem to agloriotts I1lheritrmce. Here xs enough fpoken of h1s good Will. Now to ftrengtben their hear•s ~nd t~eir ~aith fo much the ~ore,. he add7th, the great– nefs Of his power, which h1s.Will putteth f?rth 10 their ~alvatmn. As he had doCl:rinally taught them, and 101lruCl:ed them 10 the good Will of God from ever– tailing; fa now he likewifeprayeth, that thry may know the power of God, tbe exceedi,ggreatn'efs of bis power to M-ward who !Jelieve. My Brethren, Do but joyn Power andWill together and it breedeth llrong Confolation. If God be for M (faith he, having fpoken of his predejli1~ati11g · us from everla!ling,)who)ba/1be ag1in(f M'! They are the two Ingredients in thofe ftrong Cordials, Rom,S. Now he llrengthn.eth their Faith in this power of God, to be as much engaged for thm good as h1s Will. He !lrengthneth their Faith in it by two things. Firll, By what already he had wrought; He had' wrought Faith in them, To us-wardwbo believe. In the Second place, He ftrengthneth their Faith by what he had wrought in Chri!l, and in Chrift as acommon Perfon and Head reprefenting us, He raifed up ChrillJour Head, gave him to be to you as a publick Perfon in Heaven. He that raifc up Chrifl perfonally, will raife up Chrill myfiically; and the fame power that wrought in one, thall work in the other. Here is Power and Good– wz/1 joyned,youfee. Hcreisonefcope, why he mentionethhis Power, and bringeth it in to this Prayer fofolemnly. . A Second fcope the Apof1le had, was to provoke them to Thm1k[u!neji. You may be fure that that was one of his great fcopes , for he telleth them, that he gave Thm1ks forthem; I alfo, faith he,givethanksforyo11, and ceafe not to do it,forthegreat things God bath done Tor you; fohe telleth them verfn)· Now, that they might know how much they were beholden to God, as he had laid open to them the Love of God, the ricbes of his Grace in the former Verfes: fo now he .laieth open to them the greattlefs •f his power, which he had, and would put forth in their falvation. He had told them before, they had obtained an Inberita11ce by Faith; But (faith he) you little think how much Power t~is Fatth coil the working, it coil the excudi11ggrealtJe{s ofohis power. He ment1oneth that to make them thankful for the work of Faith . that when they thall confider thegt1ilt of Sin that once they lay in, they migh~ know it is of the riches of his Grace that they had forgivenefs: fo when they look but upon the power of God that wrought Faith in them, whereby they obtained that Forgivenefs, and which was engaged to bring them to falvation they might magnifie the exceedinggreatne['s of his pown·,Put but both thefe together, and how thankful will it make a man to God! How will it provoke a man to glorifie God for the Power he putteth forth ifl worl<iog Faith, and in bringing a man to fa! vation! ·
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