Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

to the E P H E S I AN S. 1 will give yo~ a Scripture that falleth in withthis Coherence. It is Colof[.r.~-, 12 ,q. he there giveth thanks to God, as here hkewife, GlVmg thanks (Gith Ser.XX ff. he)tmtotbe Father, wbicbbatb made 11s meet to be made partakers oj the Iu- ~ herita11ce of the Sai11ts i11 light. How made us meet? He hatb de!zvered us from the power of dark11ejs, mtd bath tra11jlated tu mto the K.111gdom of bt's dear So 11 , He magnifieth God here as in ordaining them to an Inheritance, fo in tranilating them, and refcuing them, as it were by force ~nd violence, from the power of Sin and Satan, th~y once lay under, And that IS the fecond [cope, why he mentioneth the excredmggreat11ejs of his power, here. Jn the Third place, The lafi thing he had mentioned, was the ricbn of the glory of his lnhenta11ce; and he had fet out the rzcbes of the glory of It by many Arguments, as I {hewed in the lafi difcouJfe: here he memioneth the Exceedi~tggreatt;ejs of hJSpower engaged to ~lonfie them,even the fame t~at he put forth in Chn!t, when he raifed !urn up to hfe and glory, as one of the highefi Arguments ro let them fee what Heaven was, and the Glory of it. Why? Far that mufl needs be an infinite mafs of Glory, which hath the exceedi11;;greatne(S of God's Power engaged to work it, the fame Power which raifed up Chri!l: from death to glory; for the effetl: mufl be anfwerable to the caufe. Now, faith he, if you did bur confider what an e.weediiJg greatrtefs of Power there is en– 'gaged ro 'glorifie you, ~on will fall down before the appreheofioo-ef what Glory this Power mull: work m you ; the work muft be anfwerable to the caufe,If there be an exceedinggreatnrjs of Power goes to glorifie Saints, then the Glory muft, bear fome proportion with it. That is a third Coherence. In the Fourth place, a Fourth fcope, Coherance, or reference, is this, When he had prayed that they might know what intere!l: they had to HeaYen, what the hope of their Crdlittgwas, and that they might know how great the Glory was; might fome Soul begin to think, Alas, we are poor Creatures, (looking upon their vlle Bodies,) fl1all thefe vile Bodies of otn's ever come 'to be filled with fo much Glory? How is it poJlible? Carnal Rcafon will be confidering, as Abraham's Carnal Reafon would have him confider the deadue(s of his own Body, and the deadnef's of SrJrabs Womb: fo Carnal Reafon will confider the vilenefs of a man's Body and of his Soul, and the lownefs and meannefs of ir, and argue as Mary did, when lhe was told lhe lhould be the Mother of the Me./]iah, Luk, r . 34· How ca11 this be? Saith he, ver. 37· The power of the Highrfijba/J overfbadow tbu; a11dwith God, faith he, nothi11g is impo.l]ib!e. He mindeth her t>f the Power of God. So here, when he had laid open the Glory of that In heritance, to take away all doubting that they miglu be raifed up to it, he prayeth that theymight know what tbr exceediltt greatnrfs of his Power is that will work this. I will give you a Scripture anfwerable to this Coherence too. It is 'f.'hil. 3 ~r , Wbo Jball chmtge o11r vi!r bodie, that it may be frifbi01zed like to his glorio11s body. How? Accordill/; to the working, whereby he is able to Jitbdue a/J thi11gs to himfe!f He doth fuggefi to their doubting Faith the rxceedmg riches mtd great11ejs of his Power, whereby be is ab!r to fubdt~e a/J thi11gs to him{elf, as that which was able, if to do all things, then this; and alfo certainly would cbrmge their vile Bodies, and raife them up to this Glory. There were worfer Doubts than this that might rife in their Marts; for they might notooly confider the VIlenefs of their own Bodies but the fmfulnefs of their own hearts, and that is the worfer doubt of the ;wo. They might not only fay, How ihall fuch VIle Creatures as we, ever come to be made glorious? But we are finful Creatures, and though we fee for the prefent the hope of o11r Cn!ling, andthat we have imerefl in Heavm, and .though we fee what a !{lo~ rtotf.f eflatflt IS; yet we may mifcarry before we come thither, and wejbrJll one day perifb by the hand of Sm1l, (as 'David faid;) fomc Sin or other may undo us,and make us fall from God.Therefore to take this doubt away,what cloth he do? lie prayetl1 next, that they might !mow what u the exccedi11ggreat11efs of bts Power i11 them t bat believe, for to bring them unto this Glory ; a Power, Which as it had been put forth infallibly, in raifing up Jefus Chrift from death to life,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=