to theE P. H E S I AN S. Here you fee wherein the might)" power of God is feen in working upon a ~..., man's heart, it is ingivi11g him ':'11 thmgs 6elo11gmt, to lift and godlmejs. . The Strmo11. meaning is this He li.uni!herh him With Tooles, It IS called a workmanlh1p. If XXIV. you would fer ~P a man's Trade, you will furnilh him with all infiruments , with~ all Utenliis necelfary ro a trade; .fo here, it is a workmanlhip .created, he ~ath all habits in him necelfary, all thmgs pemunmg to hfe and godlmefs, and this a mighty power mull do anfwerable to the Creation! yea let me tall you this, that although the Creation of the World and of a mans Soul be a mighty work, yet to create Grace, efpecially the fecond time,. to fit a man for Heaven is a greater work it is more than all the firfi Creation, It IS a tranfcendent dung, There IS no w~rk that God dorh; fo great as this, efpecially this new Creation of Grace, for it fitteth a man for Heaven. Therefore faith the Apoflle, 1. Cor.5. 5· He th<~t hathwrought Uf for theJdf fame thi11g; hehath wrought us for Heaven.Adam's grace did not fit him for Heaven. That which mull carry a man mto Heaven is a Grace, (as the grace of Faith is,) higher than what Adam had in this World, he was nor fitted tor f1eaven by what he had ; 611t we arr made meet ( laith he) for the iuheritat1ce ofthe S,1i11ts i11 light.lt mull be a more tranfcendent grace rh~n what A dam had, raifed up to higher ads at leafi. Though grace be b.ur an accident in the Soul ofa man, yet it is more worth than all men's Souls. It is not fo in Philofophie , that will ·reil you otherwife, that will tell you that a fubfiance is better than an accident: But it is fo in Divinity. Saith he, '}ames 1. 18. Of hu own wf./1 bath he begottmUf, that we jhould bra ki1Jd of firjlfrt~it of hu Creatttres. The meaning is, Hath he put Grace into us? To what end harh he done it? He hath made us thereby faith he, the choicefi of all his Creatures, as Chrifi is called the firfi fruits of them that fleep, the choicefl: of them; fo faith he, we are made the choicefl: of all the Creatures, having Grace wrought in us, he having begotten us. lfrae/ is called, .7er. "l· the firlt fruits ofGod,becaufe he wasrhe choicell of all the World; and though that word feemeth to be a diminiflting, yet the truth is here it heigtneth it, it is d,-dpxdi 7ml• and it is of the Creatt<res, "7""'-"''' in the plural number, · it makes a man moll: excellent of ~11 Creatures whatfoever. It is a good faying of Aq11i11M, Thegood of gract (faith he,) u agreater goodthantht goodofthe worltl, it excelleth all Creatures. And therefore my Brethren, let me but ad this, of all Creations the Creation of Grace is the greatell next to.that of Glory ; and for my part I m~ll profefs un– to you, I thmk as great, for It tsthat which fitteth a man for glory, it is the be– ginning ofglory. Of all Creations it is the greatefi, there is but two to be com– pared with it. llhall_give yo'u Scripture for it. I remember the lafi day-1quo– ted the fecond to theColoJ!ians, and the w, "• nth. verfes, where it is faid thu Faith is of the operation of God, and fpeaking of SanCtification, he faith, it is ,, Circumcijio11 made without hmtds. There.are but two things in the Scripture that are fa1d to be made Without hands, and It IS to !hew the excellency of their Crea– tion above all Creatures elfe, (as you !hall fee by and.by.) It is a phrafe ufed of the glory. of Heaven,. We look for a Houfe 110t made with ha11ds, faith he, 1.. Cor. 5· 1. It IS nfed hkew1fe of the fnmmg the body of Chrill, and uniting it to the Godhead, Heb.9. " · ItlsfaidtobeaTa6ernacte made withottt hmids, And what is the meaning of made without htwds there ? The Apollle himfelfexc plameth It, Tb.at u .C we tranfl~te It,) not of thu building, but in the Greek it Is, 11otojthuGreatto11. Adamsbodywas made andcreated but faith -he his was made with hands incomparifon \~ith the.bodyof Chrill, ;ake it with ail his Graces. . It uttot of thuCreatt01z, fauh he, It IS a higher creation, fo rhe phrafe rnade wtthout hands 1mpheth, and It Isufed but of the body of Chrill and ofthe glory of Heaven, and to create grace is as much. ' To confirm this to you, that it is fo taken, made w itho11t h.mds, is not only in oppoftt1on to the work of man, but to the work of God too and to the work of the firll creation, I will give you~ Scripture for this, ( compare but two Scrip– ture. together,) that the phrafe ts fo taken, Arts, 7- 49· There Suphm dorh quote Ifat: 66. 7· to prove that God would not dwell in a Temple made with hands; fa~th he, verfe 47· Solomon built him a !iott[e, Howbeit the rnof/ H1gb dwe!leth 11ot w Temples m.1de With ha11ds, That is, you will fay, in Temples Sf 2 m~e
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