to the E P HE S i A N S. I backed this lnterpretatiori with 48.7.48. co~pare~ with lfai.6.c,2, Jn~ ACis 7. 4 8. there·Sttvmproverb, tha~ God will nof dwell In Temples made wnh &mJoiJ. 1ands. faith he Howbeit the mo/lhtgh dwellnh not zn Ttmptu made wl/h XXV. ~attds; M faith t~e Prophet. Now mark what the Prophet faith! Heaven is my~ T!,.otu and Earth 111l!Jfootjioo!, what houfe wtlly~ ~utldme fatth the Lord. of. B>]ls'l orwhatisthtplaceof myrej/? therefore mans hands cannot make bun ; H;ufe good enough. Nay, Heaven and Earth, the old Creation is nor good :nough for him; For (faith he) hath 11o1 m,:y ht111ds made all th•ft thittgs? Well; what is it that be will have now to dwell m, that bothexceederh all _rhe Houfes man can build, and exceederh the Houfe that .lumfelf harh made, !f you rake the material Heavens; and the Earth, that IS h1~ Foot~ool! Lo~k 1~ lfai. 66, you lhall find that it is a gracmus. Heart, that IS a thmg made ~lfhout ha_•tt(s t rhat is not of this ordinary CreatiOn of God, .for 1t 1s tpoken tn oppofir10n ro things made with hands; Aft thefe thmgs , (fan~ he) hathmy hand made; he il.ighterh them fo;, thefe are but anordmary fotr of works, I .ws/1 not dwdt 111 ihem · but to himwr# I took that IS poor andof a C01/trttefpmt, andtrem61tth at mjword, fo it is verfe 2. ., .. ·• . • . So rhat nciw ro have rhe leall fpark of Grace begun m a mans Heart, It IS a work made wi;hout hands, in comparifon. It is of a higher kind of work than all rhe works of Men and Angels, yea, than the works of the firll Creation, The{e things bath mine ha111 made; lmt I wilt dwdt ~~~ a cir~tlmcifed h~ai-t made withottt hands ; that IS not of tins Creatton, that ts of a h1gher Creation than all rhis. And fo much for the General, Tliar the putting in of Grace into ihe ll~art, it is 11 matter bf a more tranfcendenr power thati the firff Creation was. l1 ' Now, my Brethren, as I 1ewed you in particulars the power of God in de– firoying what oppoferh; (I went over the Underllandmg, lhewed what op– poferh there, what a mightyJ?OWer went to defrroy the llrong holds rh,ere. r <.vent ovei: the Will and Affections, fhewed you What oppofeth there likewife; Sel f-love, and all inordinate Affedlcns and love bf Pleafures, and the like:) As J did this in the Negative parr, m the dellructive part J fo I will do the fame alfo in rhis Pofitive parr. And I WIIilhew you (this is rhe fcope,) that for God to work Grace in yo?r tlndetllandings, ibknow things arig.lir ( w~ich you think is mofi eafie) there IS an excadzng grtatntfiof power gomg ro It, no lefs rhan went to the firll Creation; yea, much more, iris nor of this Creation : fo like– wife rei put you in holy prin~iples ihrci your Wil~ and Affections. Tlier~fore all rbat goerh to frame a Chnll1anfrom firll to !all, It mull needs be an excadil~,g gr.at11e{s of power. I am forced thus to repeat rhmgs, that 1may dear my method as I go along. . And Firll, What God cloth upon your Underllitndings wheri he dorh convert you. Why, it requireth an exceeding greattufs of power(though you litrle rhink it) to believe; Who 6e~ieve (faith the Apo_llle) accordi1Jg to _the wor~ht$ of his nughty power. I .wtll not run ~vcr all things that may tief~1d of behei>mg, but I will_ fpeak of Sp1~1tual knowledge, .to know rh1ngs fpmrually and aright a~ Chnfi~ans do, that It re'lutreth :In e!rcadmg greatnefs of powfi' to work it, I lhall demonllrate this unto you in the fir!\ place in a inore general Way. And fecondly more particular!y by two things; ' In the fir~ _place in the Geriebil. . F?r to .in~ke aSotii to take a thing upon God'$ bare. Authonty, a~d therefore to beheve It IS as great a work as any God doth; and u requtrtth as muchpower (mark what I lhall fay to you,) it tequirethas m~ch power to work Fatthm the heart to believe Gbd will iJo fuch a rhing·as it is for God ro do ir. ' For lnftace, ro explain my feif, (though I lhall riot fciilow my .Inllahce in the o~ening of it, but for iHullratibnsfake) this is triy mea~ing. At latter,day, God will ratfe up all our Bod1es fwm rh,e Dull to. glo~y. T~ belie.ve,!his fpiritually and anght, and to work your hearts ro beheve It, reqmrerh as much power as for God to do It, when he cometh to do it, So you have my meaning. I lhall
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