~ Strm. IL ~ An Expoption of the Epifile SERMON U. • VERSE 3Bfejfed be the God and. Father of our Lord Jefur Chri.ft, whobath bfe/Jed Uf with a0 Spirituaf bfej]ing.r in heavenly placer [or in heavenly tbing1 J in Chrifo. T . He holy heart of this bleffed Apoflle was fo full in his own perfon of being bleffed by God, that he falls a bl~{fl11g him as foon as he b~gins to fpeak. 'Tis his firll: word he begins the body ofth•>Ep !Ue With , and continues the fame courfe and way of bleiiing God through the tirll: half of the Chapter; untov. r)· And then he enters upon and opens another vtew of Givwg thanks, and pour– ing out prayers for thefe Ephefoms. (Although this of b!eflillg God far excels bothTha11ksgivi11g and Prayer,)_ asI ihall atterwards lhew,) but ll:ill unda one or other of thefe ways of worfluppmg God, either Prayer or Thmzksgzvmg or B!e!}i11g, (which are the highell: ll:rains of tmmediate Worlhip we can per– form t~ God) or at leall: with the Materials for thefe;he goes on to fill up the rell: ofthe firll: Chapter. Yea,and after that being fin.Jhed he frill continues matter of thanksgiving and bleiiing to the end of the fecond Chapter throughout. And here the Occajio11 that inflam'd him to pour forth fuch a Flood ofBlt{flngs; ~c.comes duely to be noticed by us: And oh how abundantly did his heart ufe to overflow,if he fell but into this argument from that Occajiott , and entertained but the thoughts of it! You may loran inll:ance thereof Cthough all his Epill:les tell:ify it,) but read overthofe paffages of his in his firll: Epill:le to the Tbef{a– lollimts, which he begins even as he doth this Chapter , Ephtjians r. v . 4.' K11owing thtir eleftion of God. How? By the Fruits of it throughout his Mini– firy,as the inll:rument. For ot.r Gofpet fays he ,rame UIJto rou,tJot i11 word only but inpower; And how exemplarily they turned from Idols to wait for Chrill: from Heaven, through that his Minill:ry; which 6roughtforth a/J thejeFr11its amot~gft them; as it bath done over the World. And having thus begun and fain into th1s argument,as I faid, he proves fo concern'd, as he knows not kow to get out or to fet bounds to his affections Read on eh. 2,8,So 6ei1Jg af(dfiotJate!y dejiro11s ofyort, we were wzlling to have rmpartedtmto_you, 11ot the Go(pet of GodotJ/y, but a!fo our o<»n So,./s; and Chapterj· The Joy hereofwasfo great,that itf..vatlowed 11p the ajJ!iCiio1ts ofall his Jitfferi•~gs. Thertfore,Brethrm, we were comforted overyo" ilt all our ajJ!Jftious atlddejlrtfs byyour Faith; for ttoW we live, if yore jlmtdfa{/ ilt the Lord: for what thauks ca11 we rmder to Godagai11{or you, for allthejoywherewithwejoyforyourfakes before our God? Thus he when he took pen to write this Epill:Je, or otherwife to dictate it; the firll: thing the Ho– ly Gholl: fill'd him with, was the confideration of all thefe bleiiings vouch– fafcd thefe Ephejia11s, which he enumerates together with this Remembrmtce conjoyned therewith. Thus all thefe bleiiings. and matters of th?nksgiving were all and every one of them the Frwts of hu oWIJ doit~gs; that 1s, the very fruits ofhis own Minill:ry and preaching; which,befides the Glory and Riches of Gods Grace towards thofe perfons he writes to, did deeply affect him. Befides this,the memory of what had palfed, and he had caufe to remember them by a good token; he knew what he had preacht, and remembred how they had bem Wrought upon thereby. For he had afore this Epill:le for three years fpace Ja. bourcd among£! them Night and Day, publickly and' privately from Houfe to Houfc m preaching and that with tears; as in his !all: farewet Sermon to the Elders
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