io theE PH E S.I AN S. 21 And here iri this place fince niofl: lnterpre~ers generally have obferved a corre- r~ fpondence held with that Jewilh Doxology m the Old Tefl:amcnt; 1 !hall more Serm. If,~ fpecially add this one that appears to me to be the mofi dtre& and J.kel!efi cor- ~ refpondent of the Old Tefiament, ti:at ever the Apofl:le held intell1gence with; in this of his of the New. And tt was m a Prophecy ofthe Prophet 'Dav1d, Pfat. 72 . Where prophefying of Chrifl:, ver.17. Men/hall be 6/ejJed i11 him,(plain· ly meaning Chrifi,) andthat at/11at I OilS Jball call h1m 61ejJtd. He breaks Hmh thereupon as here the Apofl:le doth. Ble.!Jedbe the LordGod, the God of lfrael; (that latter is Old Tefl:ament Language) who 011!y doth wo11drous thi?tgs; and 6le.!Jedbe hisgloriot;s Namefor ever, and let the whole Earth be jified w ith h1i Glory, Amm a11d Amm. Wherein :rou fee that the Prophet ble!feth God exprdly fur the times of the Gofpel; wherem he lhould blefs us Gmtiies, as well as Jews in Chrifl:; in whomboth toAbraham, and again to-'David himfelf God had pro~ mifed to blefs all the Nations of the World. Let the whole Earthb. filled w1th his Glory; and this efl:ate our Holy Apofl:les together having feen with their own eyes to have been in their days, ( and efpecially Paul the Apofile of the Gmtilrs, through his Minifl:ry fo Glorioufly accomplilhed in theie Epheftans, and otherGmt1les, as well as that other Apofl:le had on the Jews he wrote to,) oc"·4·'i; The fame Spirit of Faith ( in him, and both crowned and confirmed with fo VI-'/' h'"'c<.'"'t fible experience,) did burft out as you fee into the fame bleiling for fubftance, but ;;;,;~·;;:,;. more full and explicit; which had been but by way of prophetical forefight uttc- '''"'''is red by 'David, thereby mofl: pailionately inciting thefe Ephejirms, and with them ~;~!~'·;,~allChrifl:ians in all Nations (folatelyconvertedto Chrift) to joyn withhim.in thmfo;thaw1 this his manner of bleiling God. I he whole Earth 6ei11g now.fi!IM wzth his 1'/'!';"'" 1 1 Glory, and all Nations being now bleiTe~ by_ God, the God and Father cif Chrifi, ,;;iJ;,;1;;,~ with all fpiritual and heavenly bleJlings m him. The words of this third Verfe divide themfelves into three parts. I. A 6/ej]ing God, as on our parts to be performed; 61ejJedbe God. rbt divijion ,j If. The fiyle or tttles under wh1ch Paul ble!feth God, as the God m1d Fdthtr of'h' "'"' '' 'fo(us Chrifl, 111. The matter for which,or bleJlings bellowed on Ui, for allJpiritual6/tf· jings inheavenly things i1z Chrijl. Blefftd be God,] I, What it is to blejs God, . , . , nhat it u ti BleJling of God1s,to wijb well to, a1zdfpeakwell ofGod, out of goodwill to lltftG~d. · God himfelf, tzltda[mfe of hi&goodne[s utzto ourfelvu. I. To wifh well to him, andJPtak wt!l of him, ) there is lmzedicere alict1i, which is, to invoke a bleJling by prayer to another, as a Father bleiTeth his Child, one Saint another : Thus we are not capable ofbleiling God, nor God of being ble!fed by any. But there is 6enedicere aliqutm, which is, to (peak weJloj'mw- 'E,>o')..;'v 71~ ther, and to wijh well to, (as Pfa!. 129. 8.) or to congratulate hearttly .the e,a,, ;, """ happinefs of another; and in this manner God gives us leave to blefs him, Yea f"'j L"·'· God loves your good word, that is, to be fpoken of well by you; rejoyceth in 64 ' •m·l·'••. your well wilhes, and to hear from you expreJlions of rejoycinf!;s in his own in– dependent bleiTednefs. Though God hath an infinite Ocean ot all ble!fednefs, to which we can add nothing, who is therefore entitled by way of eminency, the 6/ef[ed 011e, Mar. 14, 61. a title folely proper, and peculiar tohim,yet he delights to hear the Amefl of the Saints his creatures refounding thereto; , that is, Ortr jo be zt. Thus our Apoftle having entitled him, Rom. 1. 21. The God 6/e{Itdfor ever, ( asm_himlelf h_eis, and fuch in difiinCl:ion from, and oppofition to his ~hole Creation, ( wluch Is his fcope there) yet he adds his own Amm, or fo be tt thereto. '?•d 6/ejJedfor ever, Amm. 'Tis firange, that although fo it is alread:,:, God~~ bleffed in himfelf, and fo it mufl: be for ever more, that yet our fci belt 1s put to tt; we thereby uttering our good will, and it is well taken by him, It IS not an Amm fet to a bleiling of 11Z1location, but it is an Ammof joyful Acclam~tlo1l and Co11$ratt~latio11, as expreJling our rejoycing and complacency in his happmefs, ~eclanng that (owe would have it, Thus Chnfl: who is Godwith the Fath~r and fo acknowledged irt that 4>· P(Clt; , • (a Pfalm to his praife,) thy thro11e, 0 God,fgc.verf. 6.)yet there we find that he is ~~mP"' 9 " 11 ' ble!fed by the Church his Spoufe in thefe words; ver; 4o Projpfr thou, Ride thott in
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