An Expojition of the Epiftle ~ Secondly, for the phrafe filling, to open that, ht jilteth aft i11 all. It is Sermon Chrifi'swork in Heaven my Brethren, Ht afce~tdedfarabove alJ Heavens, that XXXV. he mightjiiJ alJ things, faith the Apofile in Ephef. 4· IO. He gave him to jit at ~ hisowurighthand, thathemigbtji!la!Jthings, faith the Text. It implieth firfi of all an emptiners in us that are filled by him. Not only a real emptinefs, that we have nothing in ourfelves, withottt me (faith he,) ye cm1 do 11othing; we are but Valleys, evtry Valley mufl be filled, Luke 3· 5· But he filleth only thofe that have a fenfible emptinefs, that have a feeling of their own wants, Heji!leth the htmgry withgoodthi11gs, Lttke 1. n· Hunger is not only a real emptinefs, but hunger is a fenfible emptinefs. · My Brethren, the Church, take all the Saints in Heaven and in Earth , they are all empty things without Jefus Chrifi , we are not able to think a good thought, we are all but meer empty velfels brought to a Conduit pipe to be fil– led, we have nota drop of good, not fo much as one good thought, further then Jefus Chrifi filleth us. This is the glory of our Head. Secondly, Confider what he filleth us with, he filleih us with his Spirit, Read from Lnke r. 15. to the end of the Revelation, you lhall find that phrafe ufed many a time, They werefilled with the Ho!:; Ghofi, ji/Jtdwith himM with WitJt, Ephef).I8. Filledwiththefruitsofrighteou(nefs 1 Phil. I. II. Fitted with the knowledge of his Will, in all Wifdom mid Spiritual V11der~andi11g, Colof. I, 9· Filledwithjo)•, Aa. q. p. And if this be not enough you fhall be filled with all the fulnefs of God one day,and a little of God will fill you,Ephef. 4• I~· But Thirdly, How is it that Chrifi filleth his Church? He doth it two ways. He filleth them firfi Meritorioufly by what he did here upon Earth, he purcha– fed power and grace to fill them with thefe. For my Brethren, you mufi know this, That Chrifi doth nothing for us, but he himfelf had fomething in him pro– portionable that might merit why it fhould be done, Doth he mal<e us rich ? He was firfi poor. Doth he fill us? Himfelf was firfi empty, fo faith Phi!. z. 7· it is faid there , he emptied himfelf, fo the words '"""' '"''""' figni– (y. Then again he filleth Efficiently, and that while he is in Heaven; He fendeth down the Holy Ghofi, and he works all, the Manhood doth it infirumentally, the Godhead doth it Virtually, the fulnefs of the Godhead dwelleth in him and runneth, overfloweth through the Humane Nature a~ the infrrument of it and filleth all in all. And fo much now for his filling. I come now to the Phrafe, jilleth a/tin all: There are two things in that to be confidered difiinCl:ly. Firfi, Here is an All, which is filled. Secondly, Here isAll, with which it is filled, Firfi, He filleth all, that is, as I faid before, all Saints, all the Members of his Body, And that importeth thefe particulars. Firfi, It importeth that he filleth every Saint, there is not one but he filleth. There is not a Saint, my Brethren, but hath a meafure of the fiature of the ful– nefs of Chrifi, which God hath appointed him to have , and Chrifi filleth him lop full before hehathdone, heleavethnotone Saint out. We are all velfels, VeJffts of mercy, that are to be filled; and you may read Ephej; 4· of a Sea of love, a Sea that lmoweth neither fhore nor bottom, That ye may 6e able to com– prehend (faith he,) what is the breadth, and length, and height, and tlrpth, of what? Of the love of Chrifl, which paffeth linowledge, thatyt may be fil– led ( faith he,) with alltheftilnefs of God. Every Saint fhall be thus filled one day, thrown into that Sea of the love of God, and Jefus Chrifi , and of the knowledge of him, and tal{e in all rJ1at he can hold, he fhall be filled top full ac– cording to his meafure. Secondly,
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