to theE PH E S I A N S. 39 f 1 [e and all the privileges of it, better then t ile things bellowed. And therefore ~ afte~ that Jacob had wifht his Jofeph _all thepreciotts tbi11g s, (as he terms them; Srrm. flf. all the daJIJties Heavm or Eartb aflorded ( botb wluch he d1nmctly mentions;)~ read the q, '4· verf. afore,) then after all he prays, as W!thout which thefe would not prove blellings. -The good will of our God, fays he, come upon him, &c. fo invocating this Foumam at all; thus take any partlcular outward mercy, ( which h•th the name of a blelling,) and it is the blelling of God, that is,his favour accompanying it, that makethit fuch : 'lis the blef/mg of God,as So!omo" fays thflt maketb rtch. Pro. ro. 22, and fa in all other, otherwife their 6/eF fi1~g; are trtnud into cm:fcs, as Mat. 2. 2~ . . . Out ofgoodwi!!,goodwtll to ottr perfo•u themjdves, 1t 1s that he bleifeth us, as in our bleilingofGod we heard, it imported pure good will to himfdf; fo in his blelling us. In that fhort ond fervent Prayer ofJabez, Oh,that thott wot~ldejl61efs me i1ldeed,, Chr01t,+zo,th1s paifage follows,that thott wott!dejl keep mefrom evil, that it may riot grieve me/! .obferve from thence, that our God who unde.rtakes to blefs us loves us fo well,that he 1s fo moved,(fuch 1s h1s love to our perfons, ) with the ple;s of felf love in us, when concurring with his o~n glory. For this holy man, in feeking Gods bleiling on l11m to be kept from evd, urgeth tillS to God; that it may uot gr-ieve me. Such free and pure good will dorh God bear to us, that he loves, we lhould love our felves, and is affected with what proceeds from love to our felves; for this requell God granted, fa then 'tis genuine tq the na– ture of a bleiling , and indeed to blefs another doth naturally and evident!y of all acts elfe imply, a pure and candid aim in wifhing and defiringanothers good, out of a fpeciallove unto their perfons, Thus much for what this word to blefs (as an act of Gods,) as alfo what a btejJitig as the thi11g befiowed holds forth to UL . Vs,] who in and of our felves are by 1ttlfttrt Chi!dre11 of wrat.h, as in di. 2+' and C.trjed Chttdren, 2 Pet, 2 . '4· to whom all the Cttrfes writtm and tt1JWrtt– iett are due · are yet rendred bleffid in Chrijl, and bleifed not with one fort or kind, but a'rt b!e.J!iFigs, termed therefore by way of di(linction from other men ( that remain und,er the Curfe,) The 6/efiedof the Lord, So A6rahamfir!i, Gen. 1 14. '9· Melchifedec gives it him as a mo(\ Royal Title,for himfelf and his Chi!· dren to inherit, that it grew to be ordinarily their llyle and attribute by Hea– thens themfelves, who obferved the bleiling ofJehovah to environ them. Thus Abimtlrctreats lfaac, Gm. 26.29. Tbottbteffed ofthe Lord; yea,this appellati· on L ,zban gives Abrahams Servant, Gm, 24. ~I. and fo it came to be given to all others of his feed; as P(al. H). I 5. And as it is their 11ame and denominati– on, fo the end of their catlitig, even that which they are caOedttnto, unto no– thing elfe but bleiling, 2 Pet. 3• 9· Ye are theretmtocat!ed, that ; •ott Jhott!d ill– bent a6/ejJi11g ; in relation to which it is Chri(\s own compellation, when they are to poife(s it, Come,ye 6/effed, iuherit the Kingdom. Mat. 25. 24Yea, they are not 6/effedmenonly, bt!t mett of bleffed11efs (as in the Hebrew 'tis,) made up ofnothing elfe, ordained to nothing elfe, yea, to a furplufage flowing over; fuch as to be bleflings to others with whom they live, and whom they h•ve relation to, all they come near, fays God to A6raham, Gen. I 2. 2. and ulhers it with a word of command;. bethou, or thottjba!t be, a. 6/elfing, mtd I wi!J blefs them that ble(s thee; wluch 1s repeated to ]acobby h1s Father Ifaar, and fo is true of all the feed, Gm. 2 7· 29. and fulfilled in Jofeph, Gm. 39· i. for whofe fake God 6/ejfedPotiphar and a!! his Hoztfe. Meditatio11. Oh, then let your hearts be full ofnothing but of bleiling, both blelling God and bleiling others; and let no curfing or reviling be found in our mouths which is the Apomesinference, I Peq.g. ' Vs J whofe perfons he loved with afpeciallove, and out of that love hath chofen from the refi of men, as it follows in the next verfe; thus P(a!. B-I 2,r ~· BlfjJed are the People whom he bath cho(e11 for hi< ow11 i11heritance: The Lord !ooketb from Heaven, be beholdet/; aft tbe S01ts of Mm; rhat 1s, whereas he hath all the Som of men afore him, he loved and chafe thcfe O\\t to blefs, and 'tis
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