44___________ A_n_E_x~p~op_ti_on_o_f_t~he_E~p~~~~-e~----~ ~fed art thou in thy fiore,fets down,Bleffed are the rich iugood works; and ~thers Serm. Vf. acmrfi:dtbat are rich, mJd not towards God, and .7ames as our Saviour fpeaks; V"V'""-1 ond thus the Gofpel throughout carries it; and as if thofe kind of outward bleffings had utterly now ceafed,{'alfeth them over, as not.worth the n~~ingor the. intention ofthofe thathveunder the bare and naked dtfcovery of Spmtual and Heavenly, as the ApofUe fets them ~orth in their .native real glory; and thus Chrifi and his Apofiles carry it all along m thetr pubhcatlons of the Gofpel, (even as in his celebration of praife here.) When the ApofUe preacht the Gofpel to the Jews, Act. 5· he pitcheth upon opening this very blelling of A6raham,read the words, ver. 25. and how cloth he expound it ? it follows, ver. 26. Unto J'O" firfl GodbavitJg rai[td ttp his SotJ 'Jefus, fmt him to blefs)'Oil, in turning every one ofyottfrom your iniquities. How low doth this fall in the exp~Cl:ations of a carnal Jew, whofe eyes are vailed with the outward letter of Promifes Earthly, to hear that Jefus the Mefliah was fent to blefs them in turning them from their iniquities? They look for a Kingdom in Glory and Pomp, to be brought with their MetTiah:and for him to.turn them from iniquities, is fo poor and low and mean a thing with them; whereas indeed to be converted to God and turned from ini– quity is a greater blelling (Spiritual) then ifGod fhould make every one of you Kings and Rulers of Worlds,and create variety and multiplicity of them for each of you, for this 'is a Spiritual and Heavenly blelling. Prter therefore mentions but this one for all the refi, to ihew what a fort they are all of; as alfo beeaufe this is the fir!t and foundation of all other, and all other the concomitants or con– fequents of this, even as in correfpondency to this very fpeech of his, the fame Apoflle makes mention of Regenerationor beingborn again in his fir!\ Epifile to the converted Jrws, ea!\ out (for their cleaving to the Gofpel, ) of their own L~nd, given them to inherit, intitling it therefore to the Jfrangers,namely Jews, (for the Gentile Chrifiians there were Natives,) fi:attred throughout Alia; notwithfianding, (tocomforttheir hearts) Ble{fed 6e the God a11d Fatbrrof Cbrifl that btlth 6egottm)'DU again, (or turned them from their iniquities,) to an inheritmtcr immortal, refervedin the Heavens for JOtl, better than Canaan ; and this is the bletTing of A6raham, Now as Chri!l:, (in another cafe,) all the refi of Gofpel bleffings are like to this, Spiritual all. If you will have 'Davids de(cription ( fays Paul) of the /;leffedntfs ofhis blelfed man he fo often fpeaks of, Rom. 4· even as 'David defcribeth the blelfednefs of !he man, f!ic. ver. 6. Bleffedutbemanwbofejitlispardotud.ver,7• outof Pfa/. p.. Bleffed is the mm1 that is poor i11 Spirit, mrek, pr;re in heart, Mat. 'i. The blelfednefs you fco, lies in nnd is made unto fpiritual graces and difpofitions of holinefs. As alfo tleffed is be that walks holily, he is hleffedin his deed, .7am. 1. 2). yea,61rf– fed is he that i11duru temptation, ver. 1 2.. And after this account and rule arc we now bl€Jfed under and by the Gofpel, the Gofpel not deigning fo much as to mention any one earthly, carnal bleffing, (as here,) flips them over, and takes no notice of them, as nor worthy to come into the Catalogue of thofe more choifeand divine blellings it makes promife of:Yea,it profeffeth to all its followers, that in this ltfewe art of a!J mrnmojf mi(erable , the offjcottring of the world; which carnal men obferving, will be ready to fay, as in another cafe our Apofile fpeaks, where is the 61rffednefsyott [peak of'! It lies in an higher fort of things you wot nor of, and therefore with ilie fame breath pronounceth us mofr blelfed when moft miferable. Bleffed•reyou whm mm revileyou, mtd ptrfecttteyou, bothfay and doaO mamur ofevil againflyott, ( fays our Saviour,) rejoyce mtd /;e txceediltgglad, for as thefe are multiplied and enlarged, your treafures in thofc things, which are the real bleffings, are encreafed, as it follows, for great u .JOUr' reward i11 Heavrn. Greater, as the proportions of your perfecutions are,. which bath brought me to the next word, [In Heavenly placnor things.] The phrafe ia the Original, it is barely, 'E, "''"f"''"'' in the Heavenlies,with– out this addition of either places or things.And it is a fpeech proper to this Epi111e, and no where elfe ufed, and four or five times ufed therein; arrd according as the context requires, we may addplaces or tbitlgs, fometimes the one,fometimes the other;
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