to the EPHESIANS. "'-.Ar..., z. That eminent afr, as it is called, that is. which is in God himfelf only, ~· abideth in himfelf, in his own heart, that firfl: act from eternity, which is the foundation of all; and this the Apof.He here mainly intendeth in this 4th Verfe. But, , 2. There are tranfient aCl:s of Love, which are the fmi~s o.f that firlf, which in the Text here, (as afterwards I !hall !hew you) are mainly theCe three: r. Giving Jefus Chrifl: to be a Head for us, and to die for us ; that is couch~d in thefe words, He bath quich,ped •u together with Chrifl,and raifed 111 "P together with him; which importeth, both him to be a Head for us, and him to have died for us, as a fruit of this Love. . . . . , . . o. The afr of calling us to htmfelf, whtch ~< expre!S d m thefe words, Even whenwe were dead in Sint, bath he quick._ned 111. 3· The glorifying of us hereafter, we being already Jet in heavenfJ pfaw in Cbrifl, as an engagement of all that Glory we !hall have hereafter. Thefe three tranfient Afrs I mull: handle in their order, as I open the fifth and fixth Verfes ; therefore now in this fourth Verfe, I !hall only fpeak of that emi– nent Afr in God, The Love whermith hr loved "': And concerning that, two things. · r. The Greatnefs of that Love in it !elf. And, 2. In refpefr of the Time, when this Love begari; for he.fpeaks in the tiro~ pall:, He loved m. Firft; For the gre.atnefs of this afr of Love taken up towards us ! 1t is fo great, as all the ails of Love, all the manifefl:ations of Love, the tranfient aCl:s of Love, the fruits of Love, that God !hews and manifefl:eth to eternity, they are not all enough to exprefs that Love, which he took up in the firfl: aCl:, when he ·began to love us, and all ferve but to commend and manifefl that Love. And then, Secondly; For the Time. If you ask, when he firll began to love? (which alfo fets out the greatnefs of it,) it was from everlafl:ing. This word in the Text, [hath loved 111, J or, [he loved us J reacheth to eternity; fo in ']er. 3 I. 3· And then for the continuance.of it e.ver fince, he bath continued it every mo– ment ; tho we were Children of Wrath, and dead in Sins and Trefpalfes, yet he all that while, fince the firfl: time he began to love us, he bath continued to love us with the fame love, he bath reiterated tl)e fame thoughts again, and again. And for this great love, wherewith he loved us from everlafling, and wherewith he hath continued to love us ever fince, from everlafl:ing, as we may fo fpeak l For fhis great Love, (faith he) he hath quicft~ted 111, .I alfQ opened in the !aft Difcourfe, the greatnefs ofthis Love from the Perfon•, Vs: Vt, faithhe, notothers: WewereChildrenofWrath, ?SWellasothers, but for the great Love wherewith he loved ut, and not others; (for he bath not quickned all, but he quickneth all that he loveth,) he bath q11ich,ped "' together with Chrifl. He loved [ 111,] not ours, nor for any thing in us. He loved us, not indefinitely, that is, I will love fome of Mankind; but he bath loved us difl:infrly, pitching upon thofe Perfons he pitch'd his love upon, and laying forth all the Mercies, and all the fruits of Love upon them, eying their Perfons. There was likcwife, I told you, another thing, which fets out the greatnefs of this Love, and that is the.conditipn of our Perfons, Dead in Sint and Trefjajfes; ~nd that follows in the fifth Verfe. But as I faid then, I going over thefe words, tn a way ofExpofition, and not handling them as a Subject, will not infifl on every thing in that artificial method, as if I were to write a Trafr upon it; There
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=