'"""· -"'--"" S$'-r-t. XIll. ~ An ExpojitiM of tiJe EpiJlle · SERMON X I11. E pH E s. 1. 4, 5, 6. 4· 'But God who u rich in .:;Mercy, for hu great Lo'Ve wl>erewitb he lowd tl4, 5· Ewnwl>en 1ve were dead in Sins, hath quickned ur together with .Chrifl, ( by Grace ye are fawd ) 6. .And />at/, raifed U& 11p together, and made ur fit together itl heawnly places in [brift Jefur. · THe ApofHe had handled in the Verfes before, and given the moil: exact Defcription of thatwretched and deplorable Efrate which by Nature we lie m, ·Dead in Sms and TreJPajfes, and CJ,zldren of Wratb. And he . .ufhereth in our Salvation, both in the thing, and in the caufes of it, wtth thiS [ B11t J here: B11t God who is rich in Nfercy, &c. Which is the greatefr Turn that ever was, that Men dead in Sins and TreJPajfes, guilty of Death over and over, and Children of Wrath by Nrrt11re, he that is the jufr God fhould not have defrroyed them: No, But ( G1ith he) God who is rich in Merry, or, God being rich i11 Mercy, for his great Love wherewith he loved 111, even when w• were dead in Sim, hath q~tidzned 111. There was an Ambufhment of everlafring Love · and Riches of Mercy laid up in him, which that Love bath dilpofed of, fo; the Salvation of them he bath chofen; and out of that Mercy, and out of that Love, when we were thus dead in Sim and TreJP•Jfes, he bath q11ick._ned M together with Chrift. Take notice of it ; faith he, By Gtace ye are faved. His Scope is, to hold forth, and withall to magnify thofe two great Caufes of out Salvation, that are in God himfelf: The one is, that Aft of Love where– with he loved us, and continued to love us, which, he faith, is a great Love~ And, fecondly, thofe Riches of Mercy which arc in him. The greatnefs of this Love I have endeavoured, fo far as this Text fets if forth, to lay open toyou: I fhall only give you in brief, the Heads of what I have G1id concerning it, and fo proceed to (peak of the Riches of that Mercy which is in God. I told you, the rea(on why I Cpake of Love firfr was this: Be– caufe (as here you fee) it is his Love, that tho it is not the caufe of the Mercy that is in him, yet it' is that whichdifpofeth of all the Treafury of Mercy umo· Sinners, becaufe he had firfr fet his Love Upon them, and fo great a Love as he had done. Gr<at, firfr, in refpect of the Subject of it, ·which is God; and if God will fall in love, how great will that Love be [ It is great, fecondly, in refpeCI: of the Kind of it, His Love. The Apollle doth not only f.1y, For the Love wherewith he loved 111, but, For [his] great Love wherewitb he loved M, fuch a Love as the Creatures bear not. And the Love; wherewith he hath loved M; not the Love, whemvith he did love 111, when he did convert us, b\11: loved us from everlafring : With att "'erlafling Love have I dtawn thee, or rather, have I extended towards ihee. Lafrly; The confideration of the Perfons upon whom this Love is pitch'd, ar– gues the greatnefs of it, Vs, Vs difrinCI:, Vs by name, and Vs~ not others, tho others were Children of Wrath as well as we. We were ( fatth he) by nat11re Children d Wr.th, even ·as others: B11t Gad, for .the great Love, &c. Thefe things I infifred largely upon in the lafr Di!courfe.
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