to the E P H E S I A N S. i,6j ----------------~~~~--------~~ where God is (aid to be' ri~h unto a{!, not rich in himfelf, bq~ rith l)nto us; f~ the Se~ Phrafe run~. If there were a Man; that wer~ rteh m all thmgs th'\t tl.1e World ~ accounts Riches, and that Man !hou\cl acco)lnt it his chiefefC Riches to give all this away, how would all the World come to him! My Brethren, thus it is witli God, he is rich in that AttribQte that givesall aw~y, fo, he is f.1id .to be rich in Mercy. I !hall fpeak a little more to this in the clofe of all, by way of Ufe, therefore I urge it now no more. I come to the fecond thing, viz.. To open to you the Abundance o( thefe Riches of Mercy that are in God. This Phrafc in the Text, God who is rich in lvferry, take it ii~plyj and it imports: Firfl; A FulneCs, and an Abundance of Mercy in God, even to fuperfluity, • and to flowing over. Any one, that is faid to be rich in any thing, he hat.h an . abundance of it, or e\fe he cannot be faid to be rich. Now ye are .fit!!, f~ith th~ Apoftle,-and, Ye are rich, in I Cor. 4- 8. If there be not a Fulne!s, there is not Riches. 0 tbim that art ab1tndant in Treajines, faith he to BabJl011, in Jer. 5I, I 3· A, Man is then C1id to be rich, when he is abundant in T rcafurcs, to an O ver– plus. Whofc Belly thott flleft with thy hid Tre.ifitre, faith the PC1lmi!r, Pfo/. I 7. 14. (for he calls all thefe outward things' in the World,God's Treafurc,) tmd they /e,•ve the reftoftheir Subftance (fo we tranOate it) to their Babes; they have an Over·plus, fo Ainfworth, and others read it. Now God bath Mercy in himw an abundance; to an Over-p1us: I Pet. 1. 3· Who according to his abundant M my hatf? beget/en tH agai11. There is an abundance of Mercy in him, even t<? a flowing over : I Tim. I. I4; The Gracecf okr Lord was exceeding abundani; it was over·full, it was to a flowing over. In Rom. 5· I7. it is faid, that thofe that are pardoned receive abundance of Grace and Mercy. And for our comfort, it is good to compare the expreffions ol the Scripture one with an9ther. In that Rom. 5· 20, it is faid, that Sin doth abozmd: When Sin abounded, faith he, the meafure of Man's Iniquity was brim-full; but when pe comes to fpeak of Grace, he puts an -izl~ upon it ; -iz<p<"'l\iovoc<Jl!, faith he, Grace did much more abound. There was aHowing, and a flowing over ,of Grace, as the word there fignifies : Grac<; d1d not only overflow, but mfimtelyovcrflow, It was over·fuperfluous, there {vas more than enough of it for the Salvation of Sinners: Now it is G!id to be ab!'lndant, I. In refpcCl: ofthe Muiritude of the Mercies that are in God. 2. In relj,eCl: of the Variety of them. . 3· In refpeCl: of the GreameCs of them; the height, the depth, the length',• the breadih of them. r. I fay, in refpell: of the Muititude of Mer~i~s in bol You !hail therefore find, that the Scripture fpeaks of Mercies under ,Multitudes: Tftl. 51. r. Ac– c.ording to the multitude ofthy ten,Ier Mercies, .blot o;tt 11.'Y Tranjj,rejfions, . Pfal. 6~. 1 j ', 0 God, ill the multitude of th1 .:Mercy hear me. If~. 55· 7· Our God, he will ;,,;dti– ply to pardon, os the word there is, which WC tranOate, He will abundantly pardrn. ,. . . , .. , 2. In reCpeCl: of their Variety, they are manifold Mereies. ftiches' lie in a va~ ~iety. In Ezek, 27. I2, Tyre is faid to have a .multi;ude of all kinds of Riches. Now as God bath.a multitude. of Mercies, fo he bath a multitude of all kinds of Mercies. Therefore you !hall find in the Scripture, that Mercy ftill , nil)~ in the Plural, not only to note out that they ,are many, but that they are manifold, there is variety of them: Rom. I2. 1. I befcech you by the Mercies of God. In Nehwt. 9· I9, & 2 7. (a Chapter wherein.God and Man firiveth; as it were, whe– ther God's_Mercies, or Man's Sin, !hould out.vy one ano,th~r,) th<ire is mention· made ofthe M:anlfoldnefs of _his. Mercies. And in lfo.6;3_·.. '1·. there·is, The multi– tude of hu Lovzng-kjndnejfes; whiCh are there called, the Praifes of the Lord,' beciufe
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