<!An .Expojition of the Epiflle ~ . Serm. :XIV. We all remember this, by Grace ye are faved, ye and we all: When we were de d ~ ;, Sins and TrefPajfes he quic/zned. a • Anether reafon !hews it, in the tranfpofing the word in the Greek it is this . it is not, r~ Ht.uts CNrocs, but it is, ~ Oiif«s H~. ' ' So no:v I ?ave done with that, ~hd the only Obfervation that I will make from thence, IS tlus : · That now when it comes to the. enjoyment. of the Privileges of the Gofpel, · Converfion, and Heaven, and Chn!l, and the hke, Jews and Gentiles are all one: When we were dead in Sins a'!d Trejpajfes, he quicfz.!'ed 111, and fet us Jews and Gen– tiles all together m Chnfi, m heavenly Places. I fhall not need to fraud on it. The Obfcrvations from both thefe two put together, are thefe: Obfr 1 v. '· Firlt>; That God in his wife Dijpenfation is pleafed to permii m~nJ, if not mofl of thoft /Je /uvu, and jhews mercy 1mto, that hve 11p to years, to {Dnltnue in an eftate of Vnregeneracy. That de falJo it was fo in the days of the Apo!lle, in the Gentiles condition, is clear, out of the examples of the Romans, Rom. 6. 17. That Doxology the Apo!l!e there ufeth, God be th•n/,gd, ye were the Servants ofSin, &c. I might give as many Infiances of it well nigh as there have been Converts ( whofe Story is recorded in the New Teflament,) from 'John the Bapti!l's tim~ downwards, throughout all the Epi!lles: Such were fome of [you, J faith the Apo!lle to the Corinthia111, 1 Cor. 6. 11. (when jufl before he had named all forts of Sins and Sinners,) [You J were fometimes Enemies, &c. fays he to the Colof jians, Col. r. 21. And to the Ephejians'he faith, [Y01•] n·ere dead in Sins andTref pajfes; and when we all were dead, and fo here. And that de falJo it was true of the Jews, is alfo evident, in that thc-Minifiry of 'John the Bapti{l, as Chrifi's much more, was, to turn the difobedient 'Jews to the Wifdom ofthe 'jujl, Luke r. 17. And yet they were circumcifed, as we all are baptized ; and their Orcumcifion was the Seal of the Righteoufnefs of Faith, even as our Baptifmis; and yet thofe needed a being born again, as Chrift told Nicodemrts for >ll the refi, 'John 3· I mention this thus briefly, to make way for a fecond Obfervation, which holds forth the glorious Ends which God hath in this Difpenfation towards his Belo-· ved ones. . The f~cond Obfervation, from this emphatical Repetition of the Mifery of our natural Condition, and that in this order and placing, is evidently this : Obferv. 2 • That the deplorable Mifery of our Condition by Nature, doth in6nitely ferve to let out and illuflrate, both the Glory of that Condition and Salvation God hath ordained us unto, and alfo to magnify the Grearnefs of that Love, Riches of Mercy, &c. that are in God, manifefled the~ein towards us. This_ reiterated .mention thereof, you fee, ts placed m the mtd!l, between an extollmg of hts great Love, &c. v. :4· and an accurate enumeration of the degrees of our Exal– tation in the Salvatton bellowed upon us, the frmts of that great Love ; and· this on purpofe to add a luflre unto both. This Obfervation, in both the Bran– ches of it put together, is another Rivolet, that contributes its Stream to that main Ocean, into which all the whole Current of the Apoflle's Difcourfe cloth flow, namely, the demon!lration of the Greatnefs of God's Love. I told you, when I opened the Greatnefs of God's Love, v. 4· that befides tha~ tt was fer out as there, by this, 'that he had fingled out fome Perfons he had fct htmfelf , to lov~, as fimply fo confidered, Vs, not ?thers. !t was yet furtl1\,r to b~ il!uflra– ted by the Condition thofe Perfans were m, the Sm and Mtfery they lay m, when God came to {hew them Mercy. I could not fpeak to it then, becaufe itcomes in more properly, and in a more fer and explicit intendment here. _And 10 thts way of interpreting this Scripture, ""1"- ..roO'lxs, I rnufi take thmgs m that order the Holy-Gho!l bath been pleafed to fcatter them. The remindiRg us of this our natural Condition comes in again at the 1 rth verfe, Wber:fore remember; ;e.areGen– tiles;,, the Flejb, &c. Yet there, to provoke us ·to· Dunes anfwerably, tt comes · " upon
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