An Expojition of the Epijlle Se;.;;;w. !peaking to thef'e Words here, and in the 8th verfe. Here I mull fpeak of it fimply ~ as 1t 1s the caufe ofour Salvanon: But there I mull fpeak of1t, as it is a cauf'e of our Salvation, excluding all things elf'e. There is nothing bath been more cor– rupted in all Ages, than the cauf'ation that free Grace bath, in the Salvation of Men; by Papifls, and by Remonllrants, and by Legalills, and by carnal Hearts . that llill will mingle with it fomething ofthemf'elves. Now all thef'e things I muft !peak to, as the Text fhall give occafion, when I come to the 8tb verfe. Only that which I am now to do, is t<;> fhew you, and that in a more general way, how that Grace, and frJ!: Grace IS the cauf'e ofall Salvation. And herein I will obf'erve this method. ' I. Open to you, what is meant byGrace. 2. What is held forth under this W<ld, being faved, as here it is brought in. 3. I fhall put them both together, '"By Grace1e arefaved ; and f'peak to them jointly. There is an Obfervation which I fhould have mentioned, drawn from the man– ner ofthe Apoflle's bringing this in here, By Grace ye are faved; by way of Pa– renthefis, in the midll ofhis Dif'courfe : and then that he fhould afterwards f'o largely infif:tupon it again and again, it holds forth this to us. That the dependotcy our S.lvation hath in the whole, and aU the parts ofit, uponfree Grace, ir t~egrcatejl thing in the Go.JPel. It is that which the Apoflle would have thefe Ephejans, above all things elf'e take ·notice of, he f'ets therefore this Mark up– on it, by this Parenthefis ; as if he had f'aid, remember thir, faith he, as the great reiltlt ofmy Difcourf'e, to hold forth this to you, to beget thoughts ofthis in you, that By Grace ye arefaved. But ofthis, when I come to the 8tb verfe. At pref'ent, I fhall enquire, Firll, what is meant by Grace here. To be f'ure, it is not meant the Graces in us, though they have alf'o the name gi– ven to them. The Papills they run altogether upon that, ifyou read their Book~ ofthe Attributes of God, you fhall not find, as I remember, that Title, De Gratia Dei, or in any one ofthem: No, they run upon the Grace that is in us. Indeed the Graces that are in us, are called Grace in the Scripture, as in 2 Cor. 8. I, 7· We do JOlt to wit, ofthe Grace ofGod beflowed upon the Ch11rcbes of Macedonia. And ver. 7· Asyeabo11ndin every thing, in Faith, and Vtterance, and Knowledg, and in allDiligence, and inyo11r Love to 111, fee that ye abo11nd in this Grace aljiJ. So in 2 Cor. 9· 8. God is able to mak; all Grace abound towardsyo11; and ver. 14. We long after yo11, for the exceeding Grace ofGod in JOII, But yet the Graces that are in us, they are called Graces, meerly becauf'e they are the Gifts of1an higher Grace, by which higher Grace we are Caved ; and Salvation is never ottributed to our own Graces. Or indeed and in truth they are part ofSalvation it felf;even as the Bene– fits that God bellows upon us out of Love, they are called Love ; f'o in I John 3· I. Behold what 1JJaJmer of Love the Fatber hatb bejlowed 11p011 111, that we Jbo.!d be called the Sons of God. There Adoption and Sonfhip is called the Love of God, which he bath befiowed uportus, becauf'e it proceeds from Love; f'o thefe arc called Graces, becauf'e they flow from that Grace: Even as Regeneration,. the thing begotten in us, is called Spirit in us, becauf'e it is begotten by the Sptnt ; f'o thef'e are called Graces, bee uf'e they are the Gift of Grace. And therefore m AfJs I 1. 23. the Effects of the Grace of God are there called Grace: Wben he had feen the Grace of God, he WtU glad; that is, he had feen Men turned unto God ; 14i!r he [peaks of the Converfion of Souls, and of the Graces of G~ wrought in them. My Brethren, they are but improperly called Grace. It IS that which hath mified the Papills, and Schoolmen; and you may fee bow dan– gerous a little Millake is : They thought to call it Grace, becauf'e it made us ac– cepted, and rendred us gracious in the eyes ofGod, therefore they called It, that ~ Grace
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