- 202 An Expoftion of the EpijUe ~ conclude from thence, that now ye are quickned, By Graceye are faved: tbe thing ~is as good as done, for Gracehath undertook lt, and th1s 1sone property ofGrace to be immutable: R.om. 4· 16. lt uof Fatth that 1t mtght be by Grace, to the end the P.romift miglt bejitrc. In 2 Cor. 12. when the Apofl:le was in a mighty great Temp– tation, and did not know what would become ofhiScarnal Heart, or at ·lea!twiCe fearing left he might be overborn by the Temptation: whatanfwer bath he? v. 9 . MyGrace iJji'.fflcient for thee, my Grace bath undertook to Cave thee, therefore do not thou fear, tbat is [uflicient, and that will look to thee, and take care and or– der for thee. But might Paul fay, or another fay, I fball Sin and run out grie– vouOy againft Grace ? But ifGrace will pardon thee, what ;,~that to thee? And befidesthat, Grace will reduce thee, and perhaps keep thee,and prt!Olent it; how– ever confider, IfGrace be able to Cwe thee, ifthere be any fufliciency in Grace, it !hall. So tlw, I fay, a Man may reckon, that ifGrace be King,it will prevail over all. Grace reigneth, faith"the Apo{\)e, and nothing!hall hinder, neither Guilt of Sin pafl: or to come; fl:ill you!hall have G~ace that will look to pardon you, and will look that you fban not run mto fuch Sms, as !hall put you out ofGrace· for this King that made thefe L~ws and Principles of re~aining in the fl:ate of Grace, looks to all its SubJeCl:s; 1fthey be under h1s Domm1on, they !hall not be under the Dominion ofSin. IfGrace therefore be the undertaker, the Apofl:le might well C, y, tbat being quick;ed, ye arefaved. But there is a fecond reafon why he faith, Saved, in the prefent Tenfe, becau[e in the next Words he tells us, we are raiftd together with Chrift, and (it with him in Heavenly Place;: In your Head, faith he, ye are ln Heaven reprefetitatively ; ~nd are as fure to be in Heaven, as ifyou were now there. Therefore the Apofl:le ha– ving told them that they were quickned with Chrifi, gives them afli.uance of Sal– vation, Ye are f1Ved, faith he, for you may fee your felve~ quickpcd together with Clrift, a11d ,.,1iftd up rvitb him, reprefentatively, and therefore you !hall one day _(it with bimin Heavenly Places alfo. So much now for having explained this Word, Saved. I !hall now come to the third thing, viz. to (peak to thefe two jointly and to– gether, :lly Grace)e arefavecf. And this is plainly the meaning and the [urn of it, which you.may make an Obfervatton,or an Interpretation ofas you Will. All our SalvaLion firfl: and lafl:, the whole and all the parts ofit, they are to be attributed· [olely to the fi·ee Grace-of God, and not to any thing in us. This latter [not to any thing in us J and how it is abfl:racted from all things in us ; I !hall fpeak of when I come to the 8th verft. But I !hall [peak now a little .to the former, and then I think I !hall have opened thefe Words fully. I fay, the whole bulineG of Salvation, firft and lafl:, and all the parts ofit, they are all attributed unto Grace. The free Grace ofGod, or that free Favour that is in the Heart ofGod, it is, I fay, the foie caufe of all the Parts and Degrees, and Benefits of Salvation. They are attributed unto Grace, in three refpects. 1. In refpect ofGod"s everlafl:ing Purpofes, looking to nothing in the Creature, and decreeing and purpofing all Benefits to them out of Grace ; fo that every Be– nefit when it !hall be beftowed upon us, it !hall flow from that everlafting good Will and Purpofe of his. You have this, in 2 Tim. I. 9· a place pat to the pur– pofe ; Who bath faved m, and caUed "' with all holy CaUiltg, not according to our Worf<!, but according to hi.r own Purpofe and Grace,whicb wa< given "'in Chrijl JejiJJ, before the World began. There now ~he Love ofGod fet upon us freely, is called a Gift, and every Frmt of1t 111 them, ts accordmg to that Grace, becau[e out ofthat Grace. My Brethren, let me give you but this Notion by the way: Though God hath fubordinatcd inthe ~ay, in the Chain ofour Salvation, one thing to a– nother ; as thus, actual Jufl:ification ofour Perfons upon our believing (for it is door, we are not jufl:ified in a true fenfe till we belieye, a':d then <ye begi~ to be jufl:ified in our own Perfons, yet we are reprefentanvely JUfttlied m Chnft from Eternity.) Here he makes Jufl:ification tCffollow upon Faith, or to be concomi– tant to Faith ; and [o Heaven and Glory the confequent of Grace, witho11t whiw no MmJba/1foe God;yea he bath made all thefe to depend upon Chrift meritoriouOy. " Yet
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