to the EPHESIANS. lhould not !land t~gether, ( as I hope they may ) the truth is, I lhould hardly ~ know which to prefi:r. ~ I lay this for a Premife to the opening of thefe words, that they mufr needs have a moll: vaft and comprehenfive meaning; and that not only becaufe (as Chryfoftom faith) his Eloquence rifeth here in [the exceeding Riches of hi< Grace,] which is an Epithete given no where elfe in the Scripture to the Grace of G~ ; but becaufeit is evident that thefe words are the conclufion, the clofe, the penod of the loogeft continued entire Difcourfe, that I know is in the whole Book of God. The Apoflle had begun in the 18th verfe of the firlt Chapter, and pray– ed there for them, That they might.!.:_now what is the Riches of the Gl.rJ of h;s In– heritance in the Saints, and the exceeding Greatnefs of hi.r Power, &c. And he ne• ver made his Difcourfe fully cornpleat, till the end of this Verfe. So as indeed this 7th Vufe is a11other Defign like that in the 1oth verfe of the firft Chapter, which contains as it were the perfeCtion ofGod's Decrees about us; and this is the fummary oonclufion of the execution of God's Decrees, as I take it. All ( m.y Brethren) do acknowledg this, that here is contained God's end in faving Man, to magnify the exceeding Riches of hi< Grace ; but then the queftion is of the Time, what lhould be meant of the(e .Ages to come? and of the man• ner and kind of the demonflration of thefe Riches. There are, I fay, two ln·. terpretatic.ms. 1. Som.e Caf, that this fuewing forth the Riches of his Grace here intended, is, that difpe·ofation and communication of the Riches of his Grace under the Gofpel in after Ages ; God holding forth, in that kindnefs which he had !hewn t<J thefe EJ>hifi:ans, and to the Jews, and all thofe Primitive Chrillians, whom he had converted out of fo defperate and damnable a condition, an A!furance in thefe words, of a communication of the like exceeding Riches of his Grace, in all Ages t<;> come, to the end of the World, whereof they were the Patterns and Examples. I find mo!1: ofthe Proteftant Writers run this way, and the moft ju· dicious af the Papifu. 2. Others fay, That this fhewing fo111:b, or demonftration of the Riches of his Grace in Ages to come, is to Eternity, after the Refurrellion, which he had fpo– ken ef in the words immediatly before; and that thefe words do contain the utmoff accomplilhment, the manifeftation and breaking up of the hidden Trea– fure, which !hall be expended in the World to come, and requires an Eternity to be fpen:!ing in; befides the Riches of Grace which he bath !hewn us here, in ·quickning us; befides what he cloth for us reprefentatively, in fetting us in hea– venly places in Cb•ifr, and rhe like. And I find this latter to be the Sence that all the,ancient Interpreters run upon, not one exempted, and fome of our Pro· teftant Writers, and moft of the Papifts. And of thefe two Interpretations, I confeli; the reafons on both.fides are fo ftrong, that I do not know which to ex· elude~ and I believe it will be found to be the Truth, that this being the con· clufion and winding up of the Apoftle's Difcourfe, he had them both in his eye. The Reafons for this I !hall give you anon. Now I !hall do this: .I !hall firfi give you a fair account of the Reafons on bothfides, either which I find in others, or which God bath fuggefied to me; Reafons taken from the Coherence, and the Afpell of r,he words of the Text, both backward and forward, and the opening of the Phrafes therein. And then .f. !hall lay open to you, what I conceive to be clearly and fully the fcope of the Apoflle in them. I will begin with that firfl Interpretation, and that is this, That God in be· fiowing fo much Grace upon thefe, both Jews and Gentiles, in converting them, and in doiqg fo much for them,. aim~ to hold them forth therein, as Patterns to all Ages to come, who may e.xpell the -like Grace in all Ages, and that he will d1fFenfe the like Grace to all A,ges, to the end of the Wodd. And, firjl;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=