An Exp~jition of the Epijlle _ ___::.____~-- S·XVfi? my Brethren, there were Ages indeed between the Apof.He's days and this in .~ which the free Grace of God was clouded exceeding much, tho in oll Ages 'the Saints have had recourfe to it; but in the latter days, when the Jews !hall be con· verted and brought in, God wdl break open thofe Manifeftations of it which yet we know not ; for they are the days of freee Grace. And fo now I have given you the Reafons for that fidi: Opinion ; and the Obfervations out of 1t are o( infinite moment to us, and infinitely to our com– fort; as, That the Days of the Gofpel are the Days of Grace; and, That all the Grace and Mercy that God bath fi1ewn in the Ages pa(l, to the Apofiles themfelves, and thofe Primitive Chriftians, for the quickning of Mens Souls, and the like, we that live in thefe fixteen hundred years afier, may even expect the very f.1me : And that God, in his kindnefs to thefe Epheft•ns, and to the Jews that were then converted, bath confirmed to the World, both to Jews and Gen– tiles, that they fhall have the like Grace that their Fore-fathers had. There are I fay, thefe and many more Obfervations, that are natural to this Interpretation : and the Interpretation it felf feems to be exceeding natural alfo. ' But I fhall not ftand upon thefe now,. but go on to the fecond Inteq:!retation, wh1ch I fhall be more large m, becaufe 1t IS laid afide ; and mdeed I think it to be a! much the fcope of the Apoltle here, if not more, than this 1have now men– tioned: And if both cannot fland together, I !hall rather ea(! it, toe:>:clude the other, and take this; but I confefs I am in 'Paul's Strait in it, as he faith in ano– ther cafe: For, my Brethren, to' interpret it of the exceeding Riches of his Grace to after Ages, that they hereby fi1all have a confirmation, that God will !hew them as much Grace as to thefe Primitive Times, is exceeding comfortable to us: But to interpret it of Heaven, and of that World to come, and the breaking up of that Riches of Grace there, as the final Clofe of all) this I fay is befl of all. Now then for this fecond Interpretation : That [In Ages to come ] fhould refer to the other World alfo, and to the breaking up of thofe Riches of Grace there ; that after God bath thus gone on in manifeflmg his free Grace under the Gofpel,in q•ic~ning andgathering his Elect together,and that when the Timecomes, that they !ball fit not only in Chrijl as now, but with Chrifl in heavenly places; that then as the Clofe of all, he will manifefl and fhew forth an unknown Trea– ·rury; a Treafury that fhall be anfwerable to the Thoughts of the Mercy and 'Grace that is In the great God, and anfwerable to that Dignity of being con– formed unto Jefus'Chrifl, and mad: like unto him. For to confirm this Interpretation to you, J.fi1alllead you along through thclC ·reveral R~afons put together. And, Firfl ; I will begin with the Phraie, [In the Ages t~ come, J that that, I fay, !hould refpect, not only theAges and Times of thii World, but alfo refpect the World to come, and the Ages of Eternity : For, my Brethren, firfl, in oppo– ·fition to this prefent World, and thefe .dges now, you know the Scripture calls . the next, the World to come, or Eternity to come ; for r&,, here, which is tranflated, Ages, is called the World to come often in the Hebrew, and it is the very fame word, Ages to come, I fay, in oppofition to this prefent World, as the Apoftle calleth this in Gal. 1. 4· You have the very Phrafe in the firfl Chapter of this Epiflle, ve~f 21. which I !hall anon make further ufe of; he L1ith there, That 1cfu1 Chrifl is fit far above all 'Principality and 'Power, not only in this World, lmt a!fo in that which is t~ come, <v 'lii ,x,r;;,, The wmd tranflated there [World to come J is the fame that Is ufcd here for Ages. And m Heb. 6. 5· they are fa1d to have ta(ledoof the Powers of the World to come, it is the word which is here ufed for Ages. It is true indeed, in !feb. 2. 5· th~ St,:te of the Gofpel. is called a World to come, ''""~"' bUt that m Heb. 6. 5· ts ""'"' the word that ts ufed here, tho in the fingular Number, ~Moifos oci/:iVOI, But ..
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