to the EPHESIANS. Apofile, his having taken poffeffion for you in Heaven, it requires Ages to come, ~ for God to give forth wha~ Cbrifl bath now took Polfeffion of, and for w~at he ~ fitteth in Heaven reprefenttng you, to that end that one day you may have It. In tbofe imperfect notes of Mr. 'Bayns printed, which I believe in a great part are his I oblerve, he hath this Expreffion, God (faith he ) did draw the Lineament> which he would be perfetling offor ever : that is, in Jefus Cbrtfl he hath laid out your Line in Heaven, the place and compafs of Glory you {ball have, and there you have Polfeffion ofit in Chrill, there is a.Model of it in him, that even to Eternity and m Ages to come God m•ght bmld upon th1s, and m•ght fpend the exceeding Riches ofhis Grace, in beftowing that which Jefus Chrift bath now took up for us. This I Cty, IS a natural and full coherence, winch holds forth a Sence ofa great deal of Glory. So I proceed. It anfwers to the Parallel that the Apofile did intend to make, between Chrifl and us in the firfl Chapter ofthis Epiftle. He tells us there that the Came Power works in us who believe, that wrought in Chrifl when he railed him from the dead, and fet him at his own right hand in heavenly places: and here you f~e in the 6th verfe (the vtrfe jull before the Text) he brings in the Parallel, he hath quick_tted ll<,faith ~e, an4bath raijed ~up, and made w fit in Heaven, in bim. Now mark it, what IS 1t that IS laid ofChnfl fitnng m Heaven, That heJits there far above a/J Principa!tty, and Power, and Might, and Domtmon, not only tn thu World, but alfo (faith he) in tbat which iJ to come. To make up this redition now on our parts, he {hews us in this Chapter, that Chrifl not ot~ly fits in Hea~en for m, and in our ftead, but as he bath a World to come, m wtnch he fhall re•gn and fit for ever; fo faith, he, have you, you have Worlds to come (for it is the fame Word, l, only one is the plural and the other is the fingular) for to fit with Chrifl, and you ,. {h,ll have all the Riches of God's Grace, bringing in Joys and Happinefsto you to Feaft you wi•h unro Eternity. And fo by adding this now, the Apoftle he hath made the redition full, this World is to come here on our parts, fitiing with Chrilt in Heaven, anfwers to that fitting ofChrift for ever, over Principalities and Powers in his World to come. With this Difference, that he fitteth at God's right hand, which we are not faid to do. Then again, the Phrafe [jbew forth] will exceedingly fit this Interpretation alfo, and comes in clearly to this Sence (I fhall fhew you by and by,that this Word doth not only import to hold forth in an example, but to hold forth gloriouOy) for thefe Ephejians Hearts might think thus, and they might fay, you tell us ofa great deal that God bath done for us, he bath fet us yonder in Heaven, and railed us up together in Chrifl, but when {ball this be accomplifhed? when {ball it be performed to us? we fee none ofthis, it is yet hidden to us. Why faith the ApoO:Ie, yott fit now in Chrijl, but God bath placed you there but to this end, that in a World to come, he might there !hew forth to you, and upon you, fitting to– gether with Chril1, that Glory which now is hid; as the Word [jhewing forth] imports. It bath relation to whatis now hid, what they faw not. For we do not fee now otherwife than by Faith the Glory of Chrift, much lefs do we fee other– wife than by Faith, that he bath taken up Heaven for us, nor do we fee that Riches of Glory which he bath taken polfellion of in our flead : But, faith he, after the Refurrec:tion, when the World to come lliall come, and in thofe Ages and Evers to come, he will fhew forth, he will make·an open Demon!'cration of thole Riches which Jefus Chrifl bath taken Poffeffion o£ And fo it is a parallel place with that, in Col. 3· j, 4- where he had faid (ver. 2.) that we are rifen with Chrifl (even as he here faith, that we are raifed in Chrilt, and fit in Chrifl in Hea– ven) and he addeth, Your Life is hid with Chrif1 in God,but when Chri.ft who isyour Lift, fball appear, then jha/1ye alfo appear with him in Glory. So becaufe, that thefe Riches of Glory which Jefus Chrift bath taken Poffeffion of, are now hidden, therefore'he cloth purpofely ufe the very Word here, he will lliew forth what is now hidden, he will break open that hidden Treafure which !hall lafl even to Eternity. · And my Brethren, to lhew forth in an Example, it is not the only force of this Word, tt cloth not always import that alone ; but fometimoo to !hew forth in a. * Hh 2 noto-
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