to the E P H E S I A N S. thee, are but to fpend !l:ill more Riches ofGrace up~n thee, until he bath exceed- ~ ed. Ifhe !hewed rich Mercy in converting thee at fir!l: ; he will lhew exceeding ~ Richestill he bath done Caving ofthee, he will fpare no Co!l:, no Mercy, to procure all forts or any kind ofBleflings for thee: whatever Riches ofGrace he hath, they fhan all ferve for the faving of thee, until fuch time as thou !halt fay as the Pfalmill cloth, The L.rd hath de•lt boltntifoU; with me, he hath indeed dealt exceeding ric/J/y with me. ThatGrace which fprung at fir!l: in thy Converfion, it was a little Spring, but the longer it goes on to Eternity, the more the Banks widen till it grows into a great Sea. Now, my Brethren, give me leave to fpeak a little to the exceeding Riches of Grace that are in God, and that in our Salvation. The Ricbes ofMercy and Grace, in refpeCl:ofabundanceand variety, I !hewed you, when I !hewed you that God was rich in Mercy. But I referved then fame– thing to fpeak to this point ; namely, the excelling Properties ofthis Grace, and the excellenciesthereof, which the Word [exceeding] hints to me. The Word .;,.,,pf!>«Mc.w, which is here applied unto Riches and which we tranf!ate Exceeding, it rather fignifies fupereminent, excellent Riches ofGrace. Wheneverthat Word is ufed,it notes the excellency ofthat thing, in its kind, to which it is applied.You have it applied to his Power, in the 19th verfe of the fir!l: Chapter, "-'•pj!>&Mc.>V, that is, the fupereminent Greatnefs ofPower that isin him. If it be applied unto Glory (as in Scripture it is) it implies a fuperexcellent Glory; in 2 Cor. 3· 9· T6e Glory (faith he) mv~crlvEI that exceUeth, it is a Word of Affinity with this. And the Apo!l:le fpeaking ofthe Love ofChrill, in the 3dChapter and 19thverfe ofthis Epi!l:le, be ufeth the fame Word, .;,.,,pfl>ocM~=v oriis Y'"'"'"'' oc}OI>riw, aLove, !aith he, which pajfeth K11owledg, which excelleth Knowledg. I fay, this Word notes out the excellency ofevery thing in itskind which it is applied unto. Here you fee it is applied to Riches ofGrace. Now then let me fpeakalittle to that. Youlhallfindthat the Apo!l:le, in xCor. 12.'ult. fpeakingoftheLovethat Man ought to have to Man, in the !all: verfe ofthat Chapter, he calls it a more ex– cellent way, ""'&' ""'•pfl>oi-ijv o8llv, a Word that bath Affinity with this in the Text, a W'IY ofan excellency: and then in the 1 31h Chapter, from the 4Jb verfe to the 8th you have him reckoning up the excellent Properties of that Love, Charity (faith be) fojfors lcng, eii'IJies not, believes not it ftlfHnftemly,rejoiceth not in l~tiq•itJ, IJeareth all thi11gs, believeth aU thi11gs, &c. You fee when he would fet out the ex– cellency ofthat Love, he cloth it by thefe and thefe ~alifications. Now, my Brethren; I !hall do the like, I !hall mention fome two or three of the Properties ~nd 'll:!alifications ofExcellencies, offupereminent Excellencies that are in the Grace ofGod,which he manife!l:eth in our Salvation,and I will do itbriefly; And, Firft, They are fupereminent Riches, in refpeCl: of the Bounty and.Liberality ofGod, both in giving and forgiving. In 2 Cor. 8. 2 . they are calledRiches of Li– beralitJ : and there are exceeding Riches of Liberality in God, feen both in for– giving and alfo in giving,and therein he bath a fuperexcellent RichesofGrace.And, 1. For Forgiving. I 'Yill not infi!l: much upon .:Mic. 7· x8. Who is a Godli~ 1111tc thee, that pardoneth l~tiquity, and pajfeth by the Tra~tjgreffion ofthe Remnant cfhis Heritage, and that becaufe, he delighteth in Mercy, Mercy plea.feth him ? In Exod. 84·6, 7. he is faid tobeThe Lord, The Lard Gcd, 7JJercif•l a11d graciotH, and what follows? Forgiving l~tiqHity, Tranjgre!fion a11d Si11, He heaps up Words as Law– yers ufe to do, when they would be fure to take in all things,and exclude nothing, that there may be no exception; fo doth the Holy·Gho!l:, be is not content with faying, Forgroi11g l~tiquity, but be adds, Tra~tjgre!Jion a11d Sin alfo. Yea, God therefore to lhew the fuperexcellency ofhis Grace in forgiving, be hathordered in hisProvidence, that fome eletl: Child of his or other, !hall fall intoall fort ofSins; there !!jail be found among the Eletl: all forts ofSins, ofwhat Nature and Degree foe':'er, favi~g that again(l: the Holy-Gho!l:. Every BlafPhe"!1• every Sin, faith our SaviOur Chnfr, Mat. 12. fhaU be forgiven; he not only fattb it may be forgiven, b11t he exprefly faith, it fhaU be forgivm. But I fay, I will not inftft upon the
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