An Expojition of the epijUe - ---- ~ tlie Riclres of his Grace in Forgiving, for that belongs more properly to Serm.XIX. Mercy. ~ 2. He is as rich, and exceeding rich in givi~g. 1 Tim. 6. 17. TrHjl in the living God, wlio gtvetb 111 rrchly flU thrng~ to en;oy. The truth is, the Apoftle fpeaks there of the common Merctes whtch the EleCt partake of here in the World, .and y~t hefatth, He giveth111 aUthings richly. My Brethren, was it not 3 rich Gtft togwe the Sun toenhg~ten thts Wo~ld ?. what a mighty Gift was it? Was it not a nughty Gtft to gtve thts Earth, whtch ts full of fo much Riches ? Go take the common things, 1vhich are Pawns to the People of God of what they (hall have in Heoven, how dothGo~ give all things to them richly? My hJcamng ts, thot all thoft: Benefitswhtch poo~ and nch enjoy, how rich are they? The Apoflle mflanceth m them to help thetr Fa1th; and know faith he this God is the living God, and he hath a World of Riches to fhew you in Ages to come, which there he fpeaks of afterwards. It is faid in /fa. 3 2. 8. that the liberallvfmr devifetb liberal things. Go take a Man that is of a liberal Heart and his Wifdom will be inventing of magnificent Works, and he will confulr'with his Power, and with his Riches, what he is able to do, and what he is able to beflow. But, my Brethren, when the great God, the liberal God, fhall deviCe Jibcral things,what greatthings think you there will thenbe given? In 1 Chro.17 .19 • faith Da~id, According tothim own Heart haft thou done aU thif Greatnefs, in mai(jng l;_nown aU theft great things. Davicl fpeaks of the Mercies which God vouchfafed to him : 0 Lord, for .'''J Servants fa¥, faith he ; fo we ~ead it : the Septuagint reads tt, For thy Words fa¥, namely, Chnfl:, and accordmg to thine own Heart. When God means to give, and to fhew forth his Grace in giving, what doth he confult withal? He confults with his Chrifl, and heconfulrs with his own Heart; and when he gives, he gi:ves like the great God : for [o it follows there, v. 20. 0 Lord, there if n011e lib.! thee, 11either if there any God bejides thee. My Brethren, think withyourfelves now, when infinite Wifdom, thatisabletoinventandde– ,,ife what is befl:, and to fludy liberal things; when that fhall meet with a Power anf\verable, to do whatfoever it can devife; and both thefe fhall be fet in a Heart full of all Largenefs, full of all Bounty and Generofity, that refolves to be graci– ous to the utmoft of his W~fdom and Power; what may you expel.t from fuch a Heart ? Thus it iswith God, who is God ble!fed for ever, who is the only Po– tentate, that hath a Heart to give out of the Riches of his Grace whatfoevt;r he can think of, who is able to do not only above all that we can ask or think, but he is able to do whatfoever he himfelf thinketh and conceiveth, bath a Heart to give according to his own thoughts;. fo faith Davi4, w.hen he viewed with the Eye of Faith, the Covenant made wtth htm, and wuh hts Sons. '>'Eph.r. 19 • The Aportle, you fee, in the !~thVerfeof thefirll:Chapter, and in this 7t~ ·nnpf!o&l\- Verfe of this fecond Chapter, JOIOstwo*Exceedmgs together: the one of hts 1\ov!<iyea" Power, and the other of his Mercy; why? Becaufe whatfoever Power can pro– Tiis :l'uvd:- cure and do, that his Heart, through the exceeding Riches ofhis Grace, is willing p.;iws. to bellow. Saith the Pfalmifl, in Pfal. 84- rr. He wiU give Grace and Glory, and Eph; 2 • 7· 11o good thi11g wiU he 1vith-hold. For certain, God knows all the good things that Tov;:~pare, he is inured to Ble!fednefs, the height of it ; now he plainly tells us, that e~~T~~ ~;;\ he will not with-hold any good thing, or he bath a Heart to bell:ow wh~tfoeveris i<!!~po~. good, to befl:ow all the good he can think of. If then there be any thmg better than other, you will find that God will bell:ow it. Confider but a little the Riches of his Grace in giving, for that indeed is proper unto Grace. He bath a Son to give. He devifeth with himfelf, I will give him, faith he, and I will give him in !he.bell: manner to make a Gift of him, I will give ~im crucified, J wtll gtve htmm all the Relations he can bear to you, and I wtll g!ve him for you befides. Is not here Rtches of Grace ? And when you have htm, you !ball have all freely with him; and there are unfearchable Riches given with him, for God's Son mufl: needs bring a great Portion. There is one .~ift. . He hoth a Spirit, and he p01mth hin• forth richly, fo faith the Text m Ttt. 3· 6. (for fo the words are in the Original.) He will. not give. half Kmgdoms, no, he wtll give whole Kingdoms or none; and he wtll not gtve Kmgdoms only, but Worlds, and he wilf give them freely. He
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