to the EPHESIANS. ?57 . He hatha Heaven to oeftmv, and he will beftciw it;,, and that l:;ieayen !hall be ~.__rf to exhaurt, if it were p<iffible; the exceeding Riches of Grac~ that are in him to ~ Eternity. Sc'cmldlj; As the Excellency ofhis Grace is ruew~ thus, hoth i~ fo~gi~ing ~nd in giving; fo al(o in this, that he giveth freely every way.. .And you mpft know that Freenefs is the fuper·excelledcy of Grace, the Freenefs of Graee is . the Riches of Crace. Now his Grace e~cells in Freenefs, and that h1 ,th,ef~ things; ... 1. The fewer Mouves that there are to move bun, the more emment his Grace is in refpel:t of the Freenefs of it. In 2 Theff. 1. t r. ail that God c;loth is faid there to be the f11/filling ofthe good 'P!eafore of hi< Good'!efl ~ 0 it is i go'o4 Phrafe that. All that he dotb for his Children, \t is but the fuifillin~ ~f hi~ good Pleafine ; he cloth but afr !IJS own Heart, be doth but pleafe.h1mfelfm 1\; lie dot!'i but pleafe his own Goodnefs in it: Jt;, the fi,!fiUing (faith he) of the good Pleajitre of h;, Goodnefs. My Brethren, let me fay tHis to.yo~, Mercy and Love may have fomething to move them, in the things loved, or the things pitied. Thefe things in God, I confefs, import not any thing in God to move him ; but in the Nature of the things themfelves, as amongrt Men, they do. But take Grace, that always imports fuch a Freedom as is moved with nothing, but it is meerly out of the !(OOd pleafure of ones own Goodtrefs; thai is properly Grace. For Mifery now will move to Pity, and fome Good in the Creature may move to Love ; but to move to be gracious, and to !hew Riches ofGrace, that denotes and imports meerly the good Pleafure of his own Will. Now then, that there are no Motives, that Grace is every way free, dci but confider thefe Particulars. r. Tllere is no \Yorth in any that God refpell:s, when he !hews Mercy, when he pitcheth his Favour upon them, In Dellt. 9· 4, 5· faith he, Speak.. not thou in thine Heart, afm that the Lord thy God hathcafl them out from before thee, faying, For my Righteoufoeji the Lord hath brought me in to pojfefs this Land: But for the Wichtdnefl of theft Nations, the Lard doth drive them out froo• before thee. Not for thy Righteo11foefl, faith he, that is, not for any outward Righteoufnefs; or for the Vprightnefl of thy Heart, that is, for any inward Grace or Holinefs that is in thy felf, any habitual Grace, ( for under tho[e two he cornprebends all that is, or may be fuppofed to be in Man); for neither of both thefe doeft th01t go to pojfefl their Land. The truth is, ( faith he ) that which moveth me to throw them out of the Land, (and all this is fpoken in a Type) is their Wickednefs; but on the other fide, come to thee, and there is nothing of Righteoufnefs in thee, no· thing ofWorth to move me. My Brethren, that God lhould be moved to punilb' and condemn Men, and throw them into Hell, as he bath Motives within ljimfelf, Anger, and Wrath 1 . and lu!l:.ic~, and Hatred of Sin; fo external Motlyes in ~he' • Crearwe, out of htmfel(, to !l:tr up thefe. But for hts Grace, there ts nothmg but what is folely in Himfelf, that Grace doth terminate it [elf upon. Hatr~ in ff,m, bath Sin in us,, to terminate it ,[eJf upon ; but Grace bath nothing in the Creature, but meetly that the Creature is, and that is from God, for it was no– thing ;,and when it is, that it is capable of God's Favour, and of being loved ~ nothing elfe in it. Yea, 2. The Freedom of Grace, and fo the Excellency of it In that particular, is !hewn in this, that there is not only no Worthinefs, but nothing but Unworthi· nefs. You may read fo in that ofDeut. 9· 6. when he had not only firipp'd them' of all Worth in themfelves, he adds, Thott art a ftijf-neclzed 'People~ Mercy, my' Brethren; refpcfrs Mifery properly; hmt it is Grace only that rcfpells Stiff-decked– ncfs, Obllinacy : Why? For what will Mercy fay? I pitJ one' in Mlfery, but as fur this Man; he is wilfully miferable, and the Fault lies in himfelf, and all that I can do will not help him. But now what faith Grace? Grace come; with a Sovereignty; and faith, Tho he be fiiff-necked; tho he be obrtinate;_y~t (as yoU: have it in Ifa. )7· 18.) I have Jeen hi' Way, and I will heal him; I fee' he will never be bet!er, I murt mend hiinmy fel£ This is the Language of Grace, whiclr fhaw& the Freedom, and fo the Excellency of it. Yea; .. ·" ~ ~ k ~· T~ I
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