to the E P H E S I A N S. the dilproportion between them and him ; the Creature was no~ low enough, he 8'-)i:fx' would permit them to be Sinners alfo, he would have them la1d as low as Hell, ~ put their Mouths in the Du£1. So when he would advance Grace, to fhew Grace and Favour immediately, and to give fa out of Grace as that it !hould coO: him nothing, this was not to !hew Grac~ enough; no, hi~ Grace muO: be fupereminent Grace, it muO: needs have a deep dte, an h1gher O:ram. It was a fmall matter for him to give Grace and Glory to us as unto the Angels ~ h~ mull be at Con.to pur• chafe it, and purchafe tt at the h1ghel1 Rate,by that wh1ch 1s deareO: unto h1m,eve11 his Son. He is not only contented that he beO:ows on us all things for nothing, but he will not do it limply for nothing in himfelf, he will have his Sons Blood for it. · The Death of Jefus Chri£1 is lo far from derogating from Grace, or that God bath received a Price, that becaufe it is his own Price, and he himfelffetthePrice; and he would be at the Cpfl:, and he would have his Son die in Obedience to him, that here comes the H,perballon, the Exceedi11g Riches ofit ; It is Grace died in Grain, Grace died in Grain, ifi may fo exprefs it, Grace died in the Blood of Chrifl:. And theTruth is, if! !hould !peak of it never fo largely, I could fay no more to commend the fupereminent Riches ; the H11perba!lon, the exceeding 'I{jches ofthi<his Grace, than to take it in the luperexcellency ofit,as conftdered as Grace. I may truly fay ofit, even as David faith, when he O:ands admiring at the Grace ofGod towards him, in that place ofSanmell quoted even now, What can thy Servant ["J more ? Indeed there is but this more to be faid, that there is an Eternity of time, and the Riches of his Grace cloth require that Eternity oftime, to exhaufr thefe Riches ofGrace laid up in him, and to fpend them in. The fifth Obfervation that I make out ofthis fir£1 Interpretation is this: That all the good that God bel1ows and bears us, though he aimeth at the Glo· Obfcrv, St ' ry of his own Grace, yet it is in Kindnefs towards us. My Brethren, mark what I !hall fay unto you. The Lord requires that you !hould love him, in a proporti· onable way, as he bath loved you, and loved himfelfin loving you: therefore do but fee the Reafon, how jufr it is that you !hould fet up Ood above all; for mark the Analogy, when God require! you !hould love him, and love him above your felves, yet he fo orders it, that you have the greatefr Self-love that you can bear to your felves, whilfr you do love him, and love him above your felves. You could never be Happy, if that your Happinefs lay not in this, to love God,and fo to delight in his Happinefs more than your own : Now though God requires that you !hould love him above your felves, yet he cloth allow you in the uttermofr Latitude, to love your !elves alfo: And all the Motives,all the Ends the Scripture runs upon, they run upon Self-love. He would have you fo in your Hearts advance the Riches ofhis Grace,as !till to be kind to your felves. So now,when God did feek his own Glory, what cloth he do? It's true as he would have your Love above your felves, fo he did aim at Himfelf above your Salvation; the chtef thing here is to !hew forth the Riches ofhis Grace ; but yet fo, as it is in Kindnefs tO· wards you; Tofhew forth the exceeding Riches ofhis Grace, faith he, m his Kmdnefs towards"'· And look as he alloweth us to love our felves in a fubordination to loving ofHimfelf; fo He,in plotting our Salvation, had a fubordinate proportion· able Love unto us concurring in his Heart with aiming at his own Glory To jbcr9 forth the exceeding Riches ofhis Grace, in his Kindnefl towards us, fatth the Text The fixth Obfervation, I make out ofthis Interpretation, is this. That the !hewing forth the Riches of his Grace unto any Soul, is fo glorious a ehferv. ~. thing, as it deferves to be remembred to all Ages, by the Parties themfelves and others: That he might Jhew forth the Riches ofhis Grt~t·e, faith he, in th' Ages tocome. The Lord (faith the Pfalmi£1, in Pfal. 11 I. 4- ) hath made all his Wor/;[ to be remembrcd, efpecially his Works ofGrace; for fo it follows in the next Words, The Lord it gracio1ts andficll ofCompajfion. Wherefore Remember and forget trot, faith Mofts, having fpoken ofthe Grace ofGod, in Dwt. 9· 7· If God had laved but one Man to praile him for that Grace and Riches ofGrace !hewn in that one Man's Salvation, it had been worthy to have taken up the Tongues of Men and Angels ·~ Kk 2 · , to
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=