to the E P H ES I A N S. it to thofe that wickedly deny thefe Truths, and make them but as other commonS'~ Writings, that we fee are loft in the vafi Gulf of Time); it is evident, I fay, ~ that before a word of this New Tefiamen~was written, Chrtfi meant it lbould j:Je written; for faith he in Mat. 26. 13. Wherefoever thi1 GoJPel fball be preached in the whole World, there Jball alfo this that this Woman hath done be told for a Memorial of her; and the Evangelifis wrote not of a long while after. Saith 'Paul, in his Epiflle to T;mofhJ, I Tim. 6. 13, 14. 1 charge thee, that this Commandment he ~pt, until the appearing of 011r Lord Je.fo1 Chrifl. If the Epifile lbould not have continued, how could this Commandment thus charged, not upon Timothy perfonally only, but upon all Saints, and Churches, and Minifl:ers, to the end ofthe World, how could this be kept ? And fo likewife here, how could the Converfion of thefe Primitive Chrifiians, yea, of thefe Ephejiam, be intended by God, (as the Apoflle here writes ofthem to be) as ExamplesJand Pledges of his Grace to after Ages, if that this Epiflle was not ordamed by God, to be continued, and to be read, in all Ages, throughout the Chr1fi1an World, as indeed it is. Secondly; It is not only what lbould be preached in all Ages, but the Words hold forth a Promife, that God would do the like. It is not only what we may comfortably ask at God's hands, becaufe he bath !hewed the like Mercy in thole Primitive Times; but it holds forth what we may confidently expect from him. The Converfion of thole Primitive Chrifiians, they were to God a• the Waters of I;"oah, as he himfelf (peaks in the Pro,ehet, :hat he .would convert of their Po– fl:erlty, ~s we fee he bath done; for the Chrtfiian Rehg1on hath generally held its Intereft, tho with mu~h Corruption, yet in the Fundamentals, throughout the Chrifiian World to this Day; and.where Jefus Chrifi did fet in a foot for his Kingdom, he bath kept that footing even till now. They have had, and might have thofe, that have and do tyrannize over them, as the Gre~ian ChriflianJ are by theTurf<!; but they remain Chriftians frill, and even amongfi thofe Grecian< the Fundamentals of Chrifrianity are frill profefs'd. It was not only, I fay, what lbould be preached, but what God would do, which isexceeding comfortable to us. Therefore thofe Primitive Chrifiians, they were called the Firfi·fruits, as we read of the FirjljrHitJ of Achaia ; and in the firfi Chapter of this Epifrle, v. I~. there is mention made of V1 who firft trnfled in Chrifl. Fourthly; Let us confider, as a fourth Head of Obfervations out of thefe Words, wherein the Primitive Chrifiians are Patterns unto us, and that for our Comforts. r. They are Patterns to us in refpetl: of their natural Condition. The Apofrle had faid, they were dead in Sin1 and TrefPajfeJ, that they were Children of Wrath, that they were Slaves of Satan : So Men in after Ages lbould be, and yet not– withfianding !ball be pull'd out of that Condition, and quickted together with Chrifl, I"'"' a Blajphemer, faith Taut, but the Grace of God abounded in me, 4< a Pattern of Long-fttjfering; fo the word is in I Tim. I. 16. It had not been a Pattern of Long-fuffering. if he had not continued in that Efiate, as many of npos -i::aQ.i God's Elect do. Here is our Comfort. And it may fpeak likewife a Word of..,;""'"'· Encouragement, to thofe that apprehend their natural Condition ; all thefe Epheftam, they are Patterns unto thee even in that, and of God's dealing with them. The mofi in Heaven were once as bad as thou art, they needed as much Grace to fave them as thou dofl:, and thou needell no more than they ; the fame fort of Chrifiians that were then are now: Not many wift, but the foolifo, and poor ofthe World, God chofe then; fo he doth now, he keeps to his Pattern. , 2. They are Patterns of the like Grace. Whatever might advance the Riches of God's Grace, therein they were Patterns unto us. 8. Theyare Patterns ofthefame Grace, for SanCtification, and Pardoning, and all thofe Privileges. We receive like precious Faith with all thofe Primitive Chrifiians, yea, with the Apofiles themfelves; fo Peter faith,~ Pet.I.I. We have the fame, or may have and obtain the fame Fellowlbip with the Father, and with the Son, which ~h?fe Primitive Chrifiians, and the Apofrles themfelves likewife had. So you have It ID I John I. 3· That which we havefeen and heard declare we untopu, that ye •lfo ma; have ftllowjhip with tn; and truly our FeUowjhip it with the F•ther, and with ~ ,LI hk_
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