An Expofition of the Epijlle ~X hi< Son 'jefw Chrifl. In Ath I 5· Peter fpeaking in reference to them tb t "''""' X (; d . f, (' . h W. b I' h jl. ll b a were ~ ave 10 ormer Ages, .att ~ e e1eve t. at we Ja e faved by the Grace of God even m they. And fo hkewtfe we, even m thefe Ages, we believe we !hall b (;' ved by the Grace ofGod even as they. It is C1id even ofthe Apoftles them[<~ a• in Rom. 8. that they received the ftrfl Fruits ofthe Spirit. eves, Yea let me add this to it, which is exceeding confiderable; and it is the Ob– fervatton ofone 1 ofthe b~ft Commentators, MuJCII!us: Wherein (faith he) are theft Ephefians, tmd1rrm1t1ve Chriflwu Patterns_? Why ofthe exceeding Riches of the Grace ofGod tn the matter of Salvatton : m h<;tng qmckned, in being converted, in havtng the fame Fatth wrought m us, 10 havmg the fame Priviledges, that we (hall be raiftd up together Wlth Chrifl, andjit tOf!/ther m heavenly places with hi 111, But he cloth not fay they are Patterns for thetr Gtfts m all things. It is for the exceed– Ing Rtches of Grace, that concerneth Salvation, my Brethren, that thefe Chrifii– ans are here held forth as Patterns to us. And the reafon is clearly this gecauie that what concernsSalvation is Subftantial, and all muft come to the fa:ne Unio~ ofthe Faith ofthe Son ofGod; ~srhe Apo(\le faith, Eph. 4· And he bath there· fore given Paftorsand Teachers tn all Ages, and he bath kept his Promife. for the Paftors and Teachers in all Ages,have kept the Saints to the Fundamental;ofFaith generally. But tfthe Promtfe ofth~. fame extraordmary Gtfts which the Apoftles had, as theGtft ofMtracles and the .tke, whtch you have reckoned up, in I Cor. 12. had been to all Ages, certamly God would have gtven Men in fome Age or other Fatth to have believed tt; f?r God1Jever gave a Promife Ordinary (that is a Promife that (hould always contmue) but he gave Faith Ordinary. Iftherefor~ be had intended the beflowing ofthofe Gifts, ~nd the Promife of them for all A· gcs to come, he would have given Faith to fome or other. Where is this Faith of Miracles? or who bath it ? or who works them by virtue of that Faith? upon whom is the Gift ofTongues ? and where are the figns ofApoftles as were then? No, my Brethren, it is for Graces, It IS for the fubllantial Priviledges ofSalvation herein they are Patterns indeed ; That he might foew forth in Ages to come, the ex~ ceeding Riches ofhir Grare, as the Words are. And let me add this Notion ; that it is evident thcfe extraordinary Gtfrs, they were given for Teftimonies to fettle the Gofpel at firft ; the Apoflle in Heb. 2. 3· clearly faith, that thus in the begin– ning of the Gofpel God dtd confirm tt, At frft, fatth he, it began to be JPo~n by the Lord, and WM ronji'rmed 1mto1HbJ them that heard him; God alfo bearing them Witnefs, bothwitb Signr a11d Wonderr, and with divers Miracles a11d Gifts of the Holy-Gboft according tobh own Will. But now thus much common Education cloth do in the Chriftian World, and in the Church ofChrifl where Religion is profef– fed; for Miracles then what did they ferve for? Not to beget a true Faith, for that was the Word th3t was the Promife. I fay they ferved not to beget a true Faith, that is a Cwing and juftifying Faith, but to make Men to attend to that Word and to receive it, as that which might have Truth in it. Now I fay, common Edu– cation ferves fo far, it ftands now inflead ofwhat Miracles and extraordinary Gifts did then. Fifthly, Another Meditation that arifeth from the Interpretation of the Words in this Sence, is this : You fee the Apoflle makes thefe Ephejians and other Primi·. tive Chriftians, to be Patterns to all Ages to come. How comfortable is it to fee how God hath fulfilled this Promife. I confefs this, that the'reading of the Wri· tingsof Men in all Ages, bath always fill'd my Heart with this Comfort, that not only I fee that God in all Ages bath kept the Fundamentals of Chriftianity that fhould t:we Men, but that in all Ages he bath flill had a handful, who haveprofef– fed his Truth and held forth his Name, and have cleaved to the Dot1:rine of Free– Grace. We fee, my Brethren, how thisPromife bath been fulfilled; and in our P.ge now we fee the virtue ofthis very Promife and Prophecy, which the Apol\le here gives, in the Preaching ofthe Gofpel and fuining forth thereof from under the darknefs of Popery, which bad · mingled with the Grace of God, abundance ofCorruption, even well nigh to the overthrowing ofit; I mean fo to overthrow it as Men {hou!d not have been faved, but that God did preferve fo much Truth -as might Cave t~em ; even under thofe corrupt Opinions whilft not held againfl: Light. We thadivc now in the I6oo yeats, or I5ooyea:s after Cbtift, (asthofe - that
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