_______ t_o_th_e__ E_P __ H_E __ S_I_A-.-N-.-_S_.-.-______ 2 77 IV.Care faved, in the Application ofSalvation to us; he clears it by way offeveral ~ fhort The[e1. And fo now the word [For J bath relation to what be had faid erm.XXI. before in the 5th Verfe, 'By Grace ye are faved; and it is a Note of realfuming ~ the fame thing again, and ufhereth in a further clearing and explication of what he had there faid, as if he fhou\d fay, For )'Olt muff k_now, that by Grace ;•e are faved; and fo he goes on to enlarge upon it. 2. Ifyou take the Words in reference more immediatly to the words foregoing in the 7th Verfe, fo they are a reafon of what is delivered in that 7th Verfe. He had laid there; that the utmofl end of God was, In the .Age1 to come to jhew forth the exceding TVchu of hi1 Grii:e,in his l<jndnefs towards TH in Chrift .' For (faith he) by Grace ye are Javed. One Interpretation I gave of thofe Words in the jth Verfe, was this: That to fhew the exceeding Riches of his Grace, was God's ntmofl: end in the Salvation of Men. Now here follows a Demonflration and Evidence of it: [For] (faith he) by Grace ye are Javed. This being the Fountain, the Original, the .Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the Contriver of all the Salvation of Man, He bath contrived all fo, that the whole !hall manifefl: it felf ro,Jae by Grace. And to evidence it to them, he inflanceth in the Salvation we ha'llt in.this Life, in the Application of Salvation to us, fhewing, how in the whole, and in every part of it, it is fo contrived, as it fhall eminently appear that we. are Caved by Grace: And by that alfo, fays he, you may guefs, that even to Eternity, and in all the Ages to come, God flill drives on the fame Delign, even to fhew forth his Grace, and the Riches of it more and more; and by what you have now found in this Work of Application, For ye are Javed by Grace; YOU may eflimate what Riches of Grace in the World to come ( which was anoth.er Interpretation I gave of the Words) are to be fpent upon you. This as to the Coherence in both tbofe Sences. l may add this: I told you likewife, thai in thofe words in the 7th Verfe, [That he might jhew forth the exceeding Richer of his Grace i1t the .Ages to come, J his Scope was, to fhew forth the Riches of his Grace in converting us, in the exam– ple of thefe Ephejian1. Now then the Apo((}e comes in with this word [for J as by way of exemplification, .For by Grace ye are foved ; if ever there. was an lnflance of the Riches of Grace to after Ages, it is in you. Becaufe he had pro– pounded them as the Pattern, as the Model of like kindnefs to others in aftet Ages, he cloth now enlarge, and fhew, how that in them, and in their Con– verlions, Men that were fo eminently wicked and finful, God had fhewn forth fo great and rich a Grace, in Caving of them: For ye (faith he) are faved ' hy Grace. Only I fhall make this Obfervation by the way: In that the Apoflie cloth re– alfume and dilate upon it, (viz. Salvation by Grare, and that through Faitb, a11d ~zot of Wor4f, &c.) in that he fo indigitateth this, and inlifls on this, having let Jt fall before, and now again prolecuting of it, (you have fcarce the like in any Ep1fl!e ) it argues that this is the great Point of the Gofpel, Salvatioll by Grace, through Faith, and not of Worl{!, (which is the Sum of thefe Verles) it is tho~ great Point which all the Writings of the Apofl!e~, and of the Prophets before them, center in. There are two things to which all the Prophets are faid to give Witnefs: And the one is, the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifl, and the Glory which fhall follow upon his coming ; which you have in .Aal 3· 2 I ; .As he bath JPok.gn bJ the mouth of aU hi1 holy Prophelf, jince the World be– gall. And it is called in Rev. ro. 7· The Myjlet')' which j!Jall be fitlfii!ed, which ( h~ faith) bath been fPoken of by his Servants the Prophet I. Now the other Pomt that · all the Prophets have teflified, (and if we fcarch them we fhall find ) it is Sal~ vation through Grace, and through Chri(r, by Faith alone. You have.it in one place of <Paul, in Rom. 3· 2 r. The Righteoufnefl of God without the Law, is nwli– fejle4, being wit11ej[ed by the Lar:r> a11d the 'PrephetJ. And, .Ath ro. 43· To hi!;i give all the Prophetr witnefl, that through his Name, whofoever believeth iiz him fo,z/1 receive Remifjiolt of Sillf, or have Juflification by Faith, or by believing, and with~ out theWorks ofthe Law; which is both 'Paul'sScope in that Rom. 3· arid Peter'~ Scope in_this .Aa, ro. This is a Point \vhich all the Prophets gave witnefs to, and
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