An Expofition Df the EpijUe ~ ours) to fomething or other that fhall be to the diminution and impairing of that Ser. XXII. Grace that faveth us, and is the Author ofall. ~ In all Ages, but efpec~a\ly_in thefe latter Ages ofthe World, there bath been many Attempts and Devtccs m theHearts ofMen to detract and diminifh from the Soveraignty ofFree Grac~: and tf not to P?ll down that Soveraignty, yet to weaken i_t,. andto undermme that Throne w~tch God bath invincibly ere~-'l:ed for it; and tt ts evtdent In all thofe gomgs forth, m all the Progreffes ofit towards our Salvation, efpecially in thefe ofA11plication of Salvation to us, whereofthe Text fpeaks. Now although that in God's Heart, Grace runs pure fromEverlafiing, yet not– withfianding Attempts have been made to detraQ from that Grace, even from ele– Qing Grace, eitlier by making it univerfal, or maki,ng Faith forefeen to be a mo– ttve to God of thts Grace ; or to make Jefus Chn!t sMeritsto be the Foundation ofhis Love to us ; which it is certain they were not, for he did give his Son out of~hat_L?ve. Yet all thefe Attempts have been to co~rupt even ~bat very Grace whtch ts mthe Heart ofGod towards us from Everlailing. Now tfMen wi\1 dare to defile thefe Springs ofGrace, as refiding wholly in God's Breafr, as they are eminent Acts contained within himfelfand riling out ofhimfelf, ifthey will go and mingle their Dirt and Dung, for fo Faith and Works and all thin~elfe are in comparifon ofthis Grace (Give me leave to ufe the Comparifon that 'PaNt cloth, fpeaking ofhis own R.ighteoufnefs in relation to Chrifi's, fo I fpeak in relation to this Grace) I fay, if Men will dare to Mud this pure Spring as it runs in God's Heart, and mingle Faith and Works and Chrifi's Merits; how much more the Streams ofGrace bringing Salvation to us, when they fhall come to run and flow into the Heart through Faith, and run through Holinefs,carrying us on to Eternal Life,till it bath madeusPoffeffors ofit,how much more will,I fay,the Heart ofMan corrupt the Doctrine ofGrace here? the Danger cloth efpecially lye when it comes tothis.Therefore the Apo!He here fpeaksfoeminently ofGrace,it being the Contro– verfy ofthofe times(for foit was)ltwasthe great Controverfy in thofe two Churches of1erufalem and Antioch, viz. about Works and Grace, inAl11 15. 11. where Peter betore the whole Council delivers his Opinion, We helieve, faith he, that thro11gh the Grace ofthe Lord JeJ111 Chrifl, we jhaU he faved even n< the;. Mark, thr011gh the Grace ofthe Lord]efm Chrift, that was all they believed to be faved by. It was in oppofition to Works. This Controverfy likewife troubled the Church ofGalatia, therefore 'Pa11/ fpends whole Chapters upon them concerning it: it troubled the Church ofthe Romani too, and he fpends whole Chapters in his Epifile likewife upon them. But thefe Ephljiam were not tainted with it, but yet, to fortify them againfr it, he draws in this piece here, 'By GraceJe are faved, thrmtgh Faith, and that not ofJDIIr filver, it is the Gift ofGod, and frates the Controverfy as ex– aCl:ly as it can be frated for the exaltation ofFree Grace. My Brethren, many ofthofe who have kept the DoCl:rine of God's free Grace in Election pure and unftained with any thing in Man, yet in the Application of Grace unto us, they have mifcarryed, attributing more to Faith,orto Repentance, or to the new Creature, than the Free Grace ofGod will bear,and Chri!t's Blood. Many ofthe Papi!ts have been found in Free Grace, as it bath been in God's Ele– ction ; yea they are as right as can be in the bufinefs ofRedemption, take it as it bath been wrought by Chrift: they give as much worth to his Merits, and value to his Satisfaction as any other, and cry up both as much as we,and upon the fame Grounds ; but when it comes to the Application ofSalvation, and to this [ Onr filver J as here, and when it comes to what Salvation fhall be attributed to, whe– ther to Faith or Works or what elfe, in this they mifcarry, this is the gr<at ftumb– ling-frone they oll fall upon, and which Multitudes are broken to pieces with, and fo it bath been in all Ages. When it· comes th•t this fame Grace, and Chrift's Re– demption {hould be applyed to us, then what do rh_ey do? They let up the new Creature, this Workmanfhip ofGod created in Chnft Jefus unto good Works, to be made our R.ighteoufnefs, and not the Rightcoufne!S ofJcfus Chrift. They fer up Grace within us, and not Grace without us. It will not be yielded fo much that
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