A On E PH E s. 2. 14, 15, 16. 14. For he is our Peace, wbo bath made bot/, one, and bat/J brokm dotvn tbe Wall of Partitio>l bettveen M: 1 5. Hal>ing abolifhed in bis Flejh the Enmity, e)len the Lau> of Com– mamlments CO>Itained i>1 Ordinances, fur to make in himfelf, of ttvain, one >JCIV .:7f1an, Jo making Peace. 16. .And tbat he migbt reconcileboth unto god in one 'Body by tbe Croji, ha1>ing jlai11 the Enmity thereby, (or, i11 himfelj. ) I T were a manifeil: Folly in the Judgments of nitlil: knowing Men, to go about to ufe in any fet way, exhortatory Motives, io perfuade to Peace and Reconciliation the People of God amongil: us. The Provocations are fo high, and Exafperations fo frefh and encreafing, that if I had an Audience made up oftbofe alone that have the fwaying Power ofeither, and together therewith, their mol1 favourable Attention, and Imereil: in Affection, without prejudice, I fhould not know how to attempt it with any hope of Succefs. But 'tho the Animofities of Mens Spirits, augmented by co– incident Circuml1ances, are gone beyond the Power of the Perfuafions of Men in this prefent Paroxifih; yet they are not above the Power of God's Wifdom and Providence, nor the Force and Efficacy of Chriil:'s Blood. You may there– fore, in the midil: of all contrary Appearances, give me leave, tho I cannothope to perfuad.e, yet to believe, (the Catholic~<_ Church, and the Communion of Saint,, tbey are in my Creed) and becaufe I believe, therefore to fpcak, and fo to give you an account of my Faith as to this ilfue. Let your Faith but wait, and give God time for it, and leave him to effect it his own way. And to this end I have taken this Text, Chrifiw Pax noflra: For he ;, our Peace, who bath made both one, &c. And my Inference is, That therefore the Saints !hall, and mul1 be one, and reconciled in the end. And this is the bell: News which in thefe Times can be told you, the feafonableil:·we can hear of, and is indeed one great part of the glad Tidings of the Gofpel it felf, without which it were imperfect, which Chrift himfelf, our 'Peace, (who came to purchafe it, as thefe words !hew, fo) came to preach, as the very next Verfe ( v. 17.) bath it. The main and r:rincipal Intendment of thefe Words is, To give an eminent lnil:ance of the Efficacy of Chrift's Mediation, in Oaying the Enmities that are amongft the People ofGod themfelves, and of his being o11r Peace in that refpefr ; inllancing in that, the greateil: that ever was, between Jew :md Gentile, Whom yet (as here) he hath m•de both one, a11d hath bro/zen down the Partition-WaU be– tJJ~een w: And however he mentions in the 16th Verfe, our Reconciliation made with God, (of which elfewhere he treats more largely) yet (here) but by way of confirmation of our Faith in this oth~r, of Reconciliation amongft our (elves. For the Atm of tts Tntrodufrton here IS but to fhew, how that Chri(t, in reconciling us to God himfelf, carried it fo, and did it under fuch a confidera– tion and refpefr, as necelfarily drew on and involved our Reconciliation one B with I
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