J SERMON on with another; namely this, That he reconciled'" unto God in one Body among 0 ftlves. It is an happy Chute, that Addition [ o11e Body J and on purpofc in{e~~ red thercinto, to f11cw, that when God was to tranf.u~l: our Peace and Rec _ ciliation to and with Chrifl:, hanging upon the Crofs, he would not, nor did ~n acknowlcdg himfelf, to him, then reconciled to us by him, upon any othot Terms, than as withall we were look'd at, and reprcfenred tO him by Chri[\, :~ one Body, and therem reconciled one to another, wh!lfl: we were reconciled to himfdf. The C01me8ion of the 16th Verfe wit/, t!Je 15th, difcujfed: And l>ow that IJ(econciliation to God _in one 'Body, v. 1 6. u to be tmderflood; 1vhether of that ~cotzct!tatton wrought for ru, or in tts. I Meet but with one eminent Difficulty in the Coherence and Contexture of thefc words, and that is the Connection ofthefe two Verfes, v.r5,16. as name– ly of thcfe words, And th,,t he might reconcile 11s to God, v. r6, <f.c. with the former, v. 15. ·H,lving abolifbed the Enmity, &c. Now this Enmity mentioned v. 15. is evidently intended of the Enmity between Jew and Gen– tile, as is clear by its Conn~ction with verC I 4· W/Jo hath made of twain one, and bro4w down the Pt~rtition-W,JII: Ht~ving jlain the Eumity. Now the twain, or the two, thus made one, (between whom this Enmity was) is not God and we but the Jews and the Gentiles, (of whom he had fpoken. in the former Verfes) for he adds, Th11t he m1ght create both m one new Mtm, wlnch could not be [aid of God and us. Now then the Difficulty is, What Reconciliation to God in om Body that fhould be, v. r6. which the Apofl:le makes the Confeguent of having j/ain the Enmity between thefc Jews and Gentiles? For the Connection feems to import the one a Confcqnent ot the other, and the Words'to run thus: Having jlain the Enmity between t/.eJ;Jfe/vu, v. 15. that he might reconcile them unto God, v. 16. Now this Reconciliation to God, mufl: be either meant of the Work of Reconciliation , wrought i1111s, whereby we turn unto God, as I Cor. S· Be ye reconciled unto God; or, that Reconciliation which Chrifl: wrought for 11s unto God: And, whether of thefe fhould be intended ? is the Ol1eflion ; and fo withall the Ol1ef\ion is, Whether thofe words, v. r6. And t!Jdt he might reconcile both 1mto God, are to be cafl: unto the 15thVerfe, as a part of the Difcourfe thereof, or do not rather begin a new and entire Difcourfe, full and compleat within thcmfelves? For the firfl: fl:and many Interpreters, and the chief Reafon for that Opinion is, the Coherence of thcfe Words with thole next immediatly foregoing, Having abolifoed tbe Enmity, that he might create in himftlf, of twai11, one new A1an, and tbflt he might rec011cile both 11nto God, &c. The Refolve of which feems to be this, That Chrifl: having on the Crofs wrought in himfclf this great Work for us, to flay the Enmity between us, and make both one, by the Sacrifice of himfelf, and this as the antecedent Work: That yet there remained two other, as confe– qucm Works, as the Effects that follow therefrom: Namely, I. To crc.lte both one new Man, ro making acrually Peace between themfelves. And, 2. To bring them both into an actual State of Reconciliation with God, by working Reconciliation in them towards God, fo making them 01ie Bod;. And the Reafon for this Interpretation further is, Tbat both thefe two are brought in and yoked in the like Tenour of Speech, That he might create, &c. And that he might recomile; as if they were like parallel Fruits of that antecedent Work, jlo~ying that Enmity, mentioned v. r 5· And according to this Parallel, look as creating them both into o11e new Man, is and mufl: be acknowledged to be underfl:ood of a Work wrought in them, viz. the new Creation; fo alfo that other, the reconciling them to God, mufl: be nnderfl:ood of the Work of Recon-· ~iliation unto God wrought in them alfo: And fo the 11ew Mmz_ they are created m to, v. 15. anfwereth but unto that one Body they are r<eo11cdcd unto, v. 16. being one and the f.1mc. And
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