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Chap. IV. ſonifie, that God had no more-in Cointh at this time thar Lelung- &d ro the E'e&ion of Grace, than thole thet were already convert- ed; or that all thoſe that were at this time Hypocrires in this fa- mous Church, were ſuch-25 periſhed eternally, Yer the werds of the next Verſe ſeem rather ro fayour their notion, who by lo? here underſtand Reprobares,
4 In whom the * god of this world g * hath blind- ts ed the eyes of thcſ2 that believe not b, leſt the light of ne "_ the * glorious goſpel of Chriſt, * who is the image of * Toll 12 ' God, ſhould ſhine unto them z.
- 4 ! " . y * '
45. £ Thourh ſome, by the God of this World, underſtand the true and 14 9. and living God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth; yer the Notion Phil. 2.5, of the moſt Interpreters, Thar it is the Detil, who 1s here called Col. 1. 15. the God of this World, becauſe he rulcth over the greateſt part of YHeb. 1. 3, the World, and they are his ſervants an | ſlaves, 1s moſt conſonant ro Scripture: For though we no where clſc find him cal'ed the God of this World z yer our Saviour twice calls him the Prince of this World, Joh. 12.31. and 14.30. And our Apoſtle, Ep». 2. 2. calls him the Prince of the Power of the Air. b Tie efte&alſo doth more pro-
rly belong to the Devil, than unto God, who no otherwiſe blindech the eyes ot them, than either prrmiſſively,by ſuffering them to ſhut their
own eyes, Or fudicially. The Apoſtle declares, Thar choſe who are |
ſo blinded, are ſuch perſons as believe not. i He furcher declireth che End ofthe Deyils Agency in blinding mens eyes with errours, malice, and prejudice, Teſt rhe light of the glorious Gotpel of Chriſt, who is the image of God, the expreſs image of his Perſon (conſidered as to his Divine Nature) {p01 ſhine unto then, char is, into their hearts. 5 For we preach rot our ſclvesk, bur Chriſt Jeſus £Ch.1.24, the Lord!, and * our ſelves your ſervants for Jeſus ſake m. hb For a man to preach himſeif, is ro preach the devices and ima- girations of his own heart inſtead of the revealed Will of God: ro make his diſcourſes the evomitions of his own lufts and paſſions 3 orto make himſelt che End of his Preaching, preaching meerly for filghy lucre ſake, or to ſupp!y himſelf with bread, or tor the cften- tation Of his uwn Wir, and Learning, an:! Parts, / Bur we preach Jeſus Chriſt the Lord, we preach what he hath commanced us to preach, and he 15 the Suje& of our Diſcourſes 3 we either preach what Chriſt is, or declare in our preachirf whar he hath dune and ſuffered ior Sinners, or what he hath commanded us to do in crder eo our and your otaining of Lite and Salvation throngh him. = And in our preaching, though in the firſt place we are Chriſts Sc. vants, whe hach commanded us to go and preach, and who is the ſujet matter of our Preaching, and whoſe Honour and Glory 15 the End of all our Preaching ; yet we are alſo your Servants: really fo, not in rhat we ferye your Juſts and humours, and ſpeak ſmooth things, ſuch as may be pleafing ro your humours; but for 7eſts ſake, becauſe in revealing the Will of God to you, and in publiſh- ing the Grice of the Golpel to you, we do you the higheſt ſervice we can in your eternal ccncerns, 6 For God who command<cd the light to ſhine out + Gr. # he of darkneſs”, | hath * ſhined in our hearts, to give the woorath. light of the knowledg of the glory of God 0, in the , 2 ite T* face of Jeſus Chriſt p. 4 z The Holy Ghoſt in the New Teſtament often compareth the works of the new Creation by Jeſus Chriſt, to the work of God in the o/d Creation; intimating ro ut, that the latrer is as great a work of Prozidence and Divine Power, as the former : Eph. 4. 24. The mw man aſter God 15 ſaid to be creatid in Righteouſneſs and true Holl- neſs. For as that'is a Creation, which is the making of ſomething out of Nothing, (as God created the Heavens and the Earth : ) ſo the produRtion ot one thing out of another which hath no fitneſs or aptiude toreceive ſucha Form, is allo a true Creation, and re- quireth an Almighty Power, God mad? light to ſhine ont of darkneſs, G#n. 1.2,3. 0 So (ith the Apoſtle) he h:th made Chriſt (who 15 the Light ot the World) to ſhine inco our hearrs; to give us the true Knowledg of God, and of his Glory (the Glory of his Grace.) p In the face of Jeſus Chriſt, that 15, by which we artcain the clear and certain Knowledg of God (as a man is diſtinaly known by,
or from his face) God is clearly and diſtinaly known only in, and by Chriſt.
7 But we have this treaſure in * earthen veſſels g,
*Ch.s. 1. * that the excellency of the po er may be of God, and
* 1 Core2. not of us r.
5. q By the Treaſure here mentioned, the Apoſtle meanerh either his Miniftration, or Apoſtolical Office, which he before had proved glori- ous, more glorious than that of the Law : Or elſe, that Light of the Knowledg of the Glory of God, which (as he had before ſaid) God had made to ſhine into their hearts in rhe face of Jeſus Chriſt, This Treaſure (faith he) we, even we that are the Apoſtles of the Lord, have in our Souls ; which are cloathed with bodies, and theſe nor m:de of Iron, or Stone, or any other matter not capable of Impreſſions of violence, but made ot Earth, like earthen ports or ſhells, that eaſily receive impreſſions of violence, and are preſently broken 1n pieces: r That the World may ſee, that whatſoever po- werful effects are wrought by us, they are the work of the excel- lent Power of God 3 nor done by us, but by him; that he, not we, might have all the glory.
8 We are troubled on every ſide 5, yet not diſtref., j| Or,r0t at- Ted # 3; we are perplexed «, but not || in deſpair w :
together 5s Weare many ways, indeed every way afflied, afflited with
without all ſores of affliions; 7 bur yer we are nor like perſons cooped up
help or into a ſtrait place, fo as they are not able to turn them, nor know
MEANS, which way to move (> the word fignifies.) - # We are perplexed,the word fignifies doubting, uncertain what ſhall become of us, or how God will difpoſe of us, fu!l of anxious troubleſome thoughts abour whar ſhall be our lor in rhe Worle ; but w yer not deſpairing of the help, preſence, ſspport and aſiſtance of God.
y 37- 9 Perſecuted x, but not forſaken y; * caſt down
Z, but not deſtroyed 4
IL CORINTHIANS.