1.}- 3 * Bleſſed be c the God and Father of our Lord | life to us as Chriſt's Members. m Either before God's Decree of
1. k | . 6 creating the World, or rather, before his executing that Decree nal .* . O 2 * 3 A . © Jeſus Chriſt, who hath bleſſed 4 us with all e ſpirit in the attual creation of it, 7. e. from Eternity, when, nor we,
«1.3.7 bleſſings in heavenly T places g 10 Chrilt þ - -. 1... | nor the world had a being. » By inherent Grace begur! in Rege- things © fe, Thanked, praiſed. We bleſs God when we praiſe him| 1@.1t;gn, and carried on in Sandtification and Mortification in this 6. 12, for, and acknowledge him in his excellencies,-or benefits. 4 Hat
! Nag , life, tho' not perfected till the other. Holineſs in us is declared vouchſafed or communicated all ſpiritual bleſſings to us- God bleſ-| 1... tg he not the cauſe, but the effett of orr Ele&ion: we are
ſth us when he doth good to us; and fo the word Bleſs is taken] cnn that we may be holy, not becauſe we are, or God foreſces in a different ſenſe from what it was in the former clauſe. e Of we will be holv. 0 In the tightof God who is not deceived with all forts 6r kinds, f In oppoſition to temporal and worldly, which 11 gyyard appearance, bur looks to the Heart. p As a principal the carnal Fews principally .expetted, and the Law moſtly pro- part of our Sanetifncation, and the beſt evidence of the fear of miſed, (Deut. 23. 1, 2- to V. 15.) and which were buttypesand| :4 ;1 us, and our obedience to the whote Law.
ſhadows of thoſe ſpiritual Bleſſings which immediately relate to
the ſpiritual Life and Salvation of Believers: g Gr Superceleſtial
1w A *; F = WY 4 oh; wh. M k b FRI f | iw iF? f "i * 2T1im-1; HL ; 3. | + Col. 1, 220e "of | | t Þ bi 4: 4 it + | ApiLa 5 4
5 * Having predettinated us to - the adoption of * ror. 9.
£ ; n hilar yr ! '7 16 + to) htmſe - Farrarding 29.27, ik: i or Heavenly, underſtand either 1 Things 3 and then it ſeems to chilcren q by Carift Jeſus | £0 himfelf / according to 29,3 _ 12-4 4 4 $. ee 4 : fl d leaſ{ur J Of !115 vv 111 ſ + Rom. Wo be the ſame as ſpititual Bleſſings, only in other terms. Or, 2-|LnC £004 P1CALULC MS Wi S. GERD 2 PE; LY if Plies, in oppoſition to earthly Places, particularly the Land of | q Haviig appointed us unto a ftate of Son-ſhip and right to F2. - , 7
Ca144, in which God had formerly promiſed to ble!s his People:| Glory; 1 his izems to be more than the former, 2 greater thing Ss Theſe ſpiritual Bleſhngs are in heavenly Places, becauſe tho' they| to be tie Sons of God, and Heirs of Heaven, than to be Holy.
o 0 . y . "Io wy uy a "4 F, = Oo; © Pe reach us here on Eatth, yet they are derived to us from God and|r As Mcdiator and Head of the ect, and the tourdation of alt Chriſt in Heaven, and in Heaven only have their full perfe&ion| Spiritual Bleſſings vouchlafed them , 2nd tb of this relation into and conſummation hereafters þ By, or through Chrift; Upor | which tkcy zre brought; by _ =. £9 his - The —_— | 1-5 Þ. THOren
Vor. IE.
cy* 2 *
FAD
C hil <0. hin!
Fath
from which Predeftination ilſued, God being moved to it by no- _ thing out of hjmiclt.
6 To the praiſe ef the glory of his grace !, where- * Mat. 2. in z he hath made us accepted 1a * the beloved ».
17. t Glory 6f Grace, by an uſual *Febraiſm, for glorious GraCe, 7. &
large, abundant, admirable. The praiſe of this Grace the Apo- {le makes the'end of God's chuting, and predeſtinating us to the Adoption of Children. God hath choſen us, &c. and therein ma- nifeted his Grace to-us, that ſuch as it is in it ſelf, ſuch it may be acknowledzed to bez and therefore praiſed and adored by us. u Ir, or through, or by the ſame Grace, out of which he choſe us. x Having choſen us. in Chritt, he likewiſe favours us, is well pleaſed with us in Chriſt, to whom we are united, whoſe Mem- bers we are, and in whom God looks upon us. We are hateful in our ſelves as Sinners, but accepted in Chriſt as Sons,
* Afts 29. » * Ja whom y we z have redemption @ through
= |, Ins blood b, even the forgiveneſs of 1ns c, according
ſu to the * riches of I1s grace 4.
1 Pet. 1-
15. y In Chriſt God-man the immediate worker of this Redemp-
* Ch 3-8. tion; for tho” the Father and the Spirit concurr'd to it, yet the Re-
16. eeming work was peculiarly terminated in the ſecond Perſon.
Thil.4.19+ The other two Perſons have a right of propriety to Redeem us3 Chriſt only a right of propinquity, as afſuming our Nature, and being of Kin to us. # We ele& before-menrioned. 4 Freedom
from
are obnoxious, and conſequently the Power of Sin and Tyranny of Satan, as the effeds of the former. his Death upon the Croſs where h:3 Blood was ſhed. This was the price of Redemption paid to God for us, and wherewith his Tuſtice being fatisfied, we could no longer be detained under the cuſtody of the Devil, or the dominion of Sin. not formally Forgiveneſs, but caſually, Forgiveneſs being the effect of it; and it is mentioned not as the only or adequate, but the prime and principal Fruit of Redemption, and upon which the other depend. calls Riches of Grace, meaning, plentiful and ſuperabundant Grace, by a Phraſe frequently uſed by him elſewhere in the ſame
ſenſe, Rom. 9. 23» Che 2. 4, 7»
8
Ff wiſdom and prudence g.
e In which Grace before-mentioned he hath abounded toward us3 4.e. out of abundance of Grace in himſelf (called Riches of Grace, v. 7.) He hath beſtowed upon us wiſdom and prudence.
The ther, wiſdo what
revealed but by parts and parcels, and ſo a more ſparing meaſure of ſpiritual Wiſdom 3 but under the Goſpel, Believers have it
more
ing poured out on them. g Either the Dottrin of the Goſpel which contains more perfett, and higher wiſdom than that the Greeks ſought after, 1 Cor. 1. 22. and for lack of which, they counted the Goſpel fooliſhneſs; or rather, by Wiſdom is underſtood that Knowladge or Faith whereby we receive ſpiritual Truths revealed to us, and to be believed by us, ſo as to ſee their excel- lency, the knowledge of the rule of our Duty with skill to govern our
{elves
and Prudence the ſame in effe& with Holineſs; the former re- iates to the things we are to Believe, the latter to the things we are to Do. and effettual calling, which the Apoſtle mentions in this Verſe as he doth the outward likewiſe, by the Preaching the word of the Goſpel in the next.
*Rom.i6. 9 | his will þ according to his good pleaſure ; which he
hath