£ Having revealed to us outwardly by the Preaching of the Goſpel; inwardly by the Tlumination of the Spirit. þ The whole Doctrin of Grace and Salvation by Chriſt, which is a ſecret to others, and had ſtill been ſo to us, had not God diſcovered it to us in the Goipel. 7 The good pleaſure of God is the fountain of all ſpiritual Bleſſings which flow out to us, as well as it is of our
ing
& This ſignifies a firm ſettled Will in God, either meerly of God, and moved by nothing out of himſelf, or his keeping this purpoſe
yo Chap. I. dren come into that fate by the mtervention of the natural
if for the cauſe of, and motive to his adopting them. Or, 2. according to our Tranſlation, ro himlelt, 7. e. to God. thr, 2. for himſelf, (as the .S7-74c renders it) God would have the
honour of having many adopted Children that ſhould all call him
i Ficher, 1. in hiſt, 1. ec. looking no farther than to
Or, ra-
»y
2r. $s Kis4overeign Grace and good Will as the only Spring
the Wrath of God, and Curſe of the Law, to which we
b i.e. By the Sacrifice of c Redemption 1s
4 What he called glorious Grace, v. 6. here he
Wherein he hath abounded e toward us in all
like expreſhon we have, 1 Tim. 1. 14: f This denotes ei- the perfettions or excellency of it, being inſtead of all other m, and more excellent than all elſe; or AU in compariſon of was under the Old Teſtament. They then had Divine Truths
fully and largely, the ſpirit of Wiſdom, and Revelation be-
and have our hearts affeted with them; and by Prudence
according to it; And fo Wiſdom is no other than Faith,
In the working theſe two in the Soul, conſiſts inward
* Raving made known g unto us the myſtery of
purpoſed in himſelf k.
firſt choſen and appointed to be the Subjz&s of them.
EPFHESIANS
at good pleaſure, and then read, he parpeſed in Limpif jt,
dd o . . og noe TOY 2 al dijperjari0n, &c. but moſt read it as our Tranſlator: ae it in the o ip . . & \e wa; = > it, only _ underſtand an explicative Particle, r9 wi; Bron any ginning of this Verſe, To wit, that in the 4io. fri. 2 IE D&e £ g , » 1Þat in the dijpenſation, &. but &-
ther way the ſcope of the w ; - gf \ P t words IS the ſa r) Vit. to give the ſum
of that myſtery of God's will mentioned before. 7 Tr that admins ftration or diftribution of the good things of God's Aw, - rx CY WOIKN
he had determined ſhould be in the fulneis of time. Tt js -
phor taken from a Steward who diſtributes and dif venſer a Metz- ing, to his Mafter's Order to thoſe that are in the NG 12. 42. The Church is the Houſe of God, God himſelf i # _ ſter of the Family, Chriſt the Steward that governs hes Ma- thoſe ſpiritual Bleſſings mention'd v. 3. are the good things 5 gives out, Theſe Treaſures of God's Grace had. been Wa Ny but to a few, and diſpenſed ſparingly under the Oid 1g... the more tull communication of them being reſerved til} he 6? neſs of times when they were to be diſpenſed by Chriſt, wha time appointed of the Father for the appearance of Chriſt ;n 1. fleſh (according to former promiſes) the promulgation of the f_s ſpcl, and thereby the gathering together in one, a1 FN =rags Chriſt: It is ſpoken in oppoſition to the times and —_—— - Chriſt's coming, which God would have run out till the ſt tin : came which he had pitched upon, and Believers expetted : we: 4. 2,4- # To recapitulate , either to ſum up, as Men do ſeveral kf: ſer numbers in one total ſum, which is the foot of the account, bus
tors do the ſeveral parts of their Speeches in fewer words; Thy all former prophecies, promiſes, types and ſhadows center _ were fulfilled, and as it were ſummed up in Chriſt; Or rachir to unite unto, and gather together again under one head thinss before divided, and ſcattered. o All intelle@tual beings, or ;1 perſons, as Gal. 3.22. p As their Head under which they might be united to God, and to each other. q Either Saints departed
wha have already obtained Salvation by Chriſt, or rather the Holy Angels that ftill keep their firft ſtation. r The Ele@ of God among Men here upon earth in their ſeveral Generations, The meaning of the whole ſeems to be, That whereas the order and harmony of God's principal Workmanſhip JntelleQual Creatures, Angels and Men had been difturbed and broken by the entrins of Sin into the World ; all Mankind, and many of the Angels having Apoſtatiz'd from him, and the remnant of them being in their own nature labile and mutablez God would in his appointed tine give Chriſt (the Heir of all things) the honour of being the ce-
pairer of this Breach, by gathering together again the disjinted Members of his Creation in and under Chrift as their Head and Governor, confirming the good Angels in their good eftate, and
recovering his Ele&t among Men from their Apoſtate condition,
Tho' it be true, that not only Believers under the Old Teſtament
were ſaved, but the Ele& Angets confirmed before Chrift's com-
ing, yet both the one and the other was with a reſpett to Chriſt
as their Head, and the Foundation of their Unian with God, and
out of whom as the one being loſt could not have been reſtored,
ſo the fall of the other could not have been prevented, nor their
| happinels ſecured,
11 In whom we / alſo have obtained an ipheri- tance 7, being predeſtinated x according to the pur- poſe of him who worketh - all things after the coun- cil of his own will y.
Jſ We Apoſtles and others Ele& of the Fewiſh Nation; we mb firſt truſted in Chriſt, v. 12. t Are called, or brought into the pat- ticipation of an Inheritance, or have a right given us to it as by lot; In alluſion to the twelve Tribes, having in the Dirviton of the Land of Canaan their Inheritances aſſigned them by lot. He ſhews that they did not firft ſeek it, much lels deſerve it, but God caft it upon them ; Their lot fell in the heavenly Inheritance when others did not. #« This, as well as the forementioned privileges, was deligned to us by eternal Predeftination, and tho! it be free, and without our procuring, yet in reſpe& of God, it is not caſual, but of his ordering. x Powertfully and etfectually z y 7. e. That it finite wiſdom of God which is always in conjunttion with his vill whereby he atts wiſely as well as freely, and tho' not by delibera- tion which falls beneath his infinite perfettion, yet with his great: eſt reaſon and judgment.
12 That we ſhould be to the praiſe of his glory