A SERMON.

EPHESIANS, iii. 18, 19.

That ye-may be able to comprehend with all faints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which paffeth knowledge.

MY BRETHREN,

THE apostle Paul is fo profound a scholar, that I cannot pretend to follow him; every time I read him he sets me, as it were, a task impoffible. I therefore am obliged to make up a fermon of bits and fcraps. In the beginning of this chapter the apolle treats largely of the difpenfation of the grace of God towards him. 2dly. He fpeaks alfo of a mystery hidden in God from the world, which was, that the Gentiles fhould be fellow heirs with the Jews of the promife of life. ver. 6. 3dly. That he was made a minifter of this grace to the Gentiles. ver. 7. 4thly. He expreffes with all humility his unworthiness of this grace; and yet to him was this grace given, that he should preach among

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among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Christ. ver. 8. 5thly. He informs us, That even now is made known to the principalities and powers that refide in the heavenly places by the church the manifold wifdom of God. ver. 10. And the whole of this fprung from the eternal purpose of God, which he purposed in Chrift Jefus (ver. 11); in whom, that is in Chrift, we have a holy boldness, and free accefs to God; and that with confidence of being accepted by the faith of him, in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen, to the glory of God the Father. ver. 12. The apostle defires that the Ephefians might not faint at the tribulation which he endured; fignifying that God did not fet the fufferings of his fervants before them with a view to difcourage but to embolden them, and frengthen their faith; therefore they ought rather to glory in than be difmayed at them. ver. 13. The apostle begins praying in the middle of this epiftle, and addreffes the Father of Christ, of whom all the elect angels, and all the elect of the human race, called the family of heaven and earth, are ́named. ver. 15. The bleffing that the apostle craves of God is, that the Ephefians might be ·ftrengthened by his Spirit's might in the inner man. By the inner man he means the whole work of grace which is in every renewed foul, and is called the new, or the inner man, as corruption and pollution are called the old man. It is as though the apoftle had faid, the grace and Spirit of God, which hath humbled

and

and inclined your wills to chufe Chrift, in fubor dination to the will of God, has alfo appointed Christ to be your everlasting portion. And, as the apostle took it for granted that humbling grace had fubdued their wills, and purifying grace had renewed them in the fpirit of their minds, fo likewife he judged that the love of God had influenced their affections, and kindled an intenfe defire after the enjoyment of Chrift Jefus. The apostle wishes and prays that the fovereign and all-conquering grace of God might reign and rule in their hearts

and confciences.

Therefore he defires the ever-bleffed Redeemer to reign and rule unmolefted, and without a rival, in their affections, as if they were feated with him on his throne. The apoftle well knew that erroneous men would be bufy in befieging their understandings, and that carnal objects would be labouring to engross their affections; vanity to entertain their minds, pleasures to attract their defires, and legality to entangle and govern their confciences. Therefore he wishes their inner man to be strengthened with fpiritual might; hinting thereby that all our refolutions, efforts, and watchfulness, would not be fufficient bulwarks against the attempts and attacks of Satan, unless they were strengthened by the fpiritual might of God Almighty.

The apostle well knew, by his own experience, that Satan would lay ftrong fiege to fuch fouls ; and he knew for a truth that, if one fin found acceptance

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ceptance and entertainment in the foul, that fin when it had engroffed the affections, would let in many more, and confequently leave a gap, or breach, for a whole troop of fpecious fins to follow.

When any fin has gained the afcendancy it will influence the faint's converfation, and prove a ftumbling-block to thofe who are weak in faith; for the life and walk of fuch a faint would appear froward, and the tongue perverse; as faith the wife man-A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverfeness therein is a breach in the fpirit. Prov. When fin is indulged by us the Spirit of God fufpends, in a measure, his fortifying influence, that the backslider in heart may be filled with his own ways. Prov, xiv. 14.

XV. 4.

When this is the cafe the hedge (to our feelings) is broken down, and we lie exposed to every temptation; as fays the Pfalmift-Why hast thou broken down her hedges, fo that all they that pass by the When thus way do pluck her? Pfal. lxxx. 12. entangled we try to refift, but are still rebuffed or beaten back; this caufes rebellion and murmuring to take poffeffion of our hearts; and it is thus that the foe'ifbnefs of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Prov. xix. 3.

We now expect Chrift to step in to heal the breach, bind up the wound, and put all our false gods to flight; and for this we pray, but he says, No; Where are thy gods?' And he adds, The

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backflider in heart shall be filled with his own ways. When in our backflidings we find this to be the case, we begin to cavil and contend with the Saviour, and to ask why he has withdrawn his former loving-kindness from us? And, he being the injured rival, difputes the point with us, and we impiously maintain a contention with him, rather than bear the indignation of the Lord, against whom we have finned. Mic. vii. 9. Thus, fin having separated between Chrift and the foul (Ifa. lix. 2.), a contention with him feems to faften the bar of infidelity; as it is written-A brother offended is barder to be won than a strong city; and their contentions are like the bars of a caftle. Prov. xviii. 12. If a contention with Chrift is as the bars of a castle, how much more fo when rebellion ftrengthens them-?

The apostle, knowing that this would unavoidably be the cafe where fin is indulged, earnestly prays that God would fortify each power of their renewed fouls with fpiritual might against all the invafions of the devil. ver. 16. For he well knew that, if their fouls were ftrengthened with divine might, the dear Redeemer would keep his refidence in their hearts, without any rival being let into their affections; which he hints at in the feventeenth verse, by praying that Chrift might dwell in their hearts by faith.

The apostle defires that Chrift, as their king, might have his laws loved, obeyed, and meditated