Secondly, God in his dispensations, doth not only keep to an equality, but he 1doth superabound, his mercy doth overflow. The Lord always giveth full heaped measure, overflowing: In all things Christ hath an overplus. There cannot be an hyperbole in his goodness to us: As Luther said, Celum & gehenna non patiuntur hyperbolen. So neither do the riches and grace of God in Christ: For if first we consider Christ comparatively with Adam, the one is the original of condemnation, the other of justification. There we shall see, that Christ is not only equal to Adam, but exceedeth him, transcendeth him. You may read Rom. 5. 15. where the Apostle making a Divine collation between Adam and Christ, as two heads, when he had instanced in Adam, how powerful he was to convey sin and condemnation to all; then on the contrary he instanceth in Christ, and there he makes an how much more, still on Christs side: If through the offence of one, many be dead, much more the grace of God through Christ, hath abounded to many. And Vers. 17. If by one death reigned upon many, much more they which receive abundance of grace, shall reign in life. Here you see, that though sin by Adam be very terrible and dreadful in it self, yet if compared with Christ, it is but as the Nations to God, like a drop, or the small dust in the balance. Therefore Christ thought it not enough to remove the evil Adam brought upon us, but to do it abundantly, with a how much more. Thus also, if we speak of the grace of Christ in pardoning of sin, we do not meet with grace just equal, and no more, to remove the guilt of it, but it doth overflow. Even as the light of the Sun, is ⟨p. 216⟩not only enough to enlighten thy eyes, but for all the world besides. Rom. 5. 20. Where sin abounded, grace hath much more abounded. Hence the Prophet compareth Gods mercy in pardon of sin, to the Heavens comparatively with the earth, which is but as a punctum to it; thus are all our sins to the grace of God. So likewise the righteousness of Christ, is not a garment too narrow for us, or that will just serve to cover our nakedness, and no more; but it is an infinite righteousness, as it is in Christ, though the application of it to us, be according to our necessity. Thus Christ calleth to the Church, Cant. 5. I. to drink of his wine abundantly. Hence it's called riches of grace; and, unspeakable riches of grace.
Secondly, God in his dispensations, doth not only keep to an equality, but he 1doth superabound, his mercy doth overflow. The Lord alwaies giveth full heaped measure, overflowing: In all things Christ hath an overplus. There cannot be an hyperbole in his goodnesse to us: As Luther said, Celum & gehenna non patiuntur hyperbolen. So neither do the riches and grace of God in Christ: For if first we confider Christ comparatively with Adam, the one is the original of condemnation, the other of justification. There we shall see, that Christ is not only equal to Adam, but exceedeth him, transcendeth him. You may read Rom. 5. 15. where the Apostle making a Divine collation between Adam and Christ, as two heads, when he had instanced in Adam, how powerfull he was to conveigh sinne and condemnation to all; then on the contrary he instanceth in Christ, and there he makes an how much more, still on Christs side: If through the offence of one, many be dead, much more the grace of God through Christ, hath abounded to many. And Vers. 17. If by one death reigned upon many, much more they which receive abundance of grace, shall reign in life. Here you see, that though sinne by Adam be very terrible and dreadfull in it self, yet if compared with Christ, it is but as the Nations to God, like a drop, or the small dust in the ballance. Therefore Christ thought it not enough to remove the evil Adam brought upon us, but to do it abundantly, with a how much more. Thus also, if we speak of the grace of Christ in pardoning of sinne, we do not meet with grace just equall, and no more, to remove the guilt of it, but it doth overflow. Even as the light of the Sunne, is ⟨p. 216⟩not only enough to inlighten thy eyes, but for all the world besides. Rom. 5. 20. Where sinne abounded, grace hath much more abounded. Hence the Prophet compareth Gods mercy in pardon of sinne, to the Heavens comparatively with the earth, which is but as a punctum to it; thus are all our sinnes to the grace of God. So likewise the righteousnesse of Christ, is not a garment too narrow for us, or that will just serve to cover our nakednesse, and no more; but it is an infinite righteousnesse, as it is in Christ, though the application of it to us, be according to our necessity. Thus Christ calleth to the Church, Cant. 5. I. to drink of his wine abundantly. Hence it's called riches of grace; and, unspeakable riches of grace.
- 1The mercies of God do often overflow.
