'.26 Book 11. JLoohtng unto jjefu.s. Chap 1 .Secr,'l Ephof.I.ll·: f:·om all eternity my.delight: the Father (as it were! from all eternity afpircd in his Wtll, and love, and JOY unto the Son, and the Son (as tt were) from all eternity afpired i~ his wil!, andlove, and joy unto the Father; and from this commonddire and afpi– nng. of etther perfon the holy Gho!t proceeds, winch makes up the whole Trinity of perlons. . I lhall lay ou~ this by f?me litni!iiude ?r refemblance ; As wh~na man looks in aglafs, tfhe fmt!e, !m tmage fmtlerh to?: heres but one face, and yet ln:rhts unity we may find a Trinity : the flee !s one! the tmage of theface in aglafs is another, and rhe ·fmiling of them both together ts a tlurd, and xer all are in one face, and all are of one fac"'! and all are but one face; fo the underflandt~g ~hich is in.God is o~e; the reflection, or image or h1s underflandmg he beholdeth m htmfelf as tn aglafs ;. ts alecond; and the lovi and liking of them both together, by reafon ofrhewill fulfilled,is a rhird; and yet all are in one God? and all-a.re but one God. In this Trinity there is.neirher fir!! nor la!t, in re– fpe~of nme, but all are at once, and at one inflanr; even as in a glafs rhe face, and: thetmageoftheface, when they fmtle, they fmile together, and notonebefore, nor after another.--- For condulion of all. As we have the Son of the Father by his everl.afling will in working by ?is underflanding; fo we have the holy Ghoflof the love, and JOY, and deltght ofthem both, by rhe joynt working of the underflanding and will rogether; whereupon we conclude three di!linct perfons, or fubfi!lence.•, which we call .the Father, .son, and holy Ghofi, !n o.ne fpirirual , yet unfpeakable fubflance, ,which is very God hunfelf. --· My meanmg 'Is nee to inlift on the Father, or the holy Ghofl, bnronelyon the Son. Yet rhus far Ihaveadded 1 thatyou may better und~rflandthe manner of this generation of the Son of God; together with the mutual kindnefs lovingnefs, joy, and delight betwixt the Father and the Son, eve~~> f~orn ever~ Jailing. • SE G T. JI. Of our Election in d'hrift before all woddJ. I, NOw let us ·look on Chrifl in. hisirelation to us!before all worlds. God being thus alone himfelffrom everla!ting, '1arld befides himfelf there being nothing.at all; the lir!l: thing he did ( befides what ye have heard ) ·or the firfl thing he pofiibly and conceivably could do, it was this; adeterminationwith himfeif to manifef/ hu gwry: Or ap~<rp0(c in h,imfeifto c•mm~<nicatehug!O'ry out ofhi; alonenefs everiltfting tmtof•mervhat elfe : I Jay umofomewhat el{e, fo~what is communication but an efflux, an emanation, an ilfu– ing from , ora monon ber;v•x~ two rerms i' I have now brought you to the ads, or ach– ons of God in reference to hts creatures ; follow me altttle, and I lhall anon brmg you to Chrifl in relation to your felves. ' - TheleactsoractionsofGod were and are. I. The Decree. 2. The execurionofthe, Decree 0f God. I mu!l open thefe terms. . . · 1 • Tlie Decree is an action of God, out of the counfe! arid purpofe of his own Wtll,, determining all things, aod all the circum!lanm, and order of all things from all erern!tY in himfelf certainly, and unchangably, and yet freely. Who 1vor~th allthmg~ (fattb the Apo!tle) rfm thecounfel of hu own will; and this work, oradton of God ts mternat 111d fur ever abiding within his own effence it felf. · z. The execution ofrhe Decree is an ad ofGod whereby God doth effectually wor.Jc in time all things as they were fore-known and dec:eed. And this action of God is external, and by a temporal act palling from God eo the creatures. . Now for the decree, chat is of diverfe kinds : As lirfl, There ts a Decree com.mon and <'eneral · which looks to all the creatures. nnd it is either the Decree of creauon, or the Dec;eeofprovidenceaml prefervation.' 2. There is a Decree fpecial, whichbe– longstoreafonablecreature's, Angels, and m.en; it is called. the D:cree o~ prede!ltnl- , tion . and it conlifls of the Decree of Elecbon and reprobauon. Loncermng the com– mon 'and genenl Decrees we have but little laid down in Scriptures, and it is little, or nothing at all eo our purpofe; And concerning the fpecial Decree of Angels, there 15 nor much in .Scriptures, and rbat is as littl~ alfo t~ our purpofe; we .have onely :;; deal with men and with Gods Decree m relanon to mans falvatton before worlds. ' _ . . . . . f Cl ·ill And this we call prede!\in~tion, or the Dmee of El~chon; whteh 1s etcher 0 ll 0 ;
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