.SECT. IV. The ProjeH. THe Proje<fl: to fave fouls is diverlly laid down by siiffcnung brethren. SJme give it mthus, r. That there fhonld bea Med1atour and Rc:J,.cmcr unto man_kmd, con– fidered as fallen in the !late of fin. 2. That all fuch llwulu be rewved Into favour as fhall repent, and believe, and perfevere unro. the end. 3. That fuffici~nt andnece~1ry means of <>race Owuld be offered and admmdhed unto all men Without excepnon, + That ce~tain (ingular perfo~s lhou~d _be faved, whom God forefaw would repent, and believe, 'and pcrfevere. Tlus way rs Juilly oppofed by others, who deny Gods a~s i 1 intention to be in the fame order as we fee themm producbon : In order ofmaterral exifling ir is gramed that Chriil is revealed, promilcd,_ and exhibited after fi~, and th_at we repent, believe, per_fevere before we are fav~d; but tn order of Gods mtennon Chrrft is beforefin -and falvanon before repemance,fa~th, perfeverance.. The Apollle reckoned tbe order i'n which things exill thus, I. The world. 2. You, the e/e[/;. 3. Chrift. 4 . God, r Cor.J. 22_,~3 . But he gives us to. underfl:and the order of intention t~us ;_ ~s tCor. 3,,., 23 , firfr, God mtends luso1vn ff[ory, rhen Chrift, thenthgcleEf> then the world. Certamly It Is an hard thing to m.1rfhal ~he eternal immane.ot acts of the divine under_llanding, or will, ,imo firll,fecond ,third,fourth : all Gods prOJects are lW<e h•m(elf, who Is awholeandper- ToMjirnul f!J feSI: po./Jejfion of hi"';fcif t~gerhcr tmd "! once; fo as in him confidered there is n? priM nor fi.1~~J P'llfof· pojler:itu m-any oflus acts•; but confidered meffects, or 111 refpect ofus, one thmg may be fai4 to be firll,fecond, orth1rd m nature, tm1~, and bemg,before, or after another. And thus in refpeCl: of us, we fay the end muit be rn nature before the means to the end; now the permiffion ofthe.fall, repentance, farth, perfeverance, are ufed by God as means to bring Come to falvation; God therefore doth fidl project our falvation , and then the means; and both rhe end and the means are the product of Gods electio11 or predellination. Here then is the Project, that Godwillgloriftehisgrace, and to thi< end he willprede• ftinate Chrijf, and in Chrijl he will choofeJome ofthefom of men toJalvation, whom, notwith- Ecclcf.ql ftanding jin,he will ;Mk§ holy, and without blame btfore him in love. This Project, or plot; · or dcfigne of God will be further enlarged in the next palfage,vi.t.. his Coun[els•. ' ,, '· SECT. V,. The,Counfel. f OF lhe ~oanfels ofGod concerning ow-n-before aJI worlds, we read in feveral texts: 'Chrifl 'vMideliveredby thedetmniii'ate COJtnjel ofGod. ·-·FITf of a truth againft thy Mh 1 • 1 3; 1 holy child '/efJis~ 1~hqor! thol' haft anointed, Ooth Herod and Pontius Pi/ate, with the Gentiles imd the people of fJ)ael,weregathered togeth", for to do whatJoever thy hand, and thy counfel Afls 4.'7·•&. determinedbeforefobed.rlt. Andthusthemembers ofChriil: are faid to obtaine an inheh.( ritan(e,,being predeftinated accor.ding to the purpofo of him who work!th all things after the Ep e ' 1 ' 11 " cotmfclofhi<own'wi/1. Ofrbis counfel of Gods will we know but little now•• yet this wtll be made known·wllfn we come ro glory; yea, it will be a great part ofthe glory of [Jeaven for the Lord to make know•\ the counfel Mhis will; we ·110\V kno~ hi< will, bur we O>all then know t~e counfel ofhis will, an~ praife him to all eternity for it; this l11all berhe &lory of tbe.Samts, that they fhall fee mto the counfelof Godswill in choofing them, and calltng them, and paffing by others, and letting others go. In the mean while thus far We mrty know, for thus far he bath revealed liihifelf concerning his cpunfels about man from everlalllng. · • I. That m~n010uldb~ a rea'fonable creamr~,". 'a~~ becanfe that every cr~ature is un- Prov.z6.4• avordably fllbj:cr to theCr~atour (for he made all tmngs for htm[elf, and allts to returne that glory to h1m for wh1ch he made them) therefore man l110ufd ferve him as all other creatures mull, onely Ius fervice Owuld be after a reafonable \'Ianner, out of judgmenr, d1fcrerton, and eleCl:to~; hence ·David is faid .to h~ve ch•(en the way oftruth, and Mo(cs Pial. u9:3o. to have chofon the afJltettQns of.Gods'people, and -the ;reproacher ofChrifl, bef•re the pl.afures He."· 1 r,,6. of fin,o~ the treajitrcs of Egypt. Atidhfnc~ it is that bolinefs in the phrafe of Scripmreis John ' 6 • u. called Jitdgmcnt' />e jha/1 coilvih~e''fhe world of judgmmt 1 ~n~ hejhflll vringfm/1 judgment Matth, n.>O< HntQ
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=