Chap· ,.sea: 6 . Uoolttng unto jjcfu.s. Book Il. 3l ' . mercy andtruth h;lvem<r to•ether, r~~hteou(nefs andpe-tce h.<ve kjffid e.<ch •ther. l'fa!.8).1o. This is the great myfler'yoftbe Gofpel; this is that which the Angels (as I tell you) pl'y into. nay, this is that which the Angels and Saints too /hall admtre, and blefs God for to all' eternity ; this is that which fet the infinite w_ifdome of God on work fr01n all eternity. Ifall the Angels in heaven, .and all the men m the world , had been putto tt to find out a way to anfwer t!us queflion, howjha/1 fin bc_Pardo~ed; theJinrtlir re(on~tled, and Godglorifie hi.· juflice? they could never have done tt ; thrs coil God dear, 1t coil I 1 im the heart-blood of his own Son, and that's a fure figne that Gods heart was mPch in it, and indeed we are not Chriflians, until in fame meafure we fe~, and have our hearts taken with the glory ofGod in this myflery. 0 the wonder of heaven and earth ! here's the ·cafe, man is fallen th}ough fin, and ever fince the fall, man and fin are as infe– parably joyned rogether as fire and beat; yer God_will have mercy or. the man, and he will take venge:tnce on the fin; the eternal rvifdome of God bath found out a way to •tran!late this maus'firis on another perfon who is ~ble to bear them, and to imerefl thts mans perfonin anothe~·srighteoufnefs which is ~ble to cover him; f? that no"': all's one in regard of man, as 1f the Law had been utterly abrogated; and .al~ s one ~oo 111 r_egard of God, as ifthe creature had been utterly condemned. And all th" !s done m our fcfits ; on him was executed the curfe ofthe Law, by hrm was fulfilled the rtghteoufnefs of the Law, for him was remitted the lin of man, and through him wel'e all things made new again: the world was in Chri!l:as in itsSurety, making farisfachon to the jullice of God; and God was in Chrill as in his Embaffadour, .retontiling the world unto himfelf again. 'o~~': 0 the depth< of the richer both ofthe wifdome and k,ztowledge of God: bow tmfearch- J.\orn. 11 • 33 ; able ~•e hir j~tdgemmtJ, andhi! wayeJp.jf finding ou~ l You have feen the Proje&, and tile coun'fels of God for mmsfalvation, before all worjds, iris but dimly, for who hath 1\om.tr,H· "-.~wn the mind ofthe Lortll or w~o ha.th been hi I counfdlour ? SECT. VL ' · The forekgowledge. OFtheknowledgeofGodinthis refpe& we read in Scripture~, Chrifl.is [aid ~o be ~b,, . det.vered by the determmate eo.'mjel and forekgowleJge of God. And tr ts fatd of :.,..s:.~: Chrtlls members, the called accordmg to hu purpofe, whom he did forek_no\V: and elfe• 1\om.~u••• where in the fame Epiflle, God hath not ,·aft away hir people, which be forekgew. And 1Pot.I.2, I'eter writes to tht fir angers elefJ, according to the forek!fowledge ofGod the Father. Underfland, that forek!fowledge is afcribed to God in refpeCl; ofthe creature properly; but in refpea ofGod there is nothing pall , nothing to come ; all things pall, and all things to come are prefenr to him, and therefore in that fenfe he cannot be faid to forek.,now any thing. Now the Lord in refpeCl:ofus is faid in Scripture to forek..now things or perfans two wayes . I. Generally, by a general knowledge, of which David fpeaks ; thineeyes didfce p(; 1 my fubflanec, yet being tmptrfe&, and in thy book.,all my mem~erJ were written, which in con.: a ·'3 9 • 16 : tinu:tnce werefajlJioned, when .-uyet thtrewas none ofthem. 2. Spedally, by, a more fpccial foreknowledge, which is a knowledge with love and approbauon ; the very fame whtch barely comprehendeth that we call Eleaion; fo , Gods chooling is .expreffed by loving: zaeob have I loved, and E{a~i,h,we I hated.Rom.9.'3· And rillS IS that wluch the Apollle fpeaks o, tbe Lord kzt•wtthwho are hi1,(i.e.) the Lord y· from everlafling knoweth his wirh love,and with approbation, bath God cAft away hiJ' """·''' people~>hiehhe.forek..new r. (i.) which he beforeloved and approved? hence we gather that ll.o,...u,,, after the ProJeCJ: was latd, and the counfels of God were agreed upon it, then God . forek!few, for oref1w whom to embrace in his etemallove as his own. At one a& he foreknew whom he would choofe , and fet apart of his own free love to life and falvation. And here you have the caufe of Gods predellinating his Saints to glory it was onely theforeknow/edg, and free lo~e of God: the Lord from everlafting, and before the found~non of the world, ~ore-ordained or fore-appointed fome to falvation, nething moving htm thereunto but Ius own good pleafure and his own free love. This is it that iri ord~r of namre, and !lndly goes before, and is the caufe of our predeflination, for whom he l.\om.S,,9. d1d forek,.now , he ttl{o did predtjlinate; firfl he foreknew, and then he did prede(linate ; firll he loved, and then he elected. fidl he c111bra~ed rhcill a> his own in the arms of his ' · · · ~und
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