Book IT. 35 feals up his Saints, (i.e.) he fecures ~hem of the eternallove<~fGod, fo that they n,al! never drop out ofhis heart. All thefe utles fpeak the •mmurablhty of Gods eternal •m– manetlt aCts. q. d. I decree, I predeftinate, I boo/z.it, Jeal tt, that-fl.ch awd fuch perfon~ (ball be etern;/ly [ <ved; and why all thu? bitt to note the certainty , and }f-1/idity of the thing? jJMII great ,Monarch; of the earth do th•t< r jhall they decree, and boo1 ~, ani (ea!, to j1><w theirgreatnefs, andwifdom, that they couldfo refolve, M no perfon or power wh«t– foever j1 1 oHid be ftrong enoughtoc.ufe them to change their refolmions ? a11d jha/1 not I much more? a·onot Ilz.now, or forefee all that can or will follow? i; there any power, or ever foal! be to tak! them 011t of my hand;? Or u it pojfible that ever I jho11ld have a relenting tbottght at the.faving of theft foul; ? Can any thing fall Out hered[te~ :o mak,.e me more provident, more powerful, more wife,. more me~cif~tl then now I arn . . tt may be m fo'~!J~ thing; I may will achange, but can I m any thmg mely change my Wtll? nD, no, I am the Lord, I change not, thmforeyefomof Jacobtrre notconfumed. Mal.3.t; SECT. IX. The Covmant. THE Covenant concerning m~ns falvation is the !aft and main particular I inftanced in: I dare not be too curious to infi(t on the order of narure; and the rather be– caufe 1believe the Covenant betwixt God and Chri ft from everlafling is imerwo·•en with the Decree, fore-knowledge, and eleCtion above. So the Apoflle tells us, He hathchofen Ephcf. r.~. "'in Chrift before thefoundation of the world ; mark that . in Chr:ft : Th~re ':"as an eternal plot betwixt the Fuher and the Son; there was abargam made (I fpeak 1t wuh reverence). bmvixt God and Chrilt, there was a Covenant betwixt the Lord and his .Son Jefus Chr:ft for the fa!vation of the EleB:; and of this obferve we cfyecially thefe foil~wing texts: In Jfai~h 49· t, 2, 3, '!-· the Prophet fe~ms to f~t it Dialo~ue-wife ; one expreffeth it thus; Firfl: Chri!l: begws, and fl1ews hts commtffion, telhng God how he Ia.i called him, and fitt<d him for the work of redempuon, and he would know what reward he fhould have of him for fo great an undertaking. The Lord bath calledme from the wo•r.b, lfa. 49 • 1,1, fro7l the bowel; of my mother hath hemade me,;tion of my name, and ht ha:h mttde my mouth lik! a (harpfword; in the jhadow ofh!' hand hAth he hidme, and made"!' a po!.jhed jha{t, in .his quiver hath he hid me. Upon tillS God anfwers btm, and tel!; htm w at reward be fhould have for fo great an undertaking; onely at firft he offers low, viz.. onr Iy the eled: people of Ifrqel. And he faid unto me, thou art myJervant 0 Jfrael, mwhom I wilt be vet. 3' glorified; or Ifrael it u in whow I wilt beglorified by thee. Chnft who ftnod now a ma- • king his bargain with him, thought thefe too few, and not worth fo great a labour and work, becaufe few ofthe Jews would come in, but would refufe him and therefore he fays , be Jlwuld labour in vain, ifthis were all his recompence, thm {aid I, I have laboured in vain,! have ;pent my Jfrengthfornaught,and invain,and yet wirhal he tells God, ver. ~· that feeing his hear! was fo much in faving finners he would do it howfoever for thofe few, comforting himfelfwirh this, that huwor/z., or hu reward wa< with the Lord. Upon this God comes off more freely, and opens his heart more largely to him, as meaning more amply to content him for his pains in dying; it u a lightthing that thou jhouldeft be ver/0 myfervant to raife up the tribe ofJacob, tlnd to rejfore the preferved of Jfrael: that is not • worth the dying for, I value thy fufferings more.then fo, I will a!fogive thu for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation tmto the ends of the earth. Methinks I imagine as if I heard God fpeak unto Chrift fi·om eternity : See here I have /owd aremnant of mankjnd both of Jmi and Gentile; with an everlafting love, I h!rorv they will fin and corrupt them{elve;, and fo become enemies to me, ~tnd liable unto eternal death; now thou art " m,ghty per [on ,able to do what I reqrtirc ofthee for them; if thou wilt tqf<s upon thee their · nature and fins, and undmak! to fatufie my j~t{fice and law, f'nd tak! away that hatred that 15 rn them torvards m~and my Lmv, and maks them a believing holy people, then I will pardon them, and.M.opt them in thee for myfons and daughter;, And m<~ks them coheirs with thee of an tncormpttblecrown of life. And then faid Chrift, loe !come to d. thy wt!l 0 God ; H~S,to. , ,: then Chn!l: as u were firuck hands wllh God to take upon btm the nat~re and fin ofman, 1 Jo and to do ~nd fuffedor turnwhatfoever God required of him. Cerramly, this was the whole bu!Jnefs of our falvauon fir[\ tranfaCt<d betwixt God the Father. and Chrift before it Wa> revealed to us. Hencewe are faid, to be given unro Chrift, I h~ve manif;fted thY F 2. n,:me
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