90 Book Ill. JLrolung unto jjefus>. Col. 1.16. CHAP. II. SECT. 1. Of h,z10wing Jcfits as carrying 01z the great r/Jor/z of our Sa!vatio 11 from the Creatton 11ntzl his ftrjl coming. Ookjt,_g comprehends knowing, conjideri11g, defiring, &c.. as you have beard; and accordingly that we may praCtife. I. We mull: kpow [efustarrying on the great work of our falvation in the beginning,. and from the be~inning of _the world : Come let us learnwhathed,dfor us foear!y m themornmgoft!Jisworld: Hemade it for us, and he made us more efpecially for his own glory ; but pre. we were made, we finned and marred the image wherein God made us . this was the faddeft aCt ,that ever was; it was the undoing of man, a"d (without th~ mercy of God) the damning of all fouls both of men and women to all eternity. a!ld, 0 my foul, kpow_rhu for tky (elf, thou wall: in the loins of Adam at that fam~ ume, fo that whar bed1d, thou d1dfr; d10u waft partaker of his Sins, ar.d thouwafito partake with him in h~s punilhmem : but well maye!t thou fay, Bleffid be God for 'jr[i• Chrifl; at the very mllant when alllhould l1ave been damned, Chri!t intervened . a Covenant of grace is made with man, and Chrill is the foundation, in and through wb~m we mull: be reconciled unto God: Come foul, and fiudy this Covenant of grace in re. ference to thy felf; had notthi• been, where badll: thou been? nay, where had all the world beeo at this day? fure!y it concerns thee to take notice of rhis great tranfadion. After man had fallen by fin, C.hrill: is promifed; and that all the Saints might partake of Chrift, a Covenant is entred; this at the beginning of the world was more dim bu1 the nearerro Chriftscoming in the lleOt, the more and more dearly it appemd; Howfoev~r dimly, or clearly, thus it pleafed God in Chrift to carry on th~ great work of our falvarion at that tim,e, 11iz.. by a promife of ,Chrill, and lily aCovenant in Chri£1:, and forthy better knowledge of it, lludy the promife made to .Adam, and Abraham, and Mofos, and Da11id, and Jfrael. Come foul, lludj• tiJefe fe. vera! breakings out of the Covenant of Grace; it is worth thy pains , it is a myft"J tvhich bath been hid from ages, and from generations, bxt 11otv u mademanifejl to the Saints. Here lie' the fir!t and mo!t firm foundation of aChrifiians comfon ; if thou ranfr but lludy this , and affure thy felf of thy part in this, thou m bldfed for ever; 0 how incomparably fwm and fatisfying is it toafdf-llndying Chrirtian,to know the faithful en– gagements ofthe Almighty God,through that Son of his Loves,in a Covenant of Gme, SE C T. II. OfConftderit~g Jefu< in that refjeil. .z.VVE 1TU1ft confider Jefiu carrying on the great wor~ of our falvati?n i~ that dark time · it is not enough to lludr it and know tt, but we rnult fenoufly mufe, and meditate, and ponder, and confider of ir, ti:J we bring it to f?me profitable iffue: This is theConftderation I mean, when we hold our thoughts to thiS M that fpl· rirual fubjeet, rill we perceive furcefs, and the work do thnve and rrofper mour hands. Now to help us in this,-- . I. Confider Je[u< in that firft promife made to man; It Jball bruife thy head, .wdtholl Jbalt brui{t hu heel. When all men were under guilt of fin, .and in the power of Sa– tan . and when thou, ruy foul, werr in as bad a cafeas any other, then to hearthe fou~d of this glad tidingg, then to hear of Je(iu, a Saviour, and Redeemer, fure~IMs was welcome news. Come, draw the cafe nearer to rhy felf; thou wail: in Adams loms, fuppofe thou had[! been in Adams !lead · fuppofe thou hadll: heard the 11oice of the Lord wa/J<jng in the Gar<kn., fuppofe thou halft heard him call, Adam, tvhere art thou? Pmrd, Andrew Thoma; where art thou I what? hajl thou eaten of the tree whereof1 com"!andr ' ' h h d t · dg ent theLawlstrte• theeJhatthoufli•uldjfnoteatl w y ten appear an come OJU m , . I k vocable, in the d~y that thou eatejl thereof thou Jhalt (urely die; there is nodung to ~el 00 • ed for but death temporal, and death fpiritual, and death eternal; 0 what a fear d con– dition i$ this! no fooner to come into the world, but prefently to be rurne ~~~~
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