.. C.hap.x.Sett. I. Looking tmt~ ·'fefru, Book II. or nothing at all to our purpofe; And concerning the fpecia! Decree ofAngels, there is not much in Scriptures, and that is as little alfo to our purpofe; we have onely to deale with men,, and will Gods Decree in rela tion to mans fa! vation before all worlds. And this we call predefri<iation , or the Decree of EleB:ion ; which is either ofChrifr, or of the members ofChrifl::Chnfr bimfe lf was firfr predefi:inated; this appears by that faying of God. 'Behold. my fervanr p;hom luphold, mine E_tect in whom ~J 1ra ~. t, (oul debghterh, I have /Jut my Jfimt upon htm 1 he fhall bnng ~ 1 \ g . . ' , h r. d h n l•l•l 12. 1 • forth judgement to the qenttles. T e1e.> very wor s t eEvangelifr interprets of Chrifr himfelf, /vl.tttb. r :z.. 18. And Chrifi: being predefrinate, the members ofChrilt were predel1inated in him: So the Apollle, According M he hath chofin tu in him before the E 1 · ( foundation of the world: we are chofen in Chriil: as in a com- f 1 ' • 1. 4 , mon perfon, he was the firfr perfon elected in order, and we in him : Suppofe a new Kingdome to be fet up, a new King is chofen, and all his bccelfors are chofen in him; why God hath erected il Kingdome ofglory, and he hath chofen Jefus Chrifl: for the King of th is Kingdome, and in him he hath chofen us, whom he hathmade ICir.gs and Priefl:s unto the moll high God. But obferve \,·,:: th ts of •he Apollle, he hath chofen UJ in him before the fond>t· ;or' rf. ;,e world I. He J lmh chofen, (i.) God the FarhedP_:. j chof<.:•1; uot that the Sonne and Spirit chofe not alfo ; for if tl~ree f us had but one Will common to us all, one could loOt \vill any thing , which the VVi!! of the other two fhol:l!d not ;jJ fo will : but becaufe the Sonne fuJ1aines the perfon of one eiCL'led, and the Spirit is the witnelfe feaJing tl.iis grace ~mtoour hearts, therefore the Father onely is exprelfed; as the Father alone is often named in prayer, not that the other perfons are not to be prayed unto, but becauf..: the Son is confidered as the Medtatour, and the Spirit as the Inil:ruB:or,teEching us to pray as we ought, therefore the Father onely is expreffed. 2. He hath chofen min him J this him J denotes Chrifl: Godman ; and this in him] notes the fame Chriil: God-man ·as the head and firfi: elect , in whom , and after whom in ord~r of nature, all his ·body are elected, mark here the order, but not the caufe ofoue eleCl:ton; though Chriil: be the caufeofour falvation yet ~hrifi: ~not the ca.ufe of our election; it is onely the fore: , knowledge_:
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