Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

68 Book H. Looking unto 1-efm. Chap. J .Se&. ~.1 ';1Cor,J .u,:3eleEf. 3~ Chri.ft. 4· God, I Cor.3.22,23. But he gives U9 · to underftand the order of intention thus ; as firft, God intendll his own glory, then Chrijl, then the eleCt, then the world. Cer· tainly it is an hard thing to marfual the eternal immanent adi of the divine underftanding, or will into firft,fecond,third,fourth: all Gods pro je-:ts are like himfelf, who is a whole and perfeCt pof- _) Tot4 /im11! fd fejfion of himfelf together and at once; fo as in him confidered pcrfe[ja pof[ef there is no prim nor pojhrim in any of his aCl:s ; but confidered fzo foil in effeCl:s, or in refpeel: ofus, one thing may be faid to be firft, fe· cond, or third in nature, time, and being before,or after another. And thus in refpeCl: ofus, we fay the end muft be in nature before the means to the end; now the permiffion of the fall , repentance, faith, perfeverance are ufed by God as means to bring fome to falvation; God therefore doth 6rft projeCl: ?ut falva.tion, and then the means ; and both the end and the means are the product of Gods election or predeftin'ation. Here then is the Projeer , that God will glorifie his grace , and to thh· rna he will predeftinate Chri(f, and in (;hrift he· will choofe fome of the fonr : ~~[e[. 11 4 of men to falvation, whom, notwithjfanding Jin, he will mak.f holy, and lwirho1st Mame before him in love. This ProjeCl:, or. plot, or defigne ofGod will be further enlarged in the next paf.. ~ge, vi:¥.. his counfels. SECT. V. T-he Cottnfel. OF the counfelsofGod concerning man before all worlds, we · '·.Adu. 23 read in feveral texts. Chrift w.u delivered 6y the det erminate counfel of God.- For of a truth- cgait;fl thy htly chi/de [e{zu., wham thou ht<Jl" anointed l both Herod .rnd Pontius Pilate .Mh ~. 17 , l 2 wjrh thi .Gmtiles, and the people of ljr11el wert gathered t oretber, for to . a~ whatfocver . thy h~tnd, and th]'cormfl'! determined before to be done. And thusthe members of C hrift are faid to l!£lltf. J.l J Dbtaine 11n inheritance, being predefli;1nred acr;ording to the purpqfe ,of him who .workph •~til things after the -counfe/ of bi; own ,ill. Of this '0\lnfel ofGods will we .know hut little -now, yet- - - ·- - -- -·· . - -··- .. ··- . - --· . .. . - - . ~his .,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=