Of the 1\?!orvledg of Cjod the Father, r-...~ it is Faith in us, that gives a Subfill:ence to him in our Souls, we thereby dofe Bo 0 1( !1. with him, Prov. 8. 2 1. Wifdom, that is, Chri(l:, exhorting us to embrace him, ~ holds forth this Promife, I caufe thofe that love me, to inherit Snbjiance. All other things are fhadows. And how cloth he confirm this to them, that he is able to give them Subltance ? but by this, that he exil1:ed before this World was; Which is the Subject of his Difcourfe for ten whole Verfes together next fol– lowing, beginning thus, v.22 . .The Lord pojfejfed me in the beginning of hh Way, before hh Wor'« of Old: I wa. fet 11p from Everlafting, e're ever the Earth wa., &c. Then only I was; bur God hirnfelf accounted me as a Treafure to hirnfelf: The Lord pojfejfed me, verf. 22. And therefore I may well be yours: If God el1:eemed me fuch to hirnfelf, you may well do fo to your [elves. When the Apo(l:]e fays, He that wa. Rich, for our fofz.!s became Poor, 2 Cor. 8. 9· it im– plies him to have been infinitely Rich afore he came into the World, where it was he was made Poor, and from his Birth born to nothing. And to conclude, · As he only is Exil1:ence, fo that Being you have in him is alone true Being. Of him ye are in Chriji ]e[111. ZJ_(e 0 . Y~u fee how it came to pafs, that we who exilted not afore the World, had yet rhen the Promife given, I Tim. 2. Grace given IH in Chrift afore the World, I Tim. I. 9· And chofen in him afore the World wiH, Eph. I. 4Even becaufe that Chri(l: was a Perfon who then exified ; and took all the Deeds of Gift ordained us from God for us. lfo. 6. 9· He is {li!ed, The Everlajiing Father; which he had not been if he had not exil1:ed: For of all elfe, to be a Father, implies Exil1:ence at the Time when he is faid to he a Fa– ther. For it notes Antiquity and Priority ; as .Adam is faid to be a Fa· ther in Time, fo Chri(l: from Everlafting. And as .Adam muft be fuppo– fed to exi(l:, when he was a Father, fo mu(l: Chri(l: he fuppofed allo: And therefore if an Everlal1:ing Father, then he exil1:ed in that Everlajl– ing.
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