Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v2

Of the I(,norJ?.lec/..g, of (jod the Father, ~in the communicating himfelfuntothat Man, God's Fellow only; (and it had BooK Ill. been a fuflicient Motive to him, and a fulnefs of Satisf.1CI:ion had thereby ariftn ~unto him alone therein, to fee and behold and enjoy the Inrage of his own PerfeCtions in a Creature united to his Son.) And therein he had {hewn his own Grcat– nefs, and Superiority above this his Chrifl, in this; that himfelfwas the Supream End ofhim, but he aCtually the End ofnothing elfe, that was ordained to be made for him. But, 3· That which I further affirm is this, That fuppofing God would decree him to be God-Man, and to fubfif! in an Human Nature ; and likewi!e, withal would ordain Multitudes ofother Things, Angels and Men together (as de f1C7o God did) ; that then it becomes the neceffary due of this Chrifl, and that as God-Man, fo decreed, to be fet up by God in thofe his Decrees, as the E11d ofaU thoft Thing'· Yea, and further, that God fhould fo Mould, and Caf! the whole Frame of his Defigns, concerning his Creation, intended as that all fbould tend to him as their End, as well as to God's own Glory. So, that whereas God, in that which is called his fimple Fore-Knowledg, or Counft!, (whereby he had the view of Chrifl, and of all Things elfe he did decree afore him, before that his Will did determine them to be) muf! needs forefee, that ifhe predef!inatcd this Second Perfon to be a Man, and one Perfon with him at all, and other Things together with him (and it is bard to think that he fhould fcape his firfl view, of all Things elfe); That then this did become that Man's Due,and the nLceflary Con– fequent of that Union with God's Son, that he fhould be fo far n:fpecred and pre– ferred by God, in his Decrees, as to have the Place ofa Supream End of all and every Thing; and accordingly, that God fhould cafl his Decrees for Chrifl's Glory as wdl as for his own : Which indeed is his own, even to honour the Son as the Father is honoured, John 5· 23. Hence as we read Heb. 1. 2. that Chrifl is h1id to be appointedtheHeirofa!IThingi. So at the 4th Verfe, we elfo read, Th,tt he w.u made Jo mllch better than the .Angeii, a< he hath by Inheritance obtained a more excellent Name tlian they. In the firf! Speech the Apoflle calls him the appointed Heir, becaufe that Man fbould be affumed to that Perfonal Union, and Sonfhip; upon which this Inheritance befel him: this was by a free Decree and Ordination ofGod. But yet withal, the 4th Verfe tellsus, that yet, He obtained it by lnhe– •·itance, And if he were appointed Heir, this was due to the very Appoint[J)ent. And by fuch a Right as no Creature, no not the Angels are eapable of; and yet fiill it is founded, take him as God-Man, that he is made Lord and Chrijl, a. 'Pe– ter in the A{Js fpeaks, Ails 2. 36. Therefore let all the Ho11fe oj Hraelk.,_now a.f1imdly, that God hath made t/Jdt fome JefM, whom ye have cnwji'ed, both Lord and Chrij!·. Yetfo, asifhebeappointedG.od'sSon, as Man, atall, this is his dueand his natural Inheritance: and this other alfo follows hereupon in God's Appointmems and Ordinations; that all Things fhould be fo Cafl and Moulded as to be for him. For the Heir is the End ofthe Inheritance, as well as he is the Lord of it. And fo mufl Chrifl be ofall the Creatures appointed and eo-ordained with him, and for him, to be thus, boih the appointed Heir, and yet the natural Heir (as God-Man) is no more Contradiilion, than to fay of him, as Man, that he was both God's natural Son, as being one Perfon with the natural Son of God,. and yet to have been predeflinated unto that Sonfhip; becaufe he was predefiinated to that Union, upon which this followed. So that he was to be the End of all, this was a free ACt of God's Appointment, becaufe his being united to his Son was by a free Ail of his Will alfo. And yet, for him to be made the End of all Things, was a natnral neceffary Confequent ofGod's decreeing him unto that U– nion. And God fore-faw that this would, and mnf! be the necelfary Confequent ofit, and yet freely ordained him to it. And therefore, this, and all fuch na– tural and nece!T.1ry Prerogatives'that follow upon it, and which could not have been withheld or cut off, areyet all ofthem laid to be by Appointment. And indeed, others fay the fame Thing: For when it is affirmed, that Chrifl needed not have merited any Glory tohimfelf,they ground it upon this: Becaufe, by Virtue ofthe Hypof!atical Union, all Glory is his natural Due, and a neceff.1ry Confcquent ofit. Which furely is a Truth, though it may not be made ufe ot; to eY.clude another Title unto this his own Glory, 'namely that ofPtJrchafe: For it is no Difhonour to him to have two Claims. · And

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