Of the 1\.r!owledg of {jod the Father, 0-..~ Glory with Cbrift. And it is the utmofl: Glory which breaks forth in l-leaven, in BooK [[[. Chrifl:, from his Perfonal Union, and in us, from our Sonlhip and Union with ~ Chrifl:, that is here meant; and the R.eafon is, becanfe it is that Glory wherein, and whereby our Union is t1id to be made perfect; John 17. 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they nul! be made perjefJ in one, and that the World mrlJ k'!ow that tho~t haft font me, and haft loved them, at th011 haft loved me: Which explains this verf. 2 2 • .And the Gl~ry which tho1t gavejl me, I have given them ; that they may be oue, evoz tu we are one. And therefore, as Gerard obferves the words, tb 11 t they may be perfet1 in one, is not taken, nl\w~s, as noting the End, or the Effe[t of that Glory given us, as whereby, as the Means, we come to be perfect in One; but it is taken, ei:ilr.i<s, as explammg wherem that Glory lay; namely, in a perfellion of Union ; but we may take it m both. Now our Relative Union with Chrifl:, is in this Life as perfe/1 as ever, and we are Sons as much as ever . and the Man Jelus was as perfealy united to the Son of God, while he was 0~ Earth,as he ever !hall be; but the perfel1ion ofit,he faith, is in the oth~r World. And therefore the Glory which he intends, is, as it breaks forth in the full enjoy– ment and manifdl:ation of it in the other World, founded upon 'his Perlonal Union with the Son of God on his part, and our Glory, upon our Union with him, on our part: And therefore it is, that ~ur Saviour Chrifl: calls it Glory, both on his part, and ours, rather than Sonlhtp. The lame may be urged out of ]ohn I 7. 2 4· Father, I J•ill that they ttlfo whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold myGlory which thou haft given me; for thou lovedjl me before the Foundation of the World. And our Cartwright thus pitcheth the connexion and order of verj. 22. with what follows; that whereas he had in ~fi';~'.f:,~,~~: the former part of the Chapter, prayed f~r SanCl:ific~tion and Prefervation afore ti<ionom inai- for us, as the Means to bnng us to Glory. Now, fatth he, he frames hJS Prayer '"''· for our Glorifjcation ; which Chrifl: founded upon this ground, The Glory tho" haft givetz me, I /Jdve given them. And therefore they pitch lhort, who inter– pret thi• Glory of Grace, a~ the Means to Glory hereafter, or the beholdin" of the Glory of Chrifl: in this Life; 2 Cor. 3· ult. for here it is the very Glo~y it felf which Grace is to bring us to; which God's, and Chrifl:'s Heart, in their feveral Decrees, were fo intent upon in the primary Intention thereof; even the Glory of that Son!hip, both of Chrill and us, that lhould be in the other \Vorld ; and ·was firtl: given, both to him and us, as being fntentio Finis, the lntendment of what lhould be the ultimate End ofus and Ghrifl: : and with that view of it, it is, that Chrifl: prays here. And let any Man give a more fuitabk, harmonious, congruous, genuine Interpretation than this : For what ·is more ftntable, or indeed can be, than that our Glory, both of Sonlhip and Polfeffion, lhould be founded upon our Union with Chrifl: ; and that Chrifl: fhould found both our Union and Glory on his Perfonal Unio[\ with the Son of God ; and the Glory that thence follows, and is due to him. What more genuine, what more confonam, what mo0e fuitable can be thought of, to fill up the meaning of thefe words? ObjetJ. This Interpretation will fl:rengthen the Hanc!_s of thofe that hold the Saints have the fame perlonal Union with the Son of God, the Second Perfon that the Man Jefus bath ; for he faith, The Glory thott haft givw me, I have givm them. .Anfw. I. Our Saviour on purpofe bath interwoven a difference between our Union and his, our Glory and his; whereby to prevent this very Objection: for our Union and Onenefs with God and Chrifl:, is declared to be but fecondary and derivative; and his not of the fame order or rank with ours, I in them, and thou in me, as it immediately follows. Ours is a collateral Line, far off removed, of an inferior Houfe; but Chrifl:'s Union with the Father is in a direct Line :for his Divine Nature is the fame with the Father's, by which they are one God; and his Humane Nature is one by an immediate perfonal Union, whereas ours is o far off removed : Our Union with God is but by our Union with Chrill; it's a Coppy-hold of this Lord of Glory. It is a certain Rule, that what is de– rivative of an Original, never rifeth to be the Original: 'tis Chrifl:'s Glory here, fo that 'tis he who gives us our Glory. And this is the Glory, and top of his Glory, tl!at he bath Glory fo in himftlf,as he is the Lord of it, to befl:ow it. Thts IS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=