Of the l(nowledg of (jod the Father, ~ but one Father; therefore that Title mufi be given hi·m in God's Decrees upon,and ~ come under fome other Confideration annexed to him, over and above his being Second Perfon: And what other can that be than this, of his being confi. dered as God-Man in his Undertaking, and fufiaining it, and as acting accord– ingly. Father relates to Children, and this we find in Heb. 2. 13. where Chrift is brought in as a Proof, that he is Man of the fame Nature with us ; that as a Father he C1ith, Lo, I and the Children tbat thou haft given me. God the fa– ther's Relation to us, as a Father, is not fo founded, nor is the Relation in the Second Perfon, .limply confidered, fo to be confounded with that of the Fa– ther's. 'Pa11l tells us, in that fecond of the Hebrew1, That Chri!l is a Fa– ther, as he is confidered Man ; and he argueth it from that Relation. And lfoiah tells us, lfo. 9· 6. He was this from Everlafring; which could not be by his having aCl:na\ly affumed the fame Nature; and yet ChriWs Father-hood tons is, becaufc he is fuppofed of the fame Nature, as Heb. 2. 14, bath it, Forajm11ch then a< the Children are partak.!rs of FlejiJ a11d Blood, he abo him. felf lik.!roife tool{ part of the fame, that thro11gh Death he might deftroy him that had the Power of Death, that#, the Devil. Why then he mu([ be the Ever– lafring Father reprefentatively, and by bearing that Perfonage of God– Man, and ul)dertaking, afore his Father, that Relation ; and fo as confi– dered by his Father as God-Man from Everlafring; and for him to give us Glory as fuch, and aCl: accordingly with his Father, was but to act ac– cording to what a Perfonage he was afore·hand: and among other things he mu([ aCl: as fuch, in concurring with his Father to give us Glory, as bath been faid. And fo the IfTue of all comes to this, which explains the Text, That God. having in his Decree, firfi fetled an Efiate in him, in the Glory of that Perfo· nal Union proper to him alone; then his Father gave us to him as fo conmtu· ted, and he agreed, and concurred in his Decree, and Suffrage, as fuch ; and fo is laid to have given us, in and at the fame Infrant, that Glory that was or· dained by the Father, and by him as God-Man. IV. .7r10 T IV E. He reprefents to his Father the Glory ( which had been fore-ordained by him in his Decrees) that would accrue to himfelf and his Father in the accom· plifhment of this Defign, when the Union, and Glory of the Saints, fhould thereby be perfeCI:ed, as at the latter Day it will; and then appear before all the World ; and this to have been the great Contrivement of God in our Election we all know : And it is not only the Glory he will have in the Saints themfelves at that Day, when they fhall appear with him in Glory, (of which the 2 Theff. I, 10. fpeaks, When he JbaU come to bo glorified in h# Saints, and to be admired in aD thw, that believe (becaufe our Teftimony among you rva< believed) in th<~t Dtl)'): But what a Glory this is, will appear before the re([ of the World of Mankind, who fhall all be prefent at that Day ; and fee the Hfue of God's Decrees, unto the amazing afronifhment of Unbelievers: And this I take to be the meaning of the latter part of verf 23. That the World may ~{now that fhott haft fent me, and haft loved thm• a< thou haft loved me. T he World there I take to be the re([ of Mankind, who fhall have no part in that Union : And the Time intended wherein they fhall know this, is that at the latter Day; for it is, when the Saints Union is made perfeCl: in One, as in the words be· fore. Then it is that they fhall know, by the Saints Union with me, and by them thus perfeCI:ed, which !hall be made confpicuous to all the World; That thou httft Jent me, and haft loved me; and haft loved them indeed, a< thou haft loved me; when they !hall fee that I appear in thy Glory, (as at that Day I !hall). And that therefore I am One with thee, whereas betore they who would not believe, nor embrace me for their Chrifr,and come in for a !hare of this Umon with me, but refufed me, or unworthily fell !hort in feeking me, and would never
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