----- Of the l(no-whl_~ of (jod the Father, ~ all Thmgs in his great Dcitgn; which this my Text collated and brought unto ~-that, confirms and difcovers, in C1Y'ng,_ One God, of whom are all Thi11gs ; and one Lord JefM Chrijl, by whom are al/1 hmgs. And over and above that [We J ( thofe Eldred and Redeemed Men) !hould beby [Him] alfo. And how fir it was, That the Perfon of the Redeemer of ruMen, !hould him(elf be Ma11 ; this you all acknowledg. But I further add, If a Lord be to fer up over all Things, that is, rhe whole Creation, What Sort or Species a– mongll: the whole Creation, fo fir as the Nature of Man? True indeed, that Nature, for its Rank is a little lower than the Angels ; but that mattered not in this Bufinefs; For this dignity of Lord!hip, depended not on the dignity of the Creature, that was to be affumed : But the Dignity, or the fubll:amial Worthi– nels and Grandeur of the Perfon, was to arile from the dignity of the Son of God who (hould aflume it. The Nature affumed, contributed nothing ofWorth but had that wholly communicated to it; only it brought a Fitnels, and a Meet: nefs with it into this Union, for this Office, above all other Natures whatfoever. And tharwas it, which God had a regard unto herein ( befides his good plea– Cure) to chufe that Nature above all other, as is plain by that in Heb. 2. And certainly, this comely Capacity cloth every way fall fuller upon the Nature of .Mtm, than upon any other: for who of Creatures fo fit to be made Lord of all Things, by that God for whom are all Things; but he that is the S11m and Con– trllt:l of all forts of Creatt~res that ever God Jbould ma!{p. Yea, and perhaps of all forts of Creatures poj}ibly to be made, even from the Angelica] Nature upwards; than which (they being meerly Spirits) nothing could be higher of Kind up– wards, between God and them; and then downwards to the meanell: Atom, or dufi of the Earth ; or if you will, to the Chaos, our of which all was made, you cannot thrull: in a new Species or Kind, between any two of the whole Order and Defcent of them : No new middle Link, between any two Links of that Chain of Crtatures from top to bottom; and what we fee are made, Man is the Abll:ract and Epitome, and contains all in him. If therefore we could fuppofc that all the Creatures had had a Tongue, and fo a Voice in the Election of their one Lord, they certainly would have piich'd upon that Nature to be their Lord, in which they all had fuch an lnterell:, and have cafi it, That all Thi11gs epitomized, !hould be this conjli111ted Lord : And God, who is wile in Working, and excellent in Counfel, confidered this, and fitted them all with fuch a Lord, as themfelves, if to chufe, would (for this refpe/1:) have cho– ftn. This was fo happy a Match, and fo well thought of, as being that which per– fectly (uited this general Adminill:ration, as it was no fooner thought of, but in– frantly it was concluded and agreed on by the Three in Heaven, and particu– larly confented to by the Son himle!f; Who (as Peter's Phrafe is) was pre– ordained before the Fo11ndation of the World was laid. All Things tlfe depending on this, God's firll: Re(o!ve about him. No fooner was it agreed, but inll:antly God the Father, and the God-head in the other two, embraced and po.Jlejfed him, (as the Expreflion is, Prov. 8. 22. The Lord pojfejfed me in the beginning of his Wt'J, before l•is Works of old) poffeffed him as a rich and compleat Treafury and Magazine of all his Counfels, laid up with him; and alfo a moll: able Minifler and Agent, for the execution of all his Works. Chrill:, who is both theWifliom of God, and the P02ver of God executively; his Univerfal Inll:rumenr, by whom; a compleat Subje/1:, in whom to manifefi all his Glory : And verf 30. of the fame Chapter, 1 was as one bro11ght up with him, as 'tis tranOated; it is a word fo full of Significancies ro our Purpole, as nothing could be more comprehenfive. The word [ r11.lN J in the Hebrew fignifies, any one that wos Nutritms, the s.. AL,,;,1, Nurfe, or Nouri01er; as unto whom God had committed all his Works, as ;;h:;; :;;f· Men do their Children unto a Nurfe; to cheri!h, bring up, and govern, to all Mm" doth his Ends he had defigned them for : Yea, as the word alfo iignifies, to be hts =~~··:;;;r;, Artifi, Architect, or Mall:er-builder of them in their firll: Creation ; who rook "I'•• '"Poov. the Fabrick of the whole Umverfe upon hm1, to conrnve and frame the resrmg :;,!~; :,~~ of it, with rhe moll: exquiilte Skill, to the moll: beautiful Fa~1ion that might be. v0 , H<hx' For thtfe thmgs, and many more, cloth that word figntf)•: So as God prefently fign;fime. faid with himfdf, I have found a Servant that !ball perform all my Pleafure, a chofcn
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