Of .i:!.lefJion. · Thirdly, Elpecially when the purpofe of Grace is faid to have been be-~ fore the World; 2 T1m.. r, 9· Who bath J<•wd "', mzd called m with an Chap. 1 6. holy callmg, 11ol accordmg to o11r works, 611t according to bit own purpo(e ~ a11d graa, w hich WM g1ven tu irz Chrif/ JrjuJ, before the World 6eg m Divines have obferved, That the Works of Creation that were made at firct out of Nothing, are never refclved into Nothing again: As the thirdHeavens'· created the firft day from the Foundation of the World, as Chri!l (ays, were not, nor ever fl1all be annihilated. And tl1e fame we mav fay of God's firfl thoughts aAd purpofcs, fuch, as thofe of Election were, tor' the perfection of them, and are therefore termed Counfels, they lhall never fuffer an alteration. And therefore, Fourthly, They are called the immttta6ility of his Corm/et, confirmed by an Oath; He6r. 6. 17, Wherrin God willing more abundantly to jhtw tmtotht hnrs of promife the lmmuta6JJJty of his cotmfel, confirmed it by a11 Oath. And Fifthly, add to this, They are the counfel of his own Will. It would be a dilhonour to God's wifdom to alter what. he profelfes to have done by counfcl. And 1t 1s of hrs ownW1ll, and whrch he purpofed in himfelf· he did not look out of himfelf for the reafons of that his counfel; Eph. 1 • 9 .' Ru– vmg ma.it ~nowtl tmto w the mJflrry of hiSwtlt, '!ccordi11g to his good plra– [urt , whzch he bath purfo{ed m hzmfdf. God d1d not look out of himfelf upon Jny thing in the Creature, as the motives, why he chofe; but his own innate thoughts were his foie meafure. And then, Sixthly, Their Election, and all the Benefits that fucceed and · flow from it, are faid to be in Chrift; he has chofen us in Chrilt, predeftinated us by Chrift, to the adoption of Sons, graciou!ly accepted us in Chrift, and all to the glory of hi~ Grace. Now I lay this for a fure Foundation, as Chrilt himfelf, That there is nothing God hath promifed, or fpoken of, that he will do in Chrifl, but he efficaciou!ly performs it. If he makes Promifes, as allliis Promifes concerning our Salvation, ore in Ghrift: They are Tea and Amen. 2. Cor. 1, 19, 20. For the So11 of God, Jeft14 Chrifl, Wllf tlot Tea and Nay, but in him was Tea; For aO tht Promifts of God in him art Tea, a11ditt him Amen, unto thtglory of God 6y us. If they all be Yea, then they muft be effectual: Paul's Scope there i5 to (hew the faithfulnefs of God in his performances; Thot though Pant himfelf, being but a Creature, he might and did fail, they were Yea, and they were Nay , [peaking of his coming to them: But God's Promifes in Chrift are Yea, and not Nay; and you may fet Amen in every one of them infallibly to be per~ formed. You have tho fame thing alferted of the Covenant of Grace, which God made to A6raham, which was but a bundle of abfolute Promifes; and yet the Apo!1le fays further of it, Gat. J· 16, 17. A11d this I fay, thlll tht Covenant, that was confirmrdbtfort of Godin Chrift, the Law which w11s four hundred tmdtbirty l'ttlrs aftrr, cannot difimut, that it jhottld makt the P..r_omi/e of 11011e effiCi. For if tht Inheritance 6t of the Law, it is 110 more ofPromi/e; but God gaw it toAbraham -ypromijt. The covenant of the Gofpel is but a Collection of a many Promifes limply and freely given as an Inheritance, and li:Iection is the Donor, and Declarer, and confirmer of them: And doth God fay in Chri!l, I do this for that end, you may fet Amen to it; it !hall certainly be performed, Laflly, Extract we but the many Attributes which are engaged by God for the effectual performance: The three Perfons in the Godhe:ad, they are the j_oint Eflicients and Contrivers of God's Decree<; but the Attrtbutes m God, tt tS they that afford the matter of the performance of God's Promifes, or God's Declarations , when they are fet together with God's Decrees to b•cl< them. They are the Springs in God of whatever he cloth eflicoc,ou!ly decreed to do, The J'yuodif/s of Great Brit~i11, they therefore fay , They are effectual De– crees, becaufe they are Decrees conju':Cla cnm pofmlia, bccaufe l~e, though a mean Man, who came with a CommrJiion eflicacrous enough to cfloC1 the bufinefs
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