Of EleEfion. ~ Todemonflrate this of each leverally: In God's Relation there arc two EooK \ V. Parts difiinaly to be confidered (as bath been faid) : ~ 1. A Declaration what his own thoughts are offuch Children indefinitely de– livered. 2. A Rule thereupon given us, what our thoughts fhould be of each Child: We are to think any of them holy. Now for the firll, Confider it as a Declaration to us of God's Mind about them, and there is no diffonancy at all between this his Declaration and his Secret Will. For, FJrll, God fpeaks but the Truth of what he bath purpofcd, and that Truth is adequate to his Decree, his Speech is no larger than IllS Meaning: Be– caule, according to his Secret Will, all fuch Children ate not holy, thetcfore he fays not, that AIJ are holy; but he (peaks indefinitely, they are holy : Yea, himfelf bath in his eye, tbofe very Children only whom he really intends to make holy. He can truly fay at the latter Day, when he fhall have All about him, I meant thefe, and no other. Only indeed, for the prefent, he does not dillin~ly declare his whole mind to us, by telling us particularly who they were. Yea, and Secondly, It became him fo to do: It is meet and fit thatthe great God fhould thus reveal his mind unto us; for he fpeaks but like himfelf, even as the only wife and great God, in his Dillances to us , who are not (nor was it fit that we lhould be) of his Privy Council. It is his Diflance and his Glory to conctai a matter, as Solomo1l lays, (Prov, ~5· 2.) Even as it is of a wife, great King; who will reveal fo much of his Mind as /hall ferve to fet his Inflru· ments on work, to bring about the Defign which he hath in his thoughts, but refervcs the reil to himfelf: jull fo does God here, not telling us how many, or who thcfeholy Ones are, but points to that Lump as hob'; lo to fct us a work to bring them All to the Ordinances, that he may blefs thofe unto whom he in– tends a Bleiling. So as, this indefinite Declaration difagrecth not from his Se– cret Will; but withal, hath a fitnefs, and a 'Decorum in it, becoming the great and wife God. And for the fecond, That upon this his indefinite Dclaration, there lbould be a Command given us, to think any One of them holy, with fuch a Judgment as is before (and fuall b.e alterwards) declared; there is no diffonancy at all in this neither. For, 1. This arifeth but from anecelf~ry conformity of our Judgment to the Indefinitenefs of God's Declaration o! his Mind: For when God lpenks inde– finitely, it becomes us to judge indefinitely, and to do that Duty which upon fuch a Judgment is due to them from us. If God think it meet thus to fpeak of that Lump, it is meet for us, without prying into his Secrets, fo to judge of any One in particular, though not of All in general. It is but righteous for God to require it, and a Due from us to be given them. So that, as I faia of the former part of tbis Revelation, that God fpake Truth,and nothing but the Truth, though not the whole Truth, in that his indefinite Declaration of his Mind about them : So I fay of this fecond part, that refpeds our Duty, That God commands in righteoufnefs, when he requires us to think fo of any One of th~m. For this to be our Duty, arifeth naturally from the lndefinitene(; of God's Expr< ffion about them: Even as it is God's Will , that we on our part fhould pray for any Mm that he may be fawd, becaufe God hath indefinitely declared his Mind, that he will (ave fome of AO forts, as 1 Tin:. 2. 1, 2, 4· I txhort thtrtforr, that (irfl of aU, fttpplications, prafrrs, interce./]io11s, mtd givingofthanksbtmadrforallmm: ForKittgs, andforaCthatau '" AtJ· thority , that we may lead a qmet and practa61r !tfe in a/JY,odlinefs mtd hottt· fly. Who w ill have all mm to be favrd, and to comt unto thr klww/edgt of the tr1tlh. And thus, whilll our thoughts conform themfelves to that Rule, there is no diiTonar.cy neither, from God'; Mind, as it refpedeth our Duty, although "e in OQr thoughts 010uld judge fome holy, who are not fo in his intention. For t he immediate Rule unto which our thoughts are to be conformed, IS not God's own Secret Purrofe, fo as we llnuld thin!< )ull as God thinks of every one, or clfe
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