in Contriving Man's Redemption. CHAP. V. Of the Divine Wifdom in the contrivance qf Man's Redemption. Underjlanding Agents propound an End, and chorfe Means for the ohtaining it. The End qf God £s qf the highdl confequence, his own Glory and Man's Recovery. T_he difficulty of accomplijhing it. The Means are proportwnahle. The Divine Wifdom glorified in taking occqfion from the Sin and Fall rf Man to hring Glory to God, and to raije Man to a more excellent State. It appears in ordaining Juch a Mediator , as waJ' fit to reconcile God to Man , and Man to God. 'Tis difcovered in the difignation of the Second Perfon to he our Saviour. A nd making the Remedy to have a proportion to the catf!e rf ou~ Ru~n. 'Tis vi(ible in the manner whereby our Redemptwn ts accomplijh'd. And in the ordaining Juch contemptible Means' to produce juch glJriotts EffeCl:s. .And laying the d'!fign qf the Gofpel, fo as to provide for the comfort, and promote the holinejs rf Man. G 0 D b,y his infallible Prefcience ( to which all things are eternally prefent) viewmg the Fall of Adam, and that all Mankind lay bleeding in him, out of deep compaffion to his Creature, and that the Devil might not be fna!ly ~ \ iEt:orious over him, in his Council decreed the Recovery of Man fi·om his ;~'~¥-~:~'~fG~d~ a~~f~~a~~thS~~ewJ!; a~~~~~~. and the Means are moll: This will be.made vitible, by contidering, that all underllanding Agents firll propound an End, and then choofe the Means for the obtaining of it. And the more perfe£1: the V nder Handing is, the more excellent is the End it detigns, and the more fit and convenienc are the L'vfettm it makes ufe of for the acquiring it. .!\Tow, when God, whofe Vnderj la>Jdinr; if infinite , ( and, in comparifon of whom, the moll prudent and advifed are bm as dark fb adows ) when he determines to work, efpecia lly in a moll glorious macne1·, the End and the Means are equall y admirable. hrfi. T he End is of the highell Conjiquence. 'Were it fome low inconfiderable thing, it were unworthy of one thought ofGod for the effeCl:ing it. To be curious in contrivmg how to accomplifb that which is of no importance, cxpofes to a jufl: imputation .of Folly : Rut when the moll excellent Good is the End, and tbe difficulties wh ich hinder the obtaining of it arc inj uperab/e to a jinite underlland ing , ,it then becomes the only wife God ( I Tun. I. I 7· ) to difcover the Di vinity of his w,fclom, in making a way where he find snone. And fuch was the End of God in the work of our Redemption: This was declar'd by the Angels, w ho were fent Ambatfadors Exrraordin"'J to br ing T id ings of Peace to the World. They proiftd God, }oying, Glory to God in the h 1 ghejf, and on Ear~_h Peace, good lifltff to.vards Men, Luke 2 . 13, 14. 1 he fupreme End is his own Glory ; and, in order to it, the Sa lvation of M.zn hath the _nature and refpeEt of a medittm, 1 he /uhordinat~ is the recovery of the \Vorld .f,:om its lap(td and wrctch~d State. 1. , T he fupreme End i; the Glory of God. Tlus fignifics · principally his rn1ernal and •Jfenua/ Glory : and that contills in the PerfeRions of his Na ture which can never he · lully conce1ved by the Angels, but overwhelm, by their excellent 'Grea tnefs all crea ted Underft<.!ndmgs. I 17 ~ Chap.)· ~
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