Ephefians,Ctlap. r. V E R. fore all worlds,he cameto elefì. Thisis but anoldPelagian evafion ; for Paul fpeaketh againft all workswhich ftand not with free grace in ele- ding. Nowworks meritorious, fore-feene, are as oppofite to grace, as works meritorious really exifting. Ifi doe anything for reward, which I fee will befall me, it is as far from being done freely, as if it were done on reward before -hand received. Again, he cannot choofe on worksfore-feene, becaufe he cannotfee any to come, which he doth not firft predeftinate that they fhould be ; Nowthen, for him to choofe on fore- feene works; is to fay that God firft predeftinateth, and caufeth fuch whomhe will choofe tohave fuch and fuch works, that after he may choofe them ; which is to turn the Cart before theHorfe. This franck love of his can never be enough. extolled. Ifa man ofeminency choofe to him forwife, fome woman, who bath neitherdowry nor friends, ne yet hath beautyor breeding ex. traordinary, the part is marvailous in our eyes : But well maywewon- der at thisfad of God, who when we werenor, ne yet had any thing which might commend us, did freelyfet his liking on us and love us to life. But ofthis morein the next Doctrine. Nowwe come to the last point, to be obferved in this verfe; to what God bath chofen us : That wefhould be holy and fpotleffe before him in love.] This end is all one with that otherwhere named, viz.. Salvation. Who bath rhofeu youfrom the beginning, to Salvation, through faith and fanaiifrcation ; that is, tobe entred by beliefe, andthe firft beginning of it,theefandificationofthe fpirit.Andhere three thingsare to be marked. r.: The frateofperfectionwhich agreeth to the life wheretowearecho- fen,that we may beholy and without fpot. z. The circumftanceofper- fon in whofe prefence we fhalllive this life, before him. 3. The life it felf , which isas itwere the fubjed of this perfection,inLove. A little to infift in the explicationofthis claufe, becaufeit containeth more then is'comnonlymarked. Holineffe is put fometime for all, or any fandifyinggraces of Gods Spirit which makeusholy, r Thef. 4.7. 2 Cer. 7.t, Sometime it is put more particularly, either to notea vertue which inclineth us to doe in fuck manner asbefeemethboth the prefenceofGodand our felves,who are Saints byprofeffïon; or a Rate ofpurity and perfection, towhich wecome in vertue, and this life oflovewhich here is begun in us ; thus when Chrift faith, Bleffedare thepure in heart, he doth notfomuch note any fingular verrue, as a frate to which fome here come above other- fome in vertue : and thus I think it is taken here ; both becaufe thefe words doe fignifiea ftateof Chriftian perfection, and becaufe here is Love expreffed asthe fubjed: the life in which wefhall attain this per- fecion. For that fecond circumftance, thofe words (beforehim) doe note fometime this prefence ,ofGod, which we have here in frateof Grace by fight, Luke t. But here it doth directly lignifie that pretence which wefhall have of God, when nowwe are brought to frate ofper- feçtion, when we fhall walk by fight, and feehim as he is. Laftly, when he faith (in Love,) he noteth that fupernaturall life, in which we (hall be
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=