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ObjeEí.t.
Re#.
Doí.
epheans,Chap.Ie
V
E
glorious eternall
grace
might be magnified, out
of
which this
grace
floweth,that
hehath now
in
his
time done
us
favour,and made
us
accep-
ted
in his
beloved. Firft
it
is
to be marked
in
the orderthat God doth to
our
conceiving;
firft
love
us
to
life, before the meanes bringing
us
to
life
are decreed;
This
is
the order,in which
we are
to
conceive
that one
fim-
ple
aétion
of
God whichworketh
our falvation:Here eleftion
is
the
firft
in this enumeration
Pas/
maketh, and,Rom.8.39.
Paul
fetteth foreknow-
ledge before predeftination; and when the Scripture faith,
we
are
elected
to
life through
faith
and
holine
ff
e,
as the way
¡flip;
needes
mull the
end be
firft in
order
of
nature, before thole things which ferve
sto
the end.
As
it
is
with
us,
we
firft are at
a
point concerning the
end
,
'before
we
feeke
meanes
which
leade unto
it
;as I am firft at
a
point to
Write beforeI
take
in hand
Pen,Inke,or Paper.But
how
may
God
love
to
life,fuch
who
are
now the children
ofwrath,&
not
eligible to
it!He
muff firft make
them
lovely
or
eligible,then choofethem to
life.
I
anfwer; It
is
one
thing
to
love
any fo,as
that
I will
bring them
to
life
by
juft
meanes; another thing
to
love any fo,as
immediatlyto
communicate
life
with them
;In
the
firft
fort, God may love
thofewho
are (inners
before him; the latter cannot
confft with
his
wrath infiiding death:And thus he
did
love them
before
the giving
of
Chrift;
So
God
lovedthe world,that
he
gave
hit
onely
begotten
smite
;that
he fpared him
not, but
gave
him
all
to death forus.This
is
to
be marked
,
againft
them who
make
God
firft
decree
the
giving
of
Chrift to
death;of faith and perfeverance
to
fome,before he
make
either
inward or outward eleftion
of
them.
Obferve fecondly;That God hath not onely chofen fome,but
ordai-
ned effeäuall meanes, which
(hail
molt
infallibly
bringthem to the
end
to which they
are
chofen.
Such
whom
hee
bath
fore
-
knowne, marke,
fuch bee
predeftinated; not all,
but
Tome
are
fore
-
knowne
:
God bath
fet an
order
of
meanes ,
which
fhall
bring them
to glory
:
Or
looke
as
when God appointeth any to
live
forty,
fifty
yeares,
his
providence
in
nature
doth
fo
worke,
that
every thing from
a
mans
firft
birth to
his laft
breath, doth
paffe
him
onto
this period
præ-
ordained
:
So
thofe whom
God
hath appointed
to that
laít
final
end
of
life
fupernatural,his
fuperna-
turall providence doth
fo
worke,
that
all
things doe after
a
fort confpire
and worke
to
that
end:Even
as
we doe
nothing about
any
thing,further
then the
ends we have doe move
us
to worke.
If
we
look
at
the
things
before
our callings,or
after,we
fhall finde
this true,
though they worke
not
in
the
fame manner
;
fome promoting it directly
by
themfelves,
fomeby accident occafionally
:Before our callings
,
the goodthings
we
have our felves
in
our felves,or which
we fee,or have given
us
in
others,
they perfect
us
to falvation:When
God doth
call
us;the good
things
we
have ourfelves,in ourfelves,make
us
admire Gods bounty and patience,
when we
fee
what
wee were
when
he fhewed
us
that
kindeneffe;Yea,
they are after our callings,difpofitions,
and
helpes,which
make
us
ferve
God with
more facility and fruitfulneffe. Some complexions and con
-
ftitutions are farre more accommodable inftruments t
o
grace now
recei-
ved,then others.
The good
we
fee in
others,
we glorifie
God
in
it,in the
day