' The Parties in Jhe Covenant of Grac~;, . 1 t Eut, whether God is herein to be confidered .per-· fonally or e.ffenti<dly, is not quite fo clear. Some di· vines think, that the Father perfonally co.nfidereq, namely, as to the fir{l Perfon of the glorious T,rilility~ · is the party-'contracter on Heaven's fide. Others, that God e.ffentially confidered, that is, as Father, Son, and· holy Ghofi, as that party·contracter. But, however we ..conceive of that matter, we are affured fi·om the holy ;oracles, That thefe Three ·are one God; and judge, that, accord_ing to the fcrip(ure, it may b~ fafdy fa id, that God, effentially, confidered, was the party· con– tracter in the perfon of the Father. Hereby it is owned, that the Son an.d the holy Ghofl: have their part in the covenant, on Heaven's fide, as the party offended by man's fin : and, in the mean time, a peculiar agen– cy, in this great work of power, :omd authority, on that fide, is attributed to the Father ; 'as there is unto the Son on man's fide. ' And that, of the party-con tracrer on Heaven's fide, we ma_y conceive aright in _this matter; thefe two 'things are, in the .firfi place, to be taken notice of, I. He from all oternity ·decreed .the .creation ofm~n after , J:i~? own ·image, and the making of the covenant of works with him, in time. "All things, brought forth in time,, lay from eternity in the womb of God's de– cree; in virtue whereof, they have their being in time: for which caufe, the decree is faid to bring forth, as a woman d~th a child;Z~ph. ii. 2. And the creation of ,angels and men,with the providence about them,made -many lin.es in the volume of the .fealed book of"the d~crees. God felf-fufficient needed neither man nor / ail gel ; but for the manifefl:ation of his. own glory, · he purpofed from eternity to create them: and, more·· over, to enter into fuch a covenant with man, as one fhould therein reprefent the whole family ; fovereign ,pleaffire mean while taking another method with the ingelic.tribe: but withal, pl;lrpofing to give both the cm..e and the other a fu.fficien t ability tQ iboQ in their - , ·\ntC• .. '
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