86 An .Expofition of the Epiftle ~ {lands all things by his Elfence: fo as that only was the caufe that caft that de– Serm. VI. termination in his Will to the decreeing any thmg at all ; yet fo, as notwith– ~fiandingthepraifeof the glory of hisGraceorPowcr,&c. mull be faid to have moved him in the ACI:: and this, although th1s Prmfeof '"'·Glory be a thing out of himfe!f, as indeed it is ; for it is that Jhine or refult of h1s glory that arifes out of all in the hearts of Angels and Men, But though tlus Pra1fe be not Ef– fentially God, yet it is God's; it is relatively his, and it is his peculiar. And fo to fay, that it moves him in Predellinating, IS all one as to fay, that Himfelf moves himfelf; for this Praife relates to himfelf, and fo he is fnid to make a/J thi11gs for himfelj, that is, for the praife of himfelf; which Praife yet is not bim!Clf E1Temially, but his Re.l.atively. Now, even fo the glory of the Second Perfon, to be manife!led in the Human Nature through that Hypollatical Union, is a thing out of God : It is not the Perfon of his Son,but it is relatively his Sons; and fo moves him in the fame order that the Prai{e of tbeglory uf bis Grau did. Ooly to prevent millakes, take in thefe four Cautions. Fir(/, That take tl1e Human Nature which was affumed, and that as in·God's fimple Intelligence it came up before him, as all Ours did; and it was not any thing in that Human Nature that moved him to prede!linate it, or any thing elfe for it. Nor was the glory of that Human Nature made the End in the ACI: of Predellinatiog; but it was the glory of the Second Perfon only , which God faw might be more fully manifelled in this Perfonal limon than any other way : That was it that moved him, and that was made the end of all. For otherwife the alfuming of an Human Nature was as meer an ad: of Grace, as to Predelli– nate any of us was : yea, Chrill might have a!fumed, (take all things as they lay in a poffibility before him) any Human Nature elfe unto that dignity, as well as that which he did a1Tume. The SecondCaution is, That much lefs were Chrill's Merits coofidered as any Motive unto God. They are but aCl:ions which are Means of Cbrill's glory, and fo far lefs than the glory of his Perfon, and fo are to him but as God's works are to himfelf. lt was therefore the glory of his Perfon alone that can (in the bu– fmefs we now fpeak of) be any way called a Motive. And that Th1rdly, Not u11to the Ad:, but in the ACI:; for as for the ACI: it felf, God's Will call it beyond the force of the ftmple confideration of any fuch ex– trinleeal glory that could arife unto him or any of the Three Perfons. Nothing without himfelf raifed up that Will in him : only, INter pr,edeflitwmdum, in the Ad: of Predellinating he fet up this glory of the Three Perfons, as the End for which he contriv'd and ordained all things, which mull needs be; for if the Tennim<f, or Purpofe of his Will was works without himfelf , then the encou– ragin~ Motive to thofe works is fuitably Jhort of Glory, which arifeth to him out ot thefe. And, F'ourtb!y, That Chrifi and his Glory wa• fet up as the End, is not to be undcrHood, as if God by one fingle ACI: or Decree did firll prede!linate Chri!l: and Ins Glory, and then by a new and di!linCl: ACI: chafe us for him. But that God having his whole Platform, both about Him and Us in one entire view be– fore him, predeflinated all by one entire ACI:; yet fo as in predellinating us, he was moved by the Glory which Chrill Jhould have in us, whom he predellinated togeth.er with us, as both his End in Predellinating us, and our End alfo ; and accordmgly d1d mould thts whole contrivement fo, as we and all things elfe might moll advance the glory of Jefus Chrill, as was his due, SER-
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