to theE P HE SI A N S. SERMON VII. Ep HE s. I. s' 6. 5· ._-According to tbe good pleafure of his wiU. 6. To the praife of the glory ~f his Grace, wherein h'd bath made Uf accepted in the Beloved. I Come to thofe other two Caufes mentioned in the Text; as, . '· The efficient and principal Caufe that cafl it ; and that is nieei"ly the good pleajitre of bis wr/J.. . . And, 2.Here is another Mouve,befides the Glory of Chnfl before-menttoned ; and that is,The praif"eof theglory of" God's Grace.[ Accordi11g to thegoodpleaji~r~ of his w ill, to the pra1{e a11d the glory of his Grace.]The on~ is mentioned lirfl, as that which did only cafl: the Act, and move God to Prede!hnate : The other, as that which yet moved him in the Ad it felf. Now for the Explication of both thefe in general, :you m~y thus.conceive the difference between them. God, blelfedforever, dehberatmg (as ttwere) Wtth himfelf whether he lhould make any Creature, or no; whether he lhould decree ;ny Children unto himfelf, or his Son to take Human Nature; that which ca£1: the matter was meerly thegood pleajitre of his wi/J, He might have been bleffed for ever without this: he needed not have c~red to make fo much as one Creature, nor to ordain the Second Perfons a{[umption of an Human Na– ture to glorifie him: He needed not that external praifo of" the glory of his Grace, that arifeth from us: He was glorious enough without all this. What cafl: it then? Nothing but thegoodpleafitre of his wi/J. Here .is God's Prero– gative and Ble{[ednefs. And the Reafon, why nothing but God's own Will could move him to it, is 1 becaufe all that the Creature can be to him, or do for him, falleth lhort of him, and of the glory due Unto him. Neh.g.j. Blefithe Lord your God: bleffidh his gloriour Name, which u exalted above aft blejft11g n11d prai(e. God is a" bovc all blefling and praife; for him therefore to aim at the praife of his Grace, this was not motive fufficient to determine his Will limply to do it. It was his own Will that meerly ca£1: it; only it being determined to predeftinate Crea– tures, it propounded to it felf the praife of the glory of God's Grace, Wzjdom 1 and other his Attributes; and fo they move him in predeftinating, though not to Prede!linate. 8;7 ~ Serm.Vlf. ~ More particularly, For the Firfl, The efficient determining caufe of Predefii. nation : (If you obferve it,) it is not only put upon God's Wi/J, but upon the good plenfi<re of his will: fo faith the Text. And this alfo is to be conlined only to that part of his Decrees of Election, and predeflinating Men unto falva– tlOn: So as between thole Decrees and all other there is this difference, Th~t when other things, and making of other Creatures are fpoken· of, the Decrees aboutthemareonlyputuponhisWill; as Ephefz.rr. He worketh a/J thi?Igs accordmg to the. cowifet of his OWit wilt, barely his own Will. But when he comes to predeflmate, and to fave poor Creatures by Chrifl: 1 there comes in [the goodpleaji1re of his wilt]as the determining caufe; He prer!r(/i11ated 11 {ac- 'r cor~i?tg to thegood plea(Ure of his will,] [)(g.?et 'TI)vCMI'oxlav 'T'W !nAft,w.t1triTGCthl!;] that is, Sec 2 he~~~, :r"hts ts the flrengt~, the height of his whole will; this •is the chief _pleafure of tt, even to predeflmate us for Chrifl; Pifcator upon Matt.z z.26. l where the fame
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