88 An E.xpojition of the Epijlle ~ fame word is uled that here we meet with;) [Father) I thank thee that I bott Serm.Vll. bafl hidthefe thmgs from the wt{e a"d prudent o11es, a11d revealed thmt to ~ BtZ6es; [evt1J fo Father it pieafed thee,] [g, ~md)'i~~~ ~W}wJ<l!. ip.'if"e9.3~v<T11·] The~e.. fore(fays Pifi:ator) Reprobation is an aa of God's good pkajt~r. of his Wt!l, tU wefJ t>S E/e{/io11 is. My Anfwer to this is, . . Fitfi, Th•t when he there thanks lm Father, and fays, It wtU hts goodplea– {ttre, this hath not ~elation fo much unto God's reprobating others, as to his revealing of thofe thmgs unto thefe Babes ; only tlus lus good pleafure towards them, is fet off by his hiding it from others whom he reprobateth. The like manner of fpeech we have in many other Scriptures, both irt the Old Tefiament and the New ; as Rom.6.17. when P aulfays, God be tha1tkedye were the Ser– vants of fi"; but 11ow have obeyed,f~c. His thanking God bath no reference at all to their having been the Servant• of fin, limply as luch conf1dered; but unto their having beeri now converted, and fo obe) ed, &c. only comparatively the Morcy of their converfton, is fet forth by their having been the Servants of fin. So here, Chrifi gives thanks only for the converting ot thefe Babes, and not for the reprobatingof any. Only he mentions their reprobation and rejdlion, as that which made this benefit the greater, and his good pleafure in !hewing his free Grace the more vifible and apparent. But, Secondly, Whatever God willeth, may in a general fenJe be called hugood pleajttre; for if it 'did not pleafe him, he would not will jt. But fiill it is not fa id there, (as here it is) that it was thegood pleajtm [of his wilt.] The Phrafe there bath not that Adjea11m, that addition to it, that here it bath, The mean– ing whereof is, That of all the. things that. God ":illeth, this alone (compara– tively) is hisgood pleajitrt: He IS pleafed With nothmg that he willeth fo as he is with this, It is true, he damneth Men; but he doth it as a Judge that con– oemneth a MalefaCl:or wnh a kmd Cif regret and d1fpleafure. And this may be truly faid of it, that it is a mix'd aCl:10n; God hath fomething in him that moves him to the contrary; for he loveth ~~s Creature, only other ends prevail. But when he cometh to fave Men, here 1s the good pltafure of his will· his whole heart is poured forth in this, Jerem, J2· 41. I wilt affitredty eflablijh them with my whole Mart, mid with my whole Jottl. God, when he !hews mercy, wheh h~ predefiinates unto glory, he cloth. it with his. whole heart; there is notluog m h1m to contrad1Cl: lt; here IS no mixture m tlus, all that is in him,agreeth with it. It is therefore not only according to his good Will· but it is the top and height of his Will , the mofi pleafing thing unto him or' all the things that he wi!leth: Itis a_ccording_ to the good pleajitre of his Will. Tbus you have that wh1ch IS the ch1ef Caufe, ( wluch I call the determining Caufe,) namely, the Will of God, the good pleajitre of hJS Wtll; that was it that caufed him to predefimate, Now let us come to the other, the End that "!oved God, even the praife af theglorj of his Grace. And here (for Exphcatwn) take notice of the diffe– rence between the Glory of his Grace, and the Prmfeof that Glory. This Glory of his Grt~ce here fpoken of, is that glorious Attribute itfelf,which is God's Effence, which was in itfelf glorious, and had continued, fo though no Creature had been predefiinated: But the [Praife] of that Glory, is that hold– ing forth of the glory of this Grace, that Men might praife it, and give glory to it. So then, conceive thus of it; The Lord had Grace in him, glorious Grace; that was his Effence. And that which moved him to predellinate us, was, that this Grace of his mightbe praifed. ~his is the "!caning of thefe words [to the prmfe of theglory of hts Grace.] It IS all one With what you have, R um.g, n, 23. He wtU wilti11g to makt k1IOWIJ the riches of' his Glory 011 the ve{fels of Mercy. God had riches of Glory in him: yea, but (faith he) I will make it known; this wll~ it that moved him: yet not fo, but that he could have done otherwife, he needed not to have tared for it, But his Will determining to go lorthof himfelf to glorifie himfelf, he will do it topurpofe; he will lay open all the riches that are in him to the praife of the glory of his Griff#, (as here you have it.) And
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