to theE PH E S 1 AN S. We have feen and explicated two of thofe 13leilings intended to us and bel1:ow- ~ ed 011 us from everlaf\ing. Firl1:, Eldtion in Chrift to be perfectly holy, as we~ /hall be in Hea ven; (for God lool<t at his works,as he would make them to be at Jaf\.) And Secondly, l'redeflwatJOII to that Glory, tln~Adoptton, or bemg a Son of God bringeth WJth It. Now follows a Tlurd benefit [wherem (faith the ApofUc,) he h,ub made Uf accepted i11 tbe 6etoved.] This I am now to fpeak to, and fo to proceed. . . [ <x:<eh•mJ [ He h,,th made zu accepttd,] I muf\ open the force and fignificati9ri of tlus word Flrf\. It is as much as if he nad fa1d he bath made us, Cht>ros, dear to him, out of God's free groce he bath made us pleafant unto him in the bel~ved; fo faith Cdvm. T be p,,p,fls, they would have the word to figmfie God s be– llowing inherent grace of holinefs upon us, and making us gr•cious or holy; And that which perverts them in this their IoterpretatwnJs, then aJtnmg to magmhe the Vu·gi~t M ,Jr)'; for the word here ll1 the Ongmal1s ufcd but once befides m all the New Tef\ament, and that is, Luke 1. 28. [Thou art h1ghly favouud, (!)c.] (it was fpoken by the Angel unto Mary.) So we tranllate it , but they read it [ Thvuart futt of gua, J They will needs carry this word to inherent grace in us that fo by this the fulnefs of grace in the V•rgi11 Mar;•may be extolled; that lh~ being, and that God forefeeing her fo full of grace, haJ therefore chofen her to be the Mother of Chrift. But the word is (in rcfpedof us) a Pailive word, and indeed a made word, ufurpcd by the Apol1:1e himfelf for his purpofe; and [there in Luke) fignifieth this, that God made her acceptable to him, and call: an infinite favour upon her, And this is proved by what is faid in the jO. verfe of the fame Chapter, [Fear not,Mary,for thou hajlfouttdjBvour with God; J it was not that fl1e had grace in her, but that God had caf\ grace and favour upon her. So that the meaning of the word is, He bath rmdredtt~ accepta6te orgra– ciotu ; or ( moll: litly in one word,) he hath lt1gratiatedus. The meaning is,nor that God fore-faw grace in us; but that he caf\ his favour upon us, and fettled his delight in us. He made us dear, precious, and delightful to himfelf. And this to be the meaning of the word, and not that (as the Papif\s would have it,) appears, Firf\, Becaufe the Apoflle had mentioned the bleiling of inherent holinefs be– fore, [to6e hot;• before himi11 love,] and alfo mentions Converlion and Rege– neration, the imperfed work of Faith and Holinefs in this life afterwards, in verfe 8. . . And Secondly, It appeareth likewife by what followeth, [in his beloved;] that is, as he hath loved Tefus Chril1:, and delighted in him: fo in this his Beloved he loveth, pleafeth himfCif in, and deliglueth in us. This is the meaning of his [maki11g 11s accepted ill the beloved.] In the Interpretation of thefe words i have not a little been troubled , unto what rank to refer this 13\eiling. Whether I lhould refer it to a pnrt of Juftili– cation, ( wl1ich, we know, confifieth of thefe two Particulars, ForgivmefJof ji11s, and Acceptatioltol 011r Perjims,) and fo this to be a part of our Jul1:ifica– tion in Chrifl beflowed upon us in time here in this life, or whether I lhould in– terpret it of an Action of God pafl towards us from evcrlal1:ing , ( fuch as are Election and Predel1:ination,) and that Action as including alfo a Bleiling prin– cipally intended to our perfons unta everlal1:ing, and afterthis life,fuch as I have /hewed you perfect holinefs and Adoption to be. I confefs , in the end I endined unto the latter;and found that ZatJchy is with me in it. And I will give you thefe Reafons tor lt, why ItIS not meant fo much of that acceptation ofour perfons , wh•ch:s a part of JuflJiic~tion, (though it may include that alfo,) and that ac– ceptatwn of our perfons IS the fruit of this,) but rather referreth to an eternal Ad towa~ds us, and an eternal Bleiling even to eternity to be befiowed on us. For firl1:, Jt runn_eth m the fame key with the other two, He hath 6trfied ur, and He bath chofmUf; fo He batb acceptedur; they are all fpoken in the time pall:; Whereas when he cometh to Redemetion or Juflilication, he changeth the Phrafe and Tenfe, ], whom we [have J Redemptio11, Therefore I call: this [ha– vmg ~cceptedus.] mto the former rank, with having chofen and blelfed us from ctermry ; as noung out three prime in!tanccs ofGod's eternal love, N2.
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