to theE P H E S I AN S. 97 mentioned io the 8thVerfe; [He bath abounded to liS in all W,fdom, (rhe prin- ~:' ciple of Faith,) and Prudmce,) which is the principle of Holinefs, (as Inter-~ preters carry lt.) . . Now obferve; what IS common to thefe two feveral forts of Bleilings? . Firjl, They come from God's Decree, both the Three latter and the T hree former. How this is true of the three former, ) ou have already feen. We were E!eEled tbbe Holy, and Prede(/mated to Adoptio>z, accordmg to the good p!ea{ttreof his wtli,Wc. And the three latter do depehd upoh the fam e good pleafure cif IllS WJ!I from cverlafbhg; [In whom we h.<ve reden;ptz"'!• We. ac~ carding to tht good pleafure of hts WJ!t, ver,9. So that, Gods good plenfure ;; as well the fountain of thefe Three latter fort of Mercies , (and therefore cometh in the R.eer of them too,) as it was of the three former. And fo Eraf. mtu faith, that this, [accorditzg to the good pleajitre of" his wdl,] referreth as well unto Redemptioll and Forgivmej's of fills, as it cloth to Callmg t<r and giving us Wijdom and Prude11ct. · Secolld!J•, They have this likewife common unto them; That there is Free Grace in them both : For the Apofile fpeaklng of the firfl fort of Ble!liogs, he faith, [He hathchofe1l Its, andpredeflwatedtls to the proi(e of the glory of his Grace, whereill he h.:tb made liS acupted '" the !leloved:] and then coming to. the other fort of Ble!lings, at the yt'h Verfe he faith, [We have •·edemptiolt a11d forgivene{s of jiiJs, according1o the riches of his Grau.] And then it follows, {ltzwhich (namely Grace) he hath abounded towards M 10 converting us alfo; ver. 8.] So that Hill here is Free Grace in both. . . And, Thirdly, They are both forts ill Cbn~. God Chofe us 111 C!mjl; Prede. fl:inated us thro11gh Chrijl, and Accepted us in the !Jetoved: There is the firfl: folt, In wbom we have redemption, iwd the {orgivme/S of fins thro11gh his blood: There is the fecond fort. We have all in and through Chrif\ i both the' one fort of Ble!lings and the other. Thefe arc common to them all. . . But before I come to expouod thefe words in the y,8,and gth Verfes, arid give you Obfervitio·ns out of them; give me leave from the Conoexion, and the A~ poilles thbs ranking thefe Bleilings into thefe two forts~ to give you in my .tranfi– tion between them the greateft matter of note (that I koow of) I can corn• mend to you, and it lhews their diflinCl:ioll'. In thefe Verfes (take tbem all together from the 4thVerfeto the xoth) the Apof\le feems to hold forth unto us two feveral parts of God's Decree, Two de– figns contained in.it; and thefe, framed according to thofe two ranks of Blef~ fings before-mentiOned. There are two Parts( I fay) of the Myflety of God's Will towards us from everlafling. Two contrivements that God had to"' ards us poor .Creatures; and both of tl1em (as you will fee in the handling of them) infinitely gl6r;ous. · · The Oneis, the Decree of the End that God hat!l. '8rdained to" bring us unto; 'Decrttumfinis: • · The other is 'Decret11m vi£,or mtdii,the Decree oftheWay throughwhichGod leads us in bringing tls to that End. Divines ufe to diflinguiili them thus, terming the on~ 'Decretum Intkntionis; the Decree of Go~'s uim'of\ l11tmtion to us; the other 'Decretum Exewti011is,the Decree of his Exectttiltg or bringi·og about the thing~ intended; and is likewife by them called '])rcret11m Mrdiorflm, but I ra– ther call it 'Decretum r:ia. The: diflinCl:ion is common arirong Divines; but ~ find but few that apply trunto thts Scnpture (though fonne do it,) And we ih'all fee thefe words naturally to part themfelves into tl)efe two Decrees. .'. Here are God's D'ecrees. concerning the End unto which he tilean·eth to bnng us, or about what he meaneth to do with us and make us td be at the !aft. He intendeth t~ make us perfeCtly holy and perfealy glorious, like his so·o; he meaneth to dehght mus for ever,as confidered in his Beloved. And thefe Decrees the 4, 5, and 6th Verfesdo contain. . 2. Her~ are the Decrees cif the Way un.to this End; that is, of what ih~ll fall out to us 10 Ins leadmg us thropgh this way Unto this lind; namely, per(ra Hoti11efl,Giory,.Wc. ~ndot what lhall betide us ere we com'e to enjoy alt this. The Apoflle plamly mumates unto us, that we lhall fall both into Sill and into Mifery, and fo have need of a Redeemer.This fame Head we were chofen in;mufl come to 0 redeem
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