An Expofttion of the Epiflle - ----- r--./'--/ redeem us, and oGr Sins mufl be forgiven, and we mufl be Called, and mufl have Serm.VIl. Faith; and all thefe things wrougnt in us before we can come to He:ven .. T his is ~ the Decree of the Mtam 'Decrrt11m Vz,e,as the other IS 'Decret11mPatn,e,) V111 and Patrza you know is a~ old dif\inGl:ion ;) and this !otter is exprelied in the 7,8, ahd gthVerfes. . . . For this diflinction Jtfelf,you lball find It founded upon Scnpture; as Heb. 2. 10. where the Apollle fpeaking, tl1at God hrzd ordained Chrif\ to 6e the ..Aztthor, Gaptairz ane! Leader [Jrx.,f&-] of our Salvtlllon. The Apo!Ue fays, Thus.zt became him ut brwgiug ma11y Su11s m to Glory. Sp we tranilate It: the words m the On– gina! ~re [m"''"''''i,&~.,<,:>-6'1"'] [l11 leadmg many Sons rmto glory.] Here you lee is the .Giory which God means to bnng us unto as the End,and here IS a w0' implied, through which he bds us unto th•t Glory. Here is the Ca11aa11,and here is the Wilderuefs through wluch we are to pafs onto 1t. And as we are thus or– dained to an End, and led through a way unto it; fo is our R.cdcemci too. You lball find the Scripture fpeaking in the fame language concerning him alfo: So Pf~I. IIO. 7.the 'f'jalmijl fpeaking of Chriil, tells us what he lhall be in Heaven; v. 1. Szt thou atrnyright hand,f!tc. but before he comes thither, he jha/1 driuk of the brook in the way. Our Saviour Chriil is ordained to drink of futnefs of plra– Jitre in Heaven at the end. .At thy right ba11d (fays Chriil, Pjal.' 6,1 1. which .P{a!mwas written of him) are pleajitres forewrmore. Rivers of pleafure (as they are called elfewhere ;) but he mufi drink of a bitter Cup before he comes thither; he mull drmk of tht brook 6y the way. So that God had another De– cree about him too, even the Decree of the Way. Now to fum up all; If you fpeak of what God hath ord•ined us unto as the End and llluc oi all, it is contained in the 4,),and 6th Verfes,to be perfeCl:ly holy, and perfeGl:ly happy, and for God perfec:tly to del,ght in us; this is the end and up010t unto whicu God meancth to bring us,. But by the way, (to mal<e the end and c<)nclufion of a\l'the more illuflrious,) God, in :!lid by the lame everlailmg Decree, ordained to permit the Fall of thefe his EleGl:. So that inf\ead of thefe three, perftC! Holmefs , perfeC! Glory, and perfeC! .Acceptatio11with God, he throws you into a condition wherein you are pnfeC!{y ""''oiJ', perfeC!Iy unhapfJ.y, and perfeC!Iy baJifrtl unto him (as in your felves confidered.) This is an accident that falls out by the way; you lhall fee who will cure it prefently. Inflead oi perteGl: Holinefs, here you have nothing but Sin; infiead of Glory,and being the Childrm of Godby .Adoptio11, you have nothing but Hell, and then being the Chzldrm of wrath; at)d inflead of being accepted by God, you are made a Curfe; Curfed is every one that continuttb 1101 ifl all tbat is writtm zn tl>u Buok to do it. This Curfe feizeth upon all Mankind, and upon your felves although eleCl:ed to the contrary. Here God's firfi defign about the End unto wluch he means to bnng us, feems utterly dai!Jt and fpoiled; and we are as far off from all that Glory intended as po!libly could be imagined. And what does God order then? Even that this Chriil, God-Man,he in whom he chofe us, and he to be a Head unto us from everlafiing, who is the Capttti1J of ou.– falvation (as he is called in that place before. named;) that he fhould come and tal<e frail tlelh; come in the lzkenefs o{ji11ful .flcfb, and become our Redeemer, [It~ whon: we huv~redemptioiJ through hJS /;food.] Through him (lays God) I w11l forgive all their Sms mto wh1ch they are fallen, (as the word here ufcd for Sins fitly_exprelieth it, [,.es<"'i"':"'"'•J and though they have nothing but unho– hnefs, Wickednefs, and unbehd in them ; yet I will abound towards them in all W1fdom and Prudence, and turn them unto me and that in this life · and then bring them to that perfect Holinefs and Glory, ~nd to that perfect Acceptation Wtth me m the World to come, that I have ordained them unto. 'r ,, ' SRR.- , ('
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=