Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

An Expo[ition of the Epi~le ~ had let things go on fo, there would have b~en a perpetual hazard of_ the Angels Serm. XI. departing and lcattering from him: The thmgs on Earth th~y a&,ually fell from V""V"""o.J him the other were in danger, and therefore God to make all fitft and fure, ord;ineth a fecond Union, and a gathering together again in Chrifi. To explain both thefe knittings t9 God (it will, as I faid it would, contain the whole defign ofGc;d both of Creation andthe inflaur.ation .of tn~ Creaturein Chrifl and R.edempnon and what ever elfe ;) To explain I fay th1s double kmt– ting t~ God, this knitting the firfi time,.and knitting again, I !hall do thefetwo things. I !hall lirfi !hew you, what Umon at firflm common, the good Angels, and thofe that are now bad,and man, and all had with God. And then Secondly, the necefftty of a further Union for their perpetual and everlafring ftanding in Grace, and their enjoying their full Glory in Heaven. · For the firfi, to !hew what this fame firfr Union and gathering of all Crea– tures both in Heaven and on Earth, in common, was, lt was by their Creation and the Covenant thereof: that Covenant that paffeth between God merely as a Creator, unto them as his Creatures, which was common both to good Angels that fiand, and them thatfell, and man in his innocency who alfo felL Now, my Brethren, this you muft know, th.r although Man was created on Earth, and the Angels created in Heaven, in a higher condition of knowing and enjoy~ ing God; yet fo as take them merely as creatures, and as a Covenant fuall pafs between God the Creator,and :hem,they are both under the farne Law ofNature, fo as they may fall from their condition as well as man; and there was no Law either of Nature or Jufiice between God and the Creature, could any way ob– lige God to uphold and to maintain them; thus flippery was the firfi Union, lim– ply confidered as.creatures.l need not .fiand to lhew you how bothA.ngels and Meri were at firflunitcd to God. Adam he is called the So11 of God, Lt,k. 3• ult. by creation. And the Angels they are called the SoilS of God, as they were firfl made, when they were holy and ftanding holy, Job.~8. 7· United then they were both to God. And in the Second place, although we cannot fay that there was a perfeC!: affo– ciation between Angels and Men, then in the ftate of innocency, as now under the llate of Grace there is (which I !hewed you before) and !hall be for ever; but that Angels !hould remain in their Heaven, and Man !hould have remained on his Earth: The firjl Ma11 (faith he) iJ of the Earth earthly•; he fpeaks of Man at befl. I am not of the mind of fome of thofe Modern Divines that have faid,that the Sin of the Angels was this,that God did fend them down upon Earth to attend Man; this they ftomached, and tempted Man to fin, and that was their Sin. There is no ground of that at all, to think that under the Law of Nature, the elder !hould ferve the younger; it is a priviledge we have by Chrifr, they are his Minif/ritJg Spirit•, Jn1tforth to mi11i{/erfor them, thatjha!J be the heir' of SalvatiotJ,Heb.J .14.Yet concerning the affociation ofboth then,we may fay this; That it is mofi certain,that the fame things whereby Adam knew God, by the fame things did they know God ; though alfo in a further degree,and in a higher meafure, And therefore, as before I faid, there was an affociation both of Angels and Men in this refpeC!:, that Angels themfelves do l?ry into the things of the Gofpel, and fo are pre(ent to our All'emblies; fo likewtle in this refpeC!:, both Angels and Man then had a kind of Affociation in this, that the Angels themfelves took in the Glory of God from things here below. They rejoyced when they faw the World made, when they faw God to limn out the World, and fill up that fir!\ Draught of the Chaos as he did, and when he brought Man in the Lord of all. That you have an exprefs place for, Jpb 38.7. He faith,That whm the jotmdatio11S of the Earth were laid, tbe A11ge!J (that were created the firfi day with the Heavens) tbeyjhot~tedfor jO)'• The Mor11ing Stars (faith he) Ja11g together, a11d all tbe So11s of God jhoutedfor jO)'· They are called the Mortmmg Stars, becaufe they began early to glorifie God, they were Mattttl11a, and they are called So111 of God, it is faid they all jbottted for joy; and if they ll1outed for joy when theFoundations ofthe Earth were laid,certainly then when Man was made: they ftood by as SpeC!:ators to fee God (I fay) limo out the World, and perleC!: it in Man's Creation. So that though Man ll10uld not have known, nor knew things from Heaven; yet they knew things on Earth, and therefore

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