An ExpoFtion of the Epifole , r-....Af' ]11 a/J tbeir afJ!iffiolls be waa t11Jliffed, the Jil<e mExodtu, -- Snrn.lll. But then another quef\ion, (to drive the matter home to its head,) and that o../V"\.1 is · what is it in God, or in the Creature, makes them to be m fo fpectal manner hi; own, who or what hath pwtio great a differeoce?Nothing but Election,which follows in the next; .Accord111g as he hatb cbofm ur. There IS .Aqtuatts his m quantum, fo far as he loved us, fo far he hath blef\ us, with fpectal blelTings ap propriatc fuitable thereunto.Now the fundamental therefore ol all and ofthe diffe– rence is, he makes us firf\ hu Own 6y tove,by thatJpecwt love JP.ecta!ly hu Ow.u. And which is the Head I approach next to, he becameour God jirjl, mzdour Fa. ther, and chofe us fo to be his a~ none elfe is. And then we were aliquidJui, !omething of himfelf and hu ow11 indeed, by fpccial propriety; you have this in effect, in tl)ot B· of Ejizy; 8, 9• So.hewasthezrSaviourmtdifo Redeem– ed them. But in Termi11is, in more exprefs words, m the two particular rela– tions fpecified. He firf\ made himfelf and became our God, a11dour Father, and ehen to be fure we are his own. I. God ble!Teth us,as having firf\ become our God ; 'tis true indeed, that GodM God, is full of ble!Tednefs in himfelf, and that is it which provokes him to com– municate b!elTings to his Creatures. God u good and dothgood,fays the Pjalmij/, and fo Godid ble{{ed, (an all-fufficiency ofall good,) mtd[o befloweth bl~(/i11gs; but yet know, that thofe he communicates himfelf in blef1ing unto, he tirf\ be– comes their God. And then having taken that relation on him, he pours forth all his ble!Tednefs and bleiiings on them, fo Pfatm. 67. 6. God evm our ow11 God jbatl blejs tu, and when he is once fo become, and hath taken upon him to be our God, he cannot but blefs us; there is therefore befides that Emphafis put upon it, a Vuplicate made of it in the P(alms, it is a fecond time repeated, and faid, God Jhat! 6/ej.r tu; he cannot but do it, having made himfelf our God, and our ow11 God tothat, Godevmourow11 Godjba!161ejstu,verf.7. Yea, and they all would not be bleiiings to us at all, unlefs God had firf\ become our God, and bleft us with giving himfelf to us. And whence came that, that he became o11r God, otJr ow11 God? Why?by choofing us to be his, which was done by Ele&ion entire– ly both at once together, which is the very import of that fpeec(1, thi11e they were, lays Chrif\; thofe fpeeches or claufees, fay Interpreters, do mutually fpeak eachother; As wfay,thi11e they were by El•ffi01t,and thougavejlthem me; or ta fay ,by EleEfion they became thi11e,thou EleEfedjl them. You have the like unto it in the fame !fay. 65. 8. For he (God namefy) Jaid (as within himfelfof Old,) jt~reiJ they are my People, and therefore alfo Chitdrm tbat will uot lie , mtd{o he was their Savioter. And that which anfwereth and agrees to this too, is that other fpeech of Chrif\s, Luke x8. 7· bu ow11 EleEf; and then you have Election by which they are made his own, and all to meet in their being jome– thiHg of hu ow11 indeed. TJus for the firf\, his becoming our God, firf\ on pur– pofe to blefs uso If therefore we would have any, or all bleJliogs from God, we muf\ firf\ feel< of him to be our God; and then as the 'Pfalmif/, their God even our God , will blefs us, he will be fure to do it, npon the fame account and for the fame end and purpofe he became our Father, 11. God 6/effetb tls under the re/ati011 of our Fatber, the lirf\ on Earth that e– vertook upon them to blefs others, and brought up that cuf\om, (or as I may fay fafhion) of blef1ing, were thofe that bore the relation of Fathers; their hearts were filled with the greatefl }Qve and good will to their own Children, a natural <lt:l'" did blefs them, thatis,wifh well to them, and their hearts being en· larged to wi(h them more good then they found themfelves able to bellow; t·hey had recourfe to God to blefs them, and perform their delires, as that which was not in their own power to do. So the Patriarchs, whoble!Ted their Chil– dren and Pof\erity, and were the firf\ of men,that brought in this way of expref– fing their good will , which we call 61ef!iug, (as Mofes termetl1 Gods ble/JiTJg, amanife(\ation of goodwillborntohim, whomhebleffes, Veut. 15·•6. in his bleiiing from God the feveral Tribes, andfor tbe goodwilt ( fays he,) of him tfMt dwelt m tbe Bujb, (which was Chrzjl appearing to Mofes, Exod. 5• 2. ) · ./Jfts 7· ;z, n H·) 1ft the 6/ejfing come upo11 the hrfJd of Jojeph, a11d upo11 thr top
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