to theE P H E SI A N S. ~ But though this be moll true, and is one great part of the meaning of thcfe Jem;. V. words; yet this is not a/1, or the \\•hole, as I fhall prove by thefc three or fopr ~ Reafons ; which when l have done, I Will fh~w) o~ what I apprehend is tO make up the full and clear fcope and meanmg of them, ( I Jh,Jl only mention what Reafons the Text affordeth.) Firft therefore, If you interpret the words [He t~rtlb cho(Nttts in him,] that is, [!o be] in him;. you put in [robe,] which is £rot in the Text. Whereas ~his is the plain read1ng o! .the words [He both cho(nt us 11t htm ;] and therefore 1f there be a fenfc wheremit Qlay be abfolutely fa1d (as refernng to the ACt of E– leCtion it(elf) thot we were [b,ifm in htm, withom putting in ailY fuch wbrds; 1t would be much fairer. Secondly, Jr is fa id [He chofe us ittbim_ b_;fore the {otmd'ltio?J of tbe. World,] who rherctore would not refer this [m hm;J unto [before the fotmd,ttJoll of the itorld,] as well as thanhe ACt of choojing us to have been before the founda– tion of the World: and (o God chofe us then t11 bun? Whereas 1f that had beeri the meaning, he only chofe 11s to be in Chnfl in future times which were to come after t:le foundorion of the World; the expreffion [m h1m] lhould have come 1ri after t:wfe words [thefomtdatiO?J of' the world,] as well as the Thing itfelf doth. But, He choje us m him before the fotmdatton of the World; fo as [m htm] feemeth to refer as well to [bffore the fottlldtt!Jott of thr World,] as tO God's cbooji11g us before the foundat.on of the World. · Thirdly, Whereas it is faid, That [itt him] referreth to the words following 1 [TIMI wejhot~ld be bob mtdwithotttb!ame, C9c.]we fee here is a mighty Ch<Jjma,a gre.r Gulph between.thefc two, [cboojing. us m hn11] and [th,zt we jhou!d 6e holy :] for here is [before the formdattoll of the world] comes between. If in– deed tile Apo(\)e had faid, [He bath cho(e11 tts before thefotmdation of the world, ill him th.ll we)houldbe ho!y,C9c.J or ~that wejbould be hofy Z1J h1m,] there had then been fome colour for it: But he faah plamly, [He bath cho(ett us 111 h;m before thef ott?Jdatiolt of the world,] [bt hnn J cometh in before [the foundation of tht world. ] So that it feemeth this [ i11 him] referreth to the ACt of Chooling. · And then again there is this Fourth great Reafon for it : He had faid in the third Verfe, [He bath 6/effid us with all fPiritua! 6/ejJi11gs i11 Chrif/,] and then in the fourth and fifth Verfe• he inftanceth in Election and Predellination, J' 1 cut elegit, as if h·e had faid, For examples fake, or for explanations fake, to give yolj an inftance, .According M he bath eleCfedus i11 him, Now mark it by this co– herence, Either Eledion is taken for the ACt of bleiling us (as I fa id before ) or for a Bleiling wherewith God h•th bleffed us: And if either of both it 'is enough for the thing in hand; it mull be i11 Chnjl, ·and this before thefo~n4attolt of the World: And fo we were eleded mChnll then, as well as jullilied in Chrift in the fulnefs of time. · And then, Fifthly, I find that other Scriptures do back this Interpretation That [itt him] lhould have relation not only to the things decreed us as thJ caufe of them; but have reference to the Act itfelf of cboo;ing. And'this not only that Scripture I before mentioned, 2 Trm.1.g. [He bath givm iu gracr iti Chr;f/ before the world wm ;] but alfo tbat m the third of this. Epi!lle, v. I I , [Accordmgtotheetemal purpoje, whzch he pt~rp?fedi?JChri{l.] Mark jt, [In Chrzfl] cometh.m that place .not only for die thtng purpo(ed, but in relatjotj to the Purpofe It felf ;· and this Purpofe rs eternal, [ Accordittg to thr eternat purpofe wh;ch hr purpofed m Chr~fl:J So that [Choojing tts i11 him ] the meaning is not only, To6t 111 him in the fulnefs of time, or that he lhould be the ca~fe of all the Things unto which we are chofen,only ; but the Choice itfeif in fome fen[~ or orher, is in him, that is, the Ad itfelf, [ Accordit~t to ibg et~rnal purpoft which hepurpojedilt Chrifl.] ' · ·
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