6:l An Expofttion of the Epiftle ~-... I· That Jefus Chrilhvas the head of Election, and of the Elect of God ; and Serm. V. fo in order of Nature Elected firfi, though morder oft1me we were Elected wuh ~· him. In the WoQlb of Election he the head came out firtl, and then we the Members. He is therefore f•id in Predefiination to be the jirf'f-born of alll"s Brethrm, Ram, 8. 29. Who bath Predejlit~atedUf ( faies the Apofile) to becotJ– formable to the Image of hi< So11, that he might be tbe jirj/-born amo11g many Brethrm. Nay, inCol. I-1)· He is faid to be the firjl-bomof every Creature. How is that fpoken of him? I have ihewed it elfewhere to be plainly meant of Ct!fifi as God-man. Otherwife he is not faid to be the firfi-bdrn in refpect of eve– ry Creature. God would never have condefcended fo low (fpeaking ofthe Eter– nal Generation of his Son,) as to compare him therein with Creatures. But faith he, He u thefirfl-born of every Creature, and the Head of the body, tlk Church; as it followeth, v. 18. 1.. That God in that act of Election lookt not at us apart and fingfy :is in our ft!ves ; fo as by one act to choofe us, and by an other act to give usto Chrifi. But (as we fay of the Soul, Inftmdmdo creat11r, (£; creando i11funditur; it is by one and the fame act of God's both created and infufed into the body, and fo fublifis not one moment apart:) So God in the act of choofing us gave us to Chrifi, and in giving us to Chrifi he chofe us. And thus, he never conlidering us apart, but as Members of Chritl and given to him, in the very aCl: of chooling ; hence our very choice itfelf is faid to be in him. And fo (on the other fide) in the firfi view and purpofe God rook up concerning Chrifl, and in EleCl:ing him, he lookt not at him apart, as a lingle perfon in himfelf; but as an head to us his body, cho– fen in him, and with him. So that the meaning is not, that Jefus Chrifl the fc– cond perfon in the Trinity,was chofen by one aCl: to be Man,and then to be a com– -mon perfon by another: But at the very fame infiant that he was chofen the onc,he was chofen the other; under that very conl!deration,to be a common per– fan,which he then aCl:ually undertook.Itwas in this,as in the creation of Adamhis ihadow;who,whenhe was firfl made,was not made as a lingle Man, he was made alivi11g Sott/,1 Cor.r 5·4)-What is that? To be a publick perfon to convey life to others,as well as to have Life perfooally in himfelt. Thatis the meaning,as appears by the following words, tbe lafl A dam (that is,Chrifi)waf made a qwckni11g Spi– rit;that is,not to himfelf,but to others.So thatthe very firfl view that God in Ele– llion took ofChrifi, was not of him only as afingle perfon confidered , but asa common perfon reprefenting others. In a word; as in the Womb, head and members are not conceived apart, but together as having relation each to other : So were we and Chrifi (as making up one myfiical body unto God) formed to– gether in that eternal Womb of Election. So that God's choice did compleatly terminate itfelf on him and us, us with him, and yet us in him, he having the priority to be confiituted a common pe rfon and root to us; for that is the relati– on wherein we fland unto him, and in that relation we were firfi chofen. And then the third thing which this phrafe implieth, and which will make up the meaning of it, is this. That as God's decree gave us a fub!ifiing beyond tbi11gs meerelypo./]ible to be, (that is, which God could make, but never de– creed to mal<e;) fo we by ·reafon of this EleCl:ion of \lS with Chrifi, in this tranfaCl:ion, in this refpeCl: we came to have a further reprefimtative bei11g and exifience in Chritl from everlafiing, by vertue of his being then conlidered as a common head. So that in this did Jefus Chrifi fubferve God's decree. I will(faith Chrifi) reprefentthem; they are all vertually in me,and do thou,O Father, reck– on them as having a fublifience in me; Jefus Chrifl (I fay) did give thereby a fulifience rous, fuch as Adamwhen he began to be, did·give unto all Man-kind; they were all virtually in him. Now make but the fuppofirion that Adamhad ex– ified from everlafiing, as Chrifidid (the perfon,I mean,who rook this Title and Relation on him,) and then how this might be, is ealily underflood. I will only add to this !aft thing mentioned the great ends and advam•ges that this fubferviency ofChrifi unto the aCl: of ·EleCl:ion was of, in his aCl:ual under– taking to be a Root of a new ordained being,ro us, at that inftant. I , By
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