An Expo(ttion of the Epifile r"....A..JT) There are Two other things that go to make up this Interpretation of thefe Serm. V. words [Cboje11 ill him] yet fuller; which are added by Some. I !hall but name VYV them now. 1. That we were Chofm i11 Chnf/ as the Pattem unto whom we !hould be conformed. God fet him up as the Pattern, and drew us (as fo many little Pi– Cl:urcs)by him and his Image. He bath predeflmated liS to /;e coTiformed to the ]mt~ge of his So11, Rom. s, 29. That's the lid!, In him, as the Pattem. of us. 2. [lTJ him] (fay fome,) This Phrafe noteth out ha6itudi11em c,111(£ji11alis, (aid A11jelme long !ince, that he was the End of all thofe whom God chafe. And therelore whereasfome Copies have it [i.-J7i,J others have it barely (•J7¥], which accordingly may be read [To him]. I !hall meet with rhefe two i11 the next Verfe, therefore I will no longer inlifl: on them here. I will now give you(for all this is but a DoCtrinal difcourfe to open the words) fome ufeful Obfervations. 06ferv. r. '. Learn to give Jefus Chrifl: his full honour, which God his Father bath given him. It is a mighty honour, that he is the caufe of all the grace and glory that you have, and !hall have. But that he !hould be the Common Head fet up in EleCtion too before the world was, this honourcth him much more : this fetteth another Crown upon his head, and it is pity be !hould lofe any honour that may be given him. Saith he, .7oh;; 17. )· Glonjiethottmewith thy owll jetf, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was; thnt is, that glory which then, confidered as God-Man, I had in thy repute and eflimation , and which thou thy ftlf gavefl: me between Me and Thee, and which thou refpeCledfl: me for; accordingly, (even as bearing that perfon of Head and Mediatour,which ere it be long { !hall vifibly wear in Heaven) give it me now in the fight of Angels and Men. . Now, fincc God thus glorified Chrifl: then, do you likewife glorifie him in your hearts with that glory. which he had before the World was: part of which you have beard what it was, namely, that which is proper to the Text, (for it would take up many Sermons to lay it all open.) Men are afraid to de– JOgate from God, whilfl: they give to Chrifl:. But if we make God the foie caufe of Predeflination, there is no danger of giving this honour unto .Chrifl: in the adof choofing us,that Gcd(as the Text bath it)!hould choofe tu i11 him;This is the F.rhers honour, that his Will was the womb wherein lay both Chrifl: and We too : But this is the Sons honour, that the Father fet him up from everlafl:ing as a Common Perfon for U s to be chofen in him ; He chofo tts in him, and never once confidered us out of him. Ob[erv. •· 2. Ob[ervatio11, or rather Inflrttflio11. Let God the Father have the glory of the ACl:, in that he is the Fountain, the firfl: Mover in, and the foie Caufe of it. His will and good pleafuredid cafl it (for the fubflance of it) and fingled out our Perfons, and ordained Chrifl: an Head, and Us in him. And remember, that as this EleCtion is unto this great priviledge, To be i11 Chnfl, and one with him (of all the higheft, and fundamental to all otlier :) fo that it ·is Election, a Choice, wherein others were left. God patTed by not only multitudes of Perfons, whom l1e could have made ( but did not) ; but alfo a vafl: number of thofe whom he did ordain tobe. And were you fo chofen in Chrifl:, as that God neyer p11r– pofed you a being but as in Chrifl:, and then gave. you this fub!ifl:ence i11 Chri(f, never cafling a thought upon you out of him: then reckon of no other being, but what you have in Chrill. Reckon not of what you have in Honours,or what you are in Greatnefs or Parts; but reckon of what you were in him before this World was, and of all the Spiritual bleiiings wherewith he then blefTed you; and likewife of what you are now in him, by an aCtual Union, as then by a vir– tual and reprefentativeone. Of him (namely God) you (are] in Chrzfl, faith the Apofl:le in the fore-named place, I Cor. I.JO. ConCJder but the reference of the words to what was faid before, and you will find that there is no Being true and real to be valued by us, but in Chrifl:. Of him yott [tJre ;] That Phrafe bath an Empha!is in it; it is Ver6ttm {u6{/antiv11m, relating to other things that feem to have a being, but arn10t. So ver. 27. God halh fhofen .the weak 1hi11gs of 1hr
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=