74 An Expojition of the Epif/;/e --~--------------- ~ and Predc!lination to the Adoption of Children, as he that thereby would and did Serm. V. become a Ftltber to us. ~ I conclude this with what ZaJJchy obferves with what follows after. Tht two ( faith he ) afJs of God for ttJ, in this ver. 4 and 5· agreet!1 with tho(e words which !allow in the 6. ver. [ Tu the praije of tht Glory of hu Grace.] That God !hould choofe us in Chrift to be perledly Holy, there was Grace; but that he lhould add Glory and Heaven and Son-lh.p unto it too, this (fays he) is to the Glory of hu Grace ; and fo he mal<es an .Auxejisof it, a further highteningof his love. That he not only chafe us to be Holy, but alfo Prede!\inated us unto Adoption and Glory. To the lhewmg (ort!J, not only of Grace, (as in Holinefs he did , tlut being the Image of Ius Grace;) but, theGioryof /mGrace, (as in Adoption; thatbeingthelmageof his _Glo– ry.) I will not much urge this, as here intended ; I mennon 1t only bccaule he adds it, and certainly fame fuch aim ~here might be, in that Afped wh1ch thefe words have to the former. And fo I pafs to fame Obfervations. Objerv.IIn the fir!\ place, from what bath been faid; take notice how abfolutely neceffaryHolinefs is unto Salvation, which will appear to you out of what I have faid, by thefe lour things. Firfi, Not only that in thefe thoughts which God had towards us, he did fir!\: pitch upon Holinefs, and then upon Adoption or Glory, and fo he preferred Ho– linefs to Glory; and fo lhould we prefer it to all other pnv1ledges wh1ch we have by Chrifi. But Secondly, That holinefs is a necelfary and elfential Concomitant to beicg in Chnfi, and all other priviledges fuperaddcd. There was no thought to be had ofbeing in Chyifi,without being holy: Look how incongrous and abfurd it, were to make a Ben!l aSon and Member of .Adam; fo incongruous and abfurd were it, to make one that is unholy to be a Member of Chrifi. .God never at firfi cafi a thought qn us eo be in Chri!l, but with an intention that we lhould be holy. Hr bath chofttz U< in him, to be holy, faith vtr. 4· Yea, (in the Third place,) God is not your God, unlefs you be holy; Be ye holy, as the Lordyour God u holy. God (as !told you) becomes your God, by Eledion,as he becomes your Father by Predefiination. If therefore,God be your God, then be you holy as he is holy. And Fourthly, Grace is the foundation of Glory, there is not a thought to be had of going to Heaven without it; you mufi firfi be holy, ere you can be fo much as capable of that glory; for the height and top of it is communion with God, andGod" hob'• · So you fee from what hath been faid of Predejlhtt~tio~t, He bath Predef1ina– ttd 11s tmto .Adoptio11; that is,a Sott-jbip i11 Law in and through Chri!l his natu· ral Son.-- Do but think with your felves (by way of inference,) you thatare Believers indeed, what your priviledges by your being in Chrifi will rife unto, by confidering what is,and needs mufi be included in this little wordSonfbip and.Adop– tioll; no lefs then all priviledges in this World and the World to come,ev"ry one of them in the prefent right to them, [ 11ow J fays the Apofile,(now at prefent) we are the Sons ofGod, but what we (by vertue of this our being Sons) jhaObt none in the World, nor we our felves can know; none do or can come to lrno~ the confcquents hereof. As we fay of a mighty rich man, ht kttows ~tot the md of bu wtalth ; fo we may fay of a Mans being an adopted Son of God , none knows what this will bring a Man to in the end. If a So1t thm mz Heir, a Co– htir with Chrij/, yea an Hdr of God; to polfers and enjoy 'God, as Chri!l doth, !fay as Chnfi doth; for fo.•t follows m that of Joh~t, Whtn Chrijl fhaO appear, wejbaObe l1kt ullto h11n; JUfi hke 10 our proportion as he enjoys God fo lhall we. Yea and over and above, he lhall have aO thi1~gs into boot, I wiO6t bu God,a11d he {ha/J btmy Son; and what further follows upon beingaSon? HefhaOi11herit a/J thi~g:: God himfe_lf bath but all things, and thou lhalt have_all things too; and th1s 1s tobe Predefimated unto Adoption. -- Brethren, tlunk of your pri– viledgcs. I have expounded what it is to be choftn in him, and what to be PrrdePinattd to .Adoptiou. Tht
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