Of Elef1ion. ~~having~-ynt Authority with God, under God, over all:) of all things elfe 1o o it IJ. God 11 ou'd make; and the End of whatever of his Intelligent Creatures he ~ ll10uld be pleafed to choofe umo Glory ; according to that 1Cor, 3· 22,2J.Att th1ngs are ''ottrs, and you are Cbnfls, and Chrijl" Gods; which is fpoken in refp,d of End!hip: That as you the Saints are th~ End of, and for which all thing< were ordamed; fo you, ChriO: is the end of you, and God of Chri{l: . .7ohu '7· to, Allmiuf dre thi11e, andtbtnf are mzne ; and I am g!orifird ;~ them. And fo 'tis laid of him, That for him, and by him, a!t thi11gs were CI'Mted, Coloj: 1. 18. As well as it is laid of God the Father, Rom. I I.u!t. And ns it fell to him by Inheritance, God's Son, now fubfiO:ing in our Nature, be· ing one Perfon therewith; fo God freely gave it him, and bellowed it upon him, .7oh113. 3'i· TheFather!ovtththe S011, ""d bath given a!t thi11gs i11to hiS ha11d. Vf. In this Prcdellination of this Man, unto that Union, and confiituting him through that Union to be the Sovereign E~d of Us, and all things; there was conferred on that Individu~l Man, that was thus exalted, the highe{l: Grace or Favour, tranfcending all that Grace which was, or could have been caO: upon all his Eled, any way confidered; fo that if the Eledion of Vs be to the praife of the Glory cf God's Grace, His much more: There could be no defert :orefcen, no worth in that man fimply confidered, that would require fuch an Exaltation. lt muO: be liud to him, as well as to any other Creature; Who bath firfl givm htm, audit /halt 6e recompenctd to him again? Rom. 1 r. 3i. And to be fure, he had more g1ven him by that Eledion of his, than wl,at the who!" Creat1on had, or polfibilities of being created could have had: For all his R.ighte.oufne(s extends not unto God;all is nothing tohim,Pjat. 16.2. And in that God wns for ever perfcdly free, as to his Will, to have decreed him, er not; to h .ve decreed either that Man, or any other intelligent Crea– ture, tb this htgh Drgnity; it was therefore Free-grace in him to decree it: And the greater was the Grace, by how much the Dignity was above what the La" · ,f Creamrell1ip unto Men or Angels, were their dues by firft Creati– on, and <llil>llced alfo by this, that That Creature alone was exalted unto it, and none ot' er partook \1 ith him : It was the Glory of the only begot ten Son of God; peculiar to him who was that one Lord, I Cor. 8. 6. And "'""';' P••· therefore the Predeilination of the Man Jefus, is made by Auflin, the higheft "'•. mmpl•m Example and Pattern of the Eledion of Grace, that is of Us. f"f,'; ' ·:~ P•· And ·hus God's greatell End in Predellination to manifeft his Grace, (from ; ;, '.~:;;:; whence Election harh irs Title, to be lliled the Eledion of Grace,) was accom– ;;:;,•:,;d(p~·fi· pl.rfllt in h~m above his Brethren: That he fhould be to the praife of the Glo– u~ nei homi· ry of God :t Grace, far above what we are. nemimlruret. Li!l.lo.dcCi– vitate, Dti. C. t9• VII. From the Pattern and Example of whofe Eledion it Is evident, That Grace is not to be limited, or <mly to be underllood of the Favour towards Crearures that have' finned, and are delivered out of fin and mifery: For the hige!l Grace, (which Divines llile Gr.1tia U11ionis, the Grace of the Perfonal Union in the Man Jefus; ) above all other elevations or demonllrations of Grnce whatfoever, was found in the inllance of him, who could have no fin, nor was capable of it ; the Grace of that Union was fo impregnable, and far above all dang"r of it : Wherefore Grace, and the Eledion of Grace, (as all Eledion unto Glory is) when it is faid to be of Grace, and not of Works, im– ports not folely an oppofition to, or exclufion only of Works fince the Fall; but of all fortS of Works, in what llate foever; of Works in innocency in A· dam, (the Reward then promifed being of Works, not Gract, Rom. 4•) and alfo of the Angels, whom the bell Divines acknowledge Elelted out of Grace, and not Works of their own forefeen; and fo their in!tance therein may be conjoyned with that of ChriO:'s in that refped, to con– firm this, V!If. God
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