Of EleCiion. ~ further Glory of Chrifi, and alfo f<>r the demonfiration of Gods Grace towards BooK II. us: Thefe two Relanons we find difiind', 'Ephef.;. 23. Evm M (hrijl ;, the ~Head of the Church, and the Savtour of the Body: Both which are as difiind:- ly related·, as thofe which were by the .good plealure of Gods Will, Decreed him to be, Colof. 1. 18, 19, 20• .A11dhe u the Head of the Body, the Church who j, tke begi1ming, the {irfl-borflfrom the 'Dead, that in all thittgs he migh; have the pruminmce: For itpleafed the Father, that in himjhottldall full. nefs dwea: .AtJd( havi11g made Peace thro11gh the blood of hu Crofs) 6y him toreconcilea/Jthingstmtohimfelj, 6yhim, I jay, whether they 6e thi~Jgr itt Earth·, or thmgs m Heavm. And all that I! over and above the abfolute Royalties of his Perfon ; fet forth in the Verfes afore, x. Thefc Two Relations of his to us, have anfwerably a double anddi; fiind' Afped' and Condition upon us, and of us, in our Elel\ion ; which Ele– d'ior'l was relative unto thefe Two of Chrifis, and not abfolute as his was. r. Of our Perfons, without the confideration of the Fall , inmaf!apura, in the pure Lump of Creature-!hip, or as to be Created : And .under that Confidera· tion Clod ordained us unto that ultimate Glory , under Relation to him as an Head; whether as of Members, or of a Spoufe, and Church to him; or rather Both : Of either , or Both , which our Pcrfons were fully capable ; before Se<forthisthe or without the Confideration of our Fail. z: Of our Perfons viewed to be fain: ~~:~~!~~fthe and fo as ?hied's to be faved l and redeemed from the thraldom thereof, unde: O<dcrof<3ods our Relation to him as a Sav10ur. decrees. Pfat.36.ro. Drof.Ttlgijfo!t IIIJltbtb1liV• lll~·(jndntfo: So in dlC.He· brew. XI. And each of thefe were for the Glory of Gods Grace: '• In his De– fignment to advance us, confidered purely as Creatures, to an higher Glory by his Chrifi, than was attainable by the Law of Creation : But wholly fu– pernatural: For to have Ordained us was pure Grace, no lefs than to Redeem us from fin or mifery ":hen fain, may be faid 't~ be, and was wholly indcpen. dent of Works, or Without Works of any kmd: Even as Chnfi's Eled'ion (who is in ours our Pattern) was an Eled'ion without Works ofany kind; that is, or without the Confideration of Works of any kind, And umo this Noti– on of pure Original Grace, may thole words well be thought to extend, 2 Tim. 1. 9• Not arcordi•J,g to Works, ./mt his purpoje of Grace; which was given w i11 Chrifl, •fort the Worldbtgmt: As comprehending this we fpeak of, as the Mother of all Grace , even of Redemption Grace , and Calling. And it is a mighty Argumentthat it was a meer Grace in Gods Heart, that moved him to Redeem, and C::all us; not according to Works, afore the fall; !fthat this firfi purpofe of Grace towards us, and Ordination of us to Glory, was not founded on Works, that could any way have been fuppofed to have been afore the Fall performable bythe Holinefs of our Creation , that being but the Law of cur Nature when Created , and by Creation due; And feeing there is fuch a Grace acknowledged, de jflcto, to have been towards Chrifi , and the Eled' Angels; why may it not be fuppofed to have been here in our Ele– ttion alfo? But although this Grace was the Original Mother of Grace to us, and that therein lay the grand, and ultimate delign; for it will have its full accomplilh– meot lafi after all , and as the Ilfue, and Perfed'ion of all ; and God might have immediately, upon the firfi Creation of each of us, have taken us into that Glory ; yet for the further Glory of Chrifi, and ampliation of, or am– pler demonfiration of his Grace, and to the End to draw it out, and extend it (as the Pfalmifl's word is) unto the furtheft length it will reach to; God was pleafed not to Ordain to bring us in an Immediate manner, unto the pof· feffion of that full Glory, in beholding the Perfonal Glory of Chrill our Head, (as was fpecified) as foon as we fl10uld be Crealed : But withall permiffively ordained , that we who were thus ordained unto this Glory as our End, lhould by the way to it fa.ll into fin; and therefore ordained to <?reate us firfi in amu– table Condition; (as the Law of meer CreatiOn reqmred: ) By wh1ch fal– ling into fin, there was way made for aD Ampliation, and Illufirationd the Grace of God unto us as linners, which caufeth Grace to abound, as Rom. 5· •S·
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