Of EleC!ion. 93 1 f• thereby to fhew the riches of his Love and Grace in extending them, or w rather turning them into Mercy, by letung us, the Objeds of hts Grace fall Chap. 2, into the extreamefi Mifery: For Mercy propedy refpeds prefent Mifery; 'and ~ is but Love or Grace extended; or Love becommg Mercy alfo to them it loves when viewed to be in Mifery : Godwho id rich m Mtrcy, for tht love w here: with ht lovtdU<, Eph. 2, 4.Firfi loved, and that became the foundation of Mercy to us as finners: And unlefs fin had b~en thus in execution firfr, afore we fhould arrive at the Glory we were ordamed to, as the ultimate complement of all, additional R.iches of Merciful Grace to us as !inners , had never been, without which Grace had not had its full demonflration,as towards us: Hence XII. AAd upon this occafion it was, that Chrifi had for his great and further Olory, rhe Office of Rtdeemer and Saviour fuperadded in his EleCtion, unto that of Htadjhip; and that becaufe our being miferable and iioful, is that whiah isour prefent and immediate Concern, which we are mofl follicitous a– bout in this World, whilfi we are finriers; yea, and continues our Concern until we by that final Sentence and Judgment pafs'd at latter day, have them T' for ever declared and publilhed to be forgiven.: (And therefore, both Mercy ~.,:!:::;~;;, is faid to be lhewn, and forg•venefs to be obtamed at that Day :) Therefore it isthe Scriptures do fer forth Chrifi to us mofi thereby ; (though they are not altogether filent in the other;) and thereby call, and draw our thoughts and intentions mofi fixedly thereupon, XIII. And thefe•T wo Relations of Chrifr, of Head and Saviour, are fi– mul taneous·with God's Eledion of us , confidered in thole profpcds foremen– tinned and neither afore, nor after, neither in time, (for fo no Decree in God is'afore, or after another,) but not in order, as to our Undetfianding : For he could not be our Head, bur there mufi be his Correl~te, his Body; and fo of the other, of bemg a R.edeemer : Neither had Chnft been ordain– ed to either, had it not been for us, and our Salvation: But flill the Ele· ledion of Chrift's Perfon remains in the primary and firfl intention of it, ab– folute, and for it felf, and for higher ends th~n thcfe which are fpecified; and that did not depend at all on us, or our Eledwn. And although there were thefe other Ends in God's Heart in relation to us, which occalioned his rela– tive Election (as I may term it) of Chrift, as in relation to us; yet God {aid within himfelf, (if I may fo reprefent it) though I have thofe other Ends to be accomplilhed by him, yet I choofe his Perron for himfelf; and unto that Perfon all Glory above all; and for thofe higher Ends foremenrioncd, which alone were motive fufficient to choofe him, if I had no other; though I take in all in the choice of him: (For in God all was but one Ad:) He is at once mine Eled and delight, and withal, my Servant in redeeming; I(ai. 42. 1 • Bthotd my Servant whom I uphold; (in that work of Redeeming I have or– dained him for ;) mine Elill in whommy Soul delighteth. XIV. As the Glory of the Perfon of God-man abfolurely thus conftdercd was the Prima-primitive defign, (as I may fo fpeak it) which God's Hear: was intent upon; and then next unto that his Ordination of him to be an Head unto us, as a Body to him; and that by our meer Union to him as an Head and bare relation to his Perfon as fuch; He was ordained to be rhe Sufficient: Efficient, and Author of many forts of Bleffings; as of Sonfhip from his Son– fhip; a gracious Acceptation of our Perfons in him , as the chief Beloved • Heirs of the fame Glory with him ; Heirs of God, Coheirs with Chrift: And all thefe Bleffings were we capable of, confidered as pure Creatures, through Union with him ~ and needed not his Death to have purchafed them for us; and are made diftm(t from the Bleffings of Redemption, as Efhtj. r, 4,),6,7, ~c. lhew. Accordl1Jg M he hatb chojen UJ zn l.•tm, 6efort thtjoultdatio" oftht world, that we fbot<ld 6e holy, a11dwithout 6/amt !Jtfore htm in !ovt: Ha– ving predtj/inattd tu unto tbt Adoption of Children 6y 'Jejiu Chrif1 to htm– felj, according to thegood pltafurt of hi& witJ : To the praift of tht glory of kid
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