Of Eletlion. 10 7 There are two things yet remaining that were put into ihe main bodrine ~ or Alfertion, not hitherto fpoken unto.. . .· . , Chap. 4·" 1 , That this Union with Chnfl and God, was. nod •s the very defign of~ God's Electing of us from everlafling; and thts alto to be proved out of this Prayer of Chrifl's i~ Joh" 17. ( for ·thar was tt was nlfo undertaken for,whilfl 1 chofe that Scripture forth, as a punCtual proof ofthe whole. ) The Second is, that the Union is fuch as is the highefl (next to that of Chrifl's) the Creature is capable of; A fuper·crearion Union; or above what .Adamhad by Creation. For the firfl of tllefe ; which in order with the former, makes the Pa~ti~~lar: It may be eaJily difcerned by multitudes of palfages, how Chrifl traver 7 feth with his Father, the Son who lay in his Fathers bofom; he recounts TranfaCl:ions between himftlf and his Father, or Concernments that reached fo high for their Original : This in a Curfory view, will appear by Verj: 'i, ,A 11 d 11ow, 0 Father, Glorifie thou me with thi11e ow11 (elf, with the Glory which I had with thee before the World WM : And by Verf. 24. Thott lovedft me before the FoutJdation of the World. Which he en'ters as his Plea for his Saints beholding his own Glory, which he had with the Father; Ver[. 5 ·But more particularly , it appears from his pleading God's Electing of us , whilfl he feeks to obtain this Union for us, as the highcfl thing could be _asK– ed: And therefore this Union was included in that Eletlion, as the Defign of ~ ' Now that he pleads Eledion in order to that Union, is evident from his Pleas', Verf. 6. ( where it is , he lirfl enters upon our Concernmem) I bavt mcmifef/'eathy 11ame tmto the Men which thou gavefl out of the World : '!hint th<y were , and tho11gavtfl them me, iJ1ld they haw kept thy word: Thine How? By El~tlion, for thereby it is, we firfl became his, 2 Tim. 2. I 9• Tb; L ord ktwweth tbem that •re his: When he calls bu people : When he [orrk1uw, that is, Chafe, Rom, I • · 2. (as I opened it) [his J that is, his Eletl m1cho[n1, as his own words often ate, of them in tne Old Tcflament, And i~ that he had manifeflcd hi~ Name unto tilem, whilfl yet ye had preach– ed to others, indifferent!y, he thews what it was that put the difference, even that thefe belonged to God; Thine tbey uitri!, and thou gavefi them me. That Claufe alfo, cmd tbot< g"'iltf/ them 111t, repeated fo oft, both Verj:6. Verf.g. Perfiu. Ver[. n. Verf. 24. I confds,it is to be underflood of God's giving them at Effectual Calling them, and in that fenfe was true of thefe Apoflles: But that's not all, there is adouble giving 1 one at our Calling; and another at and with Election. And that giving to him was a diflind ad from that of meer Eletlion, though done at Elellion, They were firfl the Fathers byE– ledion, who tingled torth the perfons, and then ga\'e them unto Chrifl, upon his Electing of them, and fo thefe two are herejoyned; thou gavefi chem me, for they are thine: Frrf/, thine by Eld'lio11, thmgivtn tome, in the fame fenfe, that Grace u{aid to be given i11 Chrifl afore the World began, 2 Tim. •· 9• I~ the f~me fenfc were thefe given to Chri!l afore the World began alfo; whtch IS the tmport of that Phrafe, .7ohn6. n· l9· .AIItbat tbe Fathergiveth me, jhalt come to me; where the Fat!1er's giving is not cheir effedual calling, forthatisbeftdesnotedoutby comingtoChrifl. But it is an ad of the Fa– thers preceding converlion, or their calling; for it is the caufe of their com– ing; fo the words manifeflly lhew: .Allthat the Fathergivetb me, /ball come to me, And when was it, that ad of giving was put forth afore calling l Not at the inflant of calling, but in fome time before; Ior in, Vrrf. l9· he fays, of all that thou [haft ]given mr, as in the time pafl; and that was afore he came down from Heaven, as his words lhew, Vrrf. l8, l9· For, I came down from HtfJVtn, not to do mi11t own will, but the will of him that [tnt mt: .Andthu uthe Father's will which bath fent me, that of all which be hatb given me I fhoutd lpfe trothing: That is, 'twas the Inflrudion given him a– fore.he came down , aod he came down with that Errand, be brought it with P z. him,
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