lCjO OfEieClion. ~ ( fo great as S~lvation and Damnation are of ) appears, which I!Tue it is that ~ Election did defi~n to bring the one unto; and that fame Providential Free-will– Grace nfing no htghcr than meer felf love, wrought upon by Spiritual objects brmgs the other unto.Oh what thanks art thou bound to give unto God be: caufe God bath from the beginning chofen you to Salvation and Belief oi· the Truth, whereunto he called you b'y the Gofpel to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jefus Clmfi. This as to the point of Actual finnings , and a Comparative re~red there– upon in thefe leveral vananoiJs, Secondly there are certain CircumfianciO> which ~ere cafi and difpofed of by God upon theFall among the Sons of Men , the connnuanon of whtch ferve m as great a vanety to enhance this Electioll Grace alfo towards thofe that are his. VI. PART I CULA R, As take fuch as are, Hard, contemns Poverty , Honour, and Rtches, thou mayfi confider the great dtfproportion of thy out' ward Condition in this World, with what bath been and ls of thofe others [ the Rt/1 J whom God bath pafi by, that give a jufi occafion in the like vari– ety for the Declaration of Gods Gnce to thee. Thou art poor, and mean and defpicable in the World: And take thy Intellectual Pans, the mofi dr you are weak, and comparatively a foolilh Generation, and the Chitdrm of thu World, fays Chrifi, art generally wi{rr in their generation, You know ~ow Paul urgeth and indigitateth this for the Saints to reflect upon in compa– r!fon with others, 1 Cor. 1 . 26. For ) 'i! jet yo11r cat!ing, Brethrtn, how that not mall~ wife men after theftefo, not ma11J mighty, 1101 mm1y 1106/e are called; and refolves the obtaining of it imo Election, as the diljlofer that it lhould fo be,Verf. 27,18. But God bath cho(mthe Fool1jb things ofthe World,toc01ifound the wife; midGod hathchofm the weak thi11gs of the World, to co1tjoundthe things which art mighty; and bafe things of the World, and thzngs which •re de(pi(itd, bath Godchofflt.;yea,mtd thiPTg s which arr 110t to bring to110ught thwgs th,Jt art. So as an emment Glory anfeth to God th.reby. Our Savi– eut alfo particularly infianceth in fuch a difference of Wifdom for all other whatever (!)c. For it is the greater excellency Man hath to Glory in, and ex– cellet h folly, as Solomon fays, asfar as light excelleth darknefs, Ecclej. 2,Ij. Wherefore C hrifi magnifi"s this Grace of Election, M att. 11. 2), 26, At that time Jefiu mt{wered and(aid,I thank thu, 0 Father, Lord ufHravtn and E1rth, becaufe thou hafl hidtho(e thi11gs from the w1je mid prtidmt, and hafl revealed them unto Babes.Evnt fo Father,for fo it {item'dgood i11thy fight. And ' tis for certain that the confideration of thefe kind of outward differences, although they are but fuch as are and continue , but whilft \l<e are in this World, had a mighty wait and impreffion upon our Saviours heart w~ilfi he thus extoll'd his Father thereupon, as thofe Confiderations which do mightily tend to the Glory of Gods Grace in choofing fuch comparatively to others, and therefore lhould have the like place and efieem with our Hearts ; for Chrift was privy to Gods Councel, and an equal Efiimator of things as they fiand in Gods own intention and efl:eem---I need not amp!die how much the Scripture< do inculcate this very thing, as James 2. ;. If you fa y, thele are ~ butou'tward refpects that are but forrhe momentofthis life, howlhouldthefe then have much fubferviency to Glorific Electing-Grace, which is to eternity and fr0m eternity 1 I Anfwer, . Even as well as our outward Sufferings, though but for a mo– ment, work an eternal weight of Glory to us , thefe fmall differences in Con– dition infinuate and conduce to the everlaf\oog Glory of Gods Decrees and Particularly for that of Wifdom. The matters of the other World run upon other Feet, anot her.account, from what in this World Mens natural abili<ies and gifts, largenefs and quicknefsof underfianding, and notional Knowledg, even in Divine things in this World proceed upon; they contnbute nothong at all as any preparative of the Underfianding , the fubject they are in to widen or extend it the more, or capacitate men to take in the knowledge of God, as in Heaven he is known; but an·underfianding that was narrow and clung even of Fools and weak ones here, is there firetched by an intuitive height of Glory ro
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