Of 1:../eaion. Thus much of the Caufes of Salvadoil, in verf 1 ,z. both original and co11- ~ tmurd; Ch•p 7• ~ I come ne>it to difcover, · . 11. The Original or Antecedent in God's difpofemeni ofthe Apo~atcs Judg~ ment and Condrlhmztzou, as it is in verfe 4• There are certaitt men crept iiJ www.lres, who were before of old fore-writ/tit mzto thU condevmdtzotz; &c. That this Paffage is fet in way of oppofition to, and comparifon with the former, in vaj. 5· Belovedm God the Father, t:!5c, to the end to illuflrate the grace of Electing, and difctiminaring grace the more, is eVident at tl1e very 11rfl view ot botn, to any intdhgent Readers thought•. And how infinitely the grace of Electioo is magmfied to us, by fuch a com– parative way of fetting that of Reprobation by it, I nave remitted to another place or method. I fhall now only give an Expofition of uis Palfage, and ll1ew how this orddi11ed of oldunto thu Judgmellf, is to be underf\ood, this be– ing in view, one of the harfhef\ Speeches concernicg God\ difpenfations, ti:l the fons of men, that is fo~nu in Scripture, We are fir!\ to in:orm our felves of thefe Two words therein; 1. Fore-writtm, tronflated .t1ppol1Jted. 'L This Judgmmt, tranflated Londmi11atioi1. I, Fore-wnttrtt, fo the word in the Original. We mull know that God's Decrees about the perfons of us intelligent Creatures, the fons ofm:n, (being the top of his Decrees) are expre!Ted to us under the Metaphor of writing iri a Book their Names; taken from what is ufual among!\ men, 1l1at is, of lucn as have power to difpofe of perfons and thiogs at their will,for tatilicarioh fake, do it by writing, or fetting their pleafure down in foni e Record : As when· a man bath Goods, or an Efbte to difpofe of, he doth it unto perfons by a writ– ten Will, or Record; or if Offices to bef\ow, he pricks down ( as our Kings do Sheriff>) whom he thiok' fit, and leaves out whom he pteafeth: As >mong the Romans, ·Pat•·es Co11jcripti, of Senators; Mrlites Drfcnpti,of Sold•ers. Thus the Scriptures do attribute unto God aBook of Life, in which the Names of all his EleCt are regiflrcd, and thereby we find Election it ielf expreffcdJ Phi!. 4· 5· And l i1ttrrat tha aljo, &c. andwtth other my FePow.lrtbourers, wbofe Names are in thr Book of Ltfe. They do fet forth in like mmoer God's difpofal of the rejlof mankind, as Rom. I 1. )· they are termed underthe fame •lluiion. That in general, Rev. 20. 1 o, it is faid , th2t at the day of gene• ral Judgment, the Books wrre opmed; importing that t here were other Jkoi<s, concerning the refl of men, befides tbe Book of Life , "hich is there termed rwother Book, thot is, a more fpecial, and as it were, a more ehoice private Book,which God keeps by him. Anfwrrably,there is oblock Doorns• d"y Book, in which, what concerns thofe the rrjl, is regifircd and recordr.d, as forefeen by God concerning them, And in profecutton of thisMetaphor, the Scriptures do mote particularly fet om what conccrnetl1 them, under two Ads. '· Negative; That thev are left out of the Book of Life , their names are not found wrzttm there; Thus Rev. q . 8, Whofe names were tiOt written ifi the Book of Ltj'e. So rhat the fir!\ and main Ml; concerning tllcm, is but a leaving them out, and not writing them in that fpecial Book, And that Ne' gative Act i< indeed nn Act of pure, and meer, and abfolute Will in God,and is bur this, That God did not love them fo far, as abfolutely to defign them' unto Supercrcarion Grace and Glory. Obferve how I cxpreis it, it is but a leavmg them out of that [look'· wherein was an ordaining Meri urito fuch be" nefit<and blelftngs,as were purely Superriatur~l,ahd above the due ofCreatir·r.; whether for Grace as the means,or Glory as the end: In fuch thing! they wercl left out, and it wa< but a meet leaving them out, as to fuch things uriwwhictl the other wne Elected, and thclt Names fet down to 1nherit. Tlwfe blelftng; are thus exprrO<d, 1Ephr( ~· All J'pihtzial 6/ef]ings ; 1. In· Hea.'enlles j' 1.. rn Chri\t,whlch were not doe by Law of Creation, in !!dam, and l'n fuctl only the refl were left dut 1 Buf othetwife ; as to Creation Grace, and 'IJh•! 0 c :t lrere~
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