CHAP. 46 An Expotron of the L him made the worlds. After which he declares the Endofall this Difpenfation, namely, that he might rejoyce in the habitable parts of the earth, andhis delightbe with thefans ofmen; to whom therefore he calls to hearken unto him, that they may be bleffed, v. 31. to the end of the chapter ; that is, that he might be meet to accomplifh the work of their Redemption, and bring them to BleJdneß, to the Glory of the Grace of God ; which work his heart was let upon, and which he greatly delighted in Pfal.4o.6,7,8. Hence the Apoftle John, ha the beginning of hisGofe!, brings both the Creations together ; the hrfi by the Eternal Word, abfolutely; the other by him as incarnate, that the Suitablenefs andCcrrefßondency ofall things inthem, might be evident. The Word was with God, faith he, in thebeginning, and allthings weremade by him, and without himwas not any thing made that wasmade, Y. 1, z, 3. But what wasthis unto the Go- fpel that he undertook to declare ? Yes, very much ; for it appears from hence, that when this Word was made flefh, and came and dwelt argon us, v.14. that he came into the world that was madeby him, though it knew him not, v. r o. he came but to Lüsown, what ever were the entertainment that he receeived, v. r t. Forthis End then God made allthings byhim, that when he came to changeand renew all things, he might havegood right andtitle fo to do, feting heundertook to deal with, or about, no more but what he had originally made. The Holy andBleffedTrinity could havefo ordered the work ofCreation, as that it fhould not immediately, eminently, and hgnally have been the work ofthe Son, of the Eternal LPcrei. But there was a farther defign upon the world to be accomplifhed by him, and therefore the work wasfgnally to be his; that is, as to immediate Operation, though as toAuthority and Order it peculiarly belonged to the Father; and to the Spirit as to Dffieption and Ornament, Gen. I. 2. job 26.13. This, Ifay, was done, for.the End mentioned by the Apoffle,Ephef. r. ro. All things at firff were made by him ; that when they were loft, ruined,flattered, theymight again in the appointed feafon be gathered together into one head in him ; of winch place More at largeelfe-where. And this myfterie of the Wifdnm ofGod, the Apoftle at large nnfoldeth, Col: 1. 1 g; 16, 17, 18, a9. Speakingof the Son by whom we haveRedemprion, he informs us, that in himfelf and his own nature, he is the Image ofthe invifibleGod, that is, of God the Father, who until then had alone been clearly revealedunto them ; and that in refpeéh of other things he is the fielf-born ofeverycreature, oras he terms himfelf, Rev. 3. 14. theBeginning of the creationof God; that.is, he who is before all creatures, and gave Be- ginning to theCreation ofGod. For fo exprefly the Apottle explains himfelf in the next verts. By him all things were created that arein heaven and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, orprincipalities, or powers : ail things were created by him : and he is before all things,and by hin*all thingsconflit. But this is not the full defign ofthe Apoftle. He declares not only that All things were made by hint, but alto that All things were made forhim, v. 16. fo made for him, that he might be the Headofthe Bodythe Church ; that is,that he might be thefountain,head,fpring, and ori- ginal ofthe new Creation, as he had been of the Old. So the Apoftle declares in the next words, Who is the beginning, thefirg-born from th,. dead. As he was the Beginning, and the FirfI-born Of every creature in the old Creation., fo he is the Beginning and Firff -born from the dead ; that is, the Original and Caufe of the whole new Creation. And hereunto he fubjoyns theEnd and defign ofGod in this whole myflerious work, whichwas, that theSon might have the preheminence in all things; as he had in and over the works of theold Creation, feeing they were all made by him, and all confift in him ; fo alto he bath over the Newon the fame account, being the Beginning and Firff-bornof them. The Apoffle in thefe words gives us the whole ofwhat we in- tend, namely, that the malting of the worlds, and of all things in them, in the flirt Creation by the Son, was peculiarly fubfervient to the Glory ofthe Grace of God, in the Reparation and Renovation ofall things by him as incarnate. It is not for us toenquire much into, or after the reafon of this Oeeanpmy and DiG penfation; we cannot by fearehing find out God, we cannot find out the Almighty unto perfetlion, yob t 1. 7. It may fuffice us, that he difpofeth of all things according to the eounfeiofbisown will, Epref. r. 12. ThisAntecedently unto the conhdcrationof the Ef- fedis of it, we cannot, we may not fearch into, Veut. 29.29. What are the Effóts and Confequences ofhis infinitely holy with Counfel, wherein his Glory Chinesforth unto his Creatures, thofe we may confider and contemplate on, and rejoyce in the light that they
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