q.8 c../1 Declaration of theOlorions MYs r F Ry fins of man, a reparation of his glory, and an exaltation of the honour of his holinefs, with all the other properties of his nature, as alto of his law, outballancing all the diminution of it by the firft apoítafyof mankind, as hath been declared, Immediately hereon all the charms of fatan were diffolved, all his chains hoofed, his darknefs that hehad brought on the cre- ationdifpelled, his whole plot and defign defeated; whereon he fate himfelf, and was expofed unto all the holy angels of heaven, in all the counfels, craft and power he had boafted of,.io be nothing but a congeries, a inafs of darknefs, malice, folly, impotency and rage. Hereon did fatan make an entrance into one of the principal parts ofhis eternal torments, in that furious felf-maceration which he is given up unto on the confidcration of his defeat and difappointment. Abfolute power he always feared, and what it would produce; for he believes that, and trembles. But againtt any other way he thought he had fecured himfelf. It lyeth plain to every underftanding, what fharne, confufon, and felf revenge, the proud apo- $ate was call into upon Isis holy righteous difappoinnuent of his defign ; whereas he had 'always proinifed himfelf to carry his caufe, or at leafi to put God to ad in the deftru£tion of his dominion, by mere omnipotent power, without regard unto any other properties of his nature. To find that which he contrived for the deftru&ion of the glory of Cod, the dif- appointment of his ends in the creation ofall things, and the eternal mine of mankind, to ilfue in a more glorious exaltation of the holy properties of the divine nature, and an unfpeakable augmentationof bleftèdnefs unto mankind it felt, is the higheft aggravation of his eternal torments. This was awork every way becoming the infinite wifdom of God. 9, Whereas there are three diftinh perfons in the Holy Trinity, it be- came the wifdomof God, that the Son, the fecond perfon, Should undertake this work, and be incarnate, I lhall but fparingly touch on this glorious myftery. For as unto the reafon of it, it is abfolutely refolved into the inn-: sire wifdom and fovereign counfel of the divine will. And all fuels things are the obje&s of an holy admiration, not curipufly to be enquired into. To intrude ourfelves into the timings which we Nye not fees, that is, which are not revealed in thofe concernments of them which are not re- vealed, is not unto the advantage of faith in our edification. Bat as unto what is declared of them, either immediately and diretly, or by their re- lation unto other known truths, we may meditate on them unto the im- provement of faith and love towards God. And force things are thus evident unto us in this myftery. I. We had by fin loft the hnage of God, and thereby all grac.ious.accep- tancewithhim, all intereft in his love and favour. In our recovery, as we have declared, this image is again to be reftored unto us, or we are to be renewed into the likettefs of God. And there was a conáecency unto divine wifdom, that this work fhould in a peculiar manner be effected by him who is the eifential image of God, that is, the Father. This as we have formerly Chewed, was the perfon of the Son. Receiving his perfo- nal fubfiftence, and therewithal, the divine nature with all its effential pro- perties from the Father by eternal generation, he was thereon the exprefc image of his perfon, and the brightnefs of his glory. Whatever is in the perfon of the Father, is in the perfon ofthe Son, and being all received from the Fatlser, he is lais elfential image. And one endof his incar- nation was that he might be the reprefentative image of God unto us. Whereas therefore in the work of our recovery, the image of God fhoutd be reftored in us, there was a condecency that it fhouldbe done by hint who was the elfential image of God. For it conf its. in the communica tìon
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