rewarding him according to his deserts in conformity to that of the Apostle Therefore hath God exalted him But neither this advancement of his is the end of his humiliation nor either of these the end of his assumption into an hypostaticall union with the Sonne of God Nor his hypostaticall union with the second person in Trinity the end of any of these and therfore they are to be accompted rather co-ordinate then subordinate in the intention of God 2. Now I come to examine how this doubt is cleered Here we have first a rule then the accomodation of this rule Touching the rule I acknowledge it and I adde something to the cleering of it Granting that there is no order in Gods decrees but such as is grounded upon this that God purposeth one thing for another This one thing and another are only the end and the means between which we say in the intention of God there is onely prioritas rationis priority of reason which in my judgement is well expounded thus when ratio unius petitur à ratione alterius the reason of the one is taken from the reason of the other as ratio mediorum petitur à ratione sinis the reason of the means is taken from the reason of the end And therefore we say The end is first in intention and then the meanes As for the accomodation of the rule it seems to me to be nothing at all to the purpose for the doubt proposed was not how it might appeare that there was any thought of the glorifying of God before the presupposall of Adams fall and of Christs humiliation We willingly acknowledge the glory of God was thought on before them all both before the incarnation advancement of the man Christ mans fall and Christs humiliation I say before them all prioritate rationis by priority of reason for undoubtedly both the incarnation of the Son of God That is the hypostaticall union of Christs manhood to the second person in the Trinitie and the advancement of the man Christ was to the glory of God as the end thereof as well as ought else And this glory of God hath been specified at least in part And as for the glorifying of himself in Christ this still denotes the glory of God as the end though it addes withall the matter wherein it shines to wit the man Christ And to prevent the errour of equivocation that usually lurkes under generalls This glorifying of God in Christ consists either in severall or in common with the glorifying of himself in man also to wit in the elect considered in severall I confesse there is a double glory of God manifested in Christ The one is the glory of his pure grace in conferring the greatest good and honour that the creature is capable of as namely in the hypostaticall union of the manhood of Christ to the second person in the Trinitie Secondly the glory of Gods remunerative justice in the highest degree possible both in respect of the reward the greatest that possibly could be deserved for that hypostaticall union could not be deserved and that is the glorisication of the humane nature of Christ both in respect of his glory absolute and of his glory relative as by whom salvation is procured to others as also in respect of the desert the greatest I thinke that possibly could be to wit the humiliation of the Sonne of God to the death of the crosse in way of obedience to his Fathers will There is also a glory of God that appeares in Christ not in severall as a sole meanes thereof but in common with other meanes joyntly concurring thereunto and that is the glory of God in the way of mercie mixt with justice in saving sinners for the obedience of Christ The glory of God in all these severall wayes was in the first place intended by God before ought else prioritate rationis in prioritie of reason and afterwards the congruous meanes to these severall ends as the ends them selves did bespeake were intended by him for ratio mediorū petitur à ratione sinis the reason of the meanes is taken from the reason of the end But all this is nothing to shew that the incarnation of the second person or advancement of the man Christ should be before the consideration of mans fall or Christs humiliation Yet let us examine that which followeth delivered by way of proof of that which no man that I know makes question of Because Christ was ordained before the world was therefore before the consideration either of Creation or Fall For in scripture phrase when God is said to doe one thing before another he meaneth before the existence or being of it in his consideration as an inducement leading him unto it as well as before the existence of it by nature As when God is said to have loved Jacob rather then Esau before they had done either good or evill Rom. 9. 11. He meaneth before they had done it in his consideration as a cause or condition leading him to love or hatred as well as in actuall performance in their owne persons I pray consider why was Christ ordained and to what end before the world was Was he not ordained to be incarnate in the womb of the Virgin and to be a Lambe for a burnt offering to make satisfaction for sins And was it possible that this ordination could have course without consideration of the creation and fall And though this be confessed yet will it not here hence follow that the decree of creation and permission of mans fall was before the decree of the incarnation of the Sonne of God which alone as I conceive casteth some mens inventions upon the platforme of a new course And consequently it will not follow that in this case the consideration of creation and fall should precede as motives to God to send his Sonne For first I say the considerations hereof are not all precedent but conjunct and concomitant like as are the decrees Secondly if they did precede yet should they not precede as motives Good or evill workes are fit motives I confesse of election and reprobation if it were possible their considerations could precede the one or the other But creation and fall are no fit motives of ordaining Christ for they were found in Angels as well as in men though the consideration of them could precede this ordination 2. Election is as expresly said to be before the foundation of the world as the ordination of Christ And was not reprobation in opposition to election in the same moment of time and nature also Doth not election connotate reprobation But it will be said that this phrase before the world signifies not any measure of duration when that worke was done but a negation of any consideration had of the creation or fall This seems a very strange construction therefore it deserves to be discussed 3. Before Abraham was I am would you interpret it thus Before the
the incarnation of the Sonne of God presupposeth the fall of man or rather to speake more accurately in a scholasticall discourse the consideration of Adams fall and consequently though this be not alwaies considered the decree of God to permit Adams fall This order though very generally received yet it is contrary to manifest reason according to the rule in this Treatise mentioned and which I take to be most sound For if the permission of Adams fall were first in intention then it should be last in execution and consequently the Son of God should be first incarnate and after this Adam should be permitted to fall Others it seems though very few that I have ever bin acquainted with take another course and presuppose Gods purpose touching the incarnation of his Sonne to precede his purpose touching the permission of Adams fall yet not so much for the former reason as for the honour of Christ But this will be found upon true scanning to be as contradictions to manifest reason as the former and that upon the same ground For if God did purpose the incarnation of his Sonne before he purposed the permission of the fall of Adam much more did he purpose the incarnation of his Sonne before he purposed to permit the sinnes of all men and particularly the sins of them that crucified the Sonne of God Act. 2. 36. I say much more onely to signifie that this is much more evident But this is a thing impossible upon the former ground and upon the former rule For if the incarnation of the Sonne of God were first in intention then it should be last in execution and consequently Christ should first be permitted by God to be crucified and after this hee should be incarnate 2. Againe Did God decree that his Sonne should take humane flesh upon him indefinitely in respect of place where and time when Or definitely at such a time and in the wombe of the Virgin Mary Indefinite decrees are generally thought to be nothing becomming God If definitely how could this be without the consideration of Adams fall 3. If the decree of incarnation be advanced before the decree of permitting Adam to fall why not before the decree of the creation also and that not onely of men but of Angels Certainly it could not be before the decree of creating Angels For priority in intention is onely of the end in reference to the meanes and certainly the creation of Angels was no meanes for the incarnation of the Son of God Now if the decree of incarnation were not before the decree of the creation of Angels surely it was not before the decree of the creation of mankind For the decree of the creation of Angels was in no moment before the decree of the creation of man which I prove thus If the creation of Angels were first in intention it should be last in execution and consequently man should be created before Angels Now if the incarnation of the Sonne were not in intention before the creation of mankind in Adam I will here-hence manifestly deduce that the same incarnation of the Sonne of God was not any moment of nature in intention before the permission of mans fall for certainly creation of mankind in Adam was not as I prove thus If Adams creation were in Gods intention before the permission of his fall then should it have bin last in execution that is man should be permitted to fall into sinne before God created him Thus looke by what reason it may appeare that the permission of Adams fall was not in Gods intention before the incarnation of the Sonne of God by as good reason doth it appeare that the incarnation of the Sonne of God was not in Gods intention before the permission of Adams fall whence it followeth that the incarnation of the Son of God and the permission of Adams fall together with his creation are not subordinanda to be subordinated in Gods intention as if any of these were the end which God intended and the rest meanes ordained to that end but co-ordinanda to be co-ordinated as joynt means tending to a further end and that is the manifestation of Gods glory in a way of mercy mixt with justice Which end doth equally be speake all the three former as meanes tending thereunto For no declaration of Gods glory can be without creation nor in the way of mercy without permission of sinne and misery nor of such a mercy as is mixt with justice without the incarnation and passion of the Son of God 2. As for the order of the other two to wit the advancement of the man Christ and his humiliation thereof we are now to speake And first I confesse willingly that his humiliation could not be intended before his exaltation lest being first in intention it should be last in execution I will further prove that his advancement or exaltation could not be intended before his humiliation And first this may be made evident as touching his greatest advancement which was by incarnation all advancement following was farre inferior unto this Now this advancement was not intended before his humiliation for had it bin first in intention it had bin last in execution and consequently Christ had been first humbled and afterwards his nature taken into an hypostaticall union with the Sonne of God Secondly I prove that the advancement of his humane nature after his passion was not in Gods intention before his humiliation For I have already proved that the taking of the humane nature into an hypostaticall union with the Son of God was not before his humiliation and you will not say that the advancement of the man Christ you speake of was in Gods intention before his incarnation therefore neither was it in Gods intention before his humiliation What remaines then but that all these to wit the incarnation of the Sonne of God his humiliation in the flesh together with his succeeding advancement are not sub-ordinanda to bee subordinated in Gods intention as if onewere the end and the other meanes tending to that end but rather Co-ordinanda to be co-ordinated if not as joynt meanes tending to one and the same end throughout yet as different meanes tending to different ends or partly the one partly the other Still holding up this truth that no order is to be found in intention between any but such as have the reference of end and meanes amongst themselves As for example The incarnation of the Son of God is a sole and single means tending to the manifestation of the greatest free grace of God that ever was or can be shewed to the world his humiliation respects both our good and his owne As it respects ours together with his incarnation it is a meanes to manifest the glory of God in saving us in despight of sinne and that in the way of justice In respect of his owne good together with his advancement it is a joynt means for manifesting the remunerative justice of God in
Gods love to Christ especially when both are acknowledged to be eternall and to be toward both the man Christ and us before wee or the world had a being most of all when in the issue the priority seems to be for us rather then for Christ for it is confest that priority in Gods decrees consists onely in purposing one thing for another And again it is without question that all priority in this case is on the part of that for which another thing is purposed Now albeit wee are Christs servants and hee our Lord yet undoubtedly Christ was ordained rather for our good then wee for his good yet I doe not hence collect that our predestination was before Christs much lesse that Gods love was lesse towards him then towards us but I willingly acknowledge that albeit thousands had tasted of Gods love both in the way of nature and grace and glory before Christ-man had any being at all yet was the love of God to the manhood of Christ infinitely beyond his love towards us measuring the love of God by the effects thereof and that in two respects first for as much as the fruit of Gods love to him was the taking of his humane nature into an hypostaticall union with the Sonne of God secondly in making him the Captain of our salvation Heb. 2. 10. Least of all is it my meaning to extenuate the heinous nature of sinne by setting forth the purpose of God concerning the incarnation of Christ before the consideration of the fall of Adam It is enough to make sinne out of measure sinfull that God in his wisedome saw no meanes so sit as by the sinne and fall of Adam to make way for the humiliation of Christ and thereby for the manifestation of his justice and riches of his mercy and both in Christ although we grant so far as to conceive that God had never thought of humbling the Godhead or advancing the manhood of Christ but upon consideration of sin fore-seen Ex magnitudine remedii magnitudinem cognosce periculi saith Bernard this hath place in what order soever Christ was ordained a Sacrifice for sinne neither is there any colour of remitting ought of the heinousnesse of sin by the priority or posteriority of Christs predestination in comparison to Gods decree concerning the permission of sinne Sinne and the heinousnesse thereof is amplified according to the quality of the transgression in reference to Gods law so honourable a rule of mans perfection and to Gods deserts at our hands and plentifull motives from consideration both of rewards and punishments wherewith it is estadlished It is a common and just aggravation of sinne that it caused the Son of God to be humbled but to aggravate it in making way for Christs humiliation is a very odde conceit in my judgement Neither doe I comprehend how the manifestation of justice in punishing sinne or of mercy in pardoning it doth aggravate the heinousnesse of sin This I say I comprehend not The second DOUBT WHere have wee in Scripture ground for this That the Lords first and primary intention in his decree of Predestination was to set forth Grace and Justice That the declaration of his justice was intended is not doubted but by the Apostle it seemeth his primary aime was the declaration of the soveraignty freedom and dominion of God over the creature in that hee purposeth grace and power The Apostle throughout his whole discourse of Predestination doth no where oppose grace and power for God sheweth as much power freedome and dominion over the creature in his grace toward the elect as in his justice toward the world The Apostle sets forth the like power and soveraign will of God as well in shewing mercy on whom hee will as hardening whom hee pleaseth Doe not think hee opposeth Gods power and soveraignty over Pharaoh to his grace and love unto Jacob for the power hee there speaks of is not soveraignty but ability might and power shewing it selfe forth in the hardening and overthrow of Pharaoh in Moses called the power of his wrath Power naturall is one thing power civill which wee call soveraignty another the first is ability to doe a thing the second is liberty to doe what naturally hee can doe without sinne Undoubtedly the power of God shewed in Pharaoh was in his overthrow and answerable to the power of Gods wrath I like well that the power of God shewed in Pharaoh is extended also to the hardening of his heart onely this is not so congruously applied to the power of Gods wrath for as much as wrath hath alwayes reference to something in man as the cause of it so hath not hardening in that of Paul Rom. 9. 18. Hee hardeneth whom hee will like as hee hath mercy on whom hee will But withall I confesse hardening in this place seems to consist onely in denying of mercy But Pharaohs hardening was much more for undoubtedly mercy was no more shewed him when his heart releâ—ted to the letting of Israel goe then when hee detained them So likewise when God hardened him to follow after them to bring them back this was more than a bare denying of mercy even a secret impulsion of him to take such courses as should precipitate him unto destruction and this may well be accounted a fruit of the power of Gods wrath and accordingly I am verily perswaded that Gods power or soveraignty over Pharaoh are not opposed to his grace and love to Jacob Onely freedome in my judgement doth not so well consent with the execution of justice whether justice be taken in rewarding or punishing Neither doe wee ever read of Gods rewarding or punishing whom hee will freedome and soveraignty is seen only in giving or denying good according to common account Albeit there is a further freedom and soveraignty of God over his creatures in doing evill unto them as in annihilating the most righteous which Arminius acknowledgeth and in exposing his holy Son to suffer strange pains and sorrowes for other mens sinnes when hee had none of his owne Not to speak of the soveraignty wherewith God hath indued man over his fellowes though inferiour creatures That God in his decree of Predestination did shew forth the declaration of his soveraignty freedome and dominion over the creatures I easily grant yet that it was his primary aime rather then the declaration of his justice and grace I cannot beleeve without better proofe My opinion is That all the variety of Gods glory to bee manifested in the creature was intended at once and if they that are otherwise minded come to a particular expression of what glory was intended first and what next and so in order I am perswaded the incongruity of that order will soon appear It is granted on all hands that God first aimed at the declaration of his owne glory Now wherein doth God delight principally for to manifest his glory God himselfe declared it to Moses who
the glory of Christ only should be considered as the meanes of advancing the glory of God the Father I conceive the glory of God is as much seen in the abasing of his Sonne as in his exaltation and if this very abasing of himselfe be called his glory as indeed it may for even on the crosse he spoyled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them Col. 2. then this discourse shall labour with a new aequivocation In like sort Is nothing but our glory a fit meanes to advance the glory of Christ and of God Is not God glorified as well in the martyrdome of his Saints This is my confidence saith Paul that God shall be glorified in my body whether by life or by death Philip. 1. yea and Christ also Even when we beare about us the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our bodies 2 Cor. 4. 10 If our glory also be extended unto martyrdome this is a very sore aequivocation especially considering how the scripture doth distinguish them first to suffer then to enter into glory Luk. 24. 26. and if we suffer with him we shall also reigne with him 2 Tim. 2. 12. 4. But as it lyeth let us discusse it as well as we can Therfore I say first Gods glory is not onely last in execution but first also even from the very first creation even then when the stars of the morning praysed him and all the Sonnes of God rejoyced Job 38. 7. And I will deale plainely and shew what glory of his was manifested herein to wit the glory of his power Revel 4. 11. Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy wills sake they have beene and are created Yea and his wisdome also Psal 130. 5. which by his wisdome made the heavens Jeremiah puts them both together He hath made the earth by his power and established the World by his wisdome and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion And as in the creation so the same glory of God doth send forth ' its beames in the preservation and governance of all things In the meanest creatures we behold the glory of God neither are we able to comprehend the wisdome of God therein every thing therein as in a Bee or silke-worme coming to passe by course of nature yet who is able to give a reason of it I thinke if Solomon had continued to this day and his wisdome with him yet had he not beene able to finde it out for although the spirit of man be as the lampe of God which searcheth all inwardnesse and God hath set the world in mans heart yet is he not able to finde out the worke that he hath wrought from the beginning to the end I behold the flowers of my garden in great varietie of colours yet wonder at their uniformitie each single one hath five leaves each most uniforme in the colour in the shape rising and spreading and indented alike in their edges all together make a most comely proportion of the whole round in forme only indented in the edges which is as bonelace to set it forth some of one colour throughout the pageant speckled having strakes like lines so direct and proportionable in all that it represents unto me some curious Mathematicall circle cut thorough with lines the matter of many curious demonstrations And what a curious speculation would it appeare to represent the causes of all this varietie In the meane time our contemplation is broken off and loseth it selfe and turnes into admiration at the wisdome of God which confounds us in the contemplation of a flower which is worn in the breast at morning and troden under foot at night But to returne you will say Another kind of glory is seene in the advancement of Christ but then you should have specified it which had you done I doubt not but it would have afforded good matter to have wrought upon in the investigation of truth 2. As the glorifying of God the Father was the very first even from the creation before either Christ man was or we so I say it is not so last as if it should be after Christs glory and our glory shall cease to be for certainly the glory of Christ and the glory of the elect shall continue for ever and the glory of God cannot continue any longer then for ever 3. Come wee to the consideration of the glory of Christ There is a glory of Christ which he receiveth from man and there is a glory of Christ which hee receiveth from God That glory which hee receiveth from man he hath received in greatest part long before wee were born for it is the Fathers pleasure That all men should honour the Sonne as they honour the Father Joh. 5. 23. There is the Rule here followeth the Example Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receive power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and praise And all the creatures which are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying Praise and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for evermore Revel 5. 12 13. As for the glory which he receives from his Father that he hath already received above 1500. yeers agoe I have overcome and am sate with my Father in his Throne Revel 3. If God be glorified in him God shall also glorifie him in himselfe and shall straight-way glorifie him Joh. 13. 32. So that every way the glory of Christ is afore ours not after ours for when the elect are once glorified their glory shall continue for the time to come as long as Christs glory but for the time past certainely Christs glory and his advancement you here speak of noting thereby what you meane by Christs glory in this place was long before ours Whereas you say that Christ as man was first humbled before hee was glorified if we consider the greatest advancement of Christ it is untrue for his greatest advancement was the assuming of his nature into an hypostaticall union with the Sonne of God and this was afore his humiliation in the sense you speake of to wit in humbling himselfe to the death even to the death of the Crosse though I willingly confesse the humiliation of the Godhead went joyntly along with the advancement of the manhood even to this hypostaticall union You say His advancement was purposed before his humiliation I deny it You will say that was the meanes tending to his advancement as the end for so I take your meaning to be leaving the consideration of the phrase mentioned of making way which if it be delivered in any other sense then to signifie the meanes of his advancement will make your cause worse and nothing better For now I deny that
Christs humiliation was the meanes of Christs advancement and I prove it Those only are to bee accounted meanes to such an end quorum ratio petitur a ratione finis designati that is the means are onely such as the nature of the end duly considered doth bespeake But the advancement of Christ doth not bespeake any such meanes for undoubtedly God could advance Christ without any such humiliation nay having taken his manhood into an hypostaticall union with his Son even in this respect his advancement was far more requisite than in respect of his humiliation You will say God purposed to advance him no other way then this I grant it and if you consider it well you shall find the reason of it by considering the right ends hereof in the counsell of God And these are different one was in respect of others to wit that he might be a fit Saviour of Gods elect not that their salvation was the end of his humiliation but the glory of God in a certain kind the end of both to wit both of his humiliation and our salvation namely the glory of his free grace in the way of mercy mixt with justice This end required satisfaction as without which it could not be procured But here I confesse the advancement of Christ hath no place but in another consideration it shall find place and that as a joynt meanes together with his humiliation for another kind of glory would God the Father manifest in Christ And indeed the Nation of mankind is as a glasse wherein a very complete body of Gods glory doth appear in very great variety and that was the manifestation of his glory in the way of remunerative justice in the highest degree remunerating obedience I say in the highest degree both in respect of the reward deserved and also in respect of the desert it selfe the reward being the sitting in the Throne of his Father and to have all judgment committed unto the Sonne the desert being the obedience of the Son of God one and the same God with his Father humbling himselfe to death even to the death of the crosse for the salvation of Gods elect But perhaps you may further say It is not necessary that the means should bee only such as the end doth naturally require For God could have brought man to salvation the same way he brought Angels without faith and repentance yea hee could have made them and immediatly have translated them into glory yet wee commonly say Faith and Repentance are the means of salvation I answer granting not onely that wee commonly say so but that wee truly say so in respect of our selves namely that as salvation is the scope and end wee aime at so faith and repentance are the onely meanes to bring us thereunto but in respect of God it is utterly untrue for neither is our salvation the end of Gods actions but his owne glory Hee made all things for himselfe Prov. 16. 4. And if it were his end hee could have brought it about divers other wayes besides this but in that hee brings it to passe this way there is good reason for it as wee shall well perceive if wee take the end of God aright namely to manifest his glory in doing good to man in the highest degree and that in the way of mercy mixt with justice This end doth necessarily require a permission of sin again it doth require satisfaction as by the death of Christ and thirdly it doth require faith and repentance that so hee may doe him good by way of reward and lastly a glorious salvation which is the doing of him good in the highest degree And as mans salvation is not the end of Gods actions so neither is the glory of Christ as hee is man the end of Gods actions for such a glory inherent can but bee a created glory and no created thing can be the end of Gods actions but onely God himselfe For as he is the chiefe efficient of all so must hee bee the supreme end of all and as hee is most lovely and most good so must hee necessarily love that most which is most lovely even himselfe and aime at his owne glory in all 2 Now I come to the Apostles Text wherewith this Argument is backt 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. All are yours and yee Christs and Christ Gods that is say you The world for the Church and the Church for Christ and Christ for God thereby giving us to understand That God first intended his glory for which are all things and then Christ for whom the Church is and then the Church for which the world is and then the world last of all But I pray you consider whether this Interpretation and Collection thereupon be not more superficiary than sound First when he saith All are yours is the world only to be understood by all Is not the world expresly named but as a member of this universall Are not Paul Apollos and Cephas also joyned with it together with life and death and things present and things to come and joyntly comprehended under the word all Verse 21. Let no man rejoyce in men for all things are yours Verse 22. Whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come even all are yours 23. And yee Christs and Christ Gods As he was perswaded Rom. 8. 38. That neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature should bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and therefore wee need not feare them So here he goes further and tells us that all are put as it were in subjection unto us to worke for our good and therefore wee should not rejoyce in them but rather in Christ and in God who hath wrought this and ordered all this for our good through the merits of Christ not only Apostles and Pastours but even the very Angels also who pitch their tent about us and have charge given them to keep us in all our wayes and all of them are sent forth for the good of them that are heires of salvation Yet this subjection is onely of a spirituall and gracious nature nothing prejudicing their advancement above them whom they thus serve in love and that for this their service performed for Gods sake to whom rather they are in subjection then unto us yet so farre in subjection to worke our good that it becomes us not to rejoyce in any of them but rather in God who hath thus ordered them for our good and Christ for whose sake they are thus ordered An Argument like to that the Lord useth Deut. 4. 19. Take heed lest thou lift up thine eyes to heaven and when thou seest the sunne and the moon and the starres with all the host of heaven shouldst bee driven to worship them