439 ning of the world, Acts 15. 18; who worketh all things from eterafter the counsel of his own will, Eph. 1. 11. And all nity. the foreknowledge of future contingencys is founded in the decree of God: confequently he determined with himself from eternity, every thing he executes in time. If we are to believe this with refpect to all the decrees of God, much more with regard to that diftinguishing decree, whereby he purposed to dif play his glory, in the eternal state of men. And I hall add, what ought, in the fulleft manner, to establish this truth, that we are chofen in Christ Jesus before the foundatioa of the world, Eph. 1. 4. XIV. And hence appears the gangrene of the So. The Socinian Hereticks, who, diftinguishing between pre- cinian deftination, which they define the general decree of heresy. God, concerning the falvation of all those, who conftantly obey Christ, and between Election, which is of particular perfons; they fay, indeed, that the former is from eternity, but the latter made in time, when a perfon performs the condition contained in the general decree of predeftination. And they make the excellence of the Lord Jefus and a part of his divinity to confift in this, that he was foreknown by name from eternity. But as Peter writes, 1 Pet. 1. 20, that Chrift was foreordained before the foundation of the world; fo we have juft heard Paul, teftifying by the fame expreffion, that we were chofen before the foundation of the world. But neither the fubject, as we have juft fhewn, nor the Apostle's words, which defcribe not an election of holiness, as the condition of life, but an election of fome certain perfons to holinefs, which, in virtue of that election, they had already in part obtained, and were afterwards in the fulleft manner to obtain, will not fuffer us to pervert this to fome general decree of faving faints. XV. We are here to explain, what our Saviour Mat. "25. declares he will pronounce on the last day of judg- 34, exment, Mat. 25. 34, inherit the kingdom prepared for plained. you ἀπὸ καταβολής κοσμε from the foundation of the world : he does not fay, before the foundation of the world, as And Rev. 3.8. is faid, Eph. 1. 4. If by this preparing we underftand God's decree, we must fay with many expofitors, that this phrafe from the foundation of the world is equivalent to that other, before the foundation of the world; just as, from the beginning of the world, Ats, 15. 18, and before the world, 1 Cor. 2. 7, denote the very fame thing. Similar expreffions of eternity may be compared, Prov, 8. 23, by, from everlast or ever the מקרמי אדץ ; from the beginning מראש ; ing earth was. XVI. And we must not omit that illuftrious paffage, Rev. 13.8; whofe names are not written in the book of life of the lamb, sain from the foundation of the world, The last of thefe, words are so placed, that they may ftand in a threefold connection, with the preceeding. For, first, they may be joined with the immediately preceeding, as to mean, that Chrift was the lamb flain from the foundation of the world; that is, either from all eternity, in the decree of God, which importing a certain futurition of events, to ufe a fcholaftic term, is the reason that things future may be confidered as already exifting; or from the remoteft antiquity of the world, not only in the members of his mystical body, but alfo in the pro mife of God, in the type of facrifices, and of Abel, flain by his envious brother; and in fine, in the efficacy of his death, which extended itself to the first of the human race. For, unless the death of Christ, which he was once to undergo in the fulness of time, could have extended its virtue to the first men in the world, Chrift must often have fuffered fince the foundation of the world, Heb. 9. 26. God did many things, before Chrift could die, which could not decently have been done, unless with a view to Chrift's death, which was to enfue in its appointed time, and with refpect to thefe, he is faid to be flain from the foundation of the world. Nay, the foundation of the earth itself was not laid without a view to the death of Chrift. For fince the manifestation of his glorious grace in man through Chrift, was the chief end of God, in creating man; we must look upon the foundation of the earth, to be an habitation for the good, as a mean to that end. Nor would it have been confiftent with God, to form the earth for a habitation of finful man, unless that fame earth was one time or other, to be purged by the blood of Chrift, as the fanctifier and glorifier of his Elect, For all these reafons, the flaying of Chrift, and the foundation of the world, are not improperly connected. Secondly, thofe words, from the foundation of the world, may be referred to what goes before, are written: to fignify, whofe names are not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of that lamb flain. Which appeared more fimple to Junius, Pifcator, Gomarus, and other great divines. And indeed, we obferve, Luke 4, 5, an inftance of a tranfpofition not unlike this. And John himself is found to have fo ranged thefe very words, as to omit entirely what is here inferted about the lamb flain, Rev. 17. 8, whofe names' were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. And then this phrafe would denote the eternity of the divine decree, as we fhewed in the foregoing paragraph, it might be explained. Thirdly and and lastly, The words may be fo conftrued, as to point to men, who have lived fince the foundation of the world, and whose names are not written in the book of life. And then the usual and moft common fenfe of that phrafeology will be retained, fo as to denote the first times of the world. And 2 XVII. We are alfo to enquire into the genuine Tim. 1.9. fenfe of that faying in 2 Tim. 1. 9, and which is commonly brought as a proof of the eternity of election; faved us according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began. Two things are here efpecially to be enquired into. Ift, What is to be understood by the giving of grace. 2dly, What by, before the world began. The faving grace of the New Covenant is given to thofe, who are to be faved. 1. In the decree of God. 2. In the promise. 3. In the actual gift of it. The decree of God is the original fource of grace: the promife is the manifeftation of the decree: the actual gift is the execution of both. But because it is impoffible, for the decree of God to fail, or the promife of God to deceive; the perfon, to whom God decrees and promises to give any thing, may be fo certain, that it shall be given; as if he was already in the actual poffeffion of it. And, on account of that certainty of the decree and promise of God, the benefit, decreed or promised, may be confidered as already given. But it is plain, that the Apostle speaks not here of actual beftowing: therefore, it ought to be understood of giving, either in the decree, or in the promise. But which of thefe explications is to be prefered, depends on the meaning of, the following phrafe, πρὸ χρόνων αιωνίων before the world began. The 19 XVIII. If there be any, who by xfónes dies, before meaning the world began, understand abfolute eternity, fuch of, before refute themfelves. For, feeing Paul here relates fomethe world thing done before the world began, fomething muft began. be imagined more eternal than eternity itself, than which nothing can be more abfurd. It is better, we thereby thereby understand all that time, which commenced with the creation of the world (when sinoar, the worlds were framed, Heb. 11. 3,) which then run on, and will run thro' all ages, without end and limit. But what is it, before the world began? Is it what preceeds all time, and fo is eternal, as moft divines think, who, from hence, directly conclude the eternity of our election, and interpret this giving of the giving contained in the decree? But we are to confider, whether we can firmly maintain that expofition against the exceptions of thofe, of the oppofite opinion. Indeed, the very fubtle Twifs himself, in Vindiciis Gra- Twifs tia, lib. 1. p. 1. Digress. 2. fect. 4. p. 64, cavils; that censured. it is not neceffary directly to believe, that what is faid to be before the foundation of the world, fignifies to be before all time; but only before many ages. But that very learned perfon, as frequently on other occafions, fo alfo on this, appears to have given too much. fcope to his wit and fancy. If this expofition of his be retained, there is nothing, of which it may not, one time or other, be faid, that it was done before the foundation of the world, a regard being had to following ages. Which is, in a remarkable manner, to weaken the force and majefty of the Apoftle's expreffion. And I would not willingly make fuch conceffions to our adverfaries. Since xpóval a the beginning of the world, commenced at that beginning, in which aves exis@noar the worlds were framed; what was done, πpò xpóra, aswviw before the foundation of the world, feems altogether to have been done before the crea tion of the world, and confequently from eternity: unless we should be under a neceffity to limit that. phrase. And none can doubt, but, in its full import it may fignify this. Why then may it not be explained in its full emphafis, if there be nothing to hinder it? But what is here faid of giving grace, is no fuch hindrance: For, because all things are prefent to God, and that what God has decreed to be fu ture, |