The chapter before us contains the deep things of God: in it Paul opens the very fecrets of the Trinity, and brings them forth to open light and view. He gives us an account of the eternal thoughts, will, purposes, council, and decrees of God refpecting the elect. He exhibits to view the grand primordial caufe-leads us to view the celeftial fountain and foundation, God's everlasting love--prefents to view that grand fundamental mystery of the gospel-the union of the elect in Chrift and to him-with the actual beftowment of all fpiritual bleffings upon them in him their eternal, everliving, and everlasting head of union and communion with Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. He points out the joint concern of the eternal Three in the falvation of the chofen ones, with the revelation and application of it to them by the Holy Spirit.

I would in my introduction observe, that Paul describes himself by his office, An apostle of Jesus Christ-falutes the perfons he writes to, as faints and the faithful in Christ Jefus, and invokes grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jefus Chrift, to be communicated unto them. He then falls upon the higheft act of worship, bleffing God. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath blessed us with all spiritual bleffings in beavenly places in Chrift, according as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be boly and without blame before him in love, having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Chriji to bimfelf, according to the good pleasure of his will. Here is an enumeration of thofe bleffings which God the

Father hath beftowed upon us in Chrift Jefus, who is the head of the whole election of grace, in whom, before all time, God chofe his people, and fet them apart as his peculiar treasure, portion, and inheritance. The firft and greateft act of God's love, is that which was manifefted in election; and that love in the firft act of it, was as great as all tranfient acts can for ever exprefs, even to eternity. Election is an act of love, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. This is the fountain and spring-cause of election: which, as it is altogether of grace, without any thing foreseen to be in the creature; fo more of the glory and fovereignty of grace is expreffed in it, than in the falvation wrought out by Chrift; which, though afcribed to grace, yet there is a display of justice in it as well as grace. But election is altogether of grace, flowing from the good pleasure of JEHOVAH's will, in which he exalts his divine fovereignty. The greateft and deepest thought which ever had place in the heart of God, as it refpects the elect, was what iffued in his decree and purpose, concerning advancing them into fupercrcation union with himfelf, that they might partake of fupercreation grace and communion with him. To accomplish this amazing defign, it pleafed JEHOVAH, the Father, to predeftinate his coequal, coeternal, and confubftantial Son into creature existence, and to fet him up in his eternal thoughts and purposes as God-man. This feems to be the meaning of the following Scripture: The Lord poffeffed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old. I was fet up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

Proverbs viii. 22, 23. Here the effential Son of God, who exifted from everlafting, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, in the incomprehenfible and incommunicable effence, is set forth as God-man; who, as fuch, is the Head and Mediator of his church. I was fet up from everlafling. Now this cannot be understood of Chrift, as fecond perfon only: but God did set him up from the beginning, as bearing and fuftaining the perfon of God-man, to which manhood he was chofen, and undertook to affume it, and be an head to his members before God, who reputed him as fuch; and of him as thus confidered, are thofe words fpoken.

In Chrift, God-man, the elect were chofen.-He is the head of the elect. He was chofen to be the head, and the elect were chofen in him as members in an head, and by means of this, the elect had a virtual representative being and exiftence in Chrift from eternity-our persons being made hereby myftically one with Chrift; he being a common head to us in election, as Adam was in creation. The elect being chofen by God the Father, in the perfon of Chrift, were bleffed in him with all fpiritual bleffings. He, their eternal head and reprefentative, received all fpiritual bleffings for them. God defigns and wills the utmost good to be bestowed on his people, and the God-man is capable to receive the utmoft bleffednefs for them; and in him the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift bleffed us with all Spiritual bleffings, which influences Paul's heart to pour forth himself in bleffing God. bleffing God. When God's elect were

bleffed with all fpiritual bleffings is next to be con fidered, which is thus expreffed: According as he bath chofen us in Chrift, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: All the grants of grace, the promise of eternal life, the whole lump of bleffings were given to us in election. Hence we read of grace given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. Holiness, unblamable and immutable holiness, such as the faints will enjoy in heaven, is not the cause, but the fruit of election.

Mention is made of fome of thofe grand bleffings which are the immediate fruits of election in Chrift; which election, as it gives us being, union, and interest in Christ, so it secures all spiritual bleffings, and in fuch a manner, that they cannot be forfeited by us. He mentions predeftination to the adoption of children by Jefus Christ to himself, as a branch of election grace, and afcribes it to the good pleasure of God's will. Predeftination to the Predeftination to the grace of adoption, is an high privilege, whereby we become the fons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty, which is founded upon our union with Chrift, and the marriage relation between himself and us. He being the Son of God, we, by being his bride and spouse, become the fons of God alfo by adoption. This is faid to be, to the praife of the glory of his grace: to which he fubjoins another benefit, He hath made us accepted in the beloved. We here ftand upon the high and eternal mountains of God's fupralapfarian grace. Here are three great and tranfcendent acts of grace, which

are not founded upon, nor do they ftand in connection with the glorious mediation of our Lord Jefus Chrift; but they belong to us, upon the relation we bear to his perfon. As the renowned Dr. Goodwin fays: "God chofe us to be in Chrift, and because "he is holy, we must be holy: holinefs therefore is "effential to our being in Christ. God predefti"nated us in Chrift; therefore we must be his fons, "as he is, and fo we are predeftinated to adoption "in him his natural Son. And then, God hath ac"cepted us in the beloved, and therefore as he loveth "him, fo he loveth us;" which acceptation in Chrift, God's beloved Son is, as I conceive it, a far higher act of grace, than to be juftified in Christ, or pardoned through Chrift's most precious bloodshedding. Thefe acts of grace are eternal ones, which all flow from God's everlafting love, delight, and complacency, which he took in Chrift, and in the church confidered in him. To which let me add, that election and bleffing us with all fpiritual bleffings; adoption and acceptation in the beloved, are all fpoken of in the past tenfe, and without any mention of Chrift as the mediator of reconciliation. It is at the next verse, the tenfe is altered, the language changed, and Chrift as the Redeemer mentioned. The elect falling from their creature purity and righteoufnefs by Adam's tranfgreffion, they needed redemption from this flate of fin and mifery, and Chrift their head of grace and glory, became their Redeemcr. In whom we have redemption through bis blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace, which brings us home to our text :