VIII - Of Election

For that same eternall God and Father, Ephes. 1.11. Matth 25 34. Ephes. 1 21, 22. Heb. 2.7, 8. Psal. 22.11. Heb. 13.20. 1 Pet. 2.24. & 5. who of meere grace elected us in Christ Jesus his Sonne, before the foundation of the world was laid, appointed him to be our Head, our Brother, our Pastour, and great Bishop of our soules: But because that the enmitie betwixt the justice of God and our sinnes, was such, That no flesh by it self, could, or might have attained unto God; It behoved that the Son of God should descend unto us, Psal. 130.3. Psal. 143.3. 1 Tim. 2.5. and take himself a body of our body, flesh of our flesh, and bones of our bones, and so become the perfect Mediatour betwixt God and man; giving power to so many as beleeve in him, to be the sons of God, John 1.12. John 20.17. as he himself doth witnesse. I passe up to my Father and your Father, to my God and unto your God: By which most holy fraternity, whatsoever we have lost in Adam, is restored to us again. And for this cause are we nothing afraid to call God our Father, not so much in that he hath created us (which we have common with the reprobate) as for that, that he hath given to us his onely Sonne to be our Brother, Rom. 5.17, 18.19. and given unto us grace to acknowledge and imbrace him for our onely Mediatour, as before is said. It behoved further the Messias and Redeemer to be very God and very Man, Rom. 8.15. Gal. 4.6. Act. 17.26. Heb. 2.11, 12. 1 Pet. 3 18. Isa. 53.8. Act. 2.4. 1 John 1 2. because he was to suffer the punishment due for our transgressions, and to present himself in the presence of his fathers judgement, as in our person to suffer for our transgression and disobedience, by death to overcome him that was Authour of death. But because the onely God-head could not suffer death, neither could onely the Man-hood overcome the same, he joyned both together in one person, Act. 20 28. 1 Tim 3.16. John 3.16. that the imbecilitie of the one should suffer and be subject to death (which we had deserved) and the Infinite and Invincible power of the other; to wit, of the God-head should triumph, and purchase unto us life, libertie, and perpetuall Victory: and so we confesse, and most undoubtedly beleeve.