The original, therefore, to which elect angels and saints owe all their blefsednefs, and the fountain, from whence their eternal felicity continually flows, is GRACE THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF GRACE. Angels and saints are debtors to GRACE. Election is wholly of GRACE. Hence it is called the election of GRACE". The angels of God's presence owe their election to GRACE, equally with us. They are styled elect angels. God, who is love itself, did within himself devise a way whereby he might make known himself, in his nature, persons, and perfections, to some of his intellectual creatures, in the communications of his love, and in such a manner, as should far exceed what the creature, simply considered in itself, and on its own bottom, could ever partake of. This is most justly styled GRACE - SUPERCREATION GRACE; and is displayed in God's loving his church and people in Christ with an immutable love-in his giving them being and life in Christ before all time-in his blefsing them in Christ with all spiritual blefsings, andin his accepting them in his beloved to the praise of the GLORY OF HIS GRACE. The union, which subsists between Christ h Rom. ix. 5. and his people, their relation to him, and his interest in them, are altogether of GRACE. This union is a transcendent one, far beyond the dues of creatureship. It is the foundation of all the communion which CHRIST hath with them, and which they have with HIM on earth, and in Heaven. The love also, which Christ bears to his church, is a transcendent love. When speaking of it to his apostles, he saith, "As the Father hath loved me, so have "I loved you." And in his addrefs to his Father, he saith, "Thou hast loved "them as thou hast loved mem. The communion, which Christ holds with them, is altogether spiritual and divine. He is united to them as their head, and they are in him, as members in an head. In him lies all their eternal blefsednefs. The Father hath treasured up in him all the blessings of his everlasting love; and they are to receive out of the fulness of him that filleth all in all the whole of their salvation in time, and all the blessings of it in eternity. Our Lord speaks of the union between him and his church in this high manner. "That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, " and I in thee, that they also may be "one in us that the world may believe John xv. 9. m John xvii. 23. "that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, "even as we are one; I in them, and "thou in me, that they may be made "perfect in one, and that the world 86 may know that thou hast sent me, and "hast loved them as thou hast loved "me"." So that the grace of God displayed and manifested to the elect in Christ Jesus is ineffable; yea, incomprehensible. Its original, blessings, fruits, and effects are so great, that we may well cry out, O the depth! In the person of the God-man the holy Trinity have shone forth, and displayed GRACE to the uttermost of their manifestative glory, and to the uttermost of the elect creatures' capacity. In the redemption of the elect, and in bringing them to the saving knowledge of God the Father, in the Son, through the eternal spirit, there is a marvellous display of free, sovereign, rich GRACE. The whole of the inspired volume is one grand exhibition of it: by which it is fully and freely set before us for our comfort and edification. My design in the following pages being to set the CROWN of CROWNS on the head of FREE GRACE, it will be my study and prayer to the Lord the Spirit, John xvii. 21, 22, 23. that he may be pleased to teach and guide me throughout the whole subject, and blefs the same to the praise of his own name. I shall give under the title of the chapters the subjects which will be distinctly treated of; and will aim to set forth all that I know, and have been taught of this most blefsed subject, as the Lord may be pleased to afsist. The substance of the whole will contain God's utmost end in election, which will appear to be a supernatural union with himself, and also a supernatural communication of himself. The foundation of this union with God will be shewn to lie in the union betwixt the second person in the Godhead and our nature; by the afsumption of which he became God and man in one Christ: who is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his person. In him, as thus considered God-man, by personal union of our nature with the Son of God, the image of the invisible God, the whole Trinity have made, and do make the highest manifestation of their efsential glory, and communication of blefsednefs to saints. Hence our Lord saith, "Father, I will that they "also whom thou hast given me be δε with me where I am; that they may "behold my glory, which thou hast "given me: for thou lovedst me before "the foundation of the world °.” Union with Christ is founded on eternal election. And every blefsing flows upon this union. The communion, which we have with Christ by faith, is the fruit of it. The eternal communion also, which saints have with Christ in glory, flows from it. God's end in election is his own glory. It springs from his own love. Hence he saith, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love"." Election is the first act of God's love. God does not love us because he elected us; but be-cause he loved us, therefore he elected us in and together with Christ from everlasting, and appointed Christ Godman to be the head of the whole election of grace; in whom he gave them a supercreation-being, and from him they were to receive all supernatural blessings and benefits. You may view the order of God's decrees respecting Christ and his church thus.-1st. God was pleased and decreed to go forth into creaturecommunion, that his love to his elect might thereby be evidenced. 2dly. His own glory was his supreme end therein. "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to |