to deal with or about no more but what he had originally made.

The holy and blessed Trinity could have so ordered the work of creation, as that it should not immediately, eminently, and signally have been the work of the Son, of the eternal Word. But there was a farther design upon the world to be accomplished by him, and therefore the work was signally to be his; that is, as to immediate operation, though as to authority and order it peculiarly belonged to the Father; and to the Spirit, as to disposition and ornament, Gen. i. 2. Job xxvi. 13.

This, I say, was done for the end mentioned by the apostle, Eph. i. 10. All things at first were made by him, that when they were lost, ruined, and scattered, they might again in the appointed season be gathered together into one head in him; of which place more at large elsewhere.

And this mystery of the wisdom of God, the apostle at large unfoldeth, Col. i. 15-19. Speaking of the Son by whom we have redemption, he informs us, that in himself and his own nature, he is the image of the invisible God; that is, of God the Father, who until then had alone been clearly revealed unto them; and that in respect of other things, he is the first-born of every creature, or as he terms himself, Rev. iii. 14. the Beginning of the creation of God; that is, he who is before all creatures, and gave beginning to the creation of God. For so expressly the apostle explains himself in the next verses: "By him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." But this is not the full design of the apostle. He declares not only that all things were made by him, but also that all things were made for him, ver. 16. so made for him, that he might be the Head of the body the church; that is, that he might be the fountain, head, spring, and original of the new creation, as he had been of the old. So the apostle declares in the next words, "who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead." As he was the beginning, and the first-born of every creature in the old creation, so he is the beginning and first-born from the dead; that is, the original and cause of the whole new creation. And hereunto he subjoins the end and design of God in this whole mysterious work, which was, that the Son might have the preeminence in all things; as he had in and over the works of the old creation, seeing they were all made by him, and all consist in him; so also he hath over the new on the same account, being the beginning and first-born of them. The apostle in these words gives us the whole of what we intend, namely, that the making of the worlds, and of all things in them, in the first

creation by the Son, was peculiarly subservient to the glory of the grace of God, in the reparation and renovation of all things by him as incarnate.

It is not for us to inquire much into, or after the reason of this economy and dispensation : and dispensation: we cannot "by searching find out God, we cannot find out the Almighty unto perfection," Job xi. 7. It may suffice us, that he disposeth of all things according to the counsel of his own will, Eph. i. 12. This, antecedently unto the consideration of the effects of it, we cannot, we may not search into, Deut. xxix. 29. What are the effects and consequences of his infinitely holy wise counsel, wherein his glory shines forth unto his creatures, those we may consider and contemplate, and rejoice in the light that they will afford us into the treasures of these counsels themselves.

Now herein we see, first, that it was the eternal design of God, that the whole creation should be put in subjection to the Word incarnate, whereof the apostle also treats in the second chapter of this Epistle. God hath highly exalted him, and given him " a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Phil. ii. 9-11. God hath put all things in subjection unto him, not only the things peculiarly redeemed by him, but all things whatever, as we shall shew in the next words of our Epistle; see 1 Cor. xv. 24. Heb. ii. 8. Rom. xiv. 11. Hence John saw 66 every creature which is in heaven and earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, even all that are in them, ascribing blessing, and honour, and glory, and power unto the Lamb for ever and ever," Rev. v. 13. that is, owning and avowing their duty, obedience, and subjection unto him. This being designed of God in the eternal counsel of his will, before the world was, 1 Peter i. 2. Tit. i. 2. he prepared and made way for it in the creation of all things by him; so that his title and right to be the Ruler and Lord of all angels and men, the whole creation, in and of heaven and earth, might be laid in this great and blessed foundation, that he made them all.

Again, God designed from eternity, that his great and everlasting glory should arise from the new creation, and from the work thereof. Herein hath he "ordered all things to the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. i. 6. And this praise will he inhabit for ever. It is true, the works of the old creation did set forth the glory of God, Psal. xix. 1. they manifested his eternal power and Godhead, Rom. i. 20. But God had not resolved, ultimately to commit the manifestation of his glory unto those works, though very glorious; and therefore did he suffer

sin to enter into the world, which stained the beauty of it, and brought it wholly under the curse. But he never suffered spot nor stain to come upon the work of the new creation, Eph. v. 6. nothing that might defeat, eclipse, or impair the glory that he intended to exalt himself in thereby. Yet God hath so ultimately laid up his glory in the new creation, as that he will not lose any thing of that, which also is due unto him from the old; but yet he will not receive it immediately from thence neither, but as it is put over into a subserviency unto the work of the new. Now God ordered all things so, as that this might be effected without force, co-action, or wresting of the creation, or putting it out of its own order. And is there any thing more genuine, natural and proper, than that the world should come into subjection unto him, by whom it was made, although there be some alteration in its state and condition, as to outward dispensation, in his being made man? And this I take to be the meaning of that discourse of the apostle about the bondage and liberty of the creature, which we have, Rom. viii. 19-22. The apostle tells us, that the creature itself had an expectation and desire after the manifestation of the sons of God, or the bringing forth of the kingdom of Christ in glory and power, ver. 19. and gives this reason for it, because it is brought into a condition of vanity, corruption and bondage; wherein it did, as it were, unwillingly abide, and groaned to be delivered from it. That is, by the entrance of sin, the creation was brought into such a condition, that it could not answer the end for which it was made and erected, namely, to declare the glory of God, that he might be worshipped and honoured as God; but was as it were left, especially in the earth, and the inhabitants of it, to be a stage for men to act their enmity against God upon, and a means for the fulfilling and satisfaction of their filthy lusts. This state being unsuitable to its primitive constitution, preternatural, occasional, and forced, it is said to dislike it, to groan under it, to hope for deliverance, doing that, according to its nature, which it would do voluntarily, were it endowed with a rational understanding. But, saith the apostle, there is a better condition for this creation, which whilst it was afar off, it put out its head after and unto. What is this better state? Why the glorious liberty of the sons of God; that is, the new state and condition that all things are restored unto, in order to the glory of God by Jesus Christ. The creation hath, as it were, a natural propensity, yea, a longing to come into a subjection to Christ, as that which retrieves and frees it from the vanity, bondage and corruption that it was cast into, when put out of its first order by sin. And this ariseth from that design and plan which God first laid in the creation of all things; that they being made by the Son, should naturally and willingly, as it were,

give up themselves unto obedience to him, when he should take the rule of them upon the new account of his mediation.

Thirdly, God would hereby instruct us, both in the use that we are to make of his creatures, and in the improvement that we are to make of the work of the creation to his glory. For the first, it is his will that we should not use any thing as merely made and created by him, though originally for that purpose, seeing as they are so left, they are under the curse, and so impure and unclean unto them that use them, Tit. i. 15. But he would have us to look upon them, and receive them as they are given over to Christ. For the apostle in his application of the eighth Psalm unto the Lord Christ, ch. ii. 6-8. manifests, that even the beasts of the field, on which we live, are given over in a peculiar manner unto his dominion. And he lays our interest in their use as to a clear, profitable, and sanctified way of it, in the new state of things brought in by Christ. 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5." Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." The word of promise confirmed in Christ, called on by the Spirit, given by Christ in prayer, gives a sanctified use of the creatures. This God instructs us in, namely to look for a profitable sanctified use of the creatures in Christ, in that himself ordered them in the very first creation, to fall at length naturally under his rule and dominion, making them all by him. And hereby also we are instructed how to learn the glory of God from them. The whole mystery of laying the works of the old creation in a subserviency to the new, being hidden from many ages and generations, from the foundation of the world men did by the effects and works which they saw conclude, that there was an eternal Power and infinite Wisdom whereby they were produced. But whereas there is but a two-fold holy use of the works of the creation, the one suited to the state of innocence, and the moral natural worship of God therein which they had lost; the other, to the state of grace, and the worship of God in that which they had not attained; the world and the inhabitants thereof being otherwise involved in the curse and darkness wherewith it was attended, exercised themselves in fruitless speculations about them, or foolish imaginations, as the apostle calls them, and glorified not God in any due manner, Rom. i. 21. Neither unto this day can men make any better improvement of their contemplation on the works of creation, who are unacquainted with the recapitulation of all things in Christ, and the beauty of it; in that all things at first were made by him. But when men shall by faith perceive and consider, that the production of all things owes itself, in its first original, to the Son of God, in that by him the world was made; and that unto this end and pur

pose, that he being afterwards incarnate for our redemption, they might all be put into subjection to him; they cannot but be ravished with the admiration of the power, wisdom, goodness and love of God, in this holy, wise, beautiful disposition of all his works and ways. And this is the very subject of the eighth Psalm. The Psalmist considers the excellency and glory of God in the creation of all things, instancing in the most glorious and eminent parts of it. But doth he do this absolutely, as they are such? doth he rest there? No; but proceeds to manifest the cause of his admiration, in that God did of old design, and would at length actually put all these things into subjection unto the Man Christ Jesus; as the apostle expounds his meaning, ch. ii. which causeth him to renew his admiration and praise, ver. 9. that is, to glorify God, as God, and to be thankful; which yet Paul declared that they were not, who considered the works of God only absolutely, with reference to their first original from infinite power and wisdom.

But against what we have been discoursing, it may be objected, that God in the creation of all things, suited them perfectly and absolutely to a state of innocence and holiness, without any respect to the entrance of sin, and the curse that ensued, which gave occasion to that infinitely wise and holy work of the mediation of Christ, and the restoration of all things by him; so that they could not be laid in such a subserviency and order, one to the other, as is pretended, though the former might be afterwards traduced, and translated into the use of the other. But,

1. What is clearly testified in the Scripture, as that truth is, which we have insisted on, is not to be called into question, because we cannot understand the order and method of things in the hidden counsels of God. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us. Neither do we benefit ourselves much by inquiring into that which we cannot comprehend. It is enough for us, that we hold fast revealed things, that we may know and do the will of God; but secret things belong to him, and to him are they to be left.

2. The Scripture testifieth, that "known unto God are all his works from the foundation of the world," Acts xv. 18, Not only all those, which at first he wrought, but also all that ever he would work. The idea and system of them was all in his holy mind from eternity. Now, though in their creation and production they are all singly suited and fitted to the time and season wherein they are brought forth and made, yet as they lie all together in the mind, will, and purpose of God, they have a relation one to another, from the first to the last. There is a harmony and correspondence between them all: they lie all in a blessed subserviency in themselves, and in their respect to one