man whom he had not yet determined to create. Therefore we should always
have it in our mind that the great end and project of all is the glory of
his mercy and justice upon men; and this we may conceive is first in
order, neither men's life nor death, but God's glory to be manifested upon
men. Now, to attain this glorious end, with one inclination or
determination of his will, not to be distinguished or severed, he
condescends upon all that is done in time, as one complete and entire mean
of glorifying himself, so that one of them is not before another in his
mind, but altogether. For attaining this, he purposes to create man. He
ordains the fall of all men into a state of sin and misery; and some of
those, upon whom he had resolved to show his mercy, he gives them to
Christ to be redeemed, and restored by grace; others, he fore-ordains them
to destruction; and all this at once, without any such order as we
imagine. Now though he intend all this at once and together, yet it doth
not hence follow that all these must be executed together. As when a man
intends to build a house for his own accommodation, there are many things
in the house upon which he hath not several purposes; but yet they must be
severally, and in some order done. First the foundation laid; then the
walls raised; then the roof put on; yet he did not intend the foundation
to be for the walls, or the walls for the roof, but altogether for
himself. Even so the Lord purposes to glorify his mercy and justice upon a
certain number of persons, and for this end to give them a being, to
govern their falling into misery, to raise some out of it by a Mediator,
and to leave some into it to destruction; and all this as one entire mean
to illustrate his glorious mercy and justice. But these things themselves
must be done not all at once, but one before another, either as their own
nature requires, or as he pleases. The very nature of the thing requires
that man be created before he sin; that he sin and fall before a Mediator
suffer for his sin; that he have a being before he have a glorious being;
and that he have a sinful and miserable being, before he have this
glorious and gracious being which may manifest the grace and mercy of God.
But it is the pleasure of the Lord that determines in what time and order
Christ shall suffer, either before or after the conversion of sinners, or
whether sinners shall be presently instated in glory, and perfectly
delivered from all s