might be everlastingly glorified in the work which the Messiah was to accomplish. Hence the apostle John, in the beginning of his gospel, brings both the creations together; the first by the eternal word, absolutely; the other by him as incarnate, that the suitableness and correspondency of all things in them might be evident. All things at first were made by him; that when they were lost, ruined, scattered, they might again, in the appointed season, be "gathered together into one head" in him. The apostle declares not only that all things were made by him, but also for him; so made for him, that he might be the head of the body of the church, that is, that he might be the supreme head and original fountain of the new creation, as he had been of the old. And the end and design of God in the whole of this mysterious plan, was, that the Son might have the pre-eminence in all things.

$34. It is not for us to inquire much into the particular reason of this economy; for "who can by searching find out God, who can 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," Ephes. i, 12. This, antecedently to the consideration of its effects, we cannot, we may not search into, Deut. xxix, 29. The effects and consequences of his infinitely holy and wise counsel, wherein his glory shines forth to his creatures, 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,

1. That it was the eternal design af God, the whole creation should be put in subjection to the Word incarnate. "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 the 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 whatever in subjection to him, see 1 Cor. xv, 24; Heb. ii, 8; Rom. xiv, 11. Hence John saw every creature which is in heaven and earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, ascribing "blessing and glory and honor, and power unto the Lamb for ever and ever," Rev. v, 13; that is, avowing their duty and subjection to him. Again,

§35. 2. God designed from eternity that his great and everlasting glory should arise from the new creation and the work thereof. Herein hath he ordered all things, "to the praise of the glory of his grace,” Ephes. i, 6. It is true the works of the old creation did set forth the glory of God, Psalm 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 to those works, though very glorious; and therefore did he suffer sin to enter into the world, which utterly stained the beauty of it, and brought it wholly under the curse. But he never suffered any spot or stain to come upon the work of the new creation, Ephes. v, 6; nothing that might in the least defeat, eclipse, or impair the glory that he intended should accrue to himself thereby. 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 to him from the old: but neither will he receive it from thence, but as it is transferred into a subserviency to the work of the new. Now God ordered all things so, as that this might be effected without force, coaction, or wresting of the creation besides its own order. And is there any thing more natural and proper, than that

the world should come into subjection to him by whom it was made? And this I take to be the meaning of what the apostle says about the bondage and liberty of the creature, which we have, Rom. viii, 19—22. He tells us, that the creature itself had a desire after the manifestation of the Sons of God, or the bringing 'forth of the kingdom of Christ in glory and power, 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 that condition wherein it could not answer its primitive end, to declare the glory of God, that he might be worshipped and honored as God; but was left, especially the earth and its inhabitants, to be a stage on which men act their enmity against God, and a means for the fulfilling their filthy lusts. This state being preternatural, occasional, and forced, the creation 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, after which, whilst it was afar off, it "put out its head," as if in anxious expectation. What is this better state? Why the "glorious liberty of the Sons of God," the new state and conditon that all things are restored to for 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 into which it was cast, when put out of its first order by sin, And this ariseth from that plot and design 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 in obedience to him, when he should take the rule of them upon the new account of his mediation. Moreover,

$36. God would hereby instruct us in the use and improvement we are to make of his creatures to his glory; for it is his will, that we should not use any thing as merely made by him, seeing, as they are now in fact so left, they are under the curse, and therefore are impure and unclean to them that use them, Tit. i, 15; but he would have us look upon them and receive them as they are given over to Christ. For the apostle in his application of the eighth Psalm to the Lord Messiah, chap. ii, 6-8, manifests that even the beasts of the field on which we live, are transferred in a peculiar manner to his dominion: and he lays our interest in them as to a clear, profitable, and sanctified use, 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 whole mystery of laying the works of the old creation in a subserviency to the new being hid from many ages and generations, even from the foundation of the world, men, by the effects which they saw, concluded, that there was an eternal power and infinite wisdom whereby they were produced. But when any shall by faith perceive and consider, that the production of all things is originally beholden to the Son of God; that the world was made to this very end and purpose, that, he being afterwards incarnate for our redemption, they might all be put in subjection to him; they cannot but be ravished with admiration of the power, wisdom, goodness, and love of God, in this holy, wise, beautiful disposition of all his works and ways!

The most reasonable and intelligible way of considering the order of God's decrees, is that which refers them to the two general heads which all rational agents respect in their purposes and operations; namely, those of the last end, and the means conducing thereunto, Now the utmost end of God, in all his ways towards the sons of men, being the manifestation of his own glory, by way of mercy and justice, whatever tendeth thereunto, is also jointly to be looked upon as one entire means tending to that end. The works therefore of the old and new creation being of this sort, one joint and general mean for compassing the afore-mentioned end, nothing can hinder but that they may have that respect to each other which we have before declared.

VERSE 3.

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

St. The subject proposel. §2. (1) A description of Christ as to what he is in himself. And, 1. To what of Christ this description belongs. $3, 4. 2. The particular meaning of the expressions. $5, 6. (II.) What Christ doth and has done, And, 1. He upholds and rules all things by the word of his power. $7.2. He hath by himself purged our sins. $8, 9. (III.) What he enjoyeth as the consequence of both. §10-18. (IV.) Observations,

§1. THE apostle proceeds in the description of the person in whom God spake in the gospel revelation, ascending to such a manifestation of him, as that they might understand his eminency above all formerly employed in similar ministration; as also how he was pointed out by sundry types and figures under the Old Testament. Of this description there are three parts; the first declaring what he is; the second, what he doth or did; and the third, as the consequent of both, what he enjoyeth.

§2. (I.) We begin with the description given us of Christ as to what he is in himself. And here a double