Glorious Mystery - Chapter 4

Everything which God was going to do "concerning his own eternal glory, in the sanctification and salvation of the church here below" was "all to be effected in Christ." (p.54) And we may observe 2 things here:

1. "The Son was 'set up' or exalted herein." (p.55) The principle design of the Gospel: "Is the declaration of the grace of God the Father, so of the love, grace, goodness, and compassion of the Son, in undertaking from everlasting the accomplishment of God's councels, in the salvation of the church." (p. 56)

2. "there was an ineffable delight between the Father and the Son in this his setting up or exaltation." (p.56) "He was the delight of God, as he in whom all his councels for his own glory, in the redemption and salvation of the church were laid and founded." (p .57).

All of creation is good says God but it is chiefly not for itself but is created for the accomplichment of God's divine councels which he established in Christ before the foundation of the world.

God delights in his councels of wisdom "and because they are laid in [Christ] and with him, therefore he is said to be his 'delight continually before the world was'" (p. 58). All God does is goodness, "and the greatest exercise and emanation of divine goodness, was in these holy councels of God for the salvation of the church by Jesus Christ" (p. 59). "Love and grace have the same influence into the councels of God, as wisdom and goodness have." (p. 60).

How were these councels laid in the person of Christ? 1. We were made for God's glory and ordered and harmonized for God's glory. 2. "God was pleased to permit the entrance of sin...the entrance of sin cast all this order into confusion, and brought the curse on all things here below" (p. 61) 3. God was in no way surprised by this and had from eternity established councels for the "revivification" (p. 61) of all things. N.B see here on order of decrees (infra/supra). 4. We split the eternal councels of God into a) their original - the reason for them was the will of God alone: "the incarnation of Christ, and his mediation thereon, were not the procuring cause of these eternal councels of God, but the effects of them." (p. 62). b) The design of their accomplishment - which was in the Son, Jesus, alone. He was "the onlyfoundation of the execution of all the councels of God concerning our sanctification and salvation." (p. 63)

Jesus then is creator AND redeemer - we are his "twice over" - G. Beynon.

Jesus as image of the invisible God - all things were made by Christ such that: "it is the highest rebellion against the light and teachings of God, to disbelieve his divine existence and power."

Jesus as the firstborn of every creature - "As God the Father did nothing in the first creation but by him...so he designed nothing in the new creation, or restoration of all things unto his glory, but in him."