1. The way God took in bringing his children unto glory, by con- formity to Christ, in these words — To bejconformed to the image of his Son.
2. The grounds of this conformity, set forth by two words, fore- hnowledge and 'predestination — Whom he did forekno^u, he also did predestinate.
3. The reason of this conformity to Christ — That he might be the first-born among many brethren ; that is, that he might have the pri- vilege of the elder son, or the true and proper heir. The elder son was to be the head of the family, and lord of all the rest of the brethren. Let us explain these things.
[1.] The way and end aimed at: to conform us to the image of his son ; that is, in resemblance to Christ, that we might enter into glory the way by which Christ entered, by a life of sufferings and hardness.
[2.] The grounds of this conformity — God's foreknowledge and pre- destination. The first of these terms implieth his gracious purpose
302 SERMONS UPON ROMANS vm. [Ser. XXXIX.
to save us ; forekaowing here is choosing, or taking them for his own from all eternity : 1 Peter i. 2, ' Elect according to the foreknowledge of God ;' that is, according to the eternal purpose of his love to them. For having all Adam's posterity in his eye and view, he freely chose them ; they were in a sort present to God, and in his eye, before the foundation of the world ; so that his foreknowledge is his purpose to do them good. The other word, predestination, is his appointing them to come to glory by the way of faith and holiness ; for to destinate is to appoint, or order means to a certain end, and to predestinate is to appoint aforehand. And this predestinating is used of God's act, because when man willeth, or chooseth, or ordereth anything, it pre-, supposeth an antecedent goodness in the things which he willeth or chooseth, or an antecedent conveniency in the thing ordered to the end to which it is appointed, which is prudent destination ; but when God chooseth, or willeth, or ordereth anything, he causeth this good- ness or conveniency to be in it ; and therefore it is properly called pre- destination. Well then, observe, not things but persons are here spoken of — ' Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.' His foreknow- ledge implieth his favour and his choice : John s. 14, ' I am the good shepherd, that know my sheep, and am known of mine ; ' and ver. 27, ' I know them, and they follow me.' And his predestination is his appointing them to come to such an end by convenient means ; some- times it is applied to privileges, sometimes to duties. To privileges ; because of the conveniency of antecedent and subsequent privileges, so Eph. i. 5, ' He hath predestinated us to the adoption of children.* It is fit we should be made children before we have a right to a child's portion ; therefore God, by predestinating us to the adoption of children, maketh us fit to obtain the inheritance. Sometimes to duties ; as to faith : Acts siii. 48; ' As many as were ordained to eternal life believed ;' and in the text, to holiness — ' He did predestinate us to be conformed to the image of his Son ; ' that is, by predestination he bringeth it to pass that in time they do resemble Christ. The order and course of God's saving the elect must not be broken ; he hath decreed, and forecasteth by what means he will bring them to glory. In short, foreknowledge and predestination agree in that both are eternal, but they difi"er in the formality of the notion ; foreknowledge noteth his choice, or the purpose of his love, predestination his decree to bring things to a cer- tain end by certain appointed means ; and so he did fore-ordain and design them, by conformity to Christ in life and sufiering, to come to celestial glory ; and thus by foreknowing he did predestinate, and by predestinating he did foreknow.
[3.] The reason of this conformity toChrlst — 'Thathemightbe thefirst- born among many brethren;' that is, that he might have the honour due to the first-born. The first-born was lord of the rest of the family: Gen. xxvii. 31, ' I have made him thy lord, and the rest of his brethren have I given to liim for servants.' The first-born gave to the rest of his brethren a share of his father's goods, reserving to himself a double portion, Deut. xxi. 17. Now this is applied to Christ, who is Lord of the church, or head of the body. Col. i. 18, ' and heir of all things,' Heb. L 2. And by vntue of this relation to the church, he must irpwTeiieiv, first it in all things ; or, as we translate it, he must in all
VeK. 29.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 303
things have the pre-eminence, Col. i. 18 ; in our conflicts and trials he is the captain of our salvation, Heh. ii. 10 ; in holiness he is our pat- tern or copy, 2 Cor. iii. 18, frimum in unoquoque genereestmensura et regula ceterorum ; in our glory and blessedness he is our forerunner, Heb. vi. 20, having actually taken possession of that felicity and glory which he spake of to his followers ; so that Christ's honour is reserved, and believers are comforted, whilst they follow their head and leader in every state and condition.