Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

Again, Here we may see how to answer that question of some Atheists; what God was doing before the world began? I remember it is said, that when that question was asked by some in the primitive times; the answer was. That God was making of Hell for such curious Inquisitors. But here we have a further, answer to give then that; namely; That God was exercised from all eternity in the business of Reconciling the world to himself. God had (as it were) the idea, and the platform of all things before him; and saw man how he was made in his Innocency, and saw him fall, and saw how he should rise again, and how he should be converted, and glorified. Al the platform of all these things was before God from all eternity. As a work man when he goes to build an House, or to build a ship, he hath the platform thereof in his head, before he strikes a struck. So the great work of our Election, of our Vocation, Justification, Reconciliation, adoption, sanctification, and glorification, the Lord had the platform of all before him; it was all in his Head as it were, and he was exercised about it before the world began: so that if thou art a Believer, it now comes to be known; that the Lord ⟨p. 155⟩from all eternity was exercised about thee, and thy good and about the Contrivance of thy Salvation, and fore saw how thou wouldest fall from him, and be made a child of wrath, and an Heir of Hell. And then he saw a way how to recover thee out of that condition, and how to bring this to pass; how he would cast thy lot, to live in such a place, and in such an age of the world wherein the Gospel, and the mysteries thereof should be preached; and that thou shouldest come under such a ministry; and that just at the preaching of such a sermon, such a truth should be darted into thy heart, and applied unto thee; and that then he would send his holy spirit to fasten that truth upon thy heart; the Lord plotted all this from eternity: and this is that which the Lord was busied about (as we may speak with reverence) before the world began.