1. Mutual choice, besides the eternal choice, which is not only in Christ as Mediator, but also by Christ as the eternal Son of God; Christ doth in time actually choose some of the children of men, passing by others, without the least respect to any worthiness, or desirable qualification in them, but freely, of his mere grace, to make them his Spouse, and to bring them into the Marriage covenant, and relation to himself; and herein Christ doth begin, he chooseth them first, as he telleth his Disciples, Joh. 15. 16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you: and then they make choice of him above all to take him for their Lord and Husband; Christ findeth them deformed, defiled, enslaved, poor, miserable, wretched, very despicable and loathsome by reason of sin; and he maketh choice of them, not because they have any beauty, and suitable qualifications for this match; but that he may put his beauty and comeliness upon them, and endow them himself with such qualifications as may make them meet for his embracements: but in their making choice of Christ, they are drawn to it by the most attractive and powerful motives of the transcendent beauty, and superlative excellency which they see in him beyond all persons and things in the world.
1. Mutual choice, besides the eternal choice, which is not only in Christ as Mediator, but also by Christ as the eternal Son of God; Christ doth in time actually chuse some of the children of men, passing by others, without the least respect to any worthiness, or desirable qualification in them, but freely, of his mere grace, to make them his Spouse, and to bring them into the Marriage covenant, and relation to himself; and herein Christ doth begin, he chuseth them first, as he telleth his Disciples, Ioh. 15. 16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you: and then they make choice of him above all to take him for their Lord and Husband; Christ findeth them deformed, defiled, enslaved, poor, miserable, wretched, very despicable and loathsome by reason of sin; and he maketh choice of them, not because they have any beauty, and sutable qualifications for this match; but that he may put his beauty and comliness upon them, and endow them himself with such qualifications as may make them meet for his embracements: but in their making choice of Christ, they are drawn to it by the most attractive and powerful motives of the transcendent beauty, and superlative excellency which they see in him beyond all persons and things in the world.
