fore they who are elected being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ;2 are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified,3 and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.5

2 1 Thess. v. 9, 10.

11 Pet. i. 2; Eph. i. 4, 5; Eph. ii. 10; 2 Thess. ii. 13. Tit. ii, 14 3 Rom. viii. 30; Eph. i. 5; 2 Thess. ii. 13. 41 Pet. i. 5. 5 John xvii. 9; Rom. viii. 28, to the end of the Chapter; John vi. 64, 65; John x. 26; viii. 47; 1 John ii. 19.

VII. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.1

1 Matt. xi. 25, 26; Rom. ix. 17, 18, 21, 22; 2 Tim. ii. 19, 20; Jude, ver. 1 Pet, ii. 8.

;

VIII. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care,1 that men attending to the will of God revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election.2 So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation, to all that sincerely obey the Gospel.*

1 Rom. ix. 20; xi. 33; Deut. xxix. 29. 2 2 Pet. i. 10. 3 Eph. i. 6 Rom. xi. 33. (See note, immediately foregoing.) 4 Rom. xi. 5, 6, 20; 2 Pet. i. 10; (See note 2, immediately foregoing ;) Rom, viii, 33; Luke x, 20

CHAPTER IV.

OF CREATION.

IT pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,' for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.3

2 Rom.

1 Heb. i. 2; John i. 2, 3; Gen. i. 2; Job xxvi. 13; xxxiii. 4. i. 20; Jer. x. 12; Psalm civ. 24; xxxiii. 5, 6. 3 (The whole first chapter of Genesis ;) Heb. xi. 3; Col. i. 16; Acts xvii. 24.

II. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female,1 with reasonable and immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image,3 having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it ;5 and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject unto change. Besides this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures.

8

5

1 Gen. i. 27. 3 Gen. ii. 7; Eccl. xii. 7; Luke xxiii. 43; 3 Gen. i. 26; Col. iii. 10; Eph. iv. 24. 4 Rom. ii. 14, 15. 6 Gen. iii, 6; Eccl. vii. 29; (See note 5, immediately foregoing.) 17; iii. 8-11, 23, 8 Gen. i, 26, 28.

Matt. x. 28. Eccl. vii, 29.

7 Gen, ii.

CHAPTER V.

OF PROVIDENCE.

3

GOD, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold,1 direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge,5 and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.7

1 Heb. i. 3. 2 Dan. iv. 34, 35; Psalm cxxxv. 6; Acts xvii. 25, 26, 28; Job, Chapters xxxviii, xxxix, xl, xlí. 3 Matt. x. 29-31. 4 Prov. xv. 3; Psalm civ. 24; cxlv. 17. 5 Acts xv. 18; Psalm xciv. 8-11. 6 Eph. i. 11; Psalm xxxiii. 10, 11. 7 Isa. lxiii. 14; Eph. iii. 10; Rom. ix. 17; Gen, xlv. 7; Psalm cxlv. 7.

II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.2

1 Acts ii. 23. 2 Gen. viii. 22; Jer. xxxi. 35; Exod. xxi, 13; Deut. xix. 5; 1 Kings xxii, 28, 34; Isa. x. 6, 7.

2

III. God in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure.

4

1 Acts xxvii. 31, 44; iv. 4; Job xxxiv. 10.

Isa. lv. 10, 11; Hosea ii. 21, 22. 2 Hosea i. 7; Matt. 3 Rom, iv. 19-21. 4 2 Kings vi. 6; Dan. iii, 27.

IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the first

fall and all other sins of angels and men,' and that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding,3 and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends; yet so as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God; who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.5

1 Rom xi. 32-34; 2 Sam. xxiv. 1; 1 Chron. xxi. 1; 1 Kings xxii. 22, 23; 1 Chron. x. 4, 13, 14; 2 Sam. xvi. 10; Acts ii. 23; iv. 28. 2 Acts xiv. 16. 3 Psalm lxxvi. 10; 2 Kings xix. 28. 4 Gen. i, 20: Isa, x. 6, 7, 12, 5 James i. 13, 14, 17; 1 John ii. 16; Psalm 1. 21.

V. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God, doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption, and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends.3

2

1 2 Chron. xxxii. 25, 26, 31; 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. 2 2 Cor. xii. 7-9; Psalma Ixxiii, throughout. 3 Psalm 1xxvii. 1, 10, 12; (Read the intermediate verses in the Bible;) Mark xiv. from the 66th verse to the end, with John xxi, 15-17.

VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men, whom God as a righteous judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden,' from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts; but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects as their corrup

tion makes occasion of sin; and withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan:5 whereby it comes to pass, that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.6

29.

1 Rom. i. 24, 26, 28; xi 7, 8. 2 Deut. xxix. 4. 3 Matt. xiii. 12; xxv. 4 Deut. ii 30; 2 Kings viii. 12, 13. 5 Psalm lxxxi, 11, 12; 2 Thess. ii. 10-12. 6 Exod. vii. 3; with Exod. viii. 15, 32; 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16; Isa, viii. 14; 1 Peter ii. 7, 8; Isa. vi. 9, 10; Acts xxviii. 26, 27.

VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof.1

1 1 Tim, iv. 10; Amos ix. 8, 9; Rom. viii. 28; Isa. xliii, 3, 4, 5, 14.

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE FALL OF MAN, OF SIN, AND OF THE PUNISHMENT THEREOF.

OUR first parents being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit.1 This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.2

1 Gen. iii. 13; 2 Cor. xi. 3. 2 Rom. xi. 32.

II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness, and communion with God,' and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.3

2

1 Gen. iii. 6-8; Eccles. vii. 29; Rom. iii, 23. Gen. ii, 17; Eph. ii. 1. 3 Titus i, 15; Gen. vi. 5; Jer. xvii. 9; Rom. iii, 10—18.