no means clear the guilty z. II. God hath all life a, glory b, goodness c, blessedness d, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-fufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made e, nor deriving any glory from themf, but only manifesting his own glory, in, by, unto, and upon them: he is the alone fountain of all beings, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all thingsg; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth h. In his fight all things are open and manifest i; nifest i; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature k, so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain 1. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commandsm. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, fervice or obedience he is pleased to require of them n. workers of iniquity.v.6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. z Nahumi. 2. God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, the Lord revengeth and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he referveth wrath for his enemies. v. 3. The Lord is flow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Exod. xxxiv. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands, for giving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. II.a John v. 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, fo hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Acts vii. 2. And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken, The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Char tan. Pfal. cxix. 68. Thou art good, and doft good, teach me thy statutes. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blef. fed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Rom. ix. 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Chrift came; who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. e Acts xvii. 24. God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands: v.25. Neither is worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. f Job xxii. 2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wife may be profitable unto himself? v. 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? g Rom. xi. 36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. b Rev. iv. 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created. I Tim. vi. 15. (See letter d immediately foregoing. Dan. iv. 25. That they shall III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three perfons, of one substance, power and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghosto. The Father is of none, shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grafs as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pafs over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. v. 35. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or fay unto him, What dost thou ? Heb. iv. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his fight: but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. * Rom. xi. 33. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways pafst finding out! v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counseller? Pfal. cxlvii. 5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. 1 Acts xv. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Ezek. xi. 5. And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and nei faid unto me, speak, thus faith the Lord, thus have ye faid, O house of Ifrael: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. m Pfal. cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Rom. vii. 12. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and juft, and good. n Rev. v. 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing. v. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. v. 14. And the four beasts faid, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and neither begotten nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begot ten of the Fatherp, the holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son q. CHAP. III. Of God's Eternal Decree. GOD from all eternity did, by the most wife and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass a: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of fin b, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established c. the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, and lighting upon him. v. 17. And lo, a voice from heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mat. xxviii. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Chrift, and the love of God, and the communion of the holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. P John i. 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. v. 18. No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him. John xv. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. Gal. iv. 6. And because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 1. Eph. i. 11 In whom also we of have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Rom.xi.33. O the depth of theriches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Heb. vi. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath. Rom. ix. 15. For he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compaflion on whom I will have compaflion.v. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardneth. b James i. 13. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. v. 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 1 John i. 5. This then is the meffage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Acts II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions d; yet hath he not decreed any thing because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions e. III. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, fome men and angels fare predestinated unto everlafting lasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death ga IV. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite, that it cannot be ei ther increased or diminished b. • Acts ii. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. Mat. xvii. 12. But I fay unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they lifted: likewise shall also the Son of man fuffer of them. Acts iv. 27. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael were gathered together, v. 28. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. John xix. 11. Jesus anfwered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater fin. Prov. xvi. 33. The lot is cast into the lap: but the whole difpofing thereof is of the Lord. II. d Acts xv. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. I Sam. xxiii. 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Ifrael, I befeech thee, tell thy fervant. And the Lord faid, He will come down. v. 12. Then faid David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord faid, They will deliver thee up. Mat. xi. 21. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethfaida: for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in fackcloth and afhes. v. 23. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. e Rom. ix. 11. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. v. 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated. v. 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. v. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardneth. III. f 1 Tim. v. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jefus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Mat. xxv. 41. Then shall he fay alfo unto them on V. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the fecret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen, in Christ, unto ever lafting glory i, out of his mere free grace and love, without any forefight of faith, or good works, or perfeverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed; into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. g Rom. ix. 22. What if God, wiling to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-fuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction: v. 23. And that he might make known the tiches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? Eph. i. 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, v. 6. to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Prov. xvi. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. IV. b 2 Tim. ii. 19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. John xiii. 18. I fpeak not of you all; I know whom I have chofen; but that the scripture aight be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with ine, hath lift up his heel against me. V. i Eph. 1. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love: v. 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleafure, which he hath purposed in himself: v. 11. in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Rom. viii. 30. Morover, whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called: and whom he called; them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath faved us, and called us. with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jesus, before the world began. Theff. v. 9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath; but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jefus Christ. Rom. |
