CHAPTER III.

OF GOD'S DECREES.

1. God hath1 decreed in himself from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things whatsoever come to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin, 2 nor hath fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather 3 established, in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.

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2. Although God knoweth whatsoever may, or can come to pass upon all 5 supposed conditions: yet hath he not decreed any thing 6 because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.

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3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated or foreordained to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, to the 8 praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their 9 just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.

4. These angels and men thus predestinated, and foreordained, are particularly, and unchangeably designed; and their 10 number so certain, and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.

5. Those of mankind 11 that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love; 12 without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto.

1 Isa. xlvi. 10; Eph. i. 11; Heb. vi. 17; Rom. ix. 15, 18.

2 James i. 15, 17; 1 John i. 5.

3 Acts iv. 27, 28; John xix. 11.

4 Numbers xxiii. 19; Ephesians i. 3-5. 5 Acts xv. 18.

6 Rom. ix. 11, 13, 16, 18.

7 1 Tim. v. 21; Matt. xxv. 41.

8 Eph. i. 5, 6.

9 Rom. ix. 22, 23; Jude 4.

10 2 Tim. ii. 19; John xiii. 18.

11 Eph. i. 4, 9, 11; Rom. viii. 30; 2 Tim.

i. 9; 1 Thess. v. 9.

12 Rom. xix. 13, 16; Eph. i. 6, 12.

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6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained 1all the means thereunto, wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, 2 are redeemed by Christ, are effectually 3 called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit, working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation ; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

7. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care; that men attending the will of God revealed in his word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their 6 eternal election; so shall this doctrine afford matter 7 of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and 8 of humility, diligence, and abundant 9 consolation, to all that sincerely obey the gospel.

CHAPTER IV.

OF CREATION.

1. In the beginning it pleased God the Father, 10 Son and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of 11 his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world, and all things therein, 12 whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.

2. After God had made all other creatures, he created 13 man, male and female, with 14 reasonable and immortal souls, rendering them fit unto that life to God, for which they were created, being 15 made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, having the law of God 16 written in their hearts, and power

to fulfil it; and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was 1 subject to change.

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3. Besides the law written in their hearts, they received 2 a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; which, whilst they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion 3 over the creatures.

CHAPTER V.

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OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE.

1. GOD, the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power and wisdom, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the 5 least, by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were created, according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness and mercy.

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2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass 7 immutably and infallibly; so that there is not any thing befalls any 8 by chance, or without his providence; yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either 9 necessarily, freely, or contingently.

3. God, in his ordinary providence, 10 maketh use of means; yet is free 11 to work without, 12 above, and 13 against them at his pleasure.

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4. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that his determinate counsel 14 extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men; and that not by a

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bare permission, which also he most wisely and powerfully 1 boundeth, and otherwise ordereth, and governeth, in a manifold dispensation to his most holy 2 ends: yet so as the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the creatures, and not from God; who being most holy and righteous, neither is, nor can be, the author or approver of sin.

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5. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God, doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruptions of their own heart, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, 4 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 other just and holy ends.

So that whatsoever befalls any of his elect is by his appointment, for his glory, 5 and their good.

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6. As for those wicked and ungodly men, whom God as a righteous judge, for former sin doth ❝ blind and harden; from them he not only withholdeth his 7 grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understanding, and wrought upon in their hearts, but sometimes also withdraweth & the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects as their corruptions make occasion of sin; and withall, 10 gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it comes to pass that they 11 harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.

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7. As the providence of God doth in general reach to all creatures, so after a more special manner it taketh care of his 12 church, and disposeth of all things to the good thereof.

1 2 Kings xix. 28; Psalm lxxvi. 10.

2 Gen. 1. 20; Isa. x. 6, 7, 12.

3 Psalm 1. 21; 1 John ii. 16.

4 2 Chron. xxxii, 25, 26, 31; Samuel xxiv. 1; 2 Cor. xii. 7—9.

5 Rom. viii. 28.

6 Rom. i. 24, 26, 28, xi. 7, 8.

7 Deut. xxix. 4.

8 Matt. xiii. 12.

9 Deut. ii. 30; 2 Kings viii. 12, 13. 10 Psalm lxxxi. 11, ́12; 2 Thess. ii. 10-12.

11 Exodus viii. 15, 32; Isa. vi. 9, 10; 1 Peter ii. 7, 8.

12 Tim. iv. 10; Amos ix. 8, 9; Isaiah lxiii. 3-5.

CHAPTER VI.

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

THEREOF.

1. Although God created man upright, and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it,1 and threatened death upon the breach thereof; yet he did not long abide in this honor; 2 Satan using the subtlety of the serpent to seduce Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, without any compulsion, did wilfully transgress the law of their creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit, which God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

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2. Our first parents by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon all; all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled,5 in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

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3. They being the root," and, by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects9 of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus 10 set them free.

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4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do 12 proceed all actual transgressions.

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth 18 remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ par