own Will, to the Praise of the Glory of his Wifdom, Power, Juftice, Goodness, and Mercy 8. II. Although, in relation to the Fore-knowledge and Decree of God, the Firft Cause, all Things come to pafs immutably and infallibly h; Yet, by the fame Providence, he ordereth them to fall out, according to the Nature of Second Causes, either neceffarily, freely, or contingently i. that chaftifeth the heathen, fhall not he correct he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? v. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Eph. 1. 11. In whom alfo we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will: Pfal. 33. 10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. v. 11. The counfel of the Lord ftandeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 8 Ifaiah 63. 14. As a beaft goeth down into the valley, the fpirit of the Lord caufed him to reft: fo didft thou lead thy people, to make thy felf a glorious name. Eph. 3. 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wifdom of God. Rom. 9. 17. For the fcripture faith unto Pharaoh, Even for this fame purpofe have I raised thee up, that I might fhew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Gen. 45. 7. And God fent me before you, to preferve you a III. God pofterity in the earth, and to fave your lives by a great deliverance. Pfalm 145.7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and fhall fing of thy righteousness, II. h Acts 2. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. i Gen. 8. 22. While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and fummer and winter, and day and night, 'shall not ceafe, Jer. 31. 35. Thus faith the Lord, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the fea, when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hofts is his name. Exod. 21.13. And if a man ly not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he fhall flee. With Deut. 19, s. As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour, to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a ftroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head flippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he all flee unto one of those cities, and live. 1 Kings 22. 28. And Micaiah III. God in his ordinary Providence, maketh use of Means, yet is free to work without', above", and against them at his Pleasure ". faid, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he faid, Hearken, O people, every one of you. v. 34. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and fmote the king of Ifrael between the joints of the harness: wherefore he faid unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the hoft, for I am wounded. Ifaiah 10. 6. I will fend him against an hypocritical nation; and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. v. 7. Howbeit, he meaneth not fo, neither doth his heart think fo, but it is in his heart to deftroy, and cut off nations not a few. III. k Acts 27. 31. Paul faid to the centurion, and to the foldiers, Except thefe abide in the fhip, ye cannot be faved. v. 44. And the reft, fome on boards, and fome on broken pieces of the ship: And so it came to pass that they efcaped all fafe to land. Ifaiah 55. 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the fnow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater, v. 11. So fhall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It fhall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I pleafe, and, it fhall profper in the thing whereto I fent it. Hof. 2. 21. And it fhall come to pafs in that day, I will hear faith the Lord, I will hear the hea IV. The vens, and they fhall hear the earth, v. 22. And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oyl, and they fhall hear Jezreel. Hof. 1.7. But I will have mercy upon the houfe of Judah,and will fave them by the Lord their God, and will not fave them by bow, nor by fword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horfemen. Mat. 4. 4. But he answered and faid, It is written, Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Job 34. 10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding far be it from God, that he should do wickednefs, and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. m Rom. 4. 19. And being not weak in faith, he confidered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb. v. 20. He ftaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God: v. 21. And being fully perfwaded, that what he had promifed, he was able alfo to perform. 2 Kings 6.6. And the man of God faid, Where fell it? And he fhewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and caft it in thither, and the iron did swim. Dan. 3. 27. And the princes, governours and captains, and the kings counsellers being gathered together, faw these men,upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head finged,neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had paffed on them. IV. Rom. IV. The Almighty Power, unfearchable Wifdom, and infinite Goodness of God fo far manifeft themselves in his Providence, that it extendeth it felf even to the firft Fall, and all other Sins of Angels and Men, and that not by a bare Permiffion, but fuch as hath joined with it, a moft wife and powerful Bounding 9, and otherwise ordering, and govern I IV. Rom. 11. 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief,that he might have mercy upon all. v. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counseller? 2 Sam. 24. 1. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ifrael, and he moved David against them, to fay, Go number Ifrael and Judah. With 1 Chr. 21.1, And Satan ftood up against Ifrael, and provoked David to number Ifrael. 1 Kings 22. 22. And the Lord faid unto him, Wherewith? And he faid, I will go forth, and I will be a lying fpirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou fhalt perfwade him, and prevail alfo: go forth, and do fo. v. 23. Now therefore behold, the Lord hath put a lying fpirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. 1 Chr. 1o. 4. Then faid Saul to his armour-bearer,draw thy fword, and thruft me through therewith; left thefe uncircumcised come, and abufe me. But his armour-bearer,' would not, for he was fore afraid. So Saul took a fword, and fell upon it. v. 13. So Saul died, for his tranfgreffion which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of theLord which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar fpirit, to enquire of it; v. 14. And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he flew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the fon of Jeffe. 2 Sam, 16, 10. And the king faid, What have Ito do with you,ye fons of Zeruiah? fo let him curfe, because the Lord hath faid unto him, Curse David, Who fhall then fay, Wherefore haft thou done fo? Acts 2. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain: Alts 4. 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 what foever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. P Acts 14. 16. Who in times paft fuffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Pfal. 76. 10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath fhalt thou reftrain. 2 Kings 19. 28. Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I governing of them, in a manifold Dispensation, to his own holy Ends*: Yet fo, as the Sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the Creature, and not from God, who being moft Holy and Righte ous, neither is, nor can be the Author or Appro-⚫ ver of Sin f V. The moft Wife, Righteous, and Gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a Seafon 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 conftant De will put my hook in thy nofe, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou cameft. penof God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. v. 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of Gen. 50. 20. But as for you, ye his own luft, and enticed. v. 17. thought evil against me; but God Every good gift, and every perfect meant it unto good, to bring to gift, is from above, and cometh pals, as it is this day, to fave much down from the Father of lights, people alive. Ifaiah 10. 6. I will with whom is no variableness, neifend him against an hypocritical ther fhadow of turning. 1 John 2.16. nation, and against the people of For all that is in the world, the luft my wrath will I give him a charge of the flesh, and the luft of the eyes, to take the spoil, and to take the and the pride of life, is not of the prey, and to tread them down like Father, but is of the world. Pfalm the mire of the streets. v. 7. How- 50. 21. These things haft thou done, beit, he meaneth not fo, neither and I kept filence: thou thoughtest doth his heart think fo, .but it is that I was altogether fuch an one `as in his heart to destroy, and cut off thy felf: but I will reprove thee, and nations not a few. v. 12. Where- fet them in order before thine eyes. fore it fhall come to pass, that V. 2 Chron. 32. 25. But Hezekiah when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion, and on Jerufalem, I will punish the fruit of the ftout heart of the king of Af fyria, and the glory of his high looks. James 1. 13. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted rendred not again, according to the benefit done unto him: for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerufalem. v. 26. Notwithftanding, Hezekiah humbled himfelf for the pride of his heart (both he pendance for their Support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future Occa fions of Sin, and for fundry other juft and holy Ends". VI. As for those wicked and ungodly Men, whom God as a righteous Judge, for former Sins doth blind and harden w, from them he not only he and the inhabitants of Jerufalem) fo that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of *Hezekiah, v. 31. Howbeit, in the business of the embassadors of the princes of Babylon, who fent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Sam. 24. 1. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled againft Ifrael, and he moved David against them, to say, Go number Ifrael and Judah. V withdiate verfes in the Bible.] Mark 14. from the 66. v. to the end, with John 21. 15. So when they had dined, Jefus faith to Simon Peter, Simon Son of Jonas, loveft thou me more than thefe: He faith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knoweft that I love thee. He faith unto him, Feed my lambs. v. 16. He faith to him again the second time, Simon, Son of Jonas, loveft thou me? He faith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knoweft that I love thee. He faith unto him, Feed my fheep. v. 17. He faith unto him the third time, Simon, fon of Jonas, loveft thou me? Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time, Loveft thou me? And he faid unto him, Lord, thou knoweft all things; thou knoweft that I love thee. Jefus faith unto him, Feed my sheep. 2 Cor, 12.7. And left I fhould be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan to buffet me, left I fhould be exalted above measure, v. 8. For this thing I befought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. v. 9. And VI. w Rom. 1. 24. Wherefore he faid unto me, My grace is fuffi- God alfo gave them up to uncleancient for thee for my ftrength is nefs, through the lufts of their own made perfect in weakness. Moft hearts, to dishonour their own bogladly therefore will I rather glory dies between themselves; v. 26. For in my infirmities, that the power this caufe God gave them up unto of Chrift may reft upon me," Pfal. vile affections: For even their wo73. throughout. Pfal. 77. 1. I cried men did change the natural use inunto God with my voice: even unto to that which is against nature: God with my voice, and he gave v, 28. And even as they did not ear unto me. v. 10, And I faid, like to retain God in their knowThis is my infirmity: but I will re- ledge, God gave them over to a re member the years of the right hand probate mind, to do those things of the moft High. v. 12. I will me which are not convenient. Rom ditate alfo of all thy work, and talk 11. 7. What then? Ifrael hath not of thy doings. [Read the interme ob |