who being most holy and righteous, neither is, nor can be the author or approver of sin.s

o Rom. 11: 32, 33, 34; 2 Sam. 24: 1, with 1 Chron. 21: 1 ; 1 Kings, 2: 2, 22, 23; 1 Chron. 10: 4, 13, 14; 2 Sam. 610; Acts, 2: 23, and 4: 27, 28. P Acts, 14 16. q Psal. 76 10; 1 Kings, 19: 28. r Gen. 50 20; Isa. 10: 6, 7, 8 Jam. 1: 13, 14, 17; 1 John. 2 16; Psal. 50: 21.

12.

ར.

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."

t

t 2 Chron. 32: 25, 26, 31; 2 Sam. 24; 1. u 2 Cor. 12:7, 8, 9; Psal. 73, per tot. Psal. 77: 1, 10, 12; Mark. 14: 66 to the end; John, 21: 15, 16, 17.

W

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

X

also withdraweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects, as their corruption makes occasion of sin; and withal gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, a whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves under those means even which God useth for the softening of them."

11:7, 8. x Deut. 29: 4. z Deut. 2: 30; 2 Kings

w Rom. 1: 24, 26, 28; Rom. y Matt. 13: 12; Matt. 25: 29. 8:12, 13. a Psal. 8: 11, 12. b Exod. 7: 3, and 8: 15, 33; 2 Cor. 2: 14, 16; Isa. 8: 14; 1 Pet. 2: 7, 8; Isa. 16: 9, 10, with Acts, 28: 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 for the good thereof.c

c1 Tim. 4:10; Amos. 9:8, 9; Rom. 8: 28; Isa. 43: 3, 4, 5, 14.

CHAP. VI.

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

a

I.

God having made a covenant of works and life thereupon, with our first parents, and all their posterity in them," they being seduced by

the subtilty and temptation of Satan, did willfully transgress the law of their creation, and break the covenant in eating the forbidden fruit.

a Rom. 105. b Rom. 5 12, 13; 1 Cor. 15: 21, 22. Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11: 3.

II.

e

By this sin they, and we in them fell from 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.

d Gen. 3 6, 7, 8; Eccl. 7:29; Rom. 3:23. e Gen. 2: 17; Eph. 2:1. fTit. 1: 15; Gen. 6: 5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3: 10 to 19.

III.

They being the root and by God's appointment standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation.h

g Gen. 1:27, 28; Gen. 2: 16, 17; Acts, 16; 26; Rom. 5; 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; 1 Cor. 15: 21, 22, 45, 49. h Psal. 51:5; Gen. 5:3; Job, 14; 4, and 15 : 14.

IV.

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

i

i Rom. 5: 6, and 8: 7, and 7: 18; 65, and 8: 21; Rom. 3: 10, 11, 12. Eph. 22, 3, Matt. 15:19.

Col. 1: 21. k Gen.

1 Jam. 1

14, 15;

V.

This corruption of nature during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated;m and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself and all the motions thereof are truly and properly sin."

m 1 John 1: 8, 10; Rom. 7: 14, 17, 18, 23; Jam. 3:2; Prov. 20: 9; Eccl. 7: 20. n Rom. 7:5, 7, 8, 24; Gal.

5: 17.

VI.

Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth in its own nature bring guilt upon the sinner," whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries, spiritual, temporal," and eternal."

o 1 John. 3: 4. p Rom. 20: 15, and 3: 9, 19. q Eph. 2: 3. r Gal. 3:10. Rom. 1: 23. t Eph, 4: 18. u Rom. 8: 20; Lam. 3: 39. w Matt. 24: 41; 2 Thes. 1: 9.

CHAP. VII.

OF GOD'S COVENANT WITH MAN.

I.

THE distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures

do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they never could have attained the reward of life, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.a

a Isa. 40: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; Job. 9:32, 33; Psal. 113: 56, and 100: 2, 3; Job 22: 2, 3, and 35: 7,8; Luke 17:

10; Acts, 17: 24, 25.

b

II.

The first covenant made with man, was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.d b Gal. 3: 12. c Rom. 10: 5, and 5: 12 to 20. d Gen. 2: 17; Gal. 3:10.

III.

Man by his fall having made himself uncapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace; wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them Faith in him that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to believe.g

e Gal. 3: 21; Rom. 3: 20, 21; Gen. 3:5; Isa. 42: 6. f Mark, 16: 15, 16; John. 3: 16; Rom. 10: 6, 10; Gal. 3: 11. g Ezek. 36: 26, 27; John, 6: 44, 45.

IV.

This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a testament, in ref