to be handled with fpecial 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 affured of their eternal election t. So fhall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God v; and of humility, diligence, and abundant confolation to all that fincerely obey the Gospel w. IT CHAP. IV. Of Creation. T pleafed God the Father, Son, and holy Ghost a, for the manifeftation of the glory of his eternal power, wifdom, and goodness b, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, VIII. Rom. ix. 20. Nay but, O man, who art thou that replieft against God? fhall the thing formed fay to him that formed it, Why haft thou made me thus? Rom. xi. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! Deut. xxix. 29. The fecret things belong unto the Lord our God: but thofe things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. t 2 Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give all diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. v Eph. i. 6. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Rom. xi. 33. (See letter/immediately following.) w Rom. xi. 5. Even fo then at this prefent time alfo there is a remnant according to the election of grace. v. . 6. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwife grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwife work is no more work. v. 20, Well; becaufe of the unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. 2 Pet. i. 1o. (See letter timmediately foregoing.) Rom. viii. 33. Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? it is God that juftifieth. Luke x. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the fpirits are fubject unto you but rather rejoice becaufe your names are written in heaven. I. a Heb. i. 2. Hath in thefe laft days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds. John i. 2. The fame was in the beginning with God. v. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made, that was made. Gen. i. 2. And the earth was without form and void, and darknefs was upon the face of the deep: And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Job xxvi. 13. By his fpirit he hath garnished the heavens his hand hath formed the crooked ferpent. Job xxxiii. 4. The fpirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. / Rom. i. 20. For the invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly feen being underflood by •C 3 the the world, and all things therein, whether vifible or invifible, in the space of fix days, and all very good c. II. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female d, with reafonable and immortal fouls e, endued with knowledge, righteoufnefs, and true holinefs, after his own image f, having the law of God written in their hearts g, and power to fulfil it b; and yet under a poffibility of trangreffing, being the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; fo that they are without excufe. Jer. x. 12. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wifdom, and hath ftretched out the heavens by his difcretion. Pfal. civ. 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wifdom haft thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Pfal. xxxiii. 5. He loveth righteoufnefs and judgment: the earth is full of the goodnefs of the Lord. v. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the host of them, by the breath of his mouth. c (The whole first chapter of Gen.) Heb. xi. 3. Through faith we underftand, that the worlds were framed by the word of God, fo that things which are feen, were not made of things which do appear. Col. i. 16. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Acts xvii. 24. God that made the world, and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. II. d Gen. i. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. e Gen. ii. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life; and man became a living foul: With Eccl. xii. 7. Then fhall the duft return to the earth as it was: and the fpirit fhall return untoGod who gave it. And Luke xxiii. 43. And Jefus faid unto him, verily I fay unto thee, To day fhalt thou be with me in paradife. And Mat. x. 28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul: but rather fear him which is able to deftroy both foul and body in hell. f Gen. i. 26. And God faid, let us make man in our image, after our likenefs: and let them have dominion over the fifh of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Col. iii. 10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him. Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs, and true holiness. g Rom. ii. 14. For when the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, thefe having not the law, are a law unto themselves: v. 15. Which fhew the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience alfo bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accufing, or elfe excúfing one another. b Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. i Gen. being left to the liberty of their own will, which was fubject unto change i. Befide 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 k, and had dominion over the creatures l. CHAP. V. Of Providence. GOD OD, the great creator of all things, doth uphold a, direct, difpofe, and govern all creatures, actions, and things b, ¿ Gen. iii. 6. And when the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleafant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife; fhe took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave alfo unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Eccl. 7. 29. (See letter b immediately foregoing.) k Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou fhalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou fhalt furely die. Gen. iii. 18. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themfelves from the prefence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. v. 9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and faid unto him, Where art thou? v. 10. And he faid, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, becaufe I was naked and I hid myfelf. v. II. And he faid, Who told thee that thou waft naked? Haft thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldest not eat? v. 23. Therefore the Lord God fent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence he was taken. : / Gen. i. 26. And God faid, let us make man in our image, after our likenefs and let them have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl from of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. v. 28. And God bleffeth them, and God faid unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and fubdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. I. a Hebi. 3.Who being the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. b Dan. iv 34. And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lift up mine eyes unto heaven,and mine understanding returned unto me, and I bleffed the moft High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whofe dominion is an everlafting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. 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 ftay his hand, or fay unto him, What doft thou? Pfal, cxxxv. 6. Whatfoever the Lord pleafed, that did Chap. V. from the greatest even to the least c, by his most wife and holy providence d, according to his infallible foreknowledge e, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will f, to the praise of the glory of his wifdom, power, juftice, goodness, and mercy g. II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first caufe, all things come to pafs immutably and infallibly h; yet, by the fame providence, he ordereth them to fall he in heaven and in earth, in the feas, and all deep places. Acts xvii. 25. Neither is worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; v. 26. And hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation: v. 28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain alfo of your own poets have faid, For we are alfo his off-fpring. Job xxxviii, xxxix, xl, xli. chapters. c Mat. X. 29. Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing?" and one of them fhall not fall on the ground without our Father. v. 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbred. v. 31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many fparrows. d Prov. xv. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Pfal, civ. 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wif dom haft thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Pfal. cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. e Acts xv. 18. Known unto God out, rect? he that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not he know? v. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. fEph. i. 14. In whom alfo we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Pfalm xxxiii. 10. The Lord bringeth the counfel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. v. II. The counfel of the Lord ftandeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. g Ifaiah Ixiii. 14. As a beaft goeth down into the valley, the fpirit of the Lord caufed him to reft: fo didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. Eph. iii. 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. ix. 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, xlv. 7. And God fent me before you, to preserve you a pofterity in the earth, and to fave your lives by a great deliverance. Pfal. cxlv. 7. They fhall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodnefs, and fhall fing of thy righteoufnefs. are all his works from the beginning of the world. Pfal. xciv. 8. Underftand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wife? v. 9. He that planted the ear, fhall he not hear? he that formed the eye, II. b Acts ii. 23. Him, being delifhall he not fee? v. 10. He that chaf-vered by the determinate counfel and ifeth the heathen, fhall not he cor fore out, according to the nature of fecond caufes, either neceffarily, freely, or contingently i. III. God in his ordinary providence maketh ufe of means k, yet is free to work without I, above m, and against them at his pleasure. foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. i Gen. viii 22. While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harveft, and cold and heat, and fummer and winter, and day and night, fhall not ceafe. Jer. xxxi. 35. Thus faith the Lord, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the ftars for a light by night, which divideth the fea, when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hofts is his name. Exod. xxi. 31. And if a man ly not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whether he fhall flee. With Deut. xix. 5. 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 fhall flee unto one of thofe cities, and live. 1 Kings xxii. 28. And Micaiah 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 harnefs: wherefore he faid unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the hoft, for I am wounded. Ifa. x. 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 destroy, and cut off nations not a few. III. k Acts xxvii. 31. Paul faid to the centurion, and to the foldiers, Except thefe abide in the fhip, ye cannot be faved. v. 44. And the réft, fome on boards, and fome on broken pieces of the fhip: And fo it came to pass that they efcaped all fafe to land. Ifaiah lv. 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 fhall accomplish that which I please, and it fhall profper in the thing whereto I fent it. Hof. ii. 21. And it shall come to pafs in that day, I will hear, faith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they fhall hear the earth. v. 22. And the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oyl, and they fhall hear Jezreel. / Hof, i. 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 horfes, nor by horsemen. Mat. iv. 4. But he anfwered 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 xxxiv. 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 fhould commit iniquity. 2 Rom. iv. 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 dead nefs |