no means clear the guilty z. II. God hath all life a, glory b, goodness c, bleffednefs 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 things g; and hath most fovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth h. In his fight all things are open and manifefti; workers of iniquity. v. 6. Thou shalt deftroy them that fpeak leafing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. z Nahum i. 2. God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, the Lord revengeth and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adverfaries, 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 duft of his feet. Exod. xxxiv. 7. Keeping mercy for thoufands, for giving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth ge neration. II. 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 faid, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken, The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mefopotamia, before he dwelt in Char tan. Pfal. cxix. 68. Thou art good, and doft good, teach me thy ftatutes. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Which in his times he fhall fhew, who is the blef fed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Rom. ix. 5. Whofe are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came; who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. e 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: 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 makeft thy ways per fect? Chap. IF nifeft i; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature k, fo as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain l. He is most holy in all his counfels, in all his works, and in all his commands m. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, fervice or obedience he is pleafed to require of them n. 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 Ghofto. The Father is of none, shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beafts of the field, and they fhall make thee to eat grafs as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times fhall pafs over thee, till thou know that the moft High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomfoever 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 ftay his hand, or fay unto him, What doft thou? Heb. iv. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifeft in his fight but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. k 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 paft 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 neifaid unto me, fpeak, 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. 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 beafts faid, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worfhipped him that liveth for ever and ever. III. 1 John v. 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the word, and the holy Ghoft: and these three are one. Mat. iii. 16. And Jefus, when he was baptized, went up ftraightway out, of the neither begotten nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begot ten of the Father p, the holy Ghoft eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son Go CHAP. III. Of God's Eternal Decree. YOD from all eternity did, by the most wife and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably or dain whatsoever comes to pafs a: yet fo, as thereby neither is God the author of fin b, nor is violence offered to the will the water and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he faw 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 Ghoft. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the communion of the holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. 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 send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he fhall 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. I. Eph. i. 11 In whom alfo we of have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will. Rom. xi. 33. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Heb. vi. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife 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 variablenefs, neither fhadow 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. C c Acts of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of fecond causes taken away, but rather eftablished c. II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all fuppofed conditions d; yet hath he not decreed any thing because he forefaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon fuch conditions e. III. By the decree of God, for the manifeftation of his glory, fome men and angels ƒ are predeftinated unto everlafting e 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: likewife fhall alfo 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 counfel determined before to be done. John xix. 11. Jefus 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. 1 Sam. xxiii. 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy fervant 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, fhalt 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 purpofe of God according to election might ftand, 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. f1 Tim. v. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect angels, that thou obferve these things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Mat. xxv. 41. Then fhall he fay alfo unto them on lafting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death g IV. These angels and men, thus predeftinated and fore ordained, are particularly and unchangeably defigned; and their number is fo certain and definite, that it cannot be ei ther increased or diminished b. V. Those of mankind that are predeftinated 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 chofen, in Chrift, unto everlafting 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 condi on the left hand, Depart from me, IV. b 2 Tim. ii. 19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Chrift depart from iniquity, John xiii. 18. I fpeak not of you all; I know whom I have chofen; but that the fcripture hight be fulfilled, He that eateth tions, bread with me, hath lift up his heel against me. V. i Eph, i. 4. According as he hath chofen 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 plea-. fure, which he hath purpofed in himself: v. 11. in whom alfo we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated 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 alfo juftified: and whom he juftified, them he alfo 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 Jefus, before the world began. 1 Theff. v. 9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath; but to obtain falvation by our Lord Jefus Christ. & Rom. |