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and the free and immutable counfel 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 paf immutably and infallibly h; yet, by the fame providence, he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of the fecind caufes, either neceffarily, freely, or contingently i.

correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not be know? v. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity,

Eph. i. 14. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpole 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. 11. The counfel of the Lord ftandeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

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III. God

II. Asii. 2 Him, being delivered by the dterminate counfel and foreknowlede of God, ye have taken, and by vicked hands have crucified and fla.

i Gen. viii. 2. While the earth remaineth, fel-time and harvelt, and cold and eat, and fummer and winter, and dy and night, fhall not ceafe. Jer. xxi. 35. Thus faith the Lord, vich giveth the fun for a light by y, and the ordinances of the me and of the ftars for a light by ght, which divideth the fea, whe the waves thereof roar ; the Lord hofts is his name. Exod. And if a man lie not in xxi. 31 wait, God deliver him into his handen I will appoint thee a hither he fhall flee. With place Deux. 5. As when a man goeth intoe wood with his neighbour, to wood, and his hand fetch et ftroke with the ax to cut down

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tree, and the head flippeth from

Ifaiah Ixiii. 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. iii. 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heaven ly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, helve, and lighteth upon his Rom. ix. 17. For the fcripture faith unto Pharaoh, Even for this fam ighbour that he die; he fhall fee purpofe have I raised thee up, tht nto one of thofe cities, and live. I might, fhew my power in thee, ad Kings xxii. 28. And Micaiah faid, that my name might be declard If thou return at all in peace, the throughout all the earth. Gen. v Lord hath not spoken by me. And 7. And God fent ine before you't he faid, Hearken, O people, every one of you. V. 34. And a certain preferve you a pofterity in the et man drew a bow at a venture, and and to fave your lives by a gre fmote the King of Ifrael between the liverance, Pfal, cxlv. 7, The abundantly utter the memoryfy joints of the harnefs: wherefore he great goodness, and fhall fin ony faid unto the driver of his chariot, Lighteoufnefs.

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Chap. V. III. God in his ordinary providence maketh ufe of means, k, yet is free to work without /, above m, and against them at his pleasure n.

IV. The Alnighty power, unfearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifeft themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the firit fall, and all other fins

Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the hoft, for Iam vounded. Ifa, x. 6. I will fend him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrat will I give him a charge to take the fpoil, and to take the prey, and o tread them down like the mireof the streets. v. 7. Howbeit, he naneth not fo, neither doth his hearthink fo, but it is in his heart to deroy, and cut off nations not a few.

cy upon the houfe of Juda, 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 horfe men. Mat. iv. 4. But he anfwered and faid, it is written, Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that procéedeth 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 wickedness, and from the Almighty, that he fhould commit iniquity.

m 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 deadnefs of Sara's womb. v.. 20. He ftaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was ftrong in faith, giving glory to God: v, 21. And being fully perfuaded, that what he had promifed he was able alfo to perform.

111. k Acts xxvii. 31 Paul faid to the centurion, and to foldiers, Except these abide infhip, ye cannot be faved. v. 44. And the reft, fome on boards, ancome on broken pieces of the fhip :nd fo it came to pafs that they efed all fafe to land. Ifaiah Iv. For as the rain cometh down, and fo from heaven, and returneth thither, but watereth the earthand maketh it bring forth and bud,bat it may give feed to the fower, hd bread to the eater. v. 11. So fhally word be that goeth forth out of n 2 Kings vi. 6. And the man of mouth: It shall not return unto God faid, Where fell it? And he void, but it fhall accomplish tha bewed him the place. And he cut which I please, and it fhall profpe town a stick, and caft it in thither, in the thing whereto I fent it. Hof.ad the iron did fwim. Dan. iii. ii. 21. And it fhall come to pafs in. And the princes, governors and that day, I will hear faith the Lord, tains, and the king's counsellors I will hear the heavens, and they ng gathered together, faw these fhall hear the earth. v. 22. And the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel.

/ Hof. i. 7. But I will have mer

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upon whofe bodies the fire had

ower, nor was an hair of their

hafinged, neither were their coats
ched,
paßupon them.

nor the fmell of fire had.

The Confeffion of Faith.

43

Chap. V.
fins of angels and meno, and that not by a bare permiffion p, but
fuch as hath joined with it a moft wife and powerful bound-
ing q, and otherwife ordering, and governing of them, in a
manifold difpenfation, to his own holy ends r; yet fo, as the
finful-

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IV. Rom. xi. 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 33. 0 the depth of the riches, both of the wifdom and knowlege of God! how unfearchable are his judgements, and his ways paft finding out! v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counfeller? 2 Sam. xxiv. 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. xxi. I. And Satan ftood up against Ifrael, and provoked David to number Ifrael. 1 Kings xxii. 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 faid, Thou fhalt perfuade 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 thefe thy prophets, and the Lord hath fpoken evil concerning thee. 1 Chr. x. 4. Then faid Saul to his armour-bearer, Draw thy fword, and thrust me through therewith; left thefe uncircumcifed come, and abuse me.

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mour-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 the Lord, which he kept not, and also for afking counfel of one that hath a familiar fpirit, to enquire of it; v. 14. And enquired not of the Lord; therefore he flew

him, and turned the kingdom into
David the fon of Jeffe. 2 Sam. xvi.
10. And the king faid, What have
I to do with you ye fons of Zerui-
ah? To let him curfe, becaufe the
Lord hath fäid unto him, Curfe Da-
vid. Who fhall then fay, Where-
fore haft thou done fo? Acts ii. 23.
Him, being delivered, by the deter-
minate counfel and fore-knowlege
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked
hands have crucified and flain, Acts
iv. 27. For of a truth against thy
holy child Jefus, whom thou haft á-
nointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the
people of Ifrael were gathered toge
ther, v. 28. For to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determin-
ed before to be done.

p Acts xiv. 16. Who in times paft fuffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

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9 Pfalmlxxvi. 10. Surely the wrath ofma n fhall praife thee: the remainder of wrath fhalt thou restrain. Kings xix. 28. Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nofe, and mỹ bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou cameft.

r Gen. 1. 20. But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to país, as it is this day, to fave much people alive. Ifaiah 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 fpoil and to take the prey, and to

tread

Chap. V. fmfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of fin f

V. The most wise, righteous and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a feafon his own children to manifold teinptations, and the corruptions of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former fins, or to difcover unto them the hidden ftrength of corruption, and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled t; and to raise them to a more close and conftant dependance for their fupport upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occafions of fin, and for fundry other juft and holy ends v.

tread them down like the mire of the Atreets. v. 7. Howbeit, he meaneth not fo, neither doth his heart think fo, but it is in his heart to deftroy, and cut of nations not a few. v. 12. Wherefore it tha'l come to pafs, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion, and on Jerufalem, I will punifh the fruit of the ftout heart of the king of Affyria, and the glory of his high looks.

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. 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. 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 ii. 16. For all that is in the world, the luft of the flesh, and the left of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Pfalm 1. 21. Thefe things haft thou done, and I kept filence: thou thoughteft that I was altogether fuch an one as thyfelf: but I will

VI. As

reprove thee, and fet them in order before thine eyes.

V. t 2 Chr. xxxii. 25. But Hezekiah rendered 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. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart (both he and the inhabitants of Jerufalem) fo that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. v. 23. Howbeit, in the bufinefs of the ambaffadors 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. xxiv. 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.

2 Cor. xii. 7. And left I should be exalted above meafure, 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 be fought the Lord thrice, that it might

depart

VI. As for thofe wicked and ungodly men, whom God as a righteous judge, for former fins, doth blind and harden w, from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts x; but fometimes alfo withdraweth the gifts which they had y, and expofeth them to fuch objects as their corruption makes occafion of fin z; and withal, gives them over

depart from me. v. 9. And he faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Moft gladly therefore will I rather glory in my in firmities, that the power of Chrift may reft upon me. Pfal. Ixxiii. throughout. Plalm lxxvii. 1. I cried unto God with my voice: even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me. v. 20. And I faid, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. v. 12. I will meditate alfo of all thy works, and talk of thy doings. (Read the intermediate verfes in the Bible.) Mark. xiv. from the 66. v. to the end, with John xxi. 15. So when they had dined, Jefus faith to Simon Peter, Simon fon of Jonas loveft thou me more than these? 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 fecond time, Simon fon of Jonas, loveft thou me? He faith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. faith, unto him, Feed my sheep. v. 17. He faith unto him the third time, Simon, fon of Jonas,loveft thou me? Peter was grieved, becaufe he faid unto him the third time, lovest 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.

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VI. w Rom. i. 24. Wherefore God alfo gave them up to unclean. nefs, through the lufts of their own hearts, to difhonour their own bodies between them felves 1 v. 26, For this caufe God gave them up unto vile affections: For even their women did change the natural ufe into that which is against nature : v. 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do thofe things which are not convenient. Rom. xi. 7. What then? Ifrael hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the reit were blinded. v. 8. According as it is written, God hath given them the fpirit of flumber, eyes that they fhould not fee,and ears that they fhould not hear unto this day.

x Deut. xxix. 4. Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto this day.

y Matth. xiii. 12. For whofoever hath, to him shall be given, and he fhall have more abundance: but whofoever hath not, from him fhall be taken away, even that he hath, Mat, xxv, 29. For unto every one that hath fhall be given, and he fhall have abundance: but from kim that hath not shall be taken away even that which he bath.

z Deut, ii. 30. But Sihon king of Hefbonwould not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardned his

spirit,

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