II. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and femaled, with reasonable and immortal fouls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, after his own image, having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it"; and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will which was fubject unto change. Besides 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, and had dominion over the creatures'. was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. And, Mat. 10. 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 destroy both foul and body in hell. f Gen. 1. 26. And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. g Rom. 2. 14, 15. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves.Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or elfe excufing one another. h Eccl. 7. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions i Gen. 3. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife, the took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. See Eccl. 7. 29. k Gen. 2. 17. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day thou eateft thereof, thou shalt furely die. See Gen. 3. 8. 11. 23. 1 Gen. 1. 28-And have dominion over the fith of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. See Pfal. 8. 6, 7, 8. verses. G CHA P. V. Of Providence. OD, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wife and holy providenced, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable coun 1. a Heb. 1, 3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, b Dan. 4. 34, 35.-I blefsed the Most High, end I praifed and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlastingdominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.-And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Pfal. 135. 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the feas, and all deep places. See also, Acts 17. 25, 26, 28, and Job 38, 39, 40, 41 chapters. c Mat. 10. 29, 30, 31. Are not two sparrows fold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.-Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. See also Mat. 6. 26, 30. d Prov. 15. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 2 Chron. 16. 9. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him. See alfo Pfal. 145. 17. and 104. 24. e Acts 15. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. D sel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy. II. Although in relation to the foreknowledge, and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet, by the fame providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely or contingently'. f Eph. 1. 11. Who worketh all things after the counsel of hisown will. Pfal. 33. 11. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. g Eph. 3. 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. Rom. 9. 17. For the fcripture faith unto Pharoah, Even for this fame purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Pfal, 145.7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great good ness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. II. h Acts 2. 23. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. i Gen. 8. 22. While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and fummer and winter, and day and night shall not ceafe. Jer. 31. 55. 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 sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is his name. Exod. 21. 13. If a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall-fice, I Kings 22. 34. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote 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. Ifai. 6, 7. 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. Howbeit, he meaneth 10. III. God, in his ordinary providence, maketh ufe of means, yet is free to work without', above" and against them, at his pleasure". IV. 'The almighty power, unsearchable wifdom, and infinite goodness of God, fo far manifest themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other fins of angels and men', and that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wife and powerful bounding", and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a manifold not fo, neither doth his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few. III. k Acts 27.24, 31. Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæfar: and lo, God hath given thee all them that fail with thee. Paul faid to the centurion, and to the foldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be faved. Ifai. 55. 10, 11. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the sower, and bread to the eater.-So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall profper in the thing whereto I fent it. 1 Hof. 1. 7. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and I 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 horsenten. m Rom. 4. 19, 20, 21. 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 Sarah's womb.-He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. And being fully perfuaded that what he had promised, he was able alfo to perform. n 2 Kings 6.6. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and the iron did swim, Dan. 3. 27. And the princes, governors and captains, and the king's counsellors 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. o Rom. II. 32, 33For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 2 Sam. 24. I. with I Chron. 21. 1. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ifrael, and he moved David against them, to say, Go number Ifrael and Judah, I Chron. 10. 4. 13, 14. Then faid Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; left these uncircumcifed come, and abuse me. But his armour-bearer would not, for he was fore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.So Saul died, for his tranfgreffion which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord which he kept not, and alfo for asking counfel of one that had a familiar spirit to enquire of it; and enquired not of the Lord; there fore he flew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the fon of Jeffe. 2 Sam. 16. 10. And the king faid, What Lave I to do with you, ye fons of Zeruiah? So let him curfe, because the Lord hath faid unto him, Curse David. Who shall then fay, Wherefore haft thou done fo? See alfo Acts 4. 27, 28. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done. p Pfal. 76. 10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou reftrain. 2. Kings 19. 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 my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way which thou camest. I q Gen. 50. 20. But as for you, ye thought evil againft me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Ifai. 10. 6, 7, 12. 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. -Howbeit, he meaneth not fo, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion, and on Jerufalem, I w.ll punish the fruit |