Chap. 1. SeCt.7 · Book Il. feel rim rhefe controverfal point; will but difcompofe our fpirit~, and w:ifle our ~ea!, our' love, our delight in Je[t«.( this lovely fubject , and obJect we are a vtewtn~) <Yen by the interruption and dtverlion of our comemplanons: not a word more m that kind. SECT. vlt. 7he Purpofc. OF the Purpofe of God concerning mans falv~tion before all worlds, we read in , Scriptures; We /z.no!V that all thmgs work._toge~h:r for good to them that love God, to Rom,8. 1 8. them who are called according to htS purpofe. And tt ts fatd of Jacob and Efau, that be- · ing notyet born mither having done anygood or evil, that the p11rpife of God accordmg to Eleflion might jfand. And in Chrift. we are faid to obtain an inheritance, being Kom.9 11 • predejfinate according to the purpofc of htm who workph all thmgs after the counfel of hiJ own wilt. And elfewhere the Apoflle fpeaks of the manifold wi{dom of Godac- Ephcf.t.II. cording to the eternal p11rpo[e, wh1ch he purpofed m Chrift.Je[u< Oltr Lord. And agatn, · he bathfgved!a and called l<f with •n holy ca!lmg, not acc~rdt~[ to ot~rworkf, but accordtng Ephor. 3 . 1 i. to his own p11Ypofe and grace, whteh WMgwen m 111 Chrift fefm before the world began. , T•m.t·9· All rhefe hold forth this rrut~, That God purpofed in himfelf from all eterni ry to bring them whom he foreknew, to life, and to falvation. This purpofe of God in order of natur~comesbeforepredeflination, in that we are faid to be predejfinateaccordin_g tohiJ Ephcf.t;u. purpofc, and yet it mull needs follow after his foreknowledge and couofel; for lull, he loves before be wtll purpofe, and every purpofe u eftablijhed by com;fel; yea, wtthout col<n- {el purpofcs (faith the Wifeman) are difappointea; why then firll he counfels (I fpeak after the manner of men) and then he foreknows; (i.e.) .either he knows whom he Pcov.lo.~s wiU choofe, for God doth not blindly choofe he knows not whom; or elfe he fets his P:ov.15• 1~i love to life on fome, he knows them with a knowledge of approbation, and then he fet• ties a purpofe to bring them to life, whom he fo foreknows in that efpecial and unfpeakable way. . . . . : . J:hispurpofe ofGod fpeaks our flabthty and cerramty of falvatloll mChnfl: when God once purpofeth, it is pafl altering: Surely a1 I have thought, fo jhall itcome to pafs, and a; I havcpur;ofcd (faith God ) fo .fha/1 it jland; you may write upon it that Gods 1fa. 14 . 14 • purpofes are immutable. Would not Pan! hghtly alter purpofes taken up by htm; when I therefore IVM thm minded ( faith he ) did I ufe lightnefs? pr the thing that I purpofc, do I 2 Cor. 1 , 1 7. purp•fe according to rhe fl.ejh, that with me there jhottld beyea, yea, and nay, nay? would not Paut (I fay) alter his purpofc? and will God think you alter his? methinks this wordfpeaks to me as ifI heard God fay from all erernity,it iJ mypurpofctofave a remnant •fmankjnd; though allllreioftby fin, yet mywifdomhathfoundout a way tochoofe oHtfome, and thoughthifefome, thofc fe~v I havep~<rpofed to fave, ftand in very jlipperyf law, yet I will be thefame yejferday, and tod4y, andfor ever. I foreJeeindeed many thoufands offail- Htb.t3 8. ings andcxaJPerations, to alter the purpofe that I have towards my people, I forefee their<daily provocations of my juftice; Iforejee their many !Jejfs within, andtheir m"ny enemies without ; I forefee that grace inhermt I willgi'Jt theni to be M mutable to all the progeny M in their father Adam; andif1leave them in the hands oftheir own cotmfel,rhey cannot but depart .lady from me, even M water, thottgh it could be made as hot asjire,yet being left unto it felf, "W<ll quickly reduce,and t!l!or/z.it feif to its own original coldnefs again : Iforefee them in their beft eondition,at full SM,at their higheft tyde ofgrace,to be as changeable and;ntnJable fever~ ways as wheels ; to be as perplexed, hindered, and diftrailed in themfelves, as cro(s wheels in one another; grace fwaying one way, andjlejh another w11y, ~nd what jfabilitycan I rhink_in flech? whyyet ((ays God) yec I p11rpo[c to bring thu little fl.ock._toheaven; my purpofc u in,and from my{elf; and 1amGod, and not man,andthtrefore I cannot repent, nor call in the purpofe, tvhtc~ now I have ; have1[flid, andJha/1 not I do it ? have I JPokfn, and[hall !not make it Num • 23 • 15 l good· yes, yes, myJurpo{es muftjfand, and for this purpofc I will Jet my Son betwixt my ~eopleand my {elf, (o that if they fin, Iwillloolz on him, And by that means I willfee no MtqHitym Jacob, nor tra>ifi•·ef!ionin Ifrael; and fvr this purpofe /will joytl to tpe wheels ri!~mb. •3·"· t?e.ltvmg creatures, that whm thelivJ·ngcreaturesgo> ihcwhce!sjlutllgo; and.when the lwmgcreaturesjfand, rheyjhallftand; andwhenthe livingcreatttres are !tfted upfrom the k • earth, the wheelsJlull beliftedup againjf them, for the JPirit of the living creatures Jh 11 !l be Eze • I •• J, fi "' ~~ wh:e".: my meanmg u, that my Saints ~mllnot have their jfability from themfelves, or t eyare itkf ~>heels, but they Jltall have it from me, and from my Son, JSnto whom by the fameJPmt oflife they}hall b, ttnited. Thus mav I imagine the Lord ~rom all eternity to fay I: · ~nd~
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