8o Book. II. ,, Looking unto ::feft~s. ~phe(,_ x. 4 keep things fecret~ 3. To keep things fafe : In every of,thefe -refped:s Gods Decrees are feales; but efpecially in the lat'r ; thofe fouls that are fealed by God, they are fafe in the love and favour -of God; as when 'fob tells us that God Jealeth up the ftarm (i.) fay fome, he preferveth the frarres in their orbs, in the place; wherehe hath fet them they fhall never drop out; fo God feals up his Saints, ( i.) he Jecures them of the eternal love ofGod fo that they fhall never drop out of his heart. All thefe titles fp~ak . the immutability ofGods eternal immanent aC!s; q. d. I decree I predeftinate, I book)t, feale it , that Juch and Juch perfon; foal/ be eternally Javed; and why all this? but to note the certaint], and ftability of the thing; foal! great c..Monarchr of the earth do thm ; foal! they decree , and book,, and feale, to foew . ·their greatm/Je,_and ·wifdome, that they could fo refolve, as no perfon or power whatfoever foould be ftrong enough to caufe them tq cb,mge their .refolutions ? and foal! not 1 m1sch more? do not I k_.now, or forefee all that can or will follow ? is there any power, or ever foall be to tak!: them out of my hands? Or is it poffiblc that ever I foould have a relenting thought at the fa- :'lling of theft fouls? Can any thing fall out hereafter to mal<! me more provident, more powerful, more wife, more merciful then now I am? it may be in fame things I may will a change, but -can I in any thin{ truly change my will ? no, no, I am the Lord , I change not·, Jherefore ye fonnes of 'facob are not confumed. SECT. JX. The Covenant. THe Covenaqt concerning mans falvation is the lafr and main · particular'! inftanced in : I dare not be too curious to infift on the order of nature; and the rather becaufe I beleeve the Co- . venant &itwixt God and Chrift from everlafting is interwoven wi-th the Decree, fore-knowledge, and eleCtion above. So the Apofrle tells us, He hath chofen m in Chrift before the foundation of the 'World; marke that, in Chrijl: There was an e.ternal plot betwixt the Father and the Sonne; there was a bargame made (I · - · · · · fpeak
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