Rom. !'• u. ,Epbef,I.II, Ephe'r. ~·I I, .~fimd·9• Prov. :o.18. !',~:ov. J} ,1:, Book. H. Looking f!nto 1e[us. SECT. VU. ,The. Pwpofi. Chap.r. Sett7•· OF the Purpofe o~God_ concerning mans falvatiou before a!! worlds, we read m Scnptures; We k_ziow that all things work., together for good to them that love God, to them who are cal- · led acco~ding to his purpofe• . And it i_s faid of [ttcob and Efou, , that bemg not yet borne , ;mther havmg done any g6od or evil, · thlflt the purpofe of God according to Ele[fion might ftand. And in Chrift we are faid to obtaine an inheritAnce being predeftinate according to the purpofe of him who work§th all things after the counfel of his own will. And elfewhere the Apofrle fpeaks of the manifold wifdome of God .:tccording to the eternal purpofe which he purpofed in Chrifl [efm our Lord. And again~ he hath Javed m and called m with an hPly calling, not according to our work_J , but according to his ow.n purpofe and grace, which wM ?"ivm m in Chrift 'fefm before the world 6egan. All thefe hold1orth this truth, ~hat God purpofed in himfelf from all eternity to bring them, whom he foreknew, to life, and to falva-. tion. This purpofe ofGod in order ofnature comes before predefl:iiiation, in that we-are faid to be predeflinate ,recording ttJ his purpe[e,and yet Lt muft needs follow a_fcer his forejrnowledge and. counfel;. for firfr,he loves before he wlll purpofe, and. every purpofe is eftablijhed by counfel; yea, without counfel purpofes (faith theWifeman) are difappointed; why then firfl: he counfels (I fpeak after the manner of men) and then he foreknows; (i.) ei-, ther he knows whom he will choofe, for God doth not blindly choofe he knows not whom ; or elfe he· fets his love to life on fome, ,he knows .them with a knowledge of approbation, and then he fettles a purpofe to bring them to life, whom he·fo forekl)ows in that efpecial and unfpeakable way. This purpofe ofGod fpeaks our £!:ability and certainty offalvation in Chrifr; w~en God onc;e purpofeth, it is paft altering : S.11re!y M I h11ve tho11ghr, fo /hall; it come to paj[e, and M I have purpo(ed ( faitl1 God1) fo foal! it jland ; you may write . u'pon it that qods purpofeJ are i"!mutable, would not Paul Jiohtly alter purpofes taken up by htm, when I therefore wM thm ;;nded (f~ith he) did I ufe Jightneffe?. o~ the !hing that I pur- . - . P~ .
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