I ZZ 8phefanf,Cháp.>I, V E R. 11. thefe thingsfiom the wife, even fo, becaufe itpleafeth thee. Now to come totheDothines. Firft wefee, that every thing which commeth about,is Gods effedu- all working: ofhim, by him, and for him, are all things, Rom. II. ult. r Cor. 8.6. Things are oftwo forts, good, or evill ; good things are na- tural!, or fupernaturall, fuck as are wrought in Chrift : Now all thefe the Lords efficacie is inmaking them,yeaof nothing:Thoughman mutt haveforce matter to worke on, God can give being, and call the things that are not, making them ftand out as if they were. Secondly, his worke is in fuftaining them ; He doth not leave these things, asa Car- penter his building, or Shipwright his Ship,but(till is with them fuftai- ning them in the being, received from him. That which hath not beateof it felfe, but is made hot (as water) with fire, it depended] on fire to be kept inbeate, andno longer then fire is under it, it will not keepehot : So thefe things, not having being of themfelves, dependon him for their continual! fuftentation,who did first givethem theirbeing. Thirdly,Gods action is in them, governing them to that end for which he did makethem ; Things dependingon another, are governed by that on which theydepend. Betide, our servants depend on us, tobe gover- ned by us; what are all the creatures, but fo many things miniftring to him who is the Lord of has Not to fpeake that the fame wií- dome which reached] usto get any thing, for this orthat purpofe, doth teach us likewifewhen nowwe have it, togoverne and apply it to that purpofe : So Gods wifdome, which made all things to an end, mutt needes governe and ufe them to that end : There is no queftion in thefe things. For that any thing should beget a thing like in kinde to it felfe, it is not strange ; and that any workeman íhould worke any thing like himfelfe, is no wonder; The difficult is in evil! things: Evil! is either ofpunifhment, or fin; NowGod is by himfelfean author ofthe first ; Sec, vimos 3.6. Is there evill in the titre, whichI worke rut ? Oct of the mouth of the Lord commeth evill andgood, Lam.3 38. For, punifhment though it be evil! to his fenfe who fuffereth under it, yet it is good in it felfe,when now it is deferved; as to executea man, is evil! to him who fuffereth, good in the Judge who cutreth ofa hurt- ful! member for the good of the publique. Evil! of finne, is either of the first finne, or the finnes ensuing. Now thefe, to fpeake in general!, neitherof themare without Godseffeltuall permiffion:They who foare in Gods power, thatthey cannot fin without his fuftèrance, his permit úionis effeeruall to the beingof fin from them, that is, neceffary to this, that they (hould actually commit that they are inclined to commit. Now thus it is with God, for he doth effectually worke forcethings by himfelfe without others; as the creationofall thefe things ; force things in and with others, working as inftruments under him and with him ; thus he workethall the workes of grace; fomethings by permit- ting others, and that when he could hinder them ; thus his efficacie rea- cheth to the being of finne,and this is molt juft in God; for though evil! IS not good, yet it is good that there should be evil! : Godwho bringeth light
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