V ER.I1. Epheflans,Chap.I. 123 light out of darknc(fe, being able to doe goadof evill; and it is juft in him to permit, wherehe is not bound to hinder. Seeing then Gods effeétual1 worke is in everything, let us labour to beholdhis worke, and to praifehim in it : It is the workmans glory to have his Art difcerned. Looke on the fouleft thing that ever wascom- mitted, looke at Gods worke in it, it is moll: holy, as that killing the Lordof life, Lids4. 21. That looke as it is in thofe double two fa- cedpiftures, lookeat them on one fide you fee moniters, on the other beautifull perlons ; So it is in thefe wicked workes, the fame that man worketh finfully, God worketh moft holily. This is our comforr,that nothing can be in which.ourheavenly fathers handworketh not : Earthly Parents, though provident, may have their children meet with many cafualties, which theydoe not intend before, but helpe when now they fee them brought about ; but nothing can be in which our fathers hand mutt not have a chiefe ftroake be- fore it cancome topaffe. This mutt quietus, even for times to c6me, our fecuritie being in it ; yea, for whatfoever is befallenus, we muff fuftaine our felves even from hence, theeffeétuall working ofour God is in it ; we mull hence, I fay, fuftaine our felves from being fwallowed upof griefe; we mutt not prevent hereby due grieving and humbling our felves under the hand ofGod. Hold this for ever, that nothing can fall out to us, in which is not the effeCtuall working of our heavenly father. Wecannot folidly feare God, ifevill may befall us with which he is not willing, inwhich he hathno hand. Wecannot have that pati- ence inour evils, nor that comfortable fecuritie for timestocome. Nei ther let any excufehis wickedneffe hence, for Gods worke doth leave a man liberty to bea caufe, bycounfell, of this or that he doth ; fo that thou doeft goe again(' Gods will advifedly, when he worketh his will in thee : And if a man doe execute one malicioufly, his murther isnot excufed, becaufe the Judgebyhim doth take away the life of the fame man moft juftly. Secondly obferve; That whatGod worketh or willeth, he doth it with counfell ; though his will be moft juft, yet we mull not conceive ofit, asmoving meerely from it felfe, without any thing todireEt. With him is counted, withhim isunderffandiag, lob 12.13. and Éfay 46. ro. Ow), counfell, faith the Lord, fball f and. Even as the foot of thebody hathan eye bodily to direét themoving ofit; and as the reafonablewill ofman bath a light of wifdome togoe before it; fowould God have us conceive in himfelfe, that the lightofadvifed wifdome is with him, in whatfoever he willeth or worketh This is to be marked ; firft, that we may fee how all things befalling us aregood ; for the Lord bring- ing them about according tohis counfell, they feemegood to his wife- dome.Nowwifdome judgeth nothinggood,but as it is fit to fomegood end; now that which is fit for fome good end,that cannot but be good. Wherefore let us correft our thoughts: In many things we fuller, we thinke other courfes would doebetter.What is this, but to fay, this befalleth us not with fogood advifet What but to teach God wife- M t dome, Y% 1. Theyworke idem, bt¢ not adders Ile a. DoF7.2; pre f;
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