Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v7

2 Chap. 2'., An Ex¡of tioo-; tssnon the Book. of J O B. Verf. 2.: to paffe ; though theyhave not an abf'olute Affurance, yet chi have much affurance, though we cannot lay in every partial! i Cafe, that their decree fhall be Eflablifhed to them, yet their e crees in general! are under a promife of Efieblifhnrent. Chri fpeaketh concerning the DLcrecs of a ChurchAffemb!y (Matt i 8. I8.) Mere!! I fay unto yo-s, wi,atf oevor ye(hall bind on cart, All/ be bosond in Heaven ; and a hat,¡lever ye fball loófe cn earth /hall be loofed in Heaven ; that is I will Eftablifh yourDecreer Ifwhen you meet together inmy name, you decree concerning perfon to bind fin upon him, he fhall behound,if toloofe or prop. flouncehim pardon'd,, he that! be loofened, your decree on earth, ?hall be a decree in heaven, I will bind what you binde, and bole what you loofe :Now in proportion, the Lord (peaks the fame concerning thedecrees ofanyGodly man,what he binds onearth,, the Lord doth bind in heaven, andwhat he loofeth on earth,God loofèth in heaven;that is,there is an Eflabiifhment ofhis decrees; and as the Church there bath a promife that the Lord will joyne with her in her decrees ; fo a Godly manpath a promife here that the Lord will joyne with him in his decrees. We have alto an ea- cellent confirfnation ofit, (Ela. 44. 2.526.) The Lord is many ways defcribed in Seripture,but herehe is defcribed by difappoin- ting and eftablifhing the Councells ofmen. He it is thatfruflra- teth the tokens of the ¡jars, andmtaketh diviners mad ; that too-meth avife men backward, and maketh their knowledgefoelifbntfs.Here is a defcription of God in reference to the difappointments which heputs upon his enemies, infrufttrating their Councells and de- crees ; they boaftof there and thefe tokens that affure them of good fucceffe, but the Lord fruftrares their tokens.. TheDiviners lay, O. the Starts promife good luck, and tell us, we (hall have good fortune ; thus diviners boaft, but the Lord maketh thedivi- ners mad ; how doth he make them mad ? by making them fee things fall out quite crof eto what they haveforetold or prophe- lied. Againe, he turner wife men backward ; that is, he turns the Councells of wife men backward, when theyhave refolvedfuch a thing, the Lord fetsit quite another way:this is the glory ofGod that he can give check to the Councelsof the greateftPolititians, and deepeft Machiavells,he turnes them backward.Thus theLord is fetforth.overthrowing the decreesofthewicked but at the 26thTier. Heis let forth effablifhing the decrees of theGodly. He

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