... , An Expo(ttion of the Epiflle ~gether, can a lot which way he!hould go,) he cor;ftt!tedwithimages, he looked Ser. X m. m the Liver. He opened Beafis to fee whether there was good fortune (as fome v-v--..J call it,) to go on the right hand or on the left. All this was foretold that he fhould do; who knew what !hould be in the Liver of that Bean, and that his Soothfayer !hould guit!e his way to .7erufalem, and alfure him of good fortune in that way, rather than in the other? The Text faith verfe 22. .At his right handwas the divi11afionfor Jerttj"alem. All his Lots, !huiling of Arrows,look– ing into the Liver, all this did call him to go to Jerufalem, and God had foretold this long before. You fee be works all things, the moll cafual things that are by his own appointment. The lot is cajl into the Lap, 6ut the whole dijpojing thereof is oj the Lord. Pro. r6. ll· Come to the wills of Men, they are more tickli!h things than matters of chance are; for what fay Men? We have a liberty, we can do what we will; but what faith the Apofile? Say not to day or to morrow we will go ·to (uch a Town, btltiftheLordwi/lwewilldothis or that. 'Jam. 4• r;, '4• But to give you an in!lance for it, that God ruleth the wills of Men, for I cannot in1tance in many things,) I will give you (to me ) one of the greatefi infiances the Scripture affordeth? It is Exod. 34· 24. God commandeth them , that at three let times in the year, all the Men !hould appear before the Lord in ]ertl{a– lem, now you know the .J'ews didlive in the m1dfi oftheir Enemies, and might the Enemies fay, now all the Men are gon up out of the Countrey up to .J'eruj"a– lem, we will go and dcfiroy the Women and Children; this they might plot and order it many years before, what !hould hinder them ? Why faith God , go up three times in the year, and I will order it fo that notu jha/1 dejire thy Land. If God had not a firong hand upon the wills of men that he can turn them which way he pleafeth, how could he make that promife aforehand that they !hould not delire their Land? If God did not effeClually rule the wills of men, the in– clinations of Mens Spirits, when they had all bpportunity, all the reafon in the World, all advantages, yet that they !hould not have a delire to the Land, how could God I fay undertake this unlefs he did rule the wills of Men? My Brethren I profefs I would not ferve this. God, if he did not rule the wills of men in this World. Why? Becaufe I could have no temporal Promife fulfilled; for moll temporal Promifes depend upon men's will. If he did not rule the hearcs of all the men in the world, of Kings, of Parliaments; wHat a confulion would this World run into? How could I fue out any Promife that God makes, wherein I have to do with the wills of men, (as in moll we have?) Therefore certainly he ruleth, and ruleth effeClually, things wherein men are moll free; he cloth either take away delire, or put in detire; turns their hearts to hate his People, or on the other Gde,gives his Peoplefavottr i11 their eyes,as the expreillon is; (it is jufi fuch another infiance,) Exod.II.j. when the People of Ifrae! had gone and brought tm P!agt~es upon them, when all their Firjl-bor11 were flain; here was a fair way made forfavour, was there not? That they !hould come after all this, and fay, I praygive zuyoztr Jewels. What, after you have done us all this mif. chief? Yet faith the Text, God gave them favour i11 their ryrs, ani thry gave them their .J'ewels of jilver, m1d their Jewels of gold, and Raymmt, El!od. 12-35'· What a mighty thing is this in God's ruling the Wills of men ? Doth not this God, think you, work effeCtually in all things, when he ruleth ,the moll ticklifh things of all, the Wills of men? and fo the hearts of Ki11gs. I need not in– fiance. Now, my Brethren, if God thus cloth work all things, certainly then he works Grace much·more, when he turns the will to believe. If he put a de– fire in you, if he take away a delire, it doth not lie in the counfel of your own will, faith he. There are thofe that think Grace is wrought by the counfel of Man's will. God indeed giveth me power to believe, or not to believe, and then the counfel of my Will cafleth it. No! it is according to the counfel of his Will, not according~ to the counfel of thy will, as you !mow the Apofile faith, He works·both thewillmtdthe deed. If he brings forth the will into the deed of all things elfe, much more in the matter of Grace, whc~eby you come to o~tai?J mt Inheritance amwg thofe that are [<melljied. I lhould
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