to the E P H E S I A N S. td an Inheritance, 6ei11g 'Predef/iluztdaccorditJg to hupt~rpofe, ( tlJefe are.the ~ 3 firlt particulars, ofhtm who worknh allthmgs accordwg to the Cot11tfelofhJ1 J'rr.XIV; own wt/J.l lhewed the coherence ofthele latter word$ before; .that whtch nowI~ fuall call in is, That the Apollle dorh fir; and fure, and proportiOn_'· . thts general propoflrion, that God worktth all thtngs ':ccordmg to the (oun(el Of hts own wtll, he fttteth it unto rhe partJculars God had done for them, He b~>d called them to obtai 11 tm l#hertftz11Cf being Predejlinated, accordmgto hu purpo[t. The meaning is this, That by the (ame Counfel of hts wdl, and by the fame power-that he had wroughtall things elfe,by the fame power he had called them, . and [anGlified them, by whtch they bad obtamed ari lnhenrance; and by the fame Counfel of his will be had predeilinated them accordwg to his purpofe by the fame wherewith he works all things elfe. He fuewet h that the principle by which be works all things, is the fame principle by which he wrought Gr~ce in their hearts.F~ril,in worKtng all things,there is an om'1tpotenc power, .an efficaci· ous hand, for he is fa id towork, '"fl'"' to work elfec:l:ually, 6y tht famr powrl' faith he did he worle Grace inyour hrarts. In the Second place, All things that. he doth\vor~, he did contrive beforehand by his Counfel , 6y the fame C'ouiJjtl faith he he didPredej/inate. Then Thirdly, that which cafieth all; according to his O,unfel was his will, He works all tbi11gs according to the Coutt(rl of bt,r 0 w11 will; why according to that will faith he, bath he predeilinated you, Ht bath Prtdeflmatedyot< accordi11g to his purpo{t; namely ofthat will. So that now will in the one anfwereth to the purpofe in the other, and Counfel in the one ~nfwereth to Predeilination in the other, (for indeed Predeltination impli· eth ail ordering, a difpo.flng ofthings by Counfel.) And then Thirdly,his work· ing grace by which they were called anfwereth to that power which he wrought• all things by. · Here then you fee,there are Three principles ofGod's working all things what· foever he works, the Salvation ofmen and all things elfe. Here is liril an Omni· potent power which is Exrcutiottis, as the thing that executeth and performeth all he ts faid eo work and work elfec:l:ually, fo the word fignilieth. Secondly, here is his will and the Soveraignty ofit,which is Impe1'atio11is, that which giveth the command for a powerful execution,Thirdly, Here is his wifdom, that is 'Direili– ollis, as that which givethdirec:l:ion both to will and power, He works all thi11gs according to the Counfel of hiS own,wztl. · And Firfl, For the power of God in working, which is th7 ~tfr thing briefly tp be explained. Secondly,his Counfel, and Thirdly, the Counfel ofhis will, I lhall (peak briefly ofall thefe three : He works all things by an Omnipotent powu,and by Counfel, and by the Counfel ofhis own will. Firil,for the power wherewith he w.orketh all things. The Firil thing I fhewed about it before was this,that God hath an effec:l:ual hand in all things. I went over things Natural, things Moral, things contingent, the wills of Men and the like; I lhall rep<at nothing now. That is the liril thing thatthe Text affordeth,that God works and works elfec:l:ually, he bath a hand in every thing. The Second thing concerning his power that the Text afl'ordeth is, that God's power is limitted in his wo~kingsby his will. He doth not work all thin~s that he can work; Vnto tbu ( fatth Chnil,Mark '4· ~6. ) at/things are poJJtbte, It is poffi6Je faith he, that this c11p /houldpafs from me, andthat mmjhoutd bt [avtd mtother w~y; but hts power did not work this, it was limited by his will, (o you know Chnil fatth, Mat. 3· 9· Thy will be done. Godca11 (faith .7ohn,) raife 011t ofthefe Sto11rs th,,tyou tread upo11 Sons tmto .Abraham; he never did it, but do it he coul~. God doth not fuew himfelf Omnipotent by doing all he can do, but ~very thtog that he doth do, he il1eweth an Almighty power in it. Therefore Dtvmes ufe to fay, that God though he is Omnipotent yet he is not Omnivolenr:· though he can ~o all things infinite!y more than he ha~h done, yet he doth not wtll to do all thmgs that he.ts able,for his power is limitted by his will, fo faith the Text; He worketh all thmgs accordi11g to the Cotmfet of /;is will, If thou will fatth he, thotl canfl make me;tea11,. Mat. S. 2, His power was able, but whe. ther that hts wtll had detcrmllled hts power to do it or not, that he knew nor; Bb
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