186 An Expojition of the Epifile ~ The Third thing which this Text holdeth forth concerning his power is this, Ser .X IV. That whatfoever God will do that he doth effectually; Ht works all thmgs ac– ~carding to ihe f1otmfet of hu will, the meaning is not only that all that he cloth he doth tyCounfel, but that all that his Counfel and will decreeth that he doth, My Cormjeljba/1jlm1d faith he. ljill.46. 10. So much now for that Fir!t thing, hi< Power, whioh are all bottomed full upon the Text. The Second is concerningGod's Cottnjel in working,you know Counfcl referretl1 to theUnderfianding,to the Judgment.Jt is a confidering what one meaneth to do, how to do it, and to do it, the belt way and moll: wifely, that is properly Coun· fel. There is fomething in Counfel which is in Man, We mull not attribute un– to God, and fomething in man which may be attributed to God , (for we muft cut offal! Imperfection in what we attribute to God.). There is two things in Counfel in a Man. There is Fir!t a difcourfe and enqmry what is bell:, he fetteth his R.eafon a work, and one Thought cometb in after another. And then there is Secondly, a Judgment, when he hath confidered all, what is the bell. Now the firll part we mull: cut offfrom God, he doth not advife and deliberate as Men do, to take this thing or that thing one after another by way of inquiry into his mind. No, For known to God are aO his Works from Eternity , faith the A– po!lle, ACl. 1 ~. as the word fignifieth; he hath them aU before him. How then is Counfel attributed unto God? Thus, That which is the Refult, that which arifeth in Mens Minds or Judg– ments out of enquiry, a mature pitching upon what IS bell:; this now which is the perfection of Counfel,which is the ripening and the maturity ofit,this is attri– buted to God: This is Cert11m .7ttdicium, a certain Judgment ofwhat is beft to do. Th11s God works all thi11gs accordi11g to hi< [_ozmfe~. I will give you but one Scrip– ture for tt, ( for we mu!\ llrll back every thmg with fome parallel word, that in the mouth of two witneffes every thing mi~ht be cllablilhed,) lfai. 28. 29. It is faid there of God, that he is wo11derfi1t>in (ou~tftt a11dexultmt i11 workittg, (I cannot fiand to open the cdllerence of the place, but it falleth in till! to the bufines in hand,) He i< exceUmt ilt working,fbr whatfoever he willeth that he doth, and hr i< as WOIIderfitl 111 hi< Cormfrt, for all'that he cloth it is with the greatefi ripe– nefs of Judgment, with the highell wifd<m1that lhall d~clare him as much to be God in the wife doing of it, as to declare he is God in the powerful doing of it. Thus you fee in the Secend place'wh~t is meant by Counfel. No"w then in the Thlrtl place, w.hy is it faid the Coutljel of hi< will? Here is a Third principle, huwi/J; and itis"calledtheCozm{ttof hi< wiU. llhall open it briefly. It implieth thefe particulars following, Firfi, That God's will dotb not pitch upon things blindly, but by an advifed act, he lmoweth what he cloth, wittingly and willingly in all he cloth, his will hath Counfel joyned with it. It is faid Secondly, to be' the Cotmftt of hi< oWtlwiU,(for fo the Text hath it,) becaufe he doth not go forth. of himH:If for Counfel; he neither cloth regard the convenien~y among the Creatures one with another, but their conveniency de– pends upon his Counfel. Men when they Counfel, they look upon things, and ss things arefr~med and falhioned, fo they mull frame their Counfels ; but with God it .is othe~wife, he frameth things according to the CouAfel of his own will, he advifeth wtth none, Who hatb /;wz hu Coun.fe!Jer? Rom. 11. H· In the Third place it is called the Counfel of his own will, to lhew that in cafi. ing whatfoever he meaneth to do, his will bath the fuprcam llroke. Still you !hall find it in the Scripture, that all is attributed to his will ; and obferve the phrafe here, it is not called the will ofhis Counfel, but it is called rather the Counfot of hi< wilt, (it is the obfervation of Cathtrintts, and Mtt[ctthu, upon the place,) to !hew the difference between Mans will and Gods; The Law of mans will is fiill to be determined by the under!\anding, fo that the will of a Man is the will ofhis Counfel. My Brethren, when God confidcred whether he would make a World or no, the conftJltation was not whether it was beft to make it or not to make it; why ? Becaufe there was no bell: to God to do the one or the other; there is the greatefi reafon for it that can be, for it was all one to him whether he did it or no. Wh~t caus'd him then to do it ? What did caft it? It was his will. His will fetteth
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