to theE P H E S I A N S. teth his Counfcl fo to work as it were todoit the bell way, but it is not his will~ being determined by his Counfel as )~dgmg It bell, for It was neither better one Srr. XIV. way nor other for God,for he llandemin need ofno Creature.So that In Scnpture ~ yea have Eletl:ion attributed to his will, He bath mere:; 011 whom he wtll;you have Creation attnbuted to hiS WIII,by thy wtlt at! thmgs were created, Revel. + I I . But now, though his will bad the callmgof It clearly, and therem lyeth the Soveraignty and liberty of the Will ofGod I';J his works adExtra, yet you will ask me how Jar did Council attend !m Will ? 1anr:Ver in thefe particulars. Firll, God knew all that hecould do, all that his power is able to do,and therefore did not pitch upon things that had acontraditl:i– on in them.As for example,That God lhould make a thing to be and not to be at the fame time, his will did not pitch upon this, becaufe his Council ditl:ated that they were not compatible, it was not lit for God to do.So likewife it is impo!fi6le for God to lie, his underflanding knew tbis,fo h~s will did n~t p1tch upon fuch a thing. Here is one All: of Counfel; he did not pitch upon tlungs that have a con· trad,tl:ion in them. In the Second place,HisCounfel ditl:ated to him,ifl may fo fpea k,that it was good to create;and to communicate bimfelfto theCreatures,to choofe men to Salvation, and that it is the property ofgoodne!S tocomm~nicate it felf,and that it becometh goodnefs to do it.But yet llill all this is not bell,it is not bell toGod,we cannot fay fo,for he could be as happy without doing this as he is with doing ofit, only I fay his Counfel faid it was good. . Then Thirdly, If his Y.lillcomethtocreate and produce Creatures,then wifdom dictates that it.was bell to do it the befl way,if God will manifeflliimfelt~ to do it to the uttermoll; fo will fettetl1 Council on work,or rather Counfel prefenteth to the will the utmoll and bell ways ofglorifying ofhimfelt: ThereforcHe6. II.you fballlind there that all things that are made are faid to be made ofthings not feen, '(namely, ofGod.)Byfait& (faith he ver.3.) we underjlmzd thflt the worlds were framed by the wordofGod,Jo that thi11gs which are[em were not made of thi11,gs that do appear. The meaning is this, That his underllanding did prefent to him worldsotModels,as it doth to anArtificer ifhe will raife up a building,how to make it and contrive it. He made things out ofthiugs that did not appear, that were in his own mind,the Ideas,the mold,the pattern ofthings,(fuch as men have in their beads when they make a Houfe and the like,) and he pitcheth upon what is bell. And thus far now his Counfel attends his will.Ifhis will refolveth to create,to do a thing,then Counfel is fet a work to do it the bell way.And although it may be faid that God had other w~ys as good, for his wifdom is not limitted to one world or. to the things that are or lhall be. To conclude with one Scripture and fo pafs offfrom this. Pfat. 104. 24.Wo11der· fttlt are thy ma11ijoldworks m wif'dom,hajl tbott made them all. They are won• derful,and they are manifold, and he bath made them all in wifdom; and his wif· dom fheweth it felf to be as truly the wifdom ofGod, as his power fhewed it felf to be thepowerof Godinmaking them. And this is the fubferviency or the con· currency that Counfel hatb with his will in working all things. Now my Brethren, I iliould give you feme Obfervations from hence: I did an· ticipate fome in my !all, as namely this. If God works all things according to the Counfel of his own willl you lbould not lean to your own will, nor to your own w1fdom, Give up yottr[elves ft<!Jy unto God, as it is, Pro. 2J·4• In the Second place more particularly, If God work~Grace by the fame kind of Counfell_ofhis will,and by the fame power thathe works all things elfe, as the Text plaml~ fa~th; then he wirks Grace infalhble, for we fee he worketb O· ther tlungs mfall1ble; Ltt there be lightfaith hr,mtdthere WfJJ light; Let there be hght fmh he ,m that Mans Soul,and there is light; He works i11 tU tbe willa!ld the deed, not only the power to will but the will it fdf. The Third thing that I Obfervcd is this, That the fame thing that call it,why he wo~ld workall things,it was his will, not as judging it bell for him, it was not followmg the d1tl:ates ofhis Underflanding as always is in us, but only he faw it was good fo to do.So Jikewife,ofhis chooling men,this or that man, ofpredellin"'– ung you and you, (for fo the coherence carrietl1 it,) it was meerly Jus own will, his own goodnefs. Bb 2 There
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