on the Lord's Prayer. Secondly, The Precepts and Commands are likewife the VVill of God, but they are improperly fO called, becaufe thefe concern nor. neither do they determine the Event ofThings, but only our Duty ; not what Oull be, buc ~hat ought to be_; and it is called, Rom. I 2. 2. The good, and occeptoble, and perjefl, Wz/1 of God. This is all 'conrained in the Holy Scriptures, which are a perfc:S: Syftem ofPrecepts given us for the Government of ourLives here, and for the attaining of Eternal Life hercafier; and therefOre it is Hkewife called his Revealed V V ill; whereas the other, namely, the VVill ofPmpofe, is God's Secret VVill, until i' be manifelted unto us by the Events and Effcas of it. Now concerning this Diflinaion ofGod's. VVill of Purpofe and Precept wo may note, that though there be a great deal of Difference) yet there is no Contrariety or Oppofition, between them. · Fii!i, They differ the one from the other, not in refpea of God, (for his Will is one infinitely pure and uncompounded Aa,) bur only in refpe!l of the Ob;efl; for there are many Things which God wills by his Will ofPurpofe, which he hath not willed by his Will of Precept. His Precepts are all holy, and command nothing but what is holy and acceptable: This is the Will of God_, fitirh the Apofile, even your Sodlification, I ThcjJ. 4· l· It is the highelt Degree of Blafphemy to impute unro God that he hath commanded us any Thing but what is Holy, Jufr, and Good: This were to make him the Author of Sin, who ha rh declared himCdf the Punifher of it. But his Will of Purpo.fc is not refirained within Bounds and Limits, bur extendeth it1df to all Events whatfoever, whether Good or EviL And as Evils are of Two Sorts, either the Evil of Puoifhmenr, or the Evil of Sin, fo is God's Will of Purp,YeTwofold, ejftflive of the oi1e, and pmnij}iveof the other, but in both moll certain and infallible. • t . . God's Will of Purpoft dorh effea and bring to pafs the Evil of Punifhment: Amos 3· 6. Shalltbtre bt any Evilintbe Ciryandtbt Lord bath 1101 done ir? For he doth both in Heaven and in Earth whatfoever pleafeth him. VVere ir nor the VVil! . of God the VVorld had never groaned under fo many Mifi:ries and Calamities :as ba\le in alt Ages befallen it. Now God never enjoins us this as our Duty, altho' he lays them upon us as our Burden. 2 . God's Will of Purpq(e permits the Evil of Sin for Wife and Gracious Eads, that he may bring Good out of Evil ; even tbofe very Sins and VVickednefs which his Will of Prmpt !orbids, his Will of Purp,Yc permits ; for if God did not will to permit them tfiere would be no fuch Thing as Sin in the VVorld. Second!~ Hence arifeth another very Remarkable Difterence, that we may effeflu~o ally refiU (jod's V V ill ofPrecept, fo as to hinder the Accomplifhmentof it; but what· foever we do fo it is our Sin, and will, without Repentance, be our Condemnation. So Srepben acc"feth the Jews, Aas 7· 5 I. Tou do always rejifl tbe Holy Ghofl; that is, by your Praaices you do always go comrary ro the Commands of God, revealed by his Spirit in his VVord. And were it not for this refiUing of the VVill of God we fhould be perfealy Holy and Blamelefs. Bur we cannot refift the Will of God's Pt~rpoje, fo as ro hinderthe Execution of it; although fometimes to endeavour it may be fO far from Sin, as robe our neceffary and indifpenfable Duty: Forthough it may bethe VVill ofGod to bring us into Poverty, or inro Prifon, or to lay fore Difeafes upon us, yer it is not only lawful for u~ but weare obliged, as far as Iyes in us, to hinder rhofe Evils of Punifhmenr from befalling us, and ro prefcrve 6ur Eilares, our Liberty, our Health, and our outward Comforts, by all lawful and allowed VVays and Means: Much more, ifGod fhould VVill to permit a Sin in others, or in our felves, are we bound to hinder the Commiifion of it ~ for, for us to be willing to permit, becaufe God is, though it be a Conformity of o"r VVillsto God's Will of Purpofe, yet this is not our Rule to walk by: And it is a wretched Rebellion againfl: his Will of Precept, which alone we are to refpea in all our ACtions, and endeavour to conform our felves unto. Doubtlefs it was God's Will of Purpofe, that Chri!l, tho Lord of Life and Glory, fhould be Crucified; but yet the Jews conforming themfelves according to this VV ill, were guilty of the mofr horrid VVickedoefs that ever was committed in the VVorld; for both thefe we have confirmed to us, .Ails 2. 23. Him being dtlivered by the determinate Counfel and Foreknowledge of God, ye bavc taken, and by wicked Hands have crutified and jlain. Altho' ir was by rhe determinate Counfel and VVill of God that Chrift fhould be taken and !lain, }et neverrhelefs they were wicked Hands that were imbrued in that Precious and Ine.. !limable Blood. And thus 1 have fhown how the Will of God's Purpoft and Precept dodiffer. But yer, K k k 2 Secondly,
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