A Ptaflical Expojition . Secondly, Although there be rhis great Difference, ytt is there no Contrariety of Repugnancy, but a PerfeU Harmony and Uni formity between them. Some ha\'e :houg~t that if God wil~s fuch a Thing.lbould be done; as for ln{bnce, the Crucifymg of our Lord and Savwur by htS Wtll of Purpoje, and yet w11ls rhar it fhould not be done by his Will of Precept, that rhefe Two Wills mufi needs conrradiCl onl! another; and this Argument fame do make no fmall ll!e of to explode th~ DiftinUion of the Will of God. Bur the Solution is moft eafie; for when Wills are conrra1y ro each mhex there muft be a Willing and a Nilling of the fame Thing' Bur it is nor fo here, for the Objt~\ of God's Will of Purpofe is Event, but of his Will of Prc.ept Duty. Now it is far enough tiom having. any Shadow of a ComradiEtion fOr God ro will or p~rmir rhar ro be which he bath wtlled or commanded us not to do. Indeed to will filch an bcm to be,and not to be, that fuch a Thing fhall be my Duty, and (halt not be myDllry ,are ContradiEt:ions, and not to be imputed unto God: Bur to will that fuch a Thing fhaU eventually be, and yet to will rhat it fball be my Duty to endeavour to hinder ir1 is fo f,u from being a Conrradiaion, rhat it is moft apparent and evident, and falls our moft frequently in our Ordinary Converfe in the World. So in the foremention'd Famous Infranee of the Death of Chrift, God willed by his Wz/1 of Purpoje that it fhould fo come to paiS in all the Circumfiances of it as it was perpetrated; but then he willed by his VVill of Precept that it fbould be their Duty nor to do it, Now cer· tainly there is no Contraditl:ion or Abfurdity that Dmy and Event may be quite contrary · one to the other, unlefs we could rake away all Sin, and amhorize all the greateft Villanies that ever werccommined under the Sun. And rbus much fOr the Fizfi Ht:ad. And having thus feen what the VVill of God is, the next General is 10 enqulfe what VVill. it is tAe pray may be done when we fay, Tby Will be done. And hert:, Hrjl , It is clear that weefpecially and abfolutely pray rharrhe Will of God"sPreapt may be done, and that not onlylby us, but by all Men; for this V Vi !I of God is the Rule of our Obedience, and according to ic we ought to conform all our ARians. And becaufe we are not fuffident of our felves fo much as to think any Thing of our fd ves, much lefs to perform all thoiC Various and VVeighry Duties of Holinefs which God hath enjoin'd us in his VVord, therefOre our Saviour bath caught us to beg of God Grace and Afliftance to enable us to fulfil his VVill, giving us not only Commands of Obedience, but Promifes for our Reliefand Encouragemenr, inftruEting us in the VVord to crave Supplies of Grace from him who bath requir'd Duty from us. And indeed there is a great deal of Reafon we lhould pray that his VV ill of Precept {hould"be done on Earth if we confider, Firjl, The great Relun8:ancy and Oppofirion of Corrupt Nature againft it. The Law is Spiritual, but we are Carnal, and Sold under Sin, Rom. 7· 4· and in rhe heR: of Men there is a Law in their .Memben warring againjl the Law of their Jllinds, that when they would do Good, Evil is prefent with them; and therefore we have need ro pray that God would encline our Hearts to his Commandments, and then firengthen us to obey them, that as our Will to Good is the Effia of his Grace, fo the Effia of our Wills may be the Performance of his Will . Stcondly, God's Glory is deeply concern'd in the doing of his Will; for it is the Glory ot a King to have his Laws obey,d, and fo it is God's. When we prfoefS our f€:lves to be his SubjeEt::s, a~d pray tha~ his Kingdom :nay come,_ it is ~ut ~r a~d rational that we fbould pray likewife, Thy Will be done, Without which thiS hiS Kmgdom or Grace would be but meerly Titular; for his Word is the Sceprer and Law of his Kingdom and if we yield nor Obedience to ir, we do tacitly condemn ir, and rhe Lawmak~r alfo, of lnjufiice, and thereby refle~ a moft lmolerab!e Difparagement upon God, preferring the VVill of Satan, and of ou~ own Lu~s, before. his moft Ho· Jy and Righteous Will: But when we endeavour to y1el4 Obedience to h1s Commands, and pray rh at we may be able to do it wit~ more Diligence and Confb.ncy, this as it pleaferh, tO it glorifieth, for by fo domg we ackno.wledge borh his Sovereignty and his Equity; his So in rbar he_ mJy requue .of us w_hat he p_lea!Crh, and his Equity in that he re of us nothi~g ~ut what 1s mo~ ]Ufr and he: A.nd thertfore our Saviour cells us, John 15. 8. Herem IS my Fatherglorified, that yo11 bnn,t forth mucb Fruit. . • . • Thirdly Our own Intereft IS deeply concerned m It; for through Obedtence, and doing tht: Will ofGod, it is that we come ro inherit the Promifes, Rev . 22 . 14. B!tf fed arc tbcy that do bis Co~11tandments, that the~ may hav~ a Rigbr to the Tree · of Ltft\ and may enter zn througb th: Gate; mto the Cay. And therefore w pray
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