106 / 504
C
A P.111.$5:
7.
Abfoluteneffe
of
God's
Pnrpofes prooved from
0.46.9.
&c,
5o
lute and
Immutable,
not that
they
worke
any effentiall Change
in
the
Things
---
themfelves,
concerning
which
they
are making
that to
be
Immutable
from
thence ,
which in its
owne
Nature
is
Mutable
,
but
only
that
themfelves
as
A
&s
ofthe
Infinite W ifdome and
Will
of
God,
are
not
lyable
to,
nor
fuf-
pended on any Condition whatever
f
orreigrie
to
themfelves, nor
fubje&
to
change
or
Alteration
(
whence floweth an infallible certainty
ofa
&call Ac-
complifhment
in
reference
to
the
things Decreed
or Purpofed,
be
their
owne
nature what
it
will
,
or their next
caufes in
themfelves never
fo
undeter-
mined
to
their Produ&tion) whereof I treat.
That
the
determining
Purpofes
or
Decrees
of
Gods will concerning any thing, or things, by him
to
be
done,
or
e
ffeEled,
do not depend
as
to
their
Accomplifhment, on any
conditions,that
may be
fuppofed
in,
or
about the
things themfelves,
whereof they
are, and
therefore are
Vnchaazgeable
and
fhall
certainely be
brought
forth
unto the
I,i i
r.25.
appointed
Iffue,
is
that,
which we
are
to
prove.
Knowing for whole fakes,
Cor.26,27,
and for
what
End
this
labour
was
undertaken,
I (hail
choofe
to
lay
the whole
28.
proofe
of
this
Afjirtion
upon
plain
Texts
of
Scripture, rather then
mixe
my
Tim.
2./0.
Difcourfe with any
fuch
Philofophicall Reafonings,
as
are
oflittle
ufe
to the
mofl
of
them, who
fe
benefit
is
hereby intended
.
O.
7.
Ifa.
4.6:
9,10,
I
I.
The
Holy
Chaff
fpeakes expresfly
to our
purpofe;
Remem-
ber the
former
things
of
old:
for
I
am God,and
there is
none
like
me,
declaring the
Endfrom
the beginning,
andfrom
ancient times, the things
that
are
notyet
done,
faying
my
Counfell
fhall(land,
and
I
will
doe
all
my
pleafure, calling
a ravenous
Bird from
the
Eall,
the man
that
executes
my counfell
from
a
far
Country:
Tea
I
have
f
poken
st,
I
will
alfo
bring
it
to pajfe;
I
have purpofed
it,
Awill
alfo
doe
it.
V.59.
The
Lord
afferts his
owne Deity
and Eternall
Being,
in oppofition
to
all
falle Gods and Idols
,
whom he
threatens to
deftroy.
v.a.
Of
this
he
givesthem
a
threefold Demonflration.
Fitly, from
his Patience
or
fire-
Knowledge,
there is
none
like
me,
declaring
the
end
from the beginning
and
,from ancient
times, the things
that
are not
yet
done;
In this am
I
infinitely
difcriminated from
all
the
pretended
Deityes
of
the
Nations:
All things
from
the
Beginning
to
the
End
are naked before
me,
and
I
have declared them by my
Prophets,
even
things
that
arefuture
and
contingent
in
themfelves;
foe
are the
things
that
I
now fpeake of,
the de-
ftru
&ion ofñabylon
by
the
Medes
&
Perfians,
a
thing
to be carried on'
Through
innumerable
contingencies,
and
yet
as
I have leen
it
,
fo
have
I
told it, and
my counfell concerning
it
(hall
certainely be executed.
Secondly,by
his Powerin ufing
what Inftruments
be pleafeth
for the
exe-
cuting
of
his
Purpofes
and bringingabout
his
own defignes;calling
a ravenous
Birdfrom
the Eafl:
One
that
at fir*,
when he
wentagainft
Babylon,thought
of
of
nothing
leffe,
then
Executing
the
Counfell
of
God, but
was
wholly bent
upon
fatisfying his
owne
Rapine
and
Ambition,not
knowing then
in
the
leaft
by whom
he
was
Anoynted
&
santiifyedfor the
Accomplifhment
of
his
Will.
All the
thoughts
of
this
heart,all
his Confultations
&Atlions,all
his
Progreffes
&
Diverfions, his
succeffe
in
'his
great
and dreadfiill undertaking
to
breake
in
pieces
that
Hammer
of
the whole
Earth
, with
all
the
free deliberations
and
Ierem.
go.
contingencies,
wherwith
his
long
Warre
was
attended,
which were
as many,
firong, and
varioue,as
the nature
of
things
is
capable
to
receive, were
not only
Ifa,44.25,
in every individual)
A&,
with
its
minuteff circumftances,by him
forefeene,
and
se'27'2s' much
al
fo
fore
told,
but
alto
m
4
f
f
aäged
in
the
hand
of
his
Power
in a
reg
at:
Yhil,
5.
,2
3,4.
fubfervience
to that
call,whiele
fo
gave
thatRaveinousBird,for
the
Acc
to
n
plifhment
of
his
Purpofe aria Pleafure.
.
Thirdly,
by
the
Immutability
of
his
Purpofes
which can never
be
fruflra-
ted,
nor
altered;
My Counfell
fhall Hand, and
I
will
doe
all
my
Pleafure,
I
have
Purpofed