341 VERSE 3 Chriilspeopleawillingpeople. by what-ever anion was done by him, might juffly be called the aetionof God, in which regard it was impof- fiblcfor him to Anne. In like manner, thepaflive obedi- ence of Chrifi was moil free and voluntary, as it rcfpc- 61ed his owne will, for he troubled himfelfe, hcehum- bledand emptied himfelfe, he laid downe his owne he became obedient unto death, even the deathof the Croffe ; andyet, thus it was written, and thus it beho- vedor was neccflary for Chrifi to fuffer,if we refpea the predc terminate counk 11 and purpofe ofGod, whohad fo ordained, 4114.28. God would not fuffer a boneof Chrifts to bebroken,and yet he didnot difable the foul- diets from doing it, for they had Rill as much flrength and liberte to have brokenhis, as the others who were crucified with him, but that which in regardofthe truth and predi&ion ofholy Scriptures was moll certainly to be fulfilled, in regard of the fecond caufes by whom it was fulfilled, wasmoll free and voluntary. Wee finde m what a chaine of meere cafualties and contingencie; if we looke onely upon fecond caufes) did concurre, in the offence of rafhti, in the promotionofEfiber,in the trea- fon ofthe two Chamberlaines, in the wakefulneffe of theKing, in the opening of theChromicles,in the accer- tameofEflhers requefi, and in the favour oldie King unto her,and all this ordered by the immutable and effi- cacious providence ofGod(whichmoderates and guides caufes and c ffeas ofall forts tohis owne fore-appointed ends) for the deliveranceof his people from that inten- ded (laughter determined againfi them, the execution whereofwould evidently have voided that great pro- mile oftheir returning out of captivitie after feventie 'cares e with relationunto whichpromife their delive- rance at this time was in regard of Gods truth and purpofe neceffary, though in regard of kcond caufes brought aboutbya cumulation ofcontingencies. In like mulct, when theheartsof mendovoluntarily dedicate and
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