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he will get either the Glory of his Mercy in pardoning of them, or else the Glory of his Justice in punishing of them. For the Date of God's Decrees, the are all eternal: And he makes no new DeCrees in Time: Acts xv. 18. ' Known unto God are 'all his works from the beginning of the world.' The Way he decreed all Things, is according to the counfel of his own will, Eph, i. 11. His Decrees are faid to be according to his own counsel, as being all laid in the Depth of Wifdom, which among Men is the Refult of Counsel: Rom. xi. 33. 'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom ' and knowledge of God! hoy unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out!" But taking Counsel, even in himself, is not competent to God in a proper Sense: because his infinite Understanding comprehends all Things perfectly at once. They are faid to be according to the counfel of his will, as depending on nothing without himself: Rom. xi. 34. For who hath 'known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been ' his counseller ?'

Queft. 8. How doth God execute his Decrees?

Anf. God executeth his Decrees in the Works of Creation and Providence.

EXPLICATIO N.

God's executing his Decrees, means his bringing to pass what he hath decreed: And he does that in the Works of Creation and Providence. And nothing falls out in either of them, but what was

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decreed; nor otherwife than as it was decreed: Eph. i. Ir. In whom alfo we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will.' Zech. vi. 1. And I turned, and lift up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains "' of brass.'

Quest. 9.

tion?

What is the Work of Crea

Anf The Work of Creation is, God's making all Things of Nothing, by the Word of his Power, in the Space of fix Days, and all very good.

EXPLICATIO N.

The World was not eternal, but had a Beginning, Gen. i. 1. It will also have an End: And it will end by Fire, being burnt up, 2 Pet. iii. 10. ; and that in Virtue of the Curfe lying on it for Man's Sin: Gen. iii. 17. 'And unto Adam he faid, < Because thou haft hearkened unto the voice of < thy wife, and haft eaten of the tree of which I < commanded thee, faying, Thou shalt not eat of it: curfed is the ground for thy fake; in forrow 'fhalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.' God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, made the World: I Cor. viii. 6. But to us there is but one God, 'the Father, of whom are all things, and we in ← him; and one Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom are

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all things, and we by him.' John i. 3. All things were rhade by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Pfal. xxxiii. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens "made: and all the hoft of them by the breath of his mouth.' He made it in the Beginning of Time, but a few thoufand Years ago: Gen. i. t. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. He then made all Things: Aud there was no Perfon, nor any thing before that, but God himself: Col. i. 16. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and " for him.' So he made them of nothing; and that by the Word of his Power, commanding them to be: Heb. xi. 3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; fo that things which are feen, were not made of things which do appear.' Now, all Things were made in the Space of fix Days: Exod. XX. 11. For in fix days the Lord made heaven

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and earth, the fea, and all that in them is.' The Works of the first Day were, the highest Heavens, Gen. i. 1. with the Angels, the Iphabitants there. of, Job xxxviii. 4. 7.; the fhapelefs Mafs of Earth and Water, and the Light: The Works of the fecond Day were, the Firmament, and the dividing thereby the upper and lower Waters. The Works of the third Day were, the Seas, and the dry Land, Herbs, and Trees. The Works of the fourth Day were, the Sun, Moon, and Stars The Works of the fifth Day were, Fish, and Fowl. The Works of the fixth Day were, first, the Beasts B

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of the Earth; and then, laft of all, Man, Male and Female: Gen. i. throughout. The Goodnefs of God fhines forth in this Order of the Creation, in that the Places were prepared before the Dwellers, the Food before the Eaters, and all neceffary for the Ufe of Man before Man himself. As for the Cafe all Things were made in, they were made all very good: Gen. i. 31. And God faw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good; that is to fay, very fit for the Ends and Ufes for which they were made. Wherefore, the Angels were all made, holy and happy. And fome of them did continue in that State, 1 Tim. v. 21. 'I charge thee before the elect angels,' &c; but others of them finned, and fell, and became Devils, Jude 6. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath referved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.' 2 Pet. ii. 4. God fpared not the angels that finned, but caft them down to hell, and delivered them into 'chains of darknefs, to be referved unto judgment.'

Queft. 10. How did God create Man? Anf. God created Man Male and Female, after his own Image, in Knowledge, Righteousness, and Holinefs, with Dominion over the Creatures.

EXPLICATIO N.

By Male and Female, is meant Man and WoThe Man was first made, and then the Wo., man, 1 Tim.ii. 13. ; and the Woman was made to be a

man.

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Help to the Man, Gen. ii. 18. Adam and Eve were the first Man and Woman: And from them all Mankind is defcended: Acts xvii. 26. God hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the 'face of the earth.' The Parts whereof Man con fifts, are a Soul and a Body. The Body of the Man. was made of the Duft of the Ground: Gen. ii. 7. 'The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of 'life; and man became a living foul.' Which Confideration may be of Ufe to us, to be a Cure to our Pride, a Memorial of our Death, and an Emblem of our Refurrection. The Woman's Body was made of a Rib and Flesh taken out of the Man's Side: Gen. ii. 23. ' And Adam said, This is now bone of my 'bones, and flesh of my fiefh: fhe fhall be called ( Woman, because she was taken out of man;' and that to the End they might be one Flesh, verf. 24. 'Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they 'fhall be one flesh.' The Soul is of a fpiritual and immortal Nature: Eccl. xii. 7. Then shall

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the duft return to the earth as it was; and the spirit fhall return unto God who gave it.' Their Souls were made within them, of Nothing: Gen. ii. 7. above cited. Zech.xii. 1. 'The Lord, which formeth the fpirit of man within him.' But Mofes gives no feparate Account of the making of their Souls,, as of the making of their Bodies; because their Souls were not of a different Make, but only their Bodies. Neither are the Souls of Men fince that Time generated by the Parents, but created of God within their formed Bodies in the Womb; Fence called the Father of Spirits, Heb. xii. 9. Now, Man was created in a holy and happy State;

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