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II. God hath all life a, glory b, goodness c, bleffedness d, in and of himfelf; and is alone in and unto himself all-fufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made e, nor deriving any glory from them f, but only manifefting his own glory, in, by, unto, and upon them: he is the alone fountain of all beings, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things g: and hath most fovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatfoever himself pleaseth b. In his fight all things are open and manifeft i; his know

the dust of his feet, Exod. xxxiv. 7. Keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

II.a John v. 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.

b Acts vii. 1. And he faid, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken, The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mefopotamia, before he dwelt in Char

ran.

c Pfal. cxix. 68. Thou art good, and doft good, teach me thy ftatutes. d1 Tim. vi. 25. Which in his umes he fhall fhew, who is the bleffed and only Potentate, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Rom. ix. 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Chrift came; who is over all, God bleffed for ever. Amen.

e Acts xvii. 24. God that made the world, and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands: v. 25. Neither is worshipped with mens hands, as though he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life and breath, and all things.

Job xxii. 2. Can a man be profit

able unto God, as he that is wife may be profitable anto himself? v. 3. Is it any pleafure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makeft thy ways perfect?

g Rom. xi. 36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

h Rev. iv, 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power: for thou haft cre ated all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created. 1 Tim. vi. 15. (See letter d'immediatelyforegoing.) Dan, iv. 25. That they fhall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling fhall be with the beafts of the fields, and they shall make thee to eat grafs as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times fhall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomfoever he will. v. 35. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or fay unto him, What dost thou?

i Heb. iv. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifeft in his fight but all things are naked

and

knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature k, fo as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain He is most holy in all his counfels, in all his works, and in all his commands m. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service or obedience he is pleased to require of them n.

III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoft o. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begotten of the Father p, the Holy Ghoft eternally proceeding from

and open unto the whom we have to do.

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eyes of him with all that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. v. 14. And the four beafts faid, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worthipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Rom. xi. 33. O the depth of the riches, both of the wifdom and knowledge of God! how unfearch able are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counfeller? Pfal. cxlvii. 5. Great is the Lord, and of great power: his underftanding is infinite,

Acts XF. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Ezek. xi. 5. And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and faid unto me, fpeak, Thus faith the Lord, thus have ye faid, O houfe of Ifrael: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of

them.

mPfal. cxlv.17.The Lord is righ teous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Rom. vii. 12. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and juft, and good.

# Rev. v. 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing. v. 13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and

III. John v. 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft: and these three are one: Mat. iii. 16. And Jefus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he faw the Spirit of God defcending like a dove, and lighting upon him, v. 17. And lo, a voice from heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. Mat. xxviii, 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

John i. 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Fa

ther)

the Father and the Son q.

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CHAP. II. Of God's Eternal Decrees.

OD from all eternity did, by the most wife and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass a: yet fo, as thereby neither is God the author of fin b, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of fecond causes taken away, but rather established c.

ther) full of grace and truth. v. 18. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him.

9 John xv. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the father, he shall teftify of me. Gal. iv. ó. And because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

I. a Eph. i. 11. 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. Rom.xi.33. Othe depthof the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! Heb. vi. 17. Wherein Ged willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath. Rom. ix. 15. For he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will bave compassion on whom I will have compaffion. v. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardneth,

II. Al

b James i. 13. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. v. 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variablenefs, neither fhadow of turning. 1

Johni. 5. This then is the meffage which we have heard,of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

c Acts ii. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. Mat. xvii. 12. But I fay unto you, That Elias is come alrea dy, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they lifted: likewife fhall also the Son of man fuffer of them. Acts iv. 27. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael were gathered together. v. 28. For to whatsoever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done. John xix. 11. Jefus answered, Thou couldft have no power at all against me, except it were given thee c

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II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pafs upon all fuppofed conditions d; yet hath he not decreed any thing because he forefaw it as future, or as that which would come to pafs upon fuch conditions e.

III. By the decree of God, for the manifeftation of his glory, fome men and angels ƒ are predeftinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death 8.

IV. Thefe angels and men, thus predeftinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably defigned; and their number is fo certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished h. 'V. Those

from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater fin. Prov. xvi. 33. The lot is caft into the lap; but the whole dif. poling thereof is of the Lord.

II. d Acts xv. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 1 Sam. xxiii. 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up in to his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy fervant hath heard? O Lord God of Ifrael, I befeech thee, tell thy fervant. And the Lord faid, He will come down. v. 12. Then faid David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord faid, they will deliver thee up. Mat. xi. 21. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Beth faida: for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in fackcloth and alhes. v. 23. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, fhalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

e Rom. ix. 11. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpofe of God according to election might ftand, not of works, but of him that calleth. v. 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau

have I hated. v. 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. v. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardneth.

III.fi Tim. v. 21.1 charge thee before God and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect angels, that thou obferve thefe things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Mat. xxv. 41. Then thall he fay alfo unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,

g Rom. ix. 22. What if God, willing to fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted for destruction: v. 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? Eph. i. 5. Having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himfelf, according to the good pleasure of his will, v. 6. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Prov. xvi. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himfelf: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

IV. b 2 Tim. ii. 19. Nevertheless.

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V. Thofe of mankind that are predeftinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the fecret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chofen in Chrift, unto everlasting glory i, out of his mere free grace and love, without any forefight of faith, or good works, or perfeverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereuntok; and all to the praise of his glorious grace 1.

VI. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, fo hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, fore-ordained

the foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. John xiii. 18. I fpeak not of you all; I know whom I have chofen: but that the fcripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath lift up his beel against me.

V. i Eph. i. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we fhonld be holy, and without blame before him in love: v. 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of bis will, according to his good pleafure, which he hath purpofed in himfelf: v. 11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him, who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will. Rom. viii. 30. Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called: and whom he called, them be also justified: and whom he juftified, them he alfo glorified. 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpofe and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began. Theff. v. 9. For

all

God hath not appointed us to wrath; but to obtain falvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom. ix. 11, 13, 16. (See letter e immediately foregoing,) Eph. i. 4, 9. (See letter i immediately foregoing,)

Eph. i. 6. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, v. 12. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trufted in Chrift.

VI. m 1 Pet. i. 2. Elect according to the fore knowledge of God the Father, through fanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and Sprinkling of the blood of Jefus Chrift. Eph. i. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love: v. 5. Having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Eph. ii, ro.. For we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them, 2 Theff. ii. 13.

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, becaufe God hath from the beginning chofen you to falvation, through fanctification of

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