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II. God hath all life", glory", goodness, bleffednefs, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-fufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifefting his own glory, in, by, unto, and upon them: he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things"; and hath most fovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, and upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth". In his fight all things are

II, a John 5. 26. For as the Father hath life in himfelf, fo hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.

b Acts 7. 2. 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 Charran.

c Pfal. 119. 68. Thou art good, and doeft good, teach me thy ftatutes.

d 1 Tim. 6. 15. Which in his times he shall fhew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, Rom. 9. 5.-Who is over all, God bleffed for ever. Amen.

e Acts 17. 24, 25. God that made the world, and all things therein, fecing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he needed any thing, feeing he

giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.

f Job 22. 2, 3. Can a man be profitable unto God as he that is wife may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect?

g Rom. 11. 36. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

h Rev. 4. 11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created. Dan. 4. 25, 35.-The Moft High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomfoever he will. -And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay bis

open and manifeft'; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature"; fo as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain'. He is moft holy in all his counfels, in his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatfoever worship, service or obedience, he is pleased to require of them”.

III. In unity of the Godhead there be three perfons of one fubftance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the

hand, or fay unto him, What doeft thou? See 1 Tim. 6. 15. on the letter d

i Heb. 4. 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifeft in his fight: but all things are naked, and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

k Rom. 11. 33, 34. O the depth of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments and his ways paft finding out!-For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counfellor? Pfal. 147. 5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his underftanding is infinite.

1 Acts 15, 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Ezek. 11. 5. And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and faid unto me, Speak, 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.

m Pfal. 145. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Rom 7. 12. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and juft, and good.

n Rev. 5. 12, 13, 14. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive, power, and riches, and wisdom, and ftrength, and honor, and glory, and bleffing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever-And the four beasts faid, Amen, And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Holy Ghoft". The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son iş eternally begotten of the Father"; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.

CHA P. III.

Of God's Eternal Decree.

G

OD from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counfel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to

III. o 1 John 5. 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and thefe three are one. Mat. 3. 16, 17. And Jefus, when he was bap tized, went up ftraightway 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. And lo, a voice from heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son. in whom I am well pleafed. Mat. 28. 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. 13. 14. The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of Ğod, and the com

munion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

P John I. 14, 18. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth, No man hath feen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him.

q John 15. 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. 4. 6. And because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father,

pass"; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of fin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather eflablifhedc.

II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pafs, upon all fuppofed conditi

1. a Eph. 1: 11. In whom alfo we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will: Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Heb. 6. 17. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath. Rom. 9. 15, 18. For he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will have compaffion on whom I will have compaflion.-Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

b Jam. 1. 13, 17. 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.— 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 John 1. 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.

Eccl. 7.29.

But

c Acts 2. 23. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. Mat. 17. 12. I fay unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatfoever they lifted; likewife fhall also the Son of man fuffer of them. A&ts 4. 27, 28. For of a truth against th holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together, for to do whatfoever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done. John 19. 11. Jefus anfwered, Thou couldst have no power at all again!t me, cxcept it were given thee from, above therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the, greater fin. Prov. 16. 33. The lot is caft into the lap; but the whole difpofing thereof is of the Lord, Acts 27. 23, 24. compared with v. 34-

ons'; yet hath he not decreed any thing be caufe he forefaw it as future, or as that which would come to pafs, upon fuch conditions.

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

II. d Acts 15. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. I Sam. 23. JI, 12. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into 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.-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. 11, 21, 23. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethfaida; 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 afhes. And thou, Capernaum, which art cxalted 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 remain. ed until this day.

e Rom. 9. 11, 13, 16, 18. For the children being not yet Forn, 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 ;As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated. -So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that fheweth mercy.-Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will bave mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

III. f 1 Tim. 5. 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect angels. Mat. 25. 41. Then fhall he fay alfo unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

g Rom. 9. 22, 23. What if God, willing to shew bis wrath, and to make his power known, endured, with much long-fuffering, the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruction:-And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? Eph. 1. 5, 6, Having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Christ to himself, according to the good pleafure of his will,

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