CHAP. IV. Of Creation. T pleafed God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost', for the manifeftation of the glory of his eternal power, wif dom, and goodnefs, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein, whether vifible or invisible, in the fpace of fix days, and all very good. II. After God had made all other creatures he created man, no more grace: otherwife work is no more work. V. 20. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. 2 Pet. 1. 10. [See letter immediately foregoing.] Rom. viii. 33. Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth. Luke x. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejoice, not that the spirits are fubject unto you: but rather rejoice, becaufe your names are written in heaven. a I. Heb. i. 2. Hath in these laft days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. John i. 2. The fame was in the beginning with God. V.3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Gen. i. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darknefs was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Job xxvi. 13. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked ferpent. Job xxxiii. 4. The Spirit of God hath made, me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. 5 Rom. i. 20. For the invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; fo that they are without excufe. Jer. x. 12. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wifdom, and hath ftretched out the heavens by his difcretion. Pfal. civ. 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wifdom haft thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches. Pfal. xxxiii. 5. He loveth righteoufnefs and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. V. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hoft of them by the breath of his mouth. [The whole First Chapter of Gen.] Heb. xi. 3. Through faith we understood that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are feen were not made of things which do appear. Col. i. 16. For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him. 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. II. d Gen. Chap. IV. man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal fouls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holinefs, after his own images, having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it; and yet under a poffibility of tranfgreffing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was fubject unto change. Befides this law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; which while they II. & Gen. i. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. Gen. ii. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life; and man became a living foul. With Eccl. xii. 7. Then fhall the duft return to the earth as it was; and the fpirit fhall return unto God who gave it. And Luke xxiii. 43. And Jefus faid unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, To-day fhalt thou be with me in paradife. And Mat. x. 28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul: but rather fear him which is able to deftroy both foul and body in hell. do by nature the things contained in the law, thefe, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: V. 15. Which fhew the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts the mean while accufing or elfe excufing one another. h Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. i Gen. iii. 6. And when the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife; the took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave alfo unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Eccl. vii. 29. [See letter ↳ immediately foregoing.] h f Gen. i. 26. And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have * Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of dominion over the fish of the fea, the knowledge of good and evil and over the fowl of the air, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the and over the cattle, and over all day that thou eatest thereof thou the earth, and over every creep-fhalt furely die. Gen. iii. 8. And ing thing that creepeth upon the earth. Col. iii. 10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him. Eph. iv. 24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs. Rom. ii. 14. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themfelves from the prefence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. V. 9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and faid unto him, Where art thou? V. 1o. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden : and they kept they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominicn over the creatures'. Go CHAP. V. Of Providence. OD, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, difpofe, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his moft wife and holy and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. V. 11. And he said, Who told thee that thou waft naked? Haft thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? V. 23. Therefore the Lord God fent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 1 Gen. i. 26. And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fifh of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. V.28. And Godbleffed them; and God faid unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and fubdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. I. Heb. i. 3. Who, being the brightness of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himfelf purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the Majefty on high. b Dan. iv. 34. And, at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most prov: High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whofe dominion is an everlasting domi nion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. V. 3 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can ftay his hand, or fay un to him, What doeft thou? Pfal. cxxxv. 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the feas, and all deep places. Acts xvii. 25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. V. 26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. V. 28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain alfo of your own poets have faid, For we are alfo his offspring. Job, Chapters xxxviii, xxxix, xl, xli. Matth. x. 29. Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing? and one of them fhall not fall on the ground without your Father. V. 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. V. 31. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. d Prov. providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wifdom, power, juftice, goodness, and mercy. II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the firft caufe, all things come to pafs immutably and infallibly; yet, by the fame providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of fecond causes, either neceffarily, freely, or contingently. d Prov. xv. 3. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Pfal. civ. 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom haft thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Pfal. cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Acts v. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Pfal. xciv. 8. Understand, ye brutish among the people and, ye fools, when will ye be wife? V9. He that planted the ear, fhall he not hear? he that formed the eye, fhall he not fee? V. 10. He that chaftifeth the Heathen, fhall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not he know? V. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. f 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 counsel of his own will. Pfal. xxxiii. 10. The Lord bringeth the counfel of the Heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. V. 11. The counfel of the Lord ftandeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Ifaiah lxiii. 14. As a beaft goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caufed him to reft; so didst thou lead thy people, III. God to make thyfelf a glorious name. Eph. iii. 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wifdom of God. Rom. ix. 17. For the fcripture faith unto Pharaoh, Even for this fame purpose have I raifed thee up, that I might fhew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Gen. xlv. 7. And God fent me before you, to preserve you a pofterity in the earth, and to fave your lives by a great deliverance, Pfal. cxlv. 7. They thall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall fing of thy righteousness. II. Acts ii. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate coun fel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain. i Gen. viii. 22. While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harveft, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, fhall not cease, Jer. xxxi. 35. Thus faith the Lord, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the ftars for a light by night; which divideth the fea, when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hofts is his name. Exod. xxi. 13. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him III. God in his ordinary providence maketh use of means *, yet is free to work without, above, and against them", at his pleasure. IV. The into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. With Deut. xix. 5. As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a ftroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head flippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour that he die: he shall flee unto one of those cities and live. I Kings xxii. 28. And Micaiah faid, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not fpoken by me. And he faid, Hearken, O people, every one of you. V. 34. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and fmote the king of Ifrael between the joints of the harness: wherefore he faid unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the hoft, for I am wounded. Ifa. x. 6. I will fend him against an hypocritical nation; and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the fpoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the ftreets. V. 7. Howbeit, he meaneth not fo, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to deftroy, and cut off nations not a few. III. k Acts xxvii. 31. Paul faid to the centurion, and to the foldiers, Except thefe abide in the fhip ye cannot be faved. V. 44. And the reft, fome on boards, and fome on broken pieces of the ship: and fo it came to pafs that they efcaped all fafe to land. Ifaiah lv. io. For as the rain cometh down, and the fnow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower and bread to the eater: V. 11. So fhall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it fhall not re.. turn unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it fhail profper in the thing whereto I fent it. Hof. ii. 21. And it fhall come to pafs in that day, I will hear, faith the Lord; I will hear the heavens, and they fhall hear the earth; V. 22. And the earth fhall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they fhall hear Jezreel. Hof. i. 7. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will fave them by the Lord their God, and will not fave them by bow, nor by fword, nor by battle, by horfes, nor by horsemen. Matth. iv. 4. But he anfwered, and faid, It is written, Man hall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Job xxxiv. 10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God that he fhould do wickednefs, and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. m Rom. iv. 19. And being not weak in faith, he confidered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb. V. 20. He staggered not at the promife of God through unbelief; but was ftrong in faith, giving glory to God. V. 21. And being fully perfuaded, that what he had promised he was able alfo to perform. 2 Kings vi. 6. And the man of God faid, Where fell it? And he fhewed |