Page images
PDF
EPUB

things b, from the greatest even to the leaft c, by his moft wife and holy providenced, according to his infallible foreknowledgee, and the free and immutable counsel of his own willf, to the praise of the glory of his wifdom, power, juftice, goodnefs, and mercyg.

right hand of the Majefty on high. Dan. iv. 34. And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lift up nine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I bleffed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. 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 doft thou? Pfal. cxxxv. 6. Whatfoever the Lord pleafed, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the feas, and all deep places. Acts xvii. 25. Neither is worthipped with mens 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 off-fpring. Job. xxxviii, xxxix, xl, xli. chapters.

Matth. x. 29. Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing? and one of them fhall not fall on the ground without our Father. v. 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbred. v. 31. Fear ye not therefore,

II. Al

ye are of more value than many sparrows. 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 wifdom 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.

e Acts xv. 18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Pfal. xciv. 8. Underftand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wife? v. 9. He that planted the ear, fhall he not hear? he that formed the eye, fhall he not fee? v. 10. He that chaf tifeth the heathen, fhall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not he know? v. II. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

f Eph. i. 14. 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. Pfal. xxxiii. 10 The Lord bringeth the counsel 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.

g Ifaiah lxiii. 14. As a beaft goeth down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord caufed him to reft: fo didft

thou lead thy people, to make thy

felf

II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first caufe, all things come to pafs immutably and infallibly h: yet, by the fame providence, he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of fecond causes, either neceffarily, freely, or contingently i.

III. God in his ordinary providence maketh use of means,

felf 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 raised 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 fhall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and fhall fing of thy righteoufnefs.

II. b 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.

i Gen. viii. 22. While the earth remaineth, feed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, fhall not ceafe. 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 stars for a light by night, which divideth the fea, when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hofts is his name. Exod. xxi. 31. And if a man ly not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whether he fhall flee. With Deut. xix, 5. As when a man goeth into the

yet

wood with his neighbour, to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head flippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour that he die; he fhall flee unto one of thofe cities, and live. 1 Kings xxii. 28. And Micaiah faid, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken 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 spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down. like the mire of the streets. v. 7. Howbeit, he meaneth not fo, neither doth his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few.

III. Acts xxvii. 31. Paul faid to the centurion, and to the foldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be faved. v. 44. And the rest, fome on boards, and fome on broken pieces of the fhip: and fo it came to pass that they efcaped all fafe to land. Ifaiah lv. 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the fnow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh

yet is free to work without, abovem, and against them at his pleasure n.

IV. The almighty power, unfearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifeft themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other fins of angels and meno, and that not by a bare permiffion p,

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 return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it fhall 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.

1 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 horses, nor by horfemen. Matt. iv. 4. But he answered and faid, it is written, Man fhall 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 should do wickedness, and from the Almighty, that he fhould 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 ftaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was ftrong in faith, giving glory to God: 7. 21. And being fully perfuaded,

that what he had promised, he was able alfo to perform.

n 2 Kings vi. 6. And the man of God faid, Where fell it? And he fhewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and caft it in thither, and the iron did swim. Dan. iii. 27. And the princes, governors and captains, and the kings counsellors being gathered together, faw these men, upon whofe bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head finged, neither were their coats changed, nor the fmell of fire had paffed on them.

IV.. Rom. xi. 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. v. 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! v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counseller? 2 Sam. xxiv. I And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ifrael, and he moved David against them, to fay, Gonumber Ifrael and Judah. With 1 Chr. xxi. 1. And Satan stood up against Ifrael, and provoked David to number Ifrael. 1 Kings xxii. 22. And the Lord faid unto him, Wherewith? And he faid, I will go forth, and I will be a lying fpirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he faid, Thou shalt perfuade him, and prevail alfo: go forth, and do fo. v. 23. Now therefore behold, the

Lord

Chap. V. fon p, but fuch as hath joined with it a moft wife and powerful bounding q, and otherwife ordering, and governing of them, in a manifold difpenfation, to his own holy ends r: yet fo, as the finfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God, who, being moft holy and righte'ous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of finf. V. The

Ι

Lord hath put a lying fpirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath fpoken evil concerning thee. 1 Chr.x. 4.Then faid Saul to his armour-bearer, Draw thy fword, and thrust me thro' therewith; left these uncircumcifed come, and abuse me. But his armour-bearer would not, for he was fore afraid. So Saul took a fword, and fell upon it. v. 13. So Saul died, for his tranfgreffion which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and alfo for asking counfel of one that had a familiar fpirit, to enquire of it; v. 14. and enquired not of the Lord: therefore he flew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the fon of Jeffe. 2 Sam. xvi. 10. And the king faid, What have I to do with you, ye fons of Zeruiah? fo let him curfe, because the Lord hath faid unto him, Curfe David. Who fhall then fay, Wherefore haft thou done fo? 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. 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 do whatsoever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done.

fuffered all nations to walk in their

own ways.

q Pfal. lxxvi. 10. Surely the wrath of man fhall praise thee: the remainder of wrath fhalt thou reftrain. 2 Kings xix. 28. Because thy rage againit me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nofe, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

r Gen. 1. 20. But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to país, as it is this day, to fave much people alive. Ifaiah x. 6. I will fend him against an hypocritical nation, and againft the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, 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 fo, but it is in his heart to deftroy, and cut off nations not a few. v. 12. Wherefore it thall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion, and on Jerufalem, I will punish the fruit of the ftout heart of the king of Aflyria, and the glory of his high looks.

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. 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his Acts xiv. 16. Who in times past own luft, and enticed. v. 17. Every

t

good

V. The most wife, righteous and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a feafon his own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former fins, or to difcover unto them the hidden ftrength of corruption, and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled t; and to raise them to a more close and conftant dependence for their fupport upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occafions of fin, and for fundry other juft and holy ends v.

good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variablenefs, neither thadow of turning. 1 John ii. 16. For all that is in the world, the luft of the fleth, and the luit of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Pfalm 1. 21. Thefe things halt thou done, and I kept filence: thou thoughteft that I was altogether fuch an one as thyfelf: but I will reprove thee, and fet them in order before thine eyes.

V. t 2 Chr. xxxii. 25. But Hezekiah rendered not again, according to the benefit done unto him: for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerufalem. v. 26. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart (both he and the inhabitants of Jerufalem) fo that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah. v. 31. Howbeit, in the business of the ambaffadors of the princes of Babylon, who fent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ifrael, and he moved David against

VI. As them to fay, Go number Ifrael and Judah.

v 2 Cor. xii. 7. And left I fhould be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, left I should be exalted above measure. v. 8. For this thing I befought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. v. 9. And he faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee: for my ftrength is made perfect in weakness. Moft gladly therefore will I, rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Chrift may reft upon me. Pfal. lxxiii. throughout. † Pfal. lxxvii. 1. I cried unto God with my voice: even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me. v. 10. And I faid, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Moft High. v. 12. I will meditate alfo of all thy works, and talk of thy doings. (Read the intermediate verfes in the Bible.) Mark xiv. from the 66. v. to the end, with John xxi. 15. So when they had dined, Jefus faith to Simon Peter, Simon, fon of Jonas, loveft thou me more than thefe? He faith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He faith unto him, Feed my lambs, v. 16. He faith to him again

the

« PreviousContinue »