I. Begin we with the first of these ; The rule whereby. See. All events and effects, especially concerning the pro- pagation of the gospel, and the church of Christ, are in their greatest variety, reafulated by the eternal purpose and counsel of God.''
All things below in their events are but the wax,' where- on the eternal seal of God's purpose hath left its own im- pression ; and they every way answer unto it. It is not my mind to extend this to the generality of things in the world, nor to shew how the creature can by no means deviate from that eternal rule of providence whereby it is guided ; no more than an arrow can avoid the mai4;, after it hath received the impression of an unerring hand ; or well-ordered wheels not turn, according to the motion given them by the master- spring ; or the wheels in Ezekiel's vision*^ move irregularly
<pof'2. Ignat. Epist. ad Ep. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 3.
' Qui causam quas sit voluntatis divinae, aliquid niajus eo quaerit. Aug. Volun- tas Dei nullo ruodo causam habet. Aquin. p. q. 12. a. 5.
<* ©ci'a TravTftJV a,p)(ri, JI TiqaTravTa xxtl IttI, not Sta/xivn. Tlieophrast. apud Picuui, De prov.
• Providentia est ratio ordiiiis rcruni ad fineni. Th. p. q. 22. a. 1. 6.
' Ezek. j.
12 A VISION OF
to the spirit of life that was in them. Nor yet, secondly, how that, on the otiier side, doth no way prejudice the liberty of second causes,8 in their actions, agreeable to the natures they are indued withal. He who made and preserves the fire, and yet hinders not, but that it should burn, or act necessarily agreeable to its nature; by his making, preserv- ing, and guiding of men, hindereth not, yea, effectually causeth, that they work freely, agreeable to their nature. Nor yet, thirdly, to clear up what a strait line runs through all the darkness, confusion, and disorder in the world,'' how absolutely, in respect of the first fountain, and last tendency of things, there is neither deformit}', fault, nor deviation, every thing that is amiss consisting in the transgression of a moral rule, which is the sin of the creature,* the first cause being free ; as he that causeth a lame man to go, is the cause of his going, but not of his going lame ; or the sun exhaling a smell from the kennel, is the cause of the smell, but not of its noisomeness; for from a garden his beams raise a sweet savour. Nothing is amiss but what goeth off from its own rule; which he cannot do, who will do all his pleasure,'' and knows no other rule.
But omitting these things, 1 shall tie my discourse to that which I chiefly aimed at in my proposition, viz. to dis- cover how the great variety which we see in the dispensation of the means of grace, proceedeth from, and is regulated by, some eternal purpose of God, unfolded in his word. To make out this, we must lay down three things.
1. The wonderful variety in dispensing of the outward means of salvation, in respect of them unto whom they were granted, used by the Lord since the fall : I say, since the fall, for the grace of preserving from sin, and continuing with God, had been general, universally extended to every creature ; but for the grace of rising from sin, and coming again unto God, that is made exceeding various, by some distinguishing purpose.
P Non tantum res, scd rerum iiiodos.
'' Vidctur ergo quod non sit aliqua deordinatio, dcformitas, aut peccatiim sim- pliciter in toto universo, sed tantummodo respectu iiitcriuruni causaruni, ordina- tioneni superioris causaa voiciitiuiii, licet non valentiiim, pertiirbare. Brad, de caus. Dei. lib. 1. cap. 34.
' 'H afjiairia UTiV h avo/xia,.
^ ,'\deo suinma justitiac regula est Dei voluntas, ut quicquid vull, o ipso tpiod villi, jiislum habendum sit. Aug. Isa. xlvi. 10.
UNCHANGEABLE, FREE MERCY. 13
2. That this outward dispensation being presupposed, yet in effectual working upon particular persons, there is no less variety, for * he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy.'
3. Discover the rules of this whole administration.
1. For the first. The promise was at first made unto Adam, and by him doubtless conveyed to hig issue, and preached to the several generations, which his eyes beheld, proceeding from his own loins; but yet the wickedness of the old world,' all flesh corrupting their ways, we may easily collect, that the knowledge of it quickly departed from the most, sin banishing the love of God from their hearts, hin- dered the knowledge of God from continuing in their minds. After many revivings,'" by visions, revelations, and cove- nants, it was at length called in from the wide world, and wholly restrained to the house, family, and seed of Abra- ham," with whom alone all the means of grace continued, for thrice fourteen generations ; they alone were in Goshen, and all the world besides in thick darkness ; the dew of heaven was on them as the fleece, when else all the earth was dry. ' God shewed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and judgments unto Israel, he hath not dealt so with any nation;' Psal. cxli. 19, 20. The prerogative of the Jews was chiefly in this, that to them were committed the oracles of God, Rom. iii. ' To them pertained the adoption, and the glory, the covenants, and the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;' Rom. ix. 4. But when the fulness" of time came, the Son of God being sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, drew all men unto him ; and God, who had before winked at the time of their ignorance, then called them every where to repent, commanding the gospel to be preached to the universality of reasonable creatures, and the way of salvation to be proclaimed unto all ; upon which, in few years, the sound of the gospel went out into all nations,P and the sun of righteousness