our esteem of God. Spiritual knowledge superadding to li- teral clearness of light, sweetness of taste, sense of interest, God described from goodness and greatness both without and within the Church. A lively portraiture of his goodness in the several branches thereof. Exodus xxxiv. 6, 7., Bowels of mercy implying inwardness and tenderness. Our bowels of Grace what. From it spring Election, Redemption, Vocation, Sanctification, and Salvation. A Caveat not to receive it in vain. It purgeth and cheereth. Glosses upon Tit, ii. 11, 12. and 2 Thess. ii. 26, 27. The exaltation of free grace exhorted to. Long suffering not exercised towards evil angels, but to- wards men of all sorts. It leadeth to repentance; is valued The bounty of God declared by his benefits, viz. giving his Son to free us from hell, his Spirit to fit us for heaven, his angels to guard us on earth, large provisions in the way, and full sa- tisfaction at our journey's end. John iii. 16. James i. 5. and Psalm xxiv. 1. glossed. Isaiah xxv. 6. alluded to. Inferences from Divine Bounty, beneficence to Saints; not dealing-nig- gardly with God, exemplified in David, Paul, and Luther. Truth in God is without all mixture of the contrary. It ap pears in his making good of promises, and threatenings; teach- Keeping mercy for thousands explained. Men exhorted to trust sions setting out the pardon thereof. Faith and repentance the way to it. heaven, and of conscience. The equity and necessity of for- giving one another. We are to forgive as God for Christ's sake forgiveth us, viz. heartily, speedily, frequently, throughly. The latter clauses of Exod. xxxiv. 7. so translated and expound- ed as to contain an eighth branch of goodness, viz. clemency in correcting. Equity in visiting iniquities of the fathers upon the children. Clemency in stopping at the third and fourth generation. A lesson for magistrates. A speech of our Job xi. 7, 8, 9. expounded of Divine Greatness. Three reasons of that exposition, with the resolution of a question about it. Divine omnipresence cleared and vindicated. hereof as an antidote against sinning in secret. Corollaries from the greatness of God in general. The proposal The goodness and greatness of God are both abundantly manifested by his decrees of election and preterition, together with his works of creation and providence. EXERCITATION I. page 210. How predestination cometh to be treated of here. Election described from the nature, antiquity, objects, products and cause of it. Rom. xi. 33. 2 Tim. i. 9. with Tit. i. 2. Ephes. i. 4. with Matth. xxv. 34. opened. Of acts supposing their objects. Of acceptance of persons, what it is; and that predestination doth not import it. Acts xiii. 48. expounded and vindicated. Whether one elect may become a reprobate? The negative maintained, and I Cor. ix. 24, 25, 26. cleared. Ephes. v. 11. enlightened. Concerning the good pleasure of God's will, and the counsel thereof. EXERCITATION II. page 234. Preterition described. The term defended. Ephes. i. 4. compared with Revel. xvii. 8, Ephes. i. 9. and Rom. ix. 13. ex. pounded. God not bound to any creature, except by promise. The parable in Matth. xx, urged. The three consequents of negative reprobation. Dr Davenant's animadversions against Mr Hoard's book recommended. The goodness of God manifested in election, as in a most free, peculiar, ancient, leading and standing favour. EXERCITATION III. page 246. An Introduction to Romans ix. Most part of that chapter expounded, together with sundry passages in chapter x. and xi. for proof of these two conclusions. 1. That Paul in Rom. ix. doth upon occasion propound and prosecute the doctrine of predestination. 2. That he derives the decree of preterition from the sovereign greatness of God. A confectary shewing how useful the said doctrine is to sober minds. EXERCITATION IV. Creation what. Pythagoras and Trismegistus. page 268. Hebrews vi. 3. opened. Scripture philosophy. Ex nihilo nihil fit, how true. Creature what. God's goodness in the works of creation, parti. cularly in the framing of Adam. The consultation upon which, pattern after which, parts of which he framed. Two histories, one of a priest, the other of a monk. The original of body and soul improved. EXERCITATION V. page 284. The same, and other attributes of God declared from his providential dispensations, the interchangeableness whereof largely discoursed of and applied from Ecclesiastes vii. 14. A gloss · upon Isaiah, chap. x. 11. Cheerfulness a duty in six respects; crosses how to be considered. Providence extends itself not only to all created beings and to all human affairs, especially those that concern the church: but even to the sins of angels and men. EXERCITATION I. page 298. Introduction concerning the contents of this Aphorism. Providence over all created beings. Preservation of men to be ascribed to God himself, not to good men, yea, not to good angels, in whom heart-searching and patience are wanting. Providence reaching to human affairs; œconomical, civil, military, moral and ecclesiastical. Anastasius's design frustrated. Rome and our nation instanced in. J. G. castigated. EXERCITATION II. page 308. Deuteron. xi. 12. opened. God's care over the church proved from the provision he makes for inferior creatures. From Israel's conduct. From the experiments and acknowledgements of saints in all ages. Experiments of the Virgin Mary, Rochellers, Musculus, acknowledgements of Jacob, David, Psalmist, Austin and Ursin. From God's causing things and acts of all sorts to co-operate unto the good of the Saints, Isaiah xxvii. 2, 3. explained. The Church preserved from, in, and by danger. EXERCITATION III. page 324. Hard-heartedness made up of unteachableness in the understanding, untractableness in the will, unfaithfulness in the memory, insensibleness in the conscience, and unmoveableness in the affections. Metaphors to express it from the parts of man's body, stones and metals, a soft heart. Mischief, searedness and virulency attendants of hardness. God's concurring thereunto by way of privation, negation, permission, presentation. Tradition to Satan. Delivering up to lusts and infliction. Objections against, and Corollaries from the foregoing propositions. The least things provided for. Luther's admonition to Melancthon. Maximilian's address. Pliny's unbelief. The Psalmist stumbles at the prosperity of the wicked. His recovery by considering it was not full, was not to be final. The superintendency of providence over military and civil affairs in particular. The church's afflictions. Promises cautioned. Duty of casting care upon God. He no author of sin. The attestation of this state, and of this writer. |