In the third place, we have the Cause appointing and declaring of this, and that is the Scripture. It is usual to attribute those things which belong to God unto the Scripture, because that is the sentence of God that declareth the will of God; Thus Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture fore-seeing, that God would justify the Heathen, &c. that is, God by his Word fore-telling what he would do: Thus Rom. 9. 17. The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this same purpose have I raised thee up, &c. that is, God by the Scripture manifested his will and purpose concerning Pharaoh; So that in this place, we are to conceive of God wisely and righteously ordering this way, that all mankind shall fall into a stat of sin & condemnation, that so a way may be made open for the advancement of the grace of the Gospel, Not that God did necessitate Adam to sin, or did infuse any evil into him, but be falling by his own voluntary transgression, and thereby plunging all his posterity into this wretched estate, God who could have prevented this fall of Adam, did not, because not bound to it, give him that grace, which would actually have confirmed him, although he bestowed on him grace sufficient enough, to enable him to stand; God (I say) did righteously and wisely permit this fall of his, thereby to work out a greater good, then the sin of Adam could be an evil▪ Thus God may be called the cause appointing and ordering of all this evil of mankind, partly permissivè by leaving Adam to his own will, and partly directivè, and ordinativè, being not a bare spectator or sufferer of this apostasy, but also a righteous director and ordainer of it to blessed and heavenly ends. Though therefore God is here said to shut up all mankind into this prison, yet he is no more cause of the evil, which brought this desolation, then a Magistrate is of the wickedness of such a Malefactor, whom he throweth into prison; Yea Gods ordering of this fall of Adam unto such righteous ends, doth therein demonstrate his Mercy and his Justice: So that although sin be evil, yet the punishing of this is good, as also the working of a better good, then the evil is evil, is a demonstration of the infinite wisdom of God. As God doth it thus, as the chief cause, so the Scripture is said to shut us up under sin instrumentally, because that declareth the curse of God due unto us:
In the third place, we have the Cause appointing and declaring of this, and that is the Scripture. It is usual to attribute those things which belong to God unto the Scripture, because that is the sentence of God that declareth the will of God; Thus Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture fore-seeing, that God would justifie the Heathen, &c. that is, God by his Word fore-telling what he would do: Thus Rom. 9. 17. The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this same purpose have I raised thee up, &c. that is, God by the Scripture manifested his will and purpose concerning Pharaoh; So that in this place, we are to conceive of God wisely and righteously ordering this way, that all mankind shall fall into a stat of sin & condemnation, that so a way may be made open for the advancement of the grace of the Gospel, Not that God did necessitate Adam to sinne, or did infuse any evil into him, but be falling by his own voluntary transgression, and thereby plunging all his posterity into this wretched estate, God who could have prevented this fall of Adam, did not, because not bound to it, give him that grace, which would actually have confirmed him, although he bestowed on him grace sufficient enough, to inable him to stand; God (I say) did righteously and wisely permit this fall of his, thereby to work out a greater good, then the sinne of Adam could be an evil▪ Thus God may be called the cause appointing and ordering of all this evil of mankind, partly permissivè by leaving Adam to his own will, and partly directivè, and ordinativè, being not a bare spectator or sufferer of this apostasie, but also a righteous director and ordainer of it to blessed and heavenly ends. Though therefore God is here said to shut up all mankind into this prison, yet he is no more cause of the evil, which brought this desolation, then a Magistrate is of the wickedness of such a Malefactor, whom he throweth into prison; Yea Gods ordering of this fall of Adam unto such righteous ends, doth therein demonstrate his Mercy and his Justice: So that although sinne be evil, yet the punishing of this is good, as also the working of a better good, then the evil is evil, is a demonstration of the infinite wisdom of God. As God doth it thus, as the chief cause, so the Scripture is said to shut us up under sinne instrumentally, because that declareth the curse of God due unto us:
