Cn^P. XI.                                        OF ,TILE WILL OF GOD.                                                             53

Acts xvii. 28. but then the vitios~ty and ,rregularity or' it,
as it is an aberration from the law of God, and a trans-
gression of it, is of men only; and God cannot be said to
will this; he forbids it, he abhors and detests it; he takes
no pleasure in it; he is of purer eyes than even to behold
it with approbation and delight. God cannot will it as
sin, or for the sake of itself; but for the sake of some
good to be brought about through it; as the tall of Adam.
for the glorifying ot his justice and mercy, in punishing
some of his posterity, and saving others: the sin of J0-
seph's brethren selling him into Egypt, for the good ot
Joseph and his father's family, and others; and the sin of
the Jews, in crucifying Christ, for the redemption and
salvation of men. And besides, God may will one sin
as a punishment for another; as it is most certain he has
in the case of the Israelites, Hos. iv. 9, 10, 13. of the
heatlien phdosophers, Rom. i. 28. and of the papists,
2 Thess. it. 9--12. Once more, though God may be said,
in such senses, to will sin, yet lie wills it in a different way
than he wills that which is good; he does not will to do
it himself, nor to do it by others; but permits it to be
done; and which is not a bare permission, but a volun-
tary permission; and is expressed by God's fig' '
lying up
men to their own hearts' iusts, and by suffering them to
walk in their own sinful ways, Psalin lxxxi. l2. Acts xiv.
16. he wills it not by Ins effective will, but by his per-
missive will; and therefore cannot be chargeable with
being the author of sin; since there is a wide difference
between doing it himself, and doing it by others, or or-
dering it to be done, winch only can make him the author
of sin; and voluntarily permitting or suffering it to be
done by others. i proceed to consider,
IV. The nature and properties of the will of God.
And,
First, It is natural and essential to him; it is his very
nature and essence; his will is himself willing; and
therefore there can be but one will in God; for there is
but one God, whose nature and essence is one; for
though there are three persons in the Godhead, there is
but one undivided nature common to them all, and so
but one wfil: they are one, and they agree in one; God
is in one mind, or wili; though there may be distinctions
of his will, and different objects of it, and divers ways
in which he wills, yet it is by one single eternal act of
will he wills all things. Hence also his will is incom-
municable to a creature; the will of God cannot other-
wise be a creature's, but as that niay approve of it, ac-
quiesce in it, and submit unto it; even it was incommu-
nicable to the human nature of Christ, though taken into
union with the person of the Son of God; yet his divine
will, and his human will, are distinct froin each other,
though tile one is subject to the other, John vi.
Luke nil. 42.
8econdlq, The will of God is eternal, as may be con-
cludedfrom the attribute of eternity; for ff God is eter-
nal, as he certainly is, even from everlasting to everlasting
God, then his will must he eternal, since it is his nature
and essence: and from his immutability; who changes
not, ann with whom there is no shadow of turning; but
if any new will arises in God in time, which was not in
eternity, there would be a change in him; he would not
be the same in time be was in eternity; nor the same in
etermty he is iu time; whereas, he is the same yesterday,

to-day, and for ever: and from the foreknowledge of
God, which is eternal; Known unto God are all his
works, from the beginning of the world, or from eternity,
Acts xv. IS. and now as God's foreknowledge arises from
his will, God foreknows what will be, as has been ob-
served, becanse he has determined, in his will, what shall
be; so if his knowledge is eternal, his will must be eter-
nal. Likewise, this may be illustrated by the decree of
election; that was, certainly, before men had done either
good or evd; was from the beginning, or from ever-
lasting; even betbre the foundation of the world, El,h.
i 4. and as the decree and determination of the will of
God was so early, the same may be concluded of all
others: add to all which, the will cf God is concerned
wnh all things that have been .fi'om the beginning of the
world, now are, or shall be to the end of it; and therefore
must be prior to the existence of the world, and things
in it; and if prior to them, then prior to tiine; and if
prior to time, must be eternal; for we know of nothing
before time but what is eternal.
Thirdly, The will of God is immutable: immutability
is expressly ascribed to the counsel of God; that is, to
the will and purpose of God, Heb. vi. 17. and may be
established from the attribute of immutability; for if
God is unchangeably the same, as he is, then his will
must be the same, since it is his nature and essence: a,
change is made in the will of a creature, either by be-
ginning to will what it did not before, or by ceasing to
will what it has willed: now the cause of beginning a
new will, or willing what it did not, supposes previous
ignorance of the thing now begun to be willed; not
knowing the fitness and propriety of it, being ignorant of
ns nature, excellence, and utility; for of an unknown
thing there can be no desire and will: but such a change
of will can never take place in God, on such a footing;
since it is not only contrary to his eternity and iramuta-
bility, but to his knowledge, whose understanding' is
infinite: or a creature changes its will, when it ceases
to will what it has willed; which is either of choice, or
of obligation to it; of choice, when something unfore-
seen occurs, which causes it to change its will, and take
another course: but nothing of this kind can befal God,,
before whom all things are at once and together, naked
and open; even from all eternity: or else of force, be-
ing obliged unto it, because it cannot accomplish its will,
and therefore drops it, and takes another course: But
w/to hath resisted his will, the will of God, so as to cause
him. to cease from it, and drop it ? If God changes his
will, it must be either for the better or the worse; and
either way it would betray imperfection in him, and want
of wisdom; God may change his rutward dispensations
of things, but he never changes his will: repentance
attributed to him is no proof of it; He is in one mind,
and who can turn him? his will is not to be turned nor
altered, no not by the prayers of his people. But of
these things see more under the attribute of immutabih'ty,
before treated of.
Fourthly, The will of Godis always efficacious; there
are no wishes, would-bees, or feeble veilcities in God; his
will is always effected, never made null and void; he does
whatever he pleases, or wills; his counsel always stands,
and he ever does his pleasure; otherwise he would not
be almighty, as he is: it must be for want of power, if