Page:1644 Anabaptist Confession of Faith.djvu/6



That God hath decreed in himfelfe from everlasting touching all things, effectually to work and difpofe them baccording to the counfell of his owne will, to the glory of his Name;in which decree appeareth his wifdome,conftancy, truth,and faithfulneffe; Wifdome is that whereby he contrives all things; Conftancy is that whereby the decree of God remaines alwayes immutable; Truth is that whereby he declares that alone which he hath decreed, and though his fayings may feeme to found fometimes another thing, yet the fenfe of them doth alwayes agree with the decree; Faithfulneffe is that whereby he effects that he hath decreed, as he hath decreed. And touching his creature man, & God had in Chrift before the foundation of the world, according to the good plea fure of his will, forcordained fome men to eternall life through Jefus Chrift, to the praife and glory of his grace, leaving the reft in their finne to their juft condemnation, to the praife of his Juftice.

Efa. 45, 10. Rom.11.34 35.36. Mat.10.19,30 6 Eph. 1.11. Col. 3. 3. aNum.13.19, 20. € Jere, 10, 10. Rom. 3. 4. Efa. 44.10. gEph.1.3,4,5, 6.7. 1 Tim. 1.9. Acts 13.48. Rum.8.19,30 h Jude ver.4. & 6. Rom.9. 11, 12, 13. Prov. 16. 4.

In the beginning God made all things very good, created man after his own b Image and likeneffe, filling him with all perfection of all naturall excellency and uprightneffe, free from all finne. But long he abode not in this honour, but by the d fubtiltie of the Serpent, which Satan ufed as his inftrument, himfelfe with his Angels having finned before, and not kept their firft eftate, but left their owne habitation; firft Eve, then Adam being feduced did wittingly and willingly fall into difobedience and tranfgreffion of the Commandement of their great Creator, for the which death came upon all, and reigned over all, fo that all fince the Fall are conceived in finne, and brought forth in iniquitic, and fo by nature children of wrath, and fervants of finne,fubjects of death, and all

Gen.1.chap. Col. 1. 16. Heb. 11.3. Efa. 4.12. b Gen. 1. 26. I Cor.15.45, 46. Ecclef. 7. 31. c Pfal.49. 20. dGen.3.1 4,5 2 Cor. 11. 3. ez Pet. 2. 4. Jude ver. 6. Ioh. 8. 44fGen.3.1,1,6 I Tim.2.14. Ecclef.7.31. Gal.3. 22. Rom.5.12. 18, 19. &6.23. Eph. 2. 3. Rom, 5.12.