rules, or according
to sense, bring him down far below his own infinite greatness. Some
conceive that that was first, as it were, in his mind which is first done.
Looking upon the execution of his purpose in the works of his power, they
imagine, that as he first created man righteous, so this was his first
thought concerning man, to create man for the glory of his goodness and
power, without any particular determination as yet of his end. And I
conceive, this is the thought of the multitude of people. They think God
was disappointed in his work, when they hear he created such a glorious
creature that is now become so miserable. They cannot believe that his
majesty had all this sin and misery determined with him when he purposed
to create him, but look upon the emergent of man's fall into sin and
misery as a surprisal of his majesty,--as if he had meant another thing in
creating him, and so was, upon this occasion of man's sin, driven to a new
consultation about the helping of the business, and making the best out of
it that might be. Thus "through wisdom, the world knows not God." They
think God altogether like themselves, and so liken him to the builder of a
house, who set nothing before him in doing so, but to build it after that
manner for his own ends, but then being surprised with the fall and ruin
of it, takes a new advisement, and builds it up again upon another and a
surer foundation. But because they cannot say, that God takes any new
advisements in time, but must confess that all his counsels are
everlasting concerning all the works of his hands, therefore they bring in
foreknowledge to smooth their irreligious conceit of God, as if the Lord,
upon his purpose of creating man, had foreseen what should befall him, and
so purposed to permit it to be so, that out of it he might erect some
glorious fabric of mercy and justice upon the ruins of man. And that
little or nothing may be left to the absolute sovereign will of God, to
which the Scripture ascribes all things, they must again imagine, that
upon his purpose of sending Christ to save sinners, he is yet undetermined
about the particular end of particular men, but watches on the tower of
foreknowledge to espy what they will do, whether men will believe on his
Son or not, whether they will persevere in faith or not, and according to
his observation of their doings, so he applies his own will to carve out
their reward or portion of life or death. These are even the