not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Our most blessed Saviour speaks home and positively upon the matter (f) Matt. 12.34.33 O generation of Vipers how can ye being evil speak good things after he had said in the foregoing verse either make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the tree is known by his fruit The words of Austin upon the matter are excellent (g) Mea bona nec mea sunt nec perfecte bona mea mala mea sunt perfeste mala The good I do is neither mine nor perfectly good but the evil I do is both mine and perfectly evil But this is not all for not only there is an impotency to all Spiritual good but also a propensity and inclination to all Spiritual evil through a perverseness that is in our nature (g) Gen. 6.5 God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually The Text is very full and comprehensive in every word thereof if any thing can be added to it elsewhere we find it thus (h) Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it We sometimes find by experience how a Man desperately in love with a Daughter of Belial I mean a Woman without any Fortune Honour or Virtue will confess he is in an error and over-ruled by a Passion yet though to the ruin of himself and Fortune he must have her or else he cannot live and is not a Natural man's Will desperately wicked So that though he hath checks and convictions of Conscience about his evil courses with his being so fond of the World and so much in love with Sin and though he knows better yet he neither can nor will leave it where is here Free-will where sufficient Grace If it is not to be found in those Natural and Temporal things much less in Spiritual and Eternal O let every one lay his hand upon his Conscience and seriously examine himself Another thing we assert is That whatsoever good or spiritual working is found in any Man it comes from God who worketh it in Man nothing of Nature but all of Grace Our being Enlightned Conversion Repentance Holiness Faith c. come all from God alone (a) Isa 26.12 for he works all our works in and for us and (b) Eph. 2.10 we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Also (c) Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure It doth not lye in our free-will nor is it in our power to receive or reject Grace neither do we thereby destroy the natural liberty of the Will which doth not consist in indifferency that is to choose or to reject this or that but in a freedom from compulsion neither doth the immutability of the Decree take it away that which God hath Decreed shall indeed necessarily be but a thing may be done voluntarily and necessarily too for necessity and liberty in one subject do very well agree Thus God is necessarily good yet most freely good the Devil is freely evil yet necessarily evil Saints in Heaven do necessarily praise God for they can do no otherwise yet they do it most freely and voluntarily nothing but a necessity of coaction a forcible necessity takes away liberty and this the Will of Man is free from Wicked Men do necessarily yet freely sin with pleasure and delight (d) 2 Pet. 2.14 they cannot cease from sin These are Scripture words yet our Adversaries as before clamour thus then after this all Precepts Promises Threatnings and Exhortations to make Men abstain from Sin will be in vain if they cannot forbear sinning But I say though some be not the better rather the worse for these things yet such things are not in vain for thereby they are taught their Duty and commanded and exhorted to perform it and thereby unpenitent and unbelievers become unexcusable for they cannot pretend ignorance Neither is it in vain in relation to the Elect who enjoy these outward means together with Reprobates because thorough the inward working of the Spirit the Preaching of these things becomes effectual in them and puts them upon avoiding of Sin In few words the better to understand this matter of Free-will two things ought chiefly to be considered First What a state Man is in when we speak of his Free-will Secondly The nature of the things which he doth exercise his Free-will about There are four states of Man which Schoolmen call Institutus Destitutus Restitutus Praestitutus that is to be more plain of Innocency Nature Grace and Glory The things are either necessary or natural indifferent mix'd or spiritual The state of Innocency needs not to be spoken of 't is lost and gone in Adam of whom Divines say Habebat posse quod veltet He had Free-will and Power to do what he would though at last he wanted the Will to do what he could for he would not continue in his Integrity In the other three states the Will is free from compulsion and coaction else instead of being voluntas it would be noluntas not Will but Vnwill God himself never offers such a violence whereby its nature would be destroyed So then in the state of Nature the Will is free only to Evil in that of Grace part to Good and part to Evil yet so that the Evil is wholly from our selves and the Good only from God in that of Glory only to Good 'T is to be observed how in the passing out of the state of Nature into that of Grace that is at the time of our Conversion God by his holy Spirit works in us against us I mean our natural corrupt inclinations But afterwards he works in us and by us that is he guides inclines and turns our faculties to that which is good and acceptable in his sight But to come nearer We say in the state of Nature in Natural and Necessary things as to eat and to drink which are natural and necessary to preserve Life yea this or that kind of Meat and Drink man's Will is most free so 't is in indifferent things as to Walk Stand or Sit to Game Sing or the like The Will is very free even in those things that are of a mix'd nature and which seem to imply a violence as when a Man gives his Purse to a High-way-Man to save his Life when in a Storm Merchants and Seamen cast the Wares into the Sea to save the Ship and themselves Though in such cases there be an unwillingness and a repugnancy to the thing yet the Will determines it self of two Evils to choose the least but our Question concerning Free-will is not about such Objects but about Spiritual things in this state of Nature and before Conversion Hereupon
totally forsaking them The Second Induration or hardning the first is a final denial of Grace necessary to obtain eternal life thus God is said to forsake wicked Men when he leaves them in unbelief and denyeth them Faith in Christ which no reprobate hath Hardning is a higher degree of punishment 't is an effect of God's anger when he doth not take away the hardness and malice which is in a Man's heart but by a just judgment it becomes a punishment for former sins and by outward means is so aggravated that though God addeth no new degree of hardness it suffereth it to spring out of the root of former evils thus we often read in Exodus (c) Exod. 4.21 and chap. 7 3 13. c. God hardned Pharaoh's heart and the (d) Chap. 14.17 Egyptians but this hardning doth not indifferently befall every reprobate only some notorious sinners whence it is a particular judgment of God which is not executed with a bare Permission and Direction with relation to every reprobate but with acting something within and without the wicked whereby their malice and hardness is increased we have several reasons to prove it First Hardning is a Judiciary act of God and an effect of his Anger Now a Judge doth punish not only with permitting and directing but also with actually inflicting a Pain by himself or by another When God hardneth he doth something as it appeareth by the usual phrase of Scripture which expresseth the judgment of an Angry God with words signifying an action now he who only permitteth doth not act but leaves others to act and to call this a direction to the end is not to the purpose the direction is not the hardning but a consequence of it Furthermore if hardning properly so called was a bare permission it would not be a special judgment of God as it is against notorious sinners because no sin is committed by any sinner whatsoever but by God's permission Moreover if God was said to harden Men because he permitteth them to be hardned in the same manner he might be said to Kill Steal commit Adultery c. because he permitteth all these sins which is most false Therefore God's hardning a Man's heart is not a bare permission but an action as it appeareth in the case of Pharaoh for if God had hardned only permissively there had been no need of so often repeating by Moses the command of letting the people go no need of so many Miracles wrought nor of so many Plagues inflicted upon Egypt whereby the Tyrant was more and more hardned and more cruel Which is the effect of those judgments of God upon some to whom they are an occasion of growing worse and worse Thus when (a) Rev. 16.9 21. men were scorched with great heat and when great hail out of heaven fell upon them they repented not to give God glory but blasphemed the name of God which may be they would not have done had it not been for the smart of the Plague the feeling of God's heavy hand makes wicked Men fly out break into a rage and grow mad as we read of Julian the Apostate who in the Fight where he dyed being wounded with an Arrow took in his hand some of the Blood that came out of the Wound and threw it up whilst he pronounced these blasphemous words against our Saviour Galilean thou hast overcome me Thus God by himself or instruments works such things as make notorious sinners much worse and more desperate This Doctrine (a) Lib. 5. contra Julian cap. 3. de grat lib. â—rbit cap. 20.21 Austin taught out of Scripture and by other strong reasons proveth how God doth blind the minds and hardneth the hearts not with patience and bare permission but with power and action Amongst other things in several places he saith to this purpose how by a just and secret judgment of God the wills of wicked Men are moved to commit those things which in relation to Men have the nature of sin This I bring to shew that as our Adversaries would have it 't is no new Doctrine of our own but that some Eminent Doctors of the primitive Church have found it in Scripture as well as we But the better to understand this we must know how God hardneth Satan hardneth and reprobates harden themselves God as a Judge Satan as an Executioner and the wicked harden themselves as guilty Men. First God hardneth not by infusing any malice or hardness but first leaving them in their hardness not softning them withdrawing and denying them his Grace Secondly Working something both within and without wicked Men by means whereof out of their natural corruption they take an occasion of hardning themselves more and more such are several thoughts and affections not evil in themselves as may be outward lust and desire of Honour Riches c. which the corrupt mind is easily and blindly inticed by and lead unto such are also several Calamities Precepts Accusations Threatnings Prohibitions Thirdly With delivering up to Satan and to ones corrupt affection Fourthly Inclining evil affections to some certain Objects as a punishment for some times one sin is the punishment of another The Devil having God's leave hardneth with inticing men to all sorts of evils blinding Reason disturbing the Fancy striking Fear giving vain hopes and suggesting evil Thoughts when Men are either awake or a sleep Wicked men do harden themselves with giving up themselves to their own lusts rejecting the dictates of Right reason despising commands threatnings c. Hence it appeareth how the acts of the Devil and of Reprobates side concurring to harden are evil for the most part but on God's part all are good of themselves therefore God can by no means be made the Author of sin though he hardneth not only with permitting but also in acting There is no certainty of Reprobation whilst Man is alive except in case of the sin against the Holy Ghost which is never forgiven and so committed by none but Reprobates all other sins are pardonable which are common to Elect specially to those not yet regenerated and to Reprobates therefore by them we ought not and cannot ground any judgment The sin against the Holy Ghost doth not befall every Reprobate but only some as induration properly so called and although the number of Reprobates be much greater than that of the Elect yet no Man but he who is guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost hath just cause to despair and of that too one is not rashly to judge but hereafter we shall have occasion to enlarge upon this Before I make an end with this point as much conducing to our purpose and to shew that what we hold in this matter is the doctrine of St. Paul I must shew how two Objections of our Adversaries against it were set down and answered by the Apostle They are contained in the 9th Chapter to the Romans wherein are decided these matters of
it self which he acknowledgeth and in it admireth the ordering of Providence for he saith to them (a) Gen. 50.20 As for you ye thought evil against me but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is at this day to save much people alive For thus they were preserved from being destroyed by Famine and this in order for above 400 years after to bring them out of Egypt with so many wonders and to lead them into the possession of the promised Land But before I leave this point some thing more I must offer to the consideration of serious and thinking men Certainly the several degrees of God's Providence in Joseph's case are to be admired First his dreams then his declaring of them which raised the hatred and envy of his brethren against him his Fathers sending him to them in the field whereupon they took counsel to kill him Reuben's preventing their design and advising to cast him into a Pit God at that very time bringing by a company of Ishmalites and Juda's council of selling him to them their bringing him into Egypt and selling him unto Potipher a great Man with Pharaoh his Wifes unchast designs upon him her manner of vengeance seeing her self denyed And here indeed appears a dark effect of a wise Providence that so good an act of his should be followed with his being cast into Prison but 't was in order to bring him nearer to Pharaoh for 't is observed how the Lord was with him giving him favour in the sight of the keeper of the Prison as before he had fonnd grace in the sight of Potipher whilst he was in Prison God's Providence brought into the same place the Butler and the Baker of the King of Egypt then followed their several dreams with their interpretation by Joseph whose desire the chief Butler minded not but forgat him But two years after Pharaoh dreamed and none of the Magicians could interpret upon this occasion the Butler remembered him so he was sent for by the King and after the interpretation he was raised to be next under Pharaoh the greatest Man in the Kingdom Then God called for a Famine upon the Land but as David observeth Psal 105. he had sent a Man before them to preserve life to Jacobs Family as Joseph said to his brethren it was not you that sent me hither but God Gen. 45. In Egypt they multip ied exceedingly though under Oppression and Bondage till the time of their deliverance as promised to Abraham was come and the iniquity of the Amorite was full How much is herein to be admired God's wise and adorable Providence Thus for a second instance the combination of (b) Acts 4.27.28 Herod Pilate the Gentiles and people of Israel against our Saviour to shed innocent blood was by God's Providence directed to do whatsoever the hand and counsel of God determined before to be done We must think the like of every other effect of Providence though we cannot tell the reasons of it I declare in the whole dispensation in time of our Salvation nothing moves me more than the consideration of God's ordering things for the good of his people and I therein admire and adore his Infinite Mercy Wisdom and Power And thus God over-rules the evil designs of wicked men and of devils too for although their being evil be contrary to God's will which is good it doth not hinder but that they do fall under his Providence for as a stubborn Horse is by the Rider governed and directed to a certain end and place and as a Magistrate doth rule and compel to duty Seditious and Rebellious Subjects Thus with the Curb of his Providence God doth over-rule the stubbornness of the wills of Devils and Wicked Men reduceth them to order and directeth them to his end We see in the case of Job how Satan can do nothing against him without God's special leave neither can he go a jot beyond what he is allowed Against this truth this objection is made God is the Author of things done by his Providence but God is not the Author of Evil and Sin therefore Evil and Sin are not done by his Providence I Answer God is the Author of things efficiently that is the true and proper effect of a Cause done by his Providence but sin and evil are not efficiently done but permissively or by permission as hereafter it shall be explained Evils of sin are said to be done by Providence because God ruleth things done by evil and wicked Men yet is free from the evil and sinfulness thereof Thus a Rider ruleth and maketh a lame Horse to go yet is not the cause of the lameness a Man writeth a good hand yet writting with a bad Pen what he writes is not well written 't is not the fault of the Hand but of the Pen the lameness lies in the Horse and the vitiosity of fault in the Instrument Now Providence is a Divine and perpetual act whereby all and every thing is preserved ruled and directed to its own and proper end There are three degrees of Providence as Preservation Governing and Ordering of all things out of every one of these degrees do appear the Wisdom Freedom Power and Goodness of God Hence he is said to administer every thing Wisely because (a) Hob. 4.13 every thing lies open before his eyes all being well disposed towards good and certain ends Causes do accordingly produce their effects God herein acteth freely for nothing compelleth him to this Government of the World neither doth he without himself act any thing out of a natural necessity but out of his own free-will then powerfully because out of his own Will and Pleasure he doth what he pleaseth without any trouble or disturbance so that nothing can hinder him Lastly he administereth well because he never fails in any thing he doth out of any mistake or error in the understanding or a deviation in his Will from that which is Right Good and True And though I am to speak chiefly of God's special Providence yet before I enter upon the matter it will be necessary for the better understanding of it for me to go up higher and say some things in general of the acting principle in God which is threefold Directing Commanding and Executing the principle directing the Action is the understanding which in God is the same with his Divine Knowledge and Wisdom This is a property of God whereby he knoweth himself in himself and every thing without himself not only of things that are whether they be necessary contingent passed or future whether thought spoken or done whether good or evil but even those which are not to be and all that most truly and infallibly This understanding is the principle directing the Action for no intelligent Agent willeth and executeth any thing but what the Intellect hath some fore-knowledge of and proposed it to the Will In Men are the Intellect a faculty of the Soul Science an
consisteth is not of God but only of Man wherefore Man alone is the author of sin as such Arminians accusing us to make God the author of sin do but follow the steps of their Elder Brothers the Papists Calvin and Beza c. falsely aspersed by slanderers speak well of this matter The first in his Treatise of Predestination a piece much worth reading the (a) Beza contra Castellinem other as quoted in the Margin are both (b) De gratia lib. arbit cap. 20 21. St. Austin's followers against Pelagius They who in this permission attribute nothing to God but only that he leaves the wicked to act according to their mind or to turn themselves to this or to that Object make God an idle spectator of things and one of these two things they must own either that God doth not execute his just Judgments by the sins of the wicked which is false and contrary to Scripture or else that many of God's Judgments are executed accidentally or by chance so that God decreed to punish David by his Son Absolom because he did foresee Absolom would go about rebelling against his Father and to punish Israel by the Kings of Assyria because he foresaw the Assyrian would make War against Israel a thing absurd and altogether contrary to Scripture which expresly saith that Tyrants are called God's (c) Isai 13.3 sanctified the Medes and Persians to execute his Judgments and in the same verse I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger They are called (d) Isai 10.5 6 15. the rod of God's anger and in their hand is the staff of his indignation as the Assyrian which is also called the Ax the Saw the Rod and the Staff in God's hand vers 15. I will send him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath will I give charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the street God sent him and he had God's Commission for what he was to do He is called (a) Jerem. 50.23 the hammer of the whole earth and in the following Chapter the King of Media is called God's battle-ax and weapons of war c. Certainly all this is more than a bare permission Chap. 51.20 whence we conclude there is an effectual acting of God and directing wicked Instruments to a certain Object against which God is pleased to execute his Judgments We have so many more Texts of Scripture to prove the effectual concourse of God with bad actions of Men against those who assert only a bare permission and a direction of evil to a good end The expressions of Scripture upon this subject are so full so clear so significant and so much to the purpose that Men must be blind who will not see Here we will produce only some few God saith to David (b) 2 Sam. 12.11 12. I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun for thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Sun By Absolom (c) 2 Sam. 16.10 the Lord hath-said unto Shimei curse David (d) 1 Kings 22.22 God sent a lying spirit in the mouth of all his Ahab's Prophets (e) Jerem. 15.8 I have brought upon them a spoiler at noon day (f) Ezech. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived that Prophet The falling off of the ten Tribes is the work of God (g) 2 Chron. 11.4 Ye shall not fight against your brethren return every man to his house for this thing is done of me (h) 1 Kings 12.15 And Roboham hearkned not to the people for the cause was from the Lord. (i) 2 Kings 10.32 33. God stirred up the heart of the King of Assyria to carry a way some of the Tribes of Reuben Gad and half of Manasseh The destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to (k) 2 Chorn. 22.7 Joram (l) Chap. 25.23 Amaziah would not hear for it came of God that he might deliver them into the hands of their enemies because they sought after the Gods of Edom. Besides what we said before of God's hardning Pharaoh's heart God (m) Josh 11.20 hardned the hearts of several Kings that they should come against Israel as he had done before to Sihon King of Heshbon †Deuter. 2.30 For the Lord thy God hardned his spirit and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver him into thy hands Must all this be understood of a bare permission Farthermore God by Deborah said to Barak (a) Judg. 4.7 I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera the captain of Jabin's army and deliver him into thine hand (b) Psal 78.49 He sent evil Angels amongst the Egyptians And †Judg. 9.23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (c) Isai 19.14 The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of Egypt (d) Jer. 13.13 God will fill the Kings that sit upon David's throne and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness In another place 't is called (e) Isai 29.10 a spirit of deep sleep (f) 1 Sam. 2.25 The Sons of Ely hearkned not unto their Father because the Lord would slay them God saith by the mouth of his Prophet (g) Isai 45.7 I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things (h) Amos 3.6 Is there any evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Hence it is that (i) Psa 17.13 the wicked is called the sword and hand of God David prays to God (k) Psal 141.4 not to incline his heart to any evil thing to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity And also (l) Psal 15.25 God turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate his people (m) Psal 69.27 Add iniquity to their iniquity saith David (n) Isai 54.16 God hath created the waster to destroy And the same Prophet saith (o) Isai 42.24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord (p) 2 Chron. 21 16 17. God stirred up against Jehoram the heart of the Philistins and of the Arabians that are near Aethiopia and they came up to Judah and brake into it and carried away all the substance that was found in the King's house and his Sons also and his Wives And three Chapters after 't is said (q) Chap. 24.24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a great host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers so they executed judgment against Joash Hence it is clear out of the very
words how by some men God doth execute judgment upon others Thus also a Prophet said to Amaziah when he refused to hear and repulsed him I know that God hath determined to destroy thee Neither would he hear what Joash sent to him For it came of God who would as I quoted before deliver him into the hands of his enemies Furthermore Shishak (a) 2 Chron. 12.2 3 4. King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem because they had transgressed against the Lord. Then the Lord brought him up to punish them and took their fenced cities in execution of Gods Judgments and again the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the King of Assyria Chap. 33.11 which took Manassch amongst the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon Why should we any longer insist upon a thing so clear by God's Order and appointment (b) 1 Kings 15.29 Baasha destroyed Jeroboam's Family And (c) Chap. 16.12 Zimri that of Baasha And (d) 2 Kings 10.17 Jehu that of Ahab And all along in the Old Testament God takes upon him self to be the Author of all punishments inflicted upon his people by cruel Princes and upon all other Nations Assyrians Syrians Chaldeans Moab Ammon Egypt Tyre Sidon Philistines c. in so many Chapters of the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah Not only whole Nations but also individual though publick persons were made sensible of God's working in and against them as in the Case of Saul (e) 1 Sam. 16.14 The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord trouble him The most excellent and glorious work that ever was managed by the worst men in the world namely the death of our Blessed Saviour yet Judas Herod Pilate and the Jews and Gentiles concurred in 't did nothing but what the Hand and the Counsel of God had determined before to be done and fullfilled all that was written of him So that we see this truth contained in the †Acts 4.27.28 and chap. 13.27 29. New Testament as in the Old God gave some to (f) Rom. 1.24 26 28. vile affections and to a reprobate mind and to uncleanness and to Idolatry (g) Acts 7.42 So as to worship the host of heaven And God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye Thus we see how God as a just Judge doth inflict not only bodily but also spiritual punishments upon men (h) 2 Thes 2.11 And if all these places were heaped one upon another and many others we could bring do not fully and clearly express the effectual concourse of God in and upon Men then all actings of God mentioned in Scripture must be explained of a bare permission and I dare say that those who amidst so great a light will not see must be in that darkness which comprehendeth not the light and there is cause to suspect (f) Psal 81.12 God hath given them up to their own hearts lust and to walk in their own counsels And sometimes God (g) Deut. 28.23 smiteth with madness blindness and astonishment of heart St. Paul speaks to the purpose of this universal and special actual Providence of God when he saith (h) Rom. 4 3◠For of him and through him and to him are all things none excepted good and evil not evil of sin which God abhorreth and 't is Blasphemy to say it but evil of punishment upon the wicked and of chastisements and afflictions to try the Faith and Patience of his Elect God threatneth to punish them that deny it (i) Zeph. 1.12 And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with Candles and punish the men that are set on their Lees that say in their heart the Lord will not do good neither will he do evil Though they speak it not with their Mouth but say it only in their Heart and he will so strictly search into it that they shall be found out These Effects and Workings of Providence come from him and do serve his Ends (k) Job 37.13 For saith Job He causeth it to come whether for correction or for his land or for mercy And in another place he saith (l) Chap. 5.6 Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground That signal Plague of Egypt that is the Lice came out of the Dust which became Lice Yet the wicked Magicians of (m) Exod. 8.17 18. Pharaoh perceived God in it for they said This is the finger of God And the holy Man Job though the Sabeans or Arabs and Chaldeans had plundered and robbed him of his Oxen and Camels and killed his Servants yet he said (n) Job 1.21 22. The Lord gave and the Lord not the Sabeans or Chaldeans hath taken away Here some will be apt to say Why doth he attribute unto God those Actings of Men Job is to blame for fathering upon God the Actings of wicked Men. But as the Spirit of God knew there would be those so pragmatical as to cavil thereat so in the following Verse he doth clear him from such Imputations when it is said in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly in saying that God had taken away So God speaking of himself in relation to his dealings with Men declareth how because of the Sins of Israel he had given them Laws as a Punishment So he saith (o) Zech. 20.24 25. Wherefore I gave them also Statutes that were not good and Judgments whereby they should not live We know all God's Laws are good but the meaning is they shall do them no good nor be profitable to them Thus the best things can do no good without God's special Blessing nor the evil harm with-it his sanctifying grace makes a difference yet both (p) Job 2.10 good and evil we receive at his hand This Doctrine as we see is strongly grounded upon the Word of God yet by some it is aspersed with the abominable slander that it makes God the Author of sin which we call Blasphemy and in our Minds and Hearts we abhor detest and pronounce a Curse against and appeal to the Judge of the World to vindicate our Innocency against so notorious false and impudent Aspersions They make God the Author of Sin who call Sin a positive Being as doth one of their great Men Dr. Pierce in several places For God is the maker of every positive Being but sin is a negative Being which God never was the Author of In the New Testament the name of Sin is with an Alpha privative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is a non-conformity to God's Law Wherefore he that calleth Sin a positive Being makes God the Author of it We sufficiently declared how tho' God doth concurr with the natural and Physical part of the Act he hath nothing to do as Author of the Moral or of the Deviation no more than the Sun when it
but we say that Men sinners are predestinated to Damnation neither doth Man sin because he is appointed to Damnation but is appointed to Damnation because a sinner They who are of the opinion here argued against yield the Thing but deny the Consequence thereby God to be the Author of sin though he made Man in a condition to fall into sin and decreed to permit him to yield to the temptation and commit sin to manifest his Justice in the just condemnation of Man sinner Then say the Adversaries God hath not found a guilty Man to be punished but hath made him such which is not true for God made him not so but permitted him to be made so he who thorough his own fault became guilty is justly punished by God Lastly they object thus that which is the cause of the cause is also the cause of the effect which is only true of the necessary cause called per se not of that per accidens but say they you say that reprobation is a necessary cause of sin which is a meer untruth and slander none of our Authors ever said or hath written so for 't is Blasphemy except it be through an abuse of the name Sometimes 't is usual to say causa sine qua non a Cause without which a thing is not but 't is improperly so called for every true Cause doth influence the Effect Thus we have answered their most plausible Objections and given them their best and most advantageous light to make the matter more intelligible It is time to come to the third degree of Providence Ordination or ordering of things whereby God according to his wonderful Wisdom and Power reduceth every thing into Order constituting good and certain ends disposing means to those ends and ruling things thus disposed About these degrees of Providence we must well observe how in the effectuating permitting and ordaining there is about every act of Creatures not only an universal but also a particular and special influence of God which is proved out of Scripture First In general (a) Psal 113.5 6 7 8 9. Who is like unto our God saith David who humbleth himself before the things that are in heaven and in the earth he raiseth up the poor out of the dust c. He maketh the barren woman to keep house and be a joyful mother of children And in another place (b) Psal 146.6 7 8 9. God made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is which executeth judgment for the oppressed which giveth food to the hungry the Lord looseth the prisoners the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind raiseth them that are bowed down preserveth the strangers he relieves the fatherless and widows Nehemiah saith (c) Nehem. 9.6 thou hast made heaven the heaven of heavens with all their hosts the earth and all things that are therein the sea and all that is therein and thou preservest them all And in the New Testament (d) Heb. 1.3 God upholdeth all things by the word of his power Secondly The particular Providence is proved out of the following Texts (e) Matth. 6.25 26 27 28 29 30 31. Take no thought for your life saith our Saviour what ye shall eat or drink nor for raiment for your heavenly father feedeth the fowls of the air c. even the smallest things God takes care of (f) Chap 10.29.30 one sparrow shall not fall on the ground without your father the very hairs of our head are all numbered This providence is extended over contingents nothing seems to be of chance so much as casting of the Lot yet saith Solomon (g) Prov. 16.33 The lot is cast into the lap But the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. But the special providence of God was ever extended on his people as I shewed before in the cases of Noah Moses c. how admirable was it in relation to Abraham Isaac Jacob the Children of Israel in and out of Egypt as it may appear out of the * Gen. 15.7 16.10 17.2.4.16.20 21.13 28.13.14 Exod. 1.20 12 3â— Deut. 10.22 Texts quoted in the Margin Not only the Psalms and the Prophets are full of this but also whole Scripture containeth abundance of evidences of special divine influences upon every particular act of Creatures and this not only upon those that are good but also them that are evil for God doth specially rule both though he be not the Author of evil as such that hindereth him not from being the Rector and Ruler thereof For as we said before he is not an idle Spectator for at his pleasure he over-rules corrupt Instruments turneth them which way and to what end he pleases his Holiness and Justice ever undefiled and the end of his Providence is ever the Glory of God and Salvation of the Elect which all things are subservient unto And in every thing it is most true what is said Jonah 1.14 For thou Lord hast done it as it pleaseth thee In relation to the wicked how wonderful God's Providence is in bringing his ends about we may see it in the Case of Ahab God by the Prophet Elisha for his abominable Idolatry and other Sins had threatned him and his whole Family with utter ruine But because upon his outward Repentance (a) 1 Kings 21.29 God had said he would not execute his Judgments during his Life but in his Son's days Ahab must be the first taken out of the way In order to it he must begin a War against the King of Syria though there had been none for three Years before The occasision or pretence of the War is to recover the Town of Ramoth in Gilead an encouragement for him to go on in his design was Jehosaphat King of Judah being come to visit him promiseth in Person to assist him with his Forces But further to engage him in his Design his Prophets about 400 Men must promise him a Victory They come to a Battle before which the King of Syria commanded all his Captains to fight with none but the King of Israel who not to be known disguised himself in the Fight Jehosaphat is taken for Ahab so the Syrians fell upon him but perceiving he was not the King of Israel they turned back from pursuing of him For God helped him and the Lord moved them to depart from him 2 Chron. 18.31 Here is Providence All this while it seemed to Ahab he was safe enough but God who had sent Jehosaphat to visit and joyn with him who had put a lying Spirit in the Mouth of all his Prophets and put in the Heart of the King of Syria to command the 32 Captains of his Chariots to fight only against Ahab's Person Chap. 22. who thinking himself in some measure free from danger when behold God doth his work a certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote the King of Israel between the joynts of the harness Certainly though the
of the world If any man refuse to receive with the belief of the heart or to speak with the confession of his mouth if before the last day of this present life he doth not cast off the stubbornness of his error whereby he rebelleth against the true and the living God it is plain he doth not belong to the number of those whom God hath freely chosen in Christ and predestinated before the foundation of the world There is a two fold predestination saith one (c) Isidor Hispalensis either of the Elect unto rest or of the reprobate unto death both are done by the Judgment of God So that he ever causeth the Elect to follow heavenly and inward things and by forsaking the reprobate he suffereth him to follow earthly and outward things Another speaks thus (a) Anselm de cencor praesâ— praedest Predestination is not only of good but it may also be said of evil as God is said to do the evil he doth not because he permits it for he is said to harden a man when he doth not soften him and to lead into temptation when he doth not deliver therefore it is not unfit that he should thus predestinate whilst he doth not amend evil men nor their evil deeds but yet he is said more specially to fore-know good things because in them he makes that they be and that they be good But in evil things he makes but their being not the evil of their being The same Author saith farther in another place to this purpose (b) In Rom. 9. God did not therefore take mercy on Jacob because he willed and runned but therefore Jacob willed and runned because God had mercy on him Let it be enough for thee who yet livest by Faith and not seeing perfectly but knowing only in part to know and believe that God doth save none but by free mercy nor damn none but by most righteous justice But why he saveth or saveth not this man rather than that man Let him search who will look into the great depths of God's judgments but withall let him take heed that he doth not fall down headlong But to come to lower times let us hear what saith Bernard a good and famous Writer (c) Bernard in Cant. Serm. 14. My right is the will of the Judge what more just for merit What more rich for reward May not he do what he will Mercy indeed is shewed to me but to thee is done no injury take that which is thine and go thy way If he hath decreed to save me also why wilt thou destroy me take what thou wilt of thy merits extol thy labours the mercy of God is better than life If we descend to the School-men we can hear them speak at the same rate first the Master of Sentences (d) Pet. Lombard lib. 1. dist 41. lit d. God elected whom he pleased by free mercy not because they would be faithful but that they might be faithful and he gave them grace not because they were faithful but that they might be for the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7. I obtained mercy that I might be faithful He saith not because I was faithful grace is indeed given to the faithful but it is also given first that he might be faithful So also he reprobated whom he pleased not for any future merits yet by a most true justice though hidden from our eyes The next saith (a) Thom. Aquin. part 1. quaest 23 Art 5. It is manifest that grace is an effect of predestination and that cannot be put as a cause of predestination which is shut up under predestination God would shew his goodness on some whom he predestinated in sparing them by way of mercy and on those whom he reprobateth in punishing by way of justice and this is the reason why he chuseth some and reprobateth others but why he chuseth these unto glory and reprobateth those there is no reason to be given but the will of God Another speaketh thus (b) Bradward de causa dei lib. 1. cap. 39. There is no such cause either forbidding the will of God or causing it by which an answer may be given why he loved this man or hated that man Two or three more I shall add then I have done with this He concludes out of St. Paul (c) Gorran in Rom. 9. That both Election and Reprobation depend on Gods good-pleasure saying therefore he hath mercy on whom he will because he hath freely loved Jacob and rejected Esau he hath mercy on whom he will by giving grace and he hardeneth whom he will not by imparting wickedness but by not giving grace whereupon St. Austin as the Sun in departing far from the earth doth harden Ice not by imparting coldness but by not giving heat The next saith I (d) Thom. Campensis de imit Christ lib. 2. cap. 63. am he that made all Saints I gave them grace I bestowed glory I knew all their good works I prevented them in the blessings of my sweetness I fore-knew my beloved before all ages I elected them out of the world and they did not pre-elect me I called them by grace I drew them by mercy I led them thorough many temptations I poured into them glorious consolations I gave them perseverance c. I am to be blessed and honoured in them all whom I have so highly glorified and predestinated without any foregoing good works of their own The last is one whom some of our Adversaries do set a high value upon his words are these (e) Cassand consult art 18. The grace of predestination is so greatly commended in the word of God and Ecclesiastical writers that those who are endued with faith in Christ and with good works springing from that faith may not ascribe these things to themselves but unto God and to the grace of his divine predestination and election and so may glory in the Lord and not in themselves Surely all these men were Calvinians Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 24. ad 38. ad lib. 3.33 Hiliar in Psal 48. Pet diacon de incarn grat Christ Gregr. mag moral in Job lib. 29. cap. 15. Beda in Rom. 9. and may be by a Metempsycosis he had the Soul of some of them transmitted into his body if so that of Austin was the likeliest for both were great asserters of these truths yet Dr. Taylor saith Austin is the first that stirred the mudd if instead of Austin he had named Pelagius he had spoken the truth but 't is usual for the Wolf to say the Lamb hath troubled the waters However 't is but an idle notion but withall spiteful and malicious to give these Doctrines the name of Calvinism But we have with us men of all Ages and they very considerable To the same purpose we could bring in others whom for brevities sake we quote in the Margin and if I went about to make use of more quotations on this point I should weary my self