The Court of the Gentiles Part 4:2, Treatise · Part 4 · Book 3 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The genuine Hypotheſes of the Predeterminants, with the Antitheſes of their Adverſaries, particularly the New Methodiſts.
(1) The genuine Hypotheſes of the Predeterminants, with the falſe Hypotheſes and conſequents impoſed on them by the Moliniſts, Arminians, and New Methodiſts. (2) The Antitheſes of the New Methodiſts, with their dangerous conſequents.
§. 1. IT has been the practice of our Adverſaries in al Ages to clothe our Hypotheſis of efficacious predeterminative Concurſe with the Bears skin of many falſe Ideas and black ugly conſequences, but their own Antitheſis with the ſheeps clothing of many fair and colorable pretextes; wherefore to vindicate our ſelves and unmaſque them, we ſhal adde, as a Coronis to this Diſcourſe, the genuine ſentiments of ſuch as defend Divine predetermination, &c. as alſo the proper Antitheſes of their Adverſaries.
The genuine Hypotheſes of of the Predeterminants.
1. THere is nothing future but dependently on ſome abſolute Decree of God, either effective or permiſſive.
2. The Futurition of the entitative act of that which is ſinful, is from the effective wil of God.
3. The Futurition of ſin is from the permiſſive wil of God, efficaciouſly decreeing to leave men unto ſin.
4. The actual exiſtence of ſin is the conſequent, but not the effect of Reprobation.
5. God abſolutely decreed to permit Adams Fal, Strang. 858. Davenant, Animadv. p. 322, 323.
6. Gods Decree to permit ſin is not otioſe, but efficacious.
7. God efficaciouſly decrees to permit ſin for the manifeſtation of his own Glorie.
8. Gods abſolute Decree of Reprobation impels no man to ſin, Ward, pag. 132.
9. There is no act ſo ſubſtantially and intrinſecally evil, but the vitioſitie thereof may be ſeparated from the entitative act.
10. God doth not predetermine, much leſſe impel any man to the leaſt ſin.
11. God doth not predetermine the wil to any ſinful act, as it morally refers to its object, but only phyſically, Alvarez, refer. Strang. 240—242.
12. Gods predetermining the wil to the material entitative act, whereunto ſin is annexed, doth not beſpeak him the Author of Sin.
13. God, by his efficacious wil and actuoſe providence permits the wil to ſin, but is no moral efficient thereof.
14. God, by predetermining the wil to the entitative act of ſin, doth not temt men to ſin, Jam. 1. 13.
15. In ſinful acts God predetermines the wil only to the entitative act, not to its ſinfulneſſe; but in good acts, God predetermines the wil not only to the act, but alſo to the goodneſſe thereof.
16. Sin is committed againſt Gods wil of complacence and approbation, but not againſt his wil of natural permiſſion.
17. Predetermination to the natural entitative act of ſin is very wel conſiſtent with the natural libertie of the wil, and its natural, paſſive, remote power of receiving Laws, and obeying the ſame.
18. Gods predetermination to the natural entitative act of ſin may very wel be reconciled with his wiſdome, veracitie, and ſinceritie in the prohibition and puniſhment of ſin.
19. God puniſheth one ſin by leaving men to another, yet without being guilty of the leaſt ſin.
20. Sin by Divine wiſdome is made a means accidentally utile and ſubſervient to Divine glorie, albeit it hath no moral bonitie in it.
21. Al Gods invitations, comminations, exhortations, and promiſſes argue in God a real wil of approbation, and Evangelic intention that Sinners repent and live, albeit they never repent.
22. Gods phyſic complacence is towards the entitative natural act of ſin, and yet his moral diſplicence is againſt its obliquitie and vitioſitie.
The falſe Hypotheſes and Conſequents impoſed on the Predeterminants, by Moliniſts, Arminians, and New Methodiſts.
1. GOds abſolute Decrees, which give futurition to things, take away al power from the creature of acting contrarily, yea make the contrary naturally, and ſimply impoſſible.
2. The futurition of ſin is from the effective wil of God, yea very God, Str. 631, 632, 635. Le Bl. Concord. Libert. par. 1. Theſ. 55, &c. p. 454. as before, c. 5. §. 1.
3. The Decree of God giving futurition to ſin neceſſitates men to ſin.
4. The exiſtence of ſin is from Reprobation as the proper cauſe thereof.
5. God impelled and neceſſiated Adam to fal, Baron. Metaphyſ. 150, 151.
6. Gods efficacious Decree to permit ſin makes him the Author of ſin.
7. God wils and decrees ſin as ſin, yea ſimply wils and intendes the damnation of Sinners.
8. Gods abſolute Decree of Reprobation impels men to ſin.
9. In acts intrinſecally evil the vitioſitie cannot be ſeparated from the entitative act conſidered in its individual nature.
10. Predeterminative concurſe brings men under a fatal and Hobbian neceſſitie of ſinning.
11. In acts intrinſecally evil God predetermines the wil to the act as ſinfully relating to its object, Strangius, pag. 206, 234, 240, &c.
12. Gods predetermining the wil to the material entitative act of ſin makes him the cauſe of ſin, Strang. pag. 341, 342. Baron. Metaph. 150, 151.
13. The Sinner doth not determine himſelf to any ſinful act any other way than God, Strang. pag. 242, 243.
14. God doth more than temt men to ſin, in that he predetermines the wil thereto, Strang. pag. 269.
15. Predeterminative concurſe to the entitative act of ſin maketh God to afford as much influence and concurrence to the worſt of actions as to the beſt, Strang. pag. 277.
16. God doth not only permit ſin, but approve of it, yea take complacence in it.
17. Predetermination to the natural entitative act of ſin, deſtroys the libertie of the wil, introduceth a fatal neceſſitie, and makes the mater of al Gods Laws to Adam and his poſteritie, a natural, ſimple, and abſolute impoſſibilitie, Strang. 567. Bar. Metaph. 150.
18. Gods predetermination to the entivative act of ſin is irreconcileable with his wiſdome and ſinceritie in prohibiting and puniſhing ſin, Baron. Metaphyſ. pag. 151.
19. God, in puniſhing ſin by efficacious dereliction or leaving men to ſin, becomes guilty of ſin.
20. God wils ſin and approves of it as a means naturally and morally conducing to his glorie.
21. That Gods predeterminative Concurſe to the ſubſtrate mater of ſin makes him not really to intend what he pretends to by al his invitations, promiſſes, comminations, and exbortations to repent:
22. God takes not only phyſic complacence in the entitative act, but moral complacence in ſin, by predetermining the wil to the entitative act thereof.
§. 2. Having given the proper Hypotheſes of the Predeterminants,The Antitheſes of the New Methodiſts and Antipredeterminants, with their conſiquents. with the falſe Hypotheſes and conſequences impoſed on them by their Adverſaries, we now procede to lay down the proper Antitheſes of the Antipredeterminants, and more particularly of the New Methodiſts, and the dangerous conſequences which naturally reſult therefrom.
The Antitheſes of the New Methodiſts and Antipredeterminants.
1. THE Futurition of althings is not from the Divine wil and decree, Strang. 628, 631.
2. The futurition of althings is not ſimple, but complexe, Strang. 640.
3. The futurition of althings is not eternal.
4. The ſame particular cauſe that gives exiſtence to any thing gives futurition to it.
5. The futurition of the entitative act of ſin is not from the wil of God, but the wil of man, Strang. 585, 628, 631, 632. Le Blanc, 454.
6. Whatever God wils he approves: or complacence is eſſential to al acts of Gods wil, Strang. 546, 548.
7. God decrees not the entitative act unto which ſin is intrinſecally appendent, Strang. 562, 587.
8. There is a twofold Decree in God, one abſolute, the other reſpective, conditionate, and conſequent, Strang. 546.
9. Al Gods Decrees are not particular, but ſome general only, Strang. 558.
10. Reprobation is not abſolute, but conditional, dependent on the previſion of mens actual ſins.
11. Gods preſcience of mens ſins is conditional, and dependent on mens free-wil, not on the Decree of God, Strang. 642, 647.
12. Gods permiſſion of ſin is only privative and inefficacious, Baron. Metaphyſ. 157, 158.
13. God wils only his own permiſſion of ſin, not the exiſtence of ſin by his permiſſion, Arminius.
14. There is a twofold Concurſe of God, the one predeterminative, the other only general.
15. It doth not belong to the perfection of Gods Providence abſolutely to predefine and predetermine al free acts of the human wil, Baron. Metaphyſ. 147. Strang. 568, 584.
16. Al poſitive real Beings and acts are not from God as the firſt cauſe of Nature, Strang. 584, 630.
17. God predetermines to what is good, but not to the material entitative act of that which is intrinſecally evil.
18. What is predetermined is naturally and ſimply impoſſible.
19. Man in his lapſed ſtate has a moral power to cloſe with Divine exhortations and offers.
20. Unregenerate men may prepare themſelves for the entertainment of Grace.
21. To predetermine the wil to the entitative act of ſin is to impel men to ſin.
22. Divine predetermination to the entitative act of ſin puts an end to human libertie.
23. Some human acts are indifferent in individu…, and ſo neither good nor evil.
24. Some human acts are ſo intrinſecally evil, that the vitioſitie cannot be ſeparated from the entitative act.
The dangerous Conſequents of thoſe Antitheſes.
1. NOthing is certainly and infiallibly future.
2. Complexe Propoſitions are in order of Nature before their ſimple termes.
3. God did not from al Eternitie foreſee althings future.
4. Nothing is future before it is exiſtent, at leaſt in its particular cauſes.
5. The futurition of ſinful acts is a mere contingence to God.
6. There is in God a velleitie, or imperfect conditional volition which never takes effect.
7. There is ſomething in Nature which was never decreed by the God of Nature.
8. God hath a general antecedent conditional love and deſire of the Salvation of al men.
9. Some Decrees of God may be fruſtrated and never come to paſſe.
10. The reaſon why God hated Eſau and loved Jacob muſt not be reſolved into the … or good pleaſure of God, but into his preſcience of Eſau's actual and final diſobedience and Jacobs obedience.
11. There is Scientia media, or middle Science in God, dependent on mans ambulatory wil, and ſo only conjectural and uncertain.
12. God as an idle Spectator looks on the wicked world, but doth not, neither can omnipotently rule, diſpoſe and order their ſinful acts for his glorie.
13. When it's ſaid, that God wils the permiſſion of ſin, it muſt be underſtood only of the effect.
14. Al Divine Concurſe is not particular, total, immediate and efficacious.
15. The creature is in ſome natural acts independent and the firſt cauſe of its own acts: or, the ſecond cauſe can act without being applied and actuated by the first cauſe.
16. God can make a creature, which by having its capacitie preſerved and made habile, can of itſelf act without immediate efficacious concurſe, Baron. 131.
17. Supernatural good is from God, but not al natural good.
18. Efficacious grace in Converſion deſtroyeth human libertie.
19. Gods efficacious Concurſe is in the power of mens natural free wil, either to uſe or refuſe the ſame.
20. God vouchſafeth to al men ſufficient grace, which if wel improved, he wil reward with efficacious grace, Strang. 229.
21. Al Predetermination impels the wil, and acts it as a mere Machine.
22. There is a twofold libertie, one eſſential to the wil, but leſſe proper, the other accidental, conſiſting in indifference, which is moſt proper.
23. Alhuman acts ought not to be performed for Gods glorie.
24. The vitioſitie of ſin is eſſential to ſome human natural acts, as natural.
We do not produce the conſequents here drawen from the Antitheſes of Antipredeterminants, as their proper ſentiments, at leaſt not of al that eſpouſe thoſe Antitheſes, but only as ſuch as may be naturally and logically deduced from their Antitheſes, albeit they do not formally aſſent to al of them.
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End of the text · Theophilus Gale, The Court of the Gentiles Part 4:2 (1678)