Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Section 6 – Section 7
SECT. 6.
YEt firſt hee doth no… mock ſuch as doe not through their owne obſtinacie or inability keepe the conditions; Yet firſt, God mocks none in his Word.But moſt certainly if they doe keep and doe that which is required (as once they were able to have obeyed God in hi… hardeſt command, and ſti… ſtand bound ſo to doe) they ſhall undoubtedly bee ſaved; therefore was it ſaid even to Cain: Gen. 4.7.If thou do… well, ſhalt thou not be accepted… Gods promiſes of life are conditionall.
Yea in ſuch command… God doth not delude, bu… reprove and convince ſuch men of unbeleefe, and tha… in his Juſtice.
And ſecondly, His Word and decree are not contrary one to another.neither are …he decree and Word of …od contrary or repugnant …ch to other, but onelyonly …bordinate. God makes …s word ſubſervient to his …ecree, & reveales ſo much … his owne counſell and …rpoſe, and in that man …er as hee pleaſeth, and ſo … may beſt ſerve his owne …ds, which if wee cannot …e by his Word, yet muſt …e not ſearch, much leſſe …arrel, with God therea…ut, or frame his decrees …cording to our own con…its.
God in commanding du…es at mens hands, hath …metimes other ends, then …edience, (though that …ely bee the thing which … are to looke unto, as re…ired of us, in and by his word,) his precepts are alſo ſometimes for tryall, as th… commandement given t… Abraham, Gen. 22.2.of Sacrificing h… Sonne.
Sometimes for Convicti… on, whereby he intends … convince his Creature … diſobedience, yea of i… owne inability, &c. as … bidding Pharaoh, let th… people goe.
Theſe Ends hee keepe ſecret to himſelfe, Exod. 8.1(as the… may reſpect this or th… particular perſon,) an… therefore though his pr… cept ſeeme to croſſe h… ſecret pleaſure & purpo… (which the event decla… at length what it was,) … our ignorāce muſt not cau… us quarrell with God, b… Faith ſhould reconcile th… ſeeming contrarietie.
The like is true in Gods …ormiſes and threats where …he exceptions and Condi…ions are often concealed …nd kept ſecret to God …imſelfe. If God then re…eales part of his will and …onceales part, this is nei…her to contradict himſelfe, …or to deale doubly and …eceitfully with his Crea…ure. He ſpeakes not one …hing and meanes another; …ut ſpeaks that which con…erneth us to take notice …f, & conceales that which …e will doe himſelfe, and which hee hath abſolutely …et downe with himſelfe, …ſpecially concerning the …alvation of thoſe whom … mercy he will ſave, and … time effectually call; and …he juſt deſertion of thoſe …hom hee in juſtice will leave in the maſſe of perdition, See who liſt Dr. Crackanthorpes Sermon of praedeſtination, pag. 15, 16.and therefore not give his grace effectually unto them. I may therefore ſa… the Conditionall part o… Gods will is ſet downe i… his word; But what he hat… ſet downe abſolutely, and whom in particular he wi… ſave, and imprint Faith an… Holineſſe in their heart… he hath reſerved to him ſelfe, (as not being boun… to reveale it till the eve… ſhew it,) onelyonly that there ſuch an abſolute will i… God, is revealed, as we have already ſhewed.
SECT. 7.
SO that now, though … regard of the word a… worke of the miniſter things may goe with … and Ands, and that the conditions in regard of man whoſe actions proceeding …f judgement, and having …heir beginning from with…n his will, are voluntary) …ay, or may not be done or …erformed; Yet as they are Gods workes (though required of us) and effects of …is Election, (who chan…eth without violence our …ills) hee ſpeakes of them without Iffs, and promiſeth …hem abſolutely, yea and …ccordingly worketh and …ffecteth them himſelfe.
And ſo againe things may …emaine in themſelves in…ifferent, to fall out this …ay or that way, notwith…tanding Gods decree or working infallibly this or …hat.
The certainty of Gods decree doth not aboliſh the conſent of mans will, Gods decree doth not take away the conſent & liberty of mans will.bu… rather order it, and mildely incline or draw it forth… mans freedome of will ma… well ſtand, with that neceſſitie which is of infallibility, or of conſequence, and mans actions may bee free, though otherwiſe in reſpect of Gods will they be of unchangeable neceſſity.
Gods decree takes not away all poſſibility to the contrary event, … voluntarii …i…iſcie…e & voluntario committatur, Greg. Armin. lib. 2. diſt. 29. in fine.but onelyonly the contrary event it ſelfe, as his decree before all worlds, that at this timel… ſhould preach in this place on this argument, at this time, did not take from me, ever ſince, all poſſibility of not preaching at this time; (for I might have beene abſent, or otherwiſe determined;) But it tooke from me the actuall not preaching at this time.
I doe this certainly and infallibly, but yet freely; Gods decree takes from me the contrary event; ſo that (in ſenſu compoſito) theſe two cannot ſtand together, God hath decreed that at this moment, I ſhould bee preaching theſe things; and I doe not at this moment, preach theſe things; But (in ſenſu diviſo) theſe two may conſiſt together; God decreed that I ſhould preach theſe things at this moment, and I had power not to preach theſe things at this moment if I had pleaſed.
Now if this ſound harſh to any, Praeſcientia Dei falli non poteſt.let it be conſidered the like inconvenien… would follow upon God bare preſcience, (which none denyes,) and his preſcience may as well hen… be denyed as his praede fi… tions; Seeing Gods preſcience is as infallible as hi… Decree is immutable. And thus much for the firſt conſideration.