Antidote Against Arminianism, Discourse · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the Third Property of the Decree, to wit, It is Abſolute.
THE Third Property of the Divine Decree is, It is Abſolute in reſpect of the Efficient Impulſive Cauſe, which cannot be any Thing Extra Deum, theſe Reaſons evince.
Reaſon 1. If the Divine Decree be Eternal, it muſt be Abſolute, for nothing can be aſſigned before Eternal, to go before it as the Efficient Cauſe of it. There can be no Cauſe of Predeſtination aſſigned Quoad actum praedeſtinantis, for there cannot be a Cauſe of the Will of God Quoad actum volentis, becauſe it is actus prime primus, it is an Immanent Act of the Divine Will, and ſo not only the Cauſe, but alſo the firſt Cauſe of all Created Beings; and therefore cannot (in any good Senſe) be ſaid to depend upon fore-ſeen Tranſient Acts in the Creature, ſo by Conſequence muſt be an Abſolute Act, unleſs we will make Volitiones Dei, &c. the Volitions of God to come behind the Created and Temporary Volitions of Man; which is groſly abſurd: And if thoſe Contingent Acts (of the Creatures believing and perſevering) have a Futurition before God's Decree, it does not only deny God to be the firſt Cauſe of all Things, but it alſo quite diſanuls the Eternity of God's Decree, which was proved to be Eternal in Chap. the 3d.
Reaſon 2. If God be God, if he be an Alnighty, Allwiſe, All-free and an All-diſpoſing God, then his Decree of Election muſt be Abſolute; for a conditional Decree makes a conditional God, and plainly ungods him, y aſcribing ſuch Imperfections to him as are unworthy of his Majeſty, and below his Divine Being. As,
It oppoſes 1ſt. his Omnipotency.Firſt, It oppoſes his Omnipotency: If ſome Conditions be Antecedaneous to the Will of God, then the ſame are Antecedent alſo to the Power of God. This muſt be true, for his Power (as determined by his Will) is the Cauſe of all things; then it was not in God's Power to ſave more than are to be ſaved, or to damn ſewer than are to be damned; if the Decree of God be praedetermined by contingent Acts in Men. If the Actings of Divine Omnipotency depend upon the contingent Actings in the Creature, then God muſt ſay, I will elect all if they will believe; then muſt God think, they can believe without him, and ſo he is not Omnipotent. Is it not ſafer to ſay, that God will give us this Faith, that brings us from the Conditional to the Abſolute Decree? Beſides, the former Hypotheſis puts a Lye upon Chriſt (who was Truth it ſelf) both in ſaying, that he could of very Stones raiſe up Children unto Abraham, and that he could ſend for Legions of Angels to deliver him from his Enemies.
2dly. It oppoſes his Wiſdom.Secondly, It takes away the Glory of Divine Wiſdom, in ordering all Occurrences of things, for if Peter muſt be willing to believe before God's Decree concerning Peter, then Divine Wiſdom doth not (at all) determine about the Order of things, but Order is abs que primo ordinante, and that which happens to Day might have happened Yeſterday: And the Maſter of the Aſſe might not have ſent his Aſſe to Chriſt upon that ſame Day, when that Prophecy of Chriſt's riding on an Aſſe to Jeruſalem (Zech. 9.9.) was to be fulfilled: Yea, and Man might have fall'n before the Angels, and many ſuch Occurrences might have happen'd otherwiſe in the World, whatever the Wiſdom of God hath determin'd to the contrary.
3dly. It oppoſes his Freedom.Thirdly, It takes away the Glory of God's Abſolute Liberty, of his Arbitarineſs and Independency: For if Peter's Believing and Judas's not Believing, muſt be antecedent to the Decree of God concerning them, then God hath not an Abſolute Dominion over his own Creatures; but Peter and Judas make themſelves the formal Object of Election and Non-Election, and the Rotter hath not an Arbitrary Freedom, to make this Lump of Clay a Veſſel of Honour, and that a Veſſel of Diſhonour according to his Pleaſure; but this Difference ariſes more from the Quality of the Clay, then from the Will of the Potter; and God's Will (herein) muſt have Dependency on the Will of Man for its Determinations, which plainly overthrows the Independency of God.
4ly. It oppoſes his Providence.Fourthly, It takes away the Glory of his All-diſpoſing Providence: If his Decree be not Abſolute, how can God (otherwiſe) be ſaid wholly to diſpoſe of Lots, Prov. 16.38. that are caſt into the Lap? Shall we ſay, that the Lot of the Apoſtleſhip fell to Matthias by chance, and that it was not abſolutely ordained and ordered by the Lord, Acts 1.26. to whom the Apoſtles prayed, v. 24. and not to Dame Fortune? Thus the Lord found out Acban to be Iſrael's Curſe, and Saul to be Iſrael's King, by his whole Diſpoſing of Lots in the Lap: Thus God is ſaid to deliver the Man into the Hands of the Hewer of Wood, to be ſlain by the Head flying from the Helve upon his Head, Deut. 19.5. with Exod. 21.13. Homo proponit & Deus diſponit, Man purpoſeth but God diſpoſeth; becauſe God by an Abſolute Decree hath fore-ordained all things that do come to paſs: They do not fall out caſually, and beyond God's Intention; thus it is ſaid, It behooved Chriſt to ſuffer, Luke 24.44,46. and to thoſe things we are appointed, 1 Theſ. 3.3. and Goddeſs Fortune cannot make void the Counſel of God, Iſa. 14.27. & 46.10,11.
Reaſon 3. If the Will of the Potter be an Abſolute Will over his Pots, then much more, is the Will of God an Abſolute Will over Mankind. It is God's own Compariſon, Rom. 9.20. God doth not compare himſelf in his Divine Decree to a Goldſmith. For, 1. A Goldſmith hath coſtly Materials, ſuch as Silver and Gold, which lays ſome Obligations upon him to make Honourable Veſſels. 2. The Goldſmith makes curious Veſſels oft-times for the Pride and Luxury of Men, yea, ſometimes ſuch as are redundant and ſuperfluous; and Mens adoring the Gods of Silver and of Gold in thoſe Honoured Veſſels, doth truly change them into Veſſels of Diſhonour; but God is compared (by himſelf) to a Potter, for, 1. The Materials of a Potter are Vile and Sordid, to wit, Clay. So more anſwering fallen Mankind, out of which God maketh his choice: We are not only Clay, Job 4.19. but ſinful Clay, thro' the Fall. 2. The very Veſſels of Diſhonour which the Potter makes, are for the Neceſſities and Conveniencies of the Houſhold, 2 Tim. 2.20. the great Houſholder muſt have Veſſels of all ſorts, ſome for Inferiour Uſes, as well as others for Honourable Service. 3. The Potter doth not make this Difference among his Pots, from any foreſeen inherent Goodneſs in his Clay (for the whole Lump before him is of an Equal Temper and Quality) but from the pleaſure of his own Will: Thus the Potter's Power over his Materials is clearer from Exception than that of the Goldſmith, ſo more illuſtrates the Abſoluteneſs of God's will in this choice both of Veſſels of Honour and Veſſels of Diſhonour.
Argum. a Minori, Why.Yet is not the Argument a pari but a Minori; For, 1ſt, The Diſtance 'twixt the Clay and the Potter, is but a finite Diſtance, the Diſtance 'twixt one Creature and another, animate and inanimate; but the Diſtance 'twixt God and Mankind, is Infinite, not only the Natural Diſtance 'twixt God and us as we are Creatures, but alſo the Moral Diſtance 'twixt God and Us as we are Sinners. 2dly. The Potter muſt have his Clay made to his Hand, though he temper it for his Work, when he hath found it out; but the great God creates his own Clay. He created the Earth out of which Man was formed, Gen. 1.1. & 2.7. It follows then, that God hath not only as much more Power over Mankind as the Potter hath over his Pots (which he maketh Baſe or Noble according to his will) but much more for thoſe two Reaſons aforeſaid; if the Potter by an Abſolute Will diſpoſe of his Pots, foreign, much more God.
Conſectaries.1. If this Abſolute Will of God be the Univerſal Cauſe of all things, then no Event can fall beyond or beſides God's Will, and Fortune (in the Senſe of the Gentiles) is but the Devil's Blaſphemous Spitt upon Divine Providence.
2. God's abſolute Will cannot be reſiſted, Rom. 9.19. as he hath willed ſo it ſhall come to paſs, Iſa. 14.24. Pſal. 115.3. Job 42.2. there is no hindering of the Execution of his Will.
3. Then learn we Submiſſion to the Will of God declared, Proud (yet Brittle) Clay will be knocking their ſides againſt the Abſolute Will of God till they break in pieces; ſo did Adonijah, 1 Kings 1.5. with 1 Chron. 22.9. when Solomon muſt rule.