A14095:698
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of…A discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of…
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of D. Jacksons profound discourses, may see the vanity and weakness of them, in sundry passages, and especially so far as they tend to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twice, Doctor of Divinity, as they say, from whom the copy came to the pressA discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of D. Iacksons profound discourses, may see the vanitie and weaknesse of them, in sundry passages, and especially so farre as they tende to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twisse, Doctor of Divinitie, as they say, from whom the copie came to the presse
Amsterdam: printed by the successors of Giles Thorp, 1631
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But now I perceive you desire to gratify God with a commendation of his patience, which that it might seem the more congruous, you pretend that the infiniteness of his wisdom carries him hereunto. And this patience consists in bearing with sinners which as you say, every minute of their lives violently thwart, and cross some particular means, ordained for his glory and their good. Gods patience in forbearing us, and our sins in provoking him are great enough in their proper colours, they need no inconsiderate amplification to bombast them, by saying that every minute of life we violently cross them. For surely either you must suppose man, every minute of his life, to be waking, or else you delivered this as it were slumbering.
But now I perceive you desire to gratify God with a commendation of his patience, which that it might seeme the more congruous, you pretend that the infinitenes of his wisedome carries him herunto. And this patience consists in bearing with sinners which as you say, every minute of theyr lifes violently thwart, and crosse some particular meanes, ordeyned for his glory and theyr good. Gods patience in forbearing us, and our sinnes in provoking him are greate enough in theyr proper colours, they neede no inconsiderate amplification to bombast them, by saying that every minute of life we violently crosse them. For surely eyther you must suppose man, every minute of his life, to be waking, or els you delivered this as it were slumbering.
But to touch upon something more material, I pray remember, that you treat of the wisdom of God, as exercised in intending a right end, and prosecuting a right choice of means for the effecting of it. Now would you be so good as to consider, what is the end that God aims at in this, and particularly whether it be all one, in bearing thus with all, and that of an ambiguous nature, thus, that in case they do at length repent, and turn unto God, he may magnify his mercy in their salvation; if still they stand out, and dye in impenitency he may magnify himself in their just condemnation? And withal I pray consider, whether this be the course of any wisdom finite or infinite, in God, or man to intend ends after this ambiguous manner. I mention no other end of Gods patience, and long suffering, because I know no other end agreeable to your opinion. That which followeth tends rather to the commendation of the goodness of Gods will, then the wisdom of his understanding, & therefore so much the more heterogeneall, and extravagant; as when you say out of the Apostle that He is light and in him is no darkness; and that He distinguisheth the fruits of light from fruits of darkness before they are, even before he gave them possibility of being. An amplification partly idle, partly unsound. For God must either distinguish them before they are, or not at all; For there is no change in his understanding; unsound, in saying