The sum of sacred divinity briefly & methodically propoundedThe summe of sacred diuinitie briefly & methodically propounded

Prescience or Foreknowledge is restrained to that part of his Decree, which concerneth those that shall be saved; signifying a Decree with a love and liking, and when you apply it to the persons, is always spoken of the Elect, never of the Reprobate, as Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son, Rom. 11. 2. God hath not rejected his people whom he fore-knew. 1. Peter 1. 2. Fore-known before the foundation of the World. So that where the Apostle, Acts 2. 23. telleth ⟨p. 288⟩the Jews, that by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, they had stain and crucified Christ: then the which there was never a fouler deed, nor more hateful to God, committed upon the Earth, he doth purposely make choice of this word, to show that GOD not only decreed this Action (so foul and detestable in the Jews) which determinate counsel noteth: But howsoever in Judas and the Jews he hated it, yet as it was the means of redeeming of the World, he loved and embraced it: and therefore saith, He was delivered or given up of God unto them in his special grace and goodness. These three words therefore, Purpose, Predestination, and Prescience or Fore-knowledge, are every one more special then other: for Rom. 8. 29. which may seem to make Predestination subordinate to Foreknowledge, speaketh not of Predestination unto life, which in regard of us is the extreme and end; but of Predestination to be adopted in Christ, that is, of Predestination to one subordinate means, as we shall hear anon.

Prescience or Foreknowledge is restrayned to that part of his Decree, which concerneth those that shall bee saued; signifying a Decree with a loue and liking, and when you apply it to the persons, is alwayes spoken of the Elect, neuer of the Reprobate, as Rom. 8. 30. Whom hee did foreknow, he did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne,