The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

But first, That this depends upon the mere pleasure of God I deny; as if God might have otherwayes disposed it, that no religious worship should be due to him, unless that Thesis I mentioned before be true, That the good pleasure of God is the first Rule of all Righteousness, which some do maintain, and from hence argue, that if the Lord had so pleased, there should have been no worship due to himself from his Creature; the Creature should not have needed to love God above all, to fear him, ⟨image 16⟩trust in him, or serve him any way; pray unto him, &c. only it was his good pleasure to have it so; but this makes all the worship due to the Father depend upon his mere pleasure, and doth not hurt our Cause at all: whether that Thesis be true or no, doth not now concern me.

But first, That this depends upon the meer pleasure of God I deny; as if God might have otherwayes disposed it, that no religious worship should be due to him, unless that Thesis I mentioned before be true, That the good pleasure of God is the first Rule of all Righteousness, which some do maintain, and from hence argue, that if the Lord had so pleased, there should have been no worship due to himself from his Creature; the Creature should not have needed to love God above all, to fear him, ⟨image 16⟩trust in him, or serve him any way; pray unto him, &c. only it was his good pleasure to have it so; but this makes all the worship due to the Father depend upon his meer pleasure, and doth not hurt our Canse at all: whether that Thesis be true or no, doth not now concern me.

Secondly, I answer: Religious worship is not given to him as a Creature, but as he is a Creator, (God over all blessed for ever) for which there are Texts plain enough, would but the Socinians hold to the Rules which they seem to approve of, viz. Non esse recurrendum ad Figuras, donec absurditas Sermonis proprie ita ut sonat intellecti monstretur. If Schmalzius would but hold to what he says. Ludum & jocum e Scripturis facere pronunciat, qui absque necessitate a [Greek or Hebrew] discedunt: Would but the Socinians hold to these Rules, we shall find Christ to be a Creator, not of the new Creature only, but of the Creature; the Scripture cannot speak plainer than it doth as to this Point: