The reconcilableness of God's prescience of the sins of men with the wisdom and…The reconcileableness of God's prescience of the sins of men with the wisdom and…

'Tis true that he frequently uses much importunity with men, and enforces his Laws with that earnestness, as if it were his own great interest to have them obeyed; Wherein, having to do with men, he doth like a man, solicitously ⟨p. 91⟩intent upon an end which he cannot be satisfied till he attain. Yet withal, he hath interspersed, every where in his Word, so frequent, God-like Expressions of his own Greatness, All-sufficiency and Independency upon his Creatures, as that if we attend to these his Public declarations, and manifests of himself entirely; So as to compare one thing with another, we shall find the matter not at all dissembled; but might collect this to be the state of things, between him, and us; that he makes no overtures to us, as thinking us considerable, or as if any thing were to accrue to him from us. But that, as he takes pleasure in the diffusion of his own goodness, so it is our interest to behave our selves suitably thereunto, and, according as we comply with it, ⟨p. 90⟩[…] ⟨p. 91⟩[…] ⟨p. 92⟩and continue in it, or do not, so we may expect the delectable communications of it, or taste, otherwise, his just severity. That, therefore, when he exhorts, obtests, entreats, beseeches that we would obey and live; speaks as if he were grieved at our disobedience, and what is like to ensue to us therefrom; These are merciful condescensions, and the efforts of that goodness, which chooseth the fittest ways of moving us, rather than that he is moved himself, by any such Passions, as we are wont to feel in our selves, when are pursuing our own designs. And that he vouchsafeth to speak in such a way as is less suitable to himself, that it may be more suitable to us, and might teach us, while he so far complies with us, how becoming it is that ⟨p. 93⟩we answerably bend our selves to a compliance with him. He speaks, sometimes, as if he did suffer somewhat humane, as an apt means (and which to many proves effectual) to bring us to enjoy, at length, what is truly divine. We may, if we consider, and lay things together, understand these to be gracious insinuations; Whereby, as he hath not left the matter liable to be so mis-understood, as if he were really affected with solicitude, or any perturbation concerning us (which he he hath sufficiently given us to understand his Blessed Nature cannot admit of.)