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…

We are, therefore, in assigning the object of this or that act of the Divine Will, to do it entirely, and to take the whole object together, without dividing it, as if the Will of God did wholly terminate upon what indeed is but a part (and especially if that be but a less considerable part) of the thing willed. In the present case, we are not to conceive that God, only, wills either Man's duty or felicity, or that herein his Will doth solely and ultimately terminate. But, in the whole, the determination of God's Will is, That Man shall be duly governed, that is, congruously both to himself, and him. That such and such things, most congruous to both, shall be Man's duty, by his doing whereof, the Dignity and Honour of God's own Government ⟨p. 115⟩might be preserved, which was the thing principally to be designed; and in the first place. And, as what was secondary thereto, that hereby Man's felicity should be provided for. Therefore, it being foreseen a violation would be done to the sacred rights of the Divine Government, by Man's disobedience, it is resolved, they shall be repaired and maintained by other means. So that the Divine Will hath its effect; as to what was its more noble and principal design, the other part failing, only, by his default, whose is the loss.

We are, therefore, in assigning the object of this or that act of the Divine Will, to do it entirely, and to take the whole object together, without dividing it, as if the Will of God did wholly terminate upon what indeed is but a part (and especially if that be but a less considerable part) of the thing willed. In the present case, we are not to conceive that God, only, wills either Man's duty or felicity, or that herein his Will doth solely and ultimately terminate. But, in the whole, the determination of God's Will is, That Man shall be duly governed, that is, congruously both to himself, and him. That such and such things, most congruous to both, shall be Man's duty, by his doing whereof, the Dignity and Honour of God's own Government ⟨p. 115⟩might be preserved, which was the thing principally to be design'd; and in the first place. And, as what was secundary thereto, that hereby Man's felicity should be provided for. Therefore, it being foreseen a violation would be done to the sacred rights of the Divine Government, by Man's disobedience, it is resolved, they shall be repaired and maintained by other means. So that the Divine Will hath its effect; as to what was its more noble and principal design, the other part failing, only, by his default, whose is the loss.