A44687:65
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…
The reconcilableness of God's prescience of the sins of men with the wisdom and sincerity of his counsels, exhortations, and whatsoever other means he uses to prevent them / in a letter to the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq.The reconcileableness of God's prescience of the sins of men with the wisdom and sincerity of his counsels, exhortations, and whatsoever other means he uses to prevent them / in a letter to the Honorable Robert Boyle Esq.
London: printed for Brabazon Aylmer, 1677
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.
Nor indeed at all necessary; For tho many considerations have been with great subtlety, alleged and urged to this purpose, by former and some Modern Writers, (Which it is besides the design of these Papers severally to discuss) These two, which seem the most importunate and enforcing, will, I conceive, be found of little force; and then the less strength which is in others, will ⟨p. 35⟩be nothing formidable; viz:
Nor indeed at all necessary; For tho many considerations have been with great subtilty, alledg'd and urged to this purpose, by former and some Modern Writers, (Which it is besides the design of these Papers severally to discuss) These two, which seem the most importunate and enforcing, will, I conceive, be found of little force; and then the less strength which is in others, will ⟨p. 35⟩be nothing formidable; viz:
That it necessarily belongs to the Original and Fountain-Being, to be the first Cause of whatsoever Being; And consequently, that what there is of positive Being in any the most wicked action, must principally owe it self to the determinative productive influence of this first and sovereign Cause. Otherwise it would seem there were some Being that were neither Primum, nor a primo.
And again (which we are more concerned to consider, because it more concerns our present subject) that it were otherwise impossible God should foreknow the sinful actions of men (many whereof, as hath been observed, he hath foretold) if their futurition were a mere contingency, ⟨p. 36⟩