The riches of Gods love unto the vessels of mercy, consistent with his absolute…The riches of Gods love unto the vessells of mercy, consistent with his absolute…

3. Nay he doth not so much as answer that one argument, which here is proposed by me. An argument which the School-men use as sufficiently convincing the truth, as Durandus and Ricardus. Yet considering the unreasonable condition of such adversaries, who take no course to convince or confute their opposites, but imperiously to cry them down; I have taken the pains to call to an account both Austin's arguments and others proposed by School-Divines, and to devise with my self what answer might be made unto them, so to perform that for my adversaries, which they show no hart to perform for themselves, and I was borne in hand that such a digression of mine should be extant long ere this.

3. Nay he doth not so much as answer that one argument, which here is proposed by me. An argument which the Scoole-men use as sufficiently convincing the truth, as Durandus and Ricardus. Yet considering the unreasonable condition of such adversaries, who take no course to convince or confute their opposites, but imperiously to cry them down; I have taken the paines to call to an account both Austin's arguments and others proposed by Schoole-Divines, and to devise with my selfe what answer might be made unto them, so to performe that for my adversaries, which they shew no hart to performe for themselves, and I was borne in hand that such a digression of mine should be extant long ere this.

4 Yet by the way I wonder not a little that one thing is pretermitted. For if I mistake not, this very Author is the man that heretofore hath been very full mouthed in censuring, not so much the doctrine it self, as a certain answer I made to an argument brought out of Scripture against it; namely from those words of our Saviour, It had been better for that man if he had never been born. My answer was, that it was spoken according to the judgment of man, though indeed erroneous; and that after this manner phraseologies of Scripture do proceed I there showed. Now this Author hereupon spared not to profess, that if this were true he would turn Atheist. I wished that Friend of mine to whom he spake this, to persuade him the next time he met with him, to enquire and consider well, whether Maldonat the Jesuit doth not embrace the same interpretation. And indeed if such protestations would carry it, this Author would prove a very potent and formidable adversary, I have seen the like under his own hand, namely this, As Plutarch said of the old heathens who sacrificed men that they might pacify their gods: that it had been better with Diagoras to say, There is no god, then to think that God is such a one that delights in the blood of men: And hereupon he adds this Protestation, I protest unto you I think it less dishonourable to the blessed Trinity, to say with the Atheist, there is no god, then to feign such a God, as the decree of Reprobation maintained by the Contraremonstrants maketh him to be. This man I find is resorted unto and consulted with by the Arminians, as if his judgment were an oracle; and I willingly confess he deserves to be in some great place unto them: and no place in my judgment more fit then to be unto the, à protestationibus. Yet I do not prescribe but leave it to their discretion to prefer him as they think good: but how comes it to pass, that here he is silent in reviving the reproaches he cast upon my answer to the Scripture before mentioned? Is it because Maldonat the Jesuit hath been since found by him to embrace the same interpretation? And he is loath to fall so foul in censuring such as he is? Yet here he falls foul on me for professing my approbation, not of School-men but of Austin's discourse. This makes me call to mind what was delivered of him sometimes by a London Minister;