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…

But God's decree, we say, is absolute not conditional, of giving faith. And indeed all his decrees are absolute as touching the act of God willing; as Bradwardine hath demonstrated by clear reason; and Piscator out of the word of God. But the decree of giving faith is not absolute only as touching the act of God decreeing, but as touching the thing decreed. For faith is not given by God to any upon a condition to be performed by man; For if it were, then faith should be given according unto works, that is, grace should be conferred according to mens works. And when I consider this Author's compounding of these terms absolutely, and antecedently, I begin to suspect that like as then a thing comes to pass antecedently, when it comes to pass by an Antecedent decree in this Author's language, (though most absurd.) So in his language, the things are said to come to pass by absolute necessity, when they come to pass by an absolute decree; the decree in his opinion being sufficient to make a thing come to pass necessarily; & an absolute decree to make it come to pass absolutely necessarily. This undoubtedly is his meaning, upon which I am stumbled are I am aware. Now let the sober Reader judge how far these odd conceits are from all sobriety. Did not God decree to make the world, nay did he not absolutely decree this and antecedently, not conditionally and consequently? What therefore will it here-hence follow that the world had it's existence necessarily, and that by the way of absolute necessity? I had thought this had been the peculiar and incommunicable perfection of God himself, namely to exist necessarily, and that in the way of absolute necessity. As for all other things which are but God's creatures, they have only a contingent existence derived originally from the free will of God the Creator. For this I take to be the transcendent perfection of God, To be most necessarily; to work most freely; Necessity and that absolute, being the greatest perfection of being: So that Bradwardine conceives this to be the prime and original perfection of God, esse necessario, to be necessarily. On the other side freedom in the highest kind, is the greatest perfection […] operation; and God alone so works, as without subordination to any superior Agent;

But God's decree, we say, is absolute not conditionall, of giving faith. And indeed all his decrees are absolute as touching the act of God willing; as Bradwardine hath demonstrated by cleare reason; and Piscator out of the word of God. But the decree of giving faith is not absolute only as touching the act of God decreeing, but as touching the thing decreed. For faith is not given by God to any upon a condition to be performed by man; For if it were, then faith should be given according unto workes, that is, grace should be conferred according to mens workes. And when I consider this Authour's compounding of these termes absolutely, and antecedently, I begin to suspect that like as then a thing comes to passe antecedently, when it comes to passe by an Antecedent decree in this Authour's language, (though most absurd.) So in his language, the things are said to come to passe by absolute necessity, when they come to passe by an absolute decree; the decree in his opinion being sufficient to make a thing come to passe necessarily; & an absolute decree to make it come to passe absolutely necessarily. This undoubtedly is his meaning, upō which I am stūbled are I am aware. Now let the sober Reader judge how farre these odde conceits are from all sobriety. Did not God decree to make the world, nay did he not absolutely decree this and antecedently, not conditionally and consequently? What therefore will it here-hence follow that the world had it's existence necessarily, and that by the way of absolute necessity? I had thought this had been the peculiar and incommunicable perfection of God himselfe, namely to exist necessarily, and that in the way of absolute necessity. As for all other things which are but God's creatures, they have only a contingent existence derived originally from the free will of God the Creator. For this I take to be the transcendent perfection of God, To be most necessarily; to worke most freely; Necessity and that absolute, being the greatest perfection of being: So that Bradwardine conceives this to be the prime and originall perfection of God, esse necessario, to be necessarily. On the other side freedome in the highest kind, is the greatest perfection operation; and God alone so workes, as without subordination to any superiour Agent;