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…

1. The first whereof is this. It makes God to punish the righteous with the wicked, as it is taught the Supralapsarian way directly. I confess here is a direct somewhat, but whether a direct truth, or a direct lye, let the indifferent judge. He adventureth the proof of it thus: The Supralapsarians present man in his decree of Reprobation considered without sin: that is true I confess, and it is as true that they present him considered without righteousness also; and for good reason, because Gods decree was eternal, and the creature at that time had no being & to consider a thing that hath no being, as having being, is not so much considerare, to consider, as errare or finger, to err or feign, this I have delivered in my Vindiciae gratiae Dei, and that in the first part of the first book. And this Author pretends he hath read the second, yet he takes no course to refute this or ought else. But let him go on. God (he saith) is made by them to determine the infliction of misery on men without consideration of sin, either Original or actual. First, let it be granted, yet herehence it followeth not, that he is made to be a destroyer of the righteous, or to punish the righteous with the wicked, which was that he affirmed. To determine punishment is one thing, to punish is another thing. Certainly in the opinion of those he speaks of, God punisheth none but the wicked; the very conscience of this Author cannot but convict him of falsehood in this crimination: For certainly by their opinion it doth ⟨p. 151⟩not follow but that every one is found wicked, when God doth punish him. I may as well say in most absolute congruity, that by their opinion, God doth punish men, before they have any being by creation: for such they were indeed, and neither wicked nor righteous, when God passed the decree of reprobation upon them. But neither do these Divines maintain, that God did decree to damn any man but for sin. Nay, I go farther: let the object of reprobation be men not yet created, and so considered, as I have proved it to be so, herehence it no way follows, that the decree of reprobation, is in any moment of reason or nature, before the consideration or citra considerationem peccati: and this also have I proved.

1. The first whereof is this. It makes God to punish the righteous with the wicked, as it is taught the Supralapsarian way directly. I confesse here is a direct somewhat, but whether a direct truth, or a direct lye, let the indifferent judge. He adventureth the proofe of it thus: The Supralapsarians present man in his decree of Reprobation considered without sinne: that is true I confesse, and it is as true that they present him considered without righteousnesse also; and for good reason, because Gods decree was eternall, and the creature at that time had no being & to consider a thing that hath no being, as having being, is not so much considerare, to consider, as errare or fingere, to erre or feign, this I have delivered in my Vindiciae gratiae Dei, and that in the first part of the first book. And this Author pretends he hath read the second, yet he takes no course to refute this or ought else. But let him goe on. God (he saith) is made by them to determine the infliction of misery on men without consideration of sinne, either Originall or actuall. First, let it be granted, yet herehence it followeth not, that he is made to be a destroyer of the righteous, or to punish the righteous with the wicked, which was that he affirmed. To determine punishment is one thing, to punish is another thing. Certainly in the opinion of those he speaks of, God punisheth none but the wicked; the very conscience of this Author cannot but convict him of falshood in this crimination: For certainly by their opinion it doth