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…

Hence he proceeds to the Sublapsarians also, the whole Synod of Dort (as 'tis supposed) our Britain Divines, and all; for against their way he hath tied himself to bend his reasons, but so, that as the Pope by his grants, doth never bind his own hands, for this Author hath power to untie himself at pleasure, and to fly out against the Supralapsarians also: as Scanderbeg did against the two Persian challengers; but he was put thereunto, because they contrary to the compact, set both at once on him. But this champion like a tall fellow, and of a brave spirit, as if he should not have his hands full of a whole Synod, lets fly at all: They indeed, I mean the Sublapsarians, consider mankind in original sin; this he may well suppose: but he goes farther, and supposeth also, that this sin is made ours only by Gods order and appointment: For so, saith he, they in effect do say.

Hence he proceeds to the Sublapsarians also, the whole Synod of Dort (as 'tis supposed) our Brittain Divines, and all; for against their way he hath tyed himselfe to bend his reasons, but so, that as the Pope by his grants, doth never bind his own hands, for this Author hath power to untye himselfe at pleasure, and to fly out against the Supralapsarians also: as Scanderbeg did against the two Persian challengers; but he was put thereunto, because they contrary to the compact, set both at once on him. But this champion like a tall fellow, and of a brave spirit, as if he should not have his hands full of a whole Synod, lets fly at all: They indeed, I mean the Sublapsarians, consider mankind in originall sinne; this he may well suppose: but he goes farther, and supposeth also, that this sinne is made ours only by Gods order and appoyntment: For so, saith he, they in effect doe say.

1. That God did lay upon every man, a necessity of being borne in Original sin. But in this also he speaks at pleasure, quoting no passage of any Author. God may be said to lay upon man a necessity of eternal condemnation, dying in sin unrepented of: yet no sober man will say, that God is the author of a mans condemnation, by Gods only order and pleasure; For this implies, that there is no meritorious cause of condemnation in man. God (we say) of mere pleasure, bestows the grace of repentance on whom he will; because he finds all equal in natural corruption, and no difference in any, whereby to move God to bestow grace on him rather then on another. The case is not alike when God comes to bestow salvation and inflict damnation; for some he finds dying in sins, others dying in the Lord: yet we deny not but by power absolute, and secluding the determination of his own will, he could annihilate the righteous as well as the wicked. In like sort the whole course of nature depends merely upon the pleasure of God: yet we say it is natural for a Leprous person, to beget a Leprous person: and so as natural it is, for that which is borne of the flesh to be flesh, though each depends upon the constitution of God. For albeit Adam lost the spirit of God by his transgression, and all supernatural graces wherewith he was endued; yet like as God by regeneration, of his mere pleasure restored them afterwards to Adam, and in due time doth restore them to every one of his Elect: so in their very conception, if it pleased God, he could for Christs sake infuse them; notwithstanding the sin of Adam; and consequently it is the free act of God, in refusing after this manner to deal with them. Yet this nothing hinders, but that the propagation of spiritual corruption unto all Adams posterity, may be as natural as the propagation of any hereditary disease from the Father to the child: and over and above, that it is not in the way of mere pleasure, but in the way of justice; for the sin of Adam, which was the sin of our nature, bereaving him of that original righteousness wherein he was reated: and causing all mankind to be, 1. Derived from him, whereas he could have otherwise provided, 2. And that from Adam after his nature was corrupt with sin, whereas he could have derived posterity from him before his fall, had it pleased him.