No wise man governs so his family, no General his Army, no Prince his Subjects, if he be wise, and knowing (as the holy Lord is all-knowing) he taketh no counsel in Arena, but he forecasteth and decreeth things within the compass of power to do, before he doth things, for to will all of hand and of new, without eternal fore-fixing of the will, casts all the contingent acts of men and Angels upon loose uncertainties. 2. Make the only wise God rash and dubious. 3. Puts him to learn by experience new things to day, and to will and decree them fixedly in time, concerning which yesterday and before the world was, he was not fixed in his will to do determinately any thing, for fear of fatal necessity. For 4. God had either fixed a decree concerning all things, as written in a book, before they were, as it is Psal. 139. 16. and of certain persons loved to salvation and healed, Rom. 9. 11. 12. and written in the book of life, Ex. 32. 32. Psal. 69. 28. Rev. 3. 5. Rev. 13. 8. Rev. 17. 8. Rev. 20. 15. Luke 10. 20. and by head and name predestinate to glory, or then the will and decree of God was tottering, dubious and indifferent toward ⟨image 17⟩things and persons;1 if the former be said, the Lord wrote and ordained fixedly all single contingent things and actions to their ends, and he must have foreordained persons to glory, and to free acts of faith and holiness, and to the habit of free actions, for if God fixedly ordained persons to free acts, he must have fixedly ordained these free acts, and so there must be chains of necessity laid on free will and free acts as the Adversaries argue; if the latter be said, the decrees of election and reprobation must be fast and loose, as the free-will of men best pleases: and indeed this Author makes this a third necessity that overturns freedom, for if reprobation (saith he) and the decree of declaring the Lords justice be before sin, then is there a strong and unwarrantable necessity of sinning laid on men and Angels. But Protestant Divines, the soundest of Papists, Augustine, Prosper, Hilarius, Fulgentius, and the soundest Fathers, maintain a decree of passing by of non-election, a purpose of denying such grace to multitudes; as if it had been granted Esau, Ismael, Pharaoh, Cain, should have believed and been saved as well as David and Peter;
No wise man governs so his family, no General his Army, no Prince his Subjects, if he be wise, and knowing (as the holy Lord is alknowing) he taketh no counsel in Arena, but he forecasteth and decreeth things within the compass of power to do, before he doth things, for to will all of hand and of new, without eternal fore-fixing of the will, casts all the contingent acts of men and Angels upon loose uncertainties. 2. Make the only wise God rash and dubious. 3. Puts him to learn by experience new things to day, and to will and decree them fixedly in time, concerning which yesterday and before the world was, he was not fixed in his will to do determinatly any thing, for fear of fatal necessity. For 4. God had either fixed a decree concerning all things, as written in a book, before they were, as it is Psal. 139. 16. and of certain persons loved to salvation and healed, Rom. 9. 11. 12. and written in the book of life, Ex. 32. 32. Psal. 69. 28. Rev. 3. 5. Rev. 13. 8. Rev. 17. 8. Rev. 20. 15. Luke 10. 20. and by head and name predestinate to glory, or then the will and decree of God was tottering, dubious and indifferent toward ⟨image 17⟩things and persons;1 if the former be said, the Lord wrote and ordained fixedly all single contingent things and actions to their ends, and he must have foreordained persons to glory, and to free acts of faith and holiness, and to the habit of free actions, for if God fixedly ordained persons to free acts, he must have fixedly ordained these free acts, and so there must be chains of necessity laid on free will and free acts as the Adversaries argue; if the latter be said, the decrees of election and reprobation must be fast and loose, as the free-will of men best pleases: and indeed this Author makes this a third necessity that overturns freedom, for if reprobation (saith he) and the decree of declaring the Lords justice be before sin, then is there a strong and unwarrantable necessity of sinning laid on men and Angels. But Protestant Divines, the soundest of Papists, Augustine, Prosper, Hilarius, Fulgentius, and the soundest Fathers, maintain a decree of passing by of non-election, a purpose of denying such grace to multitudes; as if it had been granted Esau, Ismael, Pharaoh, Cain, should have believed and been saved as well as David and Peter;
- 1Strangius de voluntate & actio. dei circa peccata, l. 2. c. 9. p. 214. 2, 2. cedit tertia (necessitas) ex eorum sententia, qui dicunt, prius ratione nam Deus decreverit condere, ante & citra peccati eorum praevisionē aut considerationem, Deum ad manifestandam gloriam justitiae & misericordiae craedestinasse ex angelis & hominibus, alios ad faelicitatem aeternam alios autem improbasse aeternis poenis adjudicandos; non potuit fieri ut hoc decretum ex equeretur; ex equitur enim Deus, quicquid decrevit. Non Potuit autem exequi, si nullum fuisset peccatum hominum aut Angelorum omnio enim decreta dei sam• libera, sed ex hypothesi unius decreti fit ut aliud necessario ponendum sit ex vi ergo hujus decreti necesse erat ut homo & angeli aliqui peccarent.Strangius de voluntate & actio. dei circa peccata, l. 2. c. 9. p. 214. 2, 2. cedit tertia (necessitas) ex eorum sententia, qui dicunt, prius ratione nam Deus decreverit condere, ante & citra peccati eorum praevisionē aut considerationem, Deum ad manifestandam gloriam justitiae & misericordiae craedestinasse ex angelis & hominibus, alios ad faelicitatem aeternam alios autem improbasse aeternis poenis adjudicandos; non potuit fieri ut hoc decretum ex equeretur; ex equitur enim Deus, quicquid decrevit. Non Potuit autem exequi, si nullum fuisset peccatum hominum aut Angelorum omnio enim decreta dei sam• libera, sed ex hypothesi unius decreti fit ut aliud necessario ponendum sit ex vi ergo hujus decreti necesse erat ut homo & angeli aliqui peccarent.
