1. It is the gloss of the word and creatures, that in this life we must know God, and so according to the nature of man we ascribe to him understanding and will, removing all the imperfections that we can, because we are capable of no higher positive conceptions of him.
2. And on the same grounds we do, with the scripture, distinguish between the acts of God's will, as diversified from the respects or the objects, though as to God's essence they are all one.
3. And the boldlier, because that when we speak of Christ, we have the more ground for it from his human nature.
4. And thus we say, that the simple complacency, will or love of God is to all that is naturally or morally good, according to the nature and degree of its goodness, and so he hath pleasure in the conversion and salvation of all, which yet will never come to pass.
5. And God, as ruler and law-giver of the ⟨p. 43⟩world, had so far a practical will for their salvation, as to make them a free deed of gift of Christ and life, and an act of oblivion for all their sins, so be it they will not unthankfully reject it, and to command his messengers to offer this gift to all the world, and persuade them to accept. And so he doth all that, as law-giver or promiser, belongs to him to do for their salvation.
6. But yet he resolveth, as law-giver, that they that will not turn shall die; and as judge, when their day of grace is past, he will execute that decree.
7. So that he thus unfeignedly willeth the conversion of those that never will be converted, but not as absolute Lord with the fullest efficacious resolution, nor as a thing which he resolveth shall undoubtedly come to pass, or would engage all in his power to accomplish. It is in the power of a prince to set a guard upon a murderer, to see that he shall not murder and be hanged; but if, upon good reason, he forbear this, and do but send to his subjects, and warn and entreat them not to be murderers, I hope he may well say that he would not have them murder and be hanged; he takes no pleasure in it, but rather that they forbear and live; and if he do no more for some, upon some special reason, he is not bound to do so by all. The king may well say to all murderers and felons in the land, "I have no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would obey my laws and live, but if you will not, I am resolved, for all this, that thou shalt die."
1. It is the gloss of the word and creatures, that in this life we must know God, and so according to the nature of man we ascribe to him understanding and will, removing all the imperfections that we can, because we are capable of no higher positive conceptions of him.
2. And on the same grounds we do, with the scripture, distinguish between the acts of God's will, as diversisfied from the respects or the objects, though as to God's essence they are all one.
3. And the boldlier, because that when we speak of Christ, we have the more ground for it from his human nature.
4. And thus we say, that the simple complacency, will or love of God is to all that is naturally or morally good, according to the nature and degree of its goodness, and so he hath pleasure in the conversion and salvation of all, which yet will never come to pass.
5. And God, as ruler and law-giver of the ⟨p. 43⟩world, had so far a practical will for their salvation, as to make them a free deed of gift of Christ and life, and an act of oblivion for all their sins, so be it they will not unthankfully reject it, and to command his messengers to offer this gift to all the world, and persuade them to accept. And so he doth all that, as law-giver or promiser, belongs to him to do for their salvation.
6. But yet he resolveth, as law-giver, that they that will not turn shall die; and as judge, when their day of grace is past, he will execute that decree.
7. So that he thus unfeignedly willeth the conversion of those that never will be converted, but not as absolute Lord with the fullest efficacious resolution, nor as a thing which he resolveth shall undoubtedly come to pass, or would engage all in his power to accomplish. It is in the power of a prince to set a guard upon a murderer, to see that he shall not murder and be hanged; but if, upon good reason, he forbear this, and do but send to his subjects, and warn and intreat them not to be murderers, I hope he may well say that he would not have them murder and be hanged; he takes no pleasure in it, but rather that they forbear and live; and if he do no more for some, upon some special reason, he is not bound to do so by all. The king may well say to all murderers and felons in the land, "I have no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would obey my laws and live, but if you will not, I am resolved, for all this, that thou shalt die."
