3o Chap, 7. ReafonsagainßGods Providence,Anfinered. Introduû. uFtaeffet providentiá, bonis bene effet, mali: male, if therewere any Providence itwould gowell with thegood, and ill with the bad. 2. That although many abufe the gifts of God, yet he giveth them promi1cu oufy. And therefore, if there were a Providence, the ufe of the gift would have been given with it, and no gifts would have beèn given to them,that should abufe them. 3. That the manifold defects, and evil effeets in Moral and Natural things Phew, that if there were a Providence, God would not fuffer fo many in either. r. To the firft, we dttfwer. If a man were abfolutely good, noAdverfiry would be- tide him,and if abfolutely evil, noProfperity: but noman in this life is abfolutely good or evil, but as the belt arenot. without fome evil, fo the worft not without Ionicgood; And therefore it (lands with the juftice ofGod, to punifh that evil which isln the good with temporal punifhments in this life, and to reward the good which is in the wicked, with temporal bletfings : that he may reward the one, and punïth the other, in the other life. Hence it is that Saint Augufline faith;Domine bicfeça bic tare, modo ibi pared, Job r. 9. Lord, cutand burn, afflict me here, fo thou (pare me hereafter. Weknow what the Devil faid toGod, in fobs cafe. Doth fob ferve God for nought ? Therefore God, to [top themouths of the Wicked and Sathan, punifheth the Godly here. And hence it is, that if good men live in profperity, the Devil is ready to obje&, that their ails arc but hypocritical t therefore God to make it appear, that theGodly ferve him not in refpe& oftemporal bleffiings, and that vertue. in them is not mercenary, but free, he oft-times 'ayes áffji{lions on his Children, which they bear willingly. 2. The former aufwer night have ferved to confute this fecond Reafon : for as in onely the firft,if it hadbeen bonis bene, well to thegood, the Devil had well laid, Doth fob ferveGod for nought ? fo in this cafe, If God had given the ufe of the giftswith thegifts themfelves to every one, the Devil would have laid, fob cando noother but ferve God. Hé is not left to his own election, God hath in amanner enforced hint to it and fohis actions are notprai1e-worthy, nor deferveany reward. For what extraordinary matter is it for fire toburn, fince it is its nature andproperty. But when force of the wicked have as excellent gifts bellowedon them,as the godly have, and yet they abufe them : It takes away all cavils, and exceptions from Satan, and maketh much for the commendation of the Godly, and for the jufi reproofand pp. nifhment of the wicked. - 3. Tattle third we fay, that though there be defe&s, and evil effects, yet God is not the caufe of them : he háth no part either in the evil action, or with the evil doer. Omni( affionis imperfeflio, ans a Deo, fed amale febabente infiramento, the im- perfection of every action is not of God, but from the indifpoltionor perverfnefsof the inftrument. Ina Creple the foul is the caufe of motion, and is in no fault, but the diftortion of the body, which isthe inftrument of the foul. So every action is fromGod, but if it have any deformity, it is of the crookednefs of the inftrument. Not God permitteth evil in theft refpeUs. T. Per privationemgratia; by juflly for fin depriving man of his grace, and there- upon followeth a deft& of good : for if there were no defect, his infinite goodnefs couldnot have been fo clearly teen, nor would there have been any variety of good things, but onegood only. z. If there were no defect, there would havebeen no order or degrees in things: 3. Many Vertues would have been fuperfluous, as J uftice, Temperance, tire. 4. Becaufe it is necelfary, that God fhouldbe loved for his All"fufficiency in the higheft degree: and there is nothing that makes us love God more, than for the en. joying of hisbenefits: and his - benefits are never more highly efteemed, than when we want them: for bonumcarendo maingu.rmfruendocernitur,. we oifcern an finde what is good for us, more by being deprived of it, than by enjoying it. So thatwere there no defect, we fhould not be fo fcnfible of the good whichwe want: i. Nor would God ever permit evil, but that thereby he can take occalion by his infinite wifdom and goodnefs, that a greater good mayarife. As we plainly finde, that from the greateft evil that ever was committed (the betraying of our Saviour) God took occafion to draw the greateft benefit that ever betel mortal men, namely, the Re ciemption ofmankind. So much in anfwer to the firft opinion. r. Now
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