3 . Petition. evpun the L urdes Prayer. o a Furthermore, if God be all good, how can hee will the thing that is euill , euery thing willing but that which is agreeable to the nature thereof : This firiueth therefore with his goodneffe. It is contrary alto to his power , for what good that he will, is not heable to bring to paflè without the meanes ofeuill ? and if he be,then needeth not he to will any ewll,to the end to compaffe fome good by it, that otherwife bee could not. It is contrarie CO his mercy which extendeth it felfe vpon them that haue done cuill. It is contrary ro hisiuHice, which unifh_ How contrary y p will u.r is tq ern it in others. And plainly wè,fee then, that the Lord cloth not will any euill. lcudl, W1liclvSamteAullenacknowledged when hce faid, I)ensnon ell author v/Liva res, 9îaa hemp detertor God as neuer author of anything whereby man may be made Tom.4.qua4 the worke :,Now on theother fide , heare againe war is trueth alío. The Lord 2/. deliuereth met vp 'into a reprobate minde, to doethofethings which areiaot Exod.9.7. conucnient the Lord fendeth men thong dclufìons to beleeue lies b)pe Ï ord Rom,r z8. fent a fpirt to- feduce flchab, and put him in the mouth of all degibt'Pro p hers zKhefí.z.rt. with many fuch things tefiificd of the Lord in the word, which in vs were euill, t Ktngs.zz, and femme fo to be in the Lord ado, if our knowledge be not better to diRingui(h zL/x.23. andtocicare him , in whome there can be no vnrighteouiuefle euer. Hcrcvpon fwell the Libertines to lafphemy again(} the. Lord, and cxcufing themfelues, charge hjm with their wicked wales. Hereat alfo Rumble thec.*iamchees, and therefore menade etaoprincipe, twt originals or firfl caufes of aS ions: the one moil good from whence came all goodneffe : the other molt euill from whence came all cull,, and the pu- nifhmentof all euill. And hermit alío flicke many, laying, God fuffereththefe things to be done, but no further. But,I pray you let vs aske them whether God fuffereth them willingly or againft his will: Ifthey fay willingly , then confeffe they that God hath apart in the adiion, and that is more then fuffering : If they fay vnwillingly,then make they him not omnipotent: for,cannothelet any thing that heewillnot ? we know he can, and there is none that can refill his will, faith the Apoftle. Wherefore to helpe this matter, and to anfwere with truth, we muff vnderftand a few things, an 3 I pray you hearken. We muff diflinguifh of finne, Rou,,g.tQ, and wee muff dif ïnguifh ofwill . Sinne bath two difin &ions fit for chispurpofe to be knowne: For either it is confidered limply in it felfe and by it felfe,as a thing Malu1culoe, contrarie tothe law of Goclor it is confidered as a caufe offinne thatwent before. y'ripeccatum The fith G O D neuer willeth , neither can will The fecond fo alfo: But in the vticaufafitb- third refpée4God is laid to will euill, to wit, not as it is euill, but as it is pana per- fuluentu per - cats, the punifhment of cuff). Which indeed is a iuft thing of the Lord. So'doth candi,vtipa- hcepunifhfinne with finne, as in the place before named, he punifhed the Gen- na preceden.. tiles with dcliuery vp to a reprobate minde to worke euill, becaufe when they ris. knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither wire thankfull. The fecond iRom.24.38. eliffintlion is this, in finne and all euill,there is the a Lion and the deformity or vert.7.1.z8. Built, of,and in the a &ion. The firfl God may will, for bee is indeed the very fittl eft ,t1 s efficient caufeofeueryaE fion,accordingtothat fayi:g, In him me hue, moue, and yolunraetan- haue our bcànq:' an d,Deu.r operatur ix omntbas. i Cor. r z-16 . and of him, and f r him,j-c, tum eft boni, omnia. Ram.t r.s6. i ouching the fecond,wee Muff vnderftand, that will is either proper or improper. Proper, when wee will a Thing for it felfe, either as a good vol verà, vet thingindeed, or atleaft lo iudged of vs : improper, when wee will a thing, not Rpparentss. forit felfe asgoodof it Celle ', but for fome other good, that (hall follow it. And ,2rtfl.Etb.3, thus may we wit that thing that is euill,as a man willeth the cutting off forne mem- caP'4 ber, for the fafety ofall the tell : So God willeth end' things, not becaufe hee al- loweth them, or lou eth them, which is properly to ,till, becaufe bee feeth in his mercy,' bee fo difpo ling them, fome good (hall follow ofthem : which as I fay is to will improperly, and herein we fee how Rill the obi ecf of will is good in the L O R D. To apphe then all this to God, fo far as our q ueftion requireth, let vs vndcrftand, that that cuill which is a punilhment ed by G OD for fome 6 former
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