Of the Nature, .Knowledge, Will Saone in 1. q.23. a. 3. p. 27c. confefedt that the fence ofall this que- ¡lion is but which way God, who is one pure aft, unbaried about all varieties, is moft conve- niently to be mentioned by us and that Den re- i-eîtu culpa qua futura era[ in reprobis nos abuit alien voluntatio airmal tivum quo voluerit offepec- cata, out illos peccaturos. (Whence it followeth that All futures or ext (tents are MA pofitively willed: Even theformate peccati is quid faturum.) Eut he thinks it moft fit to fay that Godpofitively willed: the permifïioa of fu, 1. Becgnfe it is Good. Anfw. Nothing is neither Good nor bad. 2.Becaufeelfe the diffe- rence between the pre- deftinate and reprobate would not fall under providence. Anfw. As if giving that grace to one whichis notgiven to another, made nodiffe- rence. 3 Becaufe elfe fin would come by chance as to Gods fore- knowledge. Anfw.,,As if nothing would notbeno- thing without a pofitive decree that it ¡hall be nothing? or God could not know a nothing, or a crime, as fuch, fo far as it is quid intelletrui per- feeli,Tmo inttilígibile , without pofnive willing it : Now then knoweth he the formale peccati? ,f Ariftot ad Nichon. ïngueit, Eft hominis mode- sari non mimeos in diffs- tando- ccrtitudincm aut fairititarem explications def¡dorare, quam rei ip(ius de .qua differitur nano patinar. franc ftudiofisin Memoriam revoco,ne quafit nimio argatus in differen- do contra Ecclefin doflri- non de gaufa peccati, e'r cantiugentia. Strtgelius in Melancth.Loc. pag. 297. .inifquo' plus jnftonon fa- pit, ills fapit. eth pofitively allor any non -entityor nonfuturity of meer naturals that are nonfutura.' 26. Therefore we may much lets fay it of his own Natural Impe- ditions, that he pofitively willeth non-impedire ubi non impedit : For he is not to be thought of as a reftrainer ofhimfelf by Law or Pelf-oppoficioá; It is enough to fay thatnon-volt impedire. 27. Much lets may we fay thatpofitively vult non velle-impedire, left vie make another velie neceffary to that Velle, and fo ininfinitum. 28. It is proper to fay that Deus non vult permitterepeccatuni, obi id non permittit ; and that wilt permittere aligeeid indiferens plod per le- gem pofitive permiftum eft guia permio tfla ell quidpoftivum. 29. After the manner of men it may be Paid that confequentially he willeth or decreethaching; when he willeth or decreeth that from which it neceffarily followeth, though it could not be proved that the will of God is direéìly terminated on that confequent thing it felf : And fo is may be faid, that Qì volt auid major, confegeeenter wilt minus illud quad in majore includitur. And fo as when God commandeth duty he loth more thanpolitically permit it, he may be faid eminenter to permit it, and fohemay be faid to will or decree his own permion of it But that is not formaliter -as permion, or a negative non-impedition, but eminenter, becaufehe formally willeth the quidmajor, viz. thecommand. 3©. So God maybe faid eminenter to will his non dare gratiam, aut Gloriam, when he penally as a Judge, denyeth it to a finner. But hero the thing formally willed is a pofitive judicial denyal, rejettion or ex- clufion of the firmer, which the privation followeth. And now for the application of all this to our cafe it may be perceived; i. That theveryControverfie is fuch, as a fober Chriftian fhould beafraid to refolveon either fide. f It is a tremendous thing to poor' finful worms, who know not the nature.of one arenula or pile of grafs, or the foul of an infeót, nor how theperceptions of a poor Bee is ordered in gathering her Honey and Wax, and making her Combes, &c. to determine infolently and contentioufly in what order God conceiveth of things, or .willeth them e which firft and which fecond, and what reafons move him e and for what ufe and end each thing is willed andwhether he have pofitive Voliti- ons of every non -entity that it ¡hall not exift then r .6-c. I am afraid left my very oppofingand rebuking of this prefumption fhouldbe found guilty of bold prophanenefs, while I fo much' meddle with fo unfearchable a thing which Ifhoùld avoid, had not difputers and railing cenfurers made it neceffary. 2. That though whilewe talk togetherfamiliarly and popularly, menmay leave each other to liberty to fay that God Decreeth non entities, or willeth that Infinite f ecies and individual nothings ¡hall never be, yet to make this the matter of a Church-di.Jjiute, and cenfure thofe that fay not as they fay, and calumniate them as favouring fome perillous errour, feemeth to me no better than diabolical. 3. All men that have the brains, hearts and faces of Chxiftians who hold that all thefe diftinétions lignifieno truediverfity in Gods will exparte feti, fhould openly tell the world in thebeginning, middle and end of fuck difputes, that It u but about words that we difpute, even what Logical terms Artifts mull ufe in diftinguifhingof that whichhathno real diverfity f even about the dreadful Malefty of God and what Names to put on his ftmple volition? q. And they fhould well bethink them how far it is fate, to think of that as divers which is not divers; and to multiply conceptions and diftin- Ilions.
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