and Decrees ofgod, &c. 99 the particular way of manifefting his Goodnefs, then he doth all things neceffarily, and could do no otherwife, and it feems by you could not manifeft it without fin, ei.. Doth he not manifeft his Goodneff as much to the Innumerable Glorious. Angels, who never finned And would it nothave been as much manifef1edto us if we had been as they ? 5 . The very indetermination of the will, and its mediate Liberty, is not thehigh- eft excellency of his Creatures : It is better than the fenfitive Necefflty of Bruits, and lower than the confirmed Neceflity of the bletled : It is our defecgibility. And the excellenteft or Belt of his works molt honour Gods Goodnefs. 6. Is it not the ftrongeft temptation that men have in this world to doubt of or difhonour the Goodnefs of God, to think how he permitteth the world to be drowned in wickednefs, and be fo like to hell e 7. Doth not Chrift turn the Prayers of all Chriftians against your do- thine, viz. that Gods name may be hallowed, his Kingdom come, and his will done,on earth as it is in Heaven (which is not by any fin t) ß. Do not your words tempt men to be indifferent to fin, if not to love it, if nothing be more conducible to honour Gods Goodnefs ? 9. Is not that conclufion agreat wrong to Chrift, Scripture, Miniftry and .Holinefs, as being no more conducible to manifeft Gods Goodnefs than fin is to: It isnot true that fin is any Caufe, or true Means at all of glorifying God or doing any good. It is but a prefuppofed Evil, by delivering us from which God is glorified. As your eating poyfon may occafion the ho= nour of an Antidote and Phyficion: It is noCaufe or proper medium of it, but only an occafion, and mifchieffine quo non ; But if God had not faved us from fin committed, he could have glorified himfelf in faving us from committing it : God loveth and is glorified most in that which is molt likehim as his Image, which is, the Holieft finlefs foul. To be á medium to Gods glory is to be good : To be as conducible to it asany thing, is to be as good as any thing Cave God and his glory. But fin bath no Good, much lefs fuck good. Why elfe dote not God equally de- light in fin, and in the deathof the wicked, as in holinefs, repentanceand our life e feeing all things are for himfelf; and that which glorifieth him moft,is belt.. t i. Here alto confufion caufethmifchief : one diftiniion might have Icattered thismist, viz. Between fin indeed and finin notion. Sin indeed, or effence and exillence never did good nor honoured God. Si,, in notionor in effe objeÉtivo is no fin, but the Matter of, Vertue and Holinefs, and doth much good. Whenyou fay Godknoweth finfrometer- nity, you'1 fay with Scotus, that in effe cognito fin was in God from Eternity : But fo finis not fin. David faith, My fin is ever before me, Pfal. 5 t. Andwe daily Repent of it, and conferit But this is but to have the Idea or conception of it in the mind, "and fo it is not fin indeed but the notion of it, which is in effe objetiivó. Elfe it would defile us to think of it, and repent of it ; whereas thus fin objeétively is the mat - terof the grace and dutyof Repentance, Hatred, fear, wàtchfulnefs, pray- er, confeion, be. And fo fin in effe objeltivo as a grace may glorifie God. 6ro. ToAquin. that faith Malum non eft appetibile he faith, that Ma- lum morir gasod opponitur bono, eftpro rium uniu(cujufque ; meant matron Bono mea Though the fan of aman willing that which isforbid- den him be his fin, yet it followeeh not that God may not will this Evil of another : The Reafan is, becaure it is not forbidden to God to will ii : wherefore though it be evil and 4ifhoneft in man to will it to whomit is forbidden, yet not to God And feeing that MoralEvilor fin is fumatè conducibile, chiefly or molt conducible to make way to reprefent 0 2 Gods So lob. à Cimbir cbmpend. Theol. 1. 3. c. a. tells us that fin is profitable threewayes, r. at bene ordinatur, ut fur inpali. bulo. 2. Propter eo-albio- nem, Qr amaritudinem. 3. Propter mari eonfidera- times : And many po- pularBooks fay the like: But this is but abuSve language tending ro de- ceive: As if findid good, becaufc punilhing fin , and repenting of ir, and hating it do good : As if hating fin were fin. Tlms unhappily is the world troubled by abated words,
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