Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

i 22 OftheNature, I(nowledge, Will Ce unpunifhed, he predeftinated fuch to deftruction, becaufe he prepared 'C juft punifhment for them Obferve that God predeftinated CC wicked and ungodly men, to jaft punifhment, not to any unjuft work: CC to the penalty , not to the fault : to the punifbment, not to the " tranfgreffion : to the deftruction which the anger of a juft judge requiteth finners with ; not to that deftru Lion (or death ), by which CC the iniquity of finners provoketh Gods wrath againft them. The "Apoftle calls them veffels ofwrath, not veffels offn. eeCap. 27. The wicked are not predeflinated to the firft death ofthe "foul, but tothe fecond death they are : That which followeth ee the fentence of a juft Judge ; not that which preceded in the evil conce- CC pifcence of the firmer. CIbid., c. 23: It befeemeth believers to confefs that the goodand juft "God, fore-knew indeed that men would fin, ( for all things to come eC are known to him. For they were not future, if they were not inhis ee fore-knowledge:) But not that he predeflinatedany to fin. For if he CC predeftinated man to any fin, he would not punifh man for fin. For "Gods predeftination prepareth for men, either the godly remifüon of ee their fins, or the jùíí punifhment of them. ,God therefore couldnever "predeftinate man to that, which he had refolved both to forbid by, his a precept, and to wafh away by his mercy, and punifh by his juftice. CC God therefore predeftinated to. eternal punifhment, the wicked whohe "'foreknew would perfevere to the death in. fin. Wherein as his före- U knowledge of mans iniquity is not, to be blamed, fo his predeftination '« of juft revenge is to be praiféd : That we may acknowledge, that he "predeftinated not man to any fin, whom he predeftinatedto be punifhed edefervedly for fin. Ce And ad Monis,um-li. i. pig. (edit. Befit.) 6T. reciting Auguft nes CC words he faith [ He taught thatonly pride was the caufe of mans ini- U quity, and that God predeftinated not men to fin, but to damnation.;.. ,ee and that they are not helped by God, the caufe is in themfelves and "not in God.] The fame he reciteth again ex lib. a. Aug. de baptif; CC parvul. [that their wills be not helpt by grace, the caufe is in them- ee feives and not inGod.] The fame he again repeateth pag. 69. 70,75; to72. and [that 4uguftine's mind was that good works God both fore- "knew and predeftinated :--. But evil works, that is, fin, he foreknew "indeed, but did not predeftinate (or decree.) . For there is not Gods "work, but his judgement. Therefore in fin Gods work is not, becaufe ee that fin fhould be donewas not decreed by him: But therefore there is ec hisjudgement, becaufe it is not left unrevenged, that an evil manwork,, K eth without God working.] "And ib. di. t. pag. a 5. [That which is not in his work, never was cc in predeftination. Therefore menare not predeftinated to fin. ] Sop. ap.. ee And p. 3i and forward.. ce Andp. 29._ [No man juftly finneth though God juftly permit hint CC to fin : For e is juftly forfaken of God, who forfaketh God. And u becaufe man forfaking God, finneth, God forfaking man keepeth ju- ftice. ] 664. Iam loth toweary the Reader with more. Should Ido the like by Auguffines words it would be too wearifome. His judgement is the very fame as theirs. Iwill only citeone paffage out of him, about mans Power to believe. TraîE'

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