Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

132 Ofthe 7(ature,l(nowledge, Will will connoteth not falvation it Pelf , but only the faid Capacity a helps. 705. obj. But many fäy,that Predeftinationdoth not neceffìtate the evens; rafn(w. Twiffètold youbefore that we are agreed all in this ; It inferred ä Logical NeceffityConfequentie, though not aphyficalConfequentis: As Bonavent. I. d. 4o. q.2. Ex parte rei evenientcs nullain: ex parte Dei præfcientis aliq'uam ; fcilicet immutabilitatis certitudinem : Yea, as to graceand falvation it is certainly Caufal as they confefs. 706. Obj. Many fay , that a predeftinate perfon may be damned. 4nfw. Even asD'Orbe110 in .61. 40. a. 2. [Ifta propofitio, [Prædefiina- tus potef damnari] eft_Alfa in fenfu tompofto; 6 vexes in fenfudivifo] Fide explicat. It is unchriftian and unmanly to revile men that fay the fame that we do, meerly throughdiftafte,- or becaufe we will not be at the labour to underfland them, 707. Obi. we cannot, be reconciled to them that give fo much to mans free-will. Asf. How much do youmeans It's a dreadful thing to hear fome good men ignorantly blafpheme God , as the chief caufe ofevery ÿillany in the World¡ meerly upon a fa lious prejudice and partial op- pofition to other men, whom they never underftood f Would it pleafe you to hear that God draggeth men into fin as by the hair of the bead, when the Devil himfelf can but allure them I know it would not. Do butmake it plain as dgranted thing, that God doth not will orLove fin, and do more to Caufe ir, than the Devil, or the wickedefllinner himfelf loth, and youcan fcatce tell how to differ from the greater part of the Schoolmen themfelves, or fobér moderate Lutherans that are thought to be diffenters. Let it be the Devilswork, and no goodChriflians, to paint God in the fhape ofthe Father of lies and all iniquity Our God is Holyi and Holinefsbecometh all that draw near hint, and is the mark ofall that Ihall fee his face. Dear Brethren, let not us that daily and juftly con- demn our felvesfoi fin, and take fach odious titles to our (elves; make our felves yet Holier than God, and make God a fargreater Lover and Cadet, of fin -than we are. I will add one defcription of Free-will out of the laft named School. man, D'Orbellis aSeoti I, in2. font. d. 2 5. dub. z. And tell me what the inoft rigid oppofer ofFree-will can defire more. [". ,Whether Free- "will be equally in all that have its .Qnf. Free-will may be compared "r.To that which it is free from, 2. And to that which it is freeto. r. In " the firft fenfe, there is a threefoldLiberty; r. From conftraint, 2. Front "fin, 3.Frommifery. Liberty from fin is not equally in good and bad; " nor in man on earth and in Heaven. As Aug. Enchir. That's the "freeft will, that cannotat all fervefin. AndLiberty frommifery is not «equally inall : But Liberty from conftraint is equally inall, becaufe the "will cannot be forced. Though in God and the bleffed there be a Ne- é' cefíïty ofImmutability, yet not of Co-action. And neceffity of Immu- tability, repugneth not Liberty For thewill is called Free limply, not "becaufe it fo willeth this, as that it can will the contrary: but becaufe "that whatever it willeth, it defireth it by its own Empire ; Becaufe it " fowilleth any thing, that it willeth to will it: And therefore in the act "of willing, it moveth it felf, and ufeth dominion on it felt; And fo far *But it werenot.toifit "it is called Free, though it beimmtitablyordainedto it. * 2. But if free. were immutably ordain- ìc will becompared to that to which it is free, viz. To do right (for as ea and moved to em. ct Anfelm faith,It is a faculty or power to keep rectitude) to it is not "equally in all : For this Power is in God ofHimfelf; and in the Crea- tures receivedfrom God : Andit is more in the confirmedthan-the noncon- ufirmeáy

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