ßílnd the Sub-operations of Man's 1/Vill.. motion, by ConTenting : But God by adjuvant grace effeoteth, that itfrecly and infallibly content. Anfw. It's true ofall that do content: But God bath a degree ofex-. citing and adjuvant grace, which are Neceffary and give the,poffe velle; Which caufe not the ad, throughmans, defefl : And thoughGod expec not that éffeót, as one that is deceived , yet he commandeth it, and re- quireth it of us. But exciting and adjuvant Grace are all one on Gods part : And if you will difference the fame things as connoting divers effects, you mutt denominate it more fitly from the effe&s, by words that notifie the difference. I X. Adjuvant Grace andFree-mill are not Partial Caufes of fespernd- turalConfent, as two drawing a Boat , fo as neither is premoved 6y the other, or maketh it co-operate with it. Anfw. True For God premoveth the will of man, though through mans fault it be not ever effeEtual. And thoughGods will and mans be twoCaufes of the fame effeEt, the term Partial is fcarce fit, whileman bath hiswhole power and aftivity fromGod. X. Scientia media is not to be afcribed to God, But all prefcience of the future cooperation of the will, even from the forcfaid Hypothefis, prefuppofeth in figno rationis the free decree of Gods will, by which abfo- lutely (or granting thatHypothefis) hewill in us and with us effet that operation ifGood, and permit it if Evil. Anfw. Here come in your prefumptions of things unknown or falfe. Vii. That God knoweth future contingents, and conditionals is certain: But I think this fcientia media unfitly named, and an unneceffary diftributi- on, and infufficient to the7efuits ends. a. And your fiction of fgna rations , and the neceffary antece- deuce of a decree of Gods, to his knowledge of every Volition of man, is a more ungrounded and perillous figment, which you have not proved. It feemeth a denyal of Gods omnifcience or perfection, that he cannot know an at future as future, but only as decreed to be fo. 3. You deceitfully talk of permitting evil while you plead for their- refiftible predetermining remotion of the will by God to every evil at with all its circumftances : Is that but Permitting? 4. To permit is Nothing: no at ofGod ; but anon-agency: not to hinder. And how proveyou, that Godmuff ofneceffity have a Pofitive Decree, for every Nothing or non-agency? Is not the not-willing or not- decreeing to hinder á lye, e.g. (fuppofing natural concurfe,) or to make more worlds, enough to the production of that lye by an ill inclined na- ture ? or to the not-being of more Worlds r We are in the dark, and God is infinitely above us, and there tremendous myfleries are not to be fo pre- fumptuoufly handled by unproved affertions. X I. There is on our part no Caufe, Reafon or Condition afgnable,for which Gods fupernatural providence, in comparifon of this or that loath the formal rea[òn ofpredeftination, or retainetb the common reafon of providence : but predeflination is to be reduced into the foie free-will of God. Anfw. Mort of this is about meer words. The word Predefiination connoteth various effe&s and objets .: and fo is called various Ails. There is no efficient Caufe in the Creature of any act ofGod: But there are objets without which Gods Ads have not their fpecial denominati- ons ; and thefe objets are the termini, and called Material Conftitutive caufes of thofe various ads as denominated various, fpecially or numeri- cally : And foGods Decree or will to uftifie andGlorifie man,bath focne- thing
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