Of Predeffination. 49 yet fay that God vih'eth it? when his Will is the Rule of Good- nefs ? C. " It is not evil to God, but tóus. E. So Dr. 7wiffe faith : And to be evil tous (evenmans fin ordamna- tion) is not evil to God. And fo God is the great Loverof Sin and Damnation. But why then is he Paid to hate it ? And is it notan Ene- my toGod, and contrary to hisHolinefs? Why did Chrift die for that whichGod fo loved? C. " sin is nothing, and therefore Go l caufeth it not. B. i. Relations and Privations have their Caufes, and fohath Sin. 2. Elfeman cannot be condemned for caufing it. The Synod of Dort andReformed Churches teach no fuch Doctrine But it is fuch as you that tempt the Arminian to revile them, and fay, that youdefcribe God in the fhape of the Devil, and much worfe, as lovingand caufing fluandmifery morethan he : that fo the lòve of God may beextinguilhed. C. " rthinitroemuff leave thefeMyfleries to God. B. But, goodBrother, though I have ftopt your mouth and centTres of your Brethren, in this and fich matters, do you expect that every honett Chriftian mutt be able to difcufs all your Logical Fallacies, or elfe go with youfor unfound andheterodox ? And have you dealt fairly by the Church of God, to borrow from the School-men fuch loares for mensConfciences? And muff every man be perfwaded that God is the greateft lover and wilier from eternityof every wickedAct, that is not able to anfwer your fmoaky SQphifms about futurition and its eternal caufe, with fuch like. I tell you the Serpent bath beguiledus as Eve, and turned men from the fimplicity that is in Chrift. C. " Ipray brieflygive me the fumof whatyou drive at. B. The fum is, That thougheveryParty, and almoft every perfonof eachParty, have odd notions of his own, and peculiar weapons, to wound his Brothers Reputation with, and militate againft Love and Concorli, and manifeft the Pride of his felf-conceited Underftanding5 yet all lober Chriftians,I think,areagreed inall this ControverfieofGods Decrees, in all that is truly neceffary to our brotherly loveand peace. That is, Allgrant that God decreed to do all that hedoth, and togive all the Graceand Mercy whichat any timehe giveth, whether to all or Tome. And that he abfolutely and properly decreed nomore. (But improper- lyhe may be Paid to will an eventin tantum, when he willethonly to do fomuch, or fo much whichnaturally conduceth towards it, though he knowthat it will never come to .pats.) But what it is that Godactually dothor giveth in time is all the eontroverfie, which is to be fpoken of in the third Chapter. And were it not for your tenacioufnefs ofcontenti- ous notions, I needed to havePaid nomore than thefe few words here of Gods Decrees. H The
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