f 1 Terverancea 213 the Fundansentum caufeth the Relation. Gods Legiflation was a real A&ion : But the Law madedoth not Ac"t, at ally But improperly,morally, or metaphorically is laid to Al, when it doth not 5 what A&ion doth the lign poft perform ? or thepoft and handat a crois way ? or all the Letters i n all your Librarywhich teach you the greateltmyfteries ? none at all? It is you that are A&íve on them. What A&iondomillions of Eggs at the Indies perform every timeyour Hen layeth ? Andyet they then have a newRelation of Similitude. SoGods Law (norMans nei- ther) is not at all changed , while sit inffrumentum morale per modulo fgni fundamenti,it eondemneth the Infidel,and juftifieth the Believer, no more than when it juftifieth him at converfion whom it condemned before. The change is only (really) in the perfon. The fourth Crimination. C. t0 They make Gods Covenant tobe but Conditional, and deny that ab- "folutepromife, Iwillput my fear in their hearts, and theyfball not depart "fromme. B. I find this Controverfie (whether this promife, and that of taking away the hardheart,'&c. was Conditional or Abfolute, to be harder than fometime I thought it had been. And the determining whichof you doth rightlieft expound theScripture is notmy bufinefs. But, r.The Jefaites and Lutherans andmanyArminian confefi, that God bathfore- told that certain Individual perlons (hall perfevere and be infallibly faved. 2. That this predi&ion may well be called a Promife in leveral refpe&s 5i. In that it is de bonafuturo. a. As it is made toChrilt , that he (hall feeof the travail of his Soul, and thatnone (hall takethofe that are givenhim by the Father, outof hishands. 3. As it is madetoMan- kind in general 5 that there (hall be certain (innominate) perlons ófthem infallibly faved. 4. As it was made to the Ifraelites infpecial, thatthere fhould be more Grace given them, fo that they (hould not depart from God to Idolatry at their return from Captivity, as they had done (which is the true meaning, I think, oftheText). But I ask ofyou, 0. r. Doth the promife calledAbfolute (of taking away the heart of (lone, &c.) give any perfon a Right before-hand to the benefit ? C. " Not fuch a Right as that any one can claim it as hisown due, or " know that he is the perfon to whom it belongeth But fuch a right as that " heis really the man towhom it(hall be given: B. So youmay fay ofGods meer fecret Decree,or ofameer Prophecy. 2. What comfort then can any man have by that promife, before it is performed, when heknowethnot that he is one thatit belongs to ? C. "No more than that whichyou faybefore theygrant. 3. Is not thiscited by you of thefame fort? C. "In refpeíl to thefzrfi part it is, [Iwill put myfear into their hearts); "but not as to the fecond part [TheyPallnot departfromme]. For men that "have Gods fear, may know that it belongs to them. B. It is(trange that all the ancient Do&ors and Churches for a thou- fand years, were ignorant of this plain Promife, if it mean that none that have Gods fear (hall depart from him. But ifone fay that it fpeaketh onlyof the yews after the Captivity, not turning from God to Idols 5 andanother fay, that it conjoyneth two diftinét benefits promifed to certain perlons, (whofoever) but doth not make them as receivers of the irfl, tobe formally the Subjeasof the fecond, and fo doth pot promife tó
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