So Deur,74 He decreer, on thiscon- dition, though he fetch that neither they can doe it of themlelves,nei- ther is he min- ded toworke it in them : if the fitft,then God were not omnipotent; if the latter,he fhoulddecree £oolithly upon that he law im- poffiblc;if the fecond,it isall one with an abfolute will. Z. AnCwered. Ephefianr,Chap. r. °'VE R. 4 8. Had faith, fanitification, workes, been thecondition on which we were eleded,it is like Saint Paul would have thought on them,Rom. 9.1I. But he findeth no fuch confideration, in which reafonmight fray it felfe, but exclaimeth, o the depth l &c. 9. That which Ifraels election doth typifie, is not an elation on fore - fight,or any worthineffe. But ours is typified by it,ergp, I o. That whichAuflip retracted, as commingneerePelagianpm, is not like to be orthodoxe ; This he did fo. Firft ; The latter arguments perfwade me fully that God doth not elat upon any thing fore-feene in us, which fhould move him to this aétionof elating ofus; Godcannot have fuch a conditional! decree : t will eleii all, if theywill beleeve : For he mutt eitherthinks, they can doe this without him, and thenhe were not anomnipotent, or that he would give themeffeétually to beleeve,and then itis all one withan ab- folute will ; as for example : I will eleét to life fuch as fhall beleeve, I will give thefe beleefe with perfeverance, and will choofe them to life,having thus beleeved; this is all one with this decree we maintain : I choofe thefe to life,anddecree togivethem faith and perfeverance,by which they fhall be brought to life ; they are alike upon the mat- terabfolute; Onely the former maketh God to decree the givingof faith, that he may decree elation : This latter maketh Goddecree the giving faithonely, forobtaining falvation, to which weareelated. Secondly ; I fay, hecan makeus fit to any end hechoofeth us, may choofe us to that end before heorder his meanes to bring us thereunto. drminiuewill firft have him make us fit, and then decree tochoofe us to life; which is to fee the Cart before the Horfe; to predeftinate meanes before theend be agreedon; to fet predeftination before fore- knowledge andelation. Thirdly ; This propofition ; Godhath chofeu its to life, believingand perlevering : This is true in this fenfe, we are chofen to life, to which he will bringus, through beleeving; But if it be referred to the action of choofing5in this fenfe,Goddoth choofe us,when nowhe dothfee us beleeving, that we fhouldhave life ; it is not true, nor agreeing to thofe Scriptures: Godbathchofenus tofalvation,through fanilificatien andbeleefe; God hashordainedus to obtains life, through Iefus Chrifi. Thefe three Conclufions premifed : Wewill anfwer thofe Argu- ments propounded for the contrary, and fo proceed. For the firft; fee that which is before anfwered on thefe words, in Chrifl viz. That God chofe us being in Chrifl vertually, not aiivafy. To the fecond ; Ifeach part be rightly taken,all may be granted, and our caufe nothing hurr. Thole perfons whom Godfavethandadopteth, thus and thus qualified in time, tholehe diddecree, when they were made fesch by forceofhie predeflination, to adopt andfave. This conclufion is true. God did decreeto fave certaine perfons, by working in them effectually faith and perfeverance.But Arminius byde- cree, underftandeth the decree ofele&ion to life, as it is diftinguillied againft
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