Ephefians,Chap. r. VPR.s. Now Saint Pail doth anfwer this, either by denying that the will of God is unrefifhble, or by denying that the efficacie of Gods will doth reach thus farre, that fome men are in the number of thofe who are reje&ed and hardned, but firft by rebuking the infolencie of this fa&,that a creature fhould expoftulate withhisCreator; fecondly, by (hewing the right ofthe thing, vii. that God mayat his pleafure re- je&and harden force : The firff in the 20. Yerfe. That which thePot may not doe with the Potter,that maiefi not thou doe to God thy Creator. But the Pot may not finde fault with the Potter, for framing it thus or thus, the end ofthe 20. verfe. Thoumaid not finde fault with God,as if he were in fault,by whole irrefiftiblewill thou art in this cafe wherein thou itandeff, rather then thy felfe, who doff fuffer his unavoidable pleafure. Having thus chidden the infolencie of this muttering imputation, he proveth that it is equall God fhould out ofhis meere pleafure (hew mercy to force ofhis creatures, and reje&other force, to induration and punifhment. The right which the Potter bath over his clay, that and much more bath God inhis : for the Potter mutt have his clay madeto his hand ; but God muff create and make the claywhich he will worke with. But the Potter hath the power that he may fever certaine diffin& parcelsofhis clay, out of his meere pleafure to contrary ufes.v.2r. The Potter doth not fever his clay in this manner, ifit (hall all be fit to receiveCome noble forme, I will make it to fuch end, if not,I will turne it otherwife5for then it muff be from the clay, not the Potter ; why this parcel] were a veffell to honourableufe, and that otherwife. The Conclufion followeth, ver.22,23. Ergo, (hall not God have the fame right to appoint force of his creatures to be veffels of dithonour, howbeit he ufeth much patience towards them, that he may the betterdeclare his wrath, and power in them, and his moft glorious mercy towards his chofen The words have aRhetorical) reticency in them, and are thus laid downe. What ifGod, willing to thewhis wrath and power, have borne with much patience a &c. and that he may thew his glorious mercy to- wards the veffelsof mercy. Now fomething mutt beunderftood : Shall his power for this be the leffer a or any plead againft this freedome of God in denyinghis mercy, and reje&ing force, from the greatpatience he ufeth towards theme or wemay conceive it, ifnot preventing this obje&ion, yet laying downe the conclufion with a double reafon, after this fort : IfGod have moft juif ends ofhis glory, and the good of others who are veffels of mercy, and if he execute his decree with muchpatience, and long fufferance, towards the veffels ofwrath ; (hall he
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