146 / 808
Ii4
city/iv.
8phefians,Chap.t,
V
E
x,12,
who
fo
giveth
his
fonne
to
abolifh it, never willed
the
exifting or being
ofit
;
thofe may be fubordeyned one
to the other.
t,Argument 12.
That
which
God willeth for
ends,
that
he
hath
need of.
God isalfufficiet, not
needing any
thing
out
ofhimfelfe,
never
-
theleffe
uppon fuppofition
that God
freely will have Ionic ends, thofe
things
areinfomekinde neceflary,which
his
will guided with wifdome
choofeth, and
his counfell advifeth
as
behoofefull
to
fuch
purpofe;
thus
the being
of
finne
may be
faid
needful',
fo farre
as
it fignifieth
a
matter advifed
by
counfell,
and
chofen by Gods free pleafure,
as fit-
ting
to
fuch ends
which he propounded
:
the
denial!
of
the
wife man
is
refpeélive
to this,that
(inners
think there
is
fuchneed of
their
frn,as may
excufe
them
in
finning
;
as Peter
faith,God
was
not
flacke,as men count
flackneffe,fo he
faith,God
needeth
not
finners
as finfull
menthinke
him
to
need
them.
Argument 13.
It
is
a
circle
which
SaintPaul
is
not
afhamed
of,God
flint
up
all under
finne,
that
hee
might
film
mercy on
all; we
fee
every day he woundeth,
that
he may healeagaine; he bringeth
to the grave, that
he
may
raife up.
Argument
r4.
To
that
in
lames, it
is
true,
firft,
that
God
dothnet tempt
any
man,
fo
as
man
can
excufe
himfelfe; Secondly,
he
tempteth not the
creature
to
that
which
is
finne
unto him,
or
meerely ayming at the fedudtion
of
the
creature;
for this
darkneffe
of
finne
goeth into
light,
this
evill
is
good,
fo farre
as
it
is
an
objeEì,ahout which
his
will may
be occupied;
Nevertheleffe God may
lead
the creature
into
temptation,
fuffering
the
Devil!
to tempt,
and
God
may preferre fuch objeéts to
his
creature,
on
which
he
doth
fee
that
he will finne, and intend
that
he (hall finne
ac-
cordingly
as
he
doth
fee
him
inclined
:
This
is
not
to be
an
author
of
finning
to
his
creature,
but to
detedt unto
good
purpofe,
the
defedfi.
bility
which
he
doth
fee
to
bein
his
creature.
It
is
then
denyed
that
he
who ordaineth that
his
creature
(hall
fall, or willeth
it, becommeth
a
tempter
of
his
creature
to
fall, or
finne againft
him
:
As
God
wil-
led
that
finne fhould
be,
fo
he willed
that
it
fhould be
by
the
will
of
man freely obeying
the
feducing fuggeflion
of
the
Devil',
and per
-
vetting by
accident fuch things
as
fhould have contained him
in due
obedience.
Thus have
I
endeavoured
to
unie
fe
this Gordian knot, which
bath
exercifed
the
wits
of
the learnedfl
Divines that
ever
were.
In
a
point
offo
great
difficulty, Iprefume
not
peremptorily
to
define, but
fubmit
all
that
1
have
conceived
for
the
opening
of
it,
totbe
judgement
of
the Church of
God.
Vanua
13;
Now
followeththeendwhy
we
are
Paid
to have obtained aninheri-
tanceinChrift:ln which
we are
to
confider;Pirft,of
the perfons.Second-
#y,
the
end it felfe.
The
perlons are defcribed from the effet
ì,
their
bops