192 / 808
Epbefians,Chap.r.
V
E
R,Iq,
in
thisfenfe,accidentally, contingency,necefhty,thefe arc modalities
a-
greeing
to
effects, as
effets
are in
order to their
fecond caufes, not
to
God
whomoft certainly, neceftarily,and
wifely
hath willedthem,
Fire
burneth not
neceffarily
to Gods power, who
can at pleafurechange
it,
or
reftraine
the
fecond act
of
it
;
nothing falleth out accidentally,
as
referred to
him
whofe
wife intention
reacheth to
every thing
:
So for
contingency alfo,and
liberty
in
the
fenfe
before
named.Butit
fhal
not be
amiffc
to
fhew fomereafons
why
this
is
to
be rejected.
z.
That
which exempteth
a
creature from being
as an
inftrument
under
the power
of
God,
is
abfurd ;
but
this
doth fo.It
is
proved
thus,
That
which giveth the creature
a
power to doe
as he
will, when
God
bath
done all
he may
unto him,
that doth
make
him no inftrument
fub.
jet
to Gods
power
:
But
this opinion.
doth fay, that when God
bath
done
all he
may,
the
creature
is
free
to doe
as
he will.
Some are not
a-
fhamed
to
fay
that God dothnot worke out
of his omnipotency
in
the
free will
of
the
creature ;
otherfome
are
not
afhamed
to fay, that
even
in workes
of
grace, the
will
is
not
properly rearmed
an inftrumentall
caufe
under
God:fome
deny
the
affainption and
proof ofit,becaufe
this
power
came
fromGod,and
is
fuftained
by
him,
and
hecan
doe what
he
will
in
man.But to this I
fay,
a
thing
communicated &maintained to
tne
byanother,
is
that
it
is:
So this
power though given
and
maintained
by
God, yet
is a
power exemptfo
far,
that
he may
not by
any
power
over-
rule
it5&
though God
can
doe what
he
will, yet
itis
onething
to
be
able
to
doe
a
thing by perfwafion,whichI
may refufe, another thing todoe
it
bypower which
I
cannot
refufe
:
This
latter by
this opinion
is
denyed.
That
which taketh away Gods infallible
prefcience,
is
not to
be
granted; but
to
fay
the
will
ofman
is
free no way determined doth
fo:,
fqr knowledge
is
meafured
by the
thing to be knowne,
and
therefore
.
when the
thing to
be knowne
is
every way
uncertain,
every
where
indetermined, knowledge cannot be certain.
The
fecond part
of
the
reafon
is
denyed ;for
they fay, that God by
a
kind
of
knowledge
Both
fee
what
a
freecreature nowmade will doe,
if
hebe
fet in fuch and
fuch
circumftances.
I
Anfwer, he doth indeed,
becaufe
he doth
fee
how
his
power would determine him
in
fuch and fuch
occafions; but to
make
himfee determination,
whenneither himfelfehath any way
determined
him,when the
circumftances doe it
not,when
nothing in the
free
Crea-
ture
doth
determine
him,
is
to
make
him
fee
that
which neither
is
in the
Creature,nor
in
himfelfe
to
be feen.But let
us aske
this
queftion;
How
doth God
fee
his Creature would worke thus
or
thus, fet
in fuch
and
fuchcircumftances,becaufe it
is
the
nature
of
it to doe
for
whence
doth
he
fee
it
is
the
nature
of
it
fo
to be
carried
!
Herenothing
can
be
anfwe-
red,butbecaufe
his
wifdom & power
the
one
bath
advifed,the other
hath
effetuallywrought that
he
fhould
do fo,or that to
whichhe
concurreth.
a.
In
aword,God
cannot know this or
that
mans converfion
certain
-
ly
from eternity,
but
he muft
fee
it
certaine
in
himfelfe, willing it,
or
in
the
caufes
of
it,
or
he
muft
fee
it from all eternity,
as
being
prefent to
himfelfe
out
of
the caufes; the former
waies, this opinion
denyeth;
the