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44
ephefians,Chap.i.
V
E
R.
4.
in
this
fink
:
God
confidered not there,
fuchand
fuch, whenhe
eleéted
them to
falvation,
as
they are, when now they
are faved,
ergo, his
Exe-
cution
differenh
from
his
Decree
:
Whereas
they lhould
reafon
;
Thofe
whom God neither fore
-faw fuch
when
ele
ied
them,nor
predeftinated
to make fuch
as
now they are when they are
faved thofe are faved
otherwife
then
God
decreed, for the decree
of
God
is as
well
of
the
means,
as
of
the end.
1
To
the fecond, I anfwer
;
The
firft
part
is
falle, and
the
reafon
of
it
is,
viZ; thatmercy
and juftice can doe nothing
where
it
feeth
not
fin
and
mifery
; for mercy may work where there
is
poffibility
of
mifery, cy-
ther by preventing
the
entrance, or by decreeing
to
fave and deliver
from that mifery, which by
permiffion !hall befall
the
creature;
and
though revenging
juftice
cannot
by
way
of
execution; yet I
fee
not,
why
God
may
not out
of
love,
to the
glory of
his
juftice,pafle
by forre,
intending
to
glorifie
himfelf
in
theirjuft punifhment; for what lhow
of
injuftice
is
in
this act
of
God moft
juft,
I
intend
to
be glorious
in
the
juft
punifhment
of
fuch and fuch
r
It
is
one
thing
to
make
a
juft
intendment,
another
thing to
make an unjuft execution.
It
is
anfwered
to
the fecond
part; that
Election
is
out
of
grace,z
Tim.
r.Paal
faith
byonefrpborue,The
Lord/hery him
mercy
in that
day.
In divers
refpeâs the
fame
thing
called
by
different names.
And whereas it
is Paid,
that
rejection
or reprobati-
on,
is
an
ad
of
juftice ; it
is
denied,
feting
it
is
an
at
of
Gods dominion,
liberty, or holy felf-love, whereby he loveth the glory
of
his Office
in
the
manifeftation
ofit,
rather then
a
formall
actof
juftice
her
fell;
as
likewife,
the permitting the fall,
was
not
an
aetformally frommercy or
juftice, but
by
wifdome
and
providence, making way,
that both
mercy
and juftice
might
exercife
their proper works about the creature.
3.
The
firft
part
is
not
true,
look
as
God may
call
the
things
that
are
not,
and love
Tome
things
poffible
before other,
fo
farre
as
to
give
them be-
ing,not other:
So he may
elector reject,
even a
creature,
as
it
is
but
poffible in his
fight.
4
I anfwer ;
It
is
as
much abfurdity,
as
to
fet
down the
end
with
my
felfe, before
I
confider
the
meane
which leadeth unto
it
;
or to
ap-
point
the
end
why
he maketh
his
creature, before he
go about to
make.
The
fecond part
of
the
fifr
argument
is
denied
;
that which
is
free
in
the
firft rife,is
free,though it be now
neceffarily
performed
:
God
giveth
a
true perfevering beleever life, and
that
neceffarily,
for
he cannot de-
ny himfelfe, and
yet
he
doth
it freely,
in
regard he
paffed his promife
freely.
6.
The
firft
part
is
falle,
viz.
That
he who cannotexecute worfe on the
creature then annihilation, cannot
fo difpofe
of
ir,
that
worfe will at
length befall the
creature then annihilation
;
For Gods
making the
creature
doth
give him
right, not
only to annihilate
it,but to
ufe
itto
the
utmoft, that
lawfullymay be
to
his
glory.
Now
to
paffe
by
a
creature
in regard
ofgrace
no wayes due
to
ir, and
to
decree
the glory
of
his ju-
4ice,
in
the juft deferved punifhment
of
it, hath
no appearance
of
injufice.
The