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V

E

R.5.

Rom.

9.cledred.

For the

firft,

it

is

true

that

is

gathered, but not pertinent; for this

example

is

brought to

(hew

that

God

may rejcó

a

perfon

without

in-

juftice, when

he

hath done nothingfor which Gods will

(hould be

moved to

reject him

;

and

it

is

to

be well

noted, that the mindeof God

cannot be

too prone, that

he may make

a

decree to reject

a

perfon

that

followeth

righteoufneffe

in

the Law; for

Pharaoh

cannotbe confidered,

as in

the number

of

thofe

Jewes

who

were zealous

for

the Law.

Befide

that,

it could never feeme

in

appearance unrighteoufneffe,

to

decree

when

a

man

is

now

a

childe

of

death, that if he will not

accept

of

Gods mercy

in

Chrift

his

Sonne, but cleave

to

his

owne righteouf-

neffe,

then

he (hall

be rejected. And for

the

latter Syllogifme, it

is

no new Argument,

as

Arminius

would have

it

;

but

the

conclufion

affirming

from

all

gone before, that it

is

in

Gods liberty

to

Phew

mercy

to tome,

as

to

Jacob,

and

to deny it

to other

fome, and

that,

Ergo,

he

cannot

be unjuft

in

doing that which

he

hath liberty to doe. Againe,

the

firft

part

of

the

Propofttion.doth

fight

with

it

felfe

;

for

he

who

may

thew mercy on

whom he will,

he may

not

make

the creature the

caufe

why

he fhould

thew mercy, for he cannot

(hew

mercy

on any

out

of

his meere

pleafure, and yet (hew mercy on fome

confederation

in

the

creature moving him

to

ir.

Now

from this that here

it

is

faid;Gadmay

Thew

mercy on whom

he

will;

he

gathereth,

that God

may make

a

decree to

(hew

mercy

to

fuch

as

beleeve,

repent,

and perfevere,

&c.

in

fan

tification.

He

who

may thew mercy

to whom he will, he

is

not

reftrained

to

Come

perfons,who

(hall be

of

thisor that

condition,but

is

as free

to

one

as

another.

Now

the grounds

of

this new learning, or old errour, I

know not

which to

call

it,

fay,

that God

cannot choofe

any, but

fuch

whom

he

feeth eligible,as being qualified

with

fuch

condition

as

the

juftice

of

God

admitteth, which

is

the moderarrix of

his

mercy.

He who

can

Phew

mercy where he will,

can

doe

more

then

that

which

may poffibly be

done,

and

yet

not

any receive

mercy.

But fuch

a

decree

as

this might be made, and it

(fill poffible

that

not

one

in all

man-kinde fhouid be partaker

of

mercy.

He

who

fheweth

mercy where

he

will,

is

the

caufe

why

mercy

lighteth

on there particular

men, rather thenothers.

But he

who

can make

a

decree,rhat fuch

as

will beleeve (hall have

mercy,

he

isnot

the

caufe

in

particular

why this

man hath mercy

fhewed to him, rather then another.

His

Conclufion mifconftring

that word

and decree,

is

above refuted,

and bath no concord

with

this objeetion

following, which

is

molt

evi-

dent, after this manner.

If

it be

by

his

meere irrefiftible will

that

men

be

in

the

Rate

of

fuch as

are rejeóted and

hardned, then he hath

no reafon

to blame

them being fo.

But he out

of

his plea

flare,

without

any

thing

in

the creature cau-

fingit,doth

reject fome

from mercy,and harden them

:

Ergo.

H

z

Now

75