88 / 808
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
with
his
Creator;
fecondly,
by (hewing the right
of
the thing,
vii.
that God may
at
his
pleafure
re-
je
&and harden force
:
The
firff
in
the
20.
Yerfe.
That
which the
Pot
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
of
the
20.
verfe.
Thou
maid
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
of
his
meere pleafure
(hew
mercy to force
of
his
creatures, and reje&
other force, to
induration
and
punifhment.
The
right which the Potter bath
over
his
clay,
that
and much
more bath
God
in
his
:
for the
Potter
mutt
have his clay
madeto
his hand
;
but God
muff create and
make
the
clay
which he
will
worke with.
But
the
Potter hath the power that
he may fever certaine
diffin& parcels
of
his
clay, out
of
his meere pleafure
to
contrary
ufes.v.2r.
The Potter
doth not
fever
his
clay
in this
manner,
if
it
(hall all
be
fit
to
receive
Come
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 honourable
ufe,
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
better
declare
his
wrath,
and
power
in
them,
and
his
moft glorious mercy towards
his
chofen
The
words
have
a
Rhetorical) reticency in
them,
and are thus
laid
downe.
What
if
God,
willing
to
thew
his
wrath
and
power,
have borne
with much patience
a
&c. and
that
he may thew his glorious mercy to-
wards
the
veffels
of
mercy.
Now
fomething mutt beunderftood
:
Shall
his
power
for
this
be the
leffer
a
or
any plead againft this freedome
of
God
in
denying
his
mercy,
and
reje&ing force, from
the great
patience
he ufeth towards
theme
or we
may conceive it,
if
not
preventing this
obje
&ion, yet
laying downe
the
conclufion
with
a
double reafon,
after this fort
:
If
God
have
moft
juif ends
of
his
glory,
and
the good
of
others
who
are
veffels
of
mercy,
and
if
he execute
his
decree
with
much
patience, and long fufferance,
towards the
veffels
of
wrath
; (hall
he