1 6 Supraldpfári4ns cldrge God intended his mine, he prepared himfor it by his inch/ratio' rt: The fumme of all thefe propofitions is this ; God who from all eternitie appointed many miferable men to endleife and unavoidable torments, decreed for thebringing -about of their intended ruine, that they fhould without remedie live and die in a flare of finne : and what he thus decreed from everlaf}iag , he doth moll powerfully effeft in time , fo go- verning, over-ruling , and working upon the wills of thole reprobates, that they have no libertie or abilitie at all in the iffue of avoiding their finnes; but muft of neceflitie commit them. Thus they teach : And therefore by juft confequence they make God the authour of finne ; as it will plainly ap- pear by thefe following confiderations. I. It is ordinary to impute finne to thofe who have not fo great a hand (H) in the productionof it as bath the Almigh- tie by the grounds of this opinion. For, i. The devil is called a father oflies, John 8. 44. and by the like reafon, ofall other finnes; and therefore he that , conmitteth flue, is laid tobe ofthe devil, and to beachild of the devil, i. John 3. 8, To . and finne is called a work of the devil, which the forme of God appeareth to loofe verf, 8. And why is the devil fo called , but becaufe he doth egge and allure men by inward fuggeflions and outward, temptations to fall into finne? This is all he dothor can do. But God doth muchmore, ifhe neceffitate and by his decree firfi, and next by his powerfull and ferret working in the fouls ofmen, determine their wills irrefifibly to finne. For to determine, is infinitely more then barely to perfwade ; for smuch as finne muft needs follow the determination , but not the per- fwafion of the will. God is therefore a truer caufe of finne (by this doarine) then the devil. z. Wicked men are cfleemed authours of their own ofen- les, becaufe they plot, purpofe, choofe and commit them, and are immediate agents in the afting of them. But God (by this opinion) dothmore : For he (1) over- ruleth the pro. jeas and'purpofes ofvvicked men, and by an uncontrollable motion proceeding from an immutable decree, carrieth all their deliberations , refolutioas, choifes and anions . precifely that very way; fo as they cannot choofe but do 's they do , whatfoever they may think to the contrary. .They have indeed potentiarn in fe liberarn, a power in it Pelf free, to choofe what they refute, or to refutewhat they choofe, to determine theumfelves thisway or that way as liketh them
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