with mens finites. ìanife. ly andfearfully blafpbeme God, in as much as 'he rna- keth bim by affirming that ofhim, to be. the very anthour-of finne. Remigius Archbifhop of that Church, explaining his, Churches opinion in the point of Prefcience and Predef ina. Lion in leaven feverall-rules; in the fifth of thofe rules he hath thefe words to the fame purpofe. God (faith lie) byhis Pre fcience and Predetination hath laid a neceffirie of being wicked uponno man, a For if he haddone this, he fhould Hoc eñ 73 have been the authour of fanness fecif it, loft And thus (inmy judgement) doth it plainly appear that utique;fret by abfolure Reprobation, as it is taught the upper way, God autor ma- is made to be the true caufe of mens finnes.. forum, &c. Many diffin&ions'are brought to free the (o) Supralap farian way from this crimination : all which (me think) are no better then mere delufions of the fimple and incon- federate, and give no true fatisfa,Ldion to the underflan- ding I19 I. Thereis (fay they) a twofold decree: t. anopera- Di,intl. a; tive, by which God pofitively and efficacicufly vvorketh a thing ; z, +a Termiffive, by which he decreeth onely to let it come to paffe.. IfGod fhould work finne by an operative decree, thenhe fhould be the authour of finne; but not if he decree by a permißlve decree to let it come to paffe. And this onely they fay they maintein. a. It is true that God hath decreed to fuffer finne : For 4nfw. otherwife there would be none. Who can bring forth that which God will abfolutely hinder ; He fuff.red Adam to finne, leaving him in the hand ofhis awn counfel, Ecclus t 5. 13. Hefuffered the nations in times paff to walk in their own wayes, Ads 54. 16. And dayly loth he fuffer both good and bad to fall into many finnes. And this hedoth, not becaufe he flandeth in needof finne for the letting forth ofhis glory g for he bath no needofthe finnefull man, Ecclus 15. but partly, becaufe he is fummua provifor, fupreme moderatour of the world, and knoweth how toule that well which is ill done, and to bring goodam of evil ; andefpecially for that realon whichTertullian prtfi'eth, namely, Becaufe man is made byerzzalt. t.r: Gods own gracious conflitution a free creature, undetermi consti, .ysq ned in, his aL ions till he determine himfelf, and therefore cion. maynot behindered from finning by omnipotency, becaufe Godufeth not to repeal his own ordsnanccs. z. It is true allo, that a permifjîve decree is no ca'Jfe of finnea saute it is merely extrinlecall to the firmer, and Ili 4 hath +..
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