Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v2

Of EleGlion. ~ But I add this, I. That God's Decree unto thefe Means fpecified, they mull llo oR 1. cerr••nly prefuppofe the confideration of the Fa!! : For to believe on Chrifl a ~ Redeemer, (!)c. necelfar:ly prefuppofeth it ; and although thefe concern the Execution of God'; Dtcree, whereby to bring men unto that End, yer cer. tainly God decreed them Meons from everlafling , as well as the End. 2. That for God to have Decreed unto Glory without any refpeCl: or conli. deration of the Fall, thus far, even thofe that are of that other Opinion that is, for Election after the fall conGdered, do yet freely and !ranck!y ac: knowledge. . - That mofl Learned, Perfpicuous , and Candid Author, Bilhop Vavenant Prim• r. I" doth acknowledge, That zf by Predeflmatzon rmy do rmderfla•d thf 'D•/iglla– ;;;d:~;n;::~;. tiuu m~to the End, viz. of G~ory, asmany( fays he) of the Ancient Schoo/a 11,,; (ol•~ dt· mm dui. .And by Repro6atto1J 011/;• that 11egatzo~t of that .Art ( 11amdy, a !,t"tio<em. ,d Non-dtr!ion tmto Gtor;•) though I thi11k (fays he)zt I& riot necrJ!ury to fuppof• ''fi'm glonx fin to hti'!Jf bfmjirjl i11 the Perfim or Subjfr! nthfr c!er!ul or repro6ated.-– {,,,:~~~:ri4;~;;: And his anfwer is; Becaufo Sit: (as Jirft fo~·ej"eerJ) M al&ogtthrr impertine~zt tiq•iorib•: tmto either of tbe[f Ar!s: For it u not theground or reajon of Eler!ing or not :::~~~~;;~:~0~ EteCitHg , ( arf n!J confefi) 11or Uit a qu lltftcatlon of the Su6jtff, withottt nrm i•l•m ": whzch thefe .ArfscotJtdnot bef.•J! the(e 'Pn[o11s as appMrs evidently in the ~;:;;·~~ ~'!." c<l{e of .A.•ge!s. Thu<he. Although for his owo O!"inion , he rather inclined " "'"'"de- to thmk that the Scnpture (as Auf!m had done ) feemed rather to place the tendi. p·;to Decrees of the E11d and that to the Mt,ms , both of them upon Man prefup· non ""ff"" 111 pofed as fain and yet (peaks tenderly in it. ;;ldr~:a{u;iJt ' · ··ir pr.r.n}lim, qllia Ptccatlim ai!!llNm DhJ/n~ Eltlli~nis, 'Utl non &ftflionis om11irO imptrtinentC.r[I htzbll. Daveoaat Differr. de: !:· ~eft, p. 1 16o Now I readily grant, that the Decree of End, and that of M eans, were both in Gods mind at once; and in it neither had a Priority or a Po~rriorzty. But flill the Qyeflion will be, whether both thefe Eflates of Man unfaln and fain (though in execution they fucceed one after the other, yet·) lying ahkc level unto the profpeCl:of the Divine Mind and Will of God, he might not have , yea , had not in the decree of the End , or to Glory limply, a refpeCl: unto Man , confidered by him, as unfaln, as the Termimu a quo, or rile in his choofing o! hiq~, as alfo in his denying that Glory to other. And then a– gain, in his decree of the M fans or Way to that Glory,he had not a refpeel: un– to tbat fain Condition of Man. And both thus, th'one and to'ther , and all lying atonce aforehim, whether he did not place and pitch his Decree to the End upon theirmifa!n a11dcrea6teCondition, and make that Eflateor Condition the Termifzus dquo of it, and his Decree to the Means upon his fain Condirion:And this is it that I affirm. 06jert. 1. The Learned Bilhop urgeth, thatpredeflinatio11 ill Scripture k not o11ly to the End, Glory, !Jut atjo f'() the Means; tU Faith &c. which Means ( fays he ) are]itch"'[ttppo[( Mall faln,a11d therefore ElerfJO'n to the E11d doth atjo. .Anfdltr I. For Anfwer, I. I grant that Election to Glory, as the End, cloth not take up the whole of the Act of Election, as the Object of it ; But takes in Election to the Means, that makes up the whole of it: Nor do I find thofe School,Me!l he fpeaksof , that they do not acknowledge EleCl:ion .tb be alfo unto Grace , as the Means. But it no way follows, that becaufe Election to thofe Means do fuppofe Man f-ain, that therefore Election unto Glory alfo lhould necelfarily do the fame for the Grace of God, in his EleCting us unto Glory. Firfl of Man confidered as unfaln might and did defign an ampletion or magnifying of it felf, the more by permitting them to fall into Sin, whom he had ordained to Glory, and fo redeem them and lave them through' fuch Mtmu as are requifite to fave Man fain, and through them to bring them unro Glory. .Anjwer

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