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A
p.111,§:21,z2.
Mt
G's
firs
attempt
to
proove
the Decrees
of
God to
62
he
Predeflinates
you
(what that
is
I
know
not)
then
it
is
in
your
power
to
conti-
nue to love
him,
or to
doe
otherwife:
ifye
abide
not,
then
ye
perifi;
if
ye abide,
he
will'call you: and when
he
doth
fo
,
either
ye may
obey
him,
orye
may
not;
i
f
you
doe
not,
all
things
'hall
worktogether
far
your
hurt, and
ye
will
-be
like the Devill
if
you
doe,
then
be
will
jujlifyyou, and
then
if
you
abide with him
,
as
perhaps ye
may;perhapsye may
not,he
willfinally
yuflify you;
and
then
all
f
all
be
well.
This
being
the
fubftance
of
the
Interpretation
of
this place
here
given, let
us
now
confider how 'tis confirmed.
4
2r
That,which
in his
own termes
he undertaketh to Demonftrate,&
to vindi-
cate from
all
Objeftions
in his
enfuing Difcourfe,he thus expreffeth, pag.209.
Sea:
43.
Thefe Decrees
or
purpofed Acts
of
God here
fpecifled, are
to
be
underjiood
in
their
fuccej
zve
dependencies,
with
fetch
a
condition or provifò
ref
ectively,
as
thofe
mentioned;
and
not abfolutely,peremptorily, or
without
Condition.
Anf.
The
impofing
of
Conditions and
Provifoes,
upon
the
Decrees
and
Purpofes
of
Gott,
of
which himfelfe gives
not the
leafs
intimation
,
and
the
fufpending
them,
as
to their
Execution , on thofe conditions
fo
invented and
impofed,
at thefirft
view
refiecîs fo
evidently on the Will,Wifdome, Power,
Pre-
fcience,
and Unchangeableneffe
of
God, who hath
faid,his
Purpofes
'hall
ft
and, and
he
will
doe
all his Pleafùre,efpeciallywhen
the Interruption
of
them
dothfruftratethe
whole defigneand
acne
of
God
in
the mentioning
of
thofe
Decrees and Purpofes
of
hiss that there
will
be need
of
Demonftrations
Written with
the
Beames
of
the
Sunne,
to
inforce men,
tender, and
regardful)
of
theHonour
and Glory
of
God ,
to
clofe
with any in
fuch
an
undertaking;
let
us
then confider
what
is
produced
to
this end,
&
try
if
it
will
hold weight
in
the ballance
ofthe
Sanituary. This,
faith he, appears, Firfr,
r.
By
the like Phrafeor manner
of
expreffion,
frequent in
the Scripture elfe-
where.
I
meane, when
filch
Purpofes
or Decrees
of
God,
the
ref
ective Execution
whereof
arefufpended
upon
fuch and
fach conditions;
are
notwitbflandingJim_
ply
and
pottively,
.without
any
mention
of
Condition,
exprefed
and aferted.
Wherefore
the Lord God
oflfrael
faith;
I
laid
indeedthat thy
Houfe,and
the
Houle
of
thy
Father
fhall'walke before mee,
(meaning
in
the
Office
and Dignity
.
of
the Prie
ïthood)
for
ever.
Butnow
faith
the
Lord, be
itfarre
from me;
I
laid
indeed,
that
is,
I
verily
Purpofed or
Decreed,or
I
Prom/
fed; at
comes
much
to
one;
When God made
the
Pronàife
and
fo
declared his
Prom
i
fe accordingly,
that
Eli
and
his Fathers
houfe'Mould
walke
before
him
for
ever,
he
expreffèd
no
condition,
as'
required
to
the Execution or performance
of
it,
yet
here
it
plainly appears,
that
there
was
a condition underfíood
;
In
the
[line kind
of
Di
alea
Samuel[peaks
to
Saul;
Thou
haft
done foolifhly, thou haft not kept
the Commandement
of
the Lord thy God; for
now the
Lord
had-eftablifhed thy Kingdome upon
If-
rael
for ever;
but
now
thy Kingdome
(hall
not continue:
the
Lord had
of
a
blifhed,
that
is he
verily purpofed, or decreed
to
eflablifh
it
for
ever ,
to
wit,
in
cafe
his pofleriiy
had walked
obediently
with
him.
4.22.
Here we have
the ftrength
(as will be manifeft
in
the
progreffe
of
our
Dif
courfe)
of
what Mr
Goodwin
bath, to
make
good
his
former ftrange
Afferti-,
on;W
hether
it will
amount
to
a
neceffary
proofe
or
no,
may
appeare upon
thefe
enfuing Confiderations.
I. Firfi:
The
Reafon intîmated,beíng taken neither
from
the
Text under
debate,
nor the
Context,
nor
any
other
place, where any concernement
of
the
Doárine
therein contained,
is
touched, or pointed
at,
there
being alto no
Coincidence
of
phrafe
or
expreflion
in
the one
place
and
the
other
here
compared:
I
cannot
but admire
by
what
Rules
of
Interpretation
M.
Goodwin
doth
proceed,
to make one
of
there
places exegetical/
of
the other.
Though
,
this way
of
Arguing
bath
been mainly, and almoft
fòlely infifted
on
of
late,
by