121 / 504
The
fame
farther manife$ed.
C
a
P.111.4:23,114;
agreeable to
his Holineffe
and
Goodnefhe,he
is
able
to bring
to
paffe,
and yet
65
not
to
doe
it,
but to
faile
and
come
fhort'of
his
Holy and Gracious
intend-
ment.
3.
Thirdly,
the Obedience
ofthe
Houle
of
Eli,
on
which
the
Aceomplifh-
'nientof
the pretended Decree
is
fufpended,
was
fuch,
as
either
they were
a-
ble
of
themfelves
to
performe,
or
they were
not
?
To
fay
they were ,
is
to
exclude
the
neceffary Afiìftance
of
the Grace
ofGod
,
which
Mr.
Goodwin
bath
not
in
termes declared
himfelfe
to
doe, nor are
we
as
yet
arrived
at
that
height, though
a
confiderable progreffe
hath
been made.
If
they were
not a-
ble to doe it, without the
Af
iftance
of
the
Spirit
, and Concurrence
of
the
Grace
of
God: did the
Lord
purpofe
to
give
them
that
Afíìfiance, working
in them both
to
will,and
to
doe
of
hi
own
good pleafure?
or did he
not?
If
he
did
fo purpofe, why
did he
not
doe
it?
If
hedid not purpofe
to
doe
it
,
to what
end did he.Decree,
that that
fhould
come
to
paffe,
which he
knew could not
come
to
páfle,
without
his
doing
that,
which he was
relolved never to doe
?
It
is
all
one,
as
if
a
man knew
that
another were
Phut
up
in a prifon
,
from
whence
it
was
impoffible
that
any
body,but
himfelfe,fhould deliver
him;and
fhould Refolve, and Purpofe
to
give
the
poore prifoner an hundred pound,
fo
that
he would come
out
of
prifon
to
him, and
refolve withal! never
to
bring
him
out.
4. Fourthly, God
from
Eternity
fore
faro,that
the Priefthood
fhould
not
be
continued
to
theHoule
of
Eli
:therefore
he did
not
from
Eternity Purpofe
and Decree,
that it
fhould.
To
know that
a
thing
thail
not be, and
to de-
termine
that it
(hall
be
is
a
,éais,
rather
befeeming an halfe
frantik Creature,
then the
infinitely
Wife Creator.Againe, upon whataccount did
Gad
Fore
-
fee,that it
fhould
not be
fo ?
Can
the futurition
of
Contingent Events
be
re-
folved in the
Iffue
into
any
thing
but
Gods Soveraigne
Determination
?
God
therefore did
not Determine and Purpofe,
that
it fhould be
fo
;
becaufe
he
Determined,
and Purpofed,
that
it
fhould
not
be
fo.
Whatfoever he
doth
in
time,that
he purpofed
to
doe from Eternity
;Now
in
time
he remooved
the
Priefthood from
the
Houfe
of
Eli,
therfore
he
Eternally Purpofed, and
De-
termined
fo
to
"do;
;
which furely leaves
no placefor
a
contrary Purpofe, and
Decree,
(not
fo
much as Conditionall)
that it
fhould
fo
continue for ever.
The truth
is,
the
myftery
of
this
Abomination
lyes
in
thofe things,
which lye
not
in
my
way now
to
handle.
A
disjuntlive
Decree, a
middle
Science,
Creature
Dependency
are
Father,
Mother,
and Nurfe
ofthe
Affertion
wee
oppofe,
whofe monftrous
Deformity, and defperate Rebellion
again!}
the
,Proper-
tyes
of
God , I may
(
the Lord affifting) hereafter more
fully
Demon-
¡Irate.
But you will fay; Both
not the Lord
planely hold
out
a Purpofe,
and
De-
ß.
14,
cree in thefe words,
quid
in
deed?
Did
he
fay
it
?
Will
you
affigne
Hypocrify
to
him, and doubling with the
fonnes
of
men?
I
fay
then
fecondly,
that the
expreflìon here
tired
holds
out
no intention
nor Purpofe
of
God, (as
to
the Futurition
and Event
of
the thing
it
lelfe)
that the Priefthood
fhould
continue
in
the
Houfe
of
Eli,
but
only
his
Purpofe
and
Intention
that
Obedience and
the Priefthood
fhould
goe together.
There
is
a Connexion
ofthings,not
an Intendment or
Purpofe
of
Events, in
the
words
intimated.
The latter
cannot be
afcribed
to
God,
without the
charge
of
as
formal! Mutability
as
the
pooreft
Creature
is
liable to.
Mr
Good-
win indeed
tells
yee,
Sett.
43.
pag.
209. That
the
Purpofe
of
God
it
felfe
confidered, as
an
aEi,or conception
of
the winde
of
God, dependeth not
on any
Condition whatfoever,
and
all
Gods
Purpofes,
and
Decrees
without
exception,
are
infxch
refpe&i
abfolute,
and
independent:
How weake and unable this
is
to
K
freo