Mal.;.6. Vindicated of Gods Unchangeableneffe. CA P. i[. 4s 22. F,lian, ofthe LoveofGod to the fallenAngell!, whileft they ftóod in their o- 45 bedience.Their Obedienceno doubt (if any they a&wallyyeilded)fell under = the Approbation ofGod; but that it was the purpofe and intention ofGod, to continue and preferve them in that Obedience, cannot be afierted with- out afcribing tohim mire palpable mutability; then can fall upon a wife and knowingman. Thirdly the Difcourfe ofthis setïion bath a contribution offtrength, filch as it is,froma fquaring of theLove of God, unto the fweet nature andLoving difpoftionofmen, which is perhaps no leffegrofieAnthropomorphifine, then they were guiltyofwho affigned him a Body and Countenance like to ours; And upon thefe three(tilts, whereofthe fiat iscalled Petitio Principii, the fe- cond Ignoratio Elenchi, and"the thirdFallacia noncarafe pro caufä,is this Dif- courfe advanced. I fhall not needto tranfcribe, and follow the Progreffe ofthis Argumen- 4. sz' tation: the Obfervation ofthe Fallacies before mentioned , will helpe the meanefteapacity tounravel/ the SophJryof the whole ; The clofe only ofit may feeme to deferve more particular confederation: fothen it prooceedeth. The Vnchangeablenefe a/fumed by God himfelfe, unto himfelfe, in the worke in hand, I ant the Lord I changenot, is, Iconceive, that which isfound in him in refpefi ofhis Decrees;'the reafon is, becaufe it is affignedby him as the reafon why they were not utterly defiroyed: Iam the Lord, I change not; thereforeyee Sonnes of7acob are notconfumed; In the beginning Ofthe Chapter,hediddeclare unto them his purpofe and Decreeoffending his only begotten Sonne, whom he there callsthe Meffenger ofthe Covenant unto them.He predieleth, y. The happy fruitor confequenceofthat his fending, in reference to their Nationand Pofterity.To theYnc angeableneffe ofthis hisDecree he afignes the Patience, which hehad for a longtime exercifed towards them under their great and continued provocations;whereby he implyes, that i f hecouldhavebeen turnedout ofthe way of his Decree concerning thefending ofhis Sonne unto them in theirPoflerity, they wouldhave done it by the greatneffe oftheir fines;but in fo much asthis his De.. cree, or himfelfe in this his Decree,was Vnchangeable,andit muff have beenchan ged, in cafe they hadbeen alldeflroyed(For the Decreewasfor thefending to their Nation,andPolrerity) hence,faithhe,it comes topaffe, that thoughyourfins other- wife abundantly have defined it,ÿet Ihavefparedyou from a total/ ruine,'there- fore in thefe two 14Scripture Arguments, there is everywhit as much, or rather more againff,then for the commonDotîrineofPerfeverance. That theVnchangeableneffe of God, which is mentioned in this Text, hath An f. Relation tothe Decrees of God, is granted; whatever then God Purpofeth orDecreeth , is put upon acertainty ofAccomplifliment, upon the áccount ofhis Unchangeableneffe: There maybe forceufehereafter madeofthis con- cefiìon, where(I fuppofe) the Evafions that will be ufed about the objetfs ofthofe Decrees, & their Conditionality,will fcarce wave theforceofour Ar- guing from it. For the prefent, though I willingly imbrace the Affertion,yet I cannot afTent tothe Analyfis ofthat place ofScripture,which is introduced as the Reafon ofit. Thedefigneofthe Lordin that place, hash beenebefore con fidered: That theÇonfolation here intended, is only this, that whereas God purpofed to fend the Lord Chrift to theNationoftheJewes, which he would certainly fulfill and accoenplifh, and therefore didnot, norcould not utterly deftroy them, will fcarcely be evinced to the Judgement ofany one, who íhall confider the bufineffe inhand with fo much libertyof Spirit, as tocaft an eye upon theScripture it felfe: That after the rehearfall of the great Pro- mife offending his Sonne intothe flefh to that People,he diftinguifheth them into his Chofen ones,andthofe rejel ed ;his Remnant, and the xefufe of the G 3 Nation 1
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