The fame farther manife$ed. CaP.111.4:23,114; agreeable to his Holineffe andGoodnefhe,he isable to bringto paffe, and yet 65 not todoe it, but to faile andcome fhort'of his Holy and Gracious intend- ment. 3. Thirdly, the Obedienceofthe Houle ofEli, onwhich the Aceomplifh- 'nientof the pretended Decree is fufpended, was fuch, aseither they were a- ble ofthemfelves toperforme, or they were not ? To fay they were , is to exclude the neceffary Afiìftance of the Grace ofGod , which Mr.Goodwin bathnot in termes declaredhimfelfe todoe, nor are we as yet arrived at that height, though aconfiderable progreffe hath been made. Ifthey were not a- ble to doe it, without the Af iftanceof the Spirit , and Concurrence ofthe Grace ofGod: did the Lordpurpofe to give them that Afíìfiance, working in them both to will,and todoe ofhiowngood pleafure? or did henot? Ifhedid fo purpofe, why did henot doe it? If hedid not purpofe todoe it , to what end did he.Decree, that that fhould come topaffe, which he knew could not come topáfle, without his doing that, which he was relolved never to doe? It is all one, as ifa 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 togive the poore prifoner an hundred pound, fo that he would comeout of prifon to him, and refolve withal! never to bringhim out. 4. Fourthly, God fromEternityforefaro,that the Priefthoodfhouldnot be continued to theHouleofEli:thereforehe did not fromEternity 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 infinitelyWife Creator.Againe, upon whataccount did Gad Fore- fee,that itfhouldnot be fo ?Can the futurition of Contingent Events be re- folved in the Iffue into any thingbut Gods SoveraigneDetermination ?God therefore didnot Determine and Purpofe, that it fhould be fo ; becaufehe Determined, and Purpofed, that it fhould not be fo. Whatfoever hedoth in time,that he purpofed to doe from Eternity ;Now in time he remooved the Priefthood from the HoufeofEli, therfore heEternally Purpofed, and De- termined fo to "do; ; which furely leaves no placefor a contrary Purpofe, and Decree, (not fomuch as Conditionall) that it fhould focontinue for ever. The truth is, the myfteryof this Abomination lyes in thofe things, which lye not in myway now tohandle.A disjuntlive Decree, a middleScience, Creature Dependency are Father, Mother, and Nurfe ofthe Affertionwee oppofe, whofe monftrous Deformity, and defperate Rebellion again!} the ,Proper- tyes ofGod , I may ( the Lord affifting) hereafter more fully Demon- ¡Irate. But you will fay; Both not the Lord planely holdout a Purpofe, and De- ß. 14, cree in thefe words, quid in deed?Didhefay it ? Will you affigneHypocrify tohim, and doubling with the fonnesofmen? I fay then fecondly, that theexpreflìon here tired holds out no intention nor Purpofe ofGod, (as to the Futurition and Event of the thing it lelfe) that the Priefthood fhouldcontinue in the HoufeofEli, but only his Purpofe and Intentionthat Obedience and the Priefthood fhould goe together. There is a Connexionofthings,not an Intendment or Purpofe of Events, in the words intimated. The latter cannot be afcribed to God, without the chargeofas formal! Mutability as thepooreft Creature is liable to. MrGood- win indeed tells yee, Sett. 43. pag. 209. That the Purpofe of God it felfe confidered, as an aEi,or conception ofthe winde of God, dependeth not on any Condition whatfoever, andallGods Purpofes, andDecrees without exception, are infxchrefpe&i abfolute, and independent: How weake and unable this is to K freo
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