Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

2 A DISPLAY of to have an abfolute independent power in all their anions, fo that the event Iof all things, wherein they have any interefi, might have a confiderable relation to nothing, but.chance, contingency, aod..their own wills.; amol nefarious,_facrilegious attempt. To this end, I. They 'Any the eternity of God's decrees, for thofe being eftablifhed, they fear they Mould be kept within bounds, from doing any thing, but what his coup- fel bath determined ihould be done; if the purpofes of the Grength of brad be eternal, and immutable, their idol freewill muff be limited, their independency pre- judiced; wherefore, they clink rather, to affirm, that his decrees are tempörary and changeable, yea, that he loth change them, according to the feveral mutations he fees in us, which how a wild a conceit it is, how contrary to the pure nature of God, howdeftruaive. to his attributes, I dhall Thew in chap. ii. z. They queffion the prefcience, or fóréknowledge of God. Por if known unto God are all his works from the beginning, ifhe certainly foreknow allthings that (hall bereafte a to pits, it feemsto caftean infallibility of event upon all @áeirttaious, which Nailroaches IN the largeietritery of their new godlefs continge , nay it woud(. quite detihroizee the iqueeo of heaven, and it dnce a kind of litre ty of our doing all, and noiI ing but what God foreknows : now that to de-ay-M.'s pre- feience is defruaivh to the very effence of the deity, and plain atheifm, l&ali be declared ehrt,, . iii. .. , 3. They depofe the all governing providence of this King of nations, denying its euergetical effe£tua_1 power in tur mg the. hearts ,;uling,.the thoughts, Aagermuirag the melts, as d)difpelfmg qre'aionvhf mee, by igrersty g gothms unto it; -.iil t a rai prober xy infjiáence, to be Ii si ed, and ufed, _according to the inclisdtionsfa will of every particular agent : fo making almighty God a deurer that many things iwere otherwife, than they are, and an idle fpeaator of moff things that are done in the world, the falfenefs of which of ertions !hall be proved chap._ ió. 4. They'deny'the irrefGibility and uncontroulable power of GO s will, ing, that oftentimes he ferioufly wineth and intendeth what he cannot accomplifh, and fo is deceived of his aim : nay, whereas he defireth; and really iutendeth tft faVe every man, it is wholly in their own power whether he !hall fave any One or no, otherwife, their idol freewill Mould have but a .poor deity, if God, could how, and when he would crofs and refG him in his dominion: concerning.this fee chap. V. His gradibua irur in csdsm, corrupted. nature is Gill read(, either nefariouflÿ with Adam to attempt to be like God, or to think foolilhly that he is altogether like unto us (a): one of which inconveniences all men run into, who havenot learned to fubmit their frail wills to the almightywill of God, and captivate their under- Gandinga to the obedience of faith. Secondly, The fecond end at which the new doarine of the arminians aimeth, is to clear human nature from the heavy imputation of being info!, corrupted, wife to do evil, but unable to do good, and fo to vindicate. unto themfelves a power and ability of doing all that good, which God can juftly require to be done by them in the Gate wherein they are; of making themfelves differ from others, who will not make fo good ufe of the endowments of their natures, that fo the firft and chiefefs part in thework of their falvation may be afcribed unto themfelves: aproud luciferiau endeavour ! To this end, . a. They deny that doarine of predefination, whereby God is affirmed to have chufen certain men before the foundation ofthe world, that they fhould be holy, . and obtain everlafting life by the merit of Chrill to the praife of his glorious grace ;. any fuch predefination which may be the fountain and caufe of grace or glory, de- termining the perfors- according toGod's good pleafure, on whom they Than be be- llowed : for this doarine would make the fpecial grace of.God to be the foie taufe o` all the good that is iri the eleff, more than the reprobates; would make faith the work and gift of God ; with divers other things which would flew their idol to be nothing, of no value. Wherefore what a corrupt herefy they have f b- Gituted into the place hereof; fee Chap. vi. . They deny. original fin and its demerit, which being rightly underfood, would eafily demonffrate; that notwithfanding all the labour of the fmith, the car- penter, and the painter , yet their idol is of its own nature but anunprofitable block, to Pfal.4 JS. /FyC jg net k i .Ar+J ' h T :le,?' 14,...; 4.6e gat } t' , 'M . í m GIGO yY -4r (C.

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