DISPLAY Of themfelves, furely thole decrees of God cannot be eternal, which follow the in order of time, and yet they prefs this efpecially, in refpe£t of human aaions, as á certain unqueßionable verity It is certain thatGod milleth and determineth many things, which he would not, did not fame afi of man'sWill go before it, faith their great Matter (a) Arminiuss The like affirmeth, with a little addition (as fuch men do always profcere in pcjus) his genuine lèholar Nic. (b) Grezidchovius, I fvppofe, faith he that God willeth many things, which he neither would, can j JlCy could will, and purpofe, did not fame di-ion of the creature precede. And here obferve, that in thefe places they fpeak not of God's eternal works, of thofe a£tiohs which outwardly are of him, as inffift- ing of punifhments, bellowingof rewards, and other fuch outward a£is of his pro- vidence, whole admieiftration we confer, to be various, and diverily applied to fe- venal occafrons ; but of the internal purpofes of God's will, his decrees and inten- tions which have no'prelent influence upon, or tefpe£t unto any a£tióa of the crea- ture : yea, they deny, that concerning many things, God hath any determinate re- folution at all, or any purpofe further than a r.atural affeftion towards them : God doth, or amitteth that, towards which, in his own nature, and his proper inclination, he it affected as he fads man to comply, or not to comply, with that order which he bath ap ointed, faith (e) Corvinas: Surely, there men care not what indignities they cart upon the God of heaven, fo they may maintain the pretended endowments of Cher own wills; for fuch an abfólute power do they here alcribe unto them, thatGod himfelf can, not determine of a thing, whereunto, 1s they ftrargely phrafe it, he is well affe£ted before,, by an a£tual concurrence, he is fare of their compliance. ; Now this.imputa- tion, that they are temporary, which they cart upon the decrees of God 'in gene- ral, they preis homeupon that particular, which lies molt in their way, the decree of ele£tion , concerning this, they tell us roundly, that it is falfe that eleftion is con- firmed from eternity, fo the (d) remonfbrants in their apology ; .notwithftanding, that St. Paul tells us, that it is the purpofe of God, Rom. ix. r r. and that we were chafe, before the foundatjan of the world, Ephef..i. 4. neither is itany thing material What the arminiansthere grant, viz. that there is a decree preceding this, which may be-fiid to be from everlafling, for feeing that St. Paul teacheth us, that ele£tion is nothing but God's purpofe of fining us, to affirm that God eternally decreed, that he would elect us, is all one as to fay, that God purpofed, that in time he would purpofe to faveus ; fuchrefolutions may be fit for their own wild heads, but mull not be arcribed to God only wife. z. As they affirm them to be temporary, and to have had a beginning, fo alfa to expire and have an ending; to be fubje& to change and variablenefs ; Ssme alls ofGod's will, do eeafe at a eehain time, faith (o) Epifeerius. What ? doth any thing come into his mind, that changeth his will? Yes, faith (f) As-minites, He would have all men to be faved, but compelled with the ftubbern and incorrigible malice of fame, he roi" have them to coifs it. However this is fóme recompense, denying God a power a. do what he will, then grant him to be contented to do what he may, and not much repine at his hard condition. Certainly, if but for this favour he is a debtor to the arminians, thieves give what they do not take, having robbed God of his power, they will not yet leave him fo much goodnefs, as that he fall not be troubled at it, rho' he be fometimes compelled to what he is very loath to do ; how do they and their fellows the jcluits exclaim upon poor Calvin, for fometimes ufing the harfh word of compulfton, defcribine the effe&ual, power- ful working of the providenceof God in the a£ttons of men, but they can fàften the fame term on the will of God, and no harm done : fore he will one day plead his own caufe againß them; but yet blame them not, f viola:don ft jus, rgnandi ca fa iandum eft. It is to make themfelvcs abfolute, that they thus cart oaf the yoke of the almighty, and that both in things 'Concerning this life and that which is to come, (a) Cermm eft Deum gnedam velle, gas non vellet nil aligua volirio humane antecederet, Armin. '' Antipe.k. p. 211. (b) Multa rennet arbitror Deum vellet qua non vellet, adeogne nec Ole re,'& poftet, nin aliqua aaio creature precederet, adAwrf. p. 24. () Dens tacit id, adquod, on natura lea ac inclination propria eft affefus, prom homo cum ilto ordine, confpirat vet non confpi- tat, Coe. ad Mot. cap. 5. ad fee. (d) F Ifum eft quod cleaato faCta eft ab eterno, new. ape/'D 18. p 19o. ( °) Volitiones aliquot Dei celfant certo q odam tempore, Epifcop. dill, de vol. Dei. Then7. (f) Dens volt owns Salvos fieri, fed compulfus pertinaci & ineorríjbili malicia gown- dam, nuit slam jatluram fasereSalads, Armin. Antip. jal 395. they
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