ARMINIANISM. 9 knowledge (a) differ, in as much as by the pie God knowethwhat it ispollible may come topats ; by the other, only what it is impoffible shouldnot come topals : things are polfible, in regard of God's power, future, in regard of his decree. So, thatif I may fo fey, the meafureof the firfi kind of fcience, is God's omnipotencywhat he can do of the other, his purpofe what certainly he will do, or permit to be done. With this prefcience then, God forefeeth all, and nothing but what he hath decreed fhall come topats. For (b) every thing to be produced next and under him, God hath prepareddivers and leveral kinds of mules, diverflyoperative inproducing their effe&s. I. Some are faid to work neceflarily, the infkitution of their naturebeing to doas they dó, and not otherwife ; fò the fun giveth light, and the areheat. And yet in Tome regard, their effe£ts and produits may be faid tobe contingent, and free, inas , much, as the concurrence of God, the firfk raufe, is ?equired to their operation, who doth all things aloft f},ely, accordingto the counfel of hiswill ; thus the fun flood hill ih the timeof Yews, and the fire burnednot the three children, but ordinarily fuch agents scathingnece tale nutura, their effeGs are faid to beneceffary. a. To fame things God bath fitted free and contingent caufes, which either apply themfelvestooperation in particular, according to ele£ lion, chafing to do this thing, rather than that, as angels and men, in their free and deliberatea£lions, whichthey fo perform, as that they could have not done them : or elfe they produce effeas comic/ mp.Cceeiàc, merely by adcidenr; and the operation of fuch things, we fay tobe cafual, as ifa hatchet falling out ofthe hand ofa man cutting downa tree, should kill another, whom he never faw. Now nothing in either of rhefe s comes topat:, but God hath determined it, ho h for fnattcr, and the masner (e) even fo, as is Agreeable Co their caales ; fomeneceflitrily, fame freely, fobie rifally, orcontingent- ly, yet all fo, ashaving a certain fittaritiou from his decree ; he infallibly tbrefeeth that they (hall fo Come to pals. But yet, that heBoth fo, in refpe£b ofthingsfree, and con- tingent, is much ejueflioned by the arminians in exprefs terms, and deniedby conle- quence, notwithßanding (4) faint Hierome affrrmeth, that fro to do is defbru£tive to the very effence of thedeity. (r.) Theirdolrine ofthe immutabilityOf God's decrees, on whole firmnefs isfound. cd the infallibilityof this prefcience, doth quite overthrowit ; God thus foreknowing only what heháth fo decreed (hall cometo pals ; if that be no firmer fettled, but that itmay, end isoften altered, according to the divers inclinationsof mess wills, which I chewed before they affirm, he can have at'beil but a conjernral fore-knowledge of what is'yet for to come s. not founded on his own unchangeable purpofe ; but upon a griefs, at the free inclination of mess wills. For inftance : (e) God seilleth that all me* Jima befined : this a£t ofhis will, according to the armioian do£lrine, is his conditionatg decree, to face all men ifthey will believe ; well, ainong'thereis Judas, as (f) equal a fharer in the benefit of this decree as Peter ; Gad then will have him tobe faced, and to this end, allowshim all thole means, which are neceffary tobeget faith in him, and areevery wayfufficient to thatpurpofe, and do produce that effe£t inothers : what can God forefee then but that yeedaa, as well as Peter,- will believe ? He iatendethhe should, he háth determined nothing to thecontrary: lethim come then, andaft his ownpart, why? Heproves fo (g)obflinatelymalicious, that. Godwith all his omnipo- testy, as they fpeak, by any way that becomes Trim, tyhich muffnot be by any irrefrftible efficacy, cannot change his obdurate heart. Well then, he determineth according to the exigence of his justice, that he (hall be damned for his"ifnpenitency; and forefeeth that accordingly but now, fuppofe this wretch even at his loll moment, should be- think himfelf and return to the Leed, which in their conceit he may, nótwithflanding (a) ha co dimrt prufcientie intuitions, ab ea, qne approbatidnis eft, quad ilia pretrial, quaderg- nire pollbile elk : hoevero, quad impoffbile eft nonevenire, Fe-rriús. Ortbnd. szbolafl. (,ed p. 23. Ceterum pofterior ìRa fcientia non proprie dicitur a Persia fcientia approbations, ìlla enitn elf, qua Deus diriturvoila qt. amar & approbat ; ab utragae altera difinfla Mat. vii. 23. Rom. xi. z. a rim. ü. 9. Quamvis infinitorum mmmerorunr nullas fit navreras, non tames eft incomprehenfibilis ei, cujus dSientie non eft mmmerus A de civil. Dei lib. 11. cap; 18. (b) Quibufdani effeflibuspreperavir eaufes Meet-relies, ut neceffario even%rent, quibufdam vero oaths contingentes, ut escalecnt cantingenter, fe- cundum canditionem proximarum caufarum, Aguin:.p. p. 23. a. 4. ror. Zancb. de natur. Dei. lib. 1. P. 4. tbef. (a) Res et modos reruns, Aquin. (d) Cui prefeientiaam touts, eufers divin- ,tatem, Hieron. ad. Pelag. lib. 5. (e) Deus it; omnium falutem ex aquo nuit, ut lItam ex a-quo o tea& defrderet, Cor. admeli. cap. 3 a. refl. s. (f) Talioo grade omnibus datur, que fufficiae ad flans generandam. idem. ibid. felt. 15. (a) Percipàciquornudum muliciacompullas, .4e- was I p. E his
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