I$ A DISPLAY Of judgments : (a) yet there is no kind of noceffity, but that he may as welt omit as do irz which is all one as it they fhould fay, our tongues are our own, we ought to fpeak, who is Lord over us ? We will vindicate our felves into a liberty of doing what, and how we will, tho' for it we raft God out of his throne, and indeedif we mark it, we {hall find them undermining, and pulling down the a&cal providence of God, at the root and feveral branches thereof. , For, [i.] For his confervation or fuftaining- of all things, they affirm (b)- it tobe very likely, that there is nothing but a negative a51 of his mill, whereby he march or determinerh not to deffroy things by him created; and when we produce places of feripture, which affirm that it is an a£t of his power, they fay, they are foolifhly cited. So that truly let the fcripture fay what it will, in their conceit, God doth no more fuftain and uphold all his creatures, than I do a houtè, when I do not fet it on fire, or a worm, when I do not tread upon it. [z.] For God's concurring with inferiour caufes in all their eels and working, they affirm it to be only (e) a general influence alike upon all, and every one, which they may ufe, or not ufe at their pleafure ; and in the ufe, determine it to this or that effe&, be it good or bad, fo Corvinos,, as it feems beft unto them : in a word, to the will of man, (d) it is nothing bat what faders it to play its owns part freely according to its inclination, as they jointly fpeak in their confef- fion ; obferve alfo, that they account this influence of his providence, not tobe into the agent, the will of man, whereby that fhould be helped or enabled to do any thing, (oh that would fees' to grant a f - fufficiency) (r) but only-into the a& it felf for its prods&ion, as if I fhould help a man to lift a logg, it comes perhaps unto him fo much the lighter, but he is not made one jot the ftronger, which takes off the proper work of providence, confifting in an internal affiftance. [3.] For God's determining, or circumfcribing the will of man to do this or that in particular, they abfolutely explode it as a thingdefiruaive to heir -. .adored liber- ty : (f) It is' no way eonfiflent with it,. fay they in their apology fo alfo (g) Ar- minius, The providence of God doth not drtermine the. will of man to one part of the cær- tradiífion e that is, God bath not determined that yen shall, nor doth lay any means over-rule your wills, to do this thing rather than that, to do this, or to omit it; fo that the fum of their endeavour, is to prove, that the will of Mail is fo abfo- lately free, independent, and uncontroulabie, that .God doth not, nay, with all his power, cannot determine it, certainly and infallibly to the performance ofThis or that-particular. anion, thereby to accomplifh his own purpofes, to attain his own ends. Truly, it feems to me the molt unfortunate attempt that ever chriftisns lighted ón, which, if it fhould get fuccefs anfwerable to the grea*,nefs of the un- dertaking, the providenceof God in mens efleene, would be almoft thruft quire out of the world, tsnte molis erat; the 'new goddefs contingency could not be ereaed, until the God of heaven was utterly defpoiled of his dominion over the foes- of men, andin the room thereofa home-bred idol of felf-.fufficiency fat up, and the world perfivaded toavorlhip it. But that the building climb no higher, let all men obferve how the word of God overthrows this Babylonian tower. r.) Then, in innumerable places it is pats&sal, that Isis providence doth not on- lÿ bear rule in the counfels of men, and their moft ferret refolutions, whence the prophet inferreth, that he knoweth that the way ofman is not ira himfeif, that it is not in; man that watketh to direll bis stays, Jerem x. a3 And Solomon, that a man's heart devileth his way, but. the Lord direffeth his Jfep , Prov. xvi 9. .David elks-bav r.g laid this ground, That the Lord bringeth the coon el f the .heathen to niugbi, ,and makerb she devices of the people to be of none effiif, but his own cormfel abidetb for pever, and the (a) In arbitrio creature femper eft vet influera in aftas', velAnflevom foam ilia Os dis e, tars f t alder influere, Cows -ad Mai , cap 3. fat. 15. (1,3 .j C III an ailos Meru, volontaris negativus, quo Veit res oatas noli defír e e ants n 1 lie pofterms non fine magna veri fpecie atñrmator .: locus adIfs 3. inepteaffilocitur, apok. eau. 6. fed C. fol. 68. o. (c) Curandum dili@enter, et flea quid= nnieerlàlis, hcmini were salnculà- ts influxes in atlas tribuatur, quo univerfalemDai iniluxnm, ad partieularem edam detenninet, Cor- o. adMob. cap. 3. f a. 5 (d) Ita concurris bens in agendd cum hominis volnháflte, ocdieinus pro genio fuo agere & libere f as parses ours font, Rem. eonfcf. cap. 6. fed. 3. (e) in ipfum aft n non in v lantatem, Armin. Ántip. lit p pm. (f) Determining cum lilertace vera null° moda coddler, pooch, Rem. appol. cap. 7. fol. 32. (g) Providencia divina- non deter- suing voluntatem liberam act unam contradihioais vet cootrarietatis parteny. A¿rr{!a Arrk. pz p ^ee rhaughs
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