.ARMINIANISMI. 25 I think, as crows have to the good of their young ones, for that there are in him (a) Much defires as are never fulfilled, becaufe not regulated by wifdom and jufice ; they plainly affirm. For although by his infinite power, perhaps, he might accom- plifh them, yet it would not become him fo to do. Now let any good natured man, who bath been a little troubled for poor 7 pirer in Homer, mourning for the death of his for Sarpedon, which he could not prevent, or hath been grieved for the farrow of a difreffeck father, not able to remove the wickeduefs, æ.d inevitable ruinof an only foul drop one tear for the reftrainedcon- dition of the God of heaven ; who, when he would have all and every man in the world to come to heaven to efcape the torments of hell, and that with a ferious purpofe and intention that it fhall be fo; a vehement affe&ion and fervent natural defire that it should be io, yet being not in himfelf alone able to fave one, mull be forced to lofe his defire, lay down his affelfion, change his purpofe, and fee the greateft part of them to perifh everlafingly : (b) yea, natwirhftandrg that he had pro- vided a Jufcient meant for them all to efcape, with a purpofe and intention that they fhmld fo do. In brief their whole do£frine in this point is laid down by Gorvinte, chap. iii. a- gainf Moulin, and the third fet?ion ; where firf, he alloweth of the difin£tion of the will of God, into that whereby he will have us do fomething, and that where- by he, will do any thing himfelf; the fit is nothing but his law and precepts, 1 which we with him affirm may be laid to be refitted, in as much as it is tranfgref- fed ; the latter, he faith, if it refpea any ad of man's may be confidered as pre- ceding that aft, or following it if preceding it, then it may be reffed, if man will not co-operate. Now tiffs is the will of God, whereby himfelf intendeth to do any thing : the rum of which difin£lion is this, the will of God concerning the fu- ture being of any thing, may be confidered as it goeth before the actual exiftence of the thing it felt and in this regard it maybe hindered or refilled ; but asit is con- fidered to follow any a& of man, it is always Mir-tiled, by which latter member, (riving to mollify the harfhnefs of the former, he runs himfelf into inexplicable nonfenfe, affirming, that, that all of the will of Gad, whereby he intendeth men (hall do any thing, cannot be hindered after they have done it, that is, God bath irrefiffibly purpofed- they fhall. do it, provided .they do it. In his following dif- courfe alfa he plainly grants, that there is no a& of God's will about the falvation of men, that may not be made void and of none effe£t, but only that general de- cree, whereby he hath efablifhed an infeparable connexion between faith and falva- tien, or whereby he bath appointed faith in Chrift, to be the means of att n$ binffednefs, which is only an immanent aft of God's will, producing no outland effe&; fo that every all thereof, that loath an external iffue by human co-opera- tion, is fivfirable, and may fall to the ground; which in what direb oppofition it thuds to the word of God, let thefe following inftances declare. Our God is in heaven, faith the plaintiff, he bath done whatfoever he ',leafed, Pfkl. cxv. 5. not only part, but all, whatever he ?leafed fhould come to paff by any. means. He rulers in the kingdom of men, and glveth it to whom he mill, Dan. iv. 23.f The tranfpofition of kingdoms, is trot without the mixture of divers free and vo- luntary a£lions of men, and yet in that great work ,God doth all that he pleafeth; yea, before him, all the inhabitants- of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he Both ac.. cording to his will, in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth andnone can fty. his band, or fay unto him What daft thon? ver. 35. My counfel frith he, Pall flood, and I will do all my pleafure, Ifa. xlvi. IC. I have purpofedI will altodo it, ver. ta. .Nay, fo certain is he of accomplifhing all his purpofes, that he confirms it with an Oath, ThePord of haft, bath fworn, furry, as I have thought, fa it (hall came to pats, and as I havepurpof d,fo it(hall ftand, Ifa. xiv. 24. and indeed it were a very Orange thing that God fhould intend what he forefeeth will never cometo pats; but I confefs this argument will not be prelfrg agai di the Arminian, whoquefion thatprefcience ; but yet would they alto would obferve from the fcripture, that the failings of wicked mens coon- fels and intentions is a thing that God is fold to deride in heaven, as Pfal. ii. 4. He threatens them with it, take counfel, faith he, tgether,and itfhall come to nought, Ifa. viii. t o. (a) Effe inDeo delderia gum non implentur eoncedimos, =e1mfeá. g. Non dour st Deus infanta Iba potentia utatur ad id efficiendum, quo defiderin fun naturals femur, Armin. Aatiper. p. 584. (t) Deus eo fine & mtenrione remedinm prxparavit, ut names ejus alto fieront participe,, qua =is id non afu event, Rem. Apol. rap. 7, fol. 86. i Speak Irr
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