low them in order of time: and yet they press this, especially in respect of human actions, as a certain, unquestionable verity. It is certain that God willeth or determineth many things, which he would not, did not some act of man's will go before it,' saith their great master Arminius. The like affirmeth, with a little addition (as such men do always proficere in pejus), his genuine scholar Nic. Grevinchovius : 'I suppose, saith he, that God willeth many things, which he neither would, nor justly could will and purpose, did not some action of the creature precede.' And here observe, that in these places they speak not of God's external works, of those actions which outwardly are of him, as inflicting of punishments, bestowing of rewards, and other such outward acts of his providence, whose administration we confess to be various, and diversely applied to several occasions; but of the internal purposes of God's will, his decrees and intentions, which have no present influence upon, or respect unto, any action of the creature: yea, they deny that concerning many things God hath any determinate resolution at all, or any purpose, farther than a natural affection towards them. 'God doth or omitteth that, towards which, in his own nature, and his proper inclination, he is affected, as he finds man to comply, or not to comply, with that order which he hath appointed,' saith Corvinus. Surely these men care not what indignities they cast upon the God of heaven, so they may maintain the pretended endowments of their own wills; for such an absolute power do they here ascribe unto them, that God himself cannot determine of a thing, whereunto, as they strangely phrase it, he is well affected, before, by an actual concurrence, he is sure of their compliance: now this imputation, that they are temporary, which they cast upon the decrees of God in general, they press home upon that particular which lies most in their way, the decree of election: concerning this, they tell us roundly, that it is false that election is confirmed from eternity; so the 'Remonstrants in their apology; notwithstanding that St. Paul tells us,

* Certum est Deum quædam velle, quæ non vellet nisi aliqua volitio humana antecederet, Armin. anti Perk. p. 211.

d Multa tamen arbitror Deum velle, quæ non vellet, adeoque nec juste velle posset, nisi aliqua actio creaturæ præcederet. ad Ames. p. 24.

Deus facit vel non facit id, ad quod, ex se, et natura sua ac inclinatione propria est affectus, prout homo cum isto ordine, conspirat, vel non conspirat. Cor. ad Mol. cap. 5. ad sec. 3.

Falsum est quod electio facta est ab æterno. Rem. apol. cap. 18 p. 190.

that it is the purpose of God, Rom. ix. 11. and that we were chosen before the foundation of the world; Eph. i. 4. neither is it any thing material, what the Arminians there grant, viz. that there is a decree preceding this, which may be said to be from everlasting; for seeing that St. Paul teacheth us, that election is nothing but God's purpose of saving us, to affirm that God eternally decreed that he would elect us, is all one as to say, that God purposed, that in time he would purpose to save us: such resolutions may be fit for their own wild heads, but must not be ascribed to God only wise.

h

Secondly, As they affirm them to be temporary, and to have had a beginning, so also to expire and have an ending, to be subject to change and variableness. 'Some acts of God's will do cease at a certain time,' saith Episcopius." What? doth any thing come into his mind that changeth his will? Yes, saith Arminius, He would have all men to be saved; but compelled with the stubborn and incorrigible malice of some he will have them to miss it.' However, this is some recompense: denying God a power to 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 leave him so much goodness, as that he shall not be troubled at it, though he be sometimes compelled to what he is very loath to do. How do they and their fellows, the Jesuits, exclaim upon poor Calvin, for sometimes using the harsh word of compulsion, describing the effectual, powerful working of the providence of God in the actions of men; but they can fasten the same term on the will of God, and no harm done: surely, he will one day plead his own cause against them. But yet blame them not, 'si violandum est jus, regnandi causa violandum est: it is to make themselves absolute, that they thus cast off the yoke of the Almighty; and that both in things concerning this life, and that which is to come, they are much troubled that it should be said, that every one

Volitiones aliquæ Dei cessant certo quodam tempore Episcop. disp. de vol, Dei. Thes. 7.

Deus vult omnes salvos fieri, sed compulsus pertinaci et incorrigibili malitia quorundam, vult illos jacturam facere salutis. Armin. Antip. fol. 195.

Bell. Amiss. grat. Armi. antip. Rem. apol.

(Docent) unumquemque invariabilem vitæ, ac mortis agorayiv una cum ipso ortu, in lucem hanc nobiscum adferre. Filii Armin. in epist. ded. ad Examen. lib. Per

of us, bring along with us into the world an unchangeable preordination of life and death eternal; for such a supposal would quite overthrow the main foundation of their heresy, viz. that men can make their election void and frustrate, as they jointly lay it down in their apology; nay, it is a dream, saith Dr. Jackson,m to think of God's decrees, concerning things to come, as of acts irrevocably finished, which would hinder that which Welsingius lays down for a truth, to wit," that the elect may become reprobates, and the reprobates elect. Now to these particular sayings is their whole doctrine concerning the decrees of God, inasmuch as they have any reference to the actions of men, most exactly conformable; as,

First, Their distinction of them into peremptory, and not peremptory (terms rather used in the citations of litigious courts, than as expressions of God's purpose in sacred Scripture), is not, as by them applied, compatible with the unchangeableness of God's eternal purposes: πрóσкaiρoι, say they, or temporary believers, are elected (though not peremptorily), with such an act of God's will, as hath a co-existence every way commensurate, both in its original, continuance, and end, with their fading faith: which sometimes, like Jonah's gourd, is but filia unius noctis, in the morning it flourisheth, in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withereth a man in Christ by faith, or actually believing (which to do is, as they say, in every one's own power), is in their opinion the proper object of election; of election, I say, not peremptory, which is an act pendent, expecting the final perseverance and consummation of his faith: and therefore immutable, because man having fulfilled his course, God hath no cause to change his purpose, of crowning him with reward; thus also (as they teach), a man according to his infidelity, whether present and removable, or obdurate

I Possunt homines electionem suam irritam et frustraneam reddere. Rem. apol. cap. 9. p. 105.

m Jackson of the divine essence.

n Non mirum videri debet quod aliquando ex electis reprobi et ex reprobis electi fiant. Welsin. de of. Ch. hom.

• Omnia Dei decreta, non sunt peremptoria, sed quædam conditionata ac mutabilia. Concio. Ad Cler. Oxon. ann. 1641. Rem. decla. sent. in synod. alii passim: electio sicut et justificatio, et incerta et revocabilis, utramque vero conditionatam qui negaverit, ipsum quoque evangelium negabit. Grevin. ad Ames, pp. 136, 137.

P Ad gloriam participandam pro isto tempore quo credunt electi sunt. Rem. apol.

p. 190.

and final, is the only object of reprobation: which, in the latter cause, is peremptory and absolute; in the former, conditional and alterable: it is the qualities of faith and unbelief, on which their election and reprobation do attend. Now let a faithful man," elected of God, according to his present righteousness, apostate totally from grace (as to affirm that there is any promise of God, implying his perseverance, is with them to overthrow all religion), and let the unbelieving reprobate, depose his incredulity and turn himself unto the Lord; answerable to this mutation of their conditions, are the changings of the purpose of the Almighty, concerning their everlasting estate. Again, suppose these two, by alternate courses (as the doctrine of apostacy maintaineth they may), should return each to their former estate, the decrees of God concerning them must again be changed; for it is unjust with him, either not to elect him that believes, though it be but for an hour, or not to reprobate unbelievers. Now what unchangeableness can we affix to these decrees, which it lies in the power of man to make as inconstant as Euripus; making it beside to be possible, that all the members of Christ's church, whose names are written in heaven, should within one hour be enrolled in the black book of damnation.

Secondly, As these not-peremptory decrees are mutable, so they make the peremptory decrees of God to be temporal. Final impenitency, say they, is the only cause, and the finally unrepenting sinner, is the only object of reprobation, peremptory and irrevocable. As the poet thought none happy,' so they think no man to be elected, or a reprobate, before his death: now that denomination he doth receive from the decree of God concerning his eternal estate, which must necessarily then be first enacted; the relation that is between the act of reprobation, and the person reprobated, importeth a co-existence of denomination. When God reprobates a man, he then becomes a reprobate; which, if it be not before he hath actually fulfilled the measure of his iniquity, and sealed it up with the talent of final impenitency

a Decreta hypothetica possunt mutari, quia conditio respectu hominis vel præsta tur vel non præstatur, atque ita existit vel non existit: et quum extitit aliquandiu, sæpe existere desinit, et rursus postquam aliquandiu desiit, existere incipit. Corv. ad Mol. cap. 5. sec. 10. Dicique beatus ante obitum nemo.

in his death, the decree of God must needs be temporal, the just Judge of all the world having till then suspended his determination, expecting the last resolution of this changeable Proteus. Nay, that God's decrees concerning men's eternal estates are in their judgment temporal, and not beginning until their death, is plain from the whole course of their doctrine, especially where they strive to prove, that if there were any such determination, God could not threaten punishments or promise rewards. Who," say they, 'can threaten punishment to him, whom, by a peremptory decree, he will have to be free from punishment:' it seems he cannot have determined to save any whom he threatens to punish if they sin, which is evident he doth all so long as they live in this world, which makes God not only mutable, but quite deprives him of his foreknowledge, and makes the form of his decree run thus: If man will believe, I determine he shall be saved, if he will not, I determine he shall be damned; that is, I must leave him in the mean time to do what he will, so I may meet with him in the end.

Thirdly, They affirm no decree of Almighty God concerning men is so unalterable, but that all those who are now in rest or misery, might have had contrary lots: that those which are damned, as Pharaoh, Judas, &c. might have been saved, and those which are saved, as the blessed Virgin, Peter, John, might have been damned, which must needs reflect with a strong charge of mutability on Almighty God, who knoweth who are his. Divers other instances in this nature I could produce, whereby it would be farther evident, that these innovators in Christian religion, do overthrow the eternity and unchangeableness of God's decrees, but these are sufficient to any discerning man: and I will add in the close, an antidote against this poison, briefly shewing what the Scripture and right reason teach us concerning these secrets of the Most High.

First, 'Known unto God,' saith St. James, 'are all his works from the beginning;' Acts xv. 18. whence, it hath hitherto been concluded, that whatever God doth in time bring to pass, that he decreed from all eternity so to do: all his • Quis enim comminetur pœnam ei, quem peremptorio decreto a pœna immunen esse vult? Rem. Apol. cap. 17. p. 187. Author of God's Love to Mankind, p. 4.