the Fall and Sin of Man antecedent to the Gospel, or before contemplation of the Events or Iffues of the Gofpel preached to the World; which contemplation can be had, before all time, by no other Power, but the Divine Fore-knowledge.

CHA P. IV.

THE FOURTH OPINION.

T

HE Fourth Opinion is,

1. That God Decreed to create Man, to permit him to Fall, and to fend Chrift to Redeem the World, &c. as in the third Opinion was faid.

2. That he made a general conditional Decree of Predeftination, under the condition of Faith, and Perfeverance; and a Special abfolute Decree of Electing those to Life, whom he foreknew would believe and perfevere under the means and aids of Grace, Faith and Perfeverance and a special abfolute Decree of condemning them, whom be forefaw would abide impenitent in their Sins.

This is the Opinion of Melanchton, Hemingius, and the Lutherans that follow the Auguftan Confef fion, and Formulam Concordia; of the Remonftrants, or Arminians, and many Papifts, &c. it was condemned in the late Synod at Dort. I miflike it for these

reafons, viz.

1. Because a general conditional Predestination is none at all.

2. Because the Decree of fpecial Election of such as believe (no better declared than thus) feemeth to make Men choose God firft, rather than God them.

3. Because it maketh the Decrees of Juftification, and Condemnation, to be the fame with the Decree of Election and Reprobation, which must be diftinguished,

D

guished, as they are by the Apostle to the 8. 29, 30. Romans.

4. Because it manifefteth no more Grace, neither greater cause of thankfulness, given by God to the Elect, than to the Reprobate.

Yet this Opinion doth well, to enlarge the objects of God's fore-knowledge, and to extend it, not only to the Fall of the firft Man, but even to Chrift, to be manifefted in the Flesh, and believed on in the World, yea even to the laft end of all Men, perfevering either in Faith or Unbelief. And Rom. 8. herein it agreeth with the Scriptures that build Election upon Fore-knowledge at large, fimply and properly taken, and promife Salvation to the Believer, but upon condition of perfevering to the end.

29. and

11. 2.

1. Pet. 1.

1, 3.

Mat. 24.

13.
Rev. 2.10.

Thus have we feen four Opinions.

The Transition to the Fifth.

Seeing then, none of thofe four give full fatisfa&tion, fome pieces of Truth being found in every one of them, but joined with fome inconvenience; it were a Work worth the labour, to gather that Truth out of them all, that might avoid all inconveniences; the thing which I defire to do, by the light of God's holy Spirit and Word.

1. So conceiving the Order of Divine Predeftination, as that we fet not forth only fome one or two of God's attributes and properties, but preferve and manifeft them all;

His Dominion and Power, according to the firft
Opinion.

His Mercy and Justice, afferted in the fecond.
His Truth and Special Grace, with the third.
His Wisdom and Fore-knowledge, which the fourth

contends for.

And yet with the Apoftle to acknowledge his Rom. 11. Judgments unsearchable.

33.

So

2. So conceiving it, as may agree with the Holy Scripture expounded literally and without Tropes, in the greatest propriety, and by the light of the moft, the plaineft, and most fundamental Places and Principles therein.

3. So conceiving it, as that the Order in Grace, doth not fubvert the Order in Nature; but that we confefs the Wisdom of God fo to Work his Will, as to preserve the nature, freedom, and properties of the Creature, in which he worketh.

4. Laftly, conceiving it fo, as that God may both fave the World in Mercy, and judge the World in Righteousness.

T

CHA P. V.

THE FIFTH OPINION.

HE Fifth Opinion is that of Arminius, if he be interpreted according to his own principles, in his Thefes de natura Dei, and of Vorftius in his Treatife de Deo, and the Jefuits Molina, Vafquez, Suarez, Becanus, and others; and may therefore be lefs acceptable to fome for the fake of the Teachers and Defenders of it; but a lover of Truth will not be prejudic'd against it, because fuch and fuch spoke it. However it hath befides these the unanimous fuffrage of the Fathers, Greek and Latin, before St. Auguftine, if their Doctrine concerning Prescience be rightly examin'd, and explained, namely,

1. That God by his infinite Understanding, from all Eternity, knew all things poffible to be, feeing them in his own Omnipotency.

2. That among other infinite things poffible, in his Understanding he conceived all this one Frame of the World that now is, and in it, all the race of Mankind

D 2

from

1

from the first Man to the laft, every one in his feveral order, Government and Event, only as poffible to be, if he would fay the Word.

Wherein he understood there might be things neceffary, things contingent; fome things Caufes, fome Effects, fome as Ends, fome as means to Ends, fome Acts of God, fome Acts of a free Creature, fome Good, fome Evil, fome things as Rewards, fome as Punishments.

3. That he knew how to vary or alter the ordering either of all, or of any part, or perfon in the race of Men, fo as other effects, and other ends than thofe that now are, might be brought forth, if he would otherwise order them.

4. But that, confidering this frame of the World, and order of Mankind (as now it is, but then only as poffible) he judged it was exceeding Good for the Manifeftation of the Glory of his Wifdom, Power, Goodness, Mercy, Justice, Dominion, and Lordflip, if he Should Will, or Decree to put it into Execution, and into Being.

5.That God infallibly foreknew, that if he should Decree, to put it into execution, that then these, and these particular Perfons, would certainly by this order of Means and Government, be tranfmitted, and brought to Eternal Life; and that those other particular Perfons, under their order of Means and Government, through their own Fault would go into Perdition, if Justice should

be done them.

6. That though he knew, what these would be, yet he Determined and Decreed, out of his own abfolute Will and Pleasure to say, Fiat, be it fo; and to put into Execution, and into Being, all this which he had in his Understanding and in so doing fo he Predeftinated all Men either to Life or Death Eternal.

For he Predeftinated to Life thofe particular Men, to whom out of his own Good pleasure, he Decreed to

give thofe happy Means, which being given unto them, he foreknew they would, thereby, become vessels fit for Honour: he rejected those, letting them perish, to whom he Decreed, to give no other means, than fuch, under which he foreknew that, through their own ingratitude, they would be fit for Wrath, if no other were given them; and out of his own just will, when as he could have ordered them otherwise, to the producing of another event, he would not do it, but made them veffels of his Wrath.

With reference to this Order, the Elect are ftyled by St. Luke, Such as were ordained to Eternal Acts. 13. Life; and the Reprobate, by St. Jude, fuch as 48. were before of old ordained to this condemnation. And Verf. 4. that God ordered the courfe of the World by his Providence in general, is evident from his having determined the before appointed times, and the bounds Acts. 17. of the habitations of all Nations of Men: and that he 26. fpecially Predeftinated fome, is plain from that of the Apoftle, whom he did foreknow, he did predeftinate, Rom. S. &c. And therefore mention is made in Scripture, 29. of weeow the setting and placing of things by the coun- Ephef. 1. fel of his own Will, in that Order of Caufes, and II. of Means, which he infallibly understands, will bring forth fuch Ends and fuch Effects, if he pleafe to do his part, as is laid out by himfelf in this Order; and please to permit the creature to do its part, as is obferved in the fame Order. By this Order, Means, Government, Benefits, Aids, &c. I understand the Creation of Man righteous, the permiffion of his fall, the correction of his Sin, the Means of his Restauration by the Son of God made Man, the Calling, the Converting of a Sinner, his Faith, Repentance, Perfeverance, his Bleffings, Chaftifements, Tryals, and whatsoever elfe is now found in the Order of any Man's Salvation, or in the aberrations from that Order, whereby Men come to Deftruation. And to this agrees the Antient defi