brought to pass, according to the counsel of God, which the CHAP. Scripture declareth'. XII. appears in 85 § 7. True it is, there be divers passages in Scripture, which How this seem to signify a will in God, that such men should sin as the ScripHe hath determined to destroy; the sons of Eli for example, tures. neglecting their father's advice, "because God had resolved their ruins." But, seeing it is so plentifully expressed in [1 Sam. ii. 25.] other book-cases of the Scriptures, that such men's resolutions came not from the immediate motion of God, determining them to that which they do, but from the considerations, which their own precedent wickedness was ensnared with; all reason of religion requires, that the like considerations be supposed in those cases, wherein they are not expressed. As that the sons of Eli were not determined by God to sin, because He had resolved to destroy them; but that for their sins, which went afore, He tendered them the advice of their father, which He foresaw they would sin by neglecting: that is, He suffered them to sin further to their own ruin. A thing so manifest in the cases of Pharaoh, and Judas; that whoso shall stumble at the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, must thank himself for the fall, which he takes by that offence. cause of Scriptures. 12: Matt. § 8. The Scripture expresseth further, that, if Saul had God no come to Keilah, the men of the city would have delivered sin, accordDavid into his handsh; and that, if our Lord had done those ing to the miracles in Tyre and Sidon which He did in Corazin and [1 Sam. Bethsaida, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes'. xxiii. 10— Not as if the preaching of the Gospel, or the miracles which xi. 21, 22: assure the truth of it, were grace sufficient. But because &c.] the Spirit, by Which our Lord spoke and wrought miracles, was present with the words and with the works, which He used as means and instruments, to convert His hearers: and therefore are to be supposed, by virtue of God's promise, when they are not expressed. The Book of Wisdom affirmeth [Wisd. xii. in like manner, that God foresaw the impenitence of the 10, xix. 1, Egyptians notwithstanding all Moses his miracles. These See Epilogue, ibid. § 7. "Because the Lord would slay them." See Epilogue, as above quoted, § 15. h See ibid. § 9. ¡See ibid. § 8. So in editions of 1662 and 1680. 2.] XII. CHAP. passages affirm expressly, that God foreknows what man would do, if he were in any estate possible; though indeed he never come into that estate. But this is to be understood according to the incomprehensible wisdom of God, comprehending all appearances, which a man should be moved with in that estate; not according to that, which man can understand or express of any man's case in any estate. For all 86 that we can comprehend, is never able to render the event certain, that is but contingent; and to translate the effect from possible to future: which the wisdom of God, comprehending all things, can do. Concern ing the middle of God. § 9. And this is that which some call the "middle knowledge" of God: to wit, between the knowledge of all that is knowledge possible, and all that is future; whereby God, knowing what man would do in this or that estate, resolves in what estate His providence shall set him every moment of his life; and thereby foresees, what he will do in every case'. And between this opinion, and the other of predetermination, I have always found this difference:-that this perhaps is subject to more difficulty than the understanding of man can comprehend or his words declare; that, only subject to one inconvenience, that it rooteth up all religion and civility both at once, by destroying freedom in man's will and contingence in the effects of it. No absolute pre CHAPTER XIII. NO ABSOLUTE PREDESTINATION TO GLORY. PREDESTINATION TO GRACE, ABSOLUTE. HOW GLORY IS THE END OF GRACE. IN WHAT TERMS THE THERE remains no more but to conclude; that, though destination God's predestination to glory or to shame cannot be absoto glory. lute, yet His predestination to effectual grace, or to that which is only sufficient, is and must be absolute". If God's predestination to glory and to shame were absolute, without See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xxiv. § 18. note o. m See ibid., c. xxii. § 11. XIII. consideration of that for which it is executed in time; there CHAP. could be no ground for any exhortation, any advice, any persuasion, moving any man to perform any part of that Christianity which he professeth. There would be always a peremptory bar to all such applications;-that what God 87 hath appointed shall come to pass, whatsoever a man shall do or endeavour to do. For it would not serve the turn to say::that, if God have appointed the end, He hath appointed the means to effect it; and that this means is man's endeavours: -because, if God have appointed the end to come by the means of that which a man is moved to do, then shall he do it, whether he endeavour to do it or not. For if it be said, that He hath appointed it to come to pass by man's endeavours; then is not God's decree absolute: because it must suppose man's endeavours. And, indeed, an absolute decree of predestination cannot come to effect, but by decrees, determining and moving man's will to that, which the bringing of it to effect requireth, before the will determine or move itself. And that is destructive to freedom in the will, and contingence in the effects of it. tion to § 2. On the other side, if the certainty of God's foreknow- Predestinalege, and the infallibility or indefeasibleness of His provi- grace abdence, stand upon a decree, of placing every man at every solute. moment of his life in such an occurrence of objects, inward and outward, with his disposition, who is moved by them to do or not to do this or that, as He sees will be effectual to resolve him upon that which he doth; then are the helps of grace effectual, and the effect of them certain, upon the like decree. Which there is nothing in man to oblige God to make; and, therefore, it is His absolute will that maketh it. For the intent of sending Christ for the redemption of mankind, inferreth no declaration, that God will do all that is in His power to do, that it may be to effect, if man refuse it not. It is enough, that He accompanieth the Gospel with His Spirit, when it cometh; in the mean time, that He trusteth His Church with the bringing of it. This justifieth His will, that "all men should be saved";" though they, [1 Tim. ii. who never hear of it, for reasons which the Gospel declareth 4.] • See Epilogue, ibid. § 1; and c. xxv. P See ibid., c. xxii. § 5, 6. § 1, sq. CHAP. not, have not the refusing of it. Whereby it appears, that XIII. the authors of divisions in the Church are to answer for the How glory is the end of grace. souls, that perish for want of knowing the Gospel; which the divisions of the Church are the greatest means, that hinders them to know. Now this decree proceedeth upon a supposition of freedom in the will, and the maintenance of it by God's continual government of all things; and therefore allows ground for all applications, moving to perform the Christianity which we profess. For though all that comes 88 to pass is certain by God's decree, that cannot fail; yet that decree is not immediate, but supposeth man's will to move of itself, when his reason is moved by appearance of good in the object. And therefore it cannot be alleged in bar to any wholesome exhortation or advice. And although all that is thus decreed must needs come to pass; yet the necessity thereof is only consequent, upon a supposition that the will determines itself freely; which being supposed, the consequence is certain, that it shall come to pass. Whereas the necessity of that, which God determineth the will to act, lying in the determination and motion of the cause, which is God, That cannot fail, is antecedent to the effect, and destroys the freedom of the will and the contingence of that which it doth. § 3. If it be said, that the end is intended before the means; and, therefore, he that is absolutely predestinated to effectual grace (which includes perseverance until death), must needs be absolutely predestinated to glory, which is the end of grace: the answer is:—the glory of him that is saved, is not the end of God's grace; that is, of His gracious purpose to give those helps, which shall bring a man to glory: God's grace is God, and God's glory is God, and God can have no end but God; and the glorifying of him that is saved, is not the means to glorify God, till you suppose him qualified as the Gospel requireth: and therefore it is not absolutely the end of that grace, which effecteth it, till you suppose that it rendereth him so qualified. The means by which a man comes to glory, if you take them as granted in such consideration and rewarded in such measure as the Gospel alloweth, are the means of God's glory; otherwise, they 4 See Epilogue, ibid., c. xxvi. § 2, sq. XIII. make not His glory to appear, and therefore are not in- CHAP. tended by Him to that purpose. Indeed, God hath made salvation the end of mankind by the work of redemption as well as of creation. But He hath not made it His own end, nor the means to it, but upon those terms which the Gospel declareth. All this is manifest by the damnation of those that are not saved. For though it be their final estate, yet it is not their end, because salvation is the end of all mankind; which were it God's end, as it is man's end by God's appointment, then should they also be saved. For God can89 not fail of His end. Therefore is not the damnation of him, that is not saved, the end why God appoints him those means, by which he shall come to that final estate. For it is not the means to God's end, that is, His glory, till you suppose the man qualified as the Gospel alloweth; and so considered by God, when He appoints him the means that bring him to his last estate. In fine, man's glory is not God's end in giving grace; though it be the end of the grace, which He giveth. God's glory is the only end as well of the grace as of the glory which God giveth. God's glory is the end of effectual grace. For God intendeth the effect which His grace attaineth. And effectual grace is a fit mean to glorify God; implying man's compliance with God's help. As for the helps of grace in general, whether effectual or only sufficient: though man's glory be the end of them, and that by God's appointment, yet is it none of God's end; because it is not the mean to God's glory, till it be supposed, that they are used as they should be. And therefore God doth not appoint any man to glory, till He see that he hath used His grace as he should do. But He appointeth grace without such respect; because there is no condition, on man's part, to render it due. terms the standeth as § 4. And herewith agreeth the faith of God's Church. It In what is well known, that St. Augustin's writings against Pelagius faith of the were excepted against (as introducing fatal necessity, and Church excluding the will of God for the salvation of mankind) in concerning the parts of Gaul; namely, by the monastery of Lerins, the this point. clergy of Marseilles and Genoa, and diverse notable persons in Provence. But not generally. For St. Augustin, being See Epilogue, ibid., c. xix. § 22; c. xxvi. § 21, 22. |