2. The counsel of his will.* Although God may be said to act arbitrarily, yet he never doth any thing unadvisedly, but according to the counsel of his will, which is always rational, though our shallow reason in this state of degeneracy and mortality be not able to fathom the depth of its contrivements, and thereupon ready to cavil at, and call in question the equity of them. Such as do so, (if any such shall cast an eye upon these papers) must give me leave to say unto them, as one of our ancient writers did to their forefathers: "The apostle (saith he) having discoursed of these mysteries acknowledgeth their depth, and adoreth the wisdom of God in them. Dignare et tu ista nescire. Concede Deo potentiam sui. Nequaquam te indiget defensori. Be thou also willing to be ignorant of such things. Leave God himself in the modelling of his des crees and dispensations. He will be sure to do it so, as not to stand in need of any apology or de fence of thine.+" To which let me add a saying of Luther, and with it conclude this exercitation "Reason (saith he) thou art a fool, and dost not understand the matters of God. Wherefore be not obstreperous, but hold thy prating, make not thyself a judge of these things, but attend to the word of God and believe."

* Βέλη τα θελήματος.

phontem.

+ Hieron. in epistola ad Ctesi

Tu, Ratio, stulta es, non sapis quæ sunt Dei. Itaque ne obstrepas mihi, sed tace, non judica, sed audi verbum Dei et

crede.

GG

EXERCITATION II.

Preterition described. The term defended. Eph. i. 4. compared with Revelation xvii. 8. Eph. i. 9. and Rom. ix. 13. expounded. God not bound to any creature except by promise. The parable in Matth. xx. urged. The three consequents of negative reprobation. Dr Davenant's animadversions against Mr Hoard's book recommended. The goodness of God manifested in Election, as in a most free, peculiar, ancient, leading, and standing favour.

1. HAVING SO fully discoursed of election, (by which the decree of preterition is to be measured) there will be less need of enlarging much upon that. Take only this description of it; after a brief explication whereof, I intend, if God will, to proceed unto other concernments. Preterition or negative reprobation is an eternal decree of God purposing within himself to deny unto the non-elect that peculiar love of his, wherewith election is accompanied, as also that special grace which infallibly bringeth to glory: of which negations, permission of sin, obduration in sin, and damnation for sin, are direct consequents. This description carries in the face of it a clear reason, why the thing described goeth under the name of negative reprobation, because it standeth mainly in the denial of those free fa

vours which it pleaseth God to bestow upon his elect. As for the term of preterition, we neither are, nor ought to be ashamed thereof, (however some bold writers have jeered it,) because it is very significant, and hath been made use of by their betters. Prosper by name, and that both in verse and prose. For in one of his poems he recordeth this as a Pelagian tenet.

1

That of all mankind the grace of Christ passeth by none. And in his treatise de Vocatione Gentium he beginneth the thirteenth chapter of his first book with this saying, Quòd si aliquos Salvantis gratia præterierit, &c. If saving grace have passed by any, it is to be referred to the unsearchable judgements of God, and those ways of his which are past finding out by us in this life. This premised, let us take a transient view of the chief particulars in the description.

§ 2. It is first an eternal decree, coeternal with that of election; for the very choosing of some to salvation implieth a passing by of such as were not chosen. Let the reader compare that passage in Ephesians i. 4. "He hath chosen us

Agnoscendum est secreti hujus profunditatem nobis in hac vita patere non posse. D

before the foundation of the world," with that parenthesis Revelation xvii. 8. "whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world."

"

Secondly, A decree which God purposed in himself. We read in one place of “ the purpose of God according to election," and in another of "God's good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself."* The like may be said of preterition. His good pleasure is the sole fountain of both. The root of both is within himself, and not in any thing without him; as hath been well observed by Calvin.

Thirdly, The eternal purpose of God was to deny the non-elect that peculiar love, wherewith his election is accompanied, in which respect he is said to hate them. "Jacob have I loved, but

Esau have I hated." A term by which some divines are willing to understand no more, than his not being willing to bestow everlasting happiness upon them; because hatred in scripture is often put to signify a less degree of love. We may not believe that Leah was odious to her husband; yet the text saith, "God saw that Leah was hated," which is certainly to be expounded out of the verse foregoing, where it is said of" Jacob that he loved Rachel more than Leah." He loved Leah perhaps less than he

Rom. ix. 11. Ephes. i. 9. Deus in negotio predest inationis non egreditur extra seipsum. Institut. 1. 3. cap. 22. Gen. xxix. 30, 31.

+ Rom. ix. 13.

ought, surely less than he did her sister, and in that respect is said to have hated her. That to the Romans concerning Esau, some interpret in proportion to what is there said concerning Leah, and among the rest Aquinas. "God (saith he) loveth all men in as much as he willeth some good to all; but in as much as he doth not will to all men the chief good, viz. eternal life, he is said to hate and to reprobate them."*

§ 3. Fourthly, His purpose was to deny unto the non-elect that special grace, which brings infallibly to glory, those upon whom God bestows it. No creature can challenge effectual grace at the hands of God, as a due debt either to his nature, or to his labour. There are many that speak and write of God saucily, as if he were bound to give this and that and the other grace, even where they can produce no promise by which he hath made himself a debtor. I cannot but commend the zeal of Peter Lombard against such men. To me (saith he)+ this word he ought, or he is bound seems to have much poison in it; and cannot be properly applied to God, who is no debtor to us, save only in those cases wherein he hath passed some promise. Sure I am, our Saviour telleth his disciples plainly, "It is given to you

In quantum quibusdam non vult hoc bonum, quod est vita æterna, dicitur eos habere odio vel reprobare. Tho. part 1. qu. 23. art. 3 ad 4um.

+ Ut mihi videtur hoc verbum Debet venenum habet.-nec Deo proprie competit, qui non est debitor nobis, nisi forte ex promisso. Lib. I. sententiarum Dist. 43.