Philistine and worshippers of Dagon as to speake part the language of Ashdod and part the language of the Iewes hence hence hath been the rise of all our miseries of all our dissentions whilest factious men laboured every day to commend themselves to them who sate aloft in the Temple of God by introducing new Popish Arminian errors whose Patronage they had wickedly undertaken who would have thought that our Church would ever have given entertainment to these Belgicke Semipelagians who have cast dirt upon the faces and raked up the ashes of all those great and pious soules whom God magnified in using as his instruments to reforme his Church to the least of which the whole troope of Arminians shall never make themselves equall though they swell till they breake what benefit did ever come to this Church by attempting to prove that the chiefe part in the severall degrees of our salvation is to be ascribed unto our selves rather then God which is the head and summe of all the Controversies between them and us and must not the introducing and fomenting of a doctrine so opposite to that truth our Church hath quietly enjoyed ever since the first reformation necessarily bring along with it Schismes and dissentions so long as any remaine who love the truth or esteeme the Gospel above preferment Neither let any deceive your Wisdomes by affirming that they are differences of an inferiour nature that are at this day agitated between the Arminians and the Orthodox Divines of the reformed Church be pleased but to cast an eye on the following instances and you will finde them hewing at the very root of Christianity Consider seriously their denying of that fundamentall Article of Originall sin Is this but a small escape in Theologie why what need of the Gospel what need of Christ himselfe if our nature be not guilty depraved corrupted neither are many of the rest of lesse importance surely these are not things in quibus possimus dissentire salva pace ac charitate as Austin speaks about which we may differ without losse of peace or charitie one Church cannot wrap in her communion Austin and Pelagius Calvine and Arminius I have here onely given you a taste whereby you may judge of the rest of their fruit mors in olla mors in olla their doctrine of the finall apostasie of the elect of true beleevers of a wavering haesitancy concerning our present grace and future glory with divers others I have wholly omitted those I have produced are enough to make their abettors uncapable of our Church communion the Sacred bond of peace compasseth onely the unitie of that Spirit which leadeth into all truth We must not offer the right hand of fellowship but rather proclaime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an holy warre to such enemies of Gods providence Christs merit and the powerfull operation of the holy Spirit neither let any object that all the Arminians do not openly professe all these errours I have recounted let ours then shew wherein they differ from their Masters we see their owne confessions we know their arts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the depths and crafts of Satan we know the several wayes they have to introduce and insinuate their Heterodoxies into the mindes of men with some they appeare onely to dislike our doctrine of reprobation with others to claime an allowable libertie of the will but yet for the most part like the Serpent where ever she gets in her head she will wriggle in her whole body sting and all give but the least admission and the whole poyson must be swallowed What was the intention of the maintainers of these strange assertions amongst us I know not whether the efficacie of errour prevailed really with them or no or whether it were the better to comply with Popery and thereby to draw us back againe unto Egypt but this I have heard that it was affirmed on knowledge in a former Parliament that the introduction of Arminianisme amongst us was the issue of a Spanish consultation it is a strange story that learned Zanchius tels us how upon the death of the Cardinall of Lorraigne there was found in his Study a note of the names of divers Germane Doctors and Ministers being Lutherans to whom was paid an annuall pension by the assignment of the Cardinall that they might take pains to oppose the Calvinists and so by cherishing dissention reduce the people againe to Popery If there be any such amongst us who upon such poore inconsiderable motives would be wonne to betray the Gospel of Christ God grant them repentance before it be too late however vpon what grounds with what intentions for what ends soever these Tares have been sowed amongst us by envious men the hope of all the piously learned in the Kingdome is that by your effectuall care and diligence some meanes may be found to root them out Now God Almightie increase and fill your whole Honourable Societie with wisedome zeale knowledge and all other Christian graces necessary for your great calling and employments which is the daily prayer of Your most humble and devoted servant IOHN OVVEN To the Christian Reader READER THou canst not be such a stranger in our Izrael as that it should be necessary for me to acquaint thee with the first sowing and spreading of these Tares in the Field of the Church much lesse to declare what divisions and thoughts of heart what open bitter contentions to the losse of Ecclesiasticall peace have beene stirred up amongst us about them onely some few things relating to this my particular endeavour I would willingly premonish thee of First Never were so many prodigious errours introduced into a Church with so high a hand and so little opposition as these into ours since the nation of Christians was known in the world the chiefe cause I take to be that which Aeneas Sylvius gave why more maintained the Pope to be above the Councel then the Councel above the Pope because Popes gave Archbishopricks Bishopricks c. but the Councels sued in forma pauperis and therefore could scarse get an Advocate to plead their cause the fates of our Church having of late devolved the government thereof into the hands of men tainted with this poyson Arminianisme became backed with the powerfull Arguments of praise and preferment and quickly prevailed to beat poore naked truth into a corner It is high time then for all the lovers of the old way to oppose this innovation prevailing by such unworthy means before our breach grow great like the Sea and there be none to heale it My intention in this weake indeavour which is but the undigested issue of a few broken houres too many causes in these furious malignant dayes continually interrupting the course of my studies is but to stirre up such who having more leasure and greater abilities will not as yet move a finger to help vindicate oppressed Truth In the meane time I hope this discovery may not be
unusefull especially to such who wanting either will or abilities to peruse larger discourses may yet be allured by their words which are smoother then oyle to tast the poyson of Aspes that is under their lips Satan hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths where to hide and methods how to broach his lies and never did any of his Emissaries employ his received talents with more skill and diligence then our Arminians labouring earnestly in the first place to in still some errors that are most plausible intending chiefly an introduction of them that are more palpable knowing that if those be for a time suppressed untill these be well digested they will follow of their owne accord wherefore I have endeavoured to lay open to the view of all some of their foundation errors not usually discussed on which the whole inconsistent superstructure is erected whereby it will appeare how under a most â—â—ine pretence of furthering Piety they have prevaricated against the very grounds of Christianitie wherein First I have not observed the same method in handling each particular Controversie but followed such severall waies as seemed most convenient to cleere the truth and discover their heresies Secondly some of their errors I have not touched at all as those concerning universall grace justification the finall Apostacy of true beleevers because they came not within the compasse of my proposed method as you may see Chap. 1. where you have the summe of the whole discourse Thirdly I have given some instances of their opposing the received Doctrine of the Church of England contained in divers of the 39. Articles which would it did not yeeld us iust cause of further complaint against the iniquitie of those times whereinto we were lately fallen Had a poor Puritan offended against halfe so many Canons as they opposed Articles he had forfeited his livelihood if not endangered his life I would I could heare any other probable reason why divers Prelates were so zealous for the discipline and so negligent of the Doctrine of the Church but because the one was reformed by the word of God the other remaining as we found it in the times of Popery Fourthly I have not purposely undertaken to answer any of their Arguments referring that labour to a further designe even a clearing of our Doctrine of reprobation and of the administration of Gods providence towards the Reprobates and over all their actions from those calumnious aspersions they cast upon it but concerning this I feare the discouragements of these wofull dayes will leave me nothing but a desire that so necessary a worke may finde a more able Pen IOHN OVVEN Arma Vt omnis controversia dirimatur per verbum Dei consilium hoc suspectum videre debet non uno nomine pernitiosum est Remon vindic ad Videl p. 30. 1. Lib. Arbitrium 2. Contingentia 3. Indifferentia ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 velle nolle 4. Supremum actus sui dominium 5. Ens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 independens in agendo divinam 1. Voluntatem mutabilem 2 Scientiam fallibilem conjecturalem 3. Providentiam otiosam Constituentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Specimen Primus Copiarum impetus in Campo qui de nomine alterius ducis Lib. Arbit dicitur seu humanarum actionum ditio Vtrinque autem á voluntate humana remota confossa jacent 1. Coactio 2. Necessitas absoluta interna 3. Mera seu solitaria spontaneitas Arma Ad Legem ad Prophetas Scrutamini Scripturas Iohan. 5. 39. 1. Decretum absolutum immutabile 2. Praescientia infallibilis 3. Providentia per 1. Sustentationem 2. Determinationem 3. Gubernationem 4. Directionem summe efficaâ— quibus omnem creaturam 1. Essentiam 2. Subsistentiam 3. Motionem 4. Determinationem ad actum 5. Efficientiam in agendo realem debere necesse est 1. Lib. Arbit 2. Integritas naturae 3. Lumen naturale 4. Actus elicitus 5. Faciens quod in se est 6. Faedus novum universale 7. Vires credendi per lapsum non amissae 8. Potentia active obedientialis ad bonum morale 9. Suasio moralis Lingua nostra praevaleamus labia nostra penes nos sunt quis esset nobis Dominus Psal 12. His tu gradibus Romule Arpin ascendisti in coelum Dei munus est quod vivimus nostrum vero quod bene sancteque vivimus fortunam a Deo petendam à seipso sumendam esse sapientiam Quia sibi quisque virtutem aâ—quirit nemo de sapientibus de ea gratias Deo egit Impetus copiarum secundus circa gratiam naturam ubi adversis frontibus cominus pugnatur Campus autem hic status naturae post lapsum vocetur cujus loca praecipua quae in mappa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delineantur sunt 1. Reatus primi peccati 2. Corruptio naturae 3. Mors spiritualis ubi multa mortuorum sepulchra e quibus resurgente Christo exierunt pauci 4. Impotentia credendi 5. Caecitas intellectus 6. Pravitas voluntatis 7. Obduratio cordis 8. Aversio à bono incommutabili 9. Propensio ad bonum commutabile 1. Praedestinatio gratuita 2. Meritum Christi 3. Operatio Spiritus 4. Gratia efficax 5. Infusio habituum 6. Vocatio secundum immutabile dei proposituÌ„ 7. Evangelium Iesu Christi 8. Liber vitae Non nobis Domine non nobis sed nomini tuo da honorem Psal 114. Nam quos praescivit etiam praedestinavit conformandos imagini filii sui ut is sit primogenitus inter multos fratres quos vero praedestinavit eos etiam vocavit quos vocavit eos etiam iustificavit quos justificavit eos etiam glorificavit Rom. 8. Cui soli sapienti gloria sit per Iesum Christum in secula Reader SOme sheets of this Treatise being printed after the first draught of the Authour and a great part of it in his absence makes it require thy courtesie favourably to correct any misprinting or greater oversight that may prejudice the sense thereof to take notice also of these follow Errata but account them as not committed because corrected PAg. 17. l 9. read mutability p. 25. l. 5 dele and p. 29. l. 23. r. cap. p. 34. l. 17. for essence r. esteeme p. 36. l 21 22. r. his law cannot possibly aime at nothing p. 37. l. 20. d. it p. 40. l. 5. r. tolerable l 6. r. them p. 42. l. 1. r. and yet it is not l. 2. d yet l. 8. d neither l. 22. r. that we p. 44. l 18. or no. in p. 45. l. 24. r. not unneces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupted p. 53. l. 15. r. can be deriv p. 56. l. 25. r. as equall an as p. 59. l. 3 â— r. laid downe p. 62. l. 25. us first p. 63. l. 2. for events r deserts p. 68. l. 27. of God in p. 78. l 36. r. sinners deserve p. 116. l. 12. r. for granted p. 119. l. 12. by those p. 120. l. 25. r. his will and heavenly instructions p. 128. l. 1.
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 theeves give what they do not take having robbed God of his power they will yet leave him so much goodnesse as that he shall not be troubled at it though he be sometimes compelled to what he is very loath to do how doe they and their fellows the Iesuits exclaime upon poore Calvin for sometimes using the harsh word of compulsion describing the effectuall powerfull working of the providence of God in the actions of men but they can fasten the same terme on the will of God and no harme done surely he will one day plead his own cause against them but yet blame them not si violandum est ius regnandi causa violandum est it is to make themselves absolute that they thus cast off the yoke of the Almightie 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 of us bring along with us into the world an unchangeable preordination of life and death eternall for such a supposall would quite overthrow the maine foundation of their heresie viz. that men can make their election voide and frustrate as they joyntly lay it down in their Apologie nay it is a dreame saith Dr. Iackson to thinke of Gods decrees concerning things to come as of acts irrevocably finished which would hinder that which Welsingius laies 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 termes rather used in the citations of litigious courts then as expressions of Gods purpose in sacred Scripture is not as by them applyed compatible with the unchangeablenesse of Gods eternall purposes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say they or temporary beleevers are elected though not peremptorily with such an act of Gods will as hath a coexistence every way commensurate both in its originall continuance and end with their fading faith which sometimes like Ionas 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 beleeving 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 finall perserverance 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 infidelitie whether present and removeable or obdurate and finall is the only object of reprobation which in the latter cause is peremptory and absolute in the former conditionall and alterable it is the qualities of faith and unbeliefe on which their election and reprobation doe attend Now let a faithfull man elected of God according to his present righteousnesse apostate totally from grace as to affirme that there is any promise of God implying his perseverance is with them to overthrow all religion and let the unbeleeving reprobate depose his incredulitie and turne himselfe unto the Lord answerable to this mutation of their conditions are the changings of the purpose of the Almightie concerning their everlasting estate againe suppose these two by alternate courses as the doctrine of Apostacie maintaineth they may should returne each to their former estate the decrees of God concerning them must againe be changed for it is injust with him either not to elect him that beleeves though it be but for an houre or not to reprobate unbeleevers now what unchangeablenesse can we affixe to these decrees which it lies it in the power of man to make as inconstant as Euripus making it beside to be possible that all the members of Christs Church whose names are written in heaven should within one houre be enrolled in the blacke book of damnation Secondly as these not-peremptory decrees are mutable so they make the peremptory decrees of God to be temporall finall impenitencie 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 thinke no man to be elected or a reprobate before his death now that denomination he doth receive from the decree of God concerning his eternall estate which must necessarily then be first enacted the relation that is betweene the act of reprobation and the person reprobated importeth a coexistence 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 iniquitie and sealed it up with the talent of finall impenitencie in his death the decree of God must needs be temporall the just judge of all the world having till then suspended his determination expecting the last resolution of this changeable Proteus nay that Gods decrees concerning mens eternall estates are in their judgement temporall and not beginning untill their death is plaine 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 ean threaten punishment to him whom by a peremptory decree he will have to be free from punishment it seemes he cannot have determined to save any whom he threatens to punish if they sinne 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 forme of his decree run thus if man will beleeve I determine he shall be saved if he will not I determine he shall be damned that is I must leave him in the meane time to doe what he will so I may meet with him in the end Thirdly they affirme no decree of Almightie 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 Iudas c. might have been saved and those which are saved as the blessed Virgin Poten Iohn might have been damned which must needs reflect with a strong charge of mutabilitie on Almightie God who knoweth who are his divers other instances in this nature I could produce whereby it would be further evident that these innovators in Christian religion doe overthrow the eternitie and unchangeablenesse of Gods decrees but these are sufficient to any discerning man and I will adde in the close an
certaine that God determineth divers things which he would not did not some act of mans will goe before Armin. Some decrees of God praecede all acts of the will of the creature and some follow Cor. Men may make their election voide and frustrate Rem Apol It is no wonder if men doe sometimes of elect become reprobate and of reprobate elect Welsin Election is uncertaine and revocable and who ever denies it overthrowes the Gospel Grevin Many decrees of God cease at a certaine time Episcop Lib. Arbit God would have all men to be saved but compelled with the stubborne malice of some hee changeth his purpose and will have them to perish Armin. As men may change themselves from beleevers to unbeleevers so Gods determination concerning them changeth Rem All Gods decrees are not peremptory but some conditionate and changeable Sermon at Oxford CHAP. III. Of the praescience or foreknowledge of God and how it is questioned and overthrowne by the Arminians THE praescience or foreknowledge of God hath not hitherto in expresse termes beene denied by the Arminians but onely questioned and overthrowne by consequence in as much as they denie the certaintie and unchangeablenesse of his decrees on which it is founded it is not a foreknowledge of all or any thing which they oppose but onely of things free and contingent and that onely to comply with their formerly exploded error that the purposes of God concerning such things are temporall and mutable which obstacle being once removed the way is open how to ascribe the presidentship of all humane actions to omnipotent contingencie and her Sire Free-will Now we call that contingent which in regard of its next and immediate cause before it come to passe may be done or may be not done as that a man shall doe such a thing to morrow or any time hereafter which he may chuse whether ever he will doe or no. Such things as these are free and chanceable in respect of men their immediate and second causes but if we as we ought to doe looke up unto him who fore-seeth and hath ordained the event of them or their omission they may be said necessarily to come to passe or to be omitted it could not be but as it was Christians hitherto yea and Heathens in all things of this nature have usually upon their event reflected on God as one whose determination was passed on them from eternitie and who knew them long before as the killing of men by the fall of a house who might in respect of the freedome of their owne wils have not beene there or if a man fall into the hands of theeves we presently conclude it was the will of God it must be so he knew it before Divines for distinction sake ascribe unto God a two fold knowledge one intuitive or intellective whereby he foreknoweth and seeth all things that are possible that is all things that can be done by his Almightie power without any respect to their future existence whether they shall come to passe or no yea infinite things whose actuall being eternitie shall never behold are thus open and naked unto him for was there not strength and power in his hand to have created another world was there not counsell in the storehouse of his wisdome to have created this otherwise or not to have created it at all shall we say that his providence extends it selfe every way to the utmost of its activitie or can he not produce innumerable things in the world which now he doth not now all these and every thing else that is feazable to his infinite power he fore-sees and knowes Scientia as they speake simplicis intelligentiae by his essentiall knowledge Out of this large and boundlesse territory of things possible God by his decree freely determineth what shall come to passe and makes them future which before were but possible After this decree as they commonly speake followeth or together with it as others more exactly taketh place that praescience of God which they call visionis of vision whereby he infallibly seeth all things in their proper causes and how and when they shall come to passe Now these two sorts of knowledge differ in as much as by the one God knoweth what it is possible may come to passe by the other onely what it is impossible should not come to passe things are possible in regard of Gods power future in regard of his decree So that if I may so say the measure of the first kinde of Science is Gods omnipotencie what he can doe of the other his purpose what certainly he will doe or permit to be done With this praescience then God foreseeth all and nothing but what he hath decreed shall come to passe For every thing to be produced next and under him God hath prepared divers and severall kindes of causes diversly operative in producing their effects some whereof are said to worke necessarily the institution of their nature being to doe as they doe and not otherwise so the Sunne giveth light and the fire heat And yet in some regard their effects and products may be said to be contingent and free in as much as the concurrence of God the first cause is required to their operation who doth all things most freely according to the counsell of his will thus the Sunne stood still in the time of Ioshua and the fire burned not the three Children but ordinarily such agents working necessitate naturae their effects are said to be necessarie Secondly to some things God hath fitted free and contingent causes which either apply themselves to operation in particular according to election chusing to doe this thing rather then that as Angels and men in their free and deliberate actions which they so performe as that they could have not done them or else they produce effects 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meerely by accident and the operation of such things we say to be casuall as if a hatchet falling out of the hand of a man cutting downe a tree should kill another whom he never saw now nothing in either of these waies comes to passe but God hath determined it both for matter and the manner even so as is agreeable to their causes some necessarily some freely some casually or contingently yet all so as having a certaine futurition from his decree he infallibly foreseeth that they shall so come to passe but yet that he doth so in respect of things free and contingent is much questioned by the Arminians in expresse termes and denied by consequence notwithstanding Saint Hierome affirmeth that so to doe is destructive to the very Essence of the Deitie First their Doctrine of the immutabilitie of Gods decrees on whose firmenesse is founded the infallibilitie of this praescience doth quite overthrow it God thus foreknowing onely what he hath so decreed shall come to passe if that be no firmer settled but that it may and is often altered
their care might be cast upon him who careth for them 1 Pet. 5. 7. forbidding any to touch his anoynted ones Psal 105. 15. and that because they are unto him as the apple of his eye Zach. 2. 8. now this speciall providence hath respect unto a supernaturall end to which that and that alone is to be convayed For wicked men as they are excepted from this speciall care and government so they are not exempted from the dominion of his Almightie hand he who hath created them for the day of evill Prov. 16. 4. and provided a place of their own Acts 1. 25. for them to goe unto doth not in this world suffer them to live without the verge of his all-ruling providence but by suffering and enduring their iniquities with great patience and long-suffering Rom. 9. 20. defending them oftentimes from the injuries of one another Gen. 4. 15. by granting unto them many temporall blessings Matth. 5. 45. disposing of all their works to the glory of his great name Prov. 21. 1 2. he declareth that they also live and move and have their being in him and are under the government of his providence Nay there is not the least thing in this world to which his care and knowledge doth not descend ill would it become his wisdome not to sustaine order and dispose of all things by him created but leave them to the ruine of uncertaine chance Hierome then was injurious to his providence and cast a blemish on his absolute perfection whilest he thought to have cleered his Maiestie from being defiled with the knowledge and care of the smallest reptiles and vermine every moment and St. Austine is expresse to the contrary who saith he hath disposed the severall members of the flea and gnat that hath given unto them order life and motion c. even most agreeable to holy Scriptures so Psal 104. 20 21. and 145. 15. Matth. 6. 26. He feedeth the fowles and cloatheth the grasse of the field Iob 39. 1 â— and Ionah 4. 6 7. sure it is not troublesome to God to take notice of all that he hath created did he use that great power in the production of the least of his creatures so farre beyond the united activitie of men and Angels for no end at all doubtlesse even they also must have a well disposed order for the manifestation of his glory not a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father Matth. 10. 29 30. even the haires of our head are numbred he cleatheth the lillies and grasse of the field which is to be cast into the even Luke 12. 27 28. Behold his knowledge and care of them again he used frogs and lice for the punishment of the Egyptians Exod. 8. with a gourd and a worme he exercised his servant Ionah Chap. 3. yea he cals the locusts his terrible Army and shall not God know and take care of the number of his souldiers the ordering of his dreadfull Hoast That God by his providence governeth and disposeth of all things by him created is sufficiently proved the manner how he worketh all in all how he ordereth the works of his owne hands in what this governing and disposing of his creatures doth chiefly consist comes now to be considered And here foure things are principally to be observed First the sustaining preserving and upholding of all things by his power For he upholdeth all things by the word of his power Heb. 1. 3. Secondly his working together with all things by an influence of causalitie into the agents themselves for he also hath wrought all our works in us Isaiah 26. 12. Thirdly his powerfull over-ruling of all events both necessary free and contingent and disposing of them to certaine ends for the manifestation of his glory So Ioseph tels his brethren as for you you thought evill against me but God meant it unto good to bring to passe as it is at this day to save much people alive Gen. 50. 20. Fourthly his determining and restraining second causes to such and such effects even the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth it whither soever he will Prov. 21. 1. First his sustentation or upholding of all things is his powerfull continuing of their being naturall strength and faculties bestowed on them at their creation In him we live and move and have our being Acts 17. So that he doth neither worke all himselfe in them without any cooperation of theirs which would not only turn all things into stocks yea and take from stocks their own proper nature but also is contrary to that generall blessing he spread over the face of the whole world in the beginning increase and multiply Gen. 1. 22. nor yet leave them to a selfe subsistance he in the meane time only not destroying them which would make him an idle spectator of most things in the world not to worke hitherto as our Saviour speaks and grant to divers things here below an absolute being not derivative from him the first whereof is blasphemous the latter impossible Secondly for Gods working in and together with all second causes for the producing of their effects what part or portion in the worke punctually to assigne unto him what to the power of the inferiour causes seemes beyond the reach of mortals neither is an exact comprehension thereof any way necessary so that we make every thing beholding to his power for its being and to his assistance for its operation Thirdly his supreame dominion exerciseth it selfe in disposing of all things to certaine and determinate ends for his owne glory and is chiefly discerned advancing it self over those things which are most contingent and making them in some sort necessary inasmuch as they are certainly disposed of to some proposed ends betweene the birth and death of a man how many things meerely contingent doe occurre how many chances how many diseases in their owne nature all evitable and in regard of the event not one of them but to some prove mortall yet certaine it is that a mans dayes are determined the number of his moneths are with the Lord he hath appointed his bounds which he cannot passe Iob 14. 5. And oftentimes by things purely contingent and accidentall he executeth his purposes bestoweth rewards inflicteth punishments and accomplisheth his judgements as when he delivereth a man to be slaine by the head of an axe flying from the helve in the hand of a man cutting a tree by the way but in nothing is this more evident then in the ancient casting of lots a thing as casuall and accidentall as can be imagined hudled in the Cap at a venture yet God overruleth them to the declaring of his purpose freeing truth from doubts and manifestation of his power Prov. 16. 33. The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing of it is from the Lord as you may see in the examples of Achan Iosh 7. 16 17. Saul 1 Sam. 10. 21. Ionathan