Events and Issues of all Things and Actions from Everlasting to Everlasting and since he knows most perfectly the Heart of Man the Bent of his Affections his measure of Grace and prevailing Motives he must of necessity Foreknow the various Results of Man's choice and Liberty of Will without the least obstruction to the free Course and Exercise thereof He Foresees the End together with the Means and the Effect depending on its proper Cause He foresees that some Men shall not live out * Psal 55.23 half their days but they are such as are bloody and deceitful He foresees that †Prov. 10.27 The Years of the Wicked shall be shortned but then he shall fall by his own wickedness And to conclude he foresees that ‖ Prov. 11.5 A righteous Man shall prolong his days not by daily attempts to destroy himself but as the Wise Man saith by the fear of the Lord and in the way of Righteousness Obj. One Objection more and I have done It hath been often said in this Discourse that the Event Foreseen of God is certain and will come to pass and again it hath been asserted that some Events which have been Foreseen might possibly not have come to pass how can these two Notions agree together I answer first that any thing can be certain and uncertain at the same time and in the same respects is granted to be a contradiction but a thing barely Possible which may either be or not be implies no contradiction at all For as there are many things Possible to be which shall never came to pass Actually so other things shall Actually come to pass which yet Possibly might not be Thus it is Possible I may go to Rome but 't is a thousand to one I shall never come there and if it Actually so fall out yet that does not take away the Possibility of going thither for Learned Men say * White de Mucao Multa futura esse quae non crunt multa posse fieri quae non fient On the other hand something will Actually that is certainly be done this day which possibly might be deferr'd till to morrow Illud enim possibile est quo posito nullum sequitur inconveniens But all this perhaps will better appear from the consideration of these Particulars 1. An Event may be certain with respect unto God which is not so to us for nothing can be uncertain to him that is Omniscient but to us that know but in part almost every thing Future is obscur'd with some kind of uncertainty 2. An Event may be certain in it self on Supposition of certain Causes and yet supposing other Causes it would fall out quite otherwise So that 3. The certainty of a future Event is absolute in respect of God Hypothetical in respect of it self but unknown or uncertain in respect of us That is to say it can never so fall out but that he who knows the whole train of Causes leading to it must of necessity Foreknow it But it is the Causes not the Foreknowledge which make it to be what it is which being supposed the Effect certainly follows Which Certainty extends not to us who are ignorant of the Causes Let us see now how this will appear by instances Suppose the French King before he dye turns Protestant whether it so fall out or not God knows for as Solomon saith * Prov. 21.1 The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord. If Conviction or Interest oblige him to become a Protestant the Effect will certainly follow but this is Hypothetical that is upon Supposition of prevailing Causes and Motives it must follow But to us there can be nothing of Certainty whilst we are ignorant of that Princes Intentions neither know how it may please God to work upon him hereafter The Captivity of the Jews was certainly Foreknown unto God and together with a great Pestilence foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah in a very remarkable and particular manner And afterwards saith the Lord I will deliver Zedekiah King of Judah and his Servants and the People and such as are left in this City from the Pestilence from the Sword and from the Famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and into the hand of their Enemies c. And he adds further That their City shall be given into the hand of the King of Babylon and he shall burn it with Fire Yet the same Prophet is sent to call them to Repentance to prevent even this very Captivity and tells them ‖ Jer. 7.5 6 7 If ye throughly amend †Jer. 21.6 7 8 9 10. your Ways and your Doings if ye throughly execute Judgment between a Man and his Neighbour if ye oppress not the Stranger the Fatherless and the Widdow and shed not innocent Blood in this place neither walk after other Gods to your hurt then will I cause you to dwell in this place in the Land that I gave to your Fathers for ever and ever We see here a reserved Condition and fair possibility of preventing that Eminent Captivity so much noted in Scripture and so much Prophesied God grant that we by the same Method may earnestly endeavour to prevent another Captivity which has they say been Prophesied too and which severely threatens England at this day I conclude with Adam's Transgression before-mentioned which was most certainly Foreknown unto God forasmuch as * 1 Pet. 1.10 Redemption by the Precious Blood of Christ was Foreordained before the foundation of the World and 't is no less certain that Adam had Free Will and Power to have persisted Innocent which surely amounts at least to a possibility of not transgressing the Divine Command And this consideration alone is enough to answer the Objection and to silence any Argument that can be opposed in this matter I have now done the Uses I propound to my self from this Discourse are Specially these four 1. To read the Scriptures Impartially and to value them Equally upon the Account of that Sacred Authority stampt upon the whole and the Spirit that breaths in every part not to build an Hypothesis upon some few single Expressions further than it may appear to be consentaneous to the integral Body of Truth contained therein 2. In all mysterious Points wherein there appears a difficulty either to affirm or deny still to adhere to that side which hath the surer Evidence and wherein the Word of God is clear and unquestionable to esteem that the strongest Evidence of all and unto which all Arguments from humane reason and even Mathematical Demonstration must yield submission 3. But in such matters wherein there appears equal Danger in both extreams and wherein many Person have err'd on either hand to take the MIDDLE WAY and walk in it with such Caution and Moderation as to be Friends with them that tread not the very same steps and always ready to admit any further discovery of Truth 4. To represent the Ever-blessed
Divine Nature and the latter blurrs the sincerity of the inspired Writings To which it may be added that such Doctrine is false and injurious to the Goodness of God For his Benefits offered to Mankind are not to be valued by his Fore-knowledge of Non-acceptance but by their own intrinsick worth and by Man's Capacity of enjoying them if he will And tho' God doth assuredly know who will not accept of his kindness yet he knows at the same time the fault is in themselves nor is their refusal any further necessary from any such Divine Foresight than otherwise it would have been So that some Persons will indeed seem to have a great Veneration for the Scriptures and yet own such Principles as render a great part of them insignificant For if God's Fore-knowledge necessitate all Events so that nothing could have fallen out otherwise than it doth then all Divine Precepts and Rules of Life all Promises and Threatnings upon certain conditions are no more but Cheats and empty Formalities But now to those that sincerely acknowledge the Divine Authority and Truth of the Scriptures as all Christians ought to do the Argument will lye thus What ever is entirely true is also harmonious and self-consistent But the Scriptures are true Ergo c. If it be urged that the Scriptures as proceeding from God are indeed most perfectly and entirely true yet passing through the hands of so many Men in various Copies and Versions from one Language into another it cannot be but something of humane infirmity must stick to them This indeed I freely grant and if any such thing can be made evident in the case before us it will be very fit to be considered In the mean time there can hardly any two things be named that are more clearly and vigorously asserted in Scripture than are Divine Prescience and Free-will as well in the places above-mentioned as in divers others From whence it will follow that if those places of Scripture be genuine and no way corrupted which we must suppose till the contrary be made out God's Fore knowledge and Man's Free-agency are not only true but perfectly harmonious and consistent each with other altho' our limitted sight and dazled Eyes cannot fully enable us to behold their Agreement Nor need we wonder at it when we consider that not only in the Scripture but in Euclia's Elements and many other Books approved in their kind are found divers things which a great number of Readers tho' men of good Sense cannot easily understand or reconcile and some things of that difficulty that the greatest Masters of Learning and Reason have more than work enough to overcome of which if need required one might give particular Instances Who will believe that the least Diameter of a Needle 's Point should be Divisible into a Million or rather infinite Parts and yet that a Circle how large soever can touch a right line but in * That is the right line being drawn as a tangent but not through the Circle one point only And since a Globular Body set upon a plain can reach the same but in one point and a point is defined to be that which hath no part would it not be a strange Paradox to say †Eucl. def 1 Lib. 3. prop. 36. Lib. 10. prop. 117. A Globe can touch a Plain in no part at all Yet all this leans upon Mathematical Demonstration It is easie to observe that when any difficulty or seeming opposition doth occur in Scripture which common Readers cannot and even Learned ones not very easily reconcile two sorts of People the Prophane and Superstitious take hold of it to very ill purpose the one apprehends it their Interest to have no Religion at all looks upon the Scripture as a State-contrivance to keep the World in Order and Subjection and hence they assume a lewd Liberty of turning it into Burlesque and Ridicule the other sort being for the most part over eagerly devoted to some Party have a Religion made up of a few Fractions of Truth neglecting in the mean time the Sum and Substance These men pursue to the best advantage of their Sect that part of Scripture which hath the kindest Aspect upon their espoused Notions and run it off from the main Body of Truth to that Extream that it becomes an Errour in Doctrine and perhaps too a Rent in the Church For the Body of Truth may not unfitly be resembled to the Body natural which cannot live in pieces That there are unchangeable Decrees of God I do not doubt but if that Doctrine be so manag'd as to evacuate Men's Endeavours this surely is an unwarrantable Extream Iustification by Faith is a great truth but if it be imprudently carried to that height as to exclude or make men neglect a good Life it will become a dangerous Errour That Christ dy'd for all is a glorious Truth as it is laid down in Scripture but if some stretch that Doctrine to the actual Salvation of all Men and others thereupon put the whole Business of Salvation within Man's power these doubtless are vitious Extreams opening a wide passage for Pride or Prophaneness The one makes Religion altogether vain and the other makes the Grace of God not worth looking after So that whilst Men run into such violent Extremities they seem to tear off some particular Truths from their Unity with the whole which from thence forward turn into Corruption whilst the main Body of Truth is deserted by them and becomes useless And this is the case not only of the less considering Sectaries but even of those who pretend highly to Philosophy and aspire after the Reputation of Wits One whereof sufficiently known hath improv'd three Syllables to that height as to render a great part of the Scriptures ridiculous and the noble Army of Martyrs no other than a Company of wilful and superstitious Fools in needlesly exposing themselves to flames and tortures * 2 Kings 5.19 Go in pence says the Prophet to Naaman which single case he advances to a general Dispensation for any Man to quit his Religion as oft as it shall be difficult and dangerous for him to profess it And this I take to be the Fountain Cause of all the Divisions that are or have been among Christians namely that Men will not read the whole Scriptures and give each part its just weight and measure duly ballancing and comparing one thing with another but each Man according to his Complexion or Education or perhaps some predominant Melancholy lays hold of that part that suits him best and makes up a Religion for himself which is little more than the Result of his natural temper Here I call to mind a passage of a Non-jurant which I happen'd to be present at The Man was reputed among his Neighbours an honest plain Man but somewhat rash and of no deep consideration as may appear by the Story The Discourse fell out to be about Swearing and the Person
Arbitrary nor just without being ignorant Besides how can God be said to search the Heart * Rom. 8.27 and †Jer. 11.20 try the Reins or to what purpose should he do it unless he knows the bent and tendency of Men's Minds and what they will do before they act it And how can he suit his Providences to his blessed ‖ Rom. 8.28 Ends and Purposes for the good of his People if he knows not the Exigencies that shall befall them On the other hand if there be no voluntary Agents in the World what need any Providence at all General Laws might serve the turn 't is but putting the several Parts and Wheels of the Creation together and set them a moving like a Pendulum and they will drive on one another and so Epicurus his Doctrine comes in play that God regards not particular things What can we expect but confusion and disorder whilst we invade the Divine Attributes or labour to set them at odds one with another But now if we lay aside all Perverseness and Prepossession the Harmony of the Divine Perfections will be a most pleasant object of our Consideration God doth not impose a Necessity of sinning upon any Man but he knows some Men will be ready enough to sin out of choice He doth not punish or reward in Men what he acteth himself or what he causeth them to act without the Intervention of their Wills but if some will be vertuous and others vitious when they might be otherwise God is just in punishing and rewarding tho' not ignorant in the mean time who will deserve well or ill at his hands In a word God doth know that Man is a Free-Agent because he made him so and doth daily preserve him in that Capacity he also knows that some Men will abuse their Freedom in spite of all Invitations and Inducements to the contrary unless he interpose his Sovereign Power as sometimes I conceive he doth to move them irresistably unto good From what hath been said the Argument will lye thus God is perfect in all his Attributes and harmonious in all his Actings and Providences throughout the World But the denial of Divine Prescience doth infringe his Wisdom and Power and the Denial of Free-will doth obstruct his Justice therefore it must follow that Man 's Free-agency is not only consistent with God's Fore-knowledge of future Events but both of them are most certainly true The third thing to be considered is the Non-causality of Divine Prescience At the time indeed when this Discourse happened I was laught at by one of the Gentlemen for using that as an Argument which he would by no means admit for a truth But I do not look upon laughter as a sufficient confutation and oft-times those who carry things at highest are furthest out of the way I shall therefore lay down this Proposition and run the hazard of Proving it Namely that God's foresight of what I shall hereafter choose hath not any causality in it to determine my choice nor to infringe at all my liberty of choosing If I can make this evident it will be very material for the main thing that seems to byass and mislead Mens Minds in this matter is an apprehension that God's Fore-knowledge of any thing must needs cause the same and that thence all other inferiour causes must be urged on by such a fatal Necessity that the Effect is put quite without the Verge of Liberum Arbitrium But this I hope will appear to be a great Extravagancy from the following Considerations Let us then observe first that all Foresight or Prescience is nothing else but a sort of Knowledge and Knowledge doth suppose something to be known antecedent thereunto A Man cannot be said to know but he must know something that was in being before he knew it and even the Objects of Divine Fore-knowledge have a virtual Existence in God antecedent in order of Nature thereunto so that as to himself it is rather Intuition than Prescience but with respect unto us and to the not-yet actual Existence of the Objects the word Prescience is proper enough as was noted before Knowledge then hath its dependance upon the things known not they on it and therefore strictly Knowledge considered barely as such is an Effect and no Cause at all As for Example I know that the Sun warms and refreshes but then there was a Sun in being first whose influence I have found to have this Effect upon me I know that the three Angles of every Triangle are equal to two right Angles because first I have seen a Triangle and then I have seen the Theorem demonstrated but my knowing it is no cause why it is so I deny not yet that the knowledge of one thing is frequently the cause of another thing subsequent and emergent thereupon but never of that particular thing known for instance my knowledge of a high water makes me decline the Foord and go about by the Bridge but it is not therefore the cause of the high water I know that such a Man is crafty for which cause I take care that he do not over-reach me but my Knowledge is no cause of his craftiness * Rev. 2 9. I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not saith he that holdeth the seven Stars in his right hand But if any Man will say that this knowledge was the cause of that blasphemy he will go near to be a Blasphemer himself Object But here it will be objected That these Instances are only of things already in being which are not like to be caused by a knowledge subsequent thereunto but the Question is about the knowledge of things to come besides if Prescience be but a species of Knowledge and that all Knowledge supposeth something to be known antecedent to it as was intimated above it seems there may be a certain Prescience of a thing antecedent or which is all one Fore-knowledge of a thing past But is not this a plain Contradiction This Objection will be easily answered by considering the Nature of Prescience a little more particularly And first there is a kind of Fore-knowledge of certain things that Man is capabe of as namely Changes of the Moon Ecclipses of both the great Luminaries various Phases Conjunctions and Consigurations of Planets Occultations of Fixed Stars with divers other Phaenomena All these by Calculation may be foreseen for many years and foretold even to a few Minutes The King's Observer for Example or any other Curious Astronomer knows of these Appearances before they come and when to watch them at the Observatory But is there any Man so pleasant as to say that the Astronomers Skill is the cause of an Eclipse or if Monsr Hevelius can tell when some of the fixed Stars will disappear that therefore he hides them cunningly and will not let the World see them Now why should not humane Prescience in its kind and degree have a
power of determining the Events foreseen as well as Divine and what 's the reason that this foresight has not the least causality upon these Effects I suppose it will be answered because they depend upon certain regular and constant Motions of the Celestial Bodies which have been ever since the World began and the like Appearances that are now have been heretofore and will be again so long as the World shall continue so that this Fore-knowledge is little more than Recollection of what is past For as it would have been a rare thing to have foretold an Eclipse before ever there was any so would it be an easie matter for a Man of ordinary Skill to predict those that shall happen unto the Worlds end provided he were furnished with an exact History of all those that have been from the Begining Let us now examine whether these or the like Reasons may not be of force in the business of Divine Prescience and in order thereunto let us suppose some point of time like that of the Julian Period before the Creation wherein the World was not yet in being There was then in God 1. The Power and Vertue of educing this same World out of Non-existence into Being 2. A Will to do it in such time and manner as seemed good unto himself 3. A perfect Idea or Prospect of this great Work in all its parts and Succession and all this from Eternity This Idea or Eternal View of all Things and Actions that have been or ever shall be is what we call Divine Prescience it was antecedent to the actual Existence of the World but subsequent in order of nature unto God's Eternal Purpose of creating it Now I appeal to the Reason of Mankind whether it is the Platform that builds the House or whether we ought to refer the cause of the Worlds production unto this Idea or rather to the Concurrence of Divine Will and Power If it be still urged That God's Fore-knowledge of Events must of necessity produce the same since what he foreknows is sure to come to pass It may easily be answered that what God foresees is indeed certain but such certainty doth not consist in the foresight but in the causes foreseen and tho' the effect will surely come to pass yet not without its proper causes of which causes foreknowledge can be none at all unless it could be both the Cause and Effect of the same thing which is impossible Obj. But how can God's Fore-knowledge be called an Effect which doth ever suppose an antecedent Cause For since you grant it to have been from Eternity if it be an Effect it must be an Eternal One whose antecedent Cause must therefore be fetcht from beyond Eternity Nor have you yet sufficiently explained how far or whether you admit there may be such a thing as Fore-knowledge of what is already past which was objected before To this last part of the Objection I have already said if it be considered what amounts to a sufficient Answer but yet I shall endeavour to be a little plainer First then that God did foreknow the things that are now past as well as what are to come is by no means to be doubted but to say that he does now foreknow what is already past is Non-sense because it inmplies the futurity of what is elapsed as if I should say God fore knows the Deluge or the Building of Babel this would be contradiction in point of time as though the things were yet to come which are long since past but it 's proper to say God did foreknow them But Secondly the Notion I aim at will best be apprehended by remembring always to distinguish between the real and the vertual Existence of things the former is brought forth in time and therefore I say God did foresee from Eternity but I cannot say so of the latter which being it self Eternal can admit no priority in point of time As for instance 10000 years ago the World was not extant and something doubtless will be hereafter which is not now but there never was nor ever will be any thing extant but what is or was Virtually existant in God and clearly visible to his all-seeing Eye from all Eternity therefore God's Omniscient View or Idea of all things being antecedent to the Creation but subsequent in order of Nature to the Vertual Existence of the World is Foreknowledge with respect to the one but Contemplation or Intuition in respect of the other If we look forward to the Creation it is Prescience but if we look back upon Eternity it is the result of Divine Will and Power or it is God's beholding in himself the Platform of his Design which as I said before is an effect of the Divine Purpose to build a world which Purpose is the highest Link in the Chain of Causality even as the first step of Solomon towards building of the Temple was this * â— Rings 5.5 Behold I purpose to build an House unto the Name of the Lord my God It is true that God is infinite and Eternal in all his Attributes and so there can be no Precedence amongst them in order of time yet in order of Nature there must be Priority since God cannot be said to behold a pure Nothing to see know and behold are Relative Terms and do ever suppose something to be seen known or beheld Thirdly As for the other part of the Objection against an Eternal Effect it will lye as hard against our Blessed Saviour who is the Eternal Son of God the brightness of his Fathers Glory the Express Image of his Person and the Effect of his Love to Mankind These also are relative Terms a Son supposes a Father an Image or Copy supposes an Original yet none surely doubts the Eternity of him who laid the foundations of the Earth and whose Throne is for ever and ever I put the Question even now what the reason was that the Astronomers Skill and Fore-knowledge of the Celestial Phenomema had not the least influence to cause the same and I gave this Answer because these Phenomena did depend upon certain Motions of the Heavenly Bodies which were regular and had been from the beginning of the World and so it was but enquiring into these Motions and the Fore-knowledge of Eclipses Conjunctions and the like would follow by consequence Let it be now demanded why Divine Prescience had not any causality or influence upon the Creation * Hebr. 1. v. 3 8 10. and I shall answer this Question just after the same manner namely because the Creation did depend upon the Will and Purpose of God which is the first Mover the fountain-Fountain-Cause of all things and was from Eternity Omnipotence it self and even infinite Goodness would seem barren and unfruitful without a Will to Act for whatever God made in Wisdom and ruleth by his Power were wrought after the * Eph. 1.11 Counsel of his own Will nor is there any thing in
Heaven or in Earth that can prescribe in point of causality unto the Blessed Will of God 'T is no more then but Gods beholding or taking a View of his own Purpose and the Fore-knowledge of the future World must follow by consequence which Foreknowledge is nothing else but the Prospect of what was potentially existent in himself from everlasting as hath been said From the foregoing Discourse it may appear that Divine Prescience as such cannot in propriety of Speech be said to have created the World nor to have had any efficacious influence thereupon and if we consult the Scripture we shall find the same yet more evident There we find that God said †Gen. 1.3 Let there be light and there was light That * Psal 33.6 by the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made †Heb. 11.3 and all the host of them by the breath of his Mouth ‖ Heb. 1.3 That the Worlds were framed by the Word of God (a) Ver. 43 44. And that He upholds all things by the Word of his Power Now whether we take the Word of God for his Power or for his powerful Command or for the manifestation of his Will as it is frequently used in Scripture under these and sundry other acceptations it will still come to the same thing and what I am pleading for but I do not observe it ever taken for Prescience nor will the Bible I think afford an Instance of any Causality ascribed thereunto but on the contrary many Scriptures do clearly evince Divine Prescience and at the same time ascribe the Events foreseen to other Causes which must needs be very much to the matter in hand I shall mention two or three First Our Saviour Christ as was noted before is said to know all things that should come upon him and yet his being delivered unto death by the Jews is attributed to their ignorance For had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory Scondly In the 29th Chap. of St. Luke's Gospel (a) Ver. 43 44. our Lord Christ foretold and therefore certainly he foreknew it that Enemies would cast a Trench about Jerusalem that they would lay it even with the Ground and not leave one stone upon another Should Prescience have these dismal Effects it might be thought to be a very malignant thing and that which belongs to God as a Divine Perfection could not be cleared from being the Cause of much Evil. But let us not charge God foolishly since we are informed of the true cause in the very next Words namely Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation Thirdly In the Prophecy of Plosea it is said of Israel Ephraim and Judah * Chap. 5. Chap. 13. that they shall fall in their Iniquity and that they shall be as Chaff driven with the Whirlwind out of the floor and as smoak out of the Chimney Was this Fore-knowledge the cause of that destruction No for it is presently added O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Again the Prophet Ezekiel is commanded to say unto the Prince of Tyrus †â—â—â—k 28. That Strangers the terrible of the Nations shall draw their Sword against the Beauty of thy Wisdom and they shall defile thy brightness and bring thee down to the pit c. And shall this come upon him because God foresaw it No but because thine heart was lifted up and thou hast said I am a God Lastly To name no more St. Paul exhorting * 2 Thes 2.3 to stedfastness in the Faith foretells the Coming of the Man of Sin which would be after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders that there would be a falling away from the truth and men should believe Lyes that so they might be damned Now should any Man to requite St. Paul for his Care of the Church as to lay the blame of all these sad Consequences upon him I know not whether would be greater the Folly or Wickedness of such a Charge and it would be yet worse to lay the fault upon the Spirit by which he spake as coming near to Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost But the Text carries the Cause along with the Effect namely †Verse 2 3. Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong Delusions c. When truth has offer'd it self by Miracies and all possible demonstrations unto the minds of Men and will not be received it is a signal piece of Justice to give them over to believe a Lye But here first the true Physitian of a Christian Soul admonisheth it's safety and it's danger it 's safety not to be soon shaken and it 's danger of being decieved Now if the Soul reject both the Physitian and his Advice and having wilfully put it self into the Hands of an Ignoramus is destroy'd by him nothing in the World can be more ridiculous than to blame the timely Warning and Foresight of the good Physitian Object But as concerning these and other Prophetick Scriptures I meet with this Salvo namely That whatever God foretells he doth by his power inforce the accomplishment and fulfilling of the same For say these Persons tho' God knows all things knowable yet such Events as are contingent or depend upon the fluctuating and undetermin'd Wills of Men are never knowable till they are brought to pass and therefore God cannot foreknow them But now what God will have brought to pass and whereof he gives Notice to the World by his Prophets he doth bend and impel Mens Minds to do them and by an irresistable influence bring them to effect This Argument indeed strikes home the only danger is that it goes too far and will prove what the Patrons of it seem highly to oppose None can pretend a greater concern for the Honour of God than those that declaim against what they call Horrendum Decretum yet this Hypothesis of theirs will force them to admit the very same thing and will make God the author of Sin with an high hand For if in reerence to all such things as are foretold by prophecy there must not be admitted any thing contingent nor purely voluntary as falls out in other affairs but all such Events are brought about by absolute force what is this but a fatal and inevitable Decree And how can second Causes fall under any blame since they are infallibly predetermin'd by God's Almighty Power Hence it will follow that the Jews and the Roman Soldiers were no more to be blamed for their Injustice and Cruelty to the Blessed Jesus than a Watch is for going too fast when the Spring is set too high or made too strong for the Movement And if the fault be not in second Causes it must of necessity lye upon the first It will be in vain to alledge that they had been grievous Sinners formerly and therefore God justly gave them up afterwards to hardness