far as he is intelligible hath denied any obedience due to a Father upon the account of generation Now since Mr. Hobbes for this Paragraph cites places of Scripture even in the Year 1651. before the Sword had determined what was Scripture and what not let me cite some now 't is the Year 1679. and all Men have agreed the Bible to be the Word of God to prove that God hath a right to Rule as he is Creator and gratious and to shew the apparent falseness of what Mr. Hobbes hath said in this pageâ— Rom. 9. v. 20,21 clearly shews that God as Creator hath power or liberty as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to order his Creatures as he pleaseth and that upon the account as Creator for he is there compared to the Potter 'T is true those Texts speak only of making of Men and Mr. Hobbes is now upon the governing of Men but observe those Texts relate to the future state of Men which God as Creator hath liberty or power to order as he pleaseth And Isaiah 37. v. 26. There God saith by the Prophet That he had formed the Earth and brought it to pass that Sennacherib should lay wast Cities Where observe That God's creating the World and his Government of it go together which to my apprehension shews his right to Govern upon the account of creating 'T is true irresistable power God is pleased to make use of to punish wicked Men as in this last mentioned Chapter he is said to do by putting an hook in Sennacherib's Nose and a bridle in his Lips and turning him back like an unruly strong beast but God rules his own People by love and they obey him upon the account of his Goodness for the love of Christ constrains Men and as he is their Creator and thereby hath the right to govern them But 't is true wicked Men obey him because they cannot help it yet from thence it follows not that God hath not right to govern wicked Men as he is their Creator And to stop Mr. Hobbes his mouth let him read the 20. Exod. v. 2. 3 4 c. and he will find that God tells the Israelites what he had done for them and immediately ensues his commands which clearly tells any rational Man that God hath right to govern upon the account of his Goodness and with this accords all the Chapters in Deuteronomy that treat of obedience and clearly shew that 't is due upon the account of God's goodness But now I come to Mr. Hobbes his Texts of Scripture which he cites for his opinion and they as little justifie his opinion as his opinion is agreeable to Truth He introduceth his Texts by saying that it stagger'd all sorts of Men The prosperity of the wicked and the adversity of the good and particularly David Psalm 73. v. 1. 2 3. which verses treat of David's wonder at the prosperity of the wicked and never goes on to the 17. 18 19 20. verses where David expresseth his satisfaction as to that matter And then Mr. Hobbes proceeds to Iob's Expostulation with God about his afflictions notwithstanding his righteousness and this he saith God answers not by arguments drawn from Iob's sin but his own power and quotes Iob 38. v. 4. where God saith Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth In which Text I think as well as the whole Chapter Mr. Hobbes answereth himself and shews God's Soveraignty by reason of his Creation but Mr. Hobbes saith this approved Iob's innocence why I know not either from the Text or Context and Iob saith himself Chap. 40. v. 4. I am vile and cannot answer And then Mr. Hobbes cites the saying of our Saviour 't is the 9 th of Iohn v. 3. That our Saviour saith That neither the blind Man nor his Parents had sinned but that the works of God might be manifest in him Therefore he would conclude that sin is not always the cause of punishment Why For no reason but because God was pleased to make this Man without sight as he might have done all the World that his son Iesus our blessed Lord and Saviour might afterwards work a Miracle upon him for the setling the Gospel Or it may prove that God may make Man as he pleaseth as the Potter may order the clay Is this any thing to punishment at all It is impossible for 't is no punishment to be created as God pleaseth for punishment is a deprivation of some good a Man hath had and 't is no punishment for a Man not to have that which he never had or had any right to till God gave it him and Mr. Hobbes might as well have said that 't is a punishment for him not to be born to 1000 l. a year because his Neighbour was as that 't is a punishment for a Man to be born without Eyes because his Neighbour was born with Eyes One would wonder that any Man in his wits should cite so many Texts of Scripture and so little to a purpose And then saith Mr. Hobbes Though death entred by sin yet God might have afflicted Adam though he had never sinned and here Mr. Hobbes breaks off without giving any shadow of reason or authority for his assertion What God might have done by his Prerogative I know not but this I say that I never read in the Bible of any affliction upon a people but it was for sin at least sin preceded and all along the Bible God lays the reason of his punishments upon his peoples sins as well as the punishments of other Nations upon their sins and why then Mr. Hobbes should say That punishments are not always from Men's sins is impossible to find a sound reason and admit God should lay some affliction upon an innocent person were there any such which is absolutely or the next to blasphemy to affirm yet this would not be punishment but an act of his Will and Power and admit he may do such a thing it doth not therefore follow that ever God did as Mr. Hobbes hath affirmed but not proved Mr. Hobbes saith p. 190. That knowledge and understanding cannot be attributed to God and to justifie himself gives a definition of them and that is That thâ—y are nothing in us but tumults of the mind raised by External things that press the Organs of the Body and there is no such thing in God I doubt when Mr. Hobbes wrote this he had a tumult in his mind for any rational Man would think him mad who confesseth a God that notwithstanding shall deny God one of his great Attributes and one so great that without it all the rest would signifie nothing and that is Knowledge or Understanding and this for no reason but because God cannot be said to understand things in the same manner that we do admitting Mr. Hobbes his definition true which is false Tumult being an enemy to understanding God having no organical parts For is it not