most murtherous designer 66. After this manner 't is clear that Christ had a Commission from heaven to worke Miracles to cure Diseases yet 't is particularly affirm'd of the infidelity of his Country-men that that suspended the exercise of his power for some time He could not doe many mighty works there because of their unbelief yet I hope this will no way be thought to argue that Christs commission issued from his Country-men or from the belief of men though that were necessary to the exercise of it or that Christ did ill in suspendiâ—g the exercise of his Commission In like manner the people of Israel had from God not onely a commission but command to put the nations to death Deut. 20.10 And yet on those of them that were left 1 Kings 9.20 Solomon suspended the act of that commission and onely levied a tribute of bond-service ver. 21. Once more I shall suppose a Generall to receive power of Martiall Law from the Soveraigne in any Kingdome this power he is not willing to exercise but by a cognizance of each malefactors cause before a Councell of Warre Here 't is plain that that Councell of Warre suspends that exercise of the Generalls power upon a particular man but sure it will no way follow from thence that that Commission which was suppos'd to issue to the Generall from the Soveraign doth now issue not from the Soveraigne but that Councell of Warre and then no more will the possibility of suspending the exercise of the Kings Commission by Law c. conclude that Commission to issue from the People and not from God And therefore in the case which Mr. Goodwin hath been confident to referre to Doctor Hammond to Arbitrate Whether the King hath any Regular or just power over the lives of men other then that which is proportion'd c. by the Lawes of the State I suppose the Doctor may agree with Mr. Goodwin and yet never be enforc'd or concluded by that concession to question the Originall of the power from God the difference being discernible between the Power it self and every particular exercise of that power and the suspension of the latter farre from including the evacuation or cancelling of the former 67. The same answer will clear Mr. Goodwins succeeding Plea pag. 26. That if the power of Kings over the lives of men were by immediate derivation from God then must this power be uniforme c. in all Kingdomes whatsoever This consequence is farr from all appearance of truth Because the power may be from God and yet that God that gives the power may leave it in the particular exercises of it to be determined either by the arbitration and free will and prudence of the Governour where there are no Lawes or by the Regulation of Lawes where there are such The Dimensum or proportion of power over the lives of the Subjects which a Governour claimes consists not in indivisibili in any certain or definite point but is that which may enable him to discharge his office of Ruler i. e. to protect his people and restraine their inordinacies And as farre as Reason and which are supposed to be a branch of that paticular Lawes subordinate to Gods Word see it fit to extend the exercise of that power so far may that Ruler regularly extend it And whatsoever proportion it be that he is intrusted with by God 't is not reasonable that he should irrationally extend the exercise of it And this regulation of indefinite power by such prudent limits as these i. e. by the Vniversall law of Reason and Justice or by the particular conclusions which the wisdome of Law-givers hath thought fit to deduce from thence cannot justly be quarrell'd as a retrenchment of power any more then the infinite goodnesse of God which permits him not to be able to do any thing which is contrary to that attribute is a manicling or restraining his Omnipotence but is onely a cultivating and dressing of it a paring off the excesses and exorbitances of it and leaving it a form'd channell instead of a vast or unbridled Ocean 68. And thus I suppose the nature of Angels or men which have bounds of Virtue and Conscience and Lawes prescribed them within which they are to move and not to range unlimited in the desert of their owne uncertain proposals cannot thereby be said to have lost the liberty of their species or to have received no powers from God in their creation though some regulations it must be acknowledged they are under and consequently determinations and suspensions for the exercise of their powers And what inconvenience the affirming of this will bring upon the Doctor what hazard of blaspheming of God c. I must professe my self so tame as not to fore-see or imagine howsoever M. Goodwins {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} hath helpt him to phansie such invisible Mormos and Anakims in our passage 69. Next it is but affirm'd and not at all made probable by Mr. Goodwin that the Affirming the Kings power over the lives of the people to be by immediate derivation from God is to smite them with blindnesse c. and not to discover to them the Dan and Bersheba I suppose he meanes by this trope the due bounds and limits of such their power I am sorry Mr. Goodwin should think it fit that such popular harangues should be admitted to supply the place of reason and shall briefly reply That they that affirme the power of the Sword to be from God derived to Magistates doe at the same time define and affirme that those Magistrates are to remaine rationall creatures and to continue under the Soveraignty of Reason and all the branches of that as farre as their particulars are concerned in it i. e. to be ruled by the Vniversall Lawes of Justice and Equity by the Civill Sanctions which tend to the preserving of Societies and consequently by the particular Locall or municipall Lawes of any Country which are supposed to have a peculiar propriety toward the preserving and regulating of that People 70. 'T will now be to little purpose to prove that these two affirmations are reconcileable the one deriving the power of life to the Ruler from God the other acknowledging the regulation of this power by these bounds For there is no kind of repugnance or contradiction nothing but accord and amity between them The very Hand of God that conferres this power gives this very direction and Law for the exercise of it that they that rule other men should themselves be guided by Reason in all their actions And what that Reason is in each particular emergent they are not alwayes or onely the Judicialls of Moses which are fit to direct us but the wisdom sometimes of Particular Laws and Law-makers And so there is small danger either of ensnaring Kings or disturbing States as he seemes willing to fear by this doctrine which though it define the Originall of this power to be from
hazard of lives in case of violation of Lawes unlesse it be that he that hath power of their lives placeth that power in that Magistrate to whom they have rendred or subjected themselves That this is God and not the People I will not conclude to be Mr. Goodwins opinion because 't is his maine designe to prove the contrary but that those words of his and his distinction so explained will bear that sense I mean that they will be true and acknowledg'd by him that acknowledges the power of Life to be onely in the Supream Governour deriv'd from God I conceive sufficiently manifest consequently that though this power be said to be in the People remotely improperly and indirectly and so in Mr. Goodwins notion of eminently c. yet 't is not from the People but from God onely that the Governour hath it 63. The reply will be as ready and easie also to all force or concludency of his next Argument that which is taken from the Peoples power to make or consent to the making of Capitall Lawes For 1. Mr. Goodwin cannot be ignorant that it hath been sometimes in the power of Kings to make Lawes without the addition of any consent of the people such were the Principum placitae among the Romans and after it was thought fit by Princes to lay some restraint on themselves both that they might be better advised and more readily obeyed then though the peoples consent hath been deem'd necessary yet doth this belong onely to the regulating and modifying the exercise of this power the Fundamentall power it selfe of life being in the Supream Governour before the making these Lawes Now 't is very easie to distinguish betwixt these two the power and the Regulating of the exercise of that power the power in the grosse and the determination of that power to this or that particular action The interposition of man in the latter of these doth no way prejudge the sole priviledge of God in the donation of the former of them As the Grace of God is his peculiar and proper gift and yet man may give Directions and Rules how we are to act by that Principle what use it will best become us to make of that pretious talent entrusted to us And therefore for the great Noon-day-Truth which Mr. Goodwin induceth from these and the like considerations viz. That men by nature have such a power over their lives as voluntarily c. to expose them to the stroke of publique justice in case they shall offend c. This being granted is of no force against Doctor Hammond but doth with him rather suppose a Publique Justice able to strike i. e. a power of life already vested in the Magistrate before this consent of the People or abstractedly without respect unto it And so still it is not from this consent of the People that this power is deriv'd to the hand of Publick Justice but from some other higher principle viz. that of God to whom {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the avenging or punishing of offenders peculiarly belongs and no other but in subordination to and substitution from him 64. And what if the King as M. Goodwin next alledgeth have no power to take away the life of his Subjects without cause or for every cause but onely such as by Law are punishable with death what if he cannot command them to be their own Executioners Doth it follow from hence that therefore he hath the power of life from the People not from God Doth the power of God so consist in doing causelesse or irrationall things that nothing which is exercis'd moderately or ordinately can be imagin'd to come from him I shall suppose that God himselfe hath perfect dominion over the world and yet that he observes rules of all-justice and goodness in the exercise and dispensing of that power and hath not power of doing any thing contrary to those rules of eternall Justice which he hath prescribed to himself which to do by all wise men hath been counted an act of imbecility not of power And consequently how naturall is it that he should thus determine and limit his deputies also give them power of life over their Subjects and yet command them to exercise that power with that just temperament which either naturall or civill or municipall Lawes shall dictate and prescribe them And therefore Master Goodwins arguing is very loose and unconcluding That if the power which the King hath over the lives of the poeple were immediately from God then he might lawfully execute the same and take away the lives of men without any mediating direction or warranty from any Law For sure the same God that gives the Magistrate the power of life doth command him also not to throw away that pretious trust causelesly makes him his Minister for wrath to them that doe evill and contrary wise a rewarder to them that doe well and though he subject him not to any earthly superior but reserve him to his own severe tribunall yet he subjects him to reason and rules of Justice and when he hath undertaken to governe by that Standard to the positive municipall Lawes of that particular Kingdome also and hath been as particular in prescribing Lawes to the Prince to avoid Oppression or acts of Height as to Subjects to abstaine from resistance 65. As for that proofe which Mr. Goodwin produceth to enforce his arguing viz. That the execution of no commission immediately issued by God ought to be suspended upon or determin'd or regulated by any comission or constitution of men It is as far from truth as it could well have been contriv'd to be As will appear if it be considered that the word Commission 1. signifies not an absolute or positive Command but onely a power or investiture of Authority or if a Command yet that 2. onely an Affirmative precept the nature of which is that it binds not ad semper and so consequently may be suspended at some time by the free will of him that hath the Commission much more if any weighty reason interpose to determine his will 3. That this Commission is onely Generall and indefinite without application to particular cases referring that application to the conjuncture and concurrence of circumstances which ordinarily are humane and Politicall and consequently to the discretion of Rulers judging by those circumstances The intervenience of which circumstances makes the particular exercise of that Commission convenient and seasonable in one place and at one time and consequently where they do not intervene there the exercise of it may be at that time and place suspended as unseasonable As when the shedder of blood is by God commanded to be put to death and yet some men accidentally and invountarily fall under that Title it must be in the power of the Magistrate to suspend the execution of that sentence or else the Innocent must loose the benefit of the Citty of refuge and run the same fortune with the
year of Jubilee which offers him the same release resolves that he will not goe out free refuses to make use of the advantage of a Jubilee and so hath no more releases behind and consequently by this act of his is in an irreversible estate remains a servant for ever And so this more specious answer appeares to have as little of truth or substance in it as the two former 18. To which yet I might further adde That in case it were granted that the next year of Jubilee gave this man release also yet would not this avoid the concludency of this place for the lawfulnesse of giving up our Liberty which is the onely point in hand because he that can doe it for seven or for fifty yeares can surely doe it and although having done it he shall have Liberty after that number of yeares to retract if he please yet is this no obligation that he shall retract but onely a priviledge that he may which priviledge he may againe as lawfully deny himselfe to make use of as before he did of his first Liberty 19. Mean while the conclusion or close of this Authors reasoning is a little more extraordinary yet For having from the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Jubilee inferr'd that he did not make himself irrecoverably a slave he proceeds And if so i. e. sure if he made not himselfe a slave irrecoverably where is the warrant from God or Nature from passiing away his freedome or Liberty at all and if so how without recall and irreversibly Is it possible this Author could think these conclusions demonstrated so logically as that he should set them downe by way of question which supposes them irrefragable at the first asking 20. For the first of them is not the contrary most demonstrable that if he were a slave till the year of Jubilee as t is confest he was and withall that he was so by Gods permission then there is warrant from God for passing away his Liberty in some degree and for some space though not irrevocably Doth not he serve at all that serves not eternally or is that no warrant at all which is such for a limited time only Then sure are we not at all permitted to be men or warranted by God or Nature to live in this world because we have our Jubilee too our time of manumission from hence 21. And for the second what is that but a plaine Circle first to infer the not at all from the not irrevocably and then in same breath the not irrovocably from the not at all How reconcileable this is with the Authours popular title of Philodemius I dispute not but resolve it is not the particular merit which bestowed on him that other more regular of Eutactus 22. And for the dexterity that is exprest in the conclusion of the whole section That therefore that absolute and unreserved resignation of a mans native Liberty c. without any just condition or adaequate exchange which saith he is hereby pleaded for by the Doctor can have no rise or origination from God or reasonable nature imposing on the Doctor directly against his sense those words of so irrationall importance without any just condition or adaequate exchange I shall suppose that this was an effect of the necessary wants of his cause and a discreet praevision that his conclusion could not subsist without such supplies which made him venture on such indirect meanes 23. For Doctor Hammond is not such an enemy to man-kind as to plead for such irrationall actings or to become his advocate that makes imprudent or unthrifty bargaines though by the strength of his free will to evill he may possibly do so sometimes and be obliged by his owne act and justly suffer the inconveniences and smarts of it but resolveth that both the Campanians in their dedition and the Barbarians in their request to the Romans that they might have leave to become their servants and the Jew in Moses's supposition that loved his Master and preferr'd his service before his manumission I shall adde my selfe also who professe to prefer in my choice for my selfe subjection before absolute Liberty nay before Soveraignty it selfe and believe it a farre more sober and consequently rationall speech in Saul 1 Sam. 9.21 which exprest some aversation to Samuels proposal about anointing him then that other of Absolons O that I were a Judge or King c. did all part with their Liberty upon adequate exchanges such as they which were the fittest judges what themselves thought did conceive to be the full worth of the commodity they parted with And such a rationall power of parting with absolute Liberty for somewhat that I like better i. e. for subjection to Government which is 1. in it selfe farre removed from slavery and 2. is the onely way to secure men from the danger of it is all that that Addresse had occasion to assert or plead for at that time 24. One thing more there is which I may be allowed to adde having thus farre reply'd to all his answers that the conclusion which was in the Addresse inferr'd from that practice of the Jewes was farther confirm'd by the practice of diverse Heathens who can neither be excused by the pretence of a permission or speciall dispensation from God to doe unnaturall things as he thinks may be affirmed of the Jew nor yet were observed by the most rational Historians to have done any thing contrary to Reason or Nature in changing absolute Liberty for somewhat which seemed better and more advantagious to them to wit for security and protestion i. e. in changing a state of common hostility the unhappiest lot in nature for that other set down by the Apostle as the object of their Christian * pursuite and emulation and * contention a quiet setled peace The advantage of which change he that is not inclined to acknowledge must be of a temper of minde or body so distant from that which God hath given me that I shall not wonder that that which seemes to me most demonstractively asserted is to him so farre from being acknowledged such I shall adde no more to the vindicating of the first proposition till I meet with the temptation of better or more dangerous arguments against it 25. I proceed as briefly to the second which is proposed in the Addresse by way of question Whether ever any man was by God or Nature invested with power of his owne Life i. e. with power to take away his owne Life to kill himselfe The vindicating of which I must acknowledge a taske to which I did not expect that the Doctor should be call'd having not till now been so fully convinced of the danger and ill consequences of favouring the excesses of those mens wits who have maintained paradoxes or of the improvidence of those that have tempted others by the publishing of them 26. For certainly about two yeares since before the time that the
Heaven can yet allow the regulation of this power for the Exercise of it to be of an inferiour Humane Politicall Orgination 71. One Argument more Mr. Goodwin is pleased to take in to disprove the immediate derivation of this power of life from God Because saith he that derivation which is immediate from God can by no wayes be assisted furthered or promoted by any creature or second meanes but this derivation of that power of life is at least furthered by the act of the people in electing c. Ergo I shall not examine the force of his ensuing probations which have frailties enough in them but shall be content to suppose the most he can wish or imagine viz. That the people doe elect or choose their King In this case saith the Doctor The people give not the power of their lives to that King but by giving up their Liberties c. to him nominate him to that office of supreame power which wheresover it is God superinvests with the power of life This is the Doctors stating of the question in his Andresse and thereby the separation is evident between the Act of the People in Electing the person of the Ruler and the Act of God in conferring this power of life All that can be said of the former of these is that that act of the people is the meanes of determining the Generall decree of God that Rulers shall as his Deputies have the power of life to this particular person not that it is an assistent or sociall cause in conveying this power to the Ruler much lesse that it shall undertake to wrest this power out of Gods hands and assume it into their owne but I say as a causa sine quâ non or a previous preparation of the subject by their choise qualifying the person to be thus invested and impower'd by God And so though the people in this case are supposed to doe somewhat i. e. to Elect and that election to determine this power of Gods to this person yet is this power derived solely from God as the Addresse hath sufficiently explain'd and not from any act of the People And therefore the word Furthering in Mr. Goodwins Argument may be taken as an equivocall word in a double sence either to denote actuall assistance or contribution of force or efficacy toward the production of the effect viz. of the power of life in the Ruler And in that sence it is not true that the Act of the People in Electing doth further this power it being the sole act of Gods decree to give that power and nothing else Or else the word Furthering may be taken to signifie no more then preparing or qualifying the Subject to a capacity of receiving this power from God as John Baptist prepared mens hearts for the receiving of Christ when he came but had nothing to do in the mission of him which was the sole work of God and thus indeed the Election of the People may further the derivation of this power from God to such a particular Ruler And there is nothing more ordinary then for Gods workes to be thus furthered by second causes or meanes even his work of Grace which he ownes most peculiarly The resemblance made use of in the Addresse is very commodious to clear this whole matter In the Generation of a child the parents are acknowledged to contribute much to be not onely furtherers but even efficients in the production Yet is it commonly agreed that God creates infuses and inspires the Soul immediately I need not examine or attest the truth of the ordinary opinion that the soule comes from heaven not from the Parents because I now use it as a resemblance onely and that it may be allowed to be though it should not be true and thus far at least it will be argumentative that the electing of the person of the Ruler by the people doth no more conclude that the power of life is not superinfused and derived to the Ruler so chosen from heaven then the parents begetting of the child is an argument that the soule is not superinfused from God Our Phoenomena may be all very happily solved by this way of setting it and M. G. exceptions superseded and the conclusion cleared which was the onely one which the Addresse desired to infer by this consideration viz. That whatsoever were supposed of the peoples electing their Ruler yet the Supream power neither is nor can be in the community of the people by force meerly of their Originall or naturall Liberty upon this firme ground not yet shaken by M. G. or Philodemius that the power of life which is part of the Supream Power is not part of the naturall Liberty nor consequently either inherent in the Community of men nor by them communicable to any Representative {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The onely thing which this rejoynder as the former discourse was designed to demonstrate most irrefragably 72. And having proceeded thus farre to make returne to M. Goodwins offers of reason I shall not endeavour to make payment to his Scoffes pag. 28. or vindicate Doctor Hammond from his charge of overweeningnesse c. Though 't is not at all intelligible to me how those words in the Addresse For it is possible that I may put you in minde of an evident truth which perhaps you have not taken notice of should be chargeable with this {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or interpretable to any farther sense then onely this That this truth so evident in Doctor Hammonds opinion was not by him â—onceived to be sufficiently taken notice of or laid to heart by them to whom he then made his Addresse And if that Doctor were therein mistaken or if he be justly charged in his next page together with the rest of his perswasion under the title of the whole Legion of the Royall Faction as the first-borne of that evill Generation of Flatterers for producing plain Arguments of Reason and Scripture to avert that which appear'd to him a heavy Sinne and Judgement from a Nation I must then betake my selfe to my Prayers that God will forgive me my more discernible sinnes when innocencies and good offices to mankind are become so culpable and get out of his company as soone as I can who can so readily shift the discourse from reasoning to defaming and supply with reproaches what was wanting in Arguments 73. I am now come to an end of this debate concerning the Power of life but cannot be so prudent or thrifty of my paines as to dissemble the other exceptions which in this book Master Goodwin hath made to some other parts of the Addresse I shall give you as brief an account of them as is possible 74. The fitst is his dislike of that Critick annotation as he stiles it of the Royall Doctor taking notice that the Supream Power or Ruler is stiled by the Apostle Rom. 13. the Minister of God and not of the people
How this comes to be stiled a Critick annotation which supposes it a Grammaticall one as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} are the parts divisive of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} where there is no use made of Grammar to deduce it nor indeed of any thing but of the plaine words as they lie in the Text I have not the skill or sagacity to divine All that Doctor Hammond affirmes is this that the Supream power Rom. 13. is stiled by the Apostle the Minister of God and not of the people And is not this manifest to any that looks on Rom. 13.4 where he is twice stiled {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Minister of God and is neither there nor anywhere else stiled the Minister of the People 75. But saith M. Goodwin This no way infringes the credit of his conclusion that Kings are the Servants and Ministers of the People The Apostles were the Ministers of God and yet they preach themselves also the servants of Men 2 Cor. 4.5 and Ministers of the Saints Rom. 15.25 c. To this I answer that the phrase {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Minister of God signifies a Minister of Gods Ordination and Institution and though it may signifie somewhat else yet this is the onely notion wherein Doctor Hammond takes it in his Addresse according to Rom. 13. of which he speakes where the powers are said to be ordained by God and to be his Ordinance Now he that is thus a Minister of God cannot be so also of the People because these two Ordinations being incompatible he that holds by one must needs disclaime holding by the other Another notion there may be of the phrase as it signifies performing of service to God and so indeed the same Apostle that serves God may be a servant of Men also and to that all M. Goodwins probations are directed and though S. Paules {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} his carrying of almes and contributions to the poor Saints be no very proper instance to this purpose yet thus 't is acknowledg'd that S. Paul may be a servant of Men and performe offices of Humility to them though by the way this Servant of theirs behaves himself sometimes very like a Master and comes with a Rod when he sees it convenient 76. But this is nothing to the purpose to infer the King to be {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a Minister of the People in the former notion i. e. a Minister of the peoples Institution and therefore all that M. Goodwin addes of the Reasons why the Ruler Rom. 13. is not called the Minister of the people is very extrinsecall to that purpose The utmost that he can enforce from that place is that the King attends on the publique good But sure that will availe as little to prove that he is not a minister of Gods instituting or one that hath the power from him as the Shepheards waiting over the Flock is a proof that he is ordeined or instituted by his Sheep 77. The next undertaking of M. Goodwin against Doctor Hammond is to prove that the Civill Magistrate is by S. Peter call'd {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which he renders the Ordinance or creature of Man because they receive their very being from the people as Kings and as Magistrates Doctor Hammond hath I conceive sufficiently vindicated that Text of S. Peter from this interpretation and 't were easie to shew that the phrase {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} must by all analogy be rendred Humane creature not Ordinance or creature of Man by humane creature meaning any part of mankind by creature of man a thing of mans creating The phrase to expresse the latter of these would be {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} taking Creature for production or work and Man for the artificer or workman of it what is said in the Addresse is sufficient to direct any sober man to a right understanding of that place And M. Goodwins exceptions are very farre from perswading the contrary As 1. That the King is there call'd Supream not in respect of the community of the people as saith he the Doctor supposeth but as compar'd with subordinate Rulers But this is of no force against the Doctor in that place where all that he inferres from their title of Supream is that they are the very persons that are enstiled the Ordinance of God Ro. 13. that is the signall character which he mentions in that Text without taking notice of any other aspect of the word Supream or drawing any nice conclusion from it 78. His second exception is against the concludence of a Negative Argument Which I acknowledge an exception so far as to keep that Argument from being demonstrative in case all the force of it were fetcht from the Negative But that Argument from the Negative or from the Governours not being said to be sent by the people is but praelusory and preparative to another more forcible branch of the Argument viz. that on the contrary Supremacy is affixt to the King and Subjection for the Lords sake commanded to be paid him as mission from him is affirmed of all other Magistrates And both those put together the Kîngs being Supreme i. e. inferior to none but God and Subiection being affirmed to be due to him for the Lords sake i. e. because of the relation which he stands in to God by whom he is said to be ordained Rom. 13. may well enough passe for a character of some remarke upon the King and keeep the pretended rendring of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} from being the necessary importance of that text or the Supreme power from being concluded to be originally in the people 79. As for the groaning of the creation or creature Rom. 8. which Doctor Hammond renders the hope of the heathen world t is not all M. Goodwins {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that will render it an improbable interpretation That the Heathen world though without hope i. e. in a desperate condition in respect of salvation as long as they remained in their idolatries were yet so capable of receiving benefit of Christs coming into the world that Christ is called Desiderium omnium Gentium the desire of all Nations in Haggai and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the expectation of the Gentiles in the Septuagints rendring of Jacobs Prophecie that they seeing their owne impure condition desired the meanes of restoring their lost treasure and consequently are said to desire Christ without explicit foreknowing any thing of him because that which they desired was no otherwise compassable but by him is no nicety of the Doctors invention but largely insisted on by S. Augustine in his Bookes De Civ Dei and this one Consideration is Reply sufficient to all the inconveniences which M. Goodwin hath sprung in this interpretation 80. As for the other difficulties