but be it so or not there is a great Misunderstanding of them amongst many People who from hence 1. Distinguish all Mankind into Elect and Reprobate 2. The first they make but a very small Number 3. The latter an huge Number and abundance of Infants and young Children among them 4. They conclude all the first under Salvation 5. And all the last under Damnation 6. And that the first can in no wise miss of Salvation nor the latter escape Damnation by any endeavours whatsoever they are both so fixed and unavoidable upon them 7. And they also hold That the Salvation of the one and Damnation of the other are by an absolute Decree without any respect to their Good or Evil Deeds All which resolves into this 1st That God loved but a few and hated the far greater part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or at least from before they were Born 2dly That those few whom he loved he ordain'd to Salvation so positively and absolutely as that they could never in any wise or by any means miss it 3dly That that great Number whom God hated he ordain'd to Damnation after the same positive and arbitrary manner and so absolutely as they can never in any wise by what means so ever avoid it 4thly That as God of his own free-will and choice loved those few without respect to any thing in them either Good or Evil when as yet they had done nothing to deserve or procure it so after the same manner he hated the other great Multitude without any cause or respect but to his own Will having yet done nothing to procure or deserve it Now it is hereby intended to detect and remedy and to expose the Evil Tendency and Consequence of such Abuse and Misunderstanding of these and several other Scriptures of like import The First Part. Treating Principally of Reprobation CHAP. I. Wherein is laid down Two Positions opposing the Doctrine of Reprobation and the same demonstrated by sundry Arguments 1. From God's Work of the Creation in the beginning and from his Divine Nature and Attributes 2. From Solomon's Observation of that great Work 3. From the Rejoycing of the Heavenly Host over that Blessed Work 4. From the Creature made the Vniversality of Christ's Death and of the Gospel and God's Grace and Love to Mankind 5. From sundry Destructive and Pernicious Consequences naturally and clearly resulting from this Doctrine 6. From sundry clear Texts and Authorities of Scripture AND for the better ordering the Argument to treat of Election and Reprobation severally to avoid the inconvenience of keeping no Method by handling them Promiscuously I shall begin with Reprobation and shew 1. That God did not Hate and Reprobate the greatest or any part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or from before they were Born 2. But that we came forth into this World free and clear from any such fix'd Decree accompanied with the Grace and Love of God being God's Delight and so far from the wretched Condition this false Doctrine represents us in crawling under the Burden of a Decree of Destruction which let us struggle under its weight never so long and do our utmost endeavours we must at length be overcome of it and fall inevitably under Ruine thereby Both which are demonstrative § 1. From the Work of Creation that great and first of the Works of God in time that began with the beginning of Time and is the Date of Mankind in which we come to our Spring Head and are Streams from thence If this was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love in a most comprehensive and intire Sense then no part of Mankind was Predestinated to Damnation or Hated of God from all Eternity for that would be an exception to its being a Work of Grace and Love Destruction and Misery are not from thence that sweet Fountain sends forth no such bitter Streams But that this Work of Creation was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love is shewn From the Divine Nature and Attributes of God the great and blessed Author of it by whom we are taught That as is the Workman so is his Work A good Tree bringeth not forth corrupt Fruit neither doth a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit c. Luke 6.43 45. A good Man out of the good Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is good and an evil Man out of the evil Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is evil As is the Man so is his Work and as is God so is his Work But God is good in the greatest Eminency the Treasury of Blessing is with him he is abundant in Goodness Grace and Love which the Beloved Disciple makes his Definition 1 Iohn 4.8 in so many express words saying God is Love Then his chief Motive in the Creation of Man must be his own Benignity Goodness Grace and Love and his End that Man might partake of his Glory and enjoy Him for ever Which shews God did not Hate Man nor put him under any such unavoidable Decree of Destruction from all Eternity § 2. From the Observations of Solomon upon this great Work of Creation which are first Negative That God made not Death neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Wisd 1.13 14. Then Affirmative That he created all things that they might have their Being and the Generations of this World was healthful and there was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth But we were made in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4.24 or Holiness of Truth And to have our Being as such is to have or injoy God the Divine Life for a Man cannot properly be said to have what he doth not in some measure possess or injoy so this End to which we were made is an high State of Glory above Death Destruction or Misery all which made their Entrance through the Fall Neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Then he hath not from all Eternity had pleasure in Decreeing their Destruction for otherwise he was not a free Agent in so Decreeing but under some necessity of working against himself of acting and doing contrary to his pleasure which subjects him to Misery shewing as if He who is the most Soveraign and free Agent of all received Controul from some other which is absurd and blasphemous as are all the Consequences of this false Principle There was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth Then there was no Curse but all was in the Blessing then God had not Hated or Decreed the Destruction of any number of Men for if so there had been some Poison of Destruction and there had been some Kingdom of Death upon the Earth And if God had not then done it in the beginning of the World which was in Time being computed about Five Thousand Seven Hundred Years since much
A TREATISE OF Election and Reprobation In Vindication of the Vniversal Grace AND LOVE of GOD TO MANKIND By B. L. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle in White-Hart-Court in Grâ—â—ious-Street 1700. THE PREFACE IT is God's Will That Testimony should be born Age after Age unto his Truth and that Error and the Deceiveableness of Vnrighteousness as well as Vngodliness and Sin should be Testified against the one being an inlet to the other and the Gate in at which it enters and whoever is inveloped in the one is besmeared with the other But as Light springs up so will Holiness for they are coincident as Sin and Error Light and Truth goes together accompanying each other and so does Darkness and Error He that hath the clear Light and Knowledge of God and lives therein lives an holy Life and is a true Worshipper of Him Let him depart from this and Wisdom soon departs from him for into a malicious Soul Wisdom will not enter nor dwell in the Body that is subject unto Sin such an one shall have no fellowship with Her The Wisdom of the Truth cannot be held without the Obedience of the Truth nor the Light without the Life of it I have liv'd some Years and observed and never saw any Man swerve from Faithfulness but as the gathering together of thick Clouds he became darkened be his Vnderstanding never so clear before of which we have a miserable Instance in G. Keith But he that testifieth against Error and Darkness testifieth against the Root of Vngodliness and Sin and the Region of Evil in which all Filthiness of Abomination is committed for all these are Works of the Night And when these destructive Holds of Satan are discovered Men will flie unto God's Hold. Where it is Day it is Light they are not separable And it is Light 's Nature to discover and manifest things and these Discoveries are of the Truth and for the Information of Man in the things of God and the Vnderstanding being truly Righted draws the Will after it tending much to its righting also It is God's Will and Work that the Light of his Servants shine before Men there 's no cause to be afraid of or suspect the Day 〈◊〉 it 's Light this is concomitant with its warmth Light and Nourishing Heat goes together as Wisdom and Life for Wisdom is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold on her as is Ignorance and Error a Tree of Death And there 's scarce any Error to be met with so deep and depraved as this Man run into about Election and Reprobation which stubs up all Religion by the Roots and stands Dragon-like ready to devour the Gospel and evacuate all Godliness So it is here endeavoured to state and clear those Doctrines from Men's false Notions thereof Which when I had gone a pretty way thorough came accidentally to my hands a Book of George Keith's which he calls Truth Advanced whose Arguments upon this Subject falling quite contrary to mine and unto the Truth it appear'd to me necessary to give an Answer unto it which is accordingly done in the end of this Book B. L. A TREATISE OF Election and Reprobation c. The Introduction Reciting those Scriptures so frequently Vrged in Defence of Election and Reprobation and the Inferences usually though falsly drawn from them with some gross Absurdities that Doctrine naturally resolves into PEter the Apostle maketh this Remark upon the Epistles of the Apostle Paul That in them are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction And it is still so as it was then the things in his Epistles are the same the difficulty in understanding them and many others of which some are hereafter considered the same now as then and the unlearned and unstable like those of old make the same ill use of them now the others did then And which those places are seems to appear from the many great and continued Disputes that have arisen about them and filled the Minds of People unto this day as these following and some others Rom. 8. v. 29. Whom he did fore-know he also did Predestinate c. 30. Whom he did Predestinate them he also Called and whom he Called them he also Justified and whom he Justified them he also Glorified Rom. 9. v. 11. The Children being not yet Born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that Calleth 12 13. It was said unto her The Elder shall serve the Younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated 18. Therefore hath he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardeneth 22. What if God willing to shew his Wrath and to make his Power known endured with much long-suffering the Vessels of Wrath fitted to destruction 23. And that he might make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto Glory Ephes 1. v. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in love 5. Having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his Will 11. In whom also we have obtained an Inheritance being Predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the Counsel of his own Will Before I enter upon a particular Disquisition of these Scriptures there are a few things to be premised As 1st That for special and eminent Services God hath been pleased to choose out some particular Persons as peculiar Instruments as his choice Prophets and Ministers and hath attended preserved and supported them by his special Providence and divine Power for those eminent Services in his Work and Ministry As the Prophet Jeremiah before formed known of God and sanctified before he came forth of the Womb. Jer. 1.5 Luke 1.15 Acts 9.15 John Baptist filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mother 's Womb. And the Apostle Paul a Chosen Vessel 2dly These and the like being granted do not make for an absolute Election either of a certain definite number of Persons of all that are or shall be saved nor of a personal absolute unconditioned Predestination of the greatest part of Mankind to Damnation 3dly That we oppose the Notion of Reprobation as it opposeth Universal and Saving Grace as come by Jesus Christ and the Notion of a Personal Election absolute as it is set up to limit and confine Saving Grace only to a few Persons and indulge that few as secure in Sin c. Which being premis'd I observe That these Scriptures with several others which are herein after spoken to seem to me to be some of those places hard to be understood of which the Apostle made the Observation
that were to find fault where there is none then he would not do right to Men. And shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right This were to slay the Righteous with the Wicked and if it were thus the Righteous should be as the Wicked But Abraham communing with God Gen. 18.25 saith That be far from thee to do after this manner to slay the Righteous with the Wicked and that the Righteous should be as the Wicked that be far from thee If this were God should not be a Righteous Judge neither should he Judge the World with Righteousness or the People with Equity But the Lord is the Righteous Judge with Righteousness shall he Judge the World 2 Tim. 4.8 Psalm 98.9 and the People with Equity Some may query Doth not the Apostle call such Reasoning a Replying against God Which Word is diversely rendered as Repliest or Answerest again or Disputest thou with God Now there is a great Variety in God's Works and there are Degrees of Honour he hath put the Heavens above and the Earth below and in Heaven he hath made several Degrees and Orders of Angels and hath caused one Star to differ from another in Glory and in Magnitude yet the less Glorious are Stars too and all Stars are from brightness and shining the least hath its lustre And in the Earth there are different Ranks and Degrees of Men Superiours and Inferiours c. even in the Natural Body some parts are more some less Comely yet the less Comely parts though not so Honourable are of great use in the Body And this is that thing we are not to dispute with God why he hath made us thus He is the Former and We the thing formed who are but as the Clay to the Potter in comparison of him So We unto him that striveth with his Maker let the Potsherd strive with the Potsherds of the Earth Shall the Clay say to him that fashioned it Isa 45.9 10. What makest thou c. Wo unto him that saith to his Father What begettest thou Or to the Woman What hast thou brought forth It 's our place to be content with what God hath done both as to what he hath Made us and as to the Station and Capacity he hath plac'd us in and not to murmur or have Emulation against such as are greater than we or are more indued with Power and the Divine Wisdom but be thankful for them as Helps in the Church c. and to God that we are related to him and not the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Ay but say some hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another unto Dishonour We dispute not God's Power but assert his Act and aver He hath not in our first Creation made any Man in a strict and proper Sense a Vessel of Dishonour to break or destroy it for all the Vessels of the Potter are by designation Vessels of Use he makes none on purpose to break them in pieces again and to no other end but meerly to shew his Power over the Clay and even this if he did so would not answer to God's making Men to an End of Eternal Destruction because of the Torment of that State whereas the other is but dead Clay Though he hath the Potter's Power he is not as that foolish Potter who counted it his Glory to make counterfeit things wisd 15.9 The Prophet Jeremiah gives a Relation of his going down to the Potter's House and the Vessel that he made of Clay was marred in his hand so he made it again another Vessel as seemed good to him and the Word of the Lord came to him saying O House of Israel cannot I do with you as this Potter Behold as the Clay is in this Potter's hand so are ye in my hand Here God declares his Power what he could do and then his Act what he would do the order and manner of which is especially observable and is thus At what Instant I shall speak concerning a Nation to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I have pronounced Jer. 18. â— turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them Is not this great Grace and Mercy If as to such then as Miscarry God would amend their default how much less would he make any to miscarry Here are in this Text People denoted who had swerved from their proper End and who saving God's Power were marred for being Vessels of Honour and God according to his great Power and Justice might have concluded them under Everlasting Dishonour yet he forbore the Execution of this being still ready to spare them if they would turn from their Evil. And if he be thus sparing concerning them that have sinned to put the Seal of perpetual Dishonour upon them for Vengeance is his strange Act which whenever he executes he puts on his Armour how much less hath he made any to be Vessels of Wrath and Dishonour For whatsoever is Good is Honourable but God made all things Good therefore he made all things Honourable Whatsoever tends to stain God's Honour is false and wicked but it 's a Dishonour to the Maker to make any thing Dishonourable therefore to hold that is false and wicked In short it 's contrary to Reason and Scripture and to the Verity and Honour of God the Maker and Creator of all things to say he made any thing Dishonourable in their first Structure in a strict and proper Sense but it is allowed comparatively or with respect to Degrees of Honour Now this is as to our first Make but what God may do with us afterwards because of our Sin or we make our selves or the Enemy may make us relates not to our first Creation or Being The Potter wrought a Work on the Wheel and the Vessel that he made of Clay was marred or broken in his hand Jer. 18.3 4. so he made it again another Vessel as it seem'd good to the Potter to make it Now Man is compared to this Vessel of Clay which was marred in the hand of the Potter and he made it again another Vessel as seem'd good to him and though we cannot miscarry in God's hand through any deficiency in him as a Workman yet we may miscarry in our own Conduct after we are formed and fashioned by him as free Agents at liberty to choose the Good and eschew the Evil. And 't is not God's Power but Man's going into the Evil is the cause many miscarry and become Objects of God's Displeasure and Vessels of Wrath. Thus Men's Destruction is of themselves and not of God And it 's plain when the Potter wrought his Work on the Wheel it was first intended for another thing but being marred in his hand he made it another Vessel as seem'd good to the
Enemies we were Reconciled to God by the Death of his Son his Election then must stand on this bottom Not of Works but of him that Called for this precedes Works We did not first choose him but he hath chosen us at a time when there was no merit in our hands Some would abuse these Truths to the exclusion of all good Works but without them we are not saved though they have not the first place in our Salvation yet they have their place and come in in their order There is something to be done on our part when we are Called and Elected namely To use diligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.5 by adding to our Faith Vertue c. Some say It is sure for the Gifts and Calling of God are without Repentance c. This indeed shews the sureness of it on God's part but on our parts it is conditional all God's Dealings with us being by way of Covenant So that we are not sav'd Nolens volens whence it comes to pass of the many that are Called few are Chosen Mat. 20.16 For there it a great Work to be done before we are made New Creatures we are not to rest in the bare beginnings of an Election and being Called c. as if our Work were done but go on to Perfection For through the help of Christ joyned with our diligence a progress may be made unto that degree of God's Love and State of Assurance in Christ Jesus from whence there is no Apostacy And these are God's Sealed Ones Mat. 24.24 called in Scripture the very Elect whom neither false Christs nor false Prophets with their great Signs and Wonders shall ever be able to deceive For to this degree of Perseverance must this Scripture relate or else it would interfere with those Scriptures that shew the possibility and even danger of falling from Grace of forfeiting our Calling and Election of making Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience of denying the Lord that bought us of Crucifying him afresh and putting him to open Shame as 1 Cor. 9.27 Heb. 6.4 5 6. 1 Tim. 1.8 2 Pet. 1.9 c. Having done with that part of the Argument which respects Reprobation I come next to treat of Election The Second Part. Treating more particularly of Election CHAP. I. Containing some Short but General Arguments viz. 1. Shewing some further ill Tendencies of the false Notion of Election and Reprobation 2. The Necessity of Practical Religion 3. The Mistake in Vnderstanding some Words and Sentences in Scripture always in the same Restricted Sense 4. That God deals with Mankind in way of Covenant 5. That God made Man a free Agent capable to choose for himself either Good or Evil. 6. Of God's Wisdom Love and Justice in dealing with Mankind 7. To what end the Grace of God hath appear'd to all Men. § 1. AS the false Notion of the first leads to Despair so the false Notion of the second to Presumption And both make void all Religious Exercise and Care concerning the Performance of Divine Worship and all Holy Duties As the Tendency of the Arguments upon the first Part is to remove all ground of Diffidence and Despair so shall it on the other hand be endeavour'd to remove that ground of Presumption and Self-security which hath been hurtful to many § 2. And to shew the necessity of Practical Religion unto Salvation even the Obedience of the Faith and Gospel of Christ that we may redeem the Time allotted us working out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling and so through the Mercy and Power of Christ raising us up in our selves and not without us we may come to escape all the Evil of Reprobation and to enjoy all the Good and Blessings of Election but without this we can neither avoid the one nor attain the other To save Transciption I desire the Reader to look over the Scriptures in the Introduction several of which are spoke to already and it remains to say something of Fore-knowledge Predestination Calling Election and Justification c. § 3. And as is shewn in the other Part concerning Hating Hardening Reprobation Vessels of Wrath c. the inconvenience of taking them in a primary strict positive Sense and as respecting particular Persons without regard to their good or evil Deeds so take these Terms in a strict positive Sense to respect particular Persons as words of the first intention and simply without any regard to their good or evil Deeds and exclusive of others c. and we shall run into great Error and Blindness and lose the Truth § 4. For as is in part observed before all things between God and Man are transacted by way of Covenant and every Covenant supposeth Terms or Conditions and a Possibility of Performing or not Performing of those Conditions and Loss or Benefit Reward or Punishment according as we keep or break Covenant Those Terms God proposed to Cain that Murderer of his Brother and first Murderer amongst Men Gen. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted But if thou doest evil sin lieth at the door And no Man ever had other Terms all are accepted in well-doing but none at all are accepted in evil-doing God hath commanded no Man to do wickedly neither hath he given any Man license to sin but being Righteous himself he ordereth all things righteously Ecclus 15.20 Wis 12.15.16 thinking it not agreeable with his Power to condemn him that hath not deserved to be punished for his Power is the beginning of Righteousness c. § 5. So having made Man a free Agent capable of adhering either to Good or Evil having power and understanding to will distinguish and choose for himself and having first propos'd the Good to him with Promises of Life and blessed Rewards and caution'd him against the Evil with Threats of Death and Everlasting Punishment and Misery he then leaves him capable to receive his Counsel But he doth not forcibly determine him to Good or Evil Actions for then there would be no Vertue or Vice well-deserving or ill-deserving Obedience or Disobedience Good or Evil Wisdom or Folly no Will Choice Love or Hatred c. So no Rewards or Punishments which makes void the State of Man and the Gospel and God's Oeconomy and brings all his Works into Confusion altering things from that Order of Wisdom he hath placed them in Obj. Some object Seeing God fore-knows all things to what End is Grace given and a Day of Visitation in which they might be saved to such as come not to be benefitted by it but reject so great Mercy and Goodness Ans Many think this and such like are wise and puzzling Questions though the very Query convicts a Man of Ignorance shewing that he neither knows God nor yet himself nor God's Oeconomy his Order in the Creation for any of these being known all such Scruples vanish For as God is the most intelligent Being and free
Agent above all other so hath he made Man in his Image an intelligent Being a free Agent A Marvellous Work of the great Worker of all things With respect to which David said Psal 139.14.104.24 I am fearfully and wonderfully made c. And concerning the variety of God's Work he saith O Lord how manisold are thy Works In Wisdom hast thou made them all c. Now it behoves That He who made all things in Wisdom should exercise an Order of Wisdom amongst them all should rule and govern them in Wisdom every thing according to its Capacity and Creation Should he do otherwise it would be contrary to his Work of Creation in framing Man's Heart so as it is not ordinarily wrought upon but by Perswasions Accordingly he draws Men with Cords of a Man even with Loving-kindness and saith I will instruct thee Hosea 11.4 Psalm 32.8 and teach thee in the way thou shalt go I will counsel thee with mine Eye c. § 6. Here is God's Wisdom exalted in that he deals with us as is proper to Creatures of our Frame and Make voluntary intelligent Beings that may distinguish and choose for our selves and if we be chang'd to Good through Obedience to the Grace of God or to Evil through yielding to the Enemy's Temptations must receive Rewards or Punishments accordingly But once pervert this Order of Heaven and we should let in Confusion amongst God's Works c. Also The Love and Justice of God is here exalted His Love Because he would have all Men come to the Knowledge of the Truth and be saved but Men cannot come to this Knowledge nor cannot be saved without this Grace And his Justice that as saith the Psalmist He might be Justified when he speaketh and Clear when he judgeth for if this Grace were not given Psalm 51.4 Men should have no Sin because where there is no Law Rom. 4.15 there is no Transgression And concerning the Persecuting World Iohn 15.22 Christ saith If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sins So take away this Divine Light and Grace of God which is the Standard by which Good and Evil are measured and there should be neither Vertue nor Vice Rewards or Punishments So this is the Wisdom and Manner of God his Oeconomy or Houshould-Order his Way in the Creation that having set Life and Death before us with Exhortations to choose Life he leaveth us according to the wise Man in the hand of his Counsel that is so far as we are left to our own choice and not forced for this would be repugnant to our Constitution For He himself made Man from the beginning and left him in the hand of his Counsel saying If thou wilt keep the Commandments Ecclus 15.14 15 16 17. and perform Acceptable Faithfulness He hath set Water and Fire before thee stretch out thine hand unto whither thou wilt Before Man is Life and Death and whether him liketh shall be given him But there had been none of the Life here spoken of if he had not had Grace and a Day of Visitation c. § 7. Having now past this Objection I would query To what purpose hath the Grace of God appear'd to all Men Which the Scripture calls Gratia illa Dei Salutifera benignitas Dei servatrix omnium the Salvation-bringing Grace of God the Goodness of God the Preserver of All and which those Men call Common Grace To what purpose I say hath it appear'd to all Men And why is it called The Preserver of all if no Man whatsoever obtain Salvation by it Which is according to their Principle Having hitherto in this Second Part clear'd up my Passage by these few more General Arguments I shall come now to treat more particularly of those Terms under Examination CHAP. II. Treating 1. Of God's Fore-knowledge 2. Of Predestination the Definition thereof and how to be understood in the Scripture-Sense which is Conditional with Two Objections answered to clear that Point 3. That Predestination Calling and Justification may be forfeited or fallen from 4. That Predestination is imply'd in Calling Election and Adoption all which may be lost or forfeited Of God's Fore-knowledge § 1. IT is granted That known unto the Lord are all his Works from the beginning he knows all things past present and to come but there is no necessity of Sinning proceeding from this Foreknowledge This Knowledge in God how and in what manner things will come to pass that are Evil is not at all the cause of their coming so to pass for then the fault would be upon God when things are so and issue ill If we should charge any fault on God and make him the Author of Sin or else that there should be no Sin we should let in great Blasphemy and Absurdities as is in part already shewn in answer to the Objection taken from Jude c. in page 24. preceding Of Predestination § 2. Predestination is Fore-appointment or Ordaining before what shall come after which some understand according to the Praedestinatiani a kind of Hereticks that held fatal Predestination of every particular Matter Person or Action and that all things came to pass and fell out necessarily especially touching the Salvation and Damnation of particular Men and that Omnia suint salo c. And it is thus defined by Walter Raleigh in his first Book folio 16. We can saith he difference Predestination no otherwise from Providence and Prescience than in this That Prescience only foresees Providence foresees and cares for and hath respect to all Creatures even from the brightest Angels of Heaven to the unworthiest Worms of the Earth and Predestination is only of Men and yet not of all to Men belonging but of their Salvation properly or Perdition c. So herein these differ the first hold it Of every particular Matter Person or Action c. the latter Of Man only and yet not of all to Men belonging c. And yet in one thing they both agree which is nevertheless a great Error That Predestination hath respect unto the Damnation and Perdition of Men which is no where found in the whole Scriptures But where-ever we read of any being Predestinated it is unto the Adoption of Sons unto Salvation unto Eternal Life and unto Glory c. but never unto Destruction and Misery So Predestination is not unto Perdition And as it respects the Salvation of Men it is not to be understood simply or absolutely and positively but is to be understood secundum quid according to the Covenant betwixt God and Man in a conditional Sense For if otherwise all would be saved because all were made to an End of Salvation which signifies their Fore-appointment unto Glory or in other terms their Predestination for to be Predestinated or Made or Ordain'd or Fore-appointed unto Glory all import one and the same thing Again If Predestination were