Secondly, ^They affirm that God is said properly to expect and desire divers things which yet never come to pass. " We grant," saith Corvinus, " that there are desires in God that never are fulfilled." Now, surely, to desire what one is sure will never come to pass is not an act regulated by wisdom or counsel; and, therefore, they must gi'ant that before he did not know but perhaps so it might be. " God wisheth and desireth some good things, which yet come not to pass,"' say they, in their Confession ; whence one of these two things must needs follow, — either, first, that there is a great deal of imperfec-
' " Deus ita omnium salutem ex aequo vult, ut illam ex aequo optet et desideret." — Corv. ad Molin., cap. xsxi. sect. 1.
2 " Talis gratia omnibus datur qua sufficiat ad fidem generaudam." — Idem, ibid, sect. 15.
3 " Pertinaci quorundam malitia compulsus." — Armiii., ubi sup.
* " Repi'obatio populi Judaic! fuit actio temporaria et quae bono ipsorum Judreoiiim si modo sanabiles adhuc essent, animumque advertere vcUent, servire poterat, utquc ei fiui serviret a Deo facta erat." — Rem. Apol., cap. xx. p. 221.
« " Injustum est apud Deum vel non credentem eligere, vel credcntera non eligere." — Rem. Apol.
^ " Concedimus in Deo desideria, quae nunquam implentur." — Corv. ad Molin., cap. v. sect. 2.
' " Bona quaedam Deus optat et desiderat." — Rem, Confes., cap. ii. sect. 9.
26 A DISPLAY OF AilMIJSIANISM.
tion in his nature, to desire and expect what he knows shall never come to pass ; or else he did not know but it might, which overthrows his prescience. Yea, and say they expressly, ^ " That the hope and expectation of God is deceived hy man;" and confess, "that the strength of their strongest argument lies in this, that God hoped and expected obedience from Israel." Secondly, That he complaineth that his hope is deluded, which, being taken properly, and as they urge it, cannot consist with his eternal prescience ; for they disesteem the usual answer of divines, that hope, expectation, and such like passions, which include in them any imperfection, are ascribed unto God per dvdpoj'Tro'Trdduav, — in regard of that analogy his actions hold with such of ours as we perform having those passions.
Thirdly, ^They teach that God hath determined nothing concern- ing such things as these in question. " That God hath determined future contingent things unto either part (I mean such as issue from the free-will of the creature), I abominate, hate, and curse, as false, alisurd, and leading us on unto blasphemy," saith Arminius. To determine of them to either part is to determine and ordain whether they shall be, or whether they shall not be ; as, that David shall or shall not go up to-morrow against the Philistines, and prevail. Now, the infallibility of God's foreknowing of such things depending on the certainty of his decree and determination, if there be no such thing as this, that also must needs fall to the ground.
Fourthly, ^See what positively they waite concerning this everlast- ing foreknowledge of God : — First, They call it a troublesome ques- tion ; secondly. They make it a thing disputable whether there be any such thing or no; and though haply it may be ascribed unto God, yet, thirdly. They think it no motive to the worship of him ; fourthly. They say, better it were quite exploded, because the diffi- culties that attend it can scarcely be reconciled with man's liberty, God's threatenings and promises; yea, fifthly. It seems rather to be invented to crucify poor mortals than to be of any moment in re- ligion. So Episcopius. It may be excepted that this is but one
' " Dei spes ct expcctatio est ab hominibus elusa." — Rem. Scrip. Syn. in cap. v. , Isa. v. 1 . " In eo vis argiimcuti est, (luod Dcus ab Israele obedientiam et sperarit, ct expectarit." — Idem, ibid. " Quod Deus de elusa spe sxia conqueratur." — Idem, ubi supra.
'■^ " Deum futui-a contingentia, dccreto .suo dcterminassc ad alteruti-am partem (in- telligc quae a libera creaturoe voluntate p>atrantur), falsum, absurdum, et multiplicis blasphemia; praevium aboniinor et cxsecror." — Armin. Declarat. Senten.
s " Disqiiiri pcrmittiiuus : — 1. Operosam illam qua?.«tionom, de scicntia futuroinim con- tingentium absoluta et conditionata ; 2. Etsi non negemus Deo illam scieiitiam attribui posse ; 3. Tamcn an uecessarium saluti sit ad hoc ut Deus recte colatur examiiiari permittimus; 4. Turn merito faces.sere debent a scholis et ecclesiis, intricatoeet spinosae istso qurestioiics quis de ea agitari solent, — quomodo ilia cum libertate arbitrii, cum seriis Dei eommiiuitionibus, aliisque actionibus, consistere possit : qua; omnia cruecm potius miseris mortalibus fixerutit, ((uam ad religion^n cultumquc divinum, niomenti aliquid inquisitoribus suis attulemnt." — ^Episcopiup, Disput. iv. sect. 10.; Rem. Apol., pp. 43, 44.
OF THE PRESCIENCE OF GOD. 27
doctor's opinion. It is trae, they are one man's words; but the thing itself is countenanced by the whole sect. As, first, in the large prolix declaration of their opinions, they speak not one word of it; and being taxed for this omission by the professors of Leyden, they vin- dicate themselves so coldly in their Apology, that some learned men do from hence conclude,^ that certainly, in their most secret judg- ments, all the Arminians do consent with Socinus in ascribing unto God only a conjectural foreknowledge. And one great prophet of their own affirms roundly, ^ " That God, after his manner, oftentimes feareth, that is, suspecteth, and that not without cause, and pru- dently conjectureth, that this or that evil may arise," Vorstius. And their chiefest patriarchs, ^ " That God doth often intend what he doth not foresee will come to pass," Armin., Corv. Now, whether this kind of atheism be tolerable among Christians or no, let all men judge who have their senses exercised in the word of God; which, I am sure, teaches us another lesson. For, —