" Nullum nutnen abest,' si sit prudentia : nos to, Nos facimus, Fortuna, Deam."
If he had to do with it, as Joseph thought he had, when he affirmed plainly that " God sent him thither, and made him a father to Pha- raoh and his house," Gen. xlv. 5-8, then the whole was known to God before, for " Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." And if God may know any one free action before- hand, he may know all, for there is the same reason of them all. Their contingency is given as the only cause why they may not be known. Now, every action that is contingent is equally interested therein. " A quatenus ad omne valet argumentum." That place of the psalm before recited, Ps. cxxxix. 2-6, is express as to the know- ledge of God concerning our free actions that are yet future. If any thing in the world may be reckoned amongst our free actions, surely our thoughts may; and such a close reserved treasure are they that Mr B. doth more than insinuate, in the application of the texts of Scripture which he mentioneth, that God knoweth them not when present without search and inquiry. But these, saith the psalmist, " God knoweth afar off," — before we think them, before they enter into our hearts. And truly I marvel that any man, not wholly given up to a spirit of giddiness, after he had produced this text of Scripture to prove that God knows our thoughts, should instantly subjoin a question leading men to a persuasion that God knows not our free actions that are future ; unless it was with a Julian design, to im- pair the credit of the word of God, by pretending it liable to self- contradiction, or, with Lucian, to deride God as bearing contrary testimonies concerning himself.
2. God hath, by himself and his holy prophets, which have been from the foundation of the world, foretold many of the free actions of men, what they would do, what they should do, long before they were born who were to do them.^ To give a little light to this ar- gument, which of itself will easily overwhelm all that stands before it,
' Some read " habes." See Juv. Sat. x. 365. — Ed.
* " Pr£escientia Dei tot habet testes, quot fecit prophetas." — Tertul. lib. ii. contra Marcionem.
134 VINDICI.E EVANGELiaE.
I shall handle it under these propositions : — (1.) That God hath so foretold the free actions of men. (2.) That so he could not do unless he knew them, and that they would be, then when he foretold them. (3.) That he proves himself to be God by these his predictions. (4.) That he foretells them as the means of executing many of his judg- ments which he hath purposed and threatened, and the accomplish- ment of many mercies which he hath promised, so that the denial of his foresight of them so exempts them from under his providence as to infer that he rules not in the world by punishments and rewards.
For the first: — (1.) There needs no great search or inquiry after witnesses to confirm the truth of it ; the Scripture is full of such pre- dictions from one end to the other. Some few instances shall suffice: Gen. xviii. 18, 19, " Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him; for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LOED, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Scarce a word but is expressive of some future contingent thing, if the free actions of men be so before they are wrought. That " Abraham should become a mighty na- tion," that " all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him," that he would "command his children and his household after him to keep the ways of the Lord," it was all to be brought about by the free actions of Abraham and of others; and all this "' I know," saith the Lord, and accordingly declares it. By the way, if the Lord knew all this before, his following trial of Abraham was not to satisfy himself whether he feared him or no, as is pretended.
So also Gen. xv. 13, 14, " And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afilict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and after- ward shall they come out with great substance." The Egyptians' affliction on the Israelites was by their free actions, if any be free. It was their sin to do it; they sinned in all that they did for the effecting of it. And, doubtless, if any men's sinful actions are free, yet doth God here foretell " They shall afflict them."
Deut. xxxi. 16-18, you have an instance beyond all possible ex- ception: " And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant Avhich I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon