A treatise of the divine essence and attributes. By Thomas Iackson Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine to his Majestie in ordinary, and vicar of S. Nicolas Church in the towne of Newcastle upon Tyne. The first part

CHAP. 10.

Of the eternall and immutable Decree.

1 FRom all, or most of the former speculations, concerning the se∣verall branches of the divine At∣tributes or perfections, somwhat may be gathered, not unusefull for rectifying or bettering our apprehensions of Gods absolute and omnipotent de∣cree.

A point, though in all ages most difficult, yet in this age become so common, and so farre exten∣ded, that no Divine can adventure upon any other service profitable for the present estate of Christs Militant Church, but he shall be enforced either to make his passage through it, or come so nigh unto it, that hee must, in good manners, doe homage un∣to it. That this Decree is for its tenour, immutable, (if wee take it in the abstract, or as it is in God) is cleare from the attribute last handled; that the same Decree, is irresistible in its executions, or that the things decreed are inevitable, is evident from the attribute of Gods infinite Power or Omnipo∣tency. That this immutable irresistible Decree, is Eternall, or before all Times, no man questions. Yet is it not agreed upon by all, either what a De∣cree is, or what it is to be Eternall. All least the most part doe not perfectly beare in minde, the true im∣portances of an Eternall Decree. To this purpose have the former speculations concerning Eternity, and Gods infinite wisedome beene praemised; Lest, by the incogitant use of these and the like Scrip∣ture Phrases, [God foreknowes or hath decreed all things from Eternity;] that slumber might creepe upon the unvigilant or unattentive Reader; with whose dreames many deceived, have thought and spoken of Gods Decree or predetermination of things to come, as of Acts already irrevocably finished and accomplished; And by a consequent errour, resolve that it is as impossible, for any thing to be otherwise than it is, will be, or hath beene; as it is to recall that againe, which is already past. In

which conceipt, though they doe not expressely speake or thinke it, they necessarily involve thus much [That God by his Eternall and powerfull Decree, did set the course of nature a going with an irresistable and unretractible swingde; and since onely lookes upon it, with an awfull eye, as Masters sometimes watch their servants, whether they goe the way they are commanded.] But it is a rule in Divinity, not contradicted, (for ought I know) by any Christian, that there is altogether as great need and use of power and wisedome infinite, to ma∣nage the world, as there was at first to make it, Pa∣ter meus operatur adhuc (saith the* 1.1 Wisedome of God) et ego operor. My Father worketh hitherto, and I worke. And as hee ceaseth not to worke, so doth he never cease to decree. Omnia* 1.2 operatur se∣cundum consilium voluntatis suae. Hee worketh all things according to the counsell of his Will. So that al∣beit the Counsell of his Will, by which hee work∣eth, be Eternall; yet all things are not yet wrought by it. Shall we say then, he hath not decreed what∣soever doth or shall befall us? Yes, in this sense we may, [He doth not now first begin to decree thē:] but in as much as his Decrees have no end, wee should remember withall, that hee now decrees them. And it were much safer for every man in particular to looke on Gods Decree concerning himselfe, as present or coexistent to his whole course of life; rather than on it, as it was before the world, or in Adam: for so we shall thinke of it, as of an Act past and finished, which hath de∣nounced sentence upon us, more irrevocable

than the Lawes of the Medes and Persians. How∣beit even these lawes, whiles they were in making, suppose that Liberty in their Makers, which they utterly tooke from them being once enacted.

2 Gods Decrees are like theirs, in that they are in themselves unalterable: but not in that they make some evills, which befall others, inevitable; or some casuall inconveniences, unamendable. No wisedome, but that which is infinite, and an Eter∣nall Law in it selfe, foreseeing all things that possi∣bly can bee, hath just warrant to make Decrees for men everlastingly immutable. Too strict oblige∣ment unto Lawes positive, or Decrees unalterable, deprives both Lawgivers and others of their native Liberty and opportunity of doing good. Were the Popes wisedome and integrity parallell to that supereminent dignity, which he challengeth; it were not amisse for the body whereof hee is the lawfull head, if he exercised the same power over his Grants or Acts, that hee doth over his breath: alwayes reserving a liberty to send them forth, or call them in, to enlarge, contract, or invert them, according to exigences or occasions present. To alter his opinion of men, as they doe theirs in points of usefull doctrine, or their demeanours in matters of life; curbing him this yeare, whom hee priviledged the last yeare; now punishing where he lately rewarded; and, shortly after, rewarding where now hee punisheth; would argue no muta∣bility of mind, or unsetled fickle disposition, but rather immoveable constancy; if so in all these changes he truly observed the rule of Iustice, which

because it is alwayes one and the same, and never varies, must needs afford different measures to dif∣ferent deserts, and fit contrary dispositions with contrary recompences. But seeing Princes and Governours, are made of the same corrupted mold with those, whom they governe; oft-times expo∣sed by height of place to greater blasts of mutabili∣tie, and inconstancy, than their inferiours; Publicke Lawes have beene sought out by most Nations, to runne like a straight line, betwixt two distorted and crooked ones; and to bee as a firme, or barre, be∣tweene the tumultuous and raging passions of Princes and subjects, which every foot (as we say) would fall foule were they not thus fended off, one from the other. Vpon this consideration many Conquerours have beene content to sheathe up a great part of their illimited power (retayning some competent prerogatives to themselves and their successors) in publicke Edicts or Lawes, not alto∣gether so unalterable as the Lawes of the Medes and Persians: yet lesse subject to change, then Lords purposes, or Princes pleasures: and every Act wher∣to they passe their consent, restraines them of some former liberty, and abates somewhat of their pre∣sent greatnesse; to whose length or continnance (as Theopompus observed) much by this meanes, is added; and it were better to live an hundred yeares, (as hee said) with ingenuous health and strength, then to swagger it for twenty, with gyantly force, or Athleticall constitution. And albeit the Law (which is a common looking glasse to direct the Prince in commanding, and the subject in obeying)

may sometimes lay out authority, and sometimes obedience, or inflict punishment one while, and dis∣pense rewards another while, in measure greater or lesse, than a wise & just Arbitrator, chosen for these particular purposes, would allow of; yet hath it beene thought fittest for all parts, rather to brooke these interposed mischiefes, then to be perpetually subject to the former inconveniences of the Papa∣cie; if the Popes (such as they are) or other Princes should practise according to the Canonists rule, Papa nunquam ligat sibi manus, The Pope never tyes his owne hands.

3 But the unerrable rule of everlasting Iustice, who from eternity decrees, whatsoever may bee, and foresees whatsoever will be, (because Heaven and Earth may sooner passe than his words or acts) passeth no act to the prejudice of his absolute and eternall power of Iurisdiction. What grant or pro∣mise soever he make, cannot binde the exercise of his everlasting libertie, for a moment of time: they last no longer than durante beneplacito: seeing gra∣cious Equity, and onely it, is his everlasting plea∣sure. He ever was, ever is, and ever shall be, alike indifferent and free to recompence every man ac∣cording to his present wayes. And in that, hee al∣waies searcheth the very hart and secret thoughts, and never ceaseth to decree; his one and indivisibly everlasting decree, without any variety or shadow of change in it selfe; fits all the changes, severall dispositions, and contingent actions of Men and Angels, as exactly, as if he did conceive, and shape a new Law, for every one of them; and they are

conceived and brought forth, as wel befitting them as the skin doth the body, which nature hath en∣wrapped in it. No man living (I take it) will a∣vouch any absolute necessity from all Eternity, that God should inevitably decree the deposition of Elies line from the Priesthood, or his two sonnes destructions by the Philistims: For this were to bereave him of his absolute and eternall liberty. I demand then, whether within the compass of time, or in eternity, as praeexistent to Elies dayes, he past any act that could restraine his eternall liberty of honouring Elies families, as well as any others in their time? To say, He did, were impiety; because it chargeth the Almighty with impotent immuta∣bility. What shall we say then? The deposition of his race, the sudden death and destruction of his sonnes, were not at all absolutely necessary, but ne∣cessary onely upon supposed miscariage of the pos∣sible meanes and opportunities, which hee had gi∣ven them for honouring him. And that eternall decree, [They that dishonour mee, them will I disho∣nour,] as coexistent to the full measure of this their transgression, by it shapes their punishment.

4 To thinke of Gods eternall decree with admi∣ration void of danger; we must conceive it, as the immediate Axis or Center, upon which every suc∣cessive or contingent act revolves: and yet withall, that, wherein the whole frame of succession or con∣tingency is fully comprehended, as an unconstant movable Sphere in a farre greater quiescent, or ra∣ther in such a one (as in the description of Eternity was imagined) which hath drawne all the successive

parts of motion, into an indivisible unity of durati∣on permanent. Every part of the larger Sphere (this, swallowing up motion, in vigorous rest) should have coexistence locall with all and every part of the next moveable Sphere under it, move it as slowly and swiftly, as the latitude of successive motion can admit. Whilest we thus conceive of Gods eternall decree, and of his foreknowledge, (included in our conceipt of it) according to the Analogy of what we must beleeve, concerning the manner of his ubiquitary presence or immensity: we shall have no occasion to suspect, that his neces∣sary foreknowledge of what we doe, should lay a necessity upon our actions, or take away all possibi∣lity of doing otherwise. Rather, we may by this supposall, beleeve that as probable, and perceive in part the manner how it is so, which shall by Gods assistance be demonstrated to be de facto most true. As, first, that the Omnipotent doth eternally de∣cree an absolute contingency in most humane acts: Secondly, that this eternall act or decree (which we thus conceive to be throughout the whole suc∣cession of time, in every place indivisibly coexistent to each humane thought or action) doth not only perpetually support our faculties, but withall un∣cessantly inspire them with contingency in their choice: that is, it so moves them, as they may with∣out lett or incumbrance, move themselves more wayes then one: And yet, even whilest it so moves them, it withall inevitably effects the proportioned consequents, which from everlasting were fore∣ordained to the choices, which we make, be they

good or bad; or according to the severall degrees of good or evill done by us, or of our affections or desires to doe them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ioh. 5. 17.
• * 1.2

  Ephes. 1. 11.