Sound doctrine, or, The doctrine of the Gospel about the extent of the death of Christ being a reply to Mr. Paul Hobson's pretended answer to the author's Fourteen queries and ten absurdities : with a brief and methodicall compendium of the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures ... : also of election and reprobation ... : whereunto is added the fourteen queries and ten absurdities pretended to be answered by Mr. Paul Hobson, but are wholly omitted in his book.

CHAP. IX. Concerning Foreknowledge in God.

THere be many that by fore-knowledge will needs under∣stand approbation and love, rather then knowledge pro∣perly taken: but that cannot be, because then the Apostle Paul and Peters difference between fore-knowledge, and to predestinate, to fore-know, and to Elect, would be quite taken away. But if any should contend to have it so notwithstanding, I will fetch a poor Almanack, to wipe away this gloss by the common use of the word Prognostication.

Therefore though God approveth not, yet he fore-sees all things, or rather sees them as present to him.

Which fore-knowledge, or knowledge, doth not lay a neces∣sity upon the things so to be: for the very nature of knowledge

doth not imply a necessity that the thing must, but a certainty that it will be: as for example: When I see a man walk, and at the same time see the sun shine, I see the first as voluntary, and the second as natural: and though at the instant that I see both done, there is a necessity that they be done, (or else I could not see them when I do) yet before they were done, there was a ne∣cessity but of onely one (i.e. the sun shining) but none at all of the other (i. e. of the mans walking) the sun could not but shine, being a natural agent; the man might not have walked, being a voluntary one: upon which it followes, There is a twofold ne∣cessity, one absolute, the other on supposition: the absolute is that by which a thing moves when 'tis forced, the Suppositive is that by which a man shall be damned, if he die impenitent: the lat∣ter of these (though not the first) doth mighty well consist with the liberty of mans will, and Gods conditional decrees.

I am now writing, and God foresaw that I am writing; yet it followes not that I must needs write, for I can chuse. What God fore-sees will be, will certainly come to passe; but it will come to pass so as he foresaw it, that is, I will do it of choise.

If all things are present to God (as indeed they are) his fore∣sight must needs be all one with our sight. As therefore when I see a man dance as he pleases, it is necessary that he doth what I see he doth: but yet my looking on doth not make it necessa∣ry; for, that a thing may be certain in respect of its event, and yet not necessary in respect of its cause, is no news at all to a con∣sidering person, who will but duly distinguish Gods Omniscience from his Omnipotence.

They that make the fore-knowledge of God to be the cause of all future events, must needs father all the wickedness in the world upon him, for he fore-knowes the evil as well as the good, he fore-knew that Adam would fall, that the Jews would cru∣cifie Christ, that Judas would betray him, with all other wicked∣ness in other men: but his fore-knowledge did not cause them to do it, for they were voluntary agents, or else could not be said wickedly to have done what they did do.