act? Have they not in this case more cause to thank themselves than to thank God? And unlesse we concurre with them in so shamelesse, unchristian, gracelesse, and senselesse an opinion, and in effect, if God converts the heart of man according to the meere pleasure of his will, and hardeneth others: all the gifts that he bestowes on man, are censured by this audacious censurer, as Sauls bestowing Michal on David, Ja∣ells courtesy, and usurers bounty, &c. or a baite for a poore fish, as if God needed any such course to permit him to sinne in what kind or degree soever, to expose him to any de∣gree of condemnation; or as if the Creator hath not power to doe what he will with his creature, any more than an Usurer hath over his poore brother, or Saul over Da∣vid, or the like. Thus the consideration of his third reason I have brought to an end. I come to the Fourth.DISCOURSE. The Fourth Reason. It is prejudiciall to Piety.SECT. I.MY Fourth Generall against absolute reprobation is, It is a hinderance of Piety: it ser∣veth to discourage holinesse, and encourage prophanenesse. It makes Ministers negli∣gent in Preaching, Praying, and every duty else, that tends to the eternall good of their People. It makes people carelesse also of hearing, reading, praying, instructing their fa∣milies, examining their consciences, fasting and mourning for their sinnes, and all other godly exer∣cises. In a word, it cuts asuder in my opinion the very sinewes of religion, and pulls away the stron∣gest inducements to an holy life. Therefore it is no true and wholsome doctrine. That it doth so, it will appeare these two waies that follow. 1. It takes away (Hope) and (Feare) Hope of attain∣ing any good by Godlinesse; Feare of sustaining any hurt by wickednesse: and so it takes away two principall props of Religion. This reason may be resolved into two branches. Hope and Feare up∣hold Godlinesse: Were it not for these it would fall to ruine: by these are men strongly led on to vertue, and with-held from vice.1. Hope doth (excitare) stirre men up to beginne, and (corroborare) strengthen in the doing of any good action begunne. By this hope of heaven did our Saviour stirre up himselfe to endure the Crosle and despise the shame Heb. 12 By this he heartned his Disciples to doe and suffer for his sake Math. 5. 11. Abraham left his Country and kindred at Gods call, because he looked for a Citty whose builder and maker was God. Heb. 11. 8, 9, 10. Moses left all the pleasures and treasures of Aegypt, and endured afflictions with the people of God, because he saw him that was invisible v. 27. The Martyrs endured racks, gibbets, Lyons, sword, fire, with a world of other torments, because they looked for a better resurrection, v. 35. Paul endeavours alwaies to keep a good conscience through the hope of a blessed resurrection. Acts 24. 15. All the heroicall acts of active and passive obedience, have sprung from the hope of a weight of glory.Husbandmen, Souldiers, Merchants, are all whetted on by hope to diligence in their callings, as daily experience shewes. Hope (saith Aquinas) confert ad operationem, and he proveth it first by Scrip∣ture 1 Cor. 9. 10. He which Eareth and Thresheth must Eare and Thresh in hope: And then by a two∣fold reason. 1. From the Nature of hopes object, Bonum arduum & possible, some excellent good at∣tainable by industry. Existimatio ardut excitat attentionem, hope to get that by paines, which is concei∣ved to be a thing of worth, stirres up to paines taking. 2. From the effect of hope, which is delecta∣tio, an inward pleasure, which the party that lives under hope is affected with by his hope. There is no man which hath an inward contentment and satisfaction of heart in the work that he hath to doe, but goes on merrily. The hope of Heaven therefore is a great encouragement to piety.2. The feare of Hell also is a strong curb to hold men in from Wickednesse, and therefore (saith one) God hath planted in men a feare of vengeance, that by it, as the ship by the rudder, the soule may be presently, turn'd aside from any rocks, or gulfes, or quick-sands of sinne, when it is neere them, and so may steere its course another way. For this cause, feare of God, and abstaining from e∣vill, are often joyned together in Scripture Job. 1. 1. Exod. 1. 17. And the want of this feare is made the root of all licentiousnesse in sinning Gen. 20. 11. Nor doth feare only hinder a bad action, but it promotes a good. It hinders a bad action directly, because it is fuga mali, a flying from that evill of misery, which is annexed to the evill of sinne; and it promotes a good action accidentally, because men think that they are never so safe from the mischiefe which they feare, as when they are exercised in such imployments as tend to the getting of a contrary state.Worke out your salvation (saith the Apostle) with feare and trembling; implying, that the work∣ing out of salvation goes not on handsomly except the fear of missing it be an ingredient to the work.The second branch of this Reason is, That by the absolute decree Feare and hope are taken away. For hope is properly exercised about Bonum futurum & possibile haberi, some good thing that may be obtained, not a good thing that must be obtained of necessity: and the object of feare is malum possibile vitari, an evill that may be escaped. For metus est fuga mali, feare is a flying from evill, and therefore supposeth that the evill is avoydable; for no man will fly from an evill that cannot be prevented, but will yeild himselfe up to it, as Caesar did to the murtherers in the Senate house. Now by this decree Heaven and Hell are not objecta possibilia, but necessaria. Heaven shall unavoydably be obtained, by those that are elected, and Hell must as certainly be endured, by those that in Gods eternall purpose are re∣jected. For men have no power to alter their eternall states: all men by this decree, are precisely de∣termined ad unum, to one state, to necessary salvation, or necessary damnation, without any power or liberty to choose whether.0