Autokatakrisis, or, Self-condemnation,: exemplified in Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Barlee, and Mr. Hickman. With occasional reflexions on Mr Calvin, Mr Beza, Mr Zuinglius, Mr Piscator, Mr Rivet, and Mr Rollock: but more especially on Doctor Twisse, and Master Hobbs; against whom, God's purity and his præscience ... with the sincere intention and the general extent of the death of Christ, are finally cleared and made good; and the adversaries absurdities ... are proved against them undeniably, out of their own hand-writings. With an additional advertisement of Mr Baxter's late book entituled The Groatian religion discovered, &c. By Thomas Pierce rector of Brington in Northampon-shire.

Sect. 23.

Mr. B. saith farther, that if sin is something positive, and none of Gods Creatures, [It will overturn all Divine praescience of sins; and how can that be foreknown by God, which is in no sense praedetermined by him; in which he hath at all no hand? p. 113.] This is the same sad beg∣gery of the thing in Question, without the least offer of proof, which his cogent necessities have so often squeezed from him, and which I have spoken to so largely in di∣vers Sections. Though he hath several times confessed, that Deity it self is overturned if praescience, yet here he professedly overturns Gods praescience of any thing in the world, but what he first doth praedetermine, and hath a hand in. If God did not praedetermine (nor had any hand at all in) all the villanies in the world, (which none can imagine but Mr. B. and his party) then he could not fore∣know them, saith the unclean Dictator. And so he casts

himself into his wonted streight, of aspersing Gods holi∣ness on the one hand, and his praescience on the other. To what he asks, and asks onely, I will fully (but briefly) an∣swer, that God can foresee what we will do, as well as what he will do himself. He may determine to give us pow∣er, and foresee how we will use it. He gives us a power to act freely, and to determine our own wills; which would not be wills, much less our own wills, if determined by any thing except our selves. So much am I for Gods praesci∣ence, that I extend it to all things without exce••tion; as well to the evil, which he did not praedetermine, as to the good, which he did. But 'tis a great derogation to Gods in∣finite knowledge, to say it reacheth no farther then to his own decrees and executions: The very thing which the So∣cinians do so improve, as to deny Gods praescience of future contingencies. And whether Mr. B. with his party are not Socinians in this point (according to that method which they do constantly use in judging others) let them be their own Judges in cooler blood. If they deny it, 'tis at their peril; it being much a lesser error, to think that God foresaw no wickedness, then that he foreordained any.

Notes

• Mr. B's. fifth chip denies Gods praescience of all wicked∣ness, unless he also praedeter∣mined it.
• See the eighth, ninth & tenth Sections of this third chapter.