"But the nature of his permissive decree is this: He resolves to allow or permit some creature free-agent freely and certainly to do the thing decreed without compulsion from God's power. To this class of actions belong all the indifferent, and especially all the sinful, deeds of natural men, and all those final results where such persons throw away their own salvation by their own disobedience. In all these results God does not himself do the thing, nor help to do it, but intentionally lets it be done. Does one ask how then a permissive decree can have entire certainty? The answer is, because God knows that men's natural disposition certainly prompts them to evil; for instance, I know it is the nature of lambs to eat grass. If I intentionally leave open the gate between the fold and the pasture I know that the grass will be eaten, and I intend to allow it just as clearly as if I had myself driven them upon the pasture" (R.L. Dabney, The Five Points Of Calvinism, pp. 49-50).
God's power is MUCH GREATER than force or compulsion, Dabney. It is a very MIGHTY POWER that is being exerted and demonstrated here in Jeremiah 51:20-23 (similar demonstrations of power are witnessed in Isaiah 10:5-15 and Romans 9:17-24):
"You [are] My war club [and] weapons of war, for with you I will shatter nations and with you I will destroy kingdoms. And with you I will shatter the horse and his rider, and with you I will shatter the chariot and his charioteer. And I will shatter man and woman with you, and with you I will shatter old and young, and with you I will shatter the young man and the girl. And I will shatter the shepherd and his flock with you. And I will shatter the farmer and his team with you, and with you I will shatter heads and rulers" (Jeremiah 51:20-23).
Dabney speaks of " ... some creature free-agent freely and certainly to do the thing decreed without compulsion from God's power." Without compulsion from God's power. No power, Dabney? At all? What of the Scripture that says, "For this very thing I raised you up, so that I might display My power in you, and so that My name might be publicized in all the earth" (Romans 9:17)? Is this not power? Of course it is.
It is the nature and natural disposition of war clubs and weapons of war to break stuff. But contrary to Dabney, it is not their nature and natural disposition to swing and shatter things as if they lived, moved, and had their ultimate existence or being in themselves (cf. Acts 17:28; cf. Isaiah10:5-15; Jeremiah 51:20-23).
