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A17306 A plea to an appeale trauersed dialogue wise. By H.B. Burton, Henry, 1578-1648. 1626 (1626) STC 4153; ESTC S106969 84,171 122

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free these miserable captiues out of that tyrant Pharaohs more then Aegyptian bondage Againe in the Acts of the Apostles where it is said that our hearts are purified by faith which some as Aquinas vnderstands of illuminating the vnderstanding by faith others of the purification of the soule and heart from sinne by faith as we are said also to be sanctified by faith that is in Christ. Now this faith is the first worke of Gods grace wrought in the heart that is in the whole soule in our first conuersion by which faith the vnderstanding is inlightned and with it the will and all the other faculties of the soule are sanctified For the heart in Scriptuee is taken oftentimes for the whole soule with all the faculties of it As Ephesians 1. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latin renders it word for word Illuminatos oculis cordis vestri the eyes of your heart being illuminated that is the eyes of your vnderstanding And Math. 13. 15. Least they vnderstand with their heart So for ●●e will Act. 7. 39. The Israelites in their hearts turned backe into Egypt that is in their wills So Acts 11. 23. Bernabas exhorts that with purpose of heart that is of will they would cleaue vnto the Lord. The heart is also taken for the memory as Luke 1. 66 All that heard laid vp those things in their hearts So Deut. 11. 18 Yee shall lay vp these my wordes in your hearts Sometime for the affections as loue feare and the like So Mat. 6. 21 Where your treasure is there will your heart be also your loue your ioy your hope yea and feare too And Psa. 62. 10 If riches increase set not your heart vpon them Thus wee vse to reduce all these streames of the soule to the heart as the prime fountaine as when we say an vnderstanding heart a wise heart a willing heart a valiant heart an humble heart a loving heart and the like Now the heart being taken for the soule and all the faculties of it and being the very seate and subiect wherein faith resides for with the heart man beleeveth to righteousnes and Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith then the heart being purified being sanctified by faith consequently the whole soule with all the faculties the vnderstanding will memory affections are at the same instant with the heart purified and sanctified by faith as the first act and worke of Gods grace in vs. Hence it is euident that the prime worke of Gods grace in the conuersion of a sinner is not a slight and slender worke as a bare stirring mouing or helping of the will to prepare and dispose it selfe to receiue the grace of iustification but it is a mighty and powerfull worke so that thereby the stony heart harder and heauier then the hardest rocke or highest mountaine is remoued and a new heart a new vnderstanding a new will a new memory new affections all new in the qualities of them are put insteed thereof By this prime worke of grace that most excellent grace of faith is wrought in the heart whereby the whole man is sanctified Babylonius Sir by the way now you touch vpon a point which as I haue heard is much controuerted among Diuines namely about the subiect or seat of faith in what faculty or power of the soule it resideth some placeing it in the vnderstanding onely some in the will onely but few as you doe in the whole soule and euery power of it as the soule is said by the Philosopher to bee whole in the whole body and whole in euery part of it Orthodoxus And you giue a very pregnant example to illustrate this truth that faith doth so fill and quicken euery faculty of the soule as the soule doth the body And the comparison holds well for Saint Augustine calls faith the soule of the soule because it giues life to the whole soule as the soule to the whole body And the Scripture saith that wee liue by faith and faith by Christ as Gal. 2. 20. Indeede those of the Church of Rome are of different opinions in this point Dominicus Soto sets it downe as a definitiue decree of the Trent Councell It is decreed that the intellectuall power is the subiect or seat of saith And this suits well with Romes faith being historicall and so proper to the vnderstanding faculty Notwithstanding when they consider of the danger of placing faith in the vnderstanding least it should follow that therefore faith ought not to be an implicit and ignorant blind faith but a cleare and vnderstanding faith they fly to the will rather placing faith in that not for any good will but to suppresse the knowledge of faith which Romes Owle-eyed religion cannot brooke And therefore Bellarmine would haue faith to be defined rather from ignorance then from knowledge and so shuts it out of the vnderstanding and shuffels it into some blinde corner of the will But see the mischiefe of it while they would auoid the gulfe they fall vpon the rocke For if they place faith in the will they must of necessity allow it one speciall property of sauing faith namely assiance and considence in Gods promises in Christ a thing most hatefull to the Church of Rome therefore in conclusion of two euills chusing the lesse that they may rather exclude confidence from faith then science sith they can noe otherwise chuse they rather pitch vpon the vnderstanding then the will wherein to place their faith So that by their good wills they could be content for the auoiding of the inconueniences of an illuminate and confident faith to croud it into some corner of the inferiour part of the soule But for sure worke they haue taken a safer course by excluding and banishing not onely from the soule or any faculty of it but out of the verge and lists of their Romane Catholicke Church and that with a direfull Anathema the true sauing and iustifying faith But whereas you say few Diuines place faith in the whole soule and in euery power of it they are neither few nor those of small authoritie The prouinciall Councell of Colen which was a little before the Councell of Trent although charged by Andreas Vega to speake too broad and too Protestant-like in the point of faith and iustification by imputation saith that true iustifying faith is seated not onely in the vnderstanding but also in the will The learned and ingenious Cardinall Contarenus about the same time writing of iustification saith that the first act or motion of faith begins at the will which obeying God and faith causeth the vnderstanding to assent to the things deliuered of God without doubting and so to trust in Gods promises and of them to conceiue a firme affiance which pertaines to the will and that this faith as it were in a circle begins at the will and ends in the will So that he confineth not faith to the
totall falling away did not swallow him vp in the deepe but vpō the planke of repent●nce he did swimme safe to shore And Saint Augustine saith of Dauids sinne In ista vi●o 〈◊〉 Dauid● immoderata c. In this man i● Dauid there was not an abode but onely a passage of this inordinate lust And therefore the Prophet reprouing it called it a guest for he said not that he set before his King but before his guest his poore neighbors sheepe to feast withall so that thereby Augustine giues vs to vnderstand that Dauids inordinate lust was not as a King to raigne and to keep his Court of residence in his heart but onely as a guest comming accidentally and lodging with him for a night and so away The like he saith of Peters deniall Quis ita euanescat c. Who can be so vaine as to thinke the Apostle Peter had that in his heart which he● had in his mouth when he denied Christ surely in that deniall he retained the truth inwardly and outwardly vttered a lye For with his heart hee beleeued to righteousnesse but with his month he confessed not to saluation If therefore in Peters deniall his faith was not lost then certainly hee fell not totally away And that Peters faith was not then lost wee haue Christs testimony in his prayer for Peter But I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not This prayer of Christ was before Peters deniall of him yea Christs prayer did in particular point at Peters deniall which was that very night to preserue his faith from failing therein though his tongue did fouly faulter And who shall deny Christs prayer to be effectuall For the Father heareth him alwaies Ioh. 11. 42. and if it were effectuall Peters faith failed not no not in that his fearefull denyall and consequently his sinne was not a totall falling away from grace no not for an instant for his faith failed not nor finally nor totally nor at all St. Augustine saith Fides eius qui aedificatur super Petram c. His faith that is built vpon the rocke for which also Christ prayed that it should not faile doth not faile So that the faith of the elect faileth not no not in the degrees as we haue shewed Babylonius But admit 〈◊〉 faith did not faile yet others faith may for which Christ did not so particularly pray as for Peters saith Orthodoxus That which Christ prayed for Peter he did also in him pray for all the faith full Peter standing oftentimes for a type of the Church For Christ saith Lake 22. 31. calling Simon by name Simon Simon behold Sathan hath desired to haue you that he may s●fe you as wheat so that he speakes to Simon in the plurall number as including all his Disciples all his faithfull Sathan hath desired to haue you that he may 〈◊〉 YOV And in the next verse he addes But I haue prayed for THEE c. Where Christ doth more particularly apply his speech to Peter to arme him the better against his approaching deniall so that in Peter hee prayes for all his faithfull as Saint Augustine applies it Dicent● argo Christo Roga●i pro te c. Christ saying I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not let vs vnderstand it to bee said to him that is built vpon the Rocke And againe more plainly in the plurall number Pro his interpellante Christo c. For these to wit the called according to his purpose Christ praying that their faith faile not without doubt it shall not faile vnto the end And as Saint Augustine in sundry places noteth Saint Peter beateth the person and figure of the Catholicke Church though he say not that Peter is the head of the Church so that oftentimes that which Christ speakes to Peter by name is extended to all the faithfull To conclude these fell not totally nor yet any of Gods elect sith the couenant betweene them and God stands firme and is neuer totally broken the couenant I meane made by and with Dauid in his Circumcision by and with Peter in his Baptisme Which couenant on our part is to beleeue in God and to serue him and to loue him with all our heart and with all our soule c. Now for Dauids and Peters faith that failed not as wee haue proued For their loue that was in the exercise of it defectiue for the time while the act of it was suspended so that they had made a partiall breach of their Couenant But totall it was not for the totall breach pertaines to that sinne which is impossible to be expiated by repentance described Heb. 6. as the sinne of Iudas of Iulian and the like But Dauid and Peters sinne was not committed out of a hatred of God much lesse a totall hatred of the whole soule minde and heart that is for Iudasses and Iulians and all Apostaticall Reprobates But the sinnes of Gods elect howsoeuer for the act they may be equall to the sinnes of the most reprobate yet in the affection they are not and so they make not a totall breach of their Couenant with God Againe the Couenant on Gods part is a Couenant of mercy as Ro● 11. 27. as also Ier. 31. 33 34. This is my couenant vnto them when I shall take away their sinnes so that Gods Couenant with vs is a Couenant of mercy and mercy implyeth misery yea sinne it selfe that if through humaine frailtie we fall into sinne as Dauid and Peter did there is mercy with God that hee may be feared who if he should be extreame to marke what is done amisse who could abide it yea to take the extreamitie were to breake his couenant with vs which is a couenant of mercy But hee is not as a strict and cruell Land-lord who will take the forfeiture of our lease vpon euery the least breach Neither is hee as a Iudge strictly to take away our inheritance from vs onely for some flaw in the conueyance No our inheritance is conueyed ouer vnto vs not according to forme of law or regall right but according to the couenant of the Gospell which is not forfaited for euery flaw or defect on our part Indeede in point of Gods strict law euery the least flaw forfeits all but not so according to the tenure of the Gospell For saith God I haue found Dauid my seruant c. It is spoken literally of Dauid typically and mystically of Christ for he is Gods first borne higher than the Kings of the earth Now of him of his seede to wit all his elect and regenerate he saith ver 28. My mercy will I keepe for him for euermore my couenant shall stand fast with him his seede also will I make to endure for euer c. But if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements thou will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquities with stripes Neuerthelesse my
in this booke and in his Gagge deliuereth it as an Article of the Creede Credendum est quosdam de fil●is perditionis non accepto dono persuerandi vsque in finem in fide quae per dilectionem operatur incipere vinere aliquandiu iuste fideliter vinere et postea cadere c. That some may fall away quite from that faith which worketh by loue And you see the words there Iustè fideliter and postea CADERE are set downe in Capitall letters as being most remarkable Orthodoxus It is a faire flourish indeed I remember the place quoted in his former booke nor doth hee in this vary from that But I must tell you the Authour besides his misquoting of the * booke hath not dealt altogether so squarely with Saint Augustine herein as hauing broken off the chiefe corner of this stone which else would stand firme and vniforme with the entire fabricke of Saint Augustines building For Saint Augustine speaking there of perseuerance to admonish the truely faithfull to be the more carefull in the constant pursuit of it he setteth downe the sentence thus PROPTER HVIVS VTILITATEM SECRETI Which words the Appealler leaues out credendum est c. Which words are the maine qualification and seasoning of the whole sentence that is in regard of the benefit of this secret Credendum est c. Which wee may translate wee are to suppose as well as we must beleeue But if wee must beleeue it it is propter huius vtilitatem secreti a phrase which S. Augustine often vseth vpon this purpose And wherfore would Saint Augustine haue vs to thinke or beleeue so but to containe vs the better within the bounds of feare and humilitie in regard of our humaine frailtie as he specifieth both a little before and after this sentence And elsewhere hee saith expresly to the purpose God iudged it better to mingle som● that should not perseuere among the certaine number of his Saints that they for whom securitie in the tentation of this life is not expedient might not be secure Babylonius But Saint Augustine saith that a man may fall from that faith which worketh by loue and so dye in that fall Orthodoxus Besides the former qualification PROPTER HVIVS HVIVS VTILIT ATEM SECRETI and besides our former allegations out of Saint Augustine he doth in another place speake conclusiuely with an asseueration saying The faith of those which worketh by loue doth in very deede either not faile at all or if their bee any whose faith doth faile it is repaired before this life be ended and the iniquity which came betweene being blotted out perseuerance is reckoned euen vnto the end Now if this be true that faith worketh by loue either faileth not at all or if it doc any whit faile it is repaired in time then his former speech of the falling away from faith working by loue is to be vnderstood not really of true faith working by loue but as it is in apparance to our sense as hee saith formerly of the sonnes of God Yea Saint Augustine is so copious in this point of perseuerance of Gods Saints that I maruell any man that hath read Saint Augustine of these points would euer meddle with him in this matter to wrest one bare mangled testimonie against so many pregnant proofes of this truth And to conclude this clause with Saint Augustine who saith nothing but vpon the expresse ground of Scripture Christ saying saith he Rogaui pro te c. I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not let vs vnderstand as spoken to him which is built vpon a Rocke and so the man of God not onely because he hath obtained mercy to be faithfull but also because faith it selfe doth not faile He that glorieth let hi● glory in the Lord. And againe God doth worke in his Saints a will to perseuere that because they shall not perseuere vnlesse they both can and will therefore both the power and will of perseuering is by the bountie of Gods grace giuen vnto them therefore the weaknesse of mans will is helped that by Gods grace it might be firmely and vnseperably vpholden and therefore though weake yet it should not faile nor be ouercome by any aduersitie And he that holds the contrary hee calls him Inimicum gratiae Dei an enemy to the grace of God Babylonius But iustifying faith may be diminished and consequently wholly abolished Orthodoxus It doth not necessarily follow Faith indeede may be saide to be diminished in regard of the act operation externall fruits sense and apprehension of it but not in regard of the habit and substance of it To illustrate this a little The seede cast into the ground lyes there hid appeares not for a good space is it therefore dead waite a little and so it begins to sprout and spring forth and by degrees commeth to a mature haruest The sappe in the winter lyes hid in the roote and the withered vine seemes dead with cold yet the cold blowne ouer and sommer approching so the goodly leaues it puts forth and goodlier clusters vnto a full vintage The Sunne ecclipsed by the Moones interposition or by some blacke cloud from our aspect yet wee know it keepeth his course looseth none of the natiue light the while onely our sense misseth it till anon it breake forth with a fresh luster and glory The soule while the body suffereth a kind of d●liquium or fowning though now it exercise not the organicall operations 〈◊〉 the body yet we know the soule is in●ue and whole still without any substantiall diminution so that the body being reuiued with some aqua caelestis the soule actuates euery organ and member of it afr●sh as before The ship as that wherein Christ slep● may be euen couered ouer with waues and giuen for lost as in the Disciples sense and apprehension but Christ being awakened and commanding a calme the ship comes safe to the Port. The fire raked vp close vnder the ashes though you neither see nor feele it yet so it is preserued till the morning to feede vpon new fewell A man in a deepe or dead sleepe may seeme dead but awakening hee feeles himselfe the more refreshed after his sounder sleepe So is faith It is a seede though but as a graine of mustard seede well may it lye hid for a time yet the while it is but fastning the root the more firmely to bring forth the better and more abundant fruite It is the sappe which in time of wintery persecutions and afflictions coucheth close to the heart roote but the sommer of Gods comforts returning it displayeth it selfe in leaues and fruits shewing plainly it was not dead though to our sense it seemed so It is the Sun inlightning the soule which though ecclipsed from our sense by some interposition of transitory temptation yet retaines his full light holding on his insensible course and when this nubecula pertransibit when
this cloud is ouer it sends forth new rayes of grace It is the soule of the soule which euen in the middest of extream fainting of the soule yet remaines intire without diminution by the aqua caelestis of Gods neuer failing mercy actuates euery faculty of the soule afresh to the atchieuing of greater workes It is the ship of good hope which when couered with waues sets prayers to awaken Christ asleepe in it who by and by stilleth the storme or sends his Angel as to Paul to assure him that none in this little barke of ours shall perish but safely arriue vpon the hony hauen of Melita euen that true hony-flowing land of Canaan It is a fire which while raked vp vnder the dead ashes of deepe contrition though it seeme dead yeelding neither light nor warmth to our weake senses yet it is but fostered for a new fire that though heauinesse for sinne may indure for a night yet ioy of faith commeth in the morning feeding it selfe with the fewell of new works of obedience flaming forth in a holy conuersation The faithfull man as Dauid as Peter may be ouertaken with a dead sleepe of faith but awakened by grace his soule is inlightned that hee sleepes not in death but as the Sunne arising reioyceth as a gyant to runne his course with greater alacritie and vigor Thus wee see the fruite of sauing faith may be for a time suppressed yet the roote not supplanted the act of it may be suspended yet the habit not lost it may be ecclipsed to our sense yet his light not lessened or his course stayed it may bee in a dead sleepe yet liue faint yet not faile sicke yet not to death weather beaton yet not wracked languish yet not perish Babylonins But the famous Schollar Doctor Ouerall alledged by the Authour late Deane of Pauls and Bishop of Norwich held that a man might fall from grace into the very state of damnation and so remaine vnder Gods wrath till hee did recouer Yea that he auouched this to his late Maiestie and what concertations hee had with other Doctors in the Vniuersitie about it Orthodoxus If we take vp all the Appealer faith vpon trust without further examination wee shall recken before our host for hee playes the shuffler egregiously Nor will he I perceiue to saue his owne stake sticke to pawne the best credit of the most famous of our Church for the security of his most shamelesse slaunders of the truth And if we had not all the better euidence to conuince him he would carry it away hand smooth with downe right daring Pardon my zeale hearein I cannot but be moued when not only Godscause and glory then which nothing ought to be more precious vnto vs but also the credit of our learned and reuerend Fathers is so traduced But the summe of the Conference before the Kings Maiestie at Hampton Court now newly published in print will tell vs the plaine truth of the matter And that we may not with the Appealer falsifie the truth in dealing by halfes I will giue you the intire words of that worthy Deane and reuerend Bishop as they are set downe in the 42 page of that booke Namely that whosoeuer although before iustified did commit any greeuous sin as adultery murther treason or the like did become ipso facto subiect to Gods wrath and guiltie of damnation or were in state of damnation quoad praesentem statum vntill they repented adding hereunto that those which were called iustified according to the purpose of Gods election howsoeuer they might and did sometime fall into greiuous sinnes and thereby into the present state of wrath and damnation yet did neuer fall either totally from all the graces of God to be vtterly destitute of all the parts and sccde thereof nor finally from iustification but were in time renued by Gods Spirit vnto a liuely faith and repentance and so iustified from those sinnes and the wrath curse and guilt annexed thereunto whereinto they are fallen and wherein they lay so long as they were without true repentance for the same Doe we not see plainely here how hee distinguisheth betweene a common iustification in regard of the externall and ordinary meanes of the Word and Sacraments and the true and reall iustification according to Gods purpose yet in the first he maketh no mention of a totall falling away Or if the Appealer will contend that so much is implyed we will not contend for that for such as are not truely and really iustified according to Gods purpose but onely according to the externall vocation no maruaile if they both totally and finally fall away But for those that are iustified according to Gods purpose to wit the elect and praedestenate vnto life he saith expresly that though they may and doe fall into greiuous sinnes yet they neuer fall either totally or much lesse finally from the grace of God but are in time renewed by Gods Sririt vnto a liuely faith and repentance A golden speech which all the Apealers chimicall counterfeit Philosophers stone cannot so easily transmute into his base copper alcumy coyne how brauely and boldly soeuer he braze it on according to his rule Calu●niare audacter aliquid bar●bit To conolude this point of perseuerance in true grace it stands firmely built vpon sure grounds and euident reasons set downe in the Scriptures such as no wit of man or deuill can ouerthrow For the purpose one reason of the elects perseuerance in grace vnto glory is taken from the nature of that holy feare which God puts in the hearts of all his faithfull ones as Ier. 32. 39 40. where the Lord saith I will giue them one heart and one way that they may feare me for euer c. And I will make an euerlasting couenant with them that I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me So here is a double reason of the Saints perseuerance first on Gods part He will not turne away from them to doe them good and that by an eternall couenant And secondly they shall not depart from him Vpon which words Saint Augustine saith Quod quid est aliud quam talis actantus erit timor meus quem dabo in cor corū vt mihi perseueranter adhareant which what is it else but that my feare which I will put in their hearts shall bee such and so great that they shall perseueringly cleaue vnto me A second reason is alledged Ioh. 13. 1. drawne from the immutabilitie and eternity of Christs loue to his elect saying Hauing loued his owne which were in the world he loued them vnto the end * And as the Apostle saith The gifts and calling of God are without repentance A third reason of the Saints perseuerance is taken from the power of Christ and of the Father Ioh. 10. 28. where Christ saith I giue vnto
side without remorse but a Samaritan seeing him comes to him takes compassion on him bindes vp his wounds powers in oyle and wine lifts him vp on his Beast and prouides all things necessary for him The case is ours Totum geuus humanum est homo ille qui iacet in via seminivus c. saith August All mankinde is that man which lyeth in the way halfe dead and though Christ the good Samaritan come and take compassion of vs and bring oyle and wine to heale our wounds yet vnlesse his compassion extend it selfe to apply them we should still be wallowing in our blood and so perish Yet as Saint Augustine saith Sunt homines iugrati gratiae multum tribuentes inopi sauciaeque naturae Men are vngratefull to grace attributing much to poore and wounded nature Verum est magnas arbitrij liberi vires homo cùm conderetur accepit sed peccando amisit True it is Man when he was created receaued a greater power of freewill but by sinning lost it And this doth St. Augustine apply to the man fallen among theeues helped and healed by the mercifull Samaritan Well how then come wee to bee made partakers of Christ Namely by the free gift of Christ. It is of Gods free fauour and mercy that Christ is giuen not onely for vs but to vs that Christ is not onely appointed of the Father to be a glorious garment to couer our shame but also the hand of faith is giuen vs by the same grace of God whereby we put him on as the Father in the Gospell commanded the best robe to be fecht and to bee put vpon his conuert prodigall sonne by the same grace our eyes are opened to behold the glorious sonne of righteousnesse risen in our horison bringing life and health vnto vs. And as Christ came vnto vs so wee must come vnto him But how by the same grace and mercy that he came vnto vs wee come vnto him So Christ saith No man can come vnto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and ver 45. And they shall all be taught of God Euery man therefore that hath board and hath learned of the Father commeth vnto me And ver 65. No man can come vnto me except it were giuen vnto him of my Father vpon which wordes St. Augustine saith Trahi a Patre ad Christum c. For a man to be drawne by the Father to Christ and to heare and learne of the Father that he may come to Christ is no other then to receiue a gift of the Father whereby he beleeueth in Christ. And againe Quando Pater intus anditur c. When the Father is inwardly heard and teacheth men to come to his Sonne he takes away their stony heart and giues them a heart of flesh For so he maketh the sonnes of promise and vessels of mercy which he hath prepared vnto glory Why then doth he not teach all that they may come to Christ but that because all whom he teacheth in mercy he teacheth and whom he teacheth not in iudgment he teacheth not because he sheweth mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth but he sheweth mercy bestowing that which is good he hardneth recompensing that which is due whereupon he concludes H●nc est quòd verbum crucis pereuntibus stulitia est his autem qui salui flunt virtus Dei est Hence it is that the preaching of the Crosse is to them that perish folishnesse but to them which are saued it is the power of God This truth is so cleare it needes no further testimonie So that to ascribe part of our saluation to God and part to man is artificially to rob God of his glory and man of saluation seeing not onely for the Father to appoint his Sonnes to be the Mediatour and Redeemer of mankinde but also effectually to giue him to all his elect giuing them grace and faith whereby to receiue him are two noble inseparable branches growing from one and the same roote of Gods free mercy Neither can the one stand without the other for take away this latter act of Gods mercy inabling vs to receiue Christ and the former of appointing Christ to bee the deliuerer would be altogether frustrate as depending vpon mans will to receiue or reiect him as the Vniuersalists falsly affirme Therefore giue God his whole glory or else yee rob and strip him of all So that I may say of the Appealers dealing herein as our learned Master Hooker in his tract of Iustification saith of the Romish Church in the matter of our Redemption by Christ. They grant saith he that Christ alone hath performed the worke of Redemption sufficiently for the saluation of the whole world but in the application of this inestimable treasure that it may be effectuall to their saluation how demurely soeuer they confesse that they seeke remission of sins no otherwise then by the blood of Christ vsing humbly the meanes appointed by him to apply the benefit of holy blood they teach indeede so many things pernicious in Christian faith in setting downe the meanes whereof they speake that the very foundation of faith which they hold is thereby plainely ouerthrowne and the force of the blood of Iesus Christ extinguished So he The very like may be applyed to the Appealer For he with his Arminians howsoeuer they acknowledge the meere mercy of God in prouiding such an all-sufficient Sauiour to redeeme mankinde yet they marre all in their applying this plaister of mercy while they would doe it with the hand of freewill the foresight whereof was forsooth the first mouer of Gods meere mercy Sure if so they must needes abate no small part from meere mercy For how is it meere mercy if any good in vs foreseene first caused it that it should offer a Sauiour to vs Babylonius Now see you seeme to touch vpon the point of Freewill which my Authour treateth of in the next Chapters the 8 9 and 10. following in order that which hath hitherto beene discussed And to my simple vnderstanding that which he writes of it is very Catholicke and such as wherein he ascribeth the receiuing of grace offered not simply to Freewill but primarily to Gods grace preparing and stirring vp the will vnto it But I desire to heare your opinion of this point also as he hath handled it Orthodoxus With a good will But for as much as by the Authours owne words it is accounted a Question of perplexed obscurity I purpose not to tread the whole maze wherein the versatilous wit of man hath made infinite windings I will be very briefe omitting his various and copious allegations of Authours opinions So that passing by the eighth Chapter as empty the ninth also as full of quotations I will touch onely one or two passages in his tenth Chapter In the second page whereof whereas he saith that in Adam and through his fall we haue not
sound-hearted Tutor who besides other learned and godly gouernours ceassed not from His very infancy to instill into Him the deaw of all heauenly knowledge and that especially by acquainting Him with the Scriptures which according to His daily taske Hee missed not to reade by three or foure chapters a day being able also euen when He was very young not aboue seuen yeares old to giue a present account without booke of the principall things Hee had read I speake not by guesse I was so happy as to bee often an eye and eare-witnesse of it But aboue all those instructions Hee receiued from time to time from His Royall Father lighting vpon a subiect of such peerelesse indowments both of Nature and Grace haue made Him a compleate Prince in all excellent knowledge and worthy to be the onely Sonne and Heire of such a Father So that when He was now growne to riper yeares He was able euen at table to discourse and discusse points of controuersie betweene vs and the Papists to the great ioy of all His seruants about Him And yet after all this see the lucke of it must the Appealer haue the hap to foist in his fardell of fancies yea falsities and that by way of Appeale to His Excellent Maiestie And vpon what ground I hope if not presuming that His Maiestie now vpon His first happy entry into His Kingdomes is so taken vp with many waighty affaires that Hee will not haue the leasure to peruse his Appeale which is the Appealers happinesse yea and Maiesties too sauing that His judgment is so settled vpon the truth after so long and strong a seasoning that vneath it were for Master Mountagu to caule the li●uor of his musty caske to relish well in such an vncorrupt Palate And for this Chapter touching the Synod of Dort one part of his Appeale wherefore doth hee in this and other passages about this Synod appeale Forsooth he appeales to His present Maiestie King CHARLES to indge and determine whither the Councell of Dort bee now to bee holden in that esteeme as it was by His late noble Father King IAMES whither those conclusions of it bee not now to be reiected which His royall Father so much auowed and approued whither the Decrees thereof bee not now to be holden as opposite Doctrines to those of the Church of England which the most judicious King IAMES found to be so correspondent and consonant one to the other or whither the Doctrine of the Church of England be not now quite changed from that it was in the time of King IAMES his peaceable gouernment whither the learned representatine Church of England selected by the most judicious and learned King for that purpose which in that Councell swarued not from the Tenents and grounds of their Mother Church be rather to be admitted as interpreters of our Church Doctrines then singular Maister Mountagu whither the Decrees of that Synod being grounded vpon expresse texts of Scripture and concluded by so many learned and graue Diuines be to be accounted priuate opinions rather then Maister Mountagues owne fancies conceiued of some misunderstood Doctrines of the Church of England and so which of these should be admitted of vs rather for no rule In a word hee appeales I wisse whither the judgment of King IAMES approuing the Doctrine of the Synod of Dort as agreeable to the Doctrine of the Church of England and both to the holy Scriptures or his owne iudgment in his disallowing and reiecting the Synod as not agreeable to his owne fancies for his words are I haue no part nor portion in them either in them that maintaine the Decrees or in the Decrees themselues whither I say King IAMES His iudgment or his owne be rather to be intertained and approued of His sacred Maiestie His Son whom God for euer preserue in all integrity of judgment and loue of the Truth Asotus Gentlemen I thanke you both for your learned discourse though much of it aboue my capacity It is now dinner time If it please you to take the paines to meete here againe after dinner about two of the clock I shall bee glad to bee informed further of some points in the Second part of the Appeale Babylonius You haue made a good motion friend Asotus I shall be ready at the time appointed if it please Maister Orthodoxus to receiue further satisfaction with you Orthodoxus And seeing you haue giuen so good proofe of your patience thus farre I am not vnwilling to yeeld to your motion and desire so farre as God shall in able me So fare ye well Asotus Babylonius And you good Maister Orthodoxus Gentle Reader I pray thee correct these faults with thy pen. Page 7 Line 13 reade Philistian p. 13 l. 19 r. as his owne 〈◊〉 26 his forced l. 36 r. reuerence p. 21 l. 36 1. the Rocke p. 31 l. 36 r. recured p. 38 l. 7 r. presumption l. 12. r. audiun● p. 40 in marg●nt r●guauiter p. 41 l. 2 1. or no. p. 45 l. 20 r. Iuterimsists p. 48 l. 2 for Dued r. Quum l. 36 r. done with the. p. 62 l. 30. r. great p 69 l. 19 r. motiue FINIS Tertul de Praescript aduersus hareticos lib●●●●● mi●●●● 〈…〉 Quaest. super 〈◊〉 1. qu. 117. 〈◊〉 4. and in Psal. 55. Tertul ibid. 2. Iohn 10. Gal. 〈◊〉 * As Master Mountag●● hath fairly promised laying though he may erre yet he will be no Hereticke especially against the Church of England Appeale c 1. p. 4. p. 9. Acts 〈◊〉 Acts 13. Euseb. lib. 4 cap. 14. Aliud est quod competit Rectori aliud quod prosertur emptori For example Rusinus Ecc. hist. lib. 1. cap 11. Socratas lib. 1. cap 25. homo●ousios for homousi●s Of losse of Faith and Iustification Of totall and finall ●●lling from grace * Pap. 34. Subscription to the Church of Englands Doctrine not to Mr. Mountagues priuate inte●pretation The Church of England● doctrine ●o other then that of the Scriptures Heb. 6. 6 The Churches rule of faith is the Scriptures A sure rule to interpret Scriptures Aug. de corrept gr● cap. Aug de correp● c. cap. 13. a Aug. de fide et operibus cap. 16 Tom. 4. b 〈◊〉 de correp●●●t grat●a cap. 12. Et 〈◊〉 9. Note Baptisme is called Regeneration Sacramentally He quotes the booke De bono p●rseuerentia for the booke 〈◊〉 corrept gratia Saint Augustine guelded by the Appealler * Aug. de ben perseuer cap. 〈◊〉 Aug. de corrept et grat cap. 7 * He saith not whose faith doth fall totally away expressing the same thus ibid. 〈◊〉 si quando exorbitant electi correpts emendantur in●iam quam reliquerant redemus * Aug. de cor●p● de gra● cap. 1● Act 27 28. Doctor Ouerall fred from the App●alers wrestings Reasons of the Saints perscu●rance 1 Reason Ang. de ●omo perse●●● cap. 2. 〈◊〉 Reason Rom 11. 29. 〈◊〉 Reason 4 Reason * Exemplified also in Christ● prayer for