condition which they might fulfill It might therefore haue come to passe that before this wicked deede they might haue beene conuerted and become faithfull and so had not crucified Christ And truely it cannot be said that Iudas and Caiaphas were elected to saluation vnder the condition of beleeuing in the death of Christ seeing they were appointed to that very thing that by their incredulity and wickednesse Christ might be deliuered to death but if Iudas and Caiaphas had beleeued in Christ Christ had not beene deliuered to death and therefore this decree whereby the Arminians will haue God to haue elected Iudas and Caiaphas and Pilate vnder this condition if they would beleeue in Christ doth infolde a contradiction For they doe as much as if they should bring in God speaking thus I appointed to saue Iudas and Caiaphas if they will beleeue in the death of Christ But if they shall beleeue and shall be faithfull Christ should not be deliuered to death nor be crucified Also of the foure decrees of the Arminians the two former are contrary one to another For by the first decree God decreed to vse the incredulity and perfidiousnesse of Iudas to deliuer Christ to death But by the second decree God elected Iudas vnder the condition of faith in the death of Christ Therefore by the former decree Iudas is absolutely considered as an vnbeleeuer and a reprobate but by the second he is considered as one conditionally elected The schoole of Arminius is painted about with these monsters and Chimeraes contrary one to another which would moue laughter if the church were not troubled by them and the wisedome of God exposed to reproach VII Furthermore by that generall decree whereby all men are said to be elected vnder the condition of faith to be performed Greuinch p. 101 DecretuÌ„ conditionale de quolibet si credat seruando Pag. 2. Decreuit salutem conferre sub conditione fidei prestande ab ijs qui. bus salutem ap plitaret God is openly mocked For it is a foolish decree which is made vnder a condition which condition he that decreed it knew certainely in the very moment he decreed it that it would not be fulfilled especially if this condition cannot be fulfilled but by the helpe and power of him who decrees it For by such a decree God should set a law to himselfe not to man But it is manifest by experience that God doth not minister to all men the meanes that are necessary to the fulfilling of this condition For he will not haue his Gospell preached to all neither doth he giue the spirit of regeneration to all VIII Finally what is to be iudged of this generall election appeares by the consectaries and conclusions which are drawne thence whereof that is the chiefest and farre the worst whereby they denie that the number of the elect is certaine and determined by the will of God electing whence it followeth that the election of particular persons is not certaine by the will of God For if it were certaine by the decree of God that this or that man were of the number of the elect then of seuerall persons ioyned together the whole summe and certaine number would be made vp But that which Arnoldus saith Arnold P. 192. Numerum statuitis certum esse ex precisa dei ordinatione determinatum qui nec angeri nâ—â— minui possit idque ex eadem ordinatione longe viro aliter Euangelium vera predestinationis doctrina que in genera tantum docet quales sunt electi Pag. 192. That the number of the elect may be increased or diminished is such a thing that there is no good man who doth not tremble at the hearing of it For what is it in God to diminish the number of the elect but to change his opinion and to take from the number of the elect those which indeede being not sufficiently well considered of and as hauing cast his accounts amisse he had brought into the white roule of the elect which should rather haue beene carried into the blacke booke of reprobates IX Of the same euill stampe is that of Greuinchouius against Ames Pag. 136. making a halfe an incompleate and so a reuocable election In the Scriptures saith hee men are called elect 1. incompleately according to the present state in as much as they are such to wit faithfull men for the present time the last tearme of their life being excepted in which 2. Election is fulfilled Behold a depending election by which euery most wicked man is incompleately elect and the decree of God is incompleate vntill it be made compleate by man which surely are not dogmata but portenta not doctrines but monstrous opinions which neuer came into the minde of any one of whom the name of Christ is any where heard of X. But the Scripture teacheth that the number of the elect is certaine Reuel 6. The soules which are vnder the Altar are commanded to waite while the number of the brethren is fulfilled Also that which Christ saith of the sheepe that were giuen him euen before their conuersion Iohn 10.1 As also that he saith that all shall come to him as many as are giuen him by the father Iohn 6.37 And that none of his sheepe can be taken out of his hand Iohn 10.28 doe all plainely declare that the number of them is determined by the purpose of God Saint Luke doth also accord in whom Chap. 10. v. 20. Christ thus speaketh to the Apostles Reioyce not that the spirits are subiect to you but rather reioyce that your names are written in heauen No lesse expressely doth the Apostle to the Hebrewes speake Chap. 12. v. 22.23 where hee calleth the church the heauenly Ierusalem the assembly of the first borne which are written in Heauen Hitherto pertaines that book of life concerning which it is spoken in other places And Reuel 20. where they are said to be cast into the lake of fire which are not found written in the booke of life The Arminians Pag. 96. of the conference at Hage doe with a vaine interpretation expound those words of Christ Reioyce that your names are written in the booke of life For they will not haue these words to be taken of election to saluation but they will haue this to be the sence of it Reioyce that according to the present state of faith righteousnesse and obedience ye are accounted for pious and godly men yea for the sonnes of God O good God where is modesty Here is neyther reason nor colour for this For to be accounted faithfull by men is not to haue their names written in heauen Nor was there any cause that the Apostle should so reioyce because men thought well of them seeing that often times happeneth to him that is most wicked and this had beene much lesse then that the diuels did tremble at their voice and fled from them which yet Christ reckons to be but a small thing in
comparison of hauing their names written in heauen Surely that speech to be written in heauen is referred not to the opinion of men but to the purpose of God And this phrase is taken from the Prophets with whom that is said to be written before God which is fastened and determined by his decree So Esay 4. v. 3. they are said to be written for life who were to be preserued by the purpose of God And Chap. 65.6 Behold it is written before me I will not keepe silence but will recompence As if hee should say it is certaine and determined by mee to reuenge these wicked deedes XII I am ashamed of that shift whereby some of them say that therefore the names of the Apostles are said to be written in heauen because they were elected to their Apostleshippe For so the name of Iudas himselfe was written in heauen in which respect he had so little cause to reioyce that euen his very Apostleshippe turned to his destruction Then also we haue the words of the Apostle to the Hebrewes which are plainely agreeable to these by which he calleth the faithfull the first begotten which are written in heauen which cannot bee drawne to the election to an office seeing it belongeth to all the faithfull and the elect XIII The question of the booke of life is a greater and longer question not belonging to this place I am not ignorant that there is a certaine booke of life which is not the booke of election but the Catalogue of them who professe themselues to be members of the Church and are visibly grafted into the couenant of which book there is mention Eze. 13.9 Psal 69. ver 29. out of which booke there is no doubt but some are blotted But when they are throwne headlong into hell as many as are not written in the booke of life it is plaine that in this booke is set downe the certaine and determined number of men who while other are appointed to the fire they alone are reserued to life the number of whom can be encreased or diminished no more now then in the last iudgement XIV These things concerning that generall and conditionall election Now let vs come to the absolute election of seuerall persons which the Arminians would haue to rest and depend on the fore-knowledge of faith and to be made for faith fore-seene The former of these elections hath the second place in the series and ranke of the foure decrees laid downe by Armintus the latter election hath the fourth place that doth pertaine to the antecedent will of God this to the consequent that doth goe before this doth follow mans will Arminius saith that God is disappointed of that but cannot be disappointed of this CHAP. XIX The election of particular persons in respect of faith foreseene is confuted It is prooued that men are not elected for faith but to faith OVt of the great abundance of places which the holy Scripture doth supply to vs we wil tithe and choose out some that are most cleare and most weighty I. Saint Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 1. vers 3.4 hath these words God hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world The Apostle doth plainely enough teach that spirituall blessings and therefore faith are giuen vs according to the eternall election as we were elected Whence it followeth that election is necessarily before these blessings both in order and time So hee that saith that the Souldiers receiued their donatiue and beneuolence as it seemed good to their Generall doth manifestly say that first it seemed good to the Generall before it was done and that the certaine and absolute will of the Generall went before this largesse and gift Neither are those words of lesse moment which follow He elected vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue You see that we are elected to holinesse and not from holinesse or for holinesse and if we be elected to holinesse then also are we elected to faith wherein our holinesse chiefly consists It cannot be denyed that faith is a part of our holines vnlesse by him who also denieth that incredulity in the prophane is a part of their prophanenesse and vice For by faith we are not onely sanctified efficiently but also formally no otherwise then the wall is formally whited by the white colour And if the Arminians could get it granted that the holinesse which is spoken of here doth consist onely in charity yet they would effect nothing nor would it euer the lesse be proued out of this place that we are chosen to faith for he that is elected to charity is necessarily elected to faith which begets charity Gal. 5.6 Nor is it credible that any one is elected to one part of holinesse and not to the other Being beate therefore from hence they seeke other refuges Arnoldus p. 66. by elect would haue they that are called to be vnderstood as if election and calling were the same thing but many are called few are chosen Matth. 20. Therefore among these elect if Arnoldus be beleeued there will be many reprobates neither will this election be opposed to reprobation The same man pag. 142. doth contend that these elect are the faithfull which is false in that sense he takes it to wit that they are considered as being already faithfull when they are elected For how can they that are considered as being faithfull be elected to holinesse seeing in that they are faithfull they are already holy Paul indeede speakes to the Ephesians whom hee calleth faithfull and blessed but not if now they were faithfull and blessed they were therefore faithfull before they were elected This good man therefore hath deuised another subtilty and would haue Paul to speake not of the election of particular persons but of the election whereby any one people is elected to the calling by the Gospell If this be true it must needes be that among the elect before the foundation of the world there were many reprobates But the following words doe not admit this interpretation for the Apostle saith we are elected that we should be without blame in loue He will haue vs to be elect that we might endeauour to holinesse and good workes Now good workes are of particular men and not of a Nation neither by the elect can here be vnderstood the nations admitted into the couenant seeing Saint Paul includes himselfe in this number Hath chosen vs in Christ c. Arnoldus himselfe doth sufficiently declare how little he trusts to this exposition while hee ioynes another which ouerthrowes this He saith that here it is spoken of the election to glory and therefore by holinesse would haue saluation vnderstood But the Apostle doth fitly preuent this starting hole for hee addes that we might be holy and blamelesse but to be blamelesse is a
neuer said that election had beene for saith foreseene if he had thought that God had certainely decreed to giue faith to some certaine men whom hee elected to saluation for he acknowledgeth no precise and necessary decree of God of giuing to any one the very act of beleeuing For this speech were vnapt God elected Paul because he fore-saw that hee would giue him Faith If in election faith be considered as already performed and as that on which election doth rest it must needes be that God hath not wrought it Otherwise God should be said to be willing to saue a man because he determined to giue him faith when on the contrary side he doth therefore giue faith to one because he hath decreed by his certaine and immutable will to saue him VII What is to be thought of this doctrine Armin. in Perk. p 283 224. Causa totalis cur iste credat isâ—e non est voluntas Dei liberum arbitrium hâ—minis may be gathered by the consequents which they build on this foundation such as are these The election of God in this life is not certaine nor irreuocable the number of the elect is not certaine and determined by the will and election of God the grace of God is not the totall cause of faith which is a grieuous speech and ouerthroweth the foundations of faith as we haue already proued and hereafter more shall be spoken of the same thing VIII What a thing is it that by this opinion no man can beleeue that he is elected For if any one did beleeue he were elected hee would beleeue also that his faith was after his election So he that beleeueth he is a man was a man before he beleeued it and if faith and perseuerance in faith doth goe before election he who beleeueth in Christ may indeede presume or hope that he is elected after he hath perseuered but he cannot beleeue that hee is already elected seeing according to Arminius no man is elected but after hee hath beleeued and when he hath ceased to beleeue Hath therefore this pernicious doctrine torne the bowels of the Churches of the Low-Countries that it might pull out of their mindes he confidence of Election and that no man vnlesse it were impudently and falsely might beleeue that hee is elected by God to saluation CHAP. XXIII The opinion of Saint Austen concerning Election for faith fore-seene WEE are beholding to Pelagius and his sectaries for the learned Treatises of Saint Austen full of good fruit wherein he hath explained more fully and more plainely then any other the heads of Christian faith concerning Grace Free will and Predestination For before Pelagius his time these things were handled generally and grosely and not exactly enough Saint Austen himselfe in his booke of the Predestination of the Saints Chap. 3. and of his retractations lib. 1. cap. 24. and in many other places doth confesse that he at the beginning writ with little consideration concerning these things the holy man was not ashamed to change his opinion after hee sharpned his wit at this whetstone of contentions and the sparkes of truth broke out of the disputation The heresie of Pelagius being driuen away the reliques of the Pelagians did yet remaine in France who to keepe backe enuy least they should seeme to fauour Pelagius they did distinguish nature from grace But they did affirme that sufficient grace was offred to all men and that it did extend as farre as nature they did acknowledge an election but it was conditionall and not absolute For they were elected by God whom he fore-saw would beleeue and vse his grace well And these are their opinions That election is for faith fore-seene and that the number of the elect is not determined by the certaine decree of God They said that the fruit of the doctrine of Saint Austen concerning election according to the purpose of God was eitâ—er desperation or a benummed sluggishnes if the reprobate man cannot be saued by any labour and contention nor he that is elected be depriued of the kingdome by any negligence It is not amisse to set downe their words taken out of the Epistle of Prosper to Saint Austin which is incerted in the seauenth Tome of Saint Austins works They determine that the propitiation which is in the Sacrament of the bloud of Christ is propounded to all men without exception that whosoeuer will come to faith and to baptisme may be saued And that God fore-knew before the making of the world who were to beleeue and who by faith which afterwards was to be assisted and helped by the grace of God were to remaine And that he predestinated those to his kingdome who being freely called he fore-saw would be worthy of election and would depart out of this life with a good end c. But they say that the opinion of Saint Austen doth take away from them that are fallen the care of rising againe and doth yeelde occasion of a heauy dulnesse to the Saints c. They doe not yeelde that the predestinated number of the elect can neither be encreased nor diminished this is meere Arminianisme the very same opinion we are assailed with the same calumnies wherewith Saint Austin was Against these Semipeâ—agians the holy man writ a Booke of the PRedestination of the Saints out of which Booke it will not be from the purpose to take out and alledge some places Chap. 3. We reade the Apostle saying it I obtained mercy that I might be faithfull He doth not say because I was faithfull It is giuen then to him that is faithfull but it is giuen him also that he might be faithfull Chap. 17. Let vs vnderstand the calling whereby men are elected not they which are elected because they beleeued but they which are elected that they might beleeue For this the Lord himselfe doth make plaine enough when he saith Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you For if they were therefore chosen because they beleeued they had first chosen him by beleeuing in him that they might deserue to be elected And a little after They did not choose him that he might choose them but that they might choose him he chose them because his mercy preuented them according to his grace not according to their desert And in the same chapter God then elected the faithfull but it was that they might be so not because they were already so By choosing them he maketh them rich in faith as heires of a kingdome and rightly because he is said to choose that in them which that he might worke in them he hath chosen them Doth any one heare our Lord saying Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you and dares he say that men beleeue that they might be chosen when rather they are chosen that they might beleeue Chap. 18. He chose vs in him before the world was made that we might be holy and without spot Therefore not because we were holy but that
them to iust and deserued punishments for their sinnes IV. The definition of Thomas doth not please me who saith that the decree of Reprobation is the will of permitting one to fall into sinne and of laying vpon him the punishment of damnation for his sinne For the permission whereby God doth permit doth not belong to predestination but to his prouidence although it serue to predestination V. It is the opinion of the Arminian sect that Reprobates may be saued For saith Arminius that decree is not of the power but of the act of sauing Very ill spoken For where the act of God is determined by his decree in vaine is the power by which this act may be resisted This opinion doth draw with it other opinions no better then it selfe for errors are tyed together among themselues like serpents egges For if a Reprobate may be saued he that is not written in the booke of life may effect that hee be now written in and so the number of the elect will not be certaine nor the decree of Reprobation be irreuocable and peremptory as they speake vnlesse after finall perseuerance in incredulity Also hence it will follow that a reprobate may if he will obtaine faith and conuert himselfe whence it would come to passe that faith should not be of the meere grace of God which wee shall see hereafter to be the opinion of Arminius VI. God is after the same manner the cause of Reprobation as the iudge is the cause of the punishment of them that are guilty and sinne is the meritorious cause Seeing therefore the consideration of sinne doth moue the iudge and the iudge doth condemne to punishment it appeareth that sinne is the remote cause of damnation and not onely a condition necessarily fore-required and that the iudge is the next and neerest cause VII Furthermore although sinne be the cause of appointing to punishment yet it is not the cause of the difference betweene the Elect and Reprobate For examples sake Two men are guilty of the sâ—me crime and it pleaseth the king to condemne one and to absolue and free the other his sinne indeede that is condemned is the cause of his punishment but it is not the cause why the king is otherwise affected to the other then to him seeing the fault on both sides is alike The cause of the difference is that something thing steppeth betweene which doth turne the punishment from one of them which in the worke of predestination is nothing else but the very good pleasure of God by which of his meere good pleasure he gaue certaine men to Christ leauing the rest in their inbred corruption and in the curse due vnto them For which difference it is great wickednesse for vs to striue with God seeing hee is not subiect nor bound to any creature and punisheth no man vniustly giuing to one the grace that is not due and imposing on the other the punishment that is due VIII Here it is demanded what is that sinne for which God doth reprobate to wit whether men are Reprobated onely for the sinne which is deriued from Adam and for that blot which is common to Reprobates with the elect or whether they are also reprobated for the actuall sinnes which they are to commit in the whole course of their life The answere is at hand For although naturall corruption be cause sufficient for Reprobation yet it is no doubt but that God hath decreed to condemne for the same cause for which hee doth condemne and hee doth condemne the Reprobates for the sinnes which they haue committed in act For in hell they doe not onely beare the punishment of originall sinne but also of actuall sinnes Therefore also God hath appointed them to damnation for the same sinnes Now to Reprobate and to appoint to punishment are all one God doth so execute any thing in time according as he from eternity decreed to execute it Now he doth punish in time for actuall sinnes therefore also hee decreed from eternity to punish for them Thence it is that the punishments of the men of Capernaum was to be greater then the punishment of the Sodomites and the punishment of him that knew the will of his master greater then the punishment of him that knew it not because there is a great difference betweene the actuall sinnes for which they are punished Nothing hindreth that God considering a man lying in his naturall corruption and deprauation should not also consider him as poluted with those sinnes which he was to commit by that naturall deprauation IX Arminius doth not thinke that any man is Reprobated for originall sinne for he contends that Christ hath obtained the remission of it for all mankinde But he will haue man to be reprobated onely for the fore-seeing of actuall sinnes that is for the breach of the law and the contempt of grace In which thing he doth seeme not to be constant to himselfe For seeing all actuall sinnes doe flow from originall sinne it cannot be that the cause and fountaine of actuall sinnes should be remitted by God and yet the sinnes that flow from thence should not be remitted As if God should forgiue a man intemperance but should punish him for adultery for actions doe flow from habits and naturall inclinations as the second acts doe flow from the first X. Without doubt incredulity and the reiection of the Gospell are among the sinnes for which any one is reprobated For by this reiection we sinne against the Law by which God will iudge vs For the law commandeth that God be loued with all our heart and that he be obeyed in all things and without exception and therefore also that he be beleeued when he speaketh and that hee be obeyed when hee commandeth vs to beleeue whatsoeuer it shall be which he shall eyther command or shall say XI That hee should be Reprobated for reiecting the Gospell and despising the grace of Christ to whom the Gospel was neuer preached is against all reason For whom the Gospell doth not saue it leaueth vnder the law to be iudged by it which law doth then binde a man to beleeue in Christ when Christ is preached to him Nor is it the Schoole master to Christ but to them who haue meanes to come to the knowledge of Christ After the same manner as the law did not binde them to belecue the prophecy of Ieremy who neuer heard of the name of Ieremie nor could it be knowne to them XII And although reprobation cannot be said to be the cause of sinne because sinne goeth before reprobation yet it cannot be denied but that reprobation is the cause of the denying of grace and of the preaching of the Gospell and of the spirit of adoption which is peculiar to the elect For seeing this denying is a punishment it must needes be that it is inflicted by the will of a iust iudge These are the words of Arminius Page 58. against Perkins Effectuall grace is denyea by
all men to be saued Which that it was truely spoken by Faustus and according to the Catholike faith the Arelaten Synode hath rightly iudged For the Synode beleeued that this was spoken by Faustus against Pelagius who seeing hee denied originall sinne and thought that a man might perfectly fulfill the law by his owne free-will it is no maruaile if hee said that Christ died not for all for why should Christ die for them that were not sinners Or what neede is there of Phisicke where there is no disease Or what neede of the Gospell to him who hath fulfilled the law But Faustus a crafty and subtle man imposed it vpon the Arelaten Synode with ambiguous and deceitfull words wherewith that Epistle was cloathed which hee offered to the Synode For afterward he explaned his meaning in the booke which hee writ De gratia qua saluamur where hee doth more incline to Pelagius which booke Gennadius Gennad lib de Scriptor Eccles cap. 85. Sydon Apol. lib 9. Epist 9. and Sydonius Apollinaris doe so mention that they seeme to thinke honorably of it But at the same time Caesarius Bishop of Arles and Auitus Bishop of Vienna writ against this Booke as Ado doth testifie in his Chronicle to whom Fulgentius Bishop of Ruspe in Africa ioyned himselfe Whereby we may see that the authority of Faustus is not so great that it ought to be of any estimation here Neither was this question euer handled in that sence that now it is for there was neuer question made as farre as I know before this age whether Christ by his death purchased saluation for all and seuerall men or whether by his death he obtained reconciliation as well for Pharaoh as for Peter CHAP. XXXI Whether God loue all men equally and doth alike desire the saluation of all I. THe question whereby it is demanded whether God doth equally loue all men and so desire their saluation is an addition to the former question and doth depend on it For if remission of sinnes and saluation are not purchased for all men by the death of Christ it is plaine that all men are not equally loued by God wherefore these innouators doe defend themselues in either question by the same places of Scripture These are the words of Arnoldus pag. 379 God in a generall will and affection doth equally desire the saluation of all men Greuinchouius pag. 335. doth consent to this The will of God and his affection of sauing men is equall towards all For in that series and order of the foure decrees in which they comprehend the whole doctrine of Predestination this is the third that God decreed to administer to all men sufficient meanes to faith and repentance But I suppose that these things are affirmed by them not because they beleeue and seriously thinke so but that they might maintaine their other opinions which cannot stand if this opinion fall for they doe openly repugne the Scripture experience yea and themselues II. Which before we demonstrate the reader is to be admonished that loue in God is not an affection nor passion nor inclination of the minde nor any desire for God is not touched by these passions as being impassible and not subiect to affections But as God is said then to be angry or to hate when he will punish or destroy so loue in God is a eertaine and sure will of doing good to the creature Whence it commeth to passe that hee may rightly be said to be loued by God to whom hee hath giuen or hath decreed to giue more and better good things III. This difference is manifestly seene not onely betweene the good and the euill but also betweene good men themselues to some one of whom God hath giuen more vnderstanding and doth measure out his spirit in a larger greater measure but to another more sparingly and as it were with a striked measure to one he giueth two talents to another fiue according to his owne good pleasure Not onely giuing many things to the best men but also making them better while hee giueth them many things IV. And here I cannot but meruaile with what face Greuinchouius pag. 335. dares to say that God gaue fiâ—e talents to one in the hope of receiuing more gaine from him then the other as if hope or feare or gaine could happen to God or as if he who so carefully encreased his estate by the fiue talents put out to vsury had not from God the will and power of imploying them so happily God is vnaptly said to hope for that which himselfe is to worke These subtill men are wont to say when they are vrged that these things are spoken by an Anthropopathy to mans capacity but in the meane while they abuse these improper words to bring in their owne speculations and to build vp their owne opinions In preaching and speaking to the people this impropriety of speech is to be borne with but not in disputing and when the importance of truth is to be considered and weighed V. Concerning this inequality of the gifts of God I would haue the Arminians shew me why God hath giuen more gifts to Paul then to Marke or Cleophas that were otherwise holy and good men Was it because Saint Paul before his conuersion was more inclined to the faith of Christ and better affected then they Or because Paul vsed that common and generall grace which happeneth euen to the reprobates better then Marke These are trifles for there was then none more deadly enemie to the name of Christ then Paul What then was the cause why because it so seemed good to God who doth with his owne what he will and who in distributing the gifts of the holy Ghost doth not follow an Arithmeticall or Geometricall proportion for he doth giue vnequall good things to them that are equally euill according to his owne pleasure as being a debtor to no man nor subiect to any Law VI. But the difference and inequality of the loue of God will more clearely appeare if those whom God doth call by his word and to whom he doth giue the spirit of adoption and faith and by them saluation be compared with other men Many saith Christ Mat. 22.4 are called few chosen Behold here three sorts of men some that are not called some that are called and not elected some that are called and elected all which that they are confusedly and equally loued and that God doth alike desire their saluation cannot be said or thought VII Christ Iohn 6.44 saith No man can come to me vnlesse my father which sent me draw him Where that it is spoken of the drawing to faith and by faith to saluation no man doth doubt Secing therefore by these words it is manifest that all are not so drawne it is certaine that they are most loued who are so drawne Faith is the gift of God but all men haue not faith and it is giuen but to few therefore these are more loued So the
heart to vnderstand and eares to heare before they had shewed themselues refractory rebellious If they neuer had then we haue ouercome for then we haue a cleare example of some men to whom a heart and eyes were neuer giuen and therefore not sufficient grace But if Arnoldus saith that they had these things at the beginning but they afterward lost them then he will accuse God himselfe of a lie who doth directly say that he neuer gaue them a heart nor eyes to this day XI Was sufficient grace giuen to the men of Tire Sydon to whom Christ would not haue his Gospell preached although they were not so farre from repentance as the men of Capernaum to whom Christ himselfe did preach the Gospel XII In the meane while the reader shall obserue the ridiculous wit of this man flying the encounter Hee saith that God was willing to giue to the Israelites a heart to vnderstand eyes to see that he was prepared to giue them but was hindred by the Israelites that he might not giue them Therefore if this man be beleeued they were able to obey God before he had giuen them a hart but to obey is it selfe to haue a hart therfore they might haue had a hart before they had a hart which are things which cannot stand together he doth therfore as much as if he should say God hath not giuen them a hart because they were without a hart as if the Physitian would not heale the blind man because the blinde man would not see the Physitian comming XIII And if as the Arminians doe thinke God doth command nothing to the fulfilling whereof hee doth not giue sufficient grace I would haue them tell me whether God commanding Pharaoh to send away the people gaue him sufficient grace by which he might obey the commandement of God when on the contrary the Scripture doth witnesse that God hardned his heart that he might not send away the people XIV And seeing there are some whom God doth harden and that as the Arminians say vnresistably doth God giue to those men so hardned sufficiēt grace of fulfilling the Law to the fulfilling whereof euery man is bound doth he giue to euery man sufficient grace to the perfect fulfilling of the law No truely for why did Christ make himselfe obnoxious and subiect to the law but that hee might fulfill that for vs which could not be fulfilled by vs Rom 8.3 XV. Christ Mat. 11. doth thus speak to his Disciples It is giuen to you to know the secrets of the Kingdome of heauen but it is not giuen to them Doth he not say that the grace of knowing the secrets of the kingdome of heauen is not at all giuen to some yet without this grace all other grace is vnprofitable to saluation Here therefore I demand whether they to whom it was not giuen to know these secrets could know them It appeareth by the words of Christ that they could not and yet the same men are commanded to learne and know these secrets and to beleeue them For here it is spoken of those to whom the Gospell was preached And if they could not know them because it was not giuen to them it appeareth that sufficient grace to know and learne those things was not granted to them XVI The Apostle Acts 14. saith that God in times past suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies And Psal 147. it is said Hee shewed his Statutes to Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation And therefore they haue not knowne his Statutes And Mathew Chap. 4. saith that the Gentiles to whom the Gospell had not yet shone sat in darknesse and in the shadow of death Who dares say that sufficient grace to obtaine faith was giuen to these men For example sake did God in the time of the Machabees giue sufficient grace to the Mores and the Americanes to beleeue in Christ and to obtaine saluation By what testimony or by what reason shall it at length be proued that these Nations were furnished with sufficient grace and were called with a sauing calling The booke of nature was before their eyes they had some notions of that which was right and good imprinted on their hearts but darkened with a great mist Yet neither by these things nor by that sufficient grace destitute of faith did euer any of them come to faith or saluation Nor could the Arminians yet bring an example of any one who by these helps haue come to faith Yet Vorstius is shameles for in the sixe and twentieth Section Col. cum Pis he saith that these people were not simply destitute of necessary helpe and that God vouchsafed them some crummes of the heauenly bread which were mediately sufficient This man of a prepostrous wit doth strew vs here the crummes of his small eloquence and doth cloath his new doctrine with vnvsuall tearmes which because he doth so proffer that hee will haue them to be beleeued without proofe it is as easily reiected by vs as it is affirmed by him VII That speach of Christ Iohn 6.44 is of no small moment nor carelesly to be read No man can come to me vnlesse the father who sent mee draw him Whereunto that verse 65. is agreeable No man can come to me except it were giuen vnto him of my father Out of which places we thus reason Whosoeuer is not so drawne that he come is not furnished with sufficient grace to come But many are not so drawne Therefore many men are not furnished with sufficient grace to come The Maior is proued by the words of Christ No man can come to me except the father draw him For i◠thou must be drawne that thou maist come it is plaine that they that are not drawne doe want grace and power whereby they may come and therefore that they are not furnished with sufficient grace and that there were many that were not drawne is proued by the same words of Christ for he setteth downe the cause why the men of Capernaum could not come nor beleeue to wit because they were not drawne Therefore Arminius against Perkins pag. 219. doth wrongfully demand as one doubting What if all men are drawne To deuise many kindes of drawing is nothing to this matter for it sufficeth to the present question that it is spoken in this place of such a drawing without which no man doth come to Christ Let these Sectaries faigne whatsoeuer kinde of drawings they will so long as it is manifest that by them no man euer came to Christ and that he that is not drawne by that drawing whereof Christ speaketh here is not furnished with sufficient grace which the Arminians themselues doe acknowledge while they confesse that by that sufficient and helpefull grace no man is conuerted vnlesse another speciall grace hath come to it Whence it followeth that that generall grace is not sufficient CHAP. XL. The same sufficient and vniuersall grace is impugned by arguments and reasons
ill of himselfe then to measure other men by his owne foote and to iudge of others confidence by his owne incredulitie XXV The Apostle to the Hebrewes Chap. 3. Vers 6. doth command vs to hold fast the confidence and the reioycing of the hope firme vnto the end And Cha. 10. Vers 22. Let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith And Ephes 3.12 In Christ we haue boldnesse and accesse with confidence by the faith of him And 1 Iohn 5.13 These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue on the name of the sonne of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life XXVI Our Sauiour himselfe doth promise that hee will giue vs all things which wee shall aske in his name Iohn 14.13 If therefore wee aske grace which cannot be ouercome nor extinguished and perseuerance in the faith Christ promiseth that wee shall receiue what we aske XXVII Doth Dauid speake as one doubting of his saluation Psal 17. I shall see thy face in righteousnesse and I shall be satisfied with thy likenesse Or Simeon speaking thus Luke 2. Now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word Or Stephen who his enemies gnashing their teeth at him and being certaine of death did cry out I see the heauens open and the sonne of man sitting at the right hand of God Could the grace of God be ouercome by free-will in those men Or was their confidence deceitfull and failing and the decree of God concerning their saluation yet reuocable as these Sectaries speake XXVIII Why should I speake of Saint Paul who desiring to be dissolued and to be with Christ being full of faith speaketh thus 2 Tim. 4.18 The Lord shall deliuer me from euery euill worke and will preserue me vnto his heauenly kingdome And in the same place after he had endured so many labours he doth vtter this as his victorious song I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith Henceforth there is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse c. With no lesse confidence doth hee speake both in his owne and in our name long before the end of his strife Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded that neither death nor life c nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. XXIX But the doubting of our saluation doth please these Sectaries who are stuffed and strouted out with pretended modesty and humility Their words against the Walachrians pag. 76. are these Whether any one can be certaine that hee shall perseuere in the faith We will not say yea we suppose it to be very profitable to doubt of these things and that it is laudible for a Christian Souldier to the shaking off the sloathfulnesse and the drowsinesse of the soule in the worke of Religion In the same place they admit onely that certainetie whereby one doth know that God and sufficient helpe shall not be wanting to him so that hee be not wanting to himselfe which certainty surely may be in any reprobate They doe instill these things with a goodly shew vnder the pretence of instigation to good workes that they might secretly ouerturne the foundation of faith as it were by vndermining it and as if there were no way of stirring vp sluggishnesse but by the damage of Faith It is prophane modestie which maketh men incredulous and vnbeleeuing and vnder a shew of humilitie doth teach them to distrust God But they themselues who teach these things doe boast that God hath giuen them what hee ought yea and that God is bound to giue them sufficient grace that it might appeare that vnder this affected humilitie there is much pride CHAP. XLVII The iudgement of Saint Austin concerning this controuersie I. THe certainty of perseuerance may be taken two waies Either for the certainty of the decree of God by which God decreed to giue perseuerance in faith to them whom hee elected to saluation Or for that confidence by which one doth certainely perswade himselfe that he shall neuer be forsaken by God The first certainty is necessarily drawne from that election which is absolute and is not for faith fore-seene but not the latter Because God hath decreed many things concerning vs whereof hee hath not yet giuen vs the full knowledge II. The full perswasion of the faithfull doth not rest on any reuelation whereby God hath laid open to vs the secrets of his counsels but on the promises of the Gospel and on the inward feeling whereby one searching himselfe doth feele that he doth seriously beleeue in Christ and on the inward testimony of the spirit witnessing in our hearts that we are the sonnes of God Yet there may be many and those good and godly men who although they belong to the election of God haue not come to this full confidence III. Saint Austin being beaten in this question and exercised in often contentions of the Pelagians is a most earnest maintainer of the former certainty and doth gather from the election of God according to his purpose that the elect can neuer be forsaken by God and that grace is giuen which can neuer faile and by which they shall certainely perseuere There are many excellent things in his workes to this purpose but he doth no where speake more plainely then in his booke de correp gratia which hee writ when he was very old In the twelfth Chapter hee hath these words There is giuen to the Saints that are predestinated by the grace of God to the kingdome of God not onely such helpe of grace but also such a helpe that perseuerance it selfe is giuen them not onely that without that gift they could not perseuere but also that by this gift they cannot but perseuere For he hath not onely said without me ye can doe nothing but he hath also said yee haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you and haue appointed you that you might goe on and might beare fruit and that your fruit might remaine In which words hee declareth that he hath giuen them not onely righteousnesse but also perseuerance in righteousnesse For Christ so appointing them that they should goe on and beare fruit and that their fruit should remaine who dare say that perhaps it shall not remaine For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance that is the calling of them who are called according to his purpose Christ therefore making intercession for these that their faith should not faile without doubt it shall not faile to the end and by this it shall perseuere to the end and the end of this life shall finde it remaining And a little after The will of them is so much enflamed by the holy-Ghost that they therefore are able because they so will and they doe therefore so will because God worketh in them that they may will For if in so great infirmity of this life in which notwithstanding