be for sin But to reprobate men to be willing to condemne are the same thing euen as to elect to be willing to saue is the same thing Therefore God doth not reprobate vnlesse it be for sinne IV. Furthermore it cannot be denied but that reprobation or reiection of the creature from God is the punishment which can be inflicted on the reasonable creature because eternall torments doe necessarily follow it which if we get to be granted it will thence follow that it is not the part of infinite goodnesse and highest iustice to forsake his owne creature and that not because he hath sinned but because it so seemed good to God that hee might seeke matter for his glory out of the desertion and forsaking of the soule which hee created Can the father who knoweth that the happinesse of his sonne depends on him without the crime of cruelty and want of naturall affection forsake his sonue that is innocent and found guilty of no wickednesse especially if by this forsaking his son should fall into eternall torments and by it be made not onely most miserable but also most wicked V. Neither should God deale iustly if he should giue more euill to the creature by infinite parts then he hath giuen good To which when he had giuen esse a beeing a while after without any fault of it he gaue it male esse an euill and miserable being for euer Indeede if God should onely take away that he hath giuen and should bring the creature to nothing there were no cause at all of complaining But to giue an infinite euill to that creature to whom he gaue a finite good and to create man to that end onely that he might destroy him that out of this destruction he might get glory to himselfe the goodnesse and iustice of God abhorreth VI. Yet this is the most grieuous thing that by this eyther reprobation or desertion of man being considered without sinne the innocent is made not onely most miserable but euen most wicked For the auersion and turning away of the will doth necessarily follow the denying of the spirit of God and seeing according to this opinion God hated man that was made by him before man hated God it cannot come to passe but that the hatred of God whereby he hates man by the same opinion should be made the cause of that hatred whereby man hates God and so God should be made the author of sinne VII And if God hated Esau being considered in the vncorruptible masse as not a sinner it must needes be that God hates the innocent creature and hatred in God although it is not an humane affection nor a perturbation yet it is a sure and certaine will of punishing and punishment cannot be iust if it be without offence neither can a man be iustly punished vnlesse he be considered as a sinner VIII If any man should say that God is obnoxious or subiect to no lawes and therefore his actions are not rightly examined according to the rule of iustice seeing hee is tyed to no rules I will anfwere that the nature of God is more mighty then any law That naturall perfection by which it is impossible that God should lie or that he should sinne is also the cause why he could not hate his guiltlesse creature or appoint man to eternall torments for no fault of his Yea if these things were true it were the part of a wise man to suppresse these things not to moue this anagyris or offensiue matter and rather to command silence or ignorance to themselues then to breake into these secrets which being declared doe cast in scruples and doubts and yeeld occasion to the aduersaries of defaming the true religion and by which no man is made fitter to the duties of a Christian or of a ciuill man or to any part of piety IX That could not escape which should say that by reprobation men are not appointed to damnation but onely are passed by or not elected Thus they seeke gentler words that by them the same thing might be said for it is all one whether God doth appoint a man to damnation or doth that from which damnation must necessarily follow Whosoeuer God doth not elect whether hee be said to be omitted and passed by or to be reprobated hee is alwaies excluded from the grace of God damnation doth certainely follow this excluding because without the grace of election there is no saluation For seeing it is manifest to all that men by election are appointed to saluation I would haue it told mee to what they that are not elected but passed by are appointed Surely if election doth appoint men to saluation it is plaine that by reprobation which is called omission or passing by the rest are excluded from saluation and appointed to destruction X. And if God haue appointed the innocent creature to destruction it must needes be that hee hath appointed it to sinne without which there can be no iust destruction and so God would be the impulsiue and mouing cause of sinne Neither could man iustly be punished for that sinne to which he is eyther precisely appointed or compelled by the will of God XI That the decrees of God are eternall and that he hath fore-knowne all things from eternity doth not hinder this opinion which doth maintaine God in election and reprobation to haue considered man as fallen before he considered him as condemned For although the decrees of God are certaine yet there is some order among them as the eternall decree of ouerthrowing the world by fire was in order after the decree of creating the world So although God from eternity had appointed the wicked to punishment yet nothing hinders but that the consideration whereby hee considered men as sinners should be in order before that whereby hee considered men as reprobate or appointed to punishment XII Neither doth it follow of the opinion of the reuerend Synod and the confession of our Churches by which man fallen is the obiect of predestination that God created man to an vncertaine end or to haue missed of that end which he propounded to himselfe The last end propounded to God was the illustration and setting forth of his glory by the manifestation of his goodnesse and iustice that hee might come to this end hee decreed to create man iust but mutable and free The fore-knowledge of the fall of man doth follow this decree not in time but in order and election and reprobation doth in order follow this fore-knowledge XIII They are very farre from the truth which would haue God in electing and reprobating to haue considered man as not created for they doe as much as if they should say that God considered man as nothing and therefore as not man Surely in that very thing that they call him a man they call him somewhat but to consider something as nothing is a thing well-nigh a dreame He that will saue or punish a man must necessarily first haue
gouerned by the will In these actions the will is free vnlesse when some externall force compels or some vnauoidable necessity doth vrge men being vnwilling XII There are also some actions that are ciuill as to sell to buy to bargaine to play to build to paint In these things the will of man is free and doth freely incline it selfe to one or other For hee that doth these things at the command of another yet is willing to obey him that commandeth and therefore is driuen to doe it not onely by anothers will but also by his owne Of this liberty the Apostle speaketh Corinth 7.37 He that standeth stedfast in his heart hauing no necessity but hath power ouer his owne will hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin doth well For in this place the Apostle vnderstandeth by that which is done well not that which is done agreeable to Gods law but that which is done prudently and fitly to the present time and purpose XIII Also in actions that are ciuilly honest the will of man is moued by its owne pleasure as when a heathen man helpes vp him that is fallen or sheweth the way to him that is out of it XIV The like liberty is in the obseruation of Ecclesiasticall pollicy and in those workes commanded by the law of God which doe belong to an outward operation for the most wicked men doe performe holy rites and religious ceremonies doe bestow almes doe heare and reade the word of God XV. But especially in euill actions man is free For hee is not onely of his owne accord carried to sinne but also of two or more euills most freely hee doth choose eyther and doth voluntarily apply himselfe to that to which his minde leads him Wherefore seeing man that is naturally euill is gouerned by his owne euill will and that one is for that cause said to be free because he doth what he listeth it is manifest that man is therefore the seruant of sinne because he is in subiection to his owne will and because he doth sinne voluntarily and freely and that man is therefore a seruant because he is free XVI They that say that an vnregenerate man by this seruitude naturall deprauation doth necessarily sin ought not to be reprehended for an vnregenerate man must needes sin Thus the diuels doe necessarily sinne but yet freely for they sinne being not constrained nor determined and appointed to any one thing onely by any outward cause forcing them But they are led by their owne motion by their ingrafted wickednesse and with their knowledge after the same manner that the Saints that are glorified are necessarily and immutably good but yet voluntarily and freely For it is not credible that the Saints haue lost their liberty by their glorification There is a kinde of necessity which is voluntary neither is liberty contrary to necessity but to constraint and seruitude Wherefore Saint Austin Enchirid. Chap. August lib. 22. de ciuit Cap. 30. Nec ideo libertō arbitrium non habebunt quia peccata eos delectare non poterunt c. Enchirid cap. 105. Multo liberius◠erit arbitrium quod omnino non poterit seruire peccato 105. ciuitat lib. 22. Cap. vlt. doth teach that by the necessity of not sinning which shall be in the Saints their free-will shall be rather increased and confirmed then diminished What is more free then God And yet he is necessarily good and doth good things For as Thomas saith Tom 8. De libro arbitrio Quest 24. Art 3. It is no part of free-will to be able to choose euill The same man doth in many places say that constraint and not necessity is contrary to the liberty of the will but especially in the same Tome Quest 10. De process diuin personarū Art 2. XVII There are moreouer habits and actions that is vertues and workes which doe helpe forward to saluation and which are proper to the faithfull Such as are the true knowledge and feruent loue of God saith and repentance and holy actions flowing from these vertues In and about these things the will of a man that is vnregenerate and standing in his pure and meere naturals is not free here is no free-will of man no inclination no disposition Surely it had beene a very hard thing to finde in Paul raging against the Church and in the theefe crucified for his robberies whom Christ conuerted in the very agony of his death any dispositions or preparations to repentance XVIII I doe not deny but that there are memorized many things of heathen men which were done honestly and profitably for ciuill society for concord and for the defence of their countrie But seeing Without faith we cannot please God Heb. 11.6 And seeing that that action alone is acceptable to God which is done with Faith for Whatsoeuer is done without faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 and which is referred to the glory of God as the Apostle commandeth 1. Cor. 10.31 It is plaine that those honest deedes of the heathen were not without fault and that they could not come to saluation by such ciuill vertues nor that any one could by them be disposed to faith or true repentance The right outward duties of ciuill vertues are of one sort the duties of faith and Christian piety are of another sort And truly in my iudgement the heathen iudge who in giuing sentence and in diuiding possessions doth iudge equally and well is no more iust before the tribunall of God then the theeues who equally and iustly diuide the pray among themselues For whosoeuer doth want faith in Christ is not the Sonne of God and therefore cannot be an heire and iust possessor of worldly goods although he excell in ciuill vertues For a kinde of doubtfull light and some seedes of equity are left in man for ciuill society And they to whom the light of the Gospell doth shine if they giue themselues ouer to vices should be confounded with shame being vrged by these examples XIX But after God hath enlightned the minde of any one with his light and hath touched his heart with repentance and hath wrought in him faith in Christ then the will of man beginneth to moue it selfe willingly and freely to holy actions to which it is not forced by phisicall or naturall necessity but it is so turned by a milde and effectuall eyther perswasion or influence that the will may freely and willingly follow God calling For otherwise that were not a good worke whereunto one should be drawne by constraint or should be compelled by a naturall necessity He that doth good vnwillingly doth wickedly Such a man is sufficiently rewarded if God pardon his obedience for although God hate euill yet he will not therefore compell to good Because a good worke is not good but when it is voluntarily XX. And although man is freely moued to the workes of piety yet the whole praise of the good worke is due to God who worketh in vs
defile that act it must not be said to be from God Man is the effector of sinne God the permitter That act in which there is deformity is naturally good in as much as it is from God but morally euill in as much as it is from man The action in which the sinne is is one thing the deformity of the action in which formally the sinne is is another thing To the action it selfe God doth concurre with man but not to the sinne XVI Neither is God to be blamed that he doth concurre with the creature which hee knoweth will abuse his concurrence and assistance to sinning For mans vice cannot straighten the limits of Gods power nor dissolue that eternall law by which the whole frame of nature doth stand nor pull away that naturall necessity whereby the creature cannot moue it selfeâ— without the assistance of God So the Soule although it knowes that the body will abuse her mouing power to halting doth not keep back her mouing force or abstaine from the motion of the body Neither will therefore the power of God be diminished in naturall things or his influence cease because in morall things the will of man is disobedient to the law of God Yea God cannot require obedience from the creature vnlesse he should sustaine it and giue to it power of mouing it selfe XVII As the Sunne is not the cause of darkenesse although darkenesse doth necessarily follow the absence of it So God seeing he is the most exact iustice is not the cause of sinne although inordinate affections blindenesse of minde the prauity of the will doe necessarily follow the deniall of the grace of God This is their meaning which say that God is not the efficient but the deficient cause of sin Yet I could wish men would abstaine from this kinde of speaking XVIII Although wicked men doe worke freely and of their owne motion are carried to sinne God not alluring nor forcing them yet it is certaine that the euents which doe follow thence are directed and gouerned by Gods prouidence For as the downefall of the running water inclining to the lower parts may be turned the channell being guided by the diligence of the conueyor so although wicked men of their owne disposition are prone to sinne yet by the prouidence of God and his secret counsell they are inclined to commit this sinne rather then that that they may serue the execution of the iudgements of God when he will vse them either to punish any ones wickednesse or to try the faith of the godly or to stirre vp their sloathfulnesse This similitude Salomon doth vse Prou. 21. The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord as the riuers of waters and hee turnes it whether he will By this meanes as Saint Peter saith Act. 4. The wicked doe whatsoeuer things the hand of God and his purpose had determined to be done Hence it is that God saith Esay 5. that hee will whistle for the remote nations to say waste Iudea And Chap. 10. hee cals Ashur the rod of his wrath Ieroboam seekes after nouelties and doth practise a reuolting from Salomon Ahias the Prophet sent from God doth declare to him the euent of this attempt God did not instill this rebellion into his heart which was before conceiued but hardned his minde which was already euill to the daring this wicked attempt that he might vse the wicked man to punish the sinnes of Salomon and Rehoboam As therefore Horse-leaches applyed to the parts of a sicke man while they satisfie their owne gorge doe performe the intent of the Physitian so wicked men whilest they rage against good men besides their owne intention they further the purpose of God as Esay teacheth in his tenth Chapter where God saith that hee had decreed to vse the King of Assiria to punish the hypocrisie of Israel but that this minde was not in the King being led onely by ambition and desire of prey Thus God vsed the wickednesse of the brethren of Ioseph to keepe famine from his people and the treason of Iudas for the death of Christ and by it for our redemption and the ambition of Augustus Caesar taxing the whole Empire for the bringing of Mary out of Galile to Bethlehem that there shee might be deliuered and so the prophesie of Michai be fulfilled Euen they which resist the commandement of God helpe forward his prouidence and like Rowers which set their backes that way which they goe God by the folly of men doth worke the purposes of his wisedome he doth vse vniust men to the exercising of his iustice as if one with a crooked staffe should strike a straight blow XIX Whensoeuer God letting loose the reines to Sathan doth permit him to tempt any man Sathan truely may allure the appetite by propounding Obiects or trouble the phantasie by the alteration of the humours of the body but he cannot compell the will otherwise the man should not sinne but Sathan Neither could God iustly punish a man for sinne to which hee had beene compelled by an outward cause without his owne inclination XX. But because God when hee would auenge the contumacy of his enemies or punish the sinnes of his owne doth sometimes vse Sathan as his minister the holy Scripture doth attribute one and the same euent both to God and to Sathan So 1 Sam. 16. the euill spirit troubling Saul is said to be from God and 1 Chro. 21. Sathan is said to haue rose vp against Israel and to haue stirred vp Dauid to number the people and 2 Sam. 24. it is attributed to God There God is to be considered as a iust iudge and Sathan as an incitour of the wickednesse By these instructions well conceiued the way of exâ—using Saint Austen will easily be found from whom sometimes there fall some speeches which trouble tender eares if they be not moderated with a fit interpretation such is that which he saith of Shemei cursing Dauid in his Booke de Gratia libero arbitrio Cap. 20. What wise man doth vnderstand how the Lord said to this man Curse Dauid For he did not bid him by commanding him that his obedience should be praised bu because God inclined his will which by his owne proper vice was euill to this sinne by his iust and secret iudgement and therefore is it said the Lord bid him And Cap. 22. God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wils whithersoeuer he will either to good things of his own mercy or to euill things according to their deserts And against Iulian the Pelagian lib. 5. cap. 3. Many other things we might rehearse in which it would plainely appeare that the heart is made peruerse by the secret iudgement of God that the truth which is said might not be heard and so man might sinne that sinne might be the punishment of a former sinne Yea in the same place he doth contend against Iulian that those which are deliuered vp to their owne desires are
his posterity which he had receiued for himselfe and his posterity Not to giue supernatural light to the minde is not to put into the will although peruersenesle of will doth afterwards follow the blindenesse of the minde For the will being destitute of this light and of the knowledge of supernaturall good things cannot moue it selfe to things vnknowne but onely to things that are present and knowne such as are the pleasures of the body riches c. Which although they be naturally good yet they turne the will from the study and desire of supernaturall things Then also selfe-loue which is naturally good and necessary doth beginne to be morally euill because it doth inuade that place which is due to the loue of God Hence is that pronenesse to euill which is in that inordinate selfe loue which supernaturall illumination doth not direct which light God not giuing to the soule doth not therefore put sinne into it No otherwise then if one doth take away from the Traueller the light of the Sunne by putting darkenesse betweene be doth not force the Traueller to stragle nor doth turne him from the right way but onely he doth take away that without which the right way cannot be knowne XVIII The temper of the body doth increase this contagion For it is found by experience that sanguine men are bloudy and libidinous cholericke men are rash and angry melancholicke men are suspicious and stedfast in their purposes deepely hiding their malice blacke and yealow choller are as sparkes and tinder put to the appetite by which it catcheth flames and burnes And according to the temper of the body one laughes vnder the scourge another weepes with a blow The humours of the body therefore are not causes but prouocations of sinne neither doe they compell the will but allure it nor doe they impresse sinne on the soule but doe put forward the sinfull soule and there being may waies open to sinne they doe incline the soule hither rather then thither CHAP. XI Whether the power of beleeuing the Gospell is lost by the sinne of Adam I. IT is demanded whether by the sinne of Adam we haue lost the power of beleeuing the Gospell Arminius that maruailous artificer of deuising doth deny it For that he might proue that God is bound to giue to euery man power of beleeuing in Christ and obtaining faith he doth contend that Adam before his fall had not power of beleeuing in Christ nor was it needfull for him therefore we could not loose in Adam that which Adam himselfe had not He saith also that faith was not commanded by the law and therefore Adam was not bound to faith because onely the law was giuen to him he addeth also that no man can beleeue but he that is a sinner And if Adam did not receiue power wherby if he fell he might rise again he did not receiue power of beleeuing the Gospell by which we rise out of this fall II. Seeing these things tend thither that Arminius might make a way for himselfe to that impious and vngodly opinion whereby he affirmes that God is bound to giue to all men power of beleeuing and that God is prepared to giue faith to all men if they themselues will This question is of no small moment nor to be perfunctoriously and lightly handled III. We therefore contend against Arminius that mankinde by the sinne of Adam together with their originall purity and righteousnesse lost also the power of beleeuing in Christ For by the fall of Adam we lost the power of louing God and of obeying him Now saith doth include the loue of God and it is a certaine kinde of obedience IV. Adam indeede before his fall was not bound to beleeue in Christ because he was not declared to him neither then was there neede but he was bound to beleeue euery word of God whatsoeuer should afterward be this bond passed to his posteritie but it had not passed if Adam had not beene tyed to the like bond So the israelites in the time of Dauid were not bound to beleeue Ieremy foretelling the instant captiuity into Babylon because Ieremy then was not neither was it needfull for them to know this and yet the Iewes in contemning the prophesie of Ieremy violated that law by which the same people was held and bound in the time of Dauid Hee were a foole who would say that hee that hath lost his sight hath not lost the power of seeing that house which was built foure yeares after or that hee that is blinde by his owne fault hath not lost the faculty of seeing the collyria or plaisters which the Physitian bringeth him some moneths after Surely Adam before his fall had power of beleeuing in Christ after the same manner that he had then power of succouring and helping the sicke and miserable although before the fall there was no misery nor could there be Adam was in the remote power to beleeue the Gospell as a sound man is in the remote power to vse the remedies of a disease that will or may come But that he did not beleeue in Christ it was not because it did exceede the power giuen him by God but because it was not needefull Finally seeing Adam by his incredulity lost the power of beleeuing the word of God it must needes be that hee lost also the power of beleeuing that word by which God was to bring a remedy to this euill V. In vaine doth Arminius thinke that it is vnaptly spoken if it be said that Adam had power of beleeuing when hee had no neede which power was taken from him when hee began to haue neede of it For neither was the power of beleeuing wanting to Adam nor was it taken from him but hee willingly lost it when he lost the power of obaying God And God of his meere grace doth restore the same to whom he will not because we will but because he worketh in vs that we will VI. But that is ridiculous which Arnoldus cap. 14. doth say that Adam before his fall did not receiue power by which he might rise if he should fall For that power whereby men rise after the fall is not giuen before the fall seeing the power is lost by the fall but after the fall is repaired There is no doubt but that Adam before his fall had strength whereby he might rise againe if hee had not lost it by his fall Arnoldus therefore thus speakes as if I should say that hee to whom God hath giuen sound and cleare eyes hath not receiued power by which he might see with those eyes after he is made blinde VII Finally as many as are the posterity of Adam are bound to fulfill the law this is a naturall debt and the law commands vs to loue God and to obey him and therefore to beleeue him speaking Whensoeuer then Christ is preached the doctrine of the Gospell cannot be refused but with the contempt of the Gospell the law also is
spirit of Adoption is a prerogatiue of the sonnes of God therefore also these are more loued VIII Doth not God visite some people from on high and doth vouchsafe them the preaching of his word others being neglected as Saint Paul teacheth Acts 14.16 saying God in times past suffred the Gentiles to walke in their owne wayes At this time also there are very many nations drowned in deepe darkenesse to whom not so much as the report or name of Christ hath come IX Were the Corinthians and Philippians who liued before the time of the Apostles so much loued by God as their posteritie was who by the preaching of Saint Paul were conuerted to the faith Can it be said that God did alike wish the saluation of them as of these X. What should I speake of the men of Tyre and Sydon whose saluation if Christ had wished as well as he did the saluation of the Iewes it were a maruaile why he would not make knowne the Gospell to them especially seeing he giueth them this testimony that they were more prone to repentance then the men of Capernaum XI Acts 16.6.7 Paul endeauouring to preach the Gospell in Asia and Bythinia the spirit of God forbiddeth him and commandeth him to passe ouer into Macedonia Certainely it appeareth that God did not equally will the saluation of the Bythinians and the Macedonians seeing he would haue the Gospell rather to be preached to these then to them and presented the necessary meanes of saluation to these when he denied it to them I confesse indeede that after some yeares the Gospell came into Bythinia but in the meane time many dyed in Bythinia who had not the meanes of comming to the knowledge of Christ whose saluation that God did equally desire as hee did the saluation of the Macedonians to whom he commanded Paul to hasten there is no man will beleeue but he that doth willingly harden his minde to resist the truth No otherwise then if I should say that the Physition doth equally desire the recouery of two that are sicke of the same disease and yet doth prouide physicke for the one and will not prouide for the other XII When Christ saith Iohn 10.16 that he hath other sheep which he hath not yet gathered did he loue those sheepe which were not yet gathered but were to be gathered in his time no more then other men whom he hath not onely not drawne by his word but not so much as vouchsafed to call Surely if God did equally will the saluation of all and singular men he would equally supply to all men the meanes of saluation and he would not giue to many people onely a shadowed light and such meanes by which being alone the Arminians themselues haue not yet dared to affirme that any man hath come to saluation XIII Notable is that of Christ Mat. 11.25 where he giueth thanks to his father that he hath hidden the doctrine of saluation from the wise and had reuealed it to babes But why did he as much loue them from whom he had hid the doctrine of saluation Arnold pag 413 414. doth depraue and corrupt the words of Christ For he will haue Christ to giue thankes because his father had reuealed to babes those things which were hidden from men of vnderstanding But Christ doth not onely say that these things were hidden from the wise but doth expresly say that God hid these things from them XIV That place of Saint Paul Rom. 9. doth trouble the Sectaries where it is said that God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done good or euill We haue therefore God himselfe professing that he doth not equally loue men that are equall by nature and whereof neither is better then the other and that not because any one hath done any good or shall doe any good but of his meere good pleasure whereby he hath mercy on whom hee will For although Malachie saith that the dominion of Iacob ouer his brother was an effect of this loue and hatred yet the Apostle conscious and priuie of the minde and meaning of God will haue this to be an example or a type of Election according to his purpose and doth extend the words of God to the worke of our saluation Wee neede not be diligent in so cleâ—re a matter XV. The Arminians doe couer themselues against this shower of Arguments with that their distinction of the antecedent and consequent will of God They say that God doth loue some men more then other by his consequent will that is by that will which is after the faith and repentance of man For God doth loue them most whom he fore seeth will beleeue and by their owne free-will are to vse grace well But by his primary and antecedent will God doth alike loue all men and doth equally desire the saluation of all and therefore he doth giue to all men sufficient grace for faith and so for saluation And the cause why the Gospell is not preached to all they say is not the will of God but either the negligence of Christians or the indignity and vnworthinesse of the people or else the sinnes of their ancestors who haue reiected grace being offered XVI Certainely this is a deadly speech and is directly contrary not onely to the Scripture but also to it selfe For while they bring reasons why God doth not offer his Gospell to all vnawares they yeeld to our party for they lay downe the causes why God doth not equally loue all But the question is not why God loueth some men more then others but whether God doth loue all men equally therefore they entangle themselues And how absurd that distinction is of the will of God into antecedent and consequent how contumelious against God in that sence in which it is taken by the sectaries wee haue taught at large Chap. 5. XVII Moreouer they teach that God is often disappointed of his antecedent will and that the loue of God to vs is then mutable if he loue vs with his consequent will that is by his will which is after our loue and faith and our owne will It is a wicked thing to desire that the immutability of the loue of God towards vs should be after our loue and should depend on our will for the loue of God cannot be certaine if it be grounded on the loue wherewith we first loue him That therefore the loue of God to vs might be certaine and immutable it must needes goe before our loue as Saint Iohn teacheth 1. Epist 4.19 Ye loue him because he loued you first XVIII And if God by his consequent will loued one man more then another because hee foresaw hee would beleeue and vse grace well then God shall not sâ—perate man but man seperate himselfe contrary to that of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 4.7 Who seperateth thee c. And this man shall be loued more by God then another because he loued God more XIX Then also that speech of the
V. Man by his owne fault hath brought destruction to himselfe neither can the fall of man be imputed to God Thy destruction O Israell is from thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe Hosea 12.9.10 As in the generation of the Infant the sunne and man doe worke together yet if a monster be generated it is not ascribed to the sunne but to man For therefore is the monster bred because through the defect of the organs or the euill affection of the matter the vniuersall agent cause is withdrawne from the accustomed course Euen so to humane actions God and mans will doe concurre yet if any euill bee in the action it ought not to be ascribed to God but to the disposition of mans will VI. And yet the Scripture doth sometimes vse those phrases of speech which doe yeeld occasion to the prophane of imputing their sinnes to God as being committed by his will and incitation It is well knowne with how great wickednesse the sonnes of Iacob moued with enuy sold their brother Ioseph Of this fact Ioseph himselfe thus speaketh Genes â—0 Yee indeede thought euill against mee but God meant it vnto good that hee might saue much people aliue As if GOD had beene the authour of this fact The Scripture saith of the sonnes of Samuel that they did not obey their fathers admonitions because God would slay them 1. Samuel 2.25 And 1. King 2. the malignant spirit sets himselfe before the tribunall of God and offers to God his seruice to deceiue the Prophets To whom God said Thou shalt deceiue and thou shalt preuaile Goe forth and doe so Shemei curseth Dauid with foule imprecations 2. Samuel 26. which Dauid receiues as done by the incitation of God Let him curse saith hee for God hath said vnto him Curse Dauid Very grieuous calamities followed Dauids adultery with Bathsheba and his murther of Vrias by the rebellion of his sonne Absalon who droue his father from his kingdome and openly abused his wiues Nathan sent to Dauid from God doth declare how these things came to passe in these wordes Thou didst this secretly but I will doe these things before all Israell 2. Sam. 12. Satan afflicted Iob the Chaldees steale away his goods what saith this seruant of God to these things The Lord saith hee hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the name of the Lord. In the fourth Chapter of the Acts Saint Peter saith thus Against thy holy childe Iesus whom thou hast annointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israell are assembled together to doe whatsoeuer thy hand and thy counsell haue determined before to bee done Saint Paule in his first chapter of the Epistle of the Romans speaking of the people that were worshippers of Idols and were giuen ouer to all wickednesse saith that God gaue them vp to vile and wicked affections that they might doe these enormious things God himselfe doth witnesse Exod. 10. Rom. 9. That he hardned Pharaohs hart Finally who doth not tremble at these words of God which are set downe in the sixt Chap. of Esay Make the hart of this people fat and make their eares heauy and shut their eyes Least they see with their eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and so conuert and be healed Least any prophane person should abuse these things to the vnloosing of the claspe of intemperancy and least any whose heart is hardned against the word of God should impute the hardnesse of it to God who cannot be resisted As that yong man in Plautus In â—ulularia thus excusing himselfe Deus mihi impulsor fuit God was an incitor to me it was he drew mee to her therefore some things are to be set downe wherby this question may be cleered and the truth may be brought out of this darkenesse VII Before all other things wee admonish that the middle way be kept betweene the two extreames One whereof is to make God the authour of sinne the other is to assigne any thing to be done God being vnwilling ignorant or not regarding as if sitting in a watch-tower he did expect casuall euents depending vpon chance or vpon mans pleasure Let him runne into neither of these who would acknowledge the prouidence of God without damage of his iustice not fathering his sinnes vpon him and would not call in ignorance or neglect of things in God for the defence of his iustice VIII First therefore it must be graunted that sinne is not committed without Gods permission Neither ought this word of permitting offend any one as if it derogated from the care and prouidence of God seeing Saint Paul himselfe in the 14. chapter of the Acts doth vse this word where he saith to the men of Lycaonia God in times past * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suffered all nations to walke in their owne wayes therefore God suffered sinne To permit sinne is not to hinder it when thou canst thence it comes to passe that there are so many meanes of permitting sinne as of hindring it God doth hinder sinne two manner of wayes either by his Iustice or by his Power By his Iustice he hindereth sinne by commanding by forbidding by admonishing by threatning and by promising By his power he doth hinder it when he doth take away ability or remoue the occasion of sinning or by the efficacy of his spirit doth change and encline to piety our wils that are prone to sin The former is a morall impediment the latter a naturall or euen a supernaturall According to these meanes of hindering sinne the meanes of permitting it are also diuers For God doth permit sinne either by vnloosing the Law and giuing liberty of sinning or by not drawing away the ability of sinning which might hinder men from sinning in act After the former manner God doth neuer permit sinne after the latter manner he doth permit it which he doth in not hindring that man should assay it and in not giuing a certaine succour and measure of his grace which if it were present the sinne might be preuented IX This permission is a certaine act of the diuine will seeing it is voluntary for God doth nothing vnwitting or vnwilling God therefore permits sinne because he will permit it neither had he permitted it if it had not beene good that it should be permitted for if there were not euill it would not be known what is good euen as we should not know what light were vnlesse there were a night neither had his iustice whereby he punisheth nor his mercy whereby he pardoneth beene made knowne nor his wisedome whereby he can draw good out of euill nor his infinite loue whereby hee sent his sonne into the world that he might die for vs not that God doth stand in neede of our wickednesse to illustrate his glory but because otherwise man could not come to that full felicity to which hee was created For God cannot be perfectly knowne and therefore not
perfectly loued so long as his iustice and mercy is vnknowne So that by the very fall of man God hath framed to man a step to a more perfect condition and although in the respect of many particular persons which perish it might haue beene wished that man had not sinned yet in respect of the vniuersall good whereof regard is rather to be had God ought not to haue vsed his power to haue hindred sinne that it might not haue beene committed X. Furthermore although God doth permit the Diuels and men to sinne yet doth hee not so let loose the reynes to them but that they are held fast bound by the bonds of his prouidence and whilest they wander out of the path of righteousnesse they are yet included within the limits of his prouidence that they should not hurt them whom God loues For although mans will hath corrupted it selfe yet is not therefore the gouernment of God diminished to which the willes of men are subiect how much soeuer they are aduerse to his commandement and driuen with the spirit of rebellion doe gnash their teeth against his gouernment XI The principall faculties of the soule are two the Vnderstanding and the Will the one by which man knoweth and the other by which hee moues himselfe By the vnderstanding we are learned or vnlearned by the will we are eyther good or euill That which in the vnderstanding is to affirme or deny that in the will is to desire or to refuse God doth not put wicked desires into the minde but he doth often cast darknes into the mind and in his iust iudgement doth blinde the vnderstanding striking the rebells with a giddinesse and making them drunke with the spirit of sleepe yea truely no otherwise then the master doth iustly blow out his seruants candle which by night he doth abuse at dice So God doth take away the light of his knowledge when man doth abuse it to the contempt of God and to the liberty of sinning Howbeit God hauing taken away this light the erring will doth stumble and grieuously offend but hardnesse of heart doth of it selfe follow this blindnesse of minde For Saint Iohn ioyneth these together as hanging one vpon another Chap. 12.40 God hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts By this meanes latter sinnes are made the punishment of former sinnes as Saint Austin teacheth at large in his fift booke against Iulian. Chap. 3. For by the very same thing whereby man by his latter sinnes is made more wicked by the same he is also made more miserable Not that sinne is sent from God as a punishment but because God doth vse for a punishment that sinne which is not from him And hence doth that doctrine of a bare and carelesse permission vanish because a iudge doth not punish by a carelesse permission but by decreeing or iudging according to iustice XII The subministration and furnishing of the outward meanes of saluation such as are the word and sacraments doe also worke to this obduration and hardnesse of heart For vnlesse God moue the heart by the powerfull grace of his spirit mans wickednesse is more stirred vp by those outward helpes and hauing cast off this troublesome yoake he is carried through by-waies and doth violently throw down himselfe with greater ruine And then is fulfilled that which is said in the 81. Psalme I gaue them vp to their owne hearts lusts that they might walke in their owne counsells But yet that you might know that this hardnesse of heart doth proceede from man himselfe the Scripture doth not onely say that God hardned Pharaohs heart but Pharaoh himselfe is said to haue hardenâ—d his owne heart Exod 8.15 Neyther is that of Saint Paule Rom. 1. any otherwise to be vnderstood That God deliuereth ouer the wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a reprobate minde and vile affections For this reprobate minde these vile affections are not put into the wicked by God but they being in the vngodly God hauing put out his light doth suffer these vile affections to exercise their authority ouer them as Thomas teacheth Lib. 2. Quest 79. Art 1. XIII Furthermore they are two sorts of them whose hearts are hardned for besides that hardnesse of heart which is common to all the reprobates whereby a man is left to himselfe whence it commeth that hee doth alwaies grow worse there are some that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men of a high ranke of wickednesse whom God doth deliuer to Sathan with a peculiar and extraordinary vengeance such as were Pharaoh Saul and Iudas XIV Euery positiue being doth depend vpon God as vpon the first and principall entity neither can the creature moue it selfe without the assistance and sustentation of God For by him we liue and moue and haue our bring Acts 17. Neither doth he onely worke by influence into the creatures or assist them by a generall power and influence but also by his peculiar assistance by which he doth sustaine and direct seuerall actions The euents which follow of seuerall actions doe declare this which he doth witnesse doe not happen by chance but of his purpose God so willing Deut. 19.5 Exod. 21.13 If an Axe falling out of the hand of him that cutteth wood doth kill one that passeth by God doth affirme that it was done by him The Lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord Pro. 16.33 XV. Furthermore although God by his concurrence doth giue his influence into humane actions sustayning the agent and directing the actions setting bounds to them ordering the euents and drawing good out of euill yet must it not therefore be thought that God doth instigate to euill actions or to haue forced Eue to the eating of the forbidden tree To the clearing of which assertion we say that God doth not onely worke by the creature but also worke with the creature both God and the creature are concurrent causes to one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the bringing forth of one effect and these two taken together are the totall cause of any action which creature if it doth worke voluntary may by his concurrence pollute the action wherein there is the concurrence of God and determinate it to euill By this meanes the whole fault doth remaine with the creature For God effectually infusing into the creature doth not take away from it the free contribution of its owne power If man sinneth any thing in an humane action the concurrence of God is naturall but the concurrence of the creature is morall whatsoeuer was naturall in the eating of the forbidden Apple was from God whatsoeuer was morall and straying from the path of iustice was from man As God doth giue to a lame liuing creature the power of going yet is not his lamenesse from God so though God doth giue to man the faculty of willing and doth sustaine the naturall motion of the will and the act of willing yet if any euill come which doth
it must needes be that God put in man that inclination to sinne which seeing it is an euill thing God should be made the author of that which is euill and to haue inclined man to sinne which cannot be spoken without hainous wickednesse III. It was the least finne which Adam sinned in gluttony but that was farre the greatest that he had rather beleeue the Serpent then God and that being spurred on by ambition he would be like God in the knowledge of good and euill And that while hee obeyed the Serpent hee gaue credit to reproaches cast vpon God Finally because he preferred so small a thing before the commandement of God therefore the lesser the eating of the Apple was the greater was his sinne IV. This ruine beganne at the vnderstanding ouer which Sathan had spread the cloud of false opinion and had cast the imagination of a false good To whose perswasion when man shewed himselfe ready then peruersenesse of the will and inclination of the appetites to sinne followed this darkening of the minde V. This fall happened God indeede not compelling it but yet permitting it There was not wanting power to his omnipotency by which hee was able to hinder this fall neither did enuy turne away his goodnesse God therefore permitted it because he would permit it and because it was good that he should permit it He that is the chiefest good would not haue permitted euill vnlesse it had beene good that euill should haue entred into the world by that permission he made a way for the manifestation of his glory and opened a way to man himselfe to a state farre more excellent For without sinne the mercy of God whereby he pardoneth and his iustice whereby he punisheth had neither of them been made knowne nor had hee made knowne his infinite loue to the church by the sending of Christ into the world to abolish our sinnes and to carry vs to a celestiall glory Neither doe I say these things as if I thought that God doth stand in neede of our wickednesse to the manifestation of his glory but I say that God created man that hee might come to greater perfection then that was in which hee was created And hee could not come to that perfection without the knowledge of Gods iustice and mercy which doth shine forth out of this fall and out of the remedy which he had prepared for this fall To which purpose the words of Saint Austen in his booke de Correp grati Cap. 10. are very proper He that created all things very good and fore-knew that euill things would rise out of those good things knew that it did more pertaine to his omnipotent goodnesse to make good things euen out of euill things then not to suffer euill things to be The like hee saith Encherid Chap. 96. VI. The Arminians bring no other cause of this permission then this Because God would not force mans voluntary liberty nor compell his will neither did he thinke it conuenient to vse his omnipotency in a thing which belongs to mans free will But they doe too negligently touch so great a matter neither doe they sufficiently weigh the moment of things and the circumstances of the fall of Adam For God without the diminishing of mans liberty could haue restrained Sathan and hindred him that hee should not tempt man He could haue forewarned man that he should not beleeue the Serpent He was able not to haue propounded the tree to man by the eating whereof he knew man would sinne Hee could haue giuen man more strength and more light and more vnderstanding He could haue giuen extraordinary strength in the very instant of temptation And yet by these force had not beene offered to mans will nor his liberty violated The Angels are examples hereof whom he doth confirme in good without any constraint By these it is manifest that the fall of man happened God not compelling but yet dispenfing and by his prouidence turning that euent which hee fore-knew from eternity to an end which hee had determined with himselfe from eternity VII Neither is it to be said that God withdrew his grace from man for this were to compell him as the house doth necessarily fall when the pillars are taken away nor that God tooke from him the liberty of his will for so he had brought a necessity of sining but he would not hinder that man should not be tempted by Sathan nor would he helpe him with extraordinary succour And whereas man sinned freely yet that fell out which God from eternity fore-knew would bee and the creatures themselues before the creation of man did testifie that it would come to passe For before Adam had sinned God had put into the Plants healthfull powers to keepe away diseases already had he cloathed the sheepe with fleeces and had formed cattell for the vse of man which are reliefes of humaine infirmity and had beene in vaine created if man had stood in his integrity VIII Now whether the digestion and egestion of meate to be refreshed with sleepe after labour to enioy the marriage bed to grow in stature to haue flesh that may be wounded and burnt to all which man before his fall was obnoxious whether I say these are such things as may perpetually agree to a creature perfectly blessed or whether they doe not secretly testifie what should be the condition of man to come I leaue it to be iudged of by wise men IX And yet it is no doubt but that Adam without any extraordinary helpe had strength to resist Sathan For it is not credible that God gaue a Law to man when he was made at first to the performing of which he did not giue power yet in respect of the fore-knowledge of God the fall of man was certaine For the act of the will may be certaine and defined before God the liberty of mans will being vntouched and intire So it is no doubt but the tortours had power and ability of breaking the bones of Christ when yet in respect of the fore-knowledge and prouidence of God it was impossible that they should be broken The will of man may by a certaine and voluntary motion determine it selfe to some one thing and yet doe that which either the knowledge of God hath certainely fore-knowne or his prouidence hath certainely fore-ordained X. These things are firmely to be held least the fault of man be transferred vpon God For howsoeuer God doth draw good out of the fall of Adam yet he neuer doth doe euill that good may come of it Neither must we think that God would force man to sinne although his glory should manifest y appeare thereby Gods glory must not be further I with the damage of his iustice but after a maâ—ueâ—ous and vnvtterable manner God doth so dispose and gouerne the euents of things that vnauoâ—dably those things happen which he doth condemne and disalow and the diuine prouidence doth keepe a course betweene iniustice and negligence
by faith Surely if this man be beleeued the Law is the elder brother and Faith the yonger Did God then hate the law before it had done good or euill I am ashamed to confute these things for seeing God preached the Gospell to Adam himselfe by the yonger brother the law is rather to be vnderstood Perhaps by the elder he would haue those to be vnderstood who would be iustified by the law but this is no lesse difficult to conceiue how God hated them before they had done eyther good or euill and how they could be the elder seeing they neuer were sonnes XII Finally the truth is here so euident that Vorstius hauing left Arminius Câ—llat aduers Piscat sect 141 doth yeeld to our part For he thinkes that the scope of the Apostle in this chapter is to teach that righteousnesse and eternall saluation doth depend not on the dignity and worth of workes or any carnall prerogatiue such as the Iewes boasted of but on the meere * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good pleasure â—o God that hath mercy CHAP. XVI The opinions of the parties vpon the doctrine of Predestination I. WE haue already said that predestination is the decree of God by which in the worke of our saluation God hath from eternity determined what hee will doe with euery particular man and that there are two parts or species of it Election and Reprobation II. Arminius Thes 15. Theolog. Disputa vnderstanding by the name of Predestination onely election doth thus define it Predestination is the decree of Gods good pleasure in Christ whereby from eternity hee hath determined with himselfe to iustifie to adopt and freely to reward with eternall life the faithfull to whom hee hath decreed to giue faith to the praise of his glorious grace All other his sectaries doe with one mouth say that election is the decree of God of sauing those that beleeue in Christ and shall perseuere in faith III. But here the Arminians doe with a maruailous craft hide their minde and meaning For that definition laid downe by Arminius doth seeme to teach that God chose some certaine men to saluation But it is otherwise nor is this the meaning of this difinition for by these words the faithfull to whom hee decreed to giue faith they doe not vnderstand some certaine men whom God hath precisely elected but they onely insinuate of what quality they are whom God would elect to wit such as should beseeue And they teach that God is often disappointed of that will by which he hath decreed to giue men faith and that he may be condemned whom God hath so elected Greuinch p. 101 dicit Hoc decretum esse condits onale de qusitbet si credat seruando For they deny that this decree is precise but that it is conditionall and which depend of faith foreseene of which faith the grace of God is but a cause in part for free will hath also a part here in the power whereof it is to vse well or ill the preuenting accompanying grace of God eyther to receiue or to refuse it Therefore they make God by this decree seriously to intend the saluation of all men to haue determined to giue them sufficient grace power to beleâ—ue but that he is disappointed of this his decree intention in many mans will hindring it whereby it comes to passe that God is deceiued of his naturall desire and first intention which surely must needes be the best Coll. Hag. p. 96. Least therefore any one should thinke that by this decree of election which Arminius hath defined some certaine men are appointed to life it must be obserued that this decree according to the meaning of Arminius doth conditionally belong to all men whatsoeuer and that by this antecedent will Pharaoh and Iudas Arnold P. 192. c. are conditionally elected wherefore the Arminians doe deny that the number of the elect is certaine by the precise appointment of God which can neither be increased nor be diminished IV. Obserue also that that definition laid downe by Arminius doth not belong to infants which are taken away by an immature and vnseasonable death for the Arminians will haue onely them that beleeue to be elected V. Besides this generall and conditionall election by which all men without exception are elected they make another election of particular men which doth rest relye on faith foreseene This they define to be the absolute decree of God of sauing some certaine men whom he from eternity fore-saw would beleeue in Christ and perseuere in the faith which faith and perseuerance they say is considered in the decree of election as already fulfilled The same men are also of opinion that this election while wee are pilgrimes vpon earth is incompleate and reuocable For so Greninchouius P. 136.137 As the good things of our saluation which are continued faith being continued and are reuoked and called backe faith being denied are incompleate so election is in this life incompleate not peremptory not irreuocable But the course of election being finished they will haue this decree then to bee compleate and irreuocable VI. They will haue the will of God of sauing some certaine men to be after the will of man and to depend vpon the fore-seeing of faith VII They will haue that first election to belong to the antecedent will the latter election to the consequent will VIII That God doth supply tomen the meanes to beleeue they thinke it to be the act of his prouidence and not of this election whereby hee hath appointed some certaine men to glory and they denie true faith and perseuerance in faith to be an effect of this latter and absolute election seeing precise election doth rather depend on the fore-seeing of that faith and faith is before election For they denie that God hath precisely predestinated any one to faith but they will haue it that they that haue faith are predestinated to saluation IX They comprehend the whole doctrine of election in foure decrees which they so knit among themselues with a perpetuall linking that the latter depend on the former X. The 1. decree of God is of giuing his son for the abolishing of sin for the redemption of al mankind in which redemption they would haueal mankind to be reconciled and remission of sins to be obtained for all The 2. decree that whereby God decreed to saue them that beleeue would perseuere in faith This is that generall conditionall election The 3. decree is that wherby God decreed to giue to all men sufficient grace for faith repentance which power they say is giuen irresistably yea and that God is bound to giue all men this grace But the very act of beleeuing they say is not giuen but resistably least force should be offered to mans will They denie therefore that God decreed to giue to any one precisely absolutely faith and the act of beleeuing The 4.
p. 86. doth roundly affirme that sinne is the meritorious cause of reprobation So Arnoldus p. 151. Election and reprobation of particular persons were made in respect of the fore-sight of faith and incredulity Arnoldus Can any suspect your fidelity that you take the word ex equiuocally in reprobation to note the cause but in election to note the condition It must needes be therefore that they acknowledge that the elect are appointed to saluation for faith fore seene because they beleeue and that fore-seene faith is the cause of the election of particular persons IV. But there is no difference whether you say that Election doth rest on faith fore-seene or that it doth rest on the fore-seeing of faith for both wares faith is made the cause of election in the latter it is made the neerest cause in the former it is made the remote cause for fore-seene faith is made the cause of fore-seeing it and the fore-seeing it is made the cause of election For why doth God fore-know that they will beleeue vnlesse because they will beleeue and why doth he elect vnlesse because he fore-knoweth they will beleeue These are the words of Arminius against Perkins p. 142. In that God fore-knowes he therefore fore-knowes because it will afterward be V. The same men a little after against the Walachrians doe vse although fearefully the word depending that they might make election depending on faith And although say they that word of depending which we are neuer wont to vse in this argument be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily subiect to calumny yet if a maleuolent minde be absent it cannot be drawne to the least suspicion of any absurdity Yes it may be drawne to the greatest For Greuinchouius himselfe Pag. 198. doth acknowledge that dependency strictly taken doth argue causality and the dependency of a superiour by an inferiour And truely these men doe not obscurely declare how willingly they would vse this word if they did not feare our pursuite VI. There is extant a Treatise of Greuinchouius with this Title Of election * ex for faith fore seene but that word ex from or for doth not onely note priority but also causality For who would endure a man that should say that Tiberius was from Octauius Augustus or that this yeare is from the former because one went before the other A man that is not vnskiifull of the Latine doth sufficiently know that the praeposition ex is not fit to note onely the priority of faith vnlesse besides the priority there is also some efficiency or dependency Wherefore the same man page 24. hath these words It is altogether conuenient to the nature of lawes and prescribed conditions that the will of the Iudge should be moued to giue the reward by the required and performed condition This performed condition the Arminians say to be faith which if we beleeue them is considered in election as performed They will therefore haue God to be moued by this fulfilled condition that he should giue the reward which if it be true faith is plainely the cause both of decreeing and giuing the reward because it is that which moueth the Iudge VII So in the conference at the Hage the Arminians doe contend that God doth not elect without respect of qualities which thing is true not onely of faith but also of repentance so it be taken thus that God in electing considered men as they that by his gift and bounty would beleeue and be renewed in repentance If you take this respecting otherwise it must needes be that this respecting is the cause for one is said to choose any thing in respect of some quality or vertue who by that qualitie or vertue is moued to choose it otherwise he would not VIII Nay what That the Arminian conferrers at the Hage p. 86. doe vse the word Cause God sendeth his word whether it seemeth good to him not according to any absolute decree but for other causes lying hid in man Then is man the cause why hee is called whence it comes that he is the cause also that he is elected For that which is the cause why God doth call a man to saluation is plainely the cause why God will saue him for these are things connexed and knit together The same men page 109. It is absurd to put the absolute will of God in the decree of election for the first and principall cause that it should goe before the other causes to wit Christ faith and all other causes Here you heare that faith is put among the causes of election wherefore Arnoldus page 53. doth leaue it in the middle whether faith ought to be called the cause or the condition Whether saith hee faith should be called the condition or whether it should be called the cause it alwayes being laid downe for granted that it is the gift of God this alone is the question how faith hath respect to election And a little before he had said If any should say that in the decree of election faith hath the respect of a cause yet he should not thereby deny that it is the gift of God Not obscurely insinuating how prone hee was to that part and perceiued that hee was not rashly to be blamed who hath called faith the cause of our election IX Adde to these that Arnoldus page 186. and the rest with him doe contend that faith is not of those that are elected but that the election is of those that are faithfull We truely out of Saint Paul to Titus chap. 1. v 1. say that faith is of the elect which we so take because election is the cause of faith to which our assertion seeing they oppose theirs as contrary whereby they say that election is of them that are faithfull what else would they but haue faith to be the cause of our election X. Let also the moment and force of their reasons be weighed and considered In the conference at the Hage they professe that they doe not refuse to write with great letters and to subscribe that election is made by Christ without any consideration of good workes And yet doe the same men euen to loathing beate vpon this that Election is the decree of sauing them that beleeue that there is no man elected by God but in respect of faith But I would know why they so earnestly exclude the consideration of workes from election seeing that the earnest endeauour of good workes is a condition no lesse fore-required to saluation then faith Who by these things doth not see that faith is not laid downe by them meerely as a fore-required condition For if faith were thus considered by them it is plaine that the study and endeauour of good workes had beene ioyned and placed in the same degree with faith XI And if God electeth to saluation not those whom he absolutely decreed but those whom hee fore-saw would beleeue it is plaine that God in election hath respect to some dignity and
worth which is in these but not in them But it is not likely that any wise man doth choose the best men for any other cause then because they are the best For if the goodnesse of the faithfull doe goe before election hee should doe very ill that should elect them for any other cause then because they are good XII And certainely whensoeuer any thing is promised to a man vnder a condition which is in the power of mans free-will it is plaine that the fulfilling of the condition by mans free-will is the cause why the promise is fulfilled and the Arminians doe contend that God doth giue yea and that hee is bound to giue grace and sufficient power to beleeue but to vse that grace or not to vse it is in the power of mans free-will XIII Neither is it a hard thing to draw from them that which I would haue For let the Schoole and followers of Arminius tell me what moued God by his consequent will to choose Simon Peter rather then Simon Magus why Gregory rather then Iulian They haue nothing to answer but that it was done because God fore-saw faith in them and incredulity in these Therefore although they should get it granted that by their doctrine fore-seene faith is not made the cause why God hath appointed this man to saluation yet they must needes confesse that according to Arminius fore-seene faith is the cause of the difference betweene the elect and the reprobate and therefore the cause why this man is preferred before the other which surely is no other thing then to be the cause of election For euery election is comparatiue and doth inferre the reiection of one or more XIV So when they deny that by the will of God electing the number of the elect is certaine and determined it must needes be that they would haue mans will to be the cause why the number is such a number and so euery man is the cause why hee is of the number of the elect and therefore also the cause of his owne election XV. Although therefore they would haue this suspicion remoued from them yet they will neuer wipe out this blot by which they are contumelious against God and doe weaken the firmenesse and strength of faith As they which make the eternall election and good pleasure of God to depend on mans free-will will haue saluation to be of him that willeth of him that runneth they doe place some worth vertue in man which is the cause why saluation in the eternall counsell of God is appointed to one rather then to another Whence it comes that faith doth shake and saluation is vncertaine as that which although God doth certainely fore-know yet he doth not certainely and infallibly will it for Election is not an act of the fore-knowledge but of the will of God and this will how can it be certaine if it doth depend on an vncertaine thing to wit on mans will But these things by the way for they shall be more exactly examined in their place CHAP. XVIII The decree of generall election is searched into by which Arminius will haue all men to be elected to saluation vnder the condition of faith I. WE haue taught in the fift Chapter that the antecedent will of God as Arminius hath receiued it after Damascen is a meere forged deuise and a thing contumelious against God This foundation being taken away that vniuersall election common to all men vnder the condition of faith to be performed doth fall downe For this generall election Arminius will haue to belong to the antecedent will of God II. Whereunto adde those things which we haue spoken Chapter 12. where we haue dissolued and vnloosed the chaine of the foure decrees in which the Arminians doe comprehend the whole doctrine of Election There we haue shewed that the second decree by which saluation is not decreed to particular persons but it is determined that they shall be saued who shall beleeue is not the decree of prouidence nor predestination but is the rule of the Gospell which doth prescribe and set downe the way to saluation III. This question is put to slight onely by the name of election for Election cannot be of all men he doth not choose that taketh all Neither in the time of the deluge had Noah beene chosen that hee should liue in the deluge if no man had perished by the flood He is elected who is preferred before others the rest being eyther despised or lesse accounted of IV. And seeing in all the points of faith wee ought to be wise and taught out of the Scriptures much more in so high an argument which doth exceede our capacitie Let therefore the Arminians shew by what place of Scripture all men are said to be elected by that election which is opposite to reprobation for of that it is spoken here and not of the election of seuerall men by the consequent will of God Who euer heard it said that Pharaoh or Iudas did any way belong to the election of God Saint Peter indeede 2. Epist Chap. 1. doth ioyne calling to election commanding vs to make our calling and election sure that is by the earnest endeauour of good workes to effect that the sence of our effectuall calling and the perswasion of our election may daily be increased in vs But he will not therefore haue our calling and election to be the same nor will hee haue all that are any waies called to be elected Yea many are called but few chosen Matth. 20.16 V. That also is to be obserued that by this generall election it is not decreed who are to be saued but what manner of men are to be saued and that the Arminians draw the ninth chapter to the Romanes to proue this where it is plainely spoken of the good pleasure of God and his mercy towards some seuerall and peculiar persons whom it seemeth good to God to choose For those words I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy speake of some certaine men and not of what qualified men for then he had said Miserâ—tor qualium I will haue mercy on men so qualified and not cuius or quorum of whom Neither had the example of Isaac and Iacob who were particular persons beene applied to explaine the election not of particular persons but the election eyther of all or of men so qualified VI. But I would learne of the Arminians whether Iudas or Pilate whether the high priests and the Scribes by the instigation and accusations of whom our Sauiour was crucified were elected conditionally and comprehended in that generall election If they were not comprehended then that generall and conditionall election which they would haue to be extended to all men falleth to the ground On the other side if Iudas and those high priests were conditionally elected the decree of God concerning the crucifying of Christ could not be absolute because it was done by men which were conditionally elected vnder a
frowardnesse by what meanes it doth blow vp a man while he burst and lift him vp on high that it might throw him downe headlong For one that is filled with Armianisme may say thus God indeede is willing to saue me but he may be disappointed of his will hee may be defrauded of his naturall defires which are farre the best Those whom God will saue by his Antecedent will hee will destroy by his Consequent will Also his election doth rest on the fore-seeing of mans will I were a miserable man if my saluation depended vpon so vnstable a thing The same man will also reason thus God giueth to all men sufficient grace but hee hath not manifested Christ to all men therefore there is some grace sufficient without the knowledge of Christ Also the same man will easily beleeue that God doth mocke men for he hath learned in the schoole of Arminius that God doth seriously desire intend the saluation of all and singular men and yet that neuerthelesse he doth call very many by a meanes that is not congruent that is by a meanes in a time and measure which is not apt nor fit by which meanes whosoeuer is called doth neuer follow God calling But what doe I know whether he calleth by a congruent and agreeable meanes or no Adde also these famous opinions that vnregenerate men doe good workes that they are meeke thirsting after and doing the will of the Father that faith is partly from grace and partly from free-will Nay what that any maintainer of the sect of Arminius shall dare to set lawes to God himselfe and to say that God is bound to giue to all men power of beleeuing And that the iustice of God doth require that he may giue to man that which is his owne and that man himselfe may determine and open his owne heart to receiue the word of God O your fidelity Are these your famous incitations to holinesse of life Doth Arminius traine vp men to piety by these instructions Surely if any one is stirred vp to good workes by these things hee is thereby the more corrupted For God had rather haue sinnes with repentance then righteousnesse with pride God will not stirre vp men to repentance with the losse eyther of our faith or his glory Nor are we onely to doe our endeauour that men be stirred vp to repentance but we must also see that it be done by meanes that are conuenient and not contumelious against God CHAP. XXV Whether Christ be the cause and foundation of Election I. WE say that no man is saued but by and for Christ and that Christ is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and price of our redemption the foundation and meritorious cause of our saluation But we doe not say that he is the cause of election or the cause why of two considered in the corrupted masse one is preferred before another There are not wanting examples of most wicked men to one whereof God so dispensing the Gospell hath beene preached whence it came to passe that he was conuerted and did beleeue but to the other the Gospell hath not beene preached The Scripture doth not say that the death of Christ is the cause of this but doth fetch the cause from the good pleasure of God who hath mercy on whom he will For the loue of the father doth alwaies goe before the mediation of the sonne seeing that the loue of the father to the world was the cause why he sent his sonne Yea truely seeing Christ himselfe as he is man is elected and the head of the elect hee cannot be the foundation and cause of election For as hee is the head of men as he is a man so is he the head of them that are predestinated as he is a man predestinated to so great honour which came to him by the meere grace of God II. Wherefore the Apostle calleth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the price of our redemption and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the propitiation Coloss 1. Rom. 3. but he doth not say that he is the cause why some men should be elected rather then others III. Reason it selfe doth consent For as the recouery of the sicke-man doth in the intention alwaies goe before the vsing of the Phisitian so it must needes be that in the minde of God the thought of sauing men was not in time but in order before the thought of sending the Sauiour IV. Adde to these that the mediation and redemption of Christ is an action whereby the iustice of God is satisfied which is not signified by the word Election for it is one thing to be a mediator and another thing to be the cause of Election or of the preferring of one before another in the secret counsell of God Whence it is that Christ is the meritorious cause of our saluation but not of our election which is as much as if I should say that Christ is the foundation and cause of the execution of the decree of Election but not the cause of Election it selfe V. It is of no small moment that Christ Iohn 15.13 saith That he layeth downe his life for his friends chap. 10. v. 11. he calleth himselfe the good shepheard that layeth downe his life for his sheepe And if Christ be dead for his friends and for his sheepe it must needs be that when he died for them he did consider them as being already friends and sheepe although many of them were not then called as Christ himselfe doth testifie who in the sixteenth verse of the same chapter doth call those also his sheepe who were not yet conuerted And if Christ dying for vs considered vs as his friends and sheepe it is plaine that before the death of Christ there was already destinction made betweene his friends and enemies betweene the sheep and goates and therefore that the decree of Election was in order before the death of Christ and that the opinion of Arminius is to be hissed out as an opinion subuerting the Gospell whereby hee thinkes that the election had not place when Christ died Certainly he that died for his sheepe died for the elect and not for them who were to be elected after hee was dead By these things it is plaine that by those friends and sheepe for which Christ died are not vnderstood those onely who loue God and follow Christ but all those whom God loueth and whose saluation hee decreed for whom Christ died when they did not yet loue God and when they were enemies to him And therefore they are called enemies Rom. 5.10 because they did not loue God but yet euen then they were highly loued by God and were appointged to saluation in Christ For in a diuers respect they were both friends and enemies sheepe and goates Friends because God loued them enemies because they did not yet loue God VI. Neither is iniurie done to Christ if the loue of the Father and his good pleasure be said to goe in order
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
the death of Christ are not bound to beleeue that Christ dyed for them which yet are the greatest part of the world Neither are they to whom Christ is preached bound to beleeue absolutely and without condition that Christ died for them but on this condition if they be conuerted For if they shall perseuere in impenitency they are bound to beleeue that the death of Christ doth nothing pertaine to them XV. Arminius pag. 77. against Perkins and his sectaries doe repeate and heape vp these things euen to tediousnesse If there be any for whose sinnes God would not haue satisfaction to be made to himselfe by the death of Christ then in no right can faith be required of them nor can Christ be made their iudge neither can the reprobate be blamed for refusing the grace of redemption because it did not pertaine to him I answere all these things are grounded on this false supposition that faith is required of all men for wee haue already taught that it is not required of them who neuer had any meanes to know Christ as also that they to whom Christ is preached are not bound absolutely and without condition to beleeue that they are redeemed by the death of Christ but on this condition that they be conuerted They to whom the Gospell hath not beene preached shall not be condemned for the reiection of the Gospell but for the breach of the Law of which iudgement Christ by his father is appointed to be the Iudge who doth leaue vnder the Law those whom he doth not saue by the Gospell But they who by their incredulity haue refused the grace offred them by the Gospell are iustly condemned for refusing that grace not because they haue reiected that which pertaineth to vnbeleeuers and impenitent persons but because hauing despised the condition they haue neglected that which was offered to them vnder the condition of beleeuing which condition although they cannot fulfill by their naturall powers yet it is their debt for man himselfe by his owne fault brought vpon himselfe the disabilitie of beleeuing which disability God is not bound to cure in all Of which thing it is largely spoken Chap. 11. But say they Reprobates cannot be blamed for despising that grace which doth not belong vnto them But they are quite out of the way For reprobates cannot be accused for despising grace if they did despise it because they knew it did not belong vnto them But they therefore reiect it because they loue not Christ and they are led to the contempt of it by their owne will For Reprobates doe not therefore beleeue because saluation doth not belong vnto them but rather saluation doth not belong vnto them because they doe not beleeue and they draw destruction to themselues by their owne incredulity and impenitency It is true indeede that reprobation is the cause why God will not giue faith and repentance to this or that man But it is not the cause which doth put in and breâ—de impenitency and incredulity in man Wherefore that speech of Christ Iohn 10.16 Yee beleeue not because ye are not of my sheepe is so to be taken as if hee had said Therefore God doth not giue you faith which is peculiar to the elect because yee are not elected XVI This is the obiection of Greuinchouius P. 19. If election be before the obtayning of saluation then God first decreed of the communicating of saluation before he decreed of the obtaining of it But I am so far from thinking this to be absurd that I beleeue it is plainely necessary For it is alwaies first thought of the end before of the meanes to the end The saluation of man was the end God propounded to himselfe that this was the end is hence manifest because this is last in execution Therefore God first thought of giuing saluation before he thought of the obtayning of saluation by Christ because this is the meanes by which he doth leade vs to saluation XVII The same man Page 87. doth thus dispute They to whom this price being fit to saue them is offered if they themselues will embrace it for them also it is payed by the purpose of God But it is offered to Reprobates on this condition if they will embrace it therefore it is payed also for them by the purpose of God I answere that the minor part is not vniuersally true for this price is not offered for all the Reprobates and the maior part doth offend against the rules of precognition or supposition which will haue the subiect of euery Axiome or sentence to be or to haue being For examples sake this sentence Whosoeuer fulfilleth the law is saued is not false But the falshood of it is in the presupposition whereby it is presupposed That some men fulfill the Law The Maior of this Sylogisme hath the same fault For the subiect of it is imaginary and not existent For the subiect is this They to whom this price is offered to embrace it if they will I deny that there are such men to be found For this price is not offered to the Reprobates if they will embrace it seeing it is most certaine that they will not and that they cannot will of which disabilitie man himselfe is the cause Neither is this price offered to the Elect if they will but God in offering that price doth worke in them that they should will XVIII And when they speake of the sufficiency of the death of Christ as they extoll the efficacy of it so they say that it is sufficient not onely for men but also for the diuells Which if it be true it must needes be that God doth take away and cut off something from the price of the death of his Sonne and doth shorten the efficacy of it But although I know that the price and dignity of the death of Christ doth not depend on his humane nature but on the infinite excellency of his diuine nature yet I denie that his death is fit for the redemption of diuels because the iustice of God requireth that man who sinned should beare the punishment and it was needfull that the mediator betweene God and man should haue reference to both in the communion of his nature Therefore to saue man he tooke not the Angels but the seede of Abraham Heb. 2. And if the death of a man is sit to satisfie for the sinnes of Angels then the torments of an Angell if Christ had taken the nature of Angells had beene fit to satisfie for the sinnes of man Finally when it is spoken of the fitnesse is not to be disputed of the sufficiency For otherwise it might also be disputed whether the death of Christ be sufficient to saue Horses or Beetles and to giue them immortality which surely is not without impietie XIX These in a manner are the arguments wherwith these innouators do defend themselus But they doe exagitate and wrong our opinion after their owne manner which is euill for they change it
Apostle will faile Rom. 9. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy if the will of man doth goe before the will of God whereby hee will certainly and immutably haue mercy vpon vs. For the Arminians teach that the antecedent will of God may be resisted but his consequent will cannot It must needes be therefore that they say that the Apostle speaketh of the consequent will and of that loue whereby God loueth vs by his consequent will seeing that the Apostle doth there adde Who hath resisted his will And truely here the good men are held intangled with a knot from which they will neuer vnlose themselues For if they say that the Apostle in this place doth speake of the antecedent will of God which may be resisted then they fall foule vpon that which is there said Who hath resisted his will But if they will haue it to be spoken of the consequent will of God which is grounded on the will of man and the right vsing of grace and is after our will they are refuted by that other speech of the Apostle It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy But Saint Paul doth directly teach here that the will of man and the fore-seeing of the right vse of grace and of faith which the will of hauing mercy should follow is excluded by this will of God which cannot be resisted XX. Let the Arminians tell me why God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done eyther good or euill Surely he was not preferred before him by the Consequent will of God and which was after the faith or workes of Iacob seeing that Saint Paul doth directly remoue from the election according to the purpose of God the consideration of all good which they eyther had done or were to do for the Apostle should speak vnproperly if he should exclude only the consideration of the good done before his birth and not the consideration of the good which Iacob was afterward to doe seeing no man was ignorant that Iacob could not doe any good before his birth Yea if he could haue done yet the fore-seeing of the good to be done after his birth would no lesse derogate from the election of free grace then the fore-seeing of the good which should goe before his birth And if God electing had had respect to the good which Iacob was to doe Saint Paul would not haue appeased him that pleadeth with God and doth scrupulously enquire seeing that the reason had beene ready to wit that the one was preferred before the other because God fore-saw the faith and workes of the one Finally that speech It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth doth exclude all indeauour and helpe of man from the causes of election and of the good will of God by which he vnchangeably hath mercy vpon man XXI But those examples and testimonies which we haue brought out of the Scripture doe no lesse establish the inequality of the loue of God by his antecedent will then by his consequent will For when Christ saith Iohn 6. No man can come to me vnlesse my father draw him hee speaketh of the calling which goeth before faith and which is peculiar but to some men The same is to be iudged of the other examples For what Did God preaching to the Iewes and not to the men of Tire lesse loue the Tyrians then the Iewes by his consequent will that is because he saw that the Tyrians were worse affected and that they were lesse disposed to beleeue then the Iewes No sure for Christ doth contrarily testifie that the Tyrians were more prone to repentance then the Iewes XXII Had the Corinthians or Romanes that liued in the age of the Apostles more inclination to faith then their ancestors that liued an hundred yeers before Did God not vouchsafe the doctrine of saluation to the Corinthians and Ephesians who liued a little before the birth of Christ because their ancestors had refused it But if this were the cause why then did he inlighten with his sauing doctrine their children which proceeded from the same ancestors Surely because it so seemed good to God who for his owne goodnesse doth bestow more benefits vpon them whom hee loueth moâ—â— although they are neuer a whit better disposed to â—â—ith and Repentance XXIII But why did God call Paul with so effectuall a calling in the very height of his hatred against the Church and of a wolfe made him a sheep of a sheep a shepheard was it done because God perceiued in him some inclination to faith in Christ Or because he did well vse vniuersall grace No sure For at that time like a Tyger hee raged against the fould of Christ But God did not loue him any whit the more by his consequent will that is for the fore-seeing of faith seeing that the faith of Paul was an effect of the loue of God Nor was he loued because he was to be faithfull but that he might be faithfull as he himselfe witnesseth 1 Cor. 7. where he saith That he obtained mercy that he might be faithfull XXIV And seeing as it commeth to passe that God doth bestow vpon a man that is euill and borne of bad parents more of his grace and gifts and doth effectually conuert him that where sinne doth abound there grace might abound Rom. 5.20 I would know whether God would be more liberall to an euill man by his antecedent or by his consequent will If by his antecedent will we haue ouercome if by his consequent will let the Arminians tell me what will of the euill man went before his effectuall calling which could not be found in another which is lesse euill Will they say that he that was more euill before his conuersion did thirst was but a little euill and did the will of his father as they speake They shall more easily draw oyle out of a pumise stone then they shall finde in Saint Paul before his conuersion in the theefe before his crucifying or in them to whom for a heart of stone God giueth a heart of flesh any such dispositions before regeneration XXV Adde to these that the Scripture saith Act. 14.16 God in times past suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies Here I demand whether God did so much loue these nations and did alike wish their saluation as he loued their posteritie whom he afterward called with an effectuall calling by his Gospell I suppose that no man hath so brazen a face that he dareth affirme it Neither doe the Arminians deny but that the sauing calling by the Gospell is a very great argument of the loue of God to any nation But hauing bent their disputation another way they doe search into the causes why God doth more vehemently loue some then others which is that very thing which we would haue XXVI Finally if God doth equally will to all men
beleeue is of grace therefore to be able to beleeue is not of grace There is indeede naturally in man a possibility of hauing or receiuing faith but it is not in him by nature to be able to beleeue for these things doe very much differ The first notes the susceptability and possibility of receiuing faith the other signisieth the actiue power and faculty of beleeuing which surely is not in man by nature but is onely from grace XXVI Arnoldus pag. 271. layeth this to our charge as a very great errour that we say that the regenerate man cannot doe any good vnlesse hee be moued by grace Truely a great crime and that which is common to vs with the Apostle who doth pronounce that we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but all our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3.5 The same Arnoldus pag. 447. doth make the vse of grace subiect to mans will It is determined saith he that the vse of grace is subiect to mans will that man may vse it or not vse it according to his naturall liberty And a little after he doth confesse that the effect of the mercy of God was made by Arminius to be in the power of man but such a man as is already strengthened with grace To vse which grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue he thinkes is in the power of mans free-will Finally the Arminians will haue the efficacy that is the efficiency and working power of it to depend on free-will Arnoldus against Bogermannus pag. 263. and 274. All the operations of grace which God doth vse to worke our conuersion being granted yet the conuersion it selfe doth remaine so free in our power that we may not be conuerted that is that we may conuert or not conuert our selues Greuinchouius pag. 198. I say that the sffect of grace after the ordinary and vsuall rule doth depend on some act of free will as on a foregoing conâ—ition without which it is not The same man pag. 203. and 204. doth say that there câ—n no other common cause be guten of the whole why this grace should beâ—essectuall rather in Paul or Peter then in another then the liberty of the will Perkins said As there can no good either be or be done vnlesse God doth it so there can no euill be auoided vnlesse God hinder it This true and holy sentence Arminius carpeth at and doth depraue pag. 113 and for the words can be auoided he puts is auoided for he saith that there is in all men power of doing good and auoiding euill and that a man may auoide euill and abstaine from sinne although God doth not hold him from it but that the act it selfe is partly from grace and partly from free-will which as it pleaseth doth either admit or refuse grace Here the words of Arnoldus pag. 381. The good vsing of free-will is principally from grace but yet so that man himselfe doth vse well his owne free-will and the liberty of vsing or not vsing grace is left to him For these sectaries are of opinion that the power of beleeuing is vnresistably giuen to all and that the act of beleeuing is so helped by grace that it is left to mans free-will to beleeue in act or not to beleeue to vse grace either well or ill XXVII And they deny that faith is from grace alone but that it is partly from grace and partly from free-will Greuinchouius pag. 208. and 210. It is manifest that free-will and grace are together causes in part And pag. 211. We ioyne grace and free-will together as causes in part He must so speake who saith that Election is for faith fore-seen For God would be very vnfitly said to fore-see that which he alone is to do for this is not to fore-see but to decree Hitherto also pertaineth that conditional decree of sauing men if they shal beleeue for by this it is placed in the power of man to beleeue For this were a foolish decree I will saue him if I shall giue him faith Arminius against Perkins pa. 223. and 224. saith that the totall cause why one beleeueth and another not is the will of God and the free-will of man Arnoldus pag. 228. saith that Arminius gaue the chiefe part of the working of faith to grace viz. because in the working of faith he will haue free-will to haue a part which part that it is not the least yea that it is the greatest in the sence of the sectaries although they would make another shew Arminius and after him Arnoldus pag. 125. doth sufficiently acknowledge We deny saith he that this difference of calling grace is not placed so much in mans free-will as in the will of God And truely in the conuersion of man free-will must haue the chiefe part if it be true that the Arminians contend for to wit that the efficiency and working power of grace doth depend on free-will and that the right vse of grace is made subiect to mans will And that which Arnoldus saith pag. 444. That God doth so worke in man that in the meane while man is not wanting to himselfe he can conuert himselfe And Greuinchouius against Ames pag. 205. Grace doth not determine and conclude vnlesse free-will worke with it in which respect and manner what if we should say that the efficacy of grace doth after a certaine manner depend vpon free-will as concerning the euent If therefore the efficacy of grace as concerning the euent that is the effect doth depend on mans free-will it must needes be that free-will hath farre the greater part in our conuersion and regeneration The same man pa. 214. In comparing betweene themselues Arnold pa. 234. 235. the effectuall helpe of God and the insluence of free-will there is no priority betweene them both And seeing it is in the power of free-will so to vse grace that he may beleeue and obtaine faith we being by faith the sonnes of God Gal 3.26 It appeareth if we may credit Arminius that to be made the sonnes of God is a thing proper to free-will and although it cannot be done without the helpe of grace yet the effect doth depend on mans will So that God is willingly indebted to man for hee is beholding to free-will that he hath sonnes XXVIII This is the malicious and blacke iuyce of the fish Loligo and this is their most pestilent doctrine of which what is to be iudged it is easie to coniecture by those speeches which euery where meet vs in the bookes of these sectaries That Lydia opened her owne heart when yet as Luke witnesseth Act. 16.14 God opened the heart of Lydia And that a man doth separate himselfe although Saint Paul saith who seperates thee 1 Cor. 4.7 And that an vnregenerate man is not altogether dead in sinne and that God doth giue man power of beleeuing if he himselfe will when yet God giueth both to will and to doe Phil.
or of that loue wherewith he feeles himselfe to be affected Christ doth beate downe all pride in speaking thus to Peter Matth. 16.17 Blessed art thou Symon Bar-Iona for flesh and blood hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen And Chap. 11.25 he doth giue thanks to his father that hee hath hidden these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hath reuealed them to babes VII And especially when it is spoken of the loue of God and of obedience to his commandements the Scripture will haue vs to acknowledge that whatsoeuer is done well by vs is receiued from God We loue God because he hath loued vs first Iohn 4.19 For this is one of the effects of the loue of God towards vs that it doth put into our hearts a loue of him God himselfe thus speaketh Ier. 31. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And Chapter 32. I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me And Moses bringeth this reason as the cause why the Israelites did not repent at the law of God ratified with so many threatnings and confirmed with so many miracles Deut. 29.4 The Lord hath not giuen you a heart to perceiue nor eyes to see Let Arminius tell mee whether these men had sufficient power to beleeue or sufficient grace which with the helpe of free-will they might haue rightly vsed if they would Fie on this forgerie And yet was not God the cause of the impenitency and blindnesse of that people For hee that will not heale him that is blinde is not the cause of his blindenesse God did not put this wickednesse in man but he knoweth who they are on whom hee will haue mercy and he hath reason for his actions to enquire into which were not onely rash but also dangerous VIII Saint Paul Galath 3.26 saith That wee are the sonnes of God by faith in Christ If therefore it be in the power of mans free-will being helped with grace to beleeue or not to beleeue to vse that grace or not to vse it it must needes also be in the power of free-will helped with grace to effect that we may be the sonnes of God or may not Which is contrary not onely to piety but also to common sence for who euer effected that he was the sonne of his father or who is beholding to himselfe for any part of his generation IX The same Apostle saith Rom. 9. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of him that sheweth mercy By him that willeth and him that runneth hee vnderstandeth him that worketh for the consideration of workes is excluded from the election or as Arminius had rather from the iustification of man that this benefit might be acknowledged to be receiued from the mercy of God alone Arminius offendeth against this rule For by his doctrine the conuersion of a man by faith and therefore both his righteousnesse and saluation is of him that willeth and of him that runneth of him that worketh that is of him who by the helpe of his free-will doth vse vniuersall grace well and who doth therefore beleeue because to the helpe of grace hee hath brought the power of free-will by which hee hath obtained Faith For as I haue said the Arminians make the cause of faith to be these two ioyned together to wit grace and free-will to vse which free-will to the obtaining of saith and to the conuerting of himselfe is certainely to will and to runne The Apostle therfore ought to haue said It is of man that willeth and runneth and of God which sheweth mercy that free-will might be ioyned with the mercy of God And if as Saint Austin saith fitly Lib. 1. ad Simplic Quaest 2. It may be said That it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth because conuersion and saluation is not by the free-will of man alone why may it not also be said that it is not of God that sheweth mercy because conuersion is not made by the grace of God alone but also by free-will It skilleth nothing that Saint Austin vsed this argument against Pelagius who denied that we were preuented by grace for it hath the same force against the Semipelagians who ioyne free-will to grace Seeing that Saint Paul doth not say That it is not alone of him that willeth but doth altogether exclude free-will X. Finally this argument hath so tormented Arnoldus Page 445. that he would seeme to yeeld to our part for he saith It is not placed in our will that we should obey the calling of God but this thing it selfe is also from the mercy of God But the scoffing and crafty man is very wary least hee should say somewhat that should hurt his owne cause For when he saith that it is not placed in our will he vnderstandeth alone Therfore he would not say that this is wholy placed in the mercy of God alone but tenderly and with a flouting speech he saith that it is placed in the mercy of God He might yea he ought to say so much of free-will that he might agree to himselfe for he thinketh that it is not placed in the grace of God alone nor in free-will alone XI That man cannot be conuerted vnlesse God conuert him and that the whole praise of our conuersion is due to God Ieremy teacheth Chap. 31. v. 18. Conuert me and I shall be conuerted which is also repeated in the last Chapter of the Lamentations I am ashamed of the weake interpretation of the Arminian conferrers at the Hage who pag. 266. by conuerted would haue corrected to be vnderstood There is nothing so cleare and direct in the holy Scripture which may not be corrupted with a foolish and rash interpretation who hauing but little skill in the Hebrew is ignorant that the Verbe shub signifieth to be turned and not to punish and therefore in the contugation Hiphil it is to cause that one be conuerted and not that he be punished Or who doth not see how ridiculous a thing it were if men bruised with afflictions should pray that they might be still afflicted As if any one that were grieuously whipped should desire moreouer that he might be buffeted But Ieremy expoundeth himselfe and doth teach what it is to be conuerted for he addeth being conuerted I will repent and acknowledge my selfe this indeede is to be conuerted Seeing therefore that men who are already conuerted say Conuert me and I shall be conuerted Ier. 31. Draw me and I will runne Cant. 1. And doe ascribe the progresse and the proceeding of their conuersion to God alone how much more is the beginning of our conuersion to be attributed to God alone For if they that are already willing doe confesse that they owe to God whatsoeuer good they doe and that without his grace they cannot moue a foote further how much more is it to be determined that of being
that of two that are equally euill and furnished with the like helpe of grace that is hauing alike sufficient and vniuersall grace and being alike called by the Gospell whether it can come to passe that one should be conuerted and another not If it can come to passe I demand whence is the difference Was greater grace giuen to the one No he said the grace was equall Or is it because one is better then another No the question is of them that are equally euill Also if it were so the conuersion of the one should not be of grace alone but of free-will Neither is Arnoldus vnwilling to this for he addes Although God who doth principally worke faith in man doth separate the faithfull man from the vnbeleeuer yet because he doth not worke faith and conuersion in man without the will of man hee doth not separate man without man And a little after he addeth That man doth separate himselfe by his owne will You heare that God is the principall cause of faith but not the totall and that man doth separate himselfe by his owne will when yet the Apostle saith Who separates thee attributing this praise to God alone And that the cause why of two that are alike called one followeth the other refuseth is in the one free-will in the other grace indeede but yet so that the vse of it dependeth on mans free-will in the power whereof it is to vse grace or not to vse it So that in the one free-will is the totall cause of incredulitie and in the other it is the part-cause of faith and conuersion So that now man hath whereof he may boast it is he that separates himselfe and saluation is of man that willeth and runneth and of God that sheweth mercy These innouators that they might defend themselues against that saying of Saint Paul Who separateth thee doe contend that Paul speaketh of that separation by which they that haue receiued many gifts are separated from them who haue receiued fewer which I willingly receiue For if by the grace of God alone they which are indued with greater gifts are separated from the faithfull who haue receiued fewer gifts how much more are they who are furnished with many gifts separated by the mercy of God alone from them who are altogether voide of Faith and of the knowledge of God XXVI That therefore of Saint Paul Tit. 3. standeth vnmoueable Vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their minde and conscience is defiled And hee speaketh not onely of meates but also of the vse of meates which is pure according to the purity of conscience least any one should thinke that it is here spoken of the puritie of meates and not of the purity of actions XXVII Finally all Christian vertues Faith Charity c. are eyther in vs by nature or are obtained by vse and diligence or they are put and wrought in our hearts by God That they are naturally ingrafted Pelagius himselfe hath not dared to say That they are not obtained by vse and diligence the example of the theefe doth proue who in one moment without vse or exercise obtained faith It remainteth therefore that they are put into vs by God and that faith is from the meere gift and grace of God and not from free-will CHAP. XXXIV The reasons of the Arminians are examined by which they maintaine free-will in an vnregenerate man concerning things that are spirituall and belonging to saluation I. AGainst the doctrine of the Orthodoxe Church which doth put away from man all free-will in the worke of saluation being vpholden by the word of God and proued by sence it selfe and experience the Arminians doe oppose themselues with great diligence and doe patronize free-will in those that are vnregenerate II. They doe euery where obiect and reckon vp that of Saint Paul Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles which haue not the Law doe by nature those things contained in the Law I answere that by the Law it is commanded to loue God with all the heart with all the strength which cannot be done vnlesse you direct all your actions to his glory and vnlesse you be indued with faith because whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Whosoeuer shalexamine the vertues of heathen men by the line of these rules shall finde that in their most honest deedes there were many things wanting and much sinne in them Hence it appeareth that the Gentiles indeede in an externall worke doe those things which are of the Law The words of Saint Paul are not to be extended any further But the forme of a right worke which is placed in the inward conueniency and agreement of the minde with the law of God was alwaies absent from infidels and heathen men It is one thing to doe those things that are of the law it is another thing to fulfill the law The one is to obey the law as concerning the externall matter of the worke the other is to be obedient to the law after that manner with that minde and to that end which is commanded by the word of God III. They scatter some little motiues as that Esay 55. v 1. They that thirst are inuited by God that is those that are desirous of reconciliation with God and of saluation And that Matth. 11. They that are heauy laden are called Come vnto mee yee that are weary and heauie laden By those that are laden are noted our those that are pressed downe with the conscience of their sinnes and sighing vnder the burden of them Therefore say they they were already desirous of saluation and were pressed downe with the conscience of their sins before they were called and regeneration is after calling And therefore in the vnregenerate there may be a sauing griefe and a desire of remission of sinnes but I affirme that those men so thirsting and so laden were not vnregenerate For that very desire of saluation and the grace of God and the sighes of the conscience panting vnder the weight of sinne by which wee are compelled to flie to Christ is a part of regeneration And that beginning of feare if it be acceptable to God is an effect of the holy spirit mouing the heart For what hindreth that he who thirsteth after the grace of God hath not already tasted of it and as it were licked it with his lippes What hindreth that he who is commanded to come to Christ should not already moue himselfe and beginne to goe although with a slow pace Doth Christ as often as he commandeth men to beleeue in him speake onely to vnbeleeuers Yea this exhortation to beleeue and to come to him doth especially belong to them whose faith being new bred and weake doth striue with the doubtings of the flesh IV. It is familiar to the Arminians to cite the words of Christ Iohn 7.17 If any one will doe the will of him that sent me hee shall know of my doctrine whether it be of God or whether I
God indeede doth giue grace and sufficient power to conuersion but that man is conuerted or not conuerted in act is in the power of free-will Arnoldus doth teach this at large 447. We determine saith hee that the vse of grace is subiect to mans will so that man may vse it or not vse it according to his naturall liberty And a little after speaking of a man furnished with the power of grace hee saith that the effect of the mercy of God is in the power of man And pag. 448. he teacheth that if efficacy be taken for efficiency man maketh grace ineffectuall For Arnoldus was ashamed to adde the other member and to say that man made grace effectuall or ineffectuall and yet there are other places brought by vs out of their writings which are equipollent and of like force with this speech as also that which he saith pag. 449. Man if he be not wanting to himselfe may conuert himselfe The Reader therefore shall marke how pestilent this doctrine is which the ARminians restrained as it were with shame doe scarce at any time vtter without ambiguities That the grace of God is effectuall that is efficient and working it is to be attributed to free-will and the efficiency of the grace of God is subiected to the will of man By which speech they meane this that God doth saue man if man himselfe will for this it is to depend on mans will VI. The Orthodoxe Churches doe much differ from this doctrine For how can we be conuerted by the grace of God if wee will seeing that this very thing that we are willing is the grace of God yea it is conuersion it selfe For he that doth seriously desire to be conuerted to God is already in some part conuerted But of these things we haue already spoken much and more shall be spoken when wee treate of the manner by which the grace of God doth certainely worke conuersion in vs which manner the Arminians call by an odious and rude word irresistibilitie VII But in the tearme of sufficient grace they doe not onely differ one from another but euery one of them differeth from himselfe For they will haue sufficient grace to beleeue power of beleeuing to be giuen to all particular men * Arnal p 405. Licet sit generalis gratiae quod homines dons istis pessint recte vti tamen quod actu recte ijs vtantur à speciali gratia est Potentia eniminactum non producitur nisi per auxilium alterius gratiae subsiquentis quae specialis est quia non omnibus contingis And yet the same men say that no man can beleeue in act and vse well this vniuersall grace without speciall grace O your faithfull stability Can that be called sufficient grace which doth neuer bring forth that effect for which it is giuen vnlesse some other speciall grace come to it Is that a sufficient cause which doth neuer worke alone Or is any thing lesse agreeable to reason then with Arminius to make one kinde of grace which is sufficient by which the sinner may be conuerted but is not conuerted and another which is effectuall by which the sinner is conuerted Is it not of the same power and faculty to be able to doe and to doe to be able to see and to see Surely a giddinesse hath ceased on these men while they study for subtiltie VIII I am deceiued if Vorstius did not discerne this and therefore in the twentie and twentie one sections Collat. cum Piscat he doth make two kindes of grace one sufficient and altogether necessary which God doth giue to all them that are called the other extraordinary superabounding and singular by which men are indeede conuerted and hee doth reiect them that say none at all are conuetted by that former grace For he saith that God hath not promised to conuert all that are conuerted with this more then sufficient helpe and superabounding efficacy of grace IX But we taking the tearme of effectuall grace for that grace which is apt and fit to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed doe acknowledge no sufficient grace which is not effectuall that is apt to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed whether it doth effect and worke alone or with others which I do purposely adde because oftentimes to one effect and perfect action many causes doe concurre as to Learning Nature Art and exercise doe concurre to the ferâ—iâ—ity and fruitfulnesse of the field the goodnesse of the soile the sunne raine and conuenient manuring doe concurre X. And seeing that in the concourse of causes to the producing of one effect there are certaine causes that doe not onely worke with others but which doe also worke by others and doe giue efficacie and power to the adioyning causes So in the conuersion of man the holy Ghost and the preaching of the word doe concurre but the spirit doth giue efficacy to the word For in vaine are the eares beaten on vnlesse God open the heart and with the word doth inspire his secret power XI And we acknowledge that there is no grace absolutely sufficient eyther to conuersion or to faith or to saluation without the spirit of regeneration and knowledge of Christ And we condemne the schoole of Arminius teaching that all men euen the heathens to whom the name of Christ hath not come are indued with sufficient and sauing grace to come to faith and by it to saluation XII Yet the outward meanes to saluation that are largely administred without the inward efficacy of the holy Spirit may in some measure be called sufficient grace not onely because they suffice to make them inexcusable but also because these meanes ought to suffice to come to saluation if man were such as he ought to be For if any thing is wanting to that grace the defect is bred on his part who is called not on his part who calleth who by the rule of iustice is not bound to supply inward dispositions because man is bound to giue them of his owne and to bring them of himselfe Nor is God bound to restore them to man after man hath lost them by his owne fault Therefore God doth iustly say Esay 5. What ought I to haue done more to my vineyard that I haue not done to it For speaking after the manner of men God is said that he ought to doe that which his iustice doth require and which if he should not doe there would seeme to be cause of expostulating But that God doth there speake of the outward meanes doth hence appeare because he compareth the benefits bestowed vpon Israel to a planting in a fruitfull place to a digging to fencing with a hedg to gathering out stones and to the building of a Tower But there is no mention of the secret vegetation and growth of it of the fauourable fitnesse of the ayre of the seasonable raine which are things rather of an inward and secret power Furthermore
beene made partakers of that perseuerance that they could not but perseuere Thence it is that they will not admit of this that they should allow that the number of them that are predestinated and the number of them that are reiected is determined These are they whose authority was more to Arminius then the authority of Saint Austin yea then of Saint Paul himselfe For they haue liberally and manifestly borrowed all their opinions from the Semipelagians CHAP. XLIII The opinion of the Arminians of the manner of the operation of Grace and of that power which they call vnresistable Also of morall perswasion And of the power and act of beleeuing WHat the secret motions of the holy-Ghost are what the efficacy of it is by what degrees it doth further regeneration what impediments are cast in the way by man what is the conflict of the flesh with the spirit and the strife of the new man with the old who as another Esau doth at length shake off the yoake and doth hinder the worke of God as much as it can I thinke cannot be throughly knowne by any nor can that little which we know by experience be explained in fit words Surely Christ Iohn 3. doth rightly compare the spirit the author of regeneration to the winde which bloweth where it listeth and whose sound is heard but men know not whence it commeth nor whether it goeth It is a thing therefore whose experience is rather to be wished then the efficacy of it to be explained There are many who while they peere into the nature of the operation of the holy-Spirit are themselues led by a reprobate spirit And while they discourse concerning the efficacy of the spirit of peace they themselues being prone to discord and puft vp with pride doe sufficiently bewray that they are led by that spirit which doth effectually worke in the sonnes of rebellion Ephes 2. These things although they be thus and that it be safer to follow God calling then to enquire by what power he doth call and draw vs yet the obstinate rashnesse of those men with whom wee haue to doe compelleth vs to descend to these things For these innouators haue drawne out of the puddles of the spanish Iesuites I know not what words of resistability and vnresistability with which they entangle mens wits The scope whereof is to furnish the will of man with powers wherewith he may resist the Holy-Ghost with how great efficacy soeuer hee should worke in mens hearts that by this meanes man might owe his conuersion to his owne strength and power and the confidence of our saluation resting on a weake supporter might stagger and fall into desparation The words of Arnoldus against Tilenus are direct pag. 125. Collat Hag pag. 304. Negat propositum Deo decretumque esse absolute hunc vel â—lum conuertere Armin. in Perk. 199. Falsum est Deum simpliciter absolute velle vt alij credant perseuerent c Quâ—st Artiâ— Remâ—nst iâ— Collat. Hag. Modus operatiâ—nis graâ—â—â—â— non est resistibilis We deny that the difference of Grace calling is not placed as much in the free will of men as in the will of God And they all affirme with one mouth that God doth not absolutely will that this or that man should beleeue but that hee indeede doth giue sufficient grace and power of beleeuing which man may vse or not vse according to his owne free-will And that grace and the power of the holy Ghost working in the heart is resistable euen in the most holy men and in the elect and that the finall effect thereof may be hindred by man Whence they gather that those who are elected may be reprobated Indeede say they the power of beleeuing is giuen vnresistably and the vnderstanding is so instructed in knowledge and the affections stirred vp that it cannot be resisted but they contend that the act of beleeuing it selfe is giuen resistably and that it is in the power of free-will to vse grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue For they doe not thinke that the liberty of free-will can stand vnlesse he that is elected may sinally resist grace and so be reprobated Arnoldus against Bogermannus pag. 263. and 274. All the operations of grace being granted which God doth vse to the working of conuersion in vs yet conuersion it selfe doth so remaine free in our power that we may not be conuerted that is we may conuert or not conuert our selues For they teach that the effect of grace doth depend on mans free-will and that free-will is a part-part-cause of our conuersion in so much that Greuinchouius against Ames Greuinch pag. 198. 204. 208 297. is bold to write these things You will say that in this manner of operation God doth on a sort depend on the will of man I grant it as concerning the act of free determination Truely this is to disgrace God and to make him subiect to mans free-will Nor doe they doubt to say that God seriously desiring that this or that man should be saued is disappointed of his wish and desire and that therefore hee doth grieue and beare it heauily and doth not doe that which hee had sworne he would doe as before we haue proued Euen with these shores doe these good men vnderproppe Christian faith being about to fall And the manner whereby the grace of God and his Spirit doth worke in vs they determine to be this They say that the vnderstanding of man is vnresistably enlightned Câ—â—lat Hag. p. 272. Illuminatâ—â—mint ellectus 〈…〉 p. â—6 and that his affections are vnresistably stirred vp but the assent of the will doth remaine free The same men thinke that God doth vnresistably giue to man the power of beleeuing of conuerting himselfe but the act it selfe of beleeuing and conuerting himselfe may be done or hindred by mans will and that the feeling is vnresistibly giuen but not the assent For they say that there is in the will an essentiall indifferency and indetermination to receiue or refuse grace and as being put in an equall ballance doth turne to neither part for it lost no spirituall gifts by the fall of Adam because it had not these gifts before the fall The conferrers at the Hage pag. 307. Although it is to be determined that the infusion of abilityes is done by an vnresistible power that the matter become not infinite yet it cannot come to passe that the act it selfe that is to beleeue and be conuerted should be wrought vnresistibly And they doe plainely deny that actuall faith and the act of beleeuing is the gift of God For although they doe sometimes make shew of this and doe thunder out with full mouthes that faith is from God yet in the whole thred of their disputation they doe openly bewray that they are verry farre from that opinion For they deny that faith is iufused by God into the hearts of men but that God
which are naturally engrafted the contrary habits of faith hope charity humility patience c. should succeede Which habits are not obtained by vse and by actions as the Arminians thinke pag. Per spiritus sancti operationem vires homini dantur ad eliciendos actus conuersioâ—â—s concomitante porro spiritu credit beâ—â—agit home crebris fidâ—â— charitatis patientiae actibus habitum spei fidei c. sibi comparaet 65. against the Walachrians but are imprinted and infused by the Spirit of God who doth stirre vp holy actions and motions which doe strengthen faith and charitie and increase it by exercise For man helped by the spirit of God doth not giue himselfe faith or charity or obtaine them by exercise and industry but they are giuen by God and are nourished and increased by voluntary and spontaneus actions inspired by God And that the will is rather the seate of vertues then the sensitiue appetites reason it selfe doth proue For it is more like that the reasonable appetite which is peculiar to man is adorned with vertues rather then the appetite which is common to vs with beasts which if it were the seate of the vertues of righteousnesse holinesse and charity the sensitiue faculty ceasing after death vertue also would cease and the will of the separated soule would be altogether voide of righteousnesse and holinesse And if any one doth suppose that the appetites may be called iust subiectiuely and that they are the subiect of righteousnesse and holinesse because they obey the minde enlightned by God there is no cause why the will freely subiecting it selfe to that perswasion ought not also after the same manner be called iust and holy and the subiect of righteousnesse and holinesse And seeing that the rectified will of a wise and pious man is wont to rule ouer the affections and to compell them into the compasse who doth not see that vertue is rather in that part which being rectified doth rule ouer the affections then in the affections which doe for the most part slackly obey this holy command I confesse indeed that Christian vertues doe in some part pertaine to the sensitiue appetities But after the same manner that the art of training vp a horse which doth properly reside in the horse-man doth in some part belong to the horse whom the industry of the rider hath broake to the circuits and compasse and hath taught to moue himselfe with an ordered motion Could there be none more commodious meanes inuented of maintaining the liberty of the will of man then by depriuing it of all vertue Surely the Arminians shew themselues stout patrons of the liberty of free-will if they spoyle the will of vertues that it might be free and doe shake off the bonds of holy habits from the will lest it should be too much bound For as they teach that the will before the fall was not indued with spirituall gifts lest it should be thought by the fall to be defiled with vices and lest contrary vices and a natural deprauation should be thought to haue succeded in the place of those spirituall gifts which were lost So they also deny that the habits of faith and charity c. are infused into the will by God lest the will being changed by that infusion should lose the power of finally resisting the holy-Ghost For they thinke that iniury is done to the will if the liberty of casting it selfe headlong into hell be taken away which surely is an vnhappy liberty and for the defence whereof these Sectaries ought not to apply themselues with all their strength as if it stood vs so much vpon so to be free that wee might resist God to the end and destroy our selues Neither was this a fit cause of making the will such a silly and single thing naturally indued neither with vices nor vertues but a thing that may be turned and winded euery way and like the prime and first matter capable of euery impression seeing that on the contrary the will of man is naturally euill and euen incorporated in vices as we haue abundantly proued Chap. 33. and men according to their will especially are eyther good or euill We determine therefore that Christian vertues are not obtained by vse and industry but are infused by God into the minde and into the will who doth not onely giue power of beleeuing but also to beleeue in Christ it selfe and doth worke in vs actuall faith As he who by his certaine and absolute purpose hath decreed to giue faith to them whom hee decreed to saue whereby they might be saued The effect of which grace we determine doth not depend on mans free-will and that it is not in our power to beleeue and to be conuerted if we will seeing that on the contrary God giueth to the elect that they might will to be conuerted to beleeue giuing them both to will and to doe according to his good pleasure CHAP. XLV The question of morall perswasion is sifted and discussed and whether euery perswasion may be resisted THE Arminians determine that the efficacy of the spirit of God working in our hearts is in a morall perswasion For they deny that those habits of Faith Hope and Charity are infused into mens hearts by God lest the liberty of free-will should be violated and lest conuersion should be made by an vnresistible and vnauoidable necessity but rather by a gentle invitation which man may eyther resist or obey This their opinion doth rest on this false principle that there is no perswasion which may not be so resisted that the effect thereof may at length be hindred We contend that this principle is false For there is a perswasion so effectuall that it doth necessarily draw a man to ascent which although thou maist resist if thou wouldst yet thou canst not be willing If one in a scorching drought should offer sweete wholesome drinke to him that is a thirst and should with a friendly perswasion invite him to drinke and should disswade and hinder nothing on the contrary I say that it cannot be but that hee who is thirsty should take the drinke offered him A man hath fallen into the hands of enemies who loade him with chaines and cast him into prison and bring him neere the punishment Now if one should enter the same prison who should loosen the chaines open the gate and shew him a sure way of escape and should exhort him that he should flie and free himselfe from the present danger I doe not thinke that such a man could obtain of himselfe that he should not obey such perswasion And if in humane things there are many such like perswasions which you cannot be willing to resist How much lesse can that perswasion be resisted when to the euidence and certainty of the perswasion and to the excellency of those heauenly good things which the Gospell doth offer to vs and to the knowledge of the present danger the diuine power hath also
come and that heart-turning might of the holy-Ghost whose efficacy cannot be explained Surely there is a certaine perswasiue necessity and a perswasion more mighty then any command which doth so bend those that are willing that they would rather endure any thing then not to will what they desire Reason it selfe doth adde credit to these things and the nature of mans will in which it is engrafted to moue it selfe to the prescript and perswasion of the minde vnlesse when the indocible affections doe resist reason But as often as reason doth conspire and agree with the affections it is impossible but the will should moue it selfe thither whether the minde doth perswade it and the appetites doe incite it for what should call it away seeing it can be moued with no other impulsion Nor is it any doubt that God who doth throughly know our soules and the most fit occasions by which the soule being apprehended cannot resist him calling and doth know in what part it is more flexible should not be able so to enlighten the minde and imprint on the fancy which hath the naturall command ouer the appetites so cleere an image so terrifie the conscience by the propounding of punishments so stirre it vp by laying before it the eternall rewards so gently inuite and so fitly perswade that presently all resistance should cease and all contrariety fall to the ground Wherefore Arnoldus against Tilenus pag. 251. spake inconsiderately when hee said that the liberty of the will consisted in this that all things which are required to an action being granted and being present the will might suspend and stoppe the action He ought to haue said that the liberty of the will consisteth in this that it doth with a free and spontaneus motion apply it selfe to those things which the vnderstanding and the appetites doe perswade or if the appetites doe disagree with reason and diuers obiects are propounded that the will may by a free election moue it selfe to what part it will Let the soules which doe enioy the sight of God in heauen be for an example to whom all things are fully supplied which are required to stirre vp the will to loue God yet their will cannot suspend that action nor forbid and auert that act of loue wherewith they loue God Neither can it be said although it maketh little to the present matter that the cause why they cannot hate God is because occasions of hatred and incitations to sinne are wanting For the Angels before the fall had no greater occasion The same occasions of sinning which ouerthrew the Angels were neuer wanting The too much admiration and too great loue of themselues and by it a more slacke contemplation and a more backward loue of God carried those most excellent creatures headlong and stirred them vp to rebellion The will indeede is affected to two or more things and betweene two propounded obiects doth freely choose vnlesse when the last and best end is desired But it doth often so strongly apply it selfe to some one thing that it cannot resist it selfe And if the efficacy of the holy-Ghost turning the heart working in the elect shal also come to it which doth so draw gouern the raines of the affections that it may bend and turne the will following of its owne accord what meruaile is it if such a rider cannot be finally shaken off although the appetites doe so much resist and doe hardly giue ouer that rule and command which besides right and equity they haue ceased on All these these things pertaine thither that we may teach that the euent of conuersion is not thereby vncertaine or as these innouators speake resistible although God should moue the heart by a morall perswasion and should allure the will by a congruent and meete invitation But yet whosoeuer shall heare the Scripture or shall descend to examples and to experience shall finde that the efficacy of the holy-Ghost working in mens hearts ought not to be restrained to morall perswasion For it is a hard thing to conceiue in ones minde what perswasion God vsed in the conuersion of Saint Paul who was cast downe as it were with lightning and whose stubbornnesse kicking against the pricks was broken The same may be said of the Theefe into whom in the midst of torments and in the very agony of death God did infuse faith after an vnvtterable manner For what Doe these Sectaries thinke that he obtained faith by vse and by the frequent actions of pietie Surely that cannot be said seeing that in one moment he came from the height of incredulitie and from most desperately wicked manners to a most strong faith Was he inuited by a gentle perswasion No surely For whatsoeuer things were present before him were so many disswasions and they so powerfull that the faith of the Apostles themselues did then faile The very torments which the miserable man did then suffer could easily haue taken away the sense of that allurement and perswasion vnlesse the secret power of the spirit of Christ had broken through all obstacles Would the Apostle Paul Ephes 1.19.20 and Coloss 2.12 say that that power of God whereby he doth effectually worke in the hearts of beleeuers is the same with that whereby hee raised Christ from the dead if hee should onely conuert mens hearts by a morall perswasion and by a gentle invitation Saul being fully determined to kill Dauid came to Naioth whither Dauid was fled 1 Sam. 19. but as soone as he came thither vnmindfull of Dauid he is catched with a propheticall inspiration Where is there here any morall perswasion or invitation If therefore God changeth the mindes of wicked men without any morall perswasion why shall hee not exercise the same power towards his elect And I doe not see how those speeches of creating a new heart of raising man from the dead and of giuing new life by which the Scripture doth expresse our conuersion may be applyed to note out morall perswasion The new man is not created by perswasion but by the infusion of new life and it must needes be that some supernaturall thing must come which cannot be explained by man And if God should allure men to beleeue by a meere perswasion and invitation God should not be the efficient cause of faith For hee that doth onely exhort and perswade that we may beleeue doth not giue beleeuing it selfe no nor he who doth suggest the powers of beleeuing as we haue said before but hee doth moue metaphorically and intentionally as wee are moued by Obiects and by a knowne end And that here is something else beside perswasion may hence be gathered in that you see some men are vehemently set on fire by a small perswasion some on the other side who know the truth are yet in the midst of some euident and most certaine perswasions cold and not at all affected Former times and our owne age hath brought forth many Martyrs who haue beene vnlearned and but lightly
it was necessary that vertue should be wrought for the repressing of pride mens wills should be left to themselues that if they would they might remaine in the helpe and assistance of God without which they could not perseuere and God should not worke in them that they might will The will it selfe by its owne infirmity would faile among so many and so great temptations and they could not therefore perseuere because failing by their infirmity they could not be willing or by the infirmity of their will they could not be so willing that they might be able Therefore the infirmity of mans will was helped that by the grace of God it might be driuen vnauoidably and inseperably and therefore although weake yet it should not faile nor be ouercome by any aduersitie Hee suffered and permitted Adam the strongest man to doe what he would but hee hath preserued to the weake that they should will inuincibly by him that giueth it and inuincibly should not forsake it Obserue the words vnauoydably vnseperably and inuincibly he vsed not the word irresistibility which the Iesuites had not yet coyned But he vsed words which haue no lesse force to set out the power of the most certaine and finally insuperable and vnconquerable grace of God in them who are elected according to the purpose of God And yet he doth vse the word resisting Chap. 14. where he thus speaketh No free-will of man doth resist God being willing to saue For to will or nill is so in the power of him that willeth or nilleth that it cannot hinder the will of God nor ouercome his power Excellently spoken although Arminius cry out against it CHAP. XLVIII That the Arminians doe plainely stablish that vnresistiblenesse which they impugne I. VNresistiblenesse is painted by the Arminians as a monster whose beard they pluck whom they prick with needles and goades We haue already taught that they doe build castles in the ayre and paint gourdes and vaine conceits and doe impugne their owne dreames For we acknowledge no such vnresistiblenesse as they faigne II. But this is the greatest meruaile that they themselus doe build vp do euery where stablish that vnsistiblenesse which they doe falsely attribute to vs and doe impugne with all their forces You may say they are blinde-folded fencers who fighting with their eyes shutte doe beate the ayre and wound themselues III. The Arminians against the Walachrians page 68. Doe deny that they say That the holy-Ghost doth worke vpon the will by no other meanes then such as may be resisted But say they wee would haue these things restrained to none but to that ordinary manner of conuersion which the spirit for the most part doth vse not doubting but that the conuersion of some one or other is sometimes wrought by an extraordinary meanes Here wee haue them confessing themselues guilty For by this saying they ouerthrow from the foundation whatsoeuer they haue builded vp For if God conuert some men vnresistibly and doth giue them faith by his precise and absolute will it is impossible that these should be elected for faith fore-seene and by an election which doth rest on the fore-seeing of faith For he who is absolutely and vnresistibly appointed to faith must needes be absolutely appointed to saluation He should doe foolishly who should faigne God decreeing thus I indeede decreed to saue this man if he will beleeue But I will giue him faith vnresistibly Election cannot depend on the fore-seeing of that condition which God hath decreed certainely and infallibly to doe Thus God did not decree that Philip should liue if hee had breath but hee hath certainely decreed to giue him breath that he might liue IV. Hence it appeareth with what equity these Sectaries deale with vs For falsely attributing vnresistiblenesse to vs they cry out that thereby mens wills are compelled and that it cannot be called obedience to which man is vnresistibly compelled yet the same men doe thinke that there are some who are conuerted vnresistibly and after an extraordinary manner and whose conuersion they doe not deny to be obedience V. Adde to these that old and worne opinion among the Arminians which we euery where meete in their writings That God doth call some man after a manner that is not congruent and agreeable whereby they that are called doe neuer follow although they be able to follow That some againe are called in that manner state measure and time which is congruent and agreeable by which meanes whosoeuer are called doe certainely and infallibly follow God calling Also wee haue before in the 44. Chapter brought the words of Armini us himselfe whereby he determineth that such a calling is made by the decree of God and administred by his certain and sure predestination And iustly For why should God choose this apt state this fit time and this congruent manner whereby they that are called doe certainely and infallibly follow vnlesse because he will haue them certainely and infallibly to follow Surely these things maintaine the same vnresistiblenesse which is beleeued by vs that is a certaine and infallible euent from the preordination of God They endeauour indeede to qualifie their opinion by peecing to it this clause Those whom God doth call after a congruent manner are indeede certainely and infallibly conuerted but so that they may not be conuerted For if Arminius be beleeued they may doe that which neuer hath beene nor neuer shall be which God certainely fore-knew should not be and which if it should come to passe the purpose and preordination of God which Arminius doth here acknowledge should be made voide VI. The same men doe stablish vnresistiblenesse by that their old opinion whereby they teach that God in our conuersion doth vnresistibly enlighten the vnderstanding and stirre vp the affection It is something that they confesse that part of our conuersion and regeneration is wrought vnresistibly to wit the enlightning of the minde the raysing vp of the affections But I further affirme that by that vnresistible enlightning of the minde if it be cleere and euident and by that raising of the affections if it be vehement the will is necessarily affected and drawne to a spontaneus assent as wee haue at large proued VII They doe no lesse hurt and wound themselues when they teach that the power of beleeuing is giuen vnresistibly For what powers of beleeuing are there but by faith For habits are the efficient causes of operations as the first acts are the causes of the second Or what powers of beleeuing can there be without faith If therefore the powers of beleeuing are giuen vnresistibly it is plaine that faith also and therefore the assent of the will is giuen vnresistably seeing that the power and faculty of beleeuing is placed formally in faith it selfe The Arminians of the Hage Collat. pag. 269. doe grant that God doth vnresistibly cause that alway there are some who beleeue By which grant they doe plainely disturbe their owne