then of the great seeing that you my Pastor and Comforter will not that the promises of salvation in Christ are made vniversally vnto all and that those places of Scripture which seeme generall according to your opinion are to be restreyned onely to the vniversalitie of the elect And that in all the rest of Holy Scripture there is no more speciall promise nor mention made of my self in particular who also besides the Holy Scripture have no testimony whether of Angell or Prophet to assure me thereof When our Saviour sayd unto his Apostles One of you shall betray me Although this concerned but one of them yet were they all exceedingly troubled therewith So then were there but a small number of Reprobates for whom as you sayd Christ dyed not yet should I have just reason to feare or thinke that I were one of them but much rather seeing their number is so great Consid. Now we are to proceed to tâ—e third Act of this Authors Comedy and the severall scenes thereof We have considered how well he had playde the part of an Infidell refusing to be converted by us as also of a bad living Christian refusing to be reformed at our hands Now we are to consider how well he performs the part of an afflicted Christian refusing all consolation that we can minister unto him I finde he hath a good witt and Proteus like can transforme himself into the likenesse of any condition and can act more parts then many In this last personation of his he is well neere as large as in both the former which whether it proceedes from greater confidence of his cause in this particular than in the former and that makes his witt to exuberate the more or that he meetes with more difficulties in this passage then in the former and therfore is put to the more paynes in Mastering them I knowe not He feignes us in his introduction unto this perhaps able to acquitt our selves farre better in undergoing the office of a comforter but the fictions of poeticall and comicall witts are nothing to be regarded as of any force to discover unto us their true meaninge As for us we neyther take upon us to convert or reforme or comfort any but only to minister a word of comfort to a weary soule a word of terrour to humble a debaucht Christian and a word of conversion unto an Infidell we leave it unto God and pray unto him by the powerfull operation of his Spirit to strike the stroke in any mans conversion reformation consolation Neyther is our doctrine of predestination and reprobation that word which we minister eyther for the conversion of the one or for the reformation of the other or for the consolation of the third but the terrors of the lawe we make use of for mans humiliation therby to praepare him for the grace of the Gospell and being humbled the gracious promises of the Gospell we make use of to rayse him by bringing him to faith in Christ then we instruct him in the dueties of Christianitie exhorting him to walke answerably to his profession and if he fayle herof we sett the wrath of God before him and shewe him how it had bene better for him he had never knowne the way of righteousnes then after he have knowne it to depart from the holy commandement given unto him Or if in the course of Christianitie he walkes uncomfortably according as we shall finde the cause of his disconsolate condition we will endeavour to fitt our consolations thereunto If affliction be the cause we will represent unto him how that this is the common condition of Christians and that through manifold temtations we must enter into the Kingdom of God that God sheweth hereby that he receaves us for his owne Children and not as bastards If conscience of sinne and of walking litle answearable to our profession we will represent unto him how that if we judge our selves we shall not be judged of the Lord that griefe for this doth argue a desire of the contrary and that God accepteth the will for the deede and hath promised that if we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just he will forgive them If weakenes of faith be the cause of disquietnes without any farther cause we will represent unto him how Gods gracious course is not to breake the bruised reede nor to quenche the smoaking flaxe and stirre him up to pray unto God to encrease his faith or to helpe his unbeliefe That this disquietnes doth manifestly argue a desire to believe and God hath promised to fulfill the desire of them that feare him If he hath atteyned to faith and holines we can assure him of his election by our doctrine which the Arminians doctrine cannot If he hath neyther yet there is no cause of desperation forasmuchas his condition is no worse then Saulâ— was before his callinge yen and the holyest servant of God God calls some at the first houre of the day some not till the last Nothing but finall impenitencie or the sinne against the holy Ghost is an assurance of reprobation But let us proceede along with this Authors discourse to examine it as we goe This Author hath but one ground of consolation I have lately had to deale with another of his Spirit that makes three grounds of consolation to witt the universalitie of Gods love the universalitie of Christs death the universalitie of the covenant of grace By which it is manifest that he makes a Christian capable of no better consolation then a Turke or Saracen is capable an elect then a reprobate And if in all three he thrives no better in his course of consolation what shall we thinke of this Authors successe in the worke of consolation who insists but upon one of those three Yet I commend him for being sensible of the unseasonablenes of his consolation had he rested as the other doth only in this that Christ having by his death and passion satisfied the justice of his Father he obteyned reconciliation for all mankind But this Author caryeth not himselfe so covertly but addes that this reconciliation is appliable to all those who acknowledging the infinitenes of the benefite doe therupon embrace the Author of it with a true and lively faith wherby it is manifest that in this Authors judgment consolation arising from the death and passion of Christ is appliable to none and consequently none are capable of it but such as believe in Christ which he calls the embracing of the Author of the benefite with a true lively faith Now we willingly confesse that we cannot finde any other foundation wherby to consolate and assure any afflicted soule against the terrors of Gods justice the condemnation of the lawe and accusation of his owne conscience But wheras he saith that the afflicted can never make this true foundation of Gods word agree with the second article of the Synod of Dort which he calleth false foundations but prooves it not
be one of Gods elect which may be for ought we know to the contrary And if it proove otherwise and we have cause to complayne that we have laboured in vayne and that we have spent our strenght in vayne this ought to be nothing strange to us seing it hath bene the condition of better and more eminent servants of God then we are neyther are we to seeke how to comfort our selves but in the Prophets language Yet my labour is with the Lord and my judgment with my God though we have laboured all night yea and many dayes also and caught nothinge in S. Pauls language we are unto God the sweete savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perishe To the one we are the Savour of death unto death and to the other a Savour of life unto life and herby we doe God service in bereaving them of excuse for they cannot but by these meanes know that a Prophet hath bene amongst them yea and by molesting them with the torments of hell and stirring up a worme in their conscience to gnawe them we may as it were throwe water in their faces and quash their furious courses in satisfying their lusts so that hereby they may proficere ad exteriorem vitae emendationem quo mitiùs puniantur Now judge of the soliditie of this Authors discourse who conscious of giving litle satisfaction in good earnest affects to refresh the spirit of his propitious reader with a jest saying that his personate Actor will not affirme himself to be a Reprobate for feare of being held so indeed by the Synods But where doth eyther of these Synods teach that who so conceaves himself to be a reprobate is to be held by them to be such a one indeed For albeit eyther of them did affirme every Christian to be bound to beleeve that he is an elect for which we have no stronger evidence then the honesty of this Authors word which of what price it deserves to be let the indifferent judge yet that they should hold every one to be a reprobate indeed who conceaves himself to be such a one is altogether incredible Yet notwithstanding these and such like immodest and shamelesse pretences this Author will not want some to applaude him herein as a resolute champion of their cause And albeit he shapes his Actor such as feare not God yet to serve his turne he must shape him so as to stand in feare of the censure of Arles and of their hard opinion of him The third Section IF hereupon the Censurer proceede That allthough the Spirit alone doth produce repentance in the heart of a sinner yet notwithstanding that exhortations and threatnings are the meanes and instruments which it useth in the worke The other will demaund further of him the explication of his saying therein observing a most manifest contradiction in that on the one side repentance is immediately attributed to the holy Ghost and on the other side these exhortations and threatnings are held as means and instruments of this worke the operation not being there immediate where the meanes are used That if these meanes of exhortation be necessary or at least if it be ordinarily required in the operation how can it be that they who resist it and reject the instrument doe not nay cannot likewise resist the principall cause which is the holy Ghost He that will not suffer the rasour the instrument of his cure doth he not therein also reject the Chirurgeon The Censurer will say that the elect reject neither the one nor the other the holy Ghost pearcing the eare to make it heare and opening the heart to make it receave those admonitions which are alltogether vaine unprofitable untill the holy Ghost doth so worke in them Thereupon the other will make him confesse that the word preached for the most part is destitute of that operation of the holy Ghost as it appeareth by the misprise that the most part make of it which cannot be when the efficacy of the Spirit doth accompany it it followeth then that the whole ministery is but a dance no more cooperating with mans conversion then the clay which our Saviour applyed to the eyes of the blind did unto his sight or the sole voyce calling upon Lazarus made him to rise out of his grave He will also demand of him why it is seing nature doth nothing in vayne that the Author of nature did appoynt the ministery of the word and why those things which the Censurer attributeth onely to the Holy Spirit are yet notwithstanding in the Scripture attributed likewise to the word preached and how it is that thereby we are said to be begotten renued edified nourished and purified c. whereas the new doctrine of the Synod leaveth it no other function then to serve as an object and to represent that without which the Holy Spirit hath already wrought within as well in the will as in the understanding without any cooperation of the word not onely unprofitable without the Spirit but also dangerous and aggravating the damnation of its contemners although it were impossible to receave and cherish it even as it is unpossibâ—e for them to adde the efficacy of the Spirit which is not in their power Consid. Here the Censurer is brought in without any decent occasion to discourse of the Spirits operation alone in producing repentance and yet notwithstanding that exhortations and threatnings are the meanes and instruments which it useth in the worke so to make way for the discharging of some shot he hath in readinesse against this By the way I observe that howsoever he puts upon his Actor in this seene the name of a Censurer yet he might be called as well an exhorter and threatner The word of God S. Paul tels us is profitable to teach to coÌ„vince to correct to instruct in righteousnesse but no where doe I finde any such act as censuring attributed unto it But as for the mayne we acknowledge that it is the Spirits operation alone that changeth the heart and yet notwithstanding that exhortations backt with promises upon our obedience threatnings upon our disobedience are the meanes for as much as God worketh in all agreably to their natures Now having made man after his owne image indued with an understanding heart and rationall affections wherby he is fitt to be wrought upon unto that which is good and from that which is evill by way of instruction exhortation persuasion therfore it pleaseth God accordingly to bring him unto faith repentance and obedience Now let us consider what he hath to say against this herupon he saith the other will demaund further of him the explication of his sayings therin objecting a most manifest contradiction in that on the one side repentance is immediately attributed to the holy Ghost and on the other side these exhortations and threatnings are helde as meanes instruments of this worke the operation not being
he believes the remission of his sinnes But this consequence agayne we utterly deny we suppose not any such faith in him nay we have it rather most probable that in case of his debaucht course of life and conversation that such a one hath no true faith at all For if the Apostle exhorts such as the Corinthians were to proove and examine themselves whether they were in the faith writing to the best of them why shoulde we conceave a wicked person that lives in manifest profanenesse and uncleanes to have any true faith at all Perhaps he may reply why then doe you exhort him to repentance seing without faith he cannot repent I answere why did Peter exhort the Iewes to repentance who had killed the Lord of life as he tells them Act. 3.14.15 and desired a murtherer to be given them But saith he v. 18. those thinges which God before had shewed by the mouth of his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath thus fulfilled Amend your lives therfore and turn that your sins may be put away when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Did Peter suppose them to have any faith in Christ when thus he exhorted them to amendment Surely he did not and no more doe wee but by Peters ministery God might be pleased to worke them both to faith and to repentance so he did for many that heard the word believed and the number was about 5000 and the like he may and doth usually worke by our ministery allso Then agayne there is a legall repentance and there is an Evangelicall repentance And that legall repentance may be unto desperation as Iudas his repentance was Agayne that legall repentance may be a fruite of the Spirit of bondage which praepares for the hearing of the Gospell and for the receaving of the Spirit of adoption by the Gospell Then in the preaching of the Gospell the tender mercies of God displayed unto us and how ready he is to pardon sinne in generall and that of free grace may better our repentance and when we are thus by degrees brought to the Spirit of adoption to cry Abba Father then our repentance shall be most perfect as before I sayde and when we looke upon him whom we have pearced and can in assurance of faith professe with the Apostle saying I live by faith in him who loved me and gave himselfe for me this is of power to pricke a Master veyne and make us bleede out our repentance in the sight of our gracious God whom we have offended and who yet in despight of our sinnes hath loved us more devoutly and affectionately then ever before Yet is it true as he saith that repentance is nothing worth without faith What thinkes he of Ahabs repentance when he put on sackcloth and wallowed in ashes upon the word of judgment against his house brought unto him by the Prophet Eliah Doe we not know what the Lord sayde herupon unto Eliah seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me because he submitteth himselfe before me I will not bring that evill in his dayes The uttermost of the Ninivites faith was but this that we reade of who can tell if God will turne and repent turne from his feirce wrath that we perish not yet their repentance was such that when God sawe their workes that they turned from their evill wayes he repented of the evill that he had sayde that he woulde doe unto them and he did it not Ion. 3.9.10 And certienly the moralitie of some Heathens was such that their damnation will be easier then the damnation of those that lived in all manner of impuritie and vncleanes By faith we say the children of God are assured of the love of God towards them which was aeternall and is unchangeable and consequently that God will never forsake them but will from time to time pardon their sinnes according to that faith of Paul The Lord will deliver me from every evill worke and preserve me to his heavenly Kingdom 2. Tim. 4.18 And no other faith of remission of sinnes doe we teach or any of our divines that I know and this Author foreseing it likely enough that his Synodicall adversary will except against such a ones election much more against his effectual vocation who walkes not after the Spirit but after the fleshe yet to shewe his confidence of holding to hard-meate his wilde adversary being in some degree wilder himselfe though he were sayth he of the number of reprobates yet his censurer shoulde gayne nothing by it for as much as his exhortations and threanings coulde not any way alter the decree of heaven but only molest him with the torments of hell and stirre up a worme in his conscience to gnawe him to no purpose Wherto I answere that by our doctrine as we have no encouragement to conceave such a person as here is brought in to play the part appointed for him and wherto this Author promts him to be an elect of God so neyther have we any reason to conceave him to be a reprobate for as much as there neyther is nor can be any ordinary evidence of any mans reprobation but eyther finall impaenitency or guiltines of sinning against the holy Ghost So that albeit where we observe the worke of a mans faith the labour of his love the patience of his hope we have good reason to conceave of such a one that he is an elect of God as Paul did of the Thessalonians 1. Thes. 1 3.4 Yet where we finde these to be wanting and a carnall walking and sensuall conversation in the steede therof we have no cause to conclude herupon that such a one is certeynly a man rejected and reprobated of God For we were carnall and sensuall before God visited us with his grace and quickned us by his holy Spirit What a strange race did Manasses runne for a long time in a most siâ—nefull course in the way of idolatry blood sorcery yet God brought him to repentance before he died Paul likewise for a time was a bloody persecutor of Gods Church yet even then was he a chosen vessell not only to be a professor but a preacher allso of that way which formerly he had opposed and persecuted even unto blood whether a man be an elect or reprobate we leave that as a secret unto God only considering that Gods long suffering is sayde to be salvation we hope the best and it is our duty to become all thinges to all men that we may save some as Paul professeth of himselfe 2. Cor. 6. and those some whose salvation he aymed at he professeth to be Gods elect 2. Tim. 2.10 wherfore we enterteyne no such thought as of altering the decrees of heaven as this Author in his scenicall imagination shapeth the matter but we endeavour therby to take him off from his ungodly courses and worke him to godly sorrowe that bringes forth salvation never to be repented of as in case he may proove to
did beseeche you So the Iewes with their Fathers resisted the holy Ghost Act. 7.51 For as much as the wordes delivered unto theÌ„ which they resisted were sent by the Lord of hosts in his Spirit by the ministery of his prophets Zach. 7.12 accordingly God is sayde to have protested among them by his Spirit by the handes of the prophets but they would not heare Nehem. 9.30 But they doe not resist nor can resist the holy Ghost working immediately and physically upon their wills the act of conversion and physicall or rather hyperphysicall transmutation We willingly confesse that the elect resist neyther tending to their first conversion provided the time be come which God hath appoynted for their conversion till then they resist all exhortations tending thereunto as well as others but as for any divine act for a physicall transmutation of their wills they are not made pertakers thereof till the time of their effectuall calling Yet after their effectuall calling as they doe too often disobey God in his particular exhortations So likewise they have cause sometimes to expostulate with God for hardning their hearts against his feare But in their first conversion he doth not only pierce their eares the word of the minister being able enough for that but he gives them eares to heare so also he gives them eyes to see and as for the opening of the heart that also I take to be all one with giving them an heart Deut. 29.4 Now hereupon this Author tells us we must be driven to confesse that the word preached for the most part is destitute of that operation of the Holy Ghost as it appeares by the misprise that the most part make of it which cannot be when the efficacy of the spirit doth accompany it but this is untrue we are not driven nor neede to be driven hereunto we must willingly acknowledge it rightly understood namely that God â—nto the outward ministery of the word doth not for the â—ost part adde the efficacy of his Spirit to worke men unto faith and repentance as it is most evident by experience and our Saviour in the parable of the sower that went forth to sowe his seede teacheth us as much And the Prophet Esay also when prophecying of the times of the Gospell he beginnes thus Who hath beleeved our report and giving the cause hereof in the next words addeth And to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed But as touching the consequence herhence deduced namely that the whole ministery is but a dance no more cooperating wâ—th mans conversion then the clay which our Saviour applyed to the eyes of the blind did unto his sight or the sole voyce calling upon Lazarus made him to rise out of his grave Here this great master of ceremonies is miserably out in his formalities as well as in his realities It followeth not herehence that the ministery is a dance but a piping rather as our Saviour signifies in the Gospell when he sayth wherunto shall I liken this generation they are like to litle Châ—ldren sitting in the market place and saying we have piped unto you but ye have not danced we have mourned unto you but you have not wept yet piping is a naturall provocation to dance but the exhortation of the word without a more speciall operation of Gods Spirit is no provocat on at all to believe how can it be to naturall man to whom it seemes foolishnes and witt wisdome is naturally more affected by men then honestie For qui velit ingenio cedere rariu erit and the Italians have a proverbe that witt is aequally divided and the instance is given thus Let a proclamation be made that all Taylers appearing in an assembly stand up in this case Taylers will stand up and none but Taylers so of shoemakers so of other â—â—ades But if a proclamation be made that all wise men should stand up every one will be ready enough to stand up men of the meanest trade being apt to conceave that they are likely enough to be as wise as they who are of the best Yet by this Authors leave the ministâ—ry of the word confers more to a mans conversion then the clay did for ought I know to the curing of the blinde mans eyes c. For the word informes what is to be beleeved and likewise what is to be practised though to discerne the wisedom of God in the one and to be in love with the other and to feele the power of God in both requires another operation of the Spirit oâ— God to the inlightning of the minde and renewing of the will He that said nature doth nothing in vaine saâ—de God and nature doe nothing in vayne so that there was litle neede of such a gradation as here is made Nâ—yther is the ministery of the word in vayne though all or the most part are not converted by it For it informes all it takes away excuse from all they cannot say si audivissem credidâ—ssem they know hereby a Prophet hath beene amongst them though they who yeelde obedience to it have no need of any such excuse and for their sakes it is principally intended as appeares both by the revelation made to Paul Act. 18. Feare not and holde not thy peace for no man shall lay holde on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this city And accordingly by the Apostles scope in his ministery For albeit he professeth that he became all things to all men that he might save some 2. Cor. 6. Yet he manifests who those some were whose salvation he sought where he sayth I suffer all things for the elects sake 2. Tim. 2.10 And lastly it is not in vayne towards any for as much as the ministers thereof are the sweete savour of God both in theÌ„ that are saved in them that perish To them that perish a savour of death unto death to them that are saved a savour of life unto life in both a sweete savour unto God in Christ. As for the things which we ascribe onely to the Spirit of God we ascribe them to that Spirit of God onely in the way of a cause physicall we ascribe them to the word also in the way of a cause moâ—all as both informing the understanding concerning them and persuading thereunto But the Spirit of God alone both opens the eyes to discerne them and the heart to embrace them as the things of God And for the cause fore-mentioned to witt because the Spirit of God doth not inlighten to discerne the things of God but as revealed in his word nor to incline to any thing as to the will of God but as proposed in his word therefore is the word called the sword of the Spirit Eph. 6. Thus justly are we said to be begotten by the word renued by the word aedified by the word fed by the word clensed by the word And I finde it very strange that when these men will have all that
mayntâ—ynes any such doctrine it is more then hitheâ—to I have learned or can justifie It is untrue that the word is dangerous by our doctrine but rather that it is dangerous for any man to contemne or despise the goodnes of God therin their condâ—mnation it aggâ—avates only occasionally it is a mans owne coâ—ruption causally that aggravates his damnation when the Lord calls unto them and they will not heaâ—e admonisheth them but they will not hearken It is true that it is not in the power of man to adde unto the word the efficacy of Gods Spirit and it is as true that a carnall man hath no desire that God would adde the efficacy of his Spirit therunto The discipline of Christs Kingdom is as cords and bonds unto them they desire to breake them and to cast off the yoke of obâ—dience unto him And agayne it is as true that no man is damned for not adding the efficacy of Gods Spirit unto his word They are damned for contemning Gods word and not hearkning to his gracious admonitions but they coulde doe no other as this Author intimats but what impotency is this is it any where els then in theiâ— wills which this Author considers not nor distinguisheth betweene impotency naturall and impotency morall were they willing to hearken hereunto but coulde not then indeede their impotency were excusable but they please themselves in their owne and 〈◊〉 in their obstinate courses and if they woulde doe otherwâ—se I make no question but that they shoulde have no more cause to complayne of their impotency to doe that good which they would doe then the servants of God have yea and holy Paul himselfe had How can you believe saith our Saviour here is a certeyne impotency of believing which our Saviour takes notice of but what manner of impotency is it observe by that which followeth who receave honour one of another regard not the honour that comes of God only Therfore you heare not my wordes because ye are not of God Ioh. 8.47 this is as true as the word of the Sonne of God is true allthough this Author setts himselfe to impugne this kinde of doctrine all alonge But withall consider doe they deplore this impotencye doth the consideration herof humble them nay rather they delight in it as the Prophet noteth Ier. 6.10 Their eares are uncircumcised eares they cannot hearken beholde the word of God is as a reproch unto them they have no delight in it The fourth Section THere now remayneth no other instance for our Censurer theÌ„ to exhort this profane fellow to pray unto God that he would be pleased to give him the grace to leave his lewdnes promising that if he pray as he ought to doe that he shall be heard and receave what he demaundeth But herupon this profaner being well instructed in the doctrine of Dort will demaund of him how it is possible to pray as we ought if God give him not the grace before hand and that allso so effectually that it shoulde be impossible for him not to pray therfore seing that he faileth so to doe the Censurer must needes see that God will be no more invoked on by him then he hath given him grace wherby to doe it And that it is no lesse easye to perceave that God sent this Corrector unto him with an intention not to better him by his ministery when he findes more confusion in the doctrine of the speaker then ameÌ„dment in the practise of the hearer to whom he bringeth either the pillow of Epicurus to lull him asleepe in his securitie or else the haltar of despayre wherewith he may hange himselfe as Iudas But above all this profaner will finde yet one more singular benefit to the flattering of his flesh by the answâ—r which the Synodists doe usually make unto those who aske in what case David would have beene had he dyed in his adultery whereunto they say it was impossible for David to have dyed before he had repented bâ—cause that after this he was to begett a Sonne from whom the Messias must descend But hereunto our profaner will reply that the impossibilitie of dying before repentance according to the doctrine of the Synods is founded upon the generall promise made to all the Elect and not on any particular promise made to David touching the Messias whom God had sent into the world by other meanes had he foreseen the impenitency of David as he foresaw his repentance That if the Synod be not deceaved he is sure to dye never without repentance as was David So that following this doctrine the true meanes to avoyde death is to committ and ever to continue in some mortall sinne it being impossible for him to be killed in adultery or perish in any other sin before having first made his recoÌ„ciliation with God who is not angry for ever to speake in the language of the Synod of Dort but onely against the Reprobates See then the invention of immortalitie found out to satisfye the Paracelsians and such like fooles who search for this remedy against death in drugs and naturall causes Our Synods shew the Anâ—idote in a morall cause of so facile and agreable execution to their facile Auditors that the Poets Ambrasia and Medusaes charmes are fabulous unto it Now then our Corrector will eyther desist his enterprise in reforming this mans deboisnes or else forsake his owne principles and correct the doctrine of his Synods Consid. Surely we have small reason to exhort a profane fellow to pray unto God that he would be pleased to give him the grace to leave his lewdnesse so long as we finde him to delight in his profanesse and take pleasure in his unrighteous courses had he a desire to leave it but findes himself unable to cast off this yoake of sinne oâ— to breake the bonds of iniquitie then and in this case it were seasonable to admonish him to cry unto God that he would be pleased in mercy to loose him whom Satan hath bound so many years and that for his Sonnes sake whom he sent into the world to loose the workes of the devill he would be pleased to sett him free and give him the libertie of his children like as the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord by reason of their sore bondage and the Lord heard their crye and considered their sorrowes and came downe to deliver them Neyther are we driven to any such course as this Author feigneth who all along opposeth the secret providence of God in shewing mercy to whom he will hardning whom he will in giving hearts to perceave and eyes to see and ears to heare to whom he will and denying this grace to whom he will I say this he opposeth all along to the very face of it nothing fearing the judgements of God nor his power to harden theÌ„ to make theÌ„ feele that powr which they will not confesse saving that these such like spirituall
you into the bond of the covenant Thus the Lord caryeth himselfe towards them in their first conversion and taking them off from their ungodly and wilfull courses as he tooke off Saul from his persecuting courses even then when he breathed out threats against the Saints of God and had gotten him a commission from the high Priests to goe to Damascus and bind all that called on the name of Iesus But when he hath converted them which is my third answere then he putts his feare into their hearts that they shall never depart from him so that by restrayning them from sinne and preserving the feete of his Saints he keepes them unto him not suffering such wilde thoughts as these which this Author feigneth to have place in them Fourthly that which here he fitteneth is incompetent to a naturall man that hath but any sparke of naturall ingenuitie in him For suppose a Father shall be resolved concerning a debaucht and lewde sonne never to disinherit him though he shoulde continue to the ende in his disobedient and rebellious courses if the Sonne should herupon take occasion to be the more riotous and disobedient would not the world of naturall men generally condemne such a Sonne as most unnaturall and voyde of all sparkes of common ingenuitie How much more incompetent is such a disposition to him who is ruled and governed by the Spirit of God an earthly Father being not able to change the heart of his rebellious childe but God our heavenly Father being sufficiently armed with power for this who hath gifts even for the rebellious to make them a fitt habitation for him that so the Lord God may dwell among them Fiftly albeit the Spirit of this Author should perhaps serve him to be so much in love with this temporall life as by any vile meames to prolong it as namely by committing one mortall sinne as he calls it upon the necke of another yet why shoulde he be so charitable towards us his adversaries as to thinke so well of us as he doth of himselfe and of those of his owne sect who coumpt it our duetie to endeavour to be so possessed with the love of Christ and to enjoy him as to desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ in such sort that if he shoulde give us leave to choose whether we would live Methusalehs yeares in all happines to serve him glorifie him or for the triall of our Christian faith to be burnt at a stake and as it were in a fiery charet to goe to Christ we ought to accoumpt that God doth farre more honour us in this then in the other and we have good reason to make choyse of this to suffer for him who was so well content to leave as it were the glory he had with his Father and to empty himselfe for us and to take upon him the shape of a servant and be crucified upon the crosse between two theeves that so he might overcome death and open the gate to us of everlasting life Let this Montabanke of discourse goe then and applaude himselfe for the subtiltie of his invention and sacrifice to his witt and burne incense to his artifice and cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and solace himselfe in the sport he makes amongst his consorts and make themselves merry with their Ambrosia beyond Paracelsian drugges For these are his inventions not ours manifesting withall how savoury they shoulde be to his affections but that he wants faith to embrace our doctrine And no mervaile if such as is their faith they unadvisedly declare that such like are their affections That God is not angry for ever is for substance the phrase of the Holy Ghost And it is as true of some that their worme shall never dye their fire shall never goe out and there is no greater kinde of Gods anger then that and consequently his Anger shall never end towards them and if we devide the world of men into Elect and reprobates who can these be but reprobates and consequently they towards whom God is not allwayes angry must needes be his elect and not reprobates Yet I nothing merveyle at this Authors Spirit who throughout passeth his scoffes and scornes upon that which is the cleere doctrine of the word of God as on that which he conceaves to be the doctrine of the Synods of Dort and Arles And therfore I commende his wisedome that to avoyde the appearance thereof medles so litle with taking notice of any passage out of Gods word alleaged by any of us to addres any answer thereunto for if he had his blasphemous scoffes had been more apparantly terminated upon the doctrine of the Holy Ghost as well as upon the doctrine of Dort and Arles I finde this Author is a very kindhearted Gentleman towards himself and to the Helena he cherisheth in his bosom For whatsoever his premises be he will be sure to be full for his owne cause in the conclusion Yet will we neyther forsake our owne principles by the grace of God nor give over our course of reformation of any that is under our charge to draw him from his profane courses taking our president direction herein from the holy Apostles admonition unto Timothy The servant of the Lord must instruct them with meeknesse that are contrary minded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if so be at any time therfore it becomes us continually to wayt for this time and not to prescribe unto God God will give them repentance that they may acknowledge his truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the devill of whom they are taken prisoners to doe his will The THIRD PART The first Section BVt perhaps he will acquit himself farr better in undergoing the office of a Comforter to one that is afflicted then he did in playing the Converter of an Infidell or Corrector of the profane Christian. The ground of all comfort and consolation to each afflicted soule hath been ever sought and found in the death and passion of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ whereby having satiâ—fyed the justice of his Father he obteyned reconciliation for all mankind actualâ—y appliable to all those who acknowledging the infinitenes of the benefite doe therupon imbrace the Author of it with a true and lively faith Neyther can our comâ—orter find any other foundation wherby to consolate assure his patient against the terrors of Godâ— justice the condemnation of the lawe and accusation of his owne conscience But the sicke or otherwise afflicted can never make this true foundation of Gods word agree with the false foundations of the second article of the Synod of Dort to witt that Christ dyed not but for a very small number of persons allready elected unto salvation by the heavenly Father who in his decree did no more consider the death of his Sonne then the faith of the elect How shall I truely know will the patient then say that I am rather of the small number
actually appliable doe not sufficiently insinuate any such distinction as of reconciliation potentiall reconciliation actuall it raâ—heâ— implyes a distinction of the appliable nature therof to wiâ—â— as eyther potentiaâ—lâ— or actually appliable And indeede this 〈◊〉 the genius of the former distinction For a thing is not applyable that doth not allready exist actually as a plaster or a medicine must first have existence actuall before it can be applyed And consequently all every one throughout the world must be actually reconciled unto God by Christ before this their reconciliation can be applyed unto them As indeede it may be sayde to be applyed unto us when God doth reveale it unto us by his Spirit working in us the faith therof Oâ—e thing more I muâ—â— dispatche before I pâ—sse from this division and that as touching the cleering of our doctrine in the â—oint of Christ his dyinge for all for as much as in my judgment nothing but confusion of thinges that differ doth advantage the Arminian cause and hinders the light of Gods truth from breaking forth to the cleere conviction both of of what is truth and what is errour But first let me touch by the way one argument for the mayntenance of our doctrine in the generall It is apparant Ioh. 17. that Christ professeth he prayed not for all but only for those whom God had given him v. 9. or shoulde herafter believe that is be given unto him v. 20. And it is as cleere that like as for them alone he prayed so for them alone he sanctified himselfe vers 19. Now what is it to sanctifie himselfe but to offer up himselfe upon the crosse by the unanimous consent of all the Fathers whom Maldoâ—ate had read as himselfe professeth on that place of Iohn Now for the cleering of the truth of this when we say Christ dyed for us the meaning is that Christ dyed for our benefite Now these benefites which Christ procured unto us by his death it may be they are of different conditions wherof some are ordeyned to be conferred only conditionally and some absolutely And therfore it is fit we should consider them apart As for example it is without question I suppose that Christ dyed to procure pardon of sinne and salvation of soule but howâ— absolutely whether men believe or no Nothing lesse but only conditionally to witt that for Christs sake their sinnes shall be pardoned and their soules saved provided they doe believe in him Now I willingly confesse that Christ dyed for all in respect of procuring these benefits to witt conditionally upon the condition of their faith in such sort that if all and every one should believe in Christ all and every one should obteyne the pardon of their sinnes and salvation of their soules for Christs sake And I praesume that no Arminian on the other side will affirme that Christ in such sort dyed for all and every one that all and every one should have their sinnes pardoned and their soules saved for Christs sake whether they believe or no. What cause then is there of any difference between us on this point thus explicated Yet herby it is manifest that the benefite of remission of sinnes and salvation of soules for Christs sake shall in the end redound to none but such as believe as this Author seemes to acknowledge But come we to faith it selfe and regeneration are these benefits redounding unto us by the merits of Christ yea or no If they be as our Englishe Arminians seeme hitherunto to acknowledge then I demaund whether by vertue of Christs merits they redounde unto us absolutely or conditionally If only conditionally let them tells us upon what condition it is that God bestowes faith and regeneration upon us for Christs sake and let them try whether they can avoyde manifest Pelagianisme in saving that grace is conferd according unto mens workes If absolutely then eyther upon all and every one or upon some only If upon all and every one it followeth that all and every one shall have faith and regeneration bestowed upon them for Christs sake and consequently all shall be saved if upon some only who can they be but Gods elect But if observing these precipices they desire to decline them and therfore deny that faith and regeneration is any of those benefits which Christ hath merited for man let the indifferent consider who they be that streiten the extension of Christs merits most we or the Arminians For when the question is for whom he merited pardon of sinne and salvation of soule therin we all agree as before hath bene shewed none of us extending the merits of Christ farther then other none of us streitning them more then other But when the question is whether Christ merited faith and regeneration for us we readily maynteyne that even these allso Christ merited for his Elect but Arminians spare not to professe that these benefits Christ merited for none at all And indeede so we finde it expressely in their Apologie or Examen Censurae pag. 59. For when such an objection was made unto them Si hoc tantum meritus est Christus tum Christus nobis non est meritus fidem nec regenerationem marke their answere Sane ita est Nihil ineptius nihil vanius est quà m hoc Christi merito tribuere Si enim Christus nobis meritus dicatur fidem regenerationem tum fides conditio esse non poterat quam peccatoribus Deus sub comminatione mortis aeterna exigeret imo tum Pater ex vi meriti istius obligatus fuisse dicatur necesse est ad conferendum nobis fidem Now I come to followe this Author in his owne way His objection is this How shall I truly knowe will the patient then say that I am rather of the small number then of the great seing that you my Pastour and comforter will not that the promisses of salvation in Christ are made universally unto all and that those places of Scripture which seeme generall according to your opinion are to be restrayned only to the universalitie of the elect I answere thou shalt truly knowe it by thy acknowledging the infinitenes of the benefite wrought by Christ and embracing the Author of it by a true and lively faith For this Author who promts thee thus to object doth as good as professe that no comfort from Christs death and passion is applyable unto thee but in case thou embracest Christ with a true and a lively faith Secondly though thou doest believe in Christ this Author cannot assure thee that thou art rather of the small number which are Gods elect then of the great which are reprobates I say he cannot assure thee herof by his doctrine albeit thou shouldest adhere unto it but we can assure thee as much by ours in case thou embracest it and there is reason thou shouldsten brace it it is so agreeable to the word of God Act. 13.48 As many believed as were ordeyned to aeternall
thinkes good I will not spare to examine how judiciously he caryeth himselfe in elevating this feigned suggestion of ours Suppose we shoulde say that whosoever believes Christ dyed for him I am ready to make it good in spight of this Authors course taking upon him to represent the absurditie therof which imputation I nothing doubt shall light in full weight and measure upon his owne head to the discovery of his shamefull ignorance which he is well content to cherishe for the advantage of his cause by the confusion of thinges that differ He saith that herin we shall shewe our selves eyther as praevaricators of our owne side and overthrowers of the doctrine of the Synods or else that we are deprived of common sense all which is but the froth of his owne ignorance as I hope to make it appeare to all indifferent and unpartiall judges First he saâ—th that if we give the selfe same consolation to all that are sicke to all that are afflicted yea even to those who for their greater offenses are ledde to execution and if that this consolation be founded on the truth doth it not then followe that Christ dyed for all and every one I willingly professe I am not a litle recreated with confidence of our cause when I doe observe the desperate condition of the adversary cause that takes delight in so vile props as this Authors discourse and magnifie them as unanswerable and call in others to take notice of them as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if they were some notable atchievemens who seeth not that nowe we are upon the office of ministring consolation to an afflicted soule Now is this the condition of all and every one Alas how fewe are they that mourne in comparison to the Ioviall Neds of the world How few are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse in comparison to them that are full But suppose it were delivered of all namely that if they beleeve in Christ certainly Christ dyed for them Dare any Arminian deny this doe they holde it lesse sure that Christ dyed for them that beleeve in him then that he dyed for all Even for Turkes and Saracens for Tartars Canniballs not one of them excepted Lastly what doth it advantage their cause that Christ dyed for all and every one Surely this nothing at all advantageth them but the confused and indistinct consideration of the true meaning hereof that is it which bringeth water to their mill and that alone To dye for us is to dye for our benefite Now we love to speake plainly and distinctly and accordingly doe distinguish of those benefits which Christ hath procured for us Now some of these are such as God useth to conferre upon men of ripe yeares not absolutely but conditionally And these are the remission of sinnes the salvation of soules we say therefore that Christ merited for us the pardon of sinne salvation of soule to be conferred upon us onely conditionally to witt provided that we doe beleeve in him and thus we may well say that he dyed for all every one that is he dyed to procure pardon of sinne and salvation of soule for every one in case every one should beleeve in him which in effect is as much as to say that he dyed in this sense for none but such as sometimes or other are found to beleeve in him Yet whether we beleeve or no Gods word doth assure us that he dyed to procure remission of sinne salvation of soule to all that doe or shall beleeve in him Now besides these benefites there are other benefits which Christ hath procured for us merited for us these are faith repeÌ„tance which are not conferred by God upon man conditionally to witt upon the performance of some coÌ„dition by man for if it were so then these graces should be conferred according to meÌ„s works which is clearly undenyable stark Pelagianism And these we say Christ hath merited for us even to be absolutely bestowed upon us Now will Arminians assure any man who yet believes not that Christ hath merited for him not only pardon of sinne and salvation in case he believe but allso the very grace of faith and regeneration I trowe not one of our Englishe Arminians will undertake this but rather acknowledge that it cannot appeare who they are for whom Christ hath merited faith and regeneration untill they doe believe untill they are regenerate As for outlandishe Arminians they utterly deny that Christ merited faith regeneration for any Now wherin are wee found eyther pâ—evaricators of our owne cause or overthrowers of the doctrine of the Synods or voyde of coÌ„mon sense in all or any particular of this Nay doth not this Author betray miserable nakednes throughout emboldned made confident by his â—ich ignorance wherin he cherisheth himselfe and steepes sweetely as upon his Arminian pillowe by miserable confusion of the meaning of this phrase Christ dyed for us taking it hand over head and in the generall without any due consideration of the particular benefites signified herby which Christ is sayde to procure for us But let us proceede wiâ—h him who proceedeth â—hus But if he so understandeth it that this becommeth true by the faith which the patient addeth to the dâ—scours of the Minister he hath lost his sense in affirming that the object of faith or thing proposed to be believed receaveth its truth and dependeth of the consent and beliefe of man who by his approbation and faith hath no more power to make that true which is false in it selfe then to make that false by his incredulitie which in it selfe is true The incredulitie of man may deprive him of the benefite of his death yet can it not make that Christ suffered not this death to testifie his love to all mankind universally even as all are bound to believe in him and yet no man bound to believe that which is false Thus he doth expatiate in a large fielde nothing at all to the purpose This argument is Bellarmines argument long agoe but against what surely against the doctrine of our Protestant Churches concerning the object of faith speciall which we maynteyn to be the remission of our sins Yet absurd enough on Bellarmines part though very plausible I confesse upon a superficiary consideration of thinges For he supposeth that God doth first pardon sinne and afterwards we believe that God hath pardoned them But can Bellarmine tell what it is for God to pardon sinne or where it is that thus he pardons them Sure I am the nominalls are very much to seeke about the formalitie of pardoning of sinne And I verily believe Bellarmine did nothing trouble his braynes about eyther of them if he had and well considered that justification in scripture phrase especially where S. Paul disputes of it is a judiciary act and all one with absolution or pronouncing sentence for a man And that the pronouncing of this sentence is not in heaven though his love