in that good estate wherein hee was created righteous had received a power not to sin not to die a power not to fall from his good estate to him was given the helpe of Perseverance not such a gift whereby hee should persevere but such with out the which hee was not able by his free will to persevere But now unto the Saints by the grace of God predestinated unto the Kingdome of God not only such a helpe of perseverance is given but such that perseverance it self is given to them not only so that without that gift they cannot persevere but also that through that gift they cannot but persevere for he has not only said without mee yee can do nothing but hee saith also you have not chosen me but I have chosen you and appointed you that you should goe on and beare fruit and that your fruit should remain in which words he shews that he has not only given righteousnesse but perseverance therein for Christ having so set them that they go and bring forth fruit and their fruit abides who dare say perchance they shal not continue for without repentance are the gifts and calling of God Christ praying for them that their faith fail not without doubt it shall not fail to the end and so shall persevere to the end and the end of their life shall finde it remayning for now a greater liberty is needful against so many and so great temptations which were not in Paradise being guarded with the gift of perseverance that this world with all his lusts terrours errours might be overcome the Saints prevaile against all threats all allurements all power The current of Scripture and Fathers runs so straight against the totall and finall apostacie of the Saints that Arminius for all his boldnesse durst not so long as hee lived set his brest against that stream albeit his Schollers since have mainly set themselves to evert this Article which is the chiefe ground of all the comfort that the soul of man hath in this miserable pilgrimage Of all their contrary argumentations consider All baptized Infants are not regenerate but one Milions of these who were baptized in their infancy fall away finally and totally but all these who were baptized in their infancy were truly regenerate sanctified justified and put in the state of salvation Ergo millions of these who were truly regenerate justified sanctified and put in the state of salvation fall away totally and finally In this Popish argument the Arminians triumphed at the beginning as our men do yet but after a little triall both Papists and Arminians finde it so foolish and impertinent that long ago they have cast it away It is easie to shew the falsity of the Minor that al Baptized Infants are truly regenerate c. Scriptures Fathers Schoolmen are all to the contrary but leaving these I only shew that this assertion is against the Scottish Confession the twenty fifth Article restifies that the Reprobate only doth communicate in the outward benefits of the Sacraments that they get no fruit of Christs death that in this life their sins are not forgiven them that these blessings belong only to the Elect that the Reprobate at their best are but chaff and at no time are good wheate who therefore avow that the Reprobate sometimes to wit in their infancy are truly regene rate justified sanctified who avow that Reprobates get many fruits of Christs death and their Sinnes some times forgiven them they contradict cleerely our confession yea almost al the confessions of the reformed Churches If they will believe their good friend D. Francis White hee will assure them that none but Papists and Lutherans will affirm reprobate infants by baptisme to be regenerate How farr the chiefe Arminian tenets are contrary to Scripture I I have shewn Arminianisme is contrary to the Confession of the Church of Scotland Consider in a few lines how much they are opposite to the Confession of our Kirk and so I close They teach that our Election is of Faith Works Perseverance as antecedent either Causes or Conditions or at least Qualities fore seen in us Our Confession Article 8. sayes that God hath chosen us of meere grace that faith to believe in Christ and all grace we lost in Adam is given us after our Election Again they teach that Christ died for all that in death he stood in the place of all without distinction of elect and reprobate that all have the benefit of his death Our Confession sayes Art 8. that Christ suffered for us that is the elect of whom alone the whole Article speaketh Also that the benefits which the elect have common with the reprobate are but their Creation no ways their Redemption and their Adoption thereby to be the sons of God And in the 25 Article it is said that the Reprobates have no benefit of Christs Death Resurrection or Ascension Lastly they teach that many of Christs faithfull members fall away and lose not only all grace but salvation it selfe Our Confession Art 25. contradicts affirming that all the faithfull continue in the estate of Justification that albeit their sins be great yet they are not imputed but covered with Christs righteousnesse Again it is one of the faithfuls priviledges to goe on constantly to the end till they bee conformed to Christs glorious bodie And in the 21 Article that the faithfull in such a manner become flesh of Christs flesh and bone of his bone that hee abides in them and they in him for ever no lesse then the God-head abides in the manhood of Christ giving to it life and Immortality Our Confession crosseth their Doctrine of free will justification other their popish errours more cleerly but with those I doe not meddle lest by further prolixity I should lōger with-hold so great an Assembly from their most weighty Affaires FINIS
A SCOTCH ANTIDOTE Against The English Infection OF ARMINIANISM Which little Book may be through Gods blessing very useful to preserve those that are yet sound in the faith from the Infection OF Mr JOHN GOODWIN'S Great Book BY ROBERT BAILIE Minister of the Gospel at Glasgow London Printed for Samuel Gellibrand at the Ball in Paul's Church-yard 1652. To the Aequitable READER THe shortnesse of the following Treatise admits not long prefacing It has been much wisht long expected from the learned Divines of this land that a plain short Manual of the chief controversies should have been published wherby the people might be forearmed against the invasion of seducing spirits which every where are but two frequent Long ago two much stuffe of this kind is provided for Scholers These have but too many and too big Volumes of controversies always at their hand but our people are not so furnisht either with sword or buckler as need were which makes them to their shame grief when they run counter with adversaries which they cannot choose but oft to do lie open to wounds The children of this world are in this as in many other things wiser than the children of light the Jesuits let not their Proselites have any lack of their Encheiridia their Vade mecum their little pocket Books of controversie to enable them both to strike and keep when they meet with our people These years bygone too much time hath been lost among us on Ceremonies and Disciplinary Questions It has bin the policy of Satan to hold us intent busy on these out-sconces that so the main fortresses of Antichrist should stand safe without assault Would to God that our too too long and hot skirmishes about purging of the ditches of Bishops and Ceremonies had not cast open at our backs the gates of our great Towers and given opportunity to our Enemy to undermine the very foundations of our Church Of all the Errors which in too great a number do corrupt England this day these which are called after the infamous name of Arminius are the most prevalent While therefore the Learned may be pleased to demit themselves for the good of the people while some gracious Divine may be moved to take leisure for the publishing of some short and plain System of all or of the most material controversies it were good that some little thing were done in this beginning of our glorious Liberty from Oppressions for the arming of the godly against the errors of Arminius which so malepertly these bygone years have been blown abroad and the opposition thereto hath been so strictly discharged and so severely punished while a better comes the subsequent Treatise will serve somewhat for that end Of its worthlet every man pronounce according as he finds In its first birth it was a Speech delivered upon a short warning in the general Assembly of Glasgow and there not mislik't Since that time it hath not increased much in stature If the feature of it please any intelligent eye it is easie in a few nights for any to make the members of it grow so great long as you will but it is the Authors opinion that treatises intended to thefore-named ends are the more handsome serviceable the more short and simple they be and the more unprofitable unpleasant the more accurate and long However such as it is enjoy it who will misregard it who please An Antidote against AMINIANISM ARmintus was a late Preacher of Holland Who Arminius was minister first at Amsterdam and then professor of Divinity at Leiden a man of very great ingine in his outward conversation almost unblameable but much given to Innovation and self conceit The Novelties which mainly he loved were divers errours of our old Country man Pelagius which the Jesilites in his time had revived After that the Spirit of God had banished the Heresies of Arius Nestorius Madedonius and Eutiches which Satan in their persons had raised against the persons of the Trinity against the nature and person of Christ Pelagius a Scotish man did oppose not the Nature nor the Person but the Grace of God against him the Lord raised Augustine who by the force of Scripture beat the Heretick in all his errors yet there were some relicts of that subtile Heresie after Augustine death which set up the head both in the Eastern and Western Churches sometimes more sometimes lesse In the days of Remigius and Hincmarus great was the trouble that the Semipelagians made in Germany and France as we see in the cause of Goteschalcus set downe by Gerhardus Vossius but much more honestly by Primate Vsher From that time there was not much dinne about these questions When hee came to be infected with errour till after the yeare 1590 when Molina a Spanish Iesuit began to renew many of the Pelagian errors about Grace and Freewill Election and Reprobation and such heads Against him Alvarez a Dominican at Rome did oppose at length This fire betwixt these two Orders began to burn first in Spain and then in West Flanders from Lovan the Iesuit Lessius blew over the reik to Amsterdam where Arminius was Preacher the flame burning in his wanton Engine brake out first openly in a Treatise against Perkins golden Chain thereafter he did spread his errours where ever hee might Being called to the Vniversitie of Leiden to succed good Iunius for sometime hee was quiet but at once with all diligence he infected not only the youth in the University but by them very many Ministers over all the Land His petulant wit was not content to broach these remaynders of Pelagianisme which Molina and his followers professed but beside hee fell on many moe dangerous novations at last began to like much of Vorstius and Socinus tenets This fire in the Holland Church burnt bold ly in the time of the Truce with Spaine and was likely to threaten their estate with ruine in the time of peace more than the Spanish sword had done in all their wars So long as Arminius lived there was no remedy When Arminianisme was crushed in Holland when God had killed him the evill grew no lesse some Statesmen and Court Ministers for their own ends did hold these errours on foot the wel-minded people cryed stil for a general Assembly as the only help of their Schismes the Arminians by might and maine set themselves against the meeting of a Synod as the certaine ruine of their Party so long as their Patron Barnavelt lived they got the Assembly shifted but when that Traitors head was stricken off King Iames our blessed Prince had advised often the States and halfe by threatnings commanded them at last a generall Assembly was called at Dort not only of Divines and ruling Elders from all the Provinciall Synods of the Netherlands but almost from the whole Reformed Churches there the most excellent Synod being met that Christendome had seen for some hundred years
the Arminian Questions were handled at leisure from November to May and all that was needfull was cleerly decided That labour was so blessed by God that the Land which through the Arminian Schisme and Errours was at the point of ruine since that time hath had peace from these turbulent Schismaticks When Arminianisme did take root in Britain But here the pity Britain whose waters mainly had slakened that fire abroad began at once to be scorched at home by some sparks of that flame The hopes of the Arminians in England were but small so long as K. James did live for that good Prince both in word and writing did threaten to burne these Hereticks if any of them should appeare in his Dominions see his Declaration against Vorstius yea so long as Abbot was in grace at Court the Arminians kept a low sayle but after that his Successor even in his owne time had come in favour that unhappy Sect under the patronage of Mountagu and White 's learning began to spread far and neare yea at last silence in a publike Edict was enjoyned to their opposers and all favours conferred on those who had skill and will to promote that Cause many evident disgraces poured on well deserving men for no other reason but their Anti-Arminian spirit All this time our Church was free of these evils but so soon as the advancers of Arminianisme at the English Court began to intermeddle with the affaires of our Kingdome at once these men were eyed who inclined that way prime places were put into their hands for no other vertue the World could discern in them but their boldness to let out their inclination towards the Arminian Errour This way of advancement being perceived incōtinent many among us set their hearts towards that art which was likeliest in haste to promote their fortunes It is to be remarked that the Arminian spirit in Holland leads men to hell another way then here in Britaine The British Arminians decline to Popery but the Belgick to Socinianisme there the Arminians with great boldnesse running after Vorstius Socinus with a marvellous petulancy fell to brangle the Trinitie of the Divine persons yea the simplicity of the Divine nature it self But that Devill finding this his rashnesse to revive openly Manes Arrius did make people abhorre him and flee away hee became more wary so that among us hee lets these old condemned Heresies alone and goes another way to work Hee leads by a new method to the errours of Antichrist A Netherlandish Arminian will scorn the superstitions the Idolatries the Tyrannies of the Romish Church but is much inclined after Vorstius and Socinus under the pretext of Liberty to run licentiously into Heresies condemned in the first Oecumenick Coun cels On the contrary a British Arminian with the Ancients will abhor the Extravagancies of Vorstius and Socinus yet their heart is hot and inflamed after the abominations of Rome God who put Confusion in Babel hath divided Satans Kingdome against it selfe else this subtill Devill might have indangered the safety of the whole Reformed Church But while in Holland the horn of Arminianism is now brokē out in his front long and great and in England the horne of Popery wee trust these two long black ugly hornes shall make that evill spirit both here and there so well knowne that hee shall not be able to doe so much harme any where as once was feared from him however the great Hammer that brake the necke of the beast over Sea was that Nationall Synod and the mayn hope we have to get it mastered here at this time is by the hand of our God in this present Assembly For the story I will say no more but come to the Doctrines The five Arminian Articles The multitude of their singularities was reduced at their own desire both in the Conference at Hage and Synod of Dort to five Articles or rather foure for Grace and Freewill are commonly disputed together The first Article concerns Predestination The state of the question in the first Article the next the Death of Christ the third and fourth Grace and Free-will the fifth Perseverance wee may adde Justification as a sixth whereon both these over Sea and their followers among us run as mad as on any of the former Concerning Election the first and chiefe part of Predestination they teach that it is posterior to Faith Works and Perseverance Arminius at the beginning made faith alone previous to Election but long since his followers and our men also joyne works yea perseverance to the end in faith and works as if God first did foresee by his eternal Prescience some men of their own Free-will assenting to his Cal in time believing and going on to the end in faith and good works and after this foresight did passe his Decree of Election to glory upon these men clothed with the named qualities But wee teach that Faith Works and Perseverance are posterior to Election that this is the cause root fountain whence all grace in us does flow that our Election hath no Antecedent cause condition or good quality on our part but flows meerly from Gods good pleasure and mercy looking upon us lying in our bloud corrupted with originall sin and in that case choosing us of his free mercy to be members of his Son to whō hee will give grace and glory though others as good and nothing worse then wee are permitted to lie still in the masse of corruption for the glory of his mercy to us and justice towards them without any ground of gloriation to the one or complaint to the other as if any wrong were done them when they are past by This our Doctrine of Election it is cleer from Scripture Our first argument for absolute election is from Eph. 1.3 1. see Ephes 1.3 Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in Christ according as hee hath chosen us in him that we should be holy and blamelesse before him in love having predestinated us to the adoption of children according to the good pleasure of his will Here wee are chosen to be holy and blamelesse not because wee were holy therefore we were chosen Holinesse is made posteriour to our Election Now Faith Perseverance Charity and such graces are all parts of holinesse are all fruits of the holy Spirit Here also all spirituall blessings for which God is to bee praised flows from this originall Election is the rule according to which God distributes these graces Adoption also is made a fruit of Election yea the only reason of this Election is made Gods good pleasure By this place of Scripture Augustine beat downe the Pelagians who taught an Election of foreseene works a Praedest c. 8. Praesciebat ergo ait Pelagianus qui futuri erant sancti immaculati per liberum voluntatis arbitrium ideo eos ante mundi Constitutionem elegit quia tales futuros praescivit
can it not hinder the Omnipotent power of the regenerating Spirit of God to call and convert and save whom ever hee hath a purpose to call convert and save For the full confirmation of the first proposition see in Scripture these 3 grounds cleerly set downe First Man by his free will is not able for any spiritual good That in no man by nature is any power at all to any spirituall good Secondly That in every man by nature not only is a simple impotencie to good but also an exceeding great inclination to all spiritual evill Thirdly What ever power to spiritual good or what ever gracious operation is found in any man the only cause of that good is from God who works it in man and makes man to worke in the strength not of humane Nature but of divine Grace For the first mans impotency see John 6.44 No man can come to mee except the Father draw him Jer. 5.23 Can the Ethiop change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may yee also doe good that are accustomed to doe evill Here is mans impotency to convert to God or change his wicked nature 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receives not the things of the Spirit of God For they are foolishnesse to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned No man can say that Jesus is the Lord 1 Cor. 12.3 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God here the power to understand or thinke any good is denied to man of himself Mat. 12.34 O generation of vipers how can yee being evill speak good things 1 Cor. 14.3 No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Here holy and good speeches are denied to bee in the power of nature all power of good deeds is also removed Math. 7 18. Acorrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit John 15.5 Without me yee can do nothing Whereupon Augustine commenting confounds Pelagius thus i Quid dicitis quid vos ipsos decipitis non assertores sed praecipitateres liberi arbitrii ex alto elationis per inama praesumptionis in profunda submersionis homâ—nes siâ—i placentes mente corrupti reprobi circa fidem nempe vox vestra est quod homo ex seipso facit justitiam sed veritas contradicit dicit Palme non potest fructum ferre a semetipso nisi manserit in vite Si est in vobis ullus sensus horretc quâ— enim à semetipso fructum existimat ferre in vite non est qui in vite non est in Châ—sto non est qui in Christo non est Christianus non est haec sunt profunda submersionis vestrae ne quisquam putaret saliem parvum aliquem fructum posse à semetipso se ferre non ait quia sine me parum potestis facere sed nihil potestis facere sive ergo parum sive multum sine illo fieri non potest sine quo nihil fieri potest What say you why deceive you your selves not maintainers but casters downe of freewill from the heights of pride through the voids of presum ption into drowning deeps men pleasing theÌ„selvs of corrupt minds and concerning the faith reprobate for it is your sentence that man of himselfe does justice But the truth contradicts and says the branch cannot bring forth fruit of it selfe unlesse it abide in the vine If there be any sense in you bee amazed for who ever thinks hee can bring forth fruit of himself is not in the vine who is not in the vine is not in Christ who is not in Christ is not a Christian These are your drowning deeps and lest any should think that at lest he might of himselfe bring forth some little fruit hee sayes not without mee you can bring forth a little fruit but you can doe nothing Whether therefore it bee little or much it cannot bee done without him without whom nothing can be done This for our impotencie to all spirituall good For our perversnesse and proclivitie to all spirituall evill Mans will is perverse and bent to all evil see Gen. 6.5 God saw that every imagination of mans heart was only evill continually Jer. 7.5 The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it Rom. 7.14.18 I know that in mee that is in my flesh dwelleth no good for I am sold under sin Ephes 2.5 Wee were dead in sins and 5.8 Yee were sometimes darknesse Ezek. 48.4 I know that thou art obstinate and thy neck is as an iron sinew and thy brow is brasse Zachary 7.12 They made their heart as an adamant stone lest they should heare the Law The third ground All good in man commeth only from grace that God alone works all our works in us that our Illumination ConversioÌ„ c. flows froÌ„ him alone see Ephes 2.10 Wee are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus to good works Psal 5.10 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit with in me 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts Phil. 2.13 It is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I wil put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes 1 Chron. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Why doest thou glory as if thou hadst not received it We may see this doctrine of Scripture avowed often by all Christian Writers especially by Augustine and Bernard against the Pelagians Heare some few of their sayings The 1 tels us k Libero arbitrio male utens homo se perdidit ipsum nameum libero peccaretur arbitrio amissum est liberum arbitrium Liberum arbiâ—rium ad diligendum Deum primi peccati granditate perdidimus magnas liberi Arbitrii vires homo cum crearetur accepit sed peccando amisit per velle malumrecte perdidit posse bonum qui per posse bonum libere elegit velle malum Peccato Adae liberum arbitrium de hominum natura periisse non dicimus sed ad peccandum valere in hominibus subditis diabolo ad bene autem pieque vivendum non valere nisi ipsa voluntas hominis Deigratia fuerit liberata ut velimus sine nobis operatur cum volumus sic volumus ut faciamus nobiscum cooperatur tamen sine illo vel operante ut velimus vel coope rante cum volumus ad bona pietatis opera nihil vaâ—mus Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed ille facit ut velimus de qùo dictum est Deuâ—in