their infancy they would reply that they were predestinated to life or death according to the good or bad life which God foresaw they would have lead if they had come to maturity of years Do the Arminians who are so angry when called Pelagians differ from them in this I confess Arminius doth not make a man to be predestinated from foreseen Works but from foreseen Faith nor doth he make Faith the cause but a condition or decent antecedent using a less suspected term but intending the very same thing for as our incomparable Davenant hath well observed Conditions are of two sorts common distinguishing these later he defineth to be such acts or qualities which being foreseen or preconsidered in the subject contrary Divine Acts are exercised about that subject Arminius when he makes Faith a condition of Divine Election infidelity a condition of reprobation takes the word condition in the later sense and so plainly makes it the same with a meritorious or motive cause for he every where maintains that posita side ponitur electio negata fide negatur electio that Faith is a means ordained and appointed by God for the obtaining of Election therefore as that Learned Professor well concludes pag. 119 120. Sunt merae verborum praestigiae cum aiunt praevisam fidem infidelitatem esse conditioones non modo quae praecedunt praedestinationem reprobationem communiter promiscue consideratam sed etiam ex quibus oritur distinctio electorum tamen negant habere aliquam causalitatem Consequently as the Pelagians and Semipelagians did hold that the number of Elect and reprobate was not definite but indefinite and indeterminate so also do the Anticalvinists or Arminians Illud pariter non accipiunt eligendorum rejiciendorumque esse definiâ—um numerum saith Hilary Epist. ad August of the Massilians Grevincov Thes. exhib p. 137 saith the same Electio incompleta potest interrumpi ac interdum interrumpitur suntqâ—e incomplete electi vere quidem electi sed possunt fieri reprobi ac perire numerusque electorum potest angeri ac minui 3. Our third parallel shall be in the Doctrine of grace the efficaciousness of grace Hilary in the so often quoted Epistle to Austin thus describes the Massiâ—ians They affirm the will to be so free that it can of its own accord admit or refuse Cure or Medicine and Faustus plainly tells us that Though it be of the grace of God that men are called yet the following the call is referred to their own will Are our Arminians any whit more careful to give grace the things that belong to grace do they not make converting grace to be nothing else but a gentle suasion do they not every where rant against those who hold that God doth by an Omnipotent and unresistable motion beget Faith and other Divine Graces in us I shall among many places that do occur for the confirmation of this make choice onely of two Hague conference pag. 282. A man may hinder his own regeneration even then when God will regenerate him and doth will to regenerate him And Arnold against Boyerm pag. 263. saith expresly that all the operation which God useth to the Conversion of men being already performed yet this Conversion still remaineth in mans power so that he can convert or not convert believe or not believe I had thought to have proceeded to the point of perseverance but that I considered the necessary dependance of that on the other two concerning Election and Grace By what hath already been laid down it is manifest that if the Pelagians and Semipelagians were in the right then are not the Arminians mistaken but if Austin Prosper Hilary and those others whom the Church of God hath been wont to grace with the Title of Orthodox were not in an errour then Mr. Calvin and those that follow him are in the right Obj. Here I may expect it will be said that the Doctrine most quarrelled at in the Calvinists is the Doctrine of absolute reprobation and in favour of that nothing hath yet been produced out of Orthodox antiquity Ans. To that I shall answer 1. By concession that if by reprobation absolute be meant a purpose to damn any man without consideration of or respect unto sin either actual or original such an absolute reprobation is indeed unknown to all antiquity but as yet I could never meet with that Calvinist that asserted such an absolute reprobation 2. But if by reprobation absolute be meant Gods purpose to deny Grace to some according to the pleasure of his will I then stick not to affirm that such reprobation absolute is not unknown to antiquity Indeed the Ancients do rarely speak of reprobation our Church in her Articles mentions it not at all both they she leave us to gather the nature of reprobation which is but Non-Election or Praeterition from what we find laid down concerning Election Now seeing the Fathers those of them that had to with the Pelagians and Semipelagians did constantly affirm that Gods own good will not any foresight of the good use of free-will was it which moved God to give converting grace unto some they must also hold that God did out of his own good pleasure and not from any fore-sight of an ill use of free-will purpose to deny this efficacious converting grace unto others Indeed it 's scarce rational to assert that God should purpose not to cure any one because he is sick not to enlighten any one because he was by him looked on as dark and blind But concerning the Judgement of Antiquity in this matter no more shall be said at present the Reader that desires further satisfaction is referred to the Learned Davenant in the close of his most accurate Dissertation concerning Election and Reprobation As for Vossius his judgement concerning reprobation it is considered in a Manuscript by Doctor Twisse which Manuscript may possibly in a short time be published From it the World will soon see how unjustly the absolute Decree is charged with Novelty Object 2. It may be further objected that about the year 415 there were a Sect of men called Praedestinati who were accounted and condemned for Hereticks whose opinions about the Divine Decrees seem to be the very same that are now maintained by the followers of Calvin Answ. This Objection were scarce worth the taking notice of if one R. B. Gentleman in his English Manual called a Muster roll of evil Angels had not placed the Praedestinati among the Capital Hereticks but since it hath pleased him so to do upon the credit and authority of Sigebert Monk of Gemblaux it will be needful to let the English Reader know that this Predestinarian Heresie is a meer figment and that there never were any such Hereticks as the Praedestinati So much this Mr. R. B. might have learned from Doctor Twisse Answer to Gods Love to Mankind Part 1. pag. 58 59. and more fully from Iansenius Tom. 1. pag. 219 220
him with more than could be proved I should afterwards make use of this Charge as a Picture to draw Dr. Heylin by A dispassionate Heathen would have had more candor than to Father upon any party of Men every Brat which a provoked Adversary had laid at their door What evidence is there that the Opinion laid down by the Doctor page 38 is the Opinion of the Supralapsarian Divines Have all of them or the most famous of them either jointly or severally declared it to be their Opinion The Writings of some Antelapsarians I have read and have not found that they have simply and without distinction asserted that God ordained certain to eternal life certain to eternal death without any regard had to their righteousness or sin to their obedience or disobedience Nay they seem to me plainly to say that God never decreed to bestow salvation on any adult person but as a reward of obedience nor to inflict damnation upon any person but as a reward of disobedience Only they say If Election be considered quoad actum elgientis and Reprobation quoad actum reprobantis then there can be no cause assigned either of Election or Reprobation but only the will and pleasure of the Almighty Res volita actus volendi should not be confounded in a Disputation so mysterious as this about the eternal Decrees Whereas therefore Dr. Heylin page 39 adds That the Supralapsarian Doctrine first makes God to be the Author of Sin as both Piscator and Macarius I suppose it should be Maccovius and many other Supralapsarians as well as Mr. Perkins have positively and expresly affirmed him to be and then concludes him for a more unmerciful Tyrant than all that ever had been in the World were they joyned together I do with some confidence aver that this is a most manifest and malicious Calumny exceeding I think all the Calumnies that ever were uttered by any Arminian Mr. Mason in his Additions to Mr. Hoard had said That none of the Supralapsarians Piscator only and a few more of the blunter sort excepted had said directly and in terminis that God is the cause of sin The Doctor hath changed Mr. Mason's few into many and names Maccâ—vius and Mr. Perkins whereas Mr. Mason had only named Piscator But this is strange that neither Mr. Mason nor Dr. Heylin should direct us to any one place of these Authors in which any such phrase or speech doth occur Do they think that their Readers have leisure to turn over all the Writings of these blunter Supralapsarians or any divining faculty to find out who are intended by the few others and the many others For my part I will not think that any one Supralapsarian ever affirmed God to be the Author of Sin unless I see the very place in which such affirmation is contained But should I see any such thing in the Writings of Mr. Perkins I should be under a temptation to turn Cartesian and disbelieve my eyes so improbable and and almost impossible doth it seem to me that a Person of his piety and learning should leave upon Record a Position so sensless absurd impious I shall expect that the Doctor in some good convenient time do gather together those expressions of Piscator Maccovius Perkins in which God is expresly made the Author of Sin and publish them to the World or else he must give the World leave to think that he hath too much communion with the Father of Lies Further I say that it doth not from any Principle of the Supralapsarian follow either that God is the Author of Sin or that he is a verier Tyrant than ever lived upon earth though I shall grant that for man to do as God doth would be the highest cruelty I believe with the Supralapsarian that God hath decreed not to bestow converting Grace upon many whom he could easily had he so pleased have converted Should any man who could convert millions not convert them and afterwards punish them with eternal torments for not being converted he would be more cruel than ever Nero was But is God therefore cruel in not giving his converting Grace to those millions who perish eternally for want of it Not at all because he is not under a Law to contribute all that in him lieth towards the conversion of Souls but so would man be if he had such a converâ—ing power Suppose we that the Doctor had been endued with a power to work those wonderful things in Tyre and Sidon which would have made the Inhabitants repent in dust and ashes he would have been cruel with a witness had he not caused those wonders to be wrought but I trow so was not God though he never did nor ever intended to work Miracle in either of those places Dr. H. pag. 39. Well but the Doctor proceeds further and tells us that this extremity being every day found more indefensible the more moderate and sober sort of the Calvinians forsaking the Colours of their first Leaders betook themselves into the Camp of the Rigid Lutherans and rather chose to joyn with the Dominican Friers than to stand to the Dictates of their Master Calvin Answ. It would be endless to discover all the weaknesses of this period 1. Calvin was a Sublapsarian therefore surely not the Master of the Supralapsarians 2. The Dominican Friers do not all make the object of Predestination massam corruptam nor yet the Rigid if rigid Lutherans 3. Those that are Sublapsarians do not judge the Supralapsarian way indefensible Witness Davenant who hath defended the Supralapsarian way against the impertinent Objections of the Author of God's Love to Mankind and yet was himself of the other perswasion Thus of the Supralapsarians Now follows the Evidence brought in against the Sublapsarians and the Dreadful Sentence pronounced upon them Witnesses against them are the Remonstrants in the Hague Conference published by Bertius and Daniel Tilenus which our Historian hath taken word for word out of a supposititious Tilenus who hath troubled himself and the world with an empty piece called Arcana Dogmata Contraremonstrantium or the Calvinists Cabinet unlocked Printed for Richard Royston 1659 having also Printed an Examination of Tilenus before the Triers of Utopia Mr. Baxter in his Discovery of the Grotian Religion charged this Gentleman with giving a false and odious account of the Doctrines of the Synod of Dort He in his Defence alledgeth that he never tied himself to the Decrees and Canons of that Synod Yet Dr. Heylin page 41 calls them the Conclusions of the Synod of Dort which is to be conceived to have delivered the genuine sence of all the Parties as being a Representative of all the Calvinian Churches in Europe except those of France some few Divines of England being added to them The truth is Not one of his five Conclusions pag. 41 42 are the Conclusions of the Synod of Dort nor as they are worded are they so much as agreeable to the Conclusions of that
adult Persons his observation may be granted Dr. H. Ibid. Finally That this Counsel is secret unto us for though there be revealed to us some hopeful signs of our Election unto Life yet the certainty of it is a secret hidden in God and in this life unknown unto us Answ. The Doctor should have said if he would have kept to the words of the Article that God hath ordered by his Counsel secret to us the meaning whereof seems to be that the reason which moved God to predestinate this or that person is unknown to us But this would have overthrown the whole Arminian fabrick Therefore another sense is pitched on no way deduceable from the phrase contrary to Scripture contrary to the seâ—se and judgement of our Martyrs and Confessors viz. that in this life we can have no certainty of our predestination unto life Against this thus I argue If a man may certainly know that he believes in Christ he may know certainly that he is predestinated unto eternal life But the antecedent is true ergo so is the consequent I prove my major Because every one that believes is ordained to eternal life Which enunciation if any one shall deny I prove it first by the saying of Mr. Latimer quoted with applause by the Doctor If thou believest in him then art thou written in the Book of life and shalt be saved which connexion were not good if there were any man a Believer whose name were not found in the Book of life or not saved I prove it because Faith is called the Faith of God's Elect Tit. 1.1 I prove it finally because it is said that as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Acts 13.48 Why is it said as many as were ordained to eternal life believed if any could believe but those who are ordained to eternal life But there is a place not to be eluded Whom he calleth those he justifieth and whom be justifiâ—th those he also glorifieth Whoever are called according to the purpose of his will are justified and glorified As to the minor that A man may certainly know he hath saith methinks no Christian should doubt it We should not so earnestly be presâ—ed to try whether we be in the faith if we could not know whether we be so or no. Are there not some effects that are proper to saving faith If there be why may not he who feels them in himself conclude thence that he hath faith As for our first Reformers so far were they from thinking that Election is not knowable that some of them placed Faith in an Assurance of a mans Election and Christ's dying for him If I prove this I shall prove ex abundanti that they were for personal absolute Election Of others I shall prove that they have in terms express owned Calvin's Predestination or some such Doctrine as is necessarily connexed with it Secondly I shall answer every Testimony that Dr. Heylin brings to prove that the absolute Decrees were decryed by any of our Martyrs and pass to the other Points 1. I begin with the Liturgy In the Catechism whereof after rehearsing of the Creed Question is made What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy belief Answer is returned 1. I learn to believe in God the Father who hath made me and all the world 2. In God the Son who hath redeemed me and all mankind 3. In God the holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God The object of the Father's Creation is here made the Respondent and all the World the object of the Son's Redemption is the Respondent and all Mankind the object of the Spiriâ—s Sanctification is the Respondent and all the Elect People of God The second object is not so large as the first nor the third so large as the second and the Catechumen is as well taught to number himself among the Elect people of God as among mankind Who are these chosen of God Surely they are the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and to such is the Sanctification of the Spirit here limited So that if any one be chosen he is sanctified and if he be sanctified he is chosen and every one who comes for Confirmation is taught to profess himself one of those whom the Spirit Sanctifieth and God Elected I dare not direct every Baptized person so to say But by this we may see what the opinion of the Composers of the Liturgy was In the Catechism appointed by King Edward's Authority to be taught by all Schoolmasters fol. 38 it is said To the furnishing of this Commonweal belong all they as many as do truly fear honour and call upon God wholly applying their mind to holy and godly living and all those that putting all their hope and trust in him do assuredly look for the Bliss of everlasting life But as many as are in this faith stedfast were forechosen predestinate and appointed out to everlasting life before the world was made Witness whereof they have within their hearts the Spirit of Christ the Author earnest unâ—ailable and pledge of their faith How much Calvinism is here As many as fear God were forechosen predestinate and appointed out to everlasting life before the world was made therefore if any man â—ail or miss of eternal life he never feared God or God never put his fear into any but those whom he so fore-ordained to everlasting life Yet there is more fol. 39 The first principal and most perfect cause of our justifying and salvation is the goodness and love of God whereby he chose us for his before he made the world Now the Arminian election is not sure the most perfect cause of our justifying and salvation nor is it God's chusing of us to be his before he made the world And let it be observed that it is said that after that he hath chosen us for his he granteth us to be called by the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when the spirit of the Lord is poured into us 2. Our next task is to look into the sentiments of our Martyrs and Confessors such as lost their lives or left their Countrey or were deprived of their Liberty or Dignities and Preserments for bearing witness to the Doctrine that was established by all Authority Ecclesiastical and Civil among us Our first Martyr in order of time was Iohn Rogers our first in order of Dignity were Cranmer of Canterbury and Ridley of London Bishops I have not met with any writings of either of these in which they have expresly declared their judgments in the Points under debate yet we will see what may be at least guessed concerning their mind For Mr. Rogers I find he was the Convert of William Tindal and Miles Coverdale and that he joyned with them in making that Translation which now goes by the name of Matthews Translation and what opinions that Translation doth favour I leave it to indifferent persons to judge I find
And the Protestant cause was not credited by him for he plaid such a prank as any ingenuous Heathen would have been ashamed of his Keeper shewing him more favour than he deserved he ran away from him and brought him into great danger Thus you may see sayes Careless the fruits of our Free-will-men that make so much boast of their own strength but that house which is not builded surely upon the unmoveable rock will not long stand against the boisterous winds and storms that blow so strongly in these dayes of Trouble This is the only Sufferer I know of that held conditional Election and surely his carriage was not so commendable that we should envy him unto our Adversaries But whereas the Doctor thinks that the strong confidence which Careless had of his own salvation and of the final perseverance of all those who are the chosen Members of Christ's Church was a thought of his own unto which the Doctrine of the Church gave no countenance It will appear that this was no singular opinion of his but a kindly derivation from the Article of Religion concerning Predestination unto Life and it seems to be that which he had learned from holy Bradford who in a Letter to Mistress M. H. under great heaviness and sorrow teacheth her That we should use all God's benefits to confirm our faith of this that God is our God and Father and to assure us that he loveth us as our Father in Christ and that God requireth this faith and fatherly perswasion of his fatherly goodness as his chiefest service Adding that no suggestion of Satan grounded upon our imperfection frailty and many evils should make us doubt of God's savour in Christ and that obedience giveth us not to be God's children but to be God's children giveth obedience And finally that as certain as God is Almighty as certain as God is merciful as certain as God is true as certain as Jesus Christ was crucified is risen and sitteth at the right hand of the Father as certain as this is God's Commandment I am the Lord thy God so certain she ought to be that God was her Father pag. 327 328. To another Gentlewoman page 330 thus he writes If he had not chosen you as most certainly he hath he would not have so called you he would never have justified you he would never have so exercised your faith with temptations as he hath done and doth if I say he had not chosen you If he have chosen you as doubtless Dear heart he hath in Christ for in you I have seen his earnest and before me and to me they could not deny it I know both where and when if I say he hath chosen you then neither can you nor ever shall perish And in the same Letter page 331 he sayes Your thankfulness and worthiness are fruits and effects of your Election they are no causes If once you had a hope in the Lord as you doubtless had it though now you feel it not yet shall you feel it again for the anger of the Lord lasteth but a moment his mercy endureth for ever In another Letter page 349 the same blessed Martyr sayes that One man which is regenerate well may be called alwayes just and alwayes sinful just in respect of God's seed and his regeneration sinful in respect of Satan's seed and his first birth Betwixt these two men there is continual conflict and war most deadly the flesh and old man by reason of his birth that is perfect doth often for a time prevail against the new man being but a child in comparison and that in such sort as not only other but even the Children of God themselves think they be nothing else but old and that the spirit and seed of God is lost and gone away where yet notwithstanding the truth is otherwise the spirit and seed of God appearing again and dispelling away the clouds which cover the Sun of God's seed from shining as the clouds in the air do the corporal Sun Many things to like purpose follow in that Letter by all which and by several Treatises in the printed Works of Mr. Bradford it sufficiently appears that he favoured the Doctrine of absolute Predestination And let any man judge whether he thought the term of a man's life to be moveable or no by some passages in his Examination page 286. As for my death my Lord there are twelve hours in the day as I know so with the Lord my time is appointed and when it shall be his good time then shall I depart hence but in the mean season I am safe enough though all the People had sworn my death Page 291 he desires them to proceed on in God's name he looked for that which God appointed them to do Upon which the Chancellor le ts fall these words This Fellow is in another Heresie of Fate and necessity as though all things were so tied together that of meer necessity all must come to pass What replies Bradford Things are not by fortune to God at any time though to man they seem so sometimes I speak but as the Apostle said Lord See how Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Prelates are gathered together against thy Christ to do that which thy hand and counsel hath before ordained for them to do Consider we next the judgement of Peter Martyr and Martin Bucer who though Foreigners had a great hand in the English Reformation As to Peter Martyr methinks there should be no question made of his judgment In his Commentary on the Romans and in his Common places he hath gone as high in the matter of God's decree as ever Calvin did But the Doctor tells us that Dr. H. Part 2. page 110. It s more than probable that Peter Martyr was not Peter Martyr whilst he lived in England Answ. If he would prove it but probable he must prove that it hath seemed so to all or to the most or to the wisest or to the most famous among those that are wise which I despair of ever seeing him prove so far am I from thinking that he will prove more than this The London Edition of his Common places is not now in many mens hands yet it is to be found in England and elsewhere and never did any one that was a possessor of it so much as adventure to affirm that in that Edition any thing was delivered concerning Predestination that was in the least contrary or seemingly contrary to what we find in the Editions more commonly used This answer the Doctor himself was somewhat diffident of and therefore did not give it until he had before made way by disparaging Peter Martyr as one Dr. H. pag. 109. Of whom there was little use made in advising and much less in directing any thing which concerned the Articles and who having no authority in Church or State could not be considered as a Master-builder Ans. Is the Doctor of the Chair of no authority in Church or State