of his will but according to a lawe which is this whosoever believeth not shall be damned And albeit God made that lawe according to the mere pleasure of his will yet no wise man will say that God denyes glory and inflicts damnation on men according to the mere pleasure of his will the case being cleere that God denyes the one and inflâ—cts the other merely for their sinnes who are thus dealt withall And indeede albeit men are founde aequall in their moralitie when God denyes the grace of faith and repentance unto some which he bestowes on others yet when he comes to deny glory and inflict damnation on men dealing otherwise with others he doth not finde all to be aequall but some he findes to have ended their dayes in the state of faith and true repentance others to have finished their dayes in sinn in infidelitie or impaenitencye And accordingly we distinguishe betweene absolute election unto salvation election unto salvation absolute absolute reprobation unto damnation and reprobation unto damnation absolute we grant absolute election unto salvation and absolute reprobation unto damnation but we deny eyther election to be unto salvation absolute or reprobation unto damnation absolute Yet there is a considerable difference betweene these for as much as finall infidelitie and impenitency are the meritorious causes of damnation but faith repentance and good workes are but the disposing causes of salvation Yet like as God inflicts not damnation but by way of punishment so he doth not bestowe salvation on any of ripe yeares but by way of reward Yet here allso is a difference for damnation is inflicted by way of punishment for the evill workes sake which are committed but salvation is not conferred by way of reward for the good workes sake which are performed but merely for Christs sake All this this Author as I sayde doth very judiciously confounde for the advantage of his cause taking no notice at all of these distinctions whether wittingly dissembling them or ignorantly not discerning them albeit the genuine condition of our Tenet rightly understood doth clearly bespeake them So that if he woulde fairely sett hâ—mselfe to the impugning of our Tenet as touching the absolutenes of Gods decree he should leave the consideration of election and reprobation as touching those things willed by them which we call salvation and damnation insist upon the consideration of election and reprobation as touching those other things willed therby which we call the giving of faith and repentance unto some and the denyall of faith and repentance unto others wherin we willingly professe that God caryeth himselfe absolutely throughout not only decreeing thâ—se according to the mere pleasure of his will without all consideration of ought in man but giving them allso unto some and denying them unto others according to the mere pleasure of his will without the consideration of ought in man Now in this point this Author is content to be silent for he findes no such harshnes imputable unto us in this Tenet of ours Neyther indeede can he stande to maynteyne his owne Tenet without plunging himselfe into manifest Pelagianisme For if God doth not give faith repentance unto men according to the mere pleasure of his will but upon consideration of somewhat founde in man then grace shall be given according unto workes which was condemned in the Synod of Palestine above 1200. yeares agoe all along impugned by the orthodoxe in opposition to the Pelagians and Semipelagians But I am willing to proceede further with this Author and to proove that God shoulde not be unjust though he inflict torment upon a creature though never so innocent For consider shall it not be lawfull with God to doe what he will with his creature Hath not man power to doe what he will with the workmanship of his owne handes And shall this power be denyed unto God How did he afflict his most holy and innocent Sonne only to make his soule an offering for the sins of others And what power hath God given us over inferior creatures that are not capable of sinne are capable of payne enough through diseases and through our imployment of them to doe us their faithfull services we put them to death after such a manner as wherby they may proove beneficiall unto us eyther for food or physicke neyther doe we offende God in this though some kindes of death proove more paynfull unto them yet so long as hereby they proove more usefull unto us we doe not transgresse And now adayes all sides confesse that it is in the power of God to annihilate the holiest Angell in heaven and that in the execution herof he shoulde execute no other then a lawfull power And who had not rather be content to suffer a continuall payne so it be tolerable then to dye much more then to have both body soule turned into nothing When the old world was drowned how many thousands of infants perished in that deluge choaked in the waters which were guiltie of no other sinne then what they sinned in our common Father Adam So in the destruction of Sodom and Gommorrha by fire how many Infants were burnt to ashes some in their mothers wombe some hanging on their mothers breasts when the earth opened and swallowed up the congregation of Dathan and Abâ—ram their litle ones were swallowed up together with their rebellious parents and shall we say that God was unjust in the execution of these and such like judgments Yet Medina professeth that God as Lord of life and death hath power to inflict any payne on any creature be he never so innocent and this he delivers ex concordi omnium Theologorum Sententia And indeed no reason can define those boundes limits of payne and sorrowe eyther as touching intension or duration within which in the execution of payne God must consist beyond which he cannot proceede incolumi justitia And will thâ—s Author deny that by the sinne of one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne hath spread it selfe over all even over those that did not sinne after the similitude of Adams transgression that is over Infants Is this the fruite of God his making us after his owne image that herupon we shoulde circumscribe and lâ—mit the execution of his power over us in comparison with others and that only by rules devised by fleshe and blood And if he doth execute no other then a lawfull power can he be justly censured of crueltie But seing he ordeynes no man to damnation but for sinne and that to the manifestation of his justice which is his glory is he lesse good or wise or just in this The scripture playnely teacheth us that God made all thinges for himselfe even the wicked against the day of evill and shall we suspende our judgements as touching our adherence unto this divine and sacred truth untill such time as we have made triall how this doctrine will relish with infidells What
for he were a madde man if he would prompt his antagonist to strike where he is not able to ward Now his former argument I have allready answered without taking any such course as to flye to the judgement of charitie I have clearly showed how that according to this Authors owne grounds of consolation we are sufficiently provided to minister a word of comfort to an afflicted soule as well as he For he confesseth that the benefite of Christs death the onely ground of consolation as he saith is actually applyable to none but such as rely on Christ by a true and lively faith Now in this case we can assure not onely of the favour of God for the present but also of finall perseverance therein of election of salvation by our doctrine Wherof they can assure none by the tenor of their doctrine Indeed if a man hath no faith at all any more then a Turk Saracen we cannot assure him of his election any more then we can assure a Tuâ—k or Tartar thereof nor any Arminian eyther I think But suppose a Christian in profession is notwithstanding voyde of all true faith can such a one be assured of the favour of God to the pardoning of his sins and to the saving of his soule by any Arminian I trowe no Arminian can or will undertake to assure any man hereof without faith Yet we may be bold to say that albeit he hath not faith to day notwithstanding he may have in good time and that there is no cause to conceave himself to be a reprobate We doe not say that he who hath no faith is in the judgement of charitie to be conceaved to have faith But looke what evidence we have of a mans faith in the judgment of charitie the same evidence we have of his election in the judgement of charitie For the Apostle doth clearly conclude the election of the Thessalonians by his observation of their faith c. 1 Thes. 1.1 3.4 and 2. Thes. 2.13 Let us consider in this aliene discourse of his proceeding from his own mere fiction how well he overthrowes that which himself alone hath builded as it were castles in the ayre First he saith this judgement of charitie which presumeth well if a man apply it generally unto all doth necessarily proove false I wonder he seeth not how this prooveth directly against himself for hath he noâ— formally signified that the number of the reprobats being farre greater then the number of the elect therefore a man hath just cause to suspect that he belongs to the greater number rather then to the lâ—ssâ— which applyed to all must evince that all every one must suspect themselves they are reprobates rather then elect as if there were none elect at all Now looke what way he makes theâ—hence to gett out for himself the same way will serve our turnes to answer this argumtnt also For we speake of comforting this or that particular person we have nothing to doe with all men throughout the world Then againe we are conversant in the comforting of an afflicted Christian And affliction of soule for sinne is usually as the panges of childbirth whereby many a one comes to be brought forth into the world of grace Now without the Church there are enough to make up complete the number of reprobates not to speake of profane persons within the bosome of the Church who goe on in their sinfull courses without all remorse of conscience And whereas he tells us we daâ—e not maintaine these two propositions together 1. that Christ dyed for all men 2. and that he dyed for a very small number First observe his retrograde motion For at the first he manifested that the consolatioÌ„ arising by Christs dying for us is applyable to none but such as beleeve And we deny not but that abundance of consolation in Christs death is derivable to all them that beleeve Now he goes backe and treates of the consolation arising from Christs death unto all whether they beleeve or no as if every one were to be comforted in Christs death for as much as Christ dyed for all and every one by their doctrine which is apparently to minister no more comfort to a Christian by Christs death then to a Canniball Secondly as touching those two propositions we can and doe maynteyne them in a better manner then they forasmuch as we deliver the truth clearly and distinctly on our parts but they most confusedly as if they were the sonnes of confusion For as touching the benefite of pardon of sinne and salvation procured by Christs death we say that Christ dyed to procure these for all and every one but how Not absolutely for then all and every one should be saved but conditionally to witt upon condition of faith so that if all and every one should believe in Christ all and every one shoulde be saved But as for faith it selfe we say Christ merited this allso which the Arminians expressely deny Examen censurae pag. 59. not conditionally for if so then should grace be given according unto mens workes which was condemned in the Synod of Palestine above 1200. yeares agoe and all along condemned in the Church of God for mere Pelagianisme therfore he merited this absolutely not for all and every one for then all and every one should believe and consequently all and every one should be saved therfore he merited this only for some and who can these some be but Gods elect And if it appeare that but a small number believe and persevere in true faith it is manifest in the issue that but fewe are saved and that albeit Christ dyed to save all and every one conditionally yet he died to merit faith for a very fewe Now what is become of this Authors ridle and the pretended contradiction betweene these two propositions I come to his second argument Be it so that the judgment of charitie never hath place when we must have the cerâ—iâ—ude of faith to believe or doe any thing with a good conscience but say I this is nothing to the case we speake of For what is it required of every man to believe concerning himselfe or concerning his brother that he is an elect of God Is this the Arminian Tenet A man borne in the Church and making profession of the Gospell we are bound to conceave to have true faith and consequently to be an elect of God if we knowe nothing to the contrary this I say is required in the way of charitie whose propertie it is to interpret all things to the best so did Paul conceave of the Thessalonians and by the leaves of their profession we must judge them to be plants of the Lords planting so long as we have no just cause to thinke the contrary To the third be it so that the judgment of charitie extendes it selfe no farther then to the suppressing of sinister opinions and suspicions too lightly conceaved against our neighbour it is well
The Doctrine of the SYNOD OF DORT And ARLES reduced to the practise With a consideration thereof and representation with what sobriety it proceeds I devide This discourse into two parts 1. Preface 2. Treatise 1. The preface likewise hath two parts 1. A rule of Tryall to wit by reference to practise in 3 cases 1. The converting of a stranger 2. The correcting of a leud Christian. 3. The comforting of the afflicted 2. The doctrine to bet tryed 2. The treatise is the tryall it self of the former doctrine according unto the former rule accordingly divides it self into 3 parts and ech of them I devide into several sections SEing the doctrine of the Gospell tyeth not the disciples unto bare speculation and mere knowledge of the history but allso bindeth them to the practise aedification of their neâ—ghbours every man will say that the use therof consisteth principally in these 3 things which every Christian but more especially a faithfull Pastor ought to procure so farre forth as in him lieth where The 1. Is the conversion of a stranger to the faith 2. The amendment of a bad-living Christian. 3. The consolation of the sick or otherwise afflicted 2. If then that doctrine established and canonized in the two Synods the one held at Doâ—t in Holland 1618. 1619. the other at Arles in Cevenes in France in 1620. cannot serve to any of these 3. endes nay if they are directly contrary therunto no Christian can doubt but that it is quite different from the doctrine of the holy Scripture which is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for reproofe for correction for iâ—struction in righteousnes 2. Tim. 3.16 What this Author is I knowe not but by conjecture he seems by certeyne passages mentioned in this discourse more naturally to speake French then Englishe Neythâ—r can I well tell in what â—aÌ„ke to place him of the three here meÌ„tioned for whose aedâ—fication principally he pretendes the doctrine of the Gospell to be usefull For first he seemes not to be a stranger vnto Christian faith for as much as here at the first he mentioneth a passage out of 2 Tim. 3.16 concerninge the profitablenes of holy scripture though thencefoorth he quotes not one place of scripture throughout no nor a stranger to Calvins doctrine for he quotes one passage allso out of him not one more throughout as I remember out of any author ancient or modern But he takes libertie to cry out upon a prodigious Labyrinth of Divinitye belike of those who desire to mould their faith in conformitie to the word of God in the first place and then also to take notice of what hath bene the most receaved doctrine of the Church of God in the severall ages therof And to take such a course in this authors judgment belike is for a man to cast himselfe into a Labyrinthe or maze I confesse it is a sweete thinge to wanton wits coelo liberiore frui And it may be the nature of man repines more agaâ—nst limits of faith then against limits of life and conversation Yet Adam found more roomâ— when he was cast out of Paradise then within but his condition I suppose was nothing more comfortable for that Neyther is it likely this Author is of the ranke of bad-living Christians for it is not their course to trouble their braynes about points of faithe well they may rayle against religion but they doe not use to dispute divinitie Neyther doth he seeme to stand in neede of a physician he seemes rather to feele the pulses of others and to professe out of deepe judgment the dangerous condition wherin others are through errour of faithe in tender points and in this censure of his he caryeth himselfe like a very confident divine all alonge whence it followeth that the doctrine of the Gospell is not so principally usefull for the aedification of such as himselfe For if it were I see no reason why such a condition shoulde be omitted for I praesume he will not say that every doctrine of the Gospell shoulde be alike usefull to all conditions of men There is good use to be made of terrors good use to be made of comforts But comforts are not fitt to terrifie nor can terrors be of use for consolation And truly our Church of England in her articles of religion artic 17 teacheth us that the godly consideration of Predestination our election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant vnspeakeable coÌ„forts to godly persons such as feele in theÌ„selves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the fleshe their earthly members and drawing up their minde to high and Heavenly thinges As well because it doth greatly establish confirme their faith of aeternall salvation to be enjoyed through Christ as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God But that for curious carnall persoÌ„s lacking the Spirite of Christ to have continually before their eyes the sentence of Gods praedestination is a most dangerous downe fall wherby â—he divill doth thrust them into desperation or into â—â—chlesnes of most vncleane living no lesse perilous then desperation And I râ—member to have read in the History of the Councell of Trent that the first opinion there mentioned concerning praedestination whith was the opinion of the Swinglians as there it is reported as it is mysticall hidden keeping the minde humble and relying on God without confidence in it selfe knowing the deformitie of of sinne and the excellency of divine grace which vndoubtedly are excellent uses for aedification in an eminent dâ—gree so the second opinion contrary to the former was plausible and popular cherishing humane praesumption and making a great shewe it pleased more the preaching fryars then the vnderstanding Divines And the courtiours thought it pâ—obable as consonant to politâ—que reason â—t was maynteyned by the Bishop of Biâ—onâ—o and the Bishop of Salpi shewed himselfe very partiall The defenders of this vsing humane reasons praevayled against the others but comming to the testimonies of scripture they were manyfestly overcome But to returne I had thought the written word of God had principally concerned believers and tended to the aedification of the body of Christ according to that we reade Eph. 4.11 12. that Christ gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets some Evangelists and som Pastors and Teachers now observe the ende of their ministery in the wordes followinge for the â—epayring of the Saints for the worke of the ministery and for the aedification of the body of Christ. As for Bad living Christians they have no delight in Gods word at all the ministery of the word is but a vexation vnto such and Gods ministers are accoumpted by such as Elias was no better then troublers of Israel and why But because they can prophecy no good vnto such but evil And as for the sicke though weak in body yet if not weak in faith we can affoord them abundance of
consolation in God even to the assurance of their election If weake in faith and oppressed vnder the burthen of their sinnes yet is there no cause why they should despayre by reason of any doctrine of ours but rather good hope that these troubles of minde may proove as panges of childbirth to deliver their soules into the world of grace 2. Of any doctrine Canonized eyther in the Synod of Dort which we knowe or in the Synod of Arles which I knowe not I am utteâ—lâ— ignorant The course of comprehending the doctrine of the Church concerning certeyne points in severall theses and denominating them canons hath bene anciently of use in Councells and Synods but of canonizing any doctrine therby I never heard nor read till now But if the Church be the pillar and butteresse of truthe the authoritie therof is of no small force for the establishment therof albeit we acknowledge no infallible rule of faith but the word of God The quaestion in praesent is whether election be upon the foresight of mans obedience or according to the meere pleasure of God and in the issue it comes to this as in due place I will shewe whether God hath mercy on whom he will by giving faith and repentance vnto them and whom he will he hardeneth by denying faith and repentance Or rather in the dispensation distribution of these graces proceedeth according to mens workes Now to me it seemes a strange course when a quaestion is moved as touching two contrary opinions which of them is true and to be embraced to drawe the resolution herof to the consideration of the usefulnes of the opinions or doctrines quaestioned As if because an opinion is usefull therfore it is to be coÌ„cluded that it is true and not rather in case it be founde to be true yea the very truthe of God the rule wherof alone is Gods word therfore we ought to conclude that it is vsefull and be carefull to make such use of it as it doth bespeake Nay is it not most indecent for man to presume â—o obâ—rude opinions upon Gods word upon a bare praetence of the usefulnes of them in mans iudgment to serve turnes as he thinkes good And doe not as many as take such courses for the mayntenance of their owne way manifest hereby that their cause is desperate and that it seemes they have very litle or no ground for their opinions out of the word of God when they runne out vnto such divinations as these for the supporting of their labouring and wavering cause As for example if the Apostle shall playnly professe that election is not of workes shall not we embrace this for truth unles we finde it to be more usefull to the purposes here specified then the contrary and if we seeme to finde the contrary doctrine more usefull then this in our phantasy shall we therfore contradict the Apostle in expresse termes or set our wits on worke so to fashion the Apostles meaninge by a forced interpretation as to make him to contradict his owne wordes In like sort if the Apostle sayth God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 And withall manifests that by obteyning mercy at Gods handes he understandeth the obteyning of faith Rom. 11.30 that even in the former place being manifest enough by the antithesis of it unto obduration Shall we hang still in suspense as touching the acknowledging of S. Pauls meaninge untill we have well weighed and considered the usefulnes of this doctrine in comparison with the usefulnes of the contrary doctrine and according to the weight of each by such weights and in the scale of our judgment pronounce judicially eyther for Paul or against him or at least make the holy Apostle by some practise or other to eate his owne wordes as Saturne did his children And verily in the cause of such a triall a good witt will serve a disputant in good steade who can if he list bring forth pleasant ejaculations in commendation of a bald head or of folly with Erasmus or of a louse with Daniel Heinsius and with our English Sonnetters of a stâ—aweâ— to witnesse thâ— songe O the strawe the strawe and then let them take forth and singe Now here is a jolly couâ—se quoth the minstrill And others like eâ—ough will be furnished with as good witt to the contrary in displaying the unnecessary condition of ought â—ike him who having fâ—â—st made an excellent speech in the commendation of justice afterwards spake as wiâ—â—ily to the contrary shewing that there was no justice at all in the World And I have heard of a Gentleman that would discourse against any neede we have at all of fire saying that at the end he was driven to a non plus for as much as he could not devise how his horse could be shod without it And in like manner I have with admiration receaved a relation concerning a Gentleman in an Assembly of States such as we call Parliaments namely that he was absolutely the best speaker yet nothing respected and that for a most sufficient reason which was this They knew full well that he could speake as well and as movingly to that which was quite contrary And I willingly professe the Author of this discourse seemes to be a witâ—y Gentleman and to enterteyne his readers in the following treatise with a pretty enterlude no mervail if he makes choyse of a fiâ—t scene wherein to shew the feates of his activitie Wherein how well he caryeth himselfe when he comes to the triall of our Doctrine by the serviceablenes thereof to the three endes here proposed we shall by Gods helpe inquire in due place But surely though it be not serviceable to any of these ends yet if it be as serviceable to other ends above specified out of the history of the Counsell of TreÌ„t as also out of the 17. article of our church of EnglaÌ„d as also to the glorifying of God in acknowledging the prerogative of his grace as onely effectuall to every thinge that is good the prerogative of Gods soveraintie over his Creatures in making whom he will Vessells of mercy and whom he will Vessells of wrath â—o witt by shewing mercy on whom he will and hardening whom he will This I hope shall be sufficient to uphold the reputatioÌ„ of it yea albeit it be found contrary to other endes which yet I deny like as comforts are contrary to the use of terrifying and terrours are contrary to the use of comfortinge and yet Gods word coâ—taines both kindes of discipline Like as Martin Luther and Melancthon were of different dispositions and Erasmus his censure of them was this that Melancthon followed Luther as Litae followeth Atae in Homer yet Chytraeus in his Historiae confessionis Augustanae as I remember professeth that God in his gracious providence made good use of both for the service of his Church and propagation of the Gospell in these latter dayes And I well observe
Nullus fuit ita insanae mentis qui diceret merita esse causam divinae praedestinationis ex parte actus praedestinantis Sed hoc sub questionâ— verâ—itur vtrum ex parte effectus prâ—destinatio habeat aliquam causam And whereas the distinction of voluntas absoluta conditionâ—lis is interpreted by Vossius as all one with voluntus antecedens consequens both Vossius himselfe interpreteth voluntas conditionalis as making the cause thereof to be only quoad res volitas For he defiâ—es a conditionall will in this manner Aâ—iqua vult cum condâ—tione que idâ—irâ—â— in effectum non prodeunt nisi conditione impleta Quâ—modo â—â—nes â—omâ—nes salvari vult sed per propter Christum fide approhensum And doctor Iackson in his last booke of providence acknowledgeth that the distinction of voluntas antecedens consequens is to be understood quoad res volitas Now the consequent will is such a will as derives the cause therof from man But this sayth he is to be understood as touching the things willed which we willingly grant and accordingly acknowledge that some things willed by God have the cause of their being from mâ—n As namely faith we â—ay is the dâ—sposing cause of salvation finall infidelitie or impaenitency are the meritorious causes of damnation Yet some thing there is willed by God which hath no cause from man but 〈◊〉 the cause therof is from the mere pleasure of God and that is the giving or denying of grace according to that of the Apostle He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 As for the decree of God considered as touching the act of God willinge that it can have no cause from man I proove both as touching the decree of salvation and touching the decree of damnation And I willingly challenge all the nation of Arminians to answere it And the argument is this If faith be the cause why God ordeynes a man to salvation then eyther by 〈◊〉 necessitie of nature it is the cause herof or by the mere constitution of God Not by necessitie of nature as appeares manifestly and I have founde by experience that Arminians themselves have confessed as much therfor if any way it be admitted to be the cause herof this must be only by the constitution of God Now marke the absurditie herof for herence it followeth that God did constitute that is ordeyne that upon the foresight of faith he woulde ordeyne men unto salvation where the very aeternall act of Gods ordination is made the object of Gods ordinaâ—ion a thing utterly impossible and every man knowes that the objects of Gods ordination are thinges temporall only and by no meanes things aeternall In like sort if sinne be the cause why God ordeynes men unto damnation then eyther by necessitie of nature or by divine constitution not by necessitie of nature for surely God is not necessitated to damne any man for sinne If therfore by constitution divine marke the absurditie unavoydably following hereupon namely that God did ordeyn that upon the foresight of 〈◊〉 he would ordeyne men unto condemnation where agayne Gods aeternall ordination is made the object of his ordination Yet doe not I affirme that in any moment of nature doth the decree of salvation goe before the consideration of mens faith and obedience or the decree of damnation before the consideration of finall incredulitie or iâ—poenitencie For as much as the decrees of giving faith and crowning it with salvation and in like sort the decrees of permitting finall incredulitie and impenitency I make to be not subordinate one to another buâ— simultanâ—ous and coordinate one with another I proceede to the second 2. The holy scripture in designing unto us those for whome Christ dyed useth different formes Matth. 20 28. it is sayde that the sonne of man came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransome for many and 26 28. This is my blood in the New Testament which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sinnes This is a very indefinite notion yet nothing so prone to signifie a comprehension of all as an opposition to such an universality But in other places these Many are defined and therewith all the benefite of Christs death confined to some as namely the people of Christ Mat. 1.21 to the Church Act. 20.28 Ephes. 5.25 Christs sheepe Ioh. 10.15 the Children of 〈◊〉 Ioh. 11.51 Christs freindes Ioh. 15.8 to Israel Act. 13.23 to the body of Christ Ephes. 5.23 And accordingly our Saviour prayed for those onely that his Father had given him Ioh. 17.9 and for those whom hereafter he should give unto him v. 20. and that with exclusion from the world v. 9. and for their sakes he sanctified himself v. 19. which in like manner is to be understood with exclusion of the world Now by sanctifying himselfe is understood the offering up of himselfe upon the Crosse by the unanimous consent of all the Fathers whom Maâ—â—oâ—ate had read as himselfe professeth in his Commentaries on that passage in Iohn Yet we are willing to take notice of those places also which extend the benefite of Christs death unto all as Rom. 5.18 As by the offence of one the fault came upon all unto condemnation so by the justifying of one the benefite abounded toward all men to justification of life But for the clearing of this observe but the limitation going immediately before v. 17. If by the offense of one death reigned through one Much more shall they who receave the abundante of grace of the gift of righteousnesse reigne in life through one Iesus Christ. It is further said that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe 2. Cor. 5.19 That he is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Ioh. 1.29 That he gave his life for the life of the world Ioh. 6.51 That he is the Saviour of the world Ioh 4.42 and 1. Ioh. 4.14 Yet this admits a faire exposition without all contradiction to the former limitation namely of men in the world which being an indefinite terme is to be expounded by other places where it is defined who they are as Ioh. 13.1 He loved his owne that were in the world to the end he loved them Now who are Christs owne but those of whom he speaketh Ioh. 17.9 For they are thine 10.11 and all mine are thine and thine are mine and thou art glorifyed in them Now these are proposed with an exclusion of the world in that very 9. verse I pray for them I pray not for the VVorld for they are thine It is further said that Christ is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world which may fairely admitt this construction for the sinnes of men dispersed throughout all the world which is most true of Gods Elect like as Ioh. 11.50 They are called the Children of God which
it is not of workes so neyther is it of faith seing before they were borne they were aequally as uncapable of faith as of workes and consequently that Gods ordeyning men unto salvation proceedes merely according to the good pleasure of God and not upon consideration eyther of workes or faith 2. As touching reprobation that it is no more of evill workes then election is of good workes for as much as before they were borne they were aequally uncapable of the one as well as of the other and the doing of evill is expressely excluded as well as the doing of good whence it followeth manifestly that Gods ordeyning men unto damnation proceedes as much of the mere pleasure of God and with as litle consideration of sinne as Gods ordeyning men unto salvation proceedes of the mere pleasure of God without consideration of any righteousnes in man though fleshe and blood be farre more apt to tumultuate and make insurrection against this doctrine of reprobation then against the proportionable doctrine of election Thirdly consider the vanitie of his amplifications in two particulars First in that he aggravates the matter by the circumstance of the greatest part of mankind wheras it is manifest by reason that if it be just with God to deale thus with the least part of mankinde yea with any one it is as just with God to deale in like manner with the greatest part of mankinde yea with all and every one Secondly he aggravates it by the circumstance of the least consideration of sinne which we are sayde to deny to have place in reprobation wheras divine consideration hath no degrees at all wherby it may be capable of greater or lesse sin indeede hath degrees in man but divine consideration hath no degrees at all Fourthly to come nearer to the point and to discover their jugling in stating our Tenet most calumniously Consider I pray doe any of our divines meynteyne that God did ordeyne to damne any man but for sinne It is apparent they doe not all acknowledging that like as God doth damne no man but for sinne so doth he ordeyne to damme no man but for sinne For doe they not all professe that the ende intended by God in the reprobation of certein men is the manifestation of Gods justice which if God doth intende how can it be otherwise but that whom he ordeynes to the suffering of everlasting torments those he ordeynes to the suffering of everlastâ—ng torments for their sinne and for nothing els And to adde one thing more not for their sinne which they sinned in Adam only for thus I had rather expresse my selfe according to scripture phrase then as this obscure Author doth in calling it only Adams sinne but for those very actuall sinnes and transgressions which they are guilty of Now this Author caryeth the maâ—ter so as if our doctrine were that God ordeynes men to be tormented not for sinne but merely for his owne pleasure And to this purpose he caryeth himselfe very judiciously for the advantage of his owne cause in confounding the cause of the decree with the cause of the execution therof Confounding the most receaved distinction of the Schooles concerning the will of God as considerable eyther quoad actum volentis as touching the act of God willing or quoad res voliâ—as as touching the thinges willed by God The act of God willing can have no cause sayth Aquinas neyther doe I finde any crossing of this amongst Schoole divines untill the Iesuites arose And the same Aquinas applying the same distinction to praedestination which is the very will of God in a certeyne kinde spares not to professe that Never any man was so madde as to affirme that merits are the cause of predestination quoad actum praedestinantis as touching the act of God predestinating It seemes he knewe of none so madde as to affirme this but since his dayes there hath risen up a sect of Iesuites a sect of Arminians more then enough that are so madde and yet cary this madde doctrine of theirs in such a confidentiary streyne as if they were the only sober men of the world Then agayne the thinges willed by God in predestination are of different condition and that so different that looke what alone is the cause of Gods decree that and that alone is the cause of the execution looke what alone is the cause of the decree quoad actum decernentis that and that alone is the cause of the decree quoad rem volitam or decretam but not so of the other as for example the things willed by God in predestination are grace and glory by grace I understand the grace of faith and repentance Now like as the act of Gods decree is of the mere pleasure of God no temporall thing being fitt to be the cause of the aeternall decree of God in like sort the giving of faith and repentance proceedes merely of the good pleasure of God according to that God hath mercy on whom he will Rom. 9.18 and to obteyne mercy at the handes of God is to obteyne faith Rom. 11.30 But as for glory and salvation we doe not say that God in conferring it proceedes according to the mere pleasure of his will but according to a lawe which is this whosoever believeth shall be saved which lawe we willingly professe he made according to the mere pleasure of his will but having made such a lawe he proceedes according to it No such lawe hath he made according wherunto to proceede in the dispensation of grace of faith of repentance And in like sort though God findes men aequall when he bestowes grace on some and not others yet he findes them not aequall when he comes to bestowe salvation on some and not on others The like distinction is coÌ„siderable on the part of reprobation which allso is the will of God in a certeyne kinde I say we must distinguâ—she in this decree the act of God decreeing and the thinges decreed by hâ—m And these thinges are of a different nature and so dâ—fferent that looke what alone is the cause of the act that alone is the cause of one thing decreed by it but not so of the other As for example the things decreed by reprobation are 1. The denyall of grace by grace I meane faith and repentance wherby that infidelitie hardnes of heart which is naturall to all is cured 2. The denyall of glory together with the inflicting of damnation As touching the first of these looke what is the cause of reprobation as touching the act of God reprobating that and that alone is the cause of the denyall of Grace to witt the mere pleasure of God For the Apostle playnly teacheâ—h us that as God hath mercy on whom he will to witt in giving faith and repentance so he hardneth whom he will by refusing to give them faith and repentance But as touching the denyall of glory and inflicting damnation God doth not proceede according to the mere pleasure
Lord and I have good cause to take comfort in this But it is untâ—ue that God hath as much willed the treason of Iudas as the conversion of Paul though Bellarmine hath so calumnated us longe agoe For albeit the treason of Iudas in betraying his mayster is one of the thinges meant by the Apostle which Iewes and Gentiles did against the holy Sonne of God and which they say were foredetermined by the hand and counsell of God And Austin is bolde to professe that Iudaâ— electus est ad prodendum sanguinem Dominisui notwithstanding which as another Father speaketh etiam Iudas potuisset consequi remedium si non festinasset ad laqueum yet there is a vast difference betweene Gods willing Iudas his treason and Pauls conversion For as for Iudas his treason his will was that should come to passe onely by Gods permission And Arminius is bold to profes that Voluit Deus Achabum mâ—nsuram scelerum implere but as for Pauls conversion that was not only willed by God but wrought by God and that in an extraordinary manner appearing unto him in the way and striking him downe with a light from heaven so with a strong hand taking him off from his persecuting courses when Ferox scelerum quia primò provenerat and flesht in the blood of Steven Iehu like he maâ—ched fuâ—iously against the Church of God As for no power in man to retain grace when God will take it away First where man is found willing to reteyne grace I know no just cause to complaine of the want of power for this And where there is no will to reteyne it I see no likelyhood that any man should complaine of want of power to reteyne it Yet like as man is not Lord of his owne Spirit nor able to reteyne it so I wonder it should seeme strange that men should have no power to reteyne the Spirit of God in case God should withdraw it from them And as for grace of sanctification which God should take away from man we know none as who mainteyn that God will deliver his children from every evill work and preserve them unto his heavenly Kingdom and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation That the Spirit bloweth where it listeth is the doctrine of our Saviour to Nicodemus Ioh. 3. That God inspireth whom he will with the Spirit of faith repentance we take to be all one with that Rom. 9.18 He hath mercy on whom he will And accordingly he denyes this inspiration to whom he will as much as to say He hardeneth whom he will But as for any actuall withdrawing of the Spirit of sanctification we acknowledge not It is true even his owne Servants he hardneth sometimes against his feare as the Scripture speaketh Esa. 63.17 Whereupon their peace of conscience is disturbed and they have cause to pray unto God to restore them to the joye of his salvation Psal. 51. as David there did But David did not pray that God would restore him to his Spirit but rather that he would not take it from him And Bertius professeth that he will not say that David by those foule sinnes of his was wholy bereaved of Gods Spirit and that propter graves causas As for Gods permission of men to sinne for their amendment Arminius himself acknowledgeth in effect in the particular case of David His words are these Permisit Deus ut ille in negligentiam istud incideret peccatum istud illa occasione perpetraret quò diligentiùs seipsum observaret peccatum suum exemplo aliorum deflerâ—â— egregium humilitatis resipiscentiaeque specimen Exemplar praestaret gloriosiùs ex peccato resurgeret As for the impossibilitie to withstand Gods operation the Scripture doth expressely justifie Eze. 20.32.33.37 Neyther shall that be done which commeth into your minde For ye say we will be as the Heathen as the families of the countries and serve wood and stone As I live sayth the Lord God I will surely rule you with a mightie hand a stretched our arme c. And the issue followeth which is this I will cause you to passe under the rod and bring you into the bond of the covenant Yet what is the issue of this impossibilitie Is it only in respect of the thing which God will bring to passe as these Arminians most superficially conceave and not as well in respect of the manner how it shall come to passe Nothing lesse but as God will have it come to passe and come to passe contingently and voluntarily and freely So it is impossible upon this supposition but that it shall come to passe but how not necessarily but contingently voluntarily and freely And as it thus comes to passe and no otherwise when the time which God hath appointed is come So before that time it shall not come to passe but how contingently also and voluntarilly and freely and impossible it is that it should be otherwise The second Section THat it is not for him to prescribe the time and houre of his conversion wherein a living man doth no more then a dead man in his resurrection That God is able to quicken him endue him with his Spirit though he were allready dead 4 dayes as stinking in the grave as Lazarus yea and that perhaps it shall not be untill the last houre of the day That as yet God giveth him not the grace to cry Abba Father That he so abhorreth the doctrine of those that are stiled Arminians that he dares not use the least endeavour to doe well for feare of obscuring that grace which worketh irresisâ—ibly and attributing of any thing â—o the will of man Yet he remembreth that he had sometimes good motions proceeding doubtlesse from the spirit of God which hath given him the true faith which can never faile and that for the present he is like the Trees in Winter which seem dead though they are alive That being of the number of the Elect as every one is bound to beleeve by the two Synods if he will not be declared perjured by that at Arles his sinne it self how enormous soever worketh together to his salvation yea and that he hath allready obteyned pardon for it That his Censurer cannot deny it seeing that he instructeth him unto repentance which is nothing worth without faith no more then faith it self if it beleeve not the remission of all sinns both done and to be done And though he were of the number of the Reprobates a thing which he will not affirme for â—â—are of being so held indeed by the Synod yet notwithstanding his Censurer would gayne nothing by it who by his exhortings and threatnings could not any way alter the decree of Heaven but onely molest him with the torments of Hell and stirre up a wâ—rme in his conscience to gnawe him to no purpose Consid. Were it in the power of man to change his owne heart who is not able to change
there immediate where the meanes are used We reade of Ionathan that he put off the robe that was upon him and gave it David and his garments even to his sword and to his bowe and to his girdle And the reason was because he loved him as his owne soule In like sort this bad living Christian whom here this Author represents to play a part for him is such a one as with whom he is in love for somewhat though not for his faâ—th For I see he is willing to aray him with his owne sufficiency and to bestowe his owne armour upon him the best armour of his witt even to his sword and to his bowe and to his girdle and the truth is he playes his part for him though the scene requires that another should make shewe to personate him and so the Arminian takes upon him the shape and vizard of a debaucht Christian on our side Now I willingly professe he makes the most of his wares in the utterance of them that words can and delivers himselfe with very great confidence which though it be no to pick place yet usually it is his best strength And I have heard of a French Gentleman who in the troubles of France when it behooved every man to stand upon his guard having unadvisedly lett into his house certeyn freebooters perceaving his error too late sett himselfe to seeke to help it with his witt caryed himself with such freenes and confidence in the enterteyning of them that therby he overcame them and they parted without doing him any wrong and at parting bid him thanke his confidence that he escaped so well And truly coulde the matter beare it we might suffer him to enâ—oy the benefite and comfort of his confidence But we are upon the point of investigation of divine truth and to spare him herin were to undoe him and others with him More profitable it is for him by much to be beaten quite out of his fools paradise then to suffer him to enioy his errours and so lace himselfe with them and to corrupt others allso Now as for explication of what was delivered as he requires we see no neede therof at all the playne truth therof is so visible that he who will not shutt his eyes against it cannot but take notice of it this is to requite confidence with confidence for is it not fitt to pay him in his owne coyne And consider I pray let exhortation be made unto repentance let this exhortation be backt with the most forcible motives therunto drawne from promises divine of no lesse reward then aeternall life from menaces divine to the impenitent and that of the wrath of God and that of such a condition as wherin a fire is kindled which burneth unto the bottome of hell Yet is it not in the power of man to assent to this exhortation or dissent from it And in case he doe assent after a while as he shall thinke good and take time to deliberate shall not he be accoumpted and his will the sole cause yea and immediate also in producing this operation I say the sole cause in reference to the exhortation premised which still leaves a man indifferent whether he will yeelde thereunto or no I should thinke the exhortation hinders not the will of man at all from being the sole yea and immediate cause of willinge which if it cannot be denyed as I should thinke it cannot if withall the Spirit of God doth worke the will sooner or later to yeilde unto it why should not that be accoumpted the sole cause therof yea and immediate allso though that terme was not specified in the premises And as for the clearing of the contradiction the shew whereof is brought in afterwards by foysting in the terme immediate into the place of the word sole I answere that man being a rationall agent and working upon deliberation the judgement must first be informed before he can worke deliberately Now the immediate work of exhortation tendes no farther then to the information of the judgement And as reasons are given on the one side out of Gods word to urge the necessitie of repentance so reasons are given on the other sid partly by flesh and blood partly by the suggestions of Satan to represent the needelesse condition thereof eyther alltogether or at least for the present And the will freely makes choyse to follow the one or the other sometimes giving way to exhortations divine sometimes to contrariant suggestions carnall or diabolicall And if God be pleased to rebuke Satan and to dashe out of countenance the motions of the flesh and make the will to yeelde to the ministers exhortations unto repentance what shall hinder him from being the sole and immediate cause hereof Againe this Author considers not or wilfully dissembles that exhortations are onely a cause morall but Gods working immediately upoÌ„ the will after that the judgment is wrought uppon by exhortations instructions for Austin comprehends these under one saying that if there be any difference between docere suadere or exhortari yet eveÌ„ this doctrinae generalitate coÌ„prehenditur this he workes as a cause physicall therfore albeit ther be a presupposall of a cause preceding working morally yet the Spirit of God in striking the stroake is the sole and immediate cause working physicallie Lastly he that persuadeth say the Bellarmine and light of nature justifies it worketh only per modum proponentis objectum only he setts it foorth in the most alluring manner that he can Now the object proposed is well knowne to work only in genere causae finalis the motion wherof is commonly called motus metaphoricus or metaphoricè so called But Gods operation immediate in working upon the will is in genere causae efficientis so that albeit a cause working in genere causae finalis be presupposed yet still it is cleere that the Spirit of God works immediatly upon the will in converting it in genere causae efficientis Now the ignorance herof is it that makes this Author so bold and confident in talking of manifest contradiction and who so bold as blinde bayard but I woulde the scales might at lenght fall from their eyes that they might see upon what rotten grounds they proceede in impugning the precious truth of God we willingly grant that information of the understanding is necessarily required both to faith and to repentance otherwise they were not acts rationall but that this information shoulde be made by the minister that is I confesse ordinarily required by the vertue of Gods ordinance but not necessarily which whether this Author takes notice of or no I knowe not I finde him litle sâ—nsible of any such distinction And we willingly confesse that as often as men are found to resist these exhortatâ—ons divine though delivered by Gods minister they may justly be sayde to resist God working morally and besâ—eching them as the Apostle speaketh 2. Cor. 5.20 as though God through us
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
Christ as on a rocke and our Saviour hath tolde us that the gates of Hell shall not prevayle against them that are built thereon and no meâ—veyle for they are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation And consequently whosoever is assured that he once had Faith may be as well assured that he hath it still Peter sinned fowly in denying his Master yet Christ had prayed for him that his faith should not fayle Anâ— not for Peter onely did our Saviour pray but for all those whom his Father had given hâ—m and that in this forme Father keepe them in thy name Ioh. 17. Nor for those onely whom his Father had at that time given him but for those also who hereafter should beleeve through their word Ioh. 17. And we know full well what smal fruit Peters faith brought forth at thâ—t time when he denyed his Master and in David also when he sinned in the matter of Vriah yet would not Bertius professe that David by those sinnes of his had deprived himself of the Spirit of God and that propter graves causas Neither doth it follow that because true faith bringeth forth small fruit at sometimes as in the houre of temtation and when a man sinkes under it therefore it brings forth small fruit simply as this Author caryeth the matter It is untrue that Calvin doth troâ—ble or obscure this doctâ—ine of Certitude and that the Patient will say so is but this Authors fictâ—on if he should say so we will be as ready to disproove it The words of Calvin are these Tot vanitatis recessus habet tot mendacii latebris scatet cor humanum tam fraudulenta hypocrisi obâ—ectum est ut seipsum saepe fallat He might as well have said that the H. Ghost troubles obscures this doctrine of Certitude by saying That the heart of man is deceitfull above all things who can know it But the Apostle makes this use of it 2. Cor. 12.5 Examine your selves whether you are in the faith proove your selves know ye not your selves that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates There is indeede a secret hypocrisie unknowne to a mans owne heart as when he presumes that all thinges goe well betweene him and God when indeede it is not so their rightousnes such as it is is not simulata conterfeyted by them but they deceave themselves as well as others and from such a state a man may fall as Austin acknowledgeth who nevertheles cleerly professeth his minde that no man falls away from the state of spirituall and wholsome repentance that being such a condition as wherunto God never brings any one whome he hath not predestinate Istorum that is non praedestinatorum neminem adducit ad spiritualem salubreÌ„ paenitentiam qua homo reconciliatur Deo in Christo five illis ampliorem patientiam five non imparem praebeat Contr. 〈◊〉 Pelag. lib. 5. cap. 4. This is not the case of an afflicted soule the hypocrite is secure and without suspicion of the integritie of his condition in the state of grace but the afflicted soule is too suspicious of himself conceaving his faith at the best to be but counterfeyte this is his sorrow this is the cause of the disquietnesse of his minde and whereof we may take good advantage for his consolation both in respect that he judgeth and condemneth himself And in this case the word of God assures us we shall not be judged of the Lord as also that hereby is clearly manifested a desire to be free from hypocrisie to be in a confortable condition by a true and sincere faith in Christ Now these are manifest evidences of the life of grace Not to speake of generall grounds of consolation such as these Blessed are they that mourne they shall be comforted Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousnesse they shall be filled It is true that all are not called at the same houre and seeing affliction especially when it is of a spiâ—ituall nature is the ordinary introduction into the state of grace in the course of Gods providence like as the valley of Achor was a doore of hope unto the Children of Israell and our Saviour in going to Ierusalem the vision of peace did commonly take Bâ—thany the house of mourning in his way we have cause to conceave good hope that thâ—se pangs may be as the pangs of childbirth unto an afflicted soul. But yet we will not satisfy our selves with our Patients saying that he never felt the testimony of adoption in his heart as therupon to conclude that as yet he is but in the state of nature and not washed from his filthines we will take notice of all circumstances of his cariage in this condition and of such observations as we have made of them in the course of their conversation for the time past and not suffer a melancholy passion to obscure the mercy of God towards them we will be very loath to be streitned in our proceedings in the course of our consolation by a Comaedians witt that coms to discourse of such tender pointes as if he came to make a play or to act a part upon the stage to make his Arminian hearers sport In the next place he puts a most absurd demaund in the mouth of his Patient requiring forsooth some assurance that he shal be thus efficaciously called before his death A demaund I am verily persuaded never brought to light but by Arminian invention Can any Arminian assure their Patients of any such condition We willingly professe we can assure none therof but where we find men afflicted in soule through conscience of sinne and a fearfull apprehension of Gods wrath this Spirit of bondage makes us to conceave hope that a child is now come unto his birth and that there shall not want strength in good time to bring him forth We are not likely to tell him that Christ surely dyed for him if so be he believes in him this is a Gossips bowle of this Authors making to carouse an health to his companions But by the way it appeares that howsoever this Comedian did at the first entrance hereupon professe that consolation in Christs death was not actually applyable to any but such as beleeve in Christ and consequently that a man can have no confort in Christ untill he beleeve in him by a true and lively faith yet he carryeth the matter so as if this were comfort enough to a man to believe that Christ dyed for him albeit as yet he hath obteyned no true faith in Christ wheras it is apparant that no more consolation can arise is this case to a Christian then to a Turke to a childe of God then to a childe of the divil to an elect then to a reprobate For their doctrine is that Christ dyed indifferently for all Yet albeit this practise of his is base enough at pleasure to putt upon us what cause of consolation he
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
that worketh in us every thing that is pleasing in his sight doth the Physician sett the mans leggs whom he hath cured I thinke he hath enough to doe to sett his owne legges members going according to their severall motions was holy Paul nourished in his sloath who both professeth that he laboured more abundantly then they all yet in the same breath acknowledgeth that nevertheles it cannot he but rather the grace of God in him Nay how is it possible that God should bring a man to a sermon while he lyes lazy in his bed How is it possible he should continue that excesse which brought him to his sicknes when God workes in him that which is pleasing in his sight and fullfills the good pleasure of his goodnes towards him and the worke of faith in power But we may easily proceave the Spirit of his Author he would not be a child still he would goe on highe alone and not have any neede of the leading of his heavenly Father his owne Spirit serves his turne to performe any holy duetie any gracious worke And as Plato discerned the pride of Antisthenes through his patcht coate so may we thorough these wilde expressions as if God did mans worke for him while he lay in sleepe we may easily perceave the pride of his heart requiring no more succour from God to the performance of to velle agere of that which is good then Pelagius of olde did Yet the Lord by his prophet playnely professeth of himselfe that he causeth us to walke in his statutes and judgments and to doe them and the Apostle as playnely teacheth us that God workes in us both the will and the deede according to his good pleasure yea that he workes in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ. The meaning whereâ—â— Pelagius his opinion was only this that suadet omne quod bonum est and in all liklihood no other is the meaning of the Apostle in the opinion of this Author though he comes not so farre as to the discussing therof and to treate of Gods concourse For which kinde of exercise this comicall witt of his is nothing accommodated and like enough this discourse of his is plausible to none but such comicall witts as himselfe is of and no merveyle if it be magnified of them For Lactucas similes labra simillima habent like lettice like lips Yet he doth us wrong in saying we are not content that God should furnish us with necessary and sufficient grace to preserve and keepe us from sinne For albeit we doe require that God should immediately and irresistibly worke all our good workes in us yet surely we acknowledge this to be necessary unto every good act and no grace without this sufficient ad velle agere though there may be without this a grace sufficient ad posse and the word of God it selfe we acknowledge to be sufficient in its kinde to witt in the way of instruction but the ministery therof we willingly professe goes no farther then Pauls planting and Apollos wateringe over and above all which unles God be pleased to give the encrease we shall continue unfruitfull still only there is a sect that have a better opinion of their activitie unto that which is good then so Sure I am the Apostle tells us that God doth fulfill the good pleasure of his goodnes in us and the worke of faith with power and if he fulfill the worke of faith with power doth he not fulfill the worke of love of repentance of obedience of all holy conversation and godlines that with power Molira will have Gods concourse to be simultaneous with the will not antecedaneous in nature to the wills operation least otherwise God should not be the immediate cause of the act of the maintenance wherof he was zelous and it seemes Arminiâ—â—s tooke his conceyte from him of making God in the same manner an immediate cause of every act But Suares his fellowe Iesuite doth not approove of that Molinaes conceyte and is of opinion that albeit God doth worke the will to her operation yet this nothing hinders the immediate condition of Gods causalitie So that all of them stande for the maintenance of Gods immediate causalitie which this Author very judiciously and profoundely out of the depth of his scholasticalitie rejects and after his manner takes it in scorne that God shoulde be required to performe an immediate operation in producing any good worke he would have that left to the will of man not that he desires to have wherof to boast for he will be ready in great plerophory of wordes to professe that he gives God the glory of all but how Forsooth of working him so to that which is good as to leave it to his will at the pleasure therof to be the immediate operator in all Otherwise he should worke irresistibly which is a phrase of an ill accent in their eares and stickes as a burre in their throate it will not downe with them for they are verily persuaded it would breede no good blood in them not for feare least herby they should ascribe too much to God and too litle to themselves farre be that from the Spirit of their humilitie but they would have the Allmightie cary himselfe decently in dealing with them and sith he hath indued them with free will not to damnifie the free course therof which were to disanull his owne workmanship For as yet they are not arrived to any such faith as to believe that it is in the power of the Almightye to make them to worke this or that freely But let me have leave to spurre this Author one quaestion Cannot he endure that God should so powerfully worke them unto that which is good that the world should have no abilitie to resist him nor the divill and his Angells of darkenes We knowe the course and fashions of the one and the practises and suggestions of the other are prest and forward enough to hinder us in the good wayes of the Lord as much as ever the Angell of God was to hinder Balaam in his wicked courses Now why should you be so zealous of maynteyning the power eyther of the world or the divill to corrupt your soule and overthrowe your faith were it not rather cheifly to be desired that God should so worke us by his holy Spirit unto every thing that is pleasing in his sight that it shoulde not be in the power of the very gates of hell to prevayle against us that is I trowe to worke us unto that which is good irresistibly that is so that the world nor the divill should not be able to resist Gods operation though they much desire it I shoulde thinke it is not the genius of this Author to oppose irresistible operation divine in this sense though it may be he was never cast upon this distinction untill now In respect of whom then would he have this
the act another speciall as touching the manner of performing it Lastly as touching the manner how all things shall come to passe by vertue of Gods decree this Author lurkes purposely under a miserable confusion which we cleere thus All things come to passe we say by Gods decree whether they are such things as come to passe necessarily by second causes working necessarily Or such as come to passe contingently by second causes working contingently and freely And accordingly upon supposition of Gods decree we say it is necessary that such things as God hath decreed shall com to passe but how Not necessarily allwayes but eyther necessarily or contingently and freely according to the condition of second causes some of them onely working necessarily but others working contingently freely All this this Author most judiciously confoundes as whose ende is to serve his owne turne and the advantage of his owne cause but not the cause of God in the sincere and faithfull investigation of his truth As in the very next sentence he manifesteth himself deep in this confusion as when he saith That the first cause doth in such manner moove and direct the second among which is the will of man that they cannot otherwise stirre then they are stirred For here he confoundes the different manner of Gods mooving and directing second causes as if there were no difference herin wheras indeede there is a very vast difference For wheras of second causes some worke necessarily some contingently God mooves them all not after one manner but differently that is agreably to their different conditions Second causes working necessarily he mooves and directs to worke necessarily in such sort as they cannot otherwise stirre then they are stirred but as for second causes working contingently and freely he mooves and directs them to worke accordingly that is contingently and freely to witt so as they have power eyther to suspende their operation which is their libertie quoad exercitium or to produce another operation which is their libertie quoad specificationem Thus he mooved Cyrus to builde his cittie and lett goe his captives as he had foretolde long before thus he mooved Iosiah to burne the prophets bones upon the altar which was foretold in the dayes of Ieroboam many hundred yeares before and no sober man makes doubt but that these workes of theirs though predetermined by God yet were performed as freely by them as any other workes of theirs In like manner he mooved the souldiers to absteyne from breaking of Christs bones prophecyed of about a thousand yeares before and the bordering nations to forbeare to invade the land of Israel when all the males came up thrise in the yeare before the Lord in Ierusalem according to the promise made unto them Exod. 34.24 I will cast out the nations before thee enlarge thy coasts so that no man shall desire thy land when thou shalt come up to appeare before the Lord thy God thrisâ— in the yeare Yet who doubts but they did as freely forbeare this as ought els and that the souldiours as freely absteyned from breaking Christs bones as they did freely breake the bones of them who were crucified with him But these Lucifugae delight in confusion like owles that are in love with darkenes that is their best time for prey In that which followes I confesse he deales clearly saying that though a man be given to sinne yet in case he knowes God would have it so by his secret will and that God hath predestinated him therunto this is a comfort unto him and truly I doe not envy him such a comfort and I see no reason but in the midst of the torments of hell it shoulde be likewise a comfort unto him that God did predestinate him therunto by his secret will Only he is pleased to speake in his owne phrase when he talkes of predestinating unto sinne Of predestinating unto damnation the Ancients spake acknowledging such a predestination But they acknowledged no predestinating unto sinne for as much as they tooke predestination to be only of those things which were wrought by God not of sinnes which are only permitted by God Yet these even as foule sinnes as were committed Herod and Pilate together with the Gentiles and people of Israel when they were gathered together against the holy Sonne of God are in the mouthes of the Apostles confessed to have bene foredetermined by the hand and counsel of God which wee understand thus God did fore-determine they should come to passe by his permission as touching the sinfulnes of them Now as for the Spirit of this Author how well it suiteth with the Spirit of Gods Saints we may easily judge by the word of God For when they doe expostulate with God in this manner Lord why hast thou caused us to erre from thy ways and hardned our hearts against thy feare it seemes apparantly that they tooke no comfort at all in this that God hardned their hearts against his feare and caused them to erre from his wayes And when the Lord revealed unto Moses that he would harden Pharaohs heart wherupon he should not let Israel goe for a long time I never perceaved that herby any comfortable condition was denoted that shoulde be unto Pharao in case he had known so much It seemes allso S. Paul tooke no notice of any such comfortable condition when having taught that God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth he bringâ—s in one herupon expostulating thus why then doth he yet complayne For who hath resisted his will Neyther doth the Apostle take any such course to pacifie him as by representing any coÌ„fortable condition redounding unto him hereby namely in as much as God it is who hath hardned him unto disobedience But the course he takes to stop his mouth is of another nature thus O man who art thou that disputest with God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lumpe to make one a vessell unto honour and another unto dishonour And whatsoever a debaucht Christian may be feigned to conceave for mine owne part and so I thinke I may be bold to say of every one of our profession whose hearts God hath seasoned with his feare I may be bolde to professe a truth that albeit I take notice of Gods hand sometimes hardening me against his feare yet God knowes I take no comfort in it but rather in this that God knowes how to worke it for my good according to that of Austin Audeo dicere vtile est superbis in aliquod apertum manisestumque cadere peccatuÌ„ c. when I find that my sinnes doe not make a finall or a totall separation betweene my soule God this may well tende to the corrobaration of my faith and persuade my soule that nothing shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Iesus our