Pelagianorum si ego quicquam intelligo Scotus then teacheth that faith charity and repentance may be had ex puris naturalibus Concerning faith he saith Fide acquisita ex puris naturalibus potest homo assentiri omnibus reuelatis à Deo And a little after Hoc igitur tenendum est tanquam certum quod reuelatorum in Scripturis est nobis acquisita fides generata ex auditu actionibus nostris qua eis firmiter adhaeremus And speaking of faith infused he saith De fide infusa quomodo sit ponenda in nobis hoc non est ita certum an fit vel quomodo sit ponenda in nobis After the same manner he speaketh of charity Lib. 3. Distinct. 27. Quaest. 1. dist 28. Now seeing these be their positions it is not much materiall what words they giue when speaking of grace they intend to giue all to nature in the end The subtle Doctor saw that they who bring in the respectiue decree affirming that God in conferring of grace respecteth somewhat in man must needs yeeld that the thing respected in man must be nature nothing but nature And therefore Scotus beeing a Famous Pelagian granteth that roundly because hee perceiued that the respectiue decree cannot stand without this ground But others are or seeme to bee offended at such grosse proceedings and therefore they would temper this morter and daube it vp thus That it is not Nature but Grace that God respecteth Thus they would in words mollifie the horrour of the other opinion and yet they retayne the same absurdities The Author of the Appeale is running on with these but God knoweth which way hee is going for hee himselfe knoweth not Hee sayth God called Saint Peter in respect of his Faith Obedience and Repentance and then hee thinketh that hee hath well sayd in laying this respect not vppon nature but vppon grace as hee thinketh But hee doth not vnderstand the absurdity that this draweth after it For if God called Saint Peter in respect of his Faith Obedience and Repentance then were Saint Peters Faith Obedience and Repentance some cause why hee was called and therefore before his calling But in true Diuinity Saint Peters Faith Obedience and Repentance are the effects of his calling not the cause and come after the calling but goe not before it It may well bee sayd that God iustified him in respect of his calling and God called him in respect of Predestination and God predestinated him Secundum propositum in respect of his purpose For so Saint Augustine reasoneth that for the grace of Predestination wee haue the grace of Gods calling that is grace for grace And for the grace of his Calling wee haue the grace of Iustification that is grace for grace But the Ancients that reasoned thus alwayes obserued that the Consequent grace might be giuen for and in respect of the Precedent grace but that the Precedent grace might bee giuen for or in respect of a Subsequent grace there was neuer Orthodoxe Writer that taught so Yet the Pelagians and after them the Arminians seeming willing to auoyde the danger of that Rocke at which so many haue made Shipwracke that grace is giuen for some respects in nature to auoyde this absurdity they labour to mollifie the matter but runne still vppon the same danger They change the manner of speaking and say that a Precedent grace is giuen in respect of subsequent grace as this man sayth When hee holdeth that the grace of calling is giuen in respect of Faith and Obedience which are subsequent graces But this is nothing else but for the loue to holde with Pelagius to say something Wherein they forsake Vnderstanding Reason Diuinity and Philosophy and speake Non sence For that I call Non-sence that is against Diuinity Philosophy and Common reason as this is which maketh a subsequent grace to bee the cause of a Precedent grace to set the effect before the cause And because in this manner of speech there is nothing to satisfie the vnderstanding of a Diuine or a Philosopher it is apparant that this was deuised for none other end but onely to dazle the ignorant with Wordes without Vnderstanding But a matter of this nature will not bee carryed with empty Wordes And in so high a poynt of Diuinity to speake without expresse Scriptures is a signe that they presume too much eyther vppon their owne wit or vppon other mens weaknesse Their end is that if thus much might be obtayned that God giueth the precedent grace for or in respect of the consequent they might with more ease afterward fall into the playne tearmes of Pelagius For howsoeuer they may palliate the matter with strange VVordes not vnderstood yet the Truth is as Scotus confesseth that if Gods grace bee giuen in respect of any thing in man that can bee nothing but nature For in man before he be called there is nothing but nature And therefore the playne Doctrine of Scotus that a man may merite grace Ex puris naturalibus standeth more probable in reason then this opinion which deuiseth a subsequent grace to be the cause of a precedent grace For as this is against Diuinity so the reason of the Naturall man refuseth it The graces of God are ordered and they that would disorder them trouble the whole frame of our saluation For God hath set the order From Gods purpose proceedeth Predestination from Predestination Calling from Calling Faith and Iustification from Iustification Obedience and all fruitefull workes The first grace that wee apprehend is Calling And therefore before we are called there is nothing in vs but nature If then God respect any thing in man in respect whereof hee calleth him that can be nothing but nature and free will This the Pelagians taught plainely but some following the Pelagians are ashamed to vtter themselues so plainely They striue to handle the matter more finely but whilest they seeke finenesse they haue lost their wits Surely they haue forsaken reason and vnderstanding Now it is not possible that from nature and freewill any grace should rise because the Lord sayth That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Here be two principles set one in Nature the other in Grace The principle of grace and all good motions is the Spirit the highest principle of nature and naturall motions is the Flesh Therefore no grace of the spirit can proceede from the flesh but nature and free-will is nothing but flesh Againe the order wherin the Blessed Apostle setteth downe these things the purpose of God predestination calling iustification glorification doth prooue that a precedent grace may be some cause to draw after it a subsequent grace but for a subsequent grace to be any manner of cause to draw a precedent this is impossible The blessed Apostle sayth All things fall out for the best to them that loue God to them that are called according to his purpose Before I
of his calling giuen in consideration and respect of these things and so Gratia datur secundum merita Secundum merita whether we Translate according to merits or in respect and consideration of merits all is one I stand not vppon any curiosity of Words there is no difference in the matter It followeth necessarily that this man teacheth that Doctrine for which Pelagius was condemned for an Hereticke let him shift this as hee can Here the Author of the Appeale may consider what wrong he hath done to the Church of England in obtruding for Doctrines of our Church the old rotten Heresies of Pelagius And let him also consider who doth now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trouble and betray the Church of England Wee teach with the Scriptures and with the most Orthodoxe Ancient Church that St. Peter was predestinated and called vnto faith obedience and repentance This man runneth with the Arminians into the depth of Pelagius his poysoned Doctrine And was it not likely that hee should run this way who being a priuate man without authority taketh vpon him to impose Doctrines to our Church to change those that are receiued and in place thereof to reuiue the Pelagian errours to beare men in hand that these are the Doctrines of our Church to scorne men that haue beene reuerenced for their Learning and will bee reuerenced in the ages following such as Arch-bishop Whitgift Arch-bishop Hutton Doctor Rainolds Doctor Whittakers and the other Bishops and Learned men that joyned with them whom this man accounteth sometimes Caluinists and Puritanes sometimes that They were reputed learned as if himselfe had that in Truth which they did but seeme to haue Who being a Priest of the Church of England accuseth Bishops his superiours to be Puritanes as all must be to him who yeeld not to his foolish and erroneous Doctrines who in commendation of his owne stile calleth it an Exasperating stile Who in this exasperating humour careth not and professeth that hee careth not what any thinke that please not this his humour Who with such height of disdayne sleighteth the diligence and industry of his brethren gathered at the Synode at Dort Yet they who were imployed in that seruice were authorized by his Majesties Commission directed by his Instructions and when they returned rendring to his Maiesty an account of their imployment were most graciously approoued of by his Maiesty onely they cannot get the approbation of this Gentleman It were good for him to consider these exasperating humors they proceede from Pride Here is neyther Humility nor Charity to be found and therefore not the Spirit of God And what good can he do in Gods Church that commeth in Pride and a spirit exasperating without charity and humility Sir I write not this in choller nor in malice to your person but I haue told you plainely the censures of those men with whom I haue spoken in this matter both of the higher sort in the Church who are your Fathers of inferior ranke who are your Brethren I omit the censure of the Layty I speake of them that are able to iudge of your spirit And because they haue obserued these things in you I thought the best seruice I could do you was plainly to let you know these things that you may amend them It were good and necessary for you to vnderstand how you haue bin fetched ouer by those cosening companions the Arminians who haue plunged you in with themselues in the depthes of Pelagius Their end in deuising that respectiue decree is that Predestination should not be ruled by Gods will and eternall purpose but by mans free will And this is the end which you must imbrace vnlesse God turne your heart and warne you to auoide these dangerous and pernitious doctrines wherein you draw the yoake with Pelagius God make you to see your errour and to make some satisfaction to the Church of England whom you haue so much wronged We say in this as Saint Augustine sayd in the like Promisit Deus quae ipse facturus erat non quod homines facturi erant quum Abrahae promiserat in semine eius fidem gentium quia etsi faciunt homines bona ipse tamen facit vt faciant quae praecepit Alioquin vt Dei promissa compleantur non in Deised in hominum est potestate That which Saint Augustine saith here of the promise of God is in like manner true in the purpose of Gods Predestination For God doth predestinate that which he himselfe will do not that which men would doe For albeit men according to Gods purpose are called doe beleeue are iustified walke in obedience repentance and other good workes yet it is God that worketh that which he predestinateth and worketh according to his owne exceeding great power faith in men charity and hope and maketh them walke in obedience otherwise that Predestination should haue his effect it should not be in Gods power but in mans power Now if it be Gods calling that gaue to Saint Peter faith obedience and repentance how then doth this man say that Saint Peter was called in consideration and respect of his faith obedience and repentance This is true that God giueth these graces Now he sayth that Saint Peter was called in respect of these graces what can followe but this that God giueth these graces to Saint Peter in respect of these graces Which were to run giddy in a circle CHAP. 4. A preuention of such answers as may be made against this that hath bene sayd SOme happily may obiect that this is not so plaine Pelagianisme For Pelagius taught that there was somewhat in Nature that did cause God to confer grace but this man seemeth to say that God giueth grace not in respect of nature but in respect of grace For faith obedience and repentance are graces and if in these respects God giue grace then it is grace that draweth grace and not nature This obiection as it may proceede from the Pelagians is of no validity For Saint Augustine doth witnesse that Pelagius himselfe did confesse grace in words but in truth denied it I will not thinke that this man doth so collude in this word Grace But because hee followeth the same course which the Pelagians held whether wittingly or as I rather thinke vnwittingly We may not suffer the grace of God whether wittingly or vnwittingly to be defaced The Pelagians when they speake of faith and charity and such like graces giue but smooth words to colour their meaning and to deceiue the simple Some of them doe more plainely open themselues Iohn Scotus who was the greatest Pelagian that liued in his time for it was he that brought in the doctrine of Meritum ex congruo which some of the most learned Papists amongst whō we may account Franciscus Victoria do confesse to be the true doctrine of Pelagius Victoria speaking of that doctrine De merito ex congruo saith plainly Haec erat bona pars erroris
which they should haue thought on conceiuing things contrary to that which we haue receiued from the Scripture I may not bee silent For that were as much as in mee is to betray the Truth Yet my care shal bee to say no more heerein then I shall bee drawne necessarily to speake for the Truth and to remooue that which hath beene erroneously presumed by others For then is a man bound to maintayne the Truth when it is oppugned It troubled mee not a little I confesse that I am to deale with a Minister of the Church of England one that hath beene mine ancient Acquaintance of whom I had greater and better hopes But in Gods Cause all respects of Friendshippe and Acquaintance yea if it were of blood and kindred must giue place to the Truth Leuy sayde to his Father and to his Mother I haue not seene him neither knew hee his Brethren nor knewe his Children For they obserued thy Word and kept thy Commandement Deut. 33.9 And this is the way to do him good For I am not out of hope of reclaiming of him seeing hee hath promised that if the euidence bee cleare against him or if hee be conuicted per testes idoneos to haue erred he wil recall it The Scriptures the ancient Fathers and the Doctrine of the Church of England are testes idonei I shall deale freely and plainly For the ordering of the whole First after a briefe Introduction set downe for the better vnderstanding of the controuersie I will examine his extrauagant opinions concerning the respectiue decree of Predestination and after of falling away from Grace Last of all some particulers in his Booke This I doe not vndertake vpon any confidence that I conceiue in my selfe I know many in our Church more worthy and able then my selfe and I thanke God for them But as heeretofore I haue had experience of Gods mercy and found that the loue of the truth hath in other things enabled me to defend the Truth and helped me to know the Truth so I rest vpon the same helpe I seeke Gods Truth which will not fayle them that seeke and loue it And if any man of greater confidence in his wit and learning will enter vppon the Defence of the Appeale for I haue heard the whisperings I shall bee willing to spend the rest of mine old dayes in this for they cannot bee spent in a better seruice CHAP. 2. An Introduction for the better vnderstanding of the Controuersie following THE Church England was reformed by the helpe of our learned and Reuerend Bishops in the daies of King Edward the sixt and in the beginning of the Raigne of Queene Elizabeth They who then gaue that forme of reformation to our Church held consent in Doctrine with Peter Martyr and Martin Bucer being by authority appoynted Readers in the two Vniuersities and with other then liuing whom they iudged to bee of best learning and soundnesse in the reformed Churches And of the Ancients especially with St. Augustine And were carefull to hold this Vnity amongst themselues and with the reformed Churches For that these worthy Bishops who were in the first reformation had this respect vnto P. Martyr and M. Bucer it is apparent both because the Doctrine of our Church doth not differ from the Doctrine that these taught and because that worthy Arch-bishop Cranmer caused our Leiturgy to be Translated into Latin and craued the consent and iudgement of M. Bucer who gaue a full consent thereto as it appeareth in his workes Inter opera Anglicana And P. Martyr beeing likewise requested writeth in His epistles touching that matter his iudgement and consent of the gouernment and discipline of our Church This vniformity of Doctrine was held in our Church without disturbance as long as those worthy Bishops liued who were employed in the reformation For albeit the Puritans disquieted our Church about their conceiued Discipline yet they neuer mooued any quarrell against the Doctrine of our Church which is well to be obserued For if they had embraced any Doctrine which the Church of England denied they would assuredly haue quarrelled about that aswell as they did about the Discipline But it was then the open confession both of the Bishops and of the Puritanes that both parts embraced a mutuall consent in Doctrine onely the difference was in matter of inconformity Then hitherto there was no Puritane Doctrine knowne The first disturbers of this vniformity in doctrine were Barret and Baro in Cambridge and after them Thomson Barret and Baro beganne this breach in the time of that most reuerend Prelate Archbishop Whitgift Notwithstanding that these had attempted to disturbe the Doctrine of our Church yet was the vniformity of Doctrine still maintained For when our Church was disquieted by Barret and Baro the Bishops that then were in our Church examined the new Doctrine of these men and vtterly disliked and reiected it And in the poynt of Predestination confirmed that which they vnderstood to be the Doctrine of the Church of England against Barret and Baro who oppugned that doctrine This was fully declared by both the Archbishops Whitgift of Canterbury and Hutton of Yorke with the other Bishops and learned men of both Prouinces who repressed Barret and Baro refuted their doctrine and iustified the contrary as appeareth by that Booke which both the Archbishops then compiled The same Doctrine which the Bishops then maintained was at diuerse times after approued as in the Conference at Hampton Court as will be hereafter confirmed And againe it was confirmed in Ireland in the Articles of Religion in the time of our late Soueraigne Articulo 38. The Author of the Appeale pleadeth against the Articles of Lambeth and iustifieth the Doctrine of Barret Baro and Thomson auerring the same to be the Doctrine of the Church of England This hee doth not by naming of those men whose names he knew would bring no honour to this cause but by laying downe and iustifying their doctrines and suggesting that they who maintained the doctrines contained in the Articles of Lambeth are Caluinists and Puritans So that those Reuerend Archbishops Whitgift and Hutton with the Bishops of our Church who then liued are in his iudgement to be reiected as Puritans The question is whether of these two positions we must now receiue for the doctrines of our Church that which Barret Baro and Thomson would haue brought in which doctrines were then refuted and reiected by our Church Or that Doctrine which the Bishops of our Church maintained against these men which Doctrine hath beene since vpon diuerse occasions approued If there were no more to be sayd I dare put it to the Issue before any indifferent Iudges CHAP. 3. An examination of the respectiue pretended decree of Predestination THe Author of the Appeale vndertaking to maintaine the Doctrine of the Church of England refuteth that which hitherto hath bene taken for the Doctrine of our Church and maintaineth the doctrine of the Pelagians striuing to make that