p. 86. doth roundly affirme that sinne is the meritorious cause of reprobation So Arnoldus p. 151. Election and reprobation of particular persons were made in respect of the fore-sight of faith and incredulity Arnoldus Can any suspect your fidelity that you take the word ex equiuocally in reprobation to note the cause but in election to note the condition It must needes be therefore that they acknowledge that the elect are appointed to saluation for faith fore seene because they beleeue and that fore-seene faith is the cause of the election of particular persons IV. But there is no difference whether you say that Election doth rest on faith fore-seene or that it doth rest on the fore-seeing of faith for both wares faith is made the cause of election in the latter it is made the neerest cause in the former it is made the remote cause for fore-seene faith is made the cause of fore-seeing it and the fore-seeing it is made the cause of election For why doth God fore-know that they will beleeue vnlesse because they will beleeue and why doth he elect vnlesse because he fore-knoweth they will beleeue These are the words of Arminius against Perkins p. 142. In that God fore-knowes he therefore fore-knowes because it will afterward be V. The same men a little after against the Walachrians doe vse although fearefully the word depending that they might make election depending on faith And although say they that word of depending which we are neuer wont to vse in this argument be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily subiect to calumny yet if a maleuolent minde be absent it cannot be drawne to the least suspicion of any absurdity Yes it may be drawne to the greatest For Greuinchouius himselfe Pag. 198. doth acknowledge that dependency strictly taken doth argue causality and the dependency of a superiour by an inferiour And truely these men doe not obscurely declare how willingly they would vse this word if they did not feare our pursuite VI. There is extant a Treatise of Greuinchouius with this Title Of election * ex for faith fore seene but that word ex from or for doth not onely note priority but also causality For who would endure a man that should say that Tiberius was from Octauius Augustus or that this yeare is from the former because one went before the other A man that is not vnskiifull of the Latine doth sufficiently know that the praeposition ex is not fit to note onely the priority of faith vnlesse besides the priority there is also some efficiency or dependency Wherefore the same man page 24. hath these words It is altogether conuenient to the nature of lawes and prescribed conditions that the will of the Iudge should be moued to giue the reward by the required and performed condition This performed condition the Arminians say to be faith which if we beleeue them is considered in election as performed They will therefore haue God to be moued by this fulfilled condition that he should giue the reward which if it be true faith is plainely the cause both of decreeing and giuing the reward because it is that which moueth the Iudge VII So in the conference at the Hage the Arminians doe contend that God doth not elect without respect of qualities which thing is true not onely of faith but also of repentance so it be taken thus that God in electing considered men as they that by his gift and bounty would beleeue and be renewed in repentance If you take this respecting otherwise it must needes be that this respecting is the cause for one is said to choose any thing in respect of some quality or vertue who by that qualitie or vertue is moued to choose it otherwise he would not VIII Nay what That the Arminian conferrers at the Hage p. 86. doe vse the word Cause God sendeth his word whether it seemeth good to him not according to any absolute decree but for other causes lying hid in man Then is man the cause why hee is called whence it comes that he is the cause also that he is elected For that which is the cause why God doth call a man to saluation is plainely the cause why God will saue him for these are things connexed and knit together The same men page 109. It is absurd to put the absolute will of God in the decree of election for the first and principall cause that it should goe before the other causes to wit Christ faith and all other causes Here you heare that faith is put among the causes of election wherefore Arnoldus page 53. doth leaue it in the middle whether faith ought to be called the cause or the condition Whether saith hee faith should be called the condition or whether it should be called the cause it alwayes being laid downe for granted that it is the gift of God this alone is the question how faith hath respect to election And a little before he had said If any should say that in the decree of election faith hath the respect of a cause yet he should not thereby deny that it is the gift of God Not obscurely insinuating how prone hee was to that part and perceiued that hee was not rashly to be blamed who hath called faith the cause of our election IX Adde to these that Arnoldus page 186. and the rest with him doe contend that faith is not of those that are elected but that the election is of those that are faithfull We truely out of Saint Paul to Titus chap. 1. v 1. say that faith is of the elect which we so take because election is the cause of faith to which our assertion seeing they oppose theirs as contrary whereby they say that election is of them that are faithfull what else would they but haue faith to be the cause of our election X. Let also the moment and force of their reasons be weighed and considered In the conference at the Hage they professe that they doe not refuse to write with great letters and to subscribe that election is made by Christ without any consideration of good workes And yet doe the same men euen to loathing beate vpon this that Election is the decree of sauing them that beleeue that there is no man elected by God but in respect of faith But I would know why they so earnestly exclude the consideration of workes from election seeing that the earnest endeauour of good workes is a condition no lesse fore-required to saluation then faith Who by these things doth not see that faith is not laid downe by them meerely as a fore-required condition For if faith were thus considered by them it is plaine that the study and endeauour of good workes had beene ioyned and placed in the same degree with faith XI And if God electeth to saluation not those whom he absolutely decreed but those whom hee fore-saw would beleeue it is plaine that God in election hath respect to some dignity and
vertue and not saluation it selfe Then also Paul expounds how wee are holy to wit in charity nor in the fruition and enioying of glory He vnderstands the dueties of charity which are exercised in this life vnto which to be exhorted after this life is needelesse Finally by their so various and diuers expositions which ouerthrow one another they doe sufficiently confesse that they haue nothing wherein they may be constant And because they cannot master vs by the weight of their expositions they endeauour to ouerwhelme vs by the multitude of them It is of small importance that from this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is blamelesse they gather that it is spoken of the perfection after this life For the Apostle will haue vs to be blamelesse euen in this life as Philippians 2.15 Where he commands vs to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blamelesse and harmelesse in the midst of a crooked and peruerse generation Certainly when the Apostle saith that we might be blamelesse in charity it is manifest that he doth not speake of the Saints enioying glory where there is no place for reprehension nor for exhortation to the duties of charitie There is no little force in the following verse He predestinated vs to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ Out of this place I thus reason Those whom God predestinated to adoption he hath predestinated also to the spirit of adoption to be giuen them and this is nothing else but to predestinate them to faith for the spirit of adoption is it that beareth witnesse in our hearts that we are the sonnes of God Rom. 8. and this testimony is faith it selfe It is true indeede that God appointeth no man to adoption but whom God considereth as one that by his gift will be faithfull but the same may also be said of those that are appointed to faith which is appointed to none but whom God considereth as one that will be faithfull And surely they are grosely deceiued who thinke that the faithfull are appointed to the adoption of children seeing in that they are faithfull they are already children This Saint Iohn teacheth chapter 1. To them that beleeued he gaue this prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God II. Agreeable to this place are also many other 1 Cor. 7.25 I haue obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithfull not because he considered me as already faithfull Iohn 15.16 I haue chosen you that you should bring forth fruit therefore he did not choose vs considered as already faithfull and therefore as already bearing fruit Should wee imagine that Christ speakes here onely of the election of the Apostles to their Apostleship I thinke there is none of so impudent a face who can deny that the same thing may be spoken of any of the elect whereof there is none whom God hath not elected that hee might be godly and good euen as also there is no man who is not of a shamelesse countenance who will deny that all the following documents and lessons doe belong to all the faithfull These things I commend you that you loue one another If the world hate you you know that it hath hated me firsh c. III. Not vnlike this is that which the Apostle saith 2 Thes 2.13 God hath chosen you to saluation by sanctification of the spirit and beleefe of the truth He saith that we are elected to obtaine saluation by faith not for faith and so faith is after election and a certaine medium or middle thing betweene election and saluation IV. The words of Ananias to S. Paul Act 22.14 are consonant to this God hath chosen thee that thou shouldst know his will by which knowledge faith and assent to the Gospell is vnderstood for Saint Paul was not elected more to know the Gospell then to beleeue the Gospell Paul therefore was elected to beieeue and so his election was before his faith V. The same Apostle 1 Thessa 1.3 praising the faith and charitie of the Thessalonians doth fetch the cause of these vertues from election it selfe Remembring without ceasing your worke of faith and labour of lone as knowing that you are elected of God Here the Arminians doe willingly stumble in a plaine way for by Election they will haue Calling to be vnderstood which if it be true the reprobates themselues will be elected as being also called Then also Saint Paul is deluded as if hee were not in his right minde For what neede Paul tell the Thessalonians that he knew they were called by the Gospell seeing Saint Paul himselfe preached the Gospell to them He were a ridiculous Grammarian who should tell his Schollers that he had taught I know you haue learned Grammer Arnoldus pag. 66. doth suspect that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowing is to be referred to the Thessalonians themselues But the good man hath dealt too negligently here for he doth not see that by this meanes the Greeke speech would be made incongruous and not agreeing for then it must haue beene read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it might agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the former verse But distrusting this exposition he hath smelt out that by the word election excellency ought to be vnderstood which truely is an intollerable license seeing election differeth from excellency by the whole praedicament for election is an action excellency is a quality or a relation Surely if it be lawfull to bring such portents and monsters of interpretation what will there be in the holy Scripture which may not be deluded or depraued Let Arnoldus bring another place where Excellency is vnderstood by the word Election For although he that is elected may be taken for him that excelleth yet you shall neuer finde Election to be so taken for Excellency Neither ought it to seeme a maruaile that Paul saith he knew of the election of the Thessalonians for God might reueile that to him concerning the Tessalonians which he reuealed concerning the Corinthians Acts 18.10 I haue much people in this citie Or if that doth not please it may be said that Saint Paul when he saw the Gospell receiued by the Thessalonians with very great ioy and much fruite easily perswaded himselfe that many of that people belonged to the election of God VI. The same Apostle in the beginning of his Epistle to Titus calleth himselfe the Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect It is plaine that faith is said to be of the elect because it is peculiar to the elect or else it were not rightly adorned with this elogy commendation and that by the confession of Vorstius himselfe Collat. cum piscat Sect. 118. Faith saith hee is called the faith of the elect of God Titus 1. because faith is a proper marke of the elect c. But why is faith peculiar to the elect is it because as many as haue true faith are elected by God But the Arminians deny this for they write of the Apostasie of the Saints
the death of Christ are not bound to beleeue that Christ dyed for them which yet are the greatest part of the world Neither are they to whom Christ is preached bound to beleeue absolutely and without condition that Christ died for them but on this condition if they be conuerted For if they shall perseuere in impenitency they are bound to beleeue that the death of Christ doth nothing pertaine to them XV. Arminius pag. 77. against Perkins and his sectaries doe repeate and heape vp these things euen to tediousnesse If there be any for whose sinnes God would not haue satisfaction to be made to himselfe by the death of Christ then in no right can faith be required of them nor can Christ be made their iudge neither can the reprobate be blamed for refusing the grace of redemption because it did not pertaine to him I answere all these things are grounded on this false supposition that faith is required of all men for wee haue already taught that it is not required of them who neuer had any meanes to know Christ as also that they to whom Christ is preached are not bound absolutely and without condition to beleeue that they are redeemed by the death of Christ but on this condition that they be conuerted They to whom the Gospell hath not beene preached shall not be condemned for the reiection of the Gospell but for the breach of the Law of which iudgement Christ by his father is appointed to be the Iudge who doth leaue vnder the Law those whom he doth not saue by the Gospell But they who by their incredulity haue refused the grace offred them by the Gospell are iustly condemned for refusing that grace not because they haue reiected that which pertaineth to vnbeleeuers and impenitent persons but because hauing despised the condition they haue neglected that which was offered to them vnder the condition of beleeuing which condition although they cannot fulfill by their naturall powers yet it is their debt for man himselfe by his owne fault brought vpon himselfe the disabilitie of beleeuing which disability God is not bound to cure in all Of which thing it is largely spoken Chap. 11. But say they Reprobates cannot be blamed for despising that grace which doth not belong vnto them But they are quite out of the way For reprobates cannot be accused for despising grace if they did despise it because they knew it did not belong vnto them But they therefore reiect it because they loue not Christ and they are led to the contempt of it by their owne will For Reprobates doe not therefore beleeue because saluation doth not belong vnto them but rather saluation doth not belong vnto them because they doe not beleeue and they draw destruction to themselues by their owne incredulity and impenitency It is true indeede that reprobation is the cause why God will not giue faith and repentance to this or that man But it is not the cause which doth put in and breâ—de impenitency and incredulity in man Wherefore that speech of Christ Iohn 10.16 Yee beleeue not because ye are not of my sheepe is so to be taken as if hee had said Therefore God doth not giue you faith which is peculiar to the elect because yee are not elected XVI This is the obiection of Greuinchouius P. 19. If election be before the obtayning of saluation then God first decreed of the communicating of saluation before he decreed of the obtaining of it But I am so far from thinking this to be absurd that I beleeue it is plainely necessary For it is alwaies first thought of the end before of the meanes to the end The saluation of man was the end God propounded to himselfe that this was the end is hence manifest because this is last in execution Therefore God first thought of giuing saluation before he thought of the obtayning of saluation by Christ because this is the meanes by which he doth leade vs to saluation XVII The same man Page 87. doth thus dispute They to whom this price being fit to saue them is offered if they themselues will embrace it for them also it is payed by the purpose of God But it is offered to Reprobates on this condition if they will embrace it therefore it is payed also for them by the purpose of God I answere that the minor part is not vniuersally true for this price is not offered for all the Reprobates and the maior part doth offend against the rules of precognition or supposition which will haue the subiect of euery Axiome or sentence to be or to haue being For examples sake this sentence Whosoeuer fulfilleth the law is saued is not false But the falshood of it is in the presupposition whereby it is presupposed That some men fulfill the Law The Maior of this Sylogisme hath the same fault For the subiect of it is imaginary and not existent For the subiect is this They to whom this price is offered to embrace it if they will I deny that there are such men to be found For this price is not offered to the Reprobates if they will embrace it seeing it is most certaine that they will not and that they cannot will of which disabilitie man himselfe is the cause Neither is this price offered to the Elect if they will but God in offering that price doth worke in them that they should will XVIII And when they speake of the sufficiency of the death of Christ as they extoll the efficacy of it so they say that it is sufficient not onely for men but also for the diuells Which if it be true it must needes be that God doth take away and cut off something from the price of the death of his Sonne and doth shorten the efficacy of it But although I know that the price and dignity of the death of Christ doth not depend on his humane nature but on the infinite excellency of his diuine nature yet I denie that his death is fit for the redemption of diuels because the iustice of God requireth that man who sinned should beare the punishment and it was needfull that the mediator betweene God and man should haue reference to both in the communion of his nature Therefore to saue man he tooke not the Angels but the seede of Abraham Heb. 2. And if the death of a man is sit to satisfie for the sinnes of Angels then the torments of an Angell if Christ had taken the nature of Angells had beene fit to satisfie for the sinnes of man Finally when it is spoken of the fitnesse is not to be disputed of the sufficiency For otherwise it might also be disputed whether the death of Christ be sufficient to saue Horses or Beetles and to giue them immortality which surely is not without impietie XIX These in a manner are the arguments wherwith these innouators do defend themselus But they doe exagitate and wrong our opinion after their owne manner which is euill for they change it
the end that is saluation then also hee will equally suggest vnto them the meanes to the end to wit the word faith and the spirit But he doth not suggest these things equally to all neither can any thing be imagined more absurd then that God should equally will that all particular men should beleeue and be saued and yet suggest to some men the meanes that are congruent and fit and will certainely profit but to others meanes that are not congruent nor fit and that certainely will not profit which yet is the doctrine of Arminius XXVII And in setting downe the causes of the greater loue of God towards some one nation and his lesse loue towards some other it cannot be said how coldly they deale Sometimes they make the disposition of the one which is better then the other to be the cause which we deny For Rome or Corinth or Ephesus were not more prone to piety a little before the light of the Gospell was brought to them then they were some ages before Yea at that time prodigious lust riot pride and rapine had so immeasurably increased that they could goe no further At the same time there were many nations euen stupid with their barbarous lewdnesse and seemed more worthy of pitty if the heauenly calling were gouerned by mans reason and not by the secret purpose of God Surely before the comming of Saint Paul God had much people at Corinth as God himselfe saith Acts 18.10 and that among the most foule and common lusts of that most impure citie For which elects sake God in his appointed time sent to Corinth such an excellent Apostle so cleere a trumpet of the Gospell whose preaching and miracles he vsed to the conuersion of them who belonged to his election XXVIII Finally seeing that there is no man who by himselfe and of his owne nature is not vndisposed to faith and conuersion no man that is not dead in sinne no man that is not vnable to follow God calling He is ridiculous who in the worke of regeneration and spirituall resurrection doth seeke for dispositions and inclinations to life among the dead and who doth faigne that God hath a will of sauing vs which doth follow mans free-will and doth depend on it XXIX But to make the fault of their ancestors to be cause of this and to thinke that God therefore would not haue his Gospell to be preached to this nation because their ancestors a thousand or two thousand yeers before refused the grace of God is absurd and nothing to the purpose For the Romanes and Corinthians that liued in the time of the Apostle Paul were sprung of the same ancestors which the Romanes and Corinthians were which liued thirty or forty yeeres before the preaching of Saint Paul Nor is it equall that the ofspring should be punished for the sinnes of their ancestors The sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father Ezechiel 18. Nor doth the law extend the visitation of the fathers vpon the children beyond the third and fourth generation although also there it is spoken of children that shall walke in the steppes of their fathers and doe imitate their fathers wickednesse Further also by warres by colonies and companies by banishments and by marriages there is a maruailous permixtion and mingling together of mankinde and in one and the same nation there are some who haue proceeded from other ancestors whose manners were diuers Yea one and the same man hath proceeded from ancestors whereof some haue refused the grace of God and some haue not Of all which if regard is to be had if God will haue his Gospell preached or not preached to a nation according as their ancestors haue behaued themselues it will be impossible but that he must be distracted with diuers and contrary thoughts and that his wisedome must be bound with ridiculous bonds and contrary purposes XXX Yet the Arminians doe obstinately persist in their opinion and although they know that in all ages and see that in this our age the name of Christ is vnknowne to many nations yet they doe harden their minde and doe contend that God would haue the Gospell to be preached to all Arnoldus Page 97. doth deny that it may be said that God would not haue the Gospell to be preached to all And Page 397. It is true indeede saith he that the Gospell is not euery where preached to all yet it doth not thence follow that God will not bring all men to faith but this happeneth because by their owne affected malice and peruersity they make themselues vnworthy of that Grace Which words doe seeme to mee to imply a contradiction for if the cause why the Gospell is not preached to a nation is the wickednesse and prauity of it it is playne that God will not haue his Gospell preached to that nation because by this punishment he would reuenge the stubbornnesse and obstinacy of it And to think that any punishments are inflicted on any nations God being vnwilling especially in the worke of our saluation is to accuse God of cruell negligence and to desire to put out the eyes of his prouidence Also wee haue largely taught that all men are vnworthy and that God so dispensing the Gospell is preached to the most vnworthy and to the worst nations According to that Rom. 10.20 I was found of them that sought me not I was made manifest to them that asked not after me XXXI Being driuen therfore from hence they haue deuised another thing then which nothing is more weake They say that it cannot be said that God is vnwilling that the Gospell should be preached to all nations but that many nations sit in darkenesse because there are wanting those who wil preach to them and that this commeth to passe because the zeale of Christians doth grow cold and because of the sloathfulnesse of the pastors of the Church who will not goe thither to preach But if all Christians were affected as it is meete they should and were touched with a zeale of the house of God the preaching of the Gospell would be wanting to no people I answere that I am not hee who will affirme that Christians are altogether faultlesse in this thing Yet notwithstanding it cannot be doubted but that these things are gouerned by the counsell and prouidence of God For if God would haue brought the light of the Gospell to the people of America who haue lyen for many ages in the thicke night of ignorance be had not suffered them for so many ages to be vnknowne to the Christian world For how can they be accused for not preaching the Gospell to the Americans who did not know that there were any such people or that that prat of the earth was inhabited Neither is it credible that God can be disappointed of his intent and of his desire of sauing any Nation by the negligence of some Ministers Nor is it equall that enumerable people should for euer beare the punishment
obserued that the Apostle speaking of reprobates doth say that they are vessels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fitted or prepared to destruction He doth not say that God prepared or sitted them least he should seeme to say that God put sinne in them by which they might be prepared to destruction but when he speaketh of the elect hauing turned his speech saith that God prepared them for glory which God doth by giuing them the spirit and faith It is not without consideration that the Apostle would not after the same manner speake in both places viz. because God found some vessels fitted to destruction but made others vessels appointed to glory and that by hauing mercy on them X. Saint Austen is expresse to this purpose For in sixe hundred places either explaning or touching this place of Saint Paul hee doth vnderstand by the name Masse the Masse corrupted and polluted with sinne So Epist 105. Because that whole Masse is iustly condemned iustice hath giuen that contumely and disgrace that is due and grace doth giue that honour which is not due and in the same Epistle The vniuersall Masse is iustly condemned of sinne and a little after If they are the vessels of wrath which are made for that destruction which is duâ—ly giuen to them let them impute this to themselues because they are made of that Masse which for the sinne of one man is iustly and deseruedly condemned of God He doth repeate the same thing Epist 106. and Encherid cap. 98 99. and 107. where he calleth it the Masse of destruction See also the 2. lib. against the two Epistles of the Pelagians cap. 7. and lib. 5. against Iulian cap. 3. Neither did euer any among the ancient thinke that Paul speakes of the sound and not corrupted Masse CHAP. XV. That Arminius doth willingly darken the words of the Apostle which are cleare and expresse ARminius with a carefull subtilty but with an vnhappy successe hath written a Treatise vpon the ninth Chapter to the Romanes for hee doth torment the Apostle and doth as it were with wracks draw from him against his will what things he thinks may make for the patronage of his errour of Election for faith fore-seene I. He faines that the Apostles minde is to teach that they onely of the Iewes were to be reckoned the sonnes of Abraham who letting passe iustification by the law doe follow after righteousnesse and faith and the purpose according to Election hee denyeth to be the decree of the election of seuerall men but the generall and condition all decree of sauing all who were to beleeue By which decree Arminius will haue all men to be elected conditionally which surely is no election seeing election is not but of seueral men who are chosen out of the multitude others being reiected II. I confesse indeede that the doctrine of election by free grace doth make the way to the doctrine of righteousnesse by faith yet all this dispute of Saint Paul concerning election which reacheth from the sixt verse to the thirteenth doth not deale of iustification by faith neither would the Apostle proue in this place that man is iustified by faith or that God doth elect those which apprehend Christ by faith But by the doctrine of election doth frame to himself an entrance to the treatise of iustification by faith which afterwards he addes Hee would here proue this one thing that man is not truely the sonne of the promise by the workes of the law but by the election of free grace and by the mercy of God for it is manifest that here workes are not opposed to faith but to election and to God calling So Verse the 11. he doth not say not by workes but by faith but he saith not by workes but by him that calleth So Verse 16. when he had said It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth hee doth not adde but of him that beleeueth What then but of God that sheweth mercy III. For when it is spoken of the cause why of two that are equally conceiued in sinne such as were Esau and Iacob God should preferre the one afore the other the onely mercy of God and the election by grace is to be considered and not faith which is not the cause but the effect of our election neither doth it goe before election but followeth it So Saint Paul 1 Cor. 7.25 saith that he obtained mercy from God to be faithfull and not because he was after to be so Wherefore Saint Paul in all this speech wherein hee speaks of the cause of the difference which God makes betweene two that were by nature alike makes no mention of faith But this Treatise being finished he doth descend verse 30. to the righteousnesse of faith as to the fruit which doth follow election IV. But Arminius for the safegard of his cause doth change the words of Saint Paul and doth thrust in something of his owne Pag. 27. For in the place of that which Saint Paul saith not of workes but of him that calleth he doth substitute these his words feigned by himselfe not of worke but of faith whereby God calling should be obeyed when notwithstanding in all that disputation which dealeth concerning election there is no mention made of faith neither doth the least steppe thereof appeare V. It is meruailous how much Arminius doth abuse the examples of Isaac and Ishmael and also of Iacob and Esau He doth contend that they are here propounded not as examples but as types of them who followed after righteousnesse by workes not by faith Certainely there must be some agreement betweene the type and the thing signified by the type But who euer heard it said that Ishmael would haue beene iustified by the workes of the Law and not by faith seeing at that time the law was not giuen neither were these differences of iustification by the law and by faith knowne neither is it credible that Ishmael euer thought of or regarded these things Therefore Arminius doth as much as if Nimrod should be made a type of the Pharisaicall righteousnesse Can the night be a type of the light or can Esau whom the Apostle Heb. 12.16 calleth prophane and therefore also a despiser of the Law be a type of them who being set on fire with the zeale of the Law would be iustified by their workes But it is worth the labour to here why he would haue Esau be a type of the sonnes of the flesh and of them which affâ—ct rightâ—ousnesse by workes Because saith he he was first borne O acutely spoken He should haue said because he was red or because he was a hunter I am ashamed to refute these things and yet in these figments and forgeries the good man doth place the chiefe safegard of his doctrine of election for faith fore-seene VI. Then also see how licentiously he mookes the Apostle For when he layeth downe Ishmael and Esau not as examples of reâ—ection by the secret counseâ—l of God
worth which is in these but not in them But it is not likely that any wise man doth choose the best men for any other cause then because they are the best For if the goodnesse of the faithfull doe goe before election hee should doe very ill that should elect them for any other cause then because they are good XII And certainely whensoeuer any thing is promised to a man vnder a condition which is in the power of mans free-will it is plaine that the fulfilling of the condition by mans free-will is the cause why the promise is fulfilled and the Arminians doe contend that God doth giue yea and that hee is bound to giue grace and sufficient power to beleeue but to vse that grace or not to vse it is in the power of mans free-will XIII Neither is it a hard thing to draw from them that which I would haue For let the Schoole and followers of Arminius tell me what moued God by his consequent will to choose Simon Peter rather then Simon Magus why Gregory rather then Iulian They haue nothing to answer but that it was done because God fore-saw faith in them and incredulity in these Therefore although they should get it granted that by their doctrine fore-seene faith is not made the cause why God hath appointed this man to saluation yet they must needes confesse that according to Arminius fore-seene faith is the cause of the difference betweene the elect and the reprobate and therefore the cause why this man is preferred before the other which surely is no other thing then to be the cause of election For euery election is comparatiue and doth inferre the reiection of one or more XIV So when they deny that by the will of God electing the number of the elect is certaine and determined it must needes be that they would haue mans will to be the cause why the number is such a number and so euery man is the cause why hee is of the number of the elect and therefore also the cause of his owne election XV. Although therefore they would haue this suspicion remoued from them yet they will neuer wipe out this blot by which they are contumelious against God and doe weaken the firmenesse and strength of faith As they which make the eternall election and good pleasure of God to depend on mans free-will will haue saluation to be of him that willeth of him that runneth they doe place some worth vertue in man which is the cause why saluation in the eternall counsell of God is appointed to one rather then to another Whence it comes that faith doth shake and saluation is vncertaine as that which although God doth certainely fore-know yet he doth not certainely and infallibly will it for Election is not an act of the fore-knowledge but of the will of God and this will how can it be certaine if it doth depend on an vncertaine thing to wit on mans will But these things by the way for they shall be more exactly examined in their place CHAP. XVIII The decree of generall election is searched into by which Arminius will haue all men to be elected to saluation vnder the condition of faith I. WE haue taught in the fift Chapter that the antecedent will of God as Arminius hath receiued it after Damascen is a meere forged deuise and a thing contumelious against God This foundation being taken away that vniuersall election common to all men vnder the condition of faith to be performed doth fall downe For this generall election Arminius will haue to belong to the antecedent will of God II. Whereunto adde those things which we haue spoken Chapter 12. where we haue dissolued and vnloosed the chaine of the foure decrees in which the Arminians doe comprehend the whole doctrine of Election There we haue shewed that the second decree by which saluation is not decreed to particular persons but it is determined that they shall be saued who shall beleeue is not the decree of prouidence nor predestination but is the rule of the Gospell which doth prescribe and set downe the way to saluation III. This question is put to slight onely by the name of election for Election cannot be of all men he doth not choose that taketh all Neither in the time of the deluge had Noah beene chosen that hee should liue in the deluge if no man had perished by the flood He is elected who is preferred before others the rest being eyther despised or lesse accounted of IV. And seeing in all the points of faith wee ought to be wise and taught out of the Scriptures much more in so high an argument which doth exceede our capacitie Let therefore the Arminians shew by what place of Scripture all men are said to be elected by that election which is opposite to reprobation for of that it is spoken here and not of the election of seuerall men by the consequent will of God Who euer heard it said that Pharaoh or Iudas did any way belong to the election of God Saint Peter indeede 2. Epist Chap. 1. doth ioyne calling to election commanding vs to make our calling and election sure that is by the earnest endeauour of good workes to effect that the sence of our effectuall calling and the perswasion of our election may daily be increased in vs But he will not therefore haue our calling and election to be the same nor will hee haue all that are any waies called to be elected Yea many are called but few chosen Matth. 20.16 V. That also is to be obserued that by this generall election it is not decreed who are to be saued but what manner of men are to be saued and that the Arminians draw the ninth chapter to the Romanes to proue this where it is plainely spoken of the good pleasure of God and his mercy towards some seuerall and peculiar persons whom it seemeth good to God to choose For those words I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy speake of some certaine men and not of what qualified men for then he had said Miserâ—tor qualium I will haue mercy on men so qualified and not cuius or quorum of whom Neither had the example of Isaac and Iacob who were particular persons beene applied to explaine the election not of particular persons but the election eyther of all or of men so qualified VI. But I would learne of the Arminians whether Iudas or Pilate whether the high priests and the Scribes by the instigation and accusations of whom our Sauiour was crucified were elected conditionally and comprehended in that generall election If they were not comprehended then that generall and conditionall election which they would haue to be extended to all men falleth to the ground On the other side if Iudas and those high priests were conditionally elected the decree of God concerning the crucifying of Christ could not be absolute because it was done by men which were conditionally elected vnder a
and thinke that the most holy men may fall away It remaines therefore that faith is said to be of the elect which God giueth to the elect and which is a fruit of election The Arminians auoid this dart and argument by saying that by the name of faith is vnderstood doctrine But they doe not well auoid it so for the doctrine of the Gospell is not peculiar to the elect neither can it be called the doctrine of the elect seeing it is preached also to wicked and prophane men Here therefore we may see the Apostle and Arminius to be striuing together Saint Paul saith Faith is of the elect Arnold p. 186. Fides non est pracise electorum sed electio sidelium Armintus on the contrary part saith that election is of them that are faithfull and who are considered as already beleeuing With like licentious liberty doe they abuse the word of the elect by which they will haue those that are called and are holy to be vnderstood But after what manner Seeing that according to Arminius among them that are called and holy there are many reprobates the elect therefore by this meanes shall be reprobates Is the Scripture thus to be deluded But let vs see other places VII Noteable are the words of Christ Luk. 10 20. Reioyce that your names are written in Heauen Christ speaketh to men that were liuing who had not yet perseuered in the faith to the end Yet notwithstanding their names were already written in Heauen their saluation was determined by the certaine purpose of God Their election therefore was before their perseuerance in faith contrary to which is the opinion of Arminius who will haue perseuerance in faith to goe before election and will haue vs to be elected for faith fore-seene And if election be not peremptory immutable but after finall perseuerance as the Arminians would haue it then we must say that the names of the Apostles who did then first enter the race of Christian profession were so written in Heauen that yet it was in the power of the Apostles to fall away from the faith and so to be reprobated And therefore they could bring it to passe that Christ should lie See to what the audacity of these innouators doth come Furthermore that that is said in the Scripture to be written in Heauen before God which is appointed determined by his eternall counsell we haue proued in the former Chapter where we haue reiected that vnsauory and rash interpretation of the Arminians we will haue the writing of our names in heauen to be nothing else then to be accounted the children of God by the present state of righteousnesse and that for no other argument then because they will haue it so VIII S. Paul Ephes 2.8 By grace ye are saued through faith He doth not say that they are saued for faith fore-seen but by faith as by the meanes to saluation And if God doth not saue vs for faith fore seen he neither wil saue vs for faith fore-seen nor doth he elect vs for faith fore-seen For to elect is to be willing to saue IX The same words By grace ye are saued through faith do plainly say that faith is the meanes to saluation if saluation be the end and faith the meanes it must needs be that God thoght of giuing saluation to Peter Paul before he thoght of giuing them faith wherby they should come to saluation for the end is first in the intent before the means so habitatiō is intended before building life before foode health before phisick With what face therfore dare the Armint say that God had decreed to giue Peter and Paul faith before he had decreed to giue them saluation X. But here Arminius hath laid aside shame and doth deny that saluation is Gods end but hee saith that saluation and faith are the gifts of God tied together by the will of God in this order that faith should goe before saluation in respect of God the giuer and in the thing it selfe These are the words of Arminius which are cited and allowed by the Arminians in their answere to the Epistle to the Walachrians Pag. 93. But besides that I had rather beleeue Saint Paul teaching that we are saued by God through faith Arminius himselfe doth seeme to me to grant the same thing while he doth deny it For it is not likely that God is willing that faith should goe before the obtaining of saluation vnlesse because he will giue and bestow saith vnto saluation Now that which helpeth to obtaine saluation is the meanes by which we come to saluation as to the end Greuinchouius following him Pag. 12. doth deny that God intended the saluation of certaine men in particular as an end And Pag. 124. We haue said saith he that faith is to be considered two manner of waies eyther as it is prescribed and to be performed or as it is already performed As it is to be performed it is not the meanes but the condition and the thing required But as it is performed it is the meanes to man by which he doth obtaine saluation promised vnder the condition of faith The Reader shall obserue his excellent wit This man will haue faith then to be the meanes to saluation when it is performed that is when faith ceaseth For the Arminians then thinke faith to be performed when one hath perseuered in faith to the end at which time vision and sight succeedeth to faith ceasing Therefore if Arminius be beleeued saith will then beginne to be the meanes of saluation when it is not faith Then also that saying that faith performed is the meanes for man not for God is very weake For faith is the meanes for a man to come to saluation for no other cause then because God willeth and causeth that man should come to saluation by faith So he that saith that foode is the meanes for a man to liue saith also that it is the meanes that God doth vse for the sustentation of mans life XI It is of no small importance that the Apostle in the same place calleth faith the gift of God By grace ye are saued through faith Ephes 2.8 and that not of your selues it is the gift of God For the Apostle will not haue saluation alone to be the gift of God but also faith For he that giueth the end giueth also the meanes as hee that giues vs life giues vs also meanes to maintaine our life So Philip. 1.19 It is giuen to you for Christ that is in that which concerneth Christ not onely to beleeue on him but also to suffer for his sake Therefore to beleeue in Christ is the gift of God Wherefore we are not rightly said to be elected by God for faith fore-seene seeing God himselfe giues faith For God is not said vnlesse it be very vnproperly to fore-see those things which he himselfe determined to doe Hee would not be thought to haue a sound braine who
cause of this difference is in readinesse to wit in the one faith was fore-seene in the other vnbeleefe was foreseene Did Saint Paul seeme to Arminius eyther not to be quick of vnderstanding or to be scrupulous without cause But least he should be compelled to say this he hath deuised I know not what subtilties and monsters of interpretations Such as are these Of him that calleth that is of Faith And of God that sheweth mercy that is that iustifieth not for workes but for Faith which mercy notwithstanding is common to many reprobates Then also that speech I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy by cuius whom hee would haue qualium what sort of men to be vnderstood And it is not of him that willeth to wit righteousnesse is not For he denyeth that these are to be vnderstood of saluation as if saluation were of him that willeth Euen as to haue mercy if Arminius be beleeued is not to saue but to giue the meanes to righteousnesse And many more such like which are eyther inconuenient or wrested which we haue examined in the 15. chapter XI Adde to these that which is in the eleuenth to the Romanes Rom. 11.5 At this present there is a remnant according to the election of Grace By this remnant or reserued portion are vnderstood those Iewes who cleaued to Christ and who did not fall from the couenant with the rest We haue here therefore the cause why these perseuered in the Faith and haue not fallen from grace to wit because the reseruation was made according to the election of grace Therefore perseuerance in Faith is according to the election of grace and not election according to perseuerance in Faith as Arminius would haue it Arminius that he might shift off this place saith that it is here spoken of election to righteousnesse not of election to Faith which although it be false yet it doth not infringe the force and euidence of this place For whosoeuer is elected to righteousnesse is elected to Faith And surely I cannot sufficiently maruaile at that which Arminius saith Pag. 222. What is that which is by grace Armin. in Perk. pag. 222. It is election to Faith nothing lesse but it is election to righteousnesse as if there were any righteousnesse without Faith Or as if he who refuseth Faith doth not also refuse righteousnesse Surely these things sound of Socianisme and doe shew that there is vnder them some hidden vlcer Also what is it to the purpose to contend that it is here spoken of election to righteousnesse seeing according to Arminius this is not certaine by the will of God but doth depend on mans free-will XII Arnoldus Pag. 346. dealeth more warily He thinks that it is spoken here of the reiection of the Iewes and taking in of the Gentiles But the word remnant or reseruation doth confute this for from hence as also from the former verses it is manifest that he doth enquire the cause why a few of the Iewes onely a remnant doe belong to the couenant being afterwards to explaine how the Gentiles were engrafted into the place of the rest which were reiected and cut off Finally against these places of Scripture the Arminians although they be acute and witty men doe so flye the encounter they doe fight so recoylingly they doe so intangle themselues that they seeme eyther to be vnwilling to be vnderstood or to distrust their owne cause Furthermore if they say true no man yet had vnderstood what Christian Religion is CHAP. XXII The same Election in respect of Faith fore-seene is confuted by Reason I. REason it selfe doth agree to the Scripture For if perseuerance in Faith be considered in Election as a thing already performed no man is elected but he is considered as dead and as hauing finished his course for no man can be said to haue perseuered vntill the end but hee which is come vnto the end II. Hence also it appeareth that Arminius is contrary to himselfe For hee saith Election is of them that beleeue But they that are dead cease to beleeue Therefore that Arminius might be constant to himselfe hee ought to say that Election is of them that cease to beleeue and not of them that beleeue III. Also if election to glory be made for some fore-seene vertue Christ himselfe as hee was man was not predestinated to glory for he was not carried to such a height of glory for the fore-seeing eyther of faith or workes or any vertue for whatsoeuer vertue or holinesse is in Christ as he is man doth flow from the personall vnion with the diuinity and from the purity of his conception by which he was free from originall sinne Therefore this his holinesse cannot be said to be fore-seene but to be decreed Nor was he predestinated for holinesse but to holinesse And that the election of the head should be contrary to the election of the members and that the head should be elected to vertue the members for vertue no reason doth admit IV. Adde to these that while election is said to be for faith fore-seene there is appointed an election which doth not belong to infants that are taken away by an immature and vntimely death because they want faith V. Yea election for faith fore seene cannot be called election but it is an admission and receiuing of them who come to Christ by Faith and of them who by their free-will vsing Grace well doe first choose God in whom they put their trust before they be chosen by God Christ on the contary side saith Iohn 15.16 Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you The Arminians while they contend that it is here spoken onely of election to their Apostâ—ship doe not obscurely confesse that this place doth hurt them if it be there spoken of election to saluation their will is therefore in the worke of saluation that God be chosen by man before man be chosen by God Goe to then let vs grant that it is here spoken onely of election to their Apostleship for that doth not a little further our cause For if the Apostles were elected to their Apostleship not for any fore-seene vertue but were elected to receiue those vertues and gifts by which they might execute their Apostleship it is much more likely that man is not elected to saluation for any fore-seene vertue seeing eternall saluation is a farre greater benefit then the Apostleship and further remoued from the power of man and more exceeding our capacity and therefore it is a thing whereunto we haue much more neede of the helpe of God and which is lesse in the power of mans free-will then the obtaining of an Apostleship VI. By the same doctrine faith in Christ is made a thing of mans free-will in the power whereof it is to vse grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue and to vse or not to vse those powers to beleeue which are giuen vnresistably Surely Arminius had
them to iust and deserued punishments for their sinnes IV. The definition of Thomas doth not please me who saith that the decree of Reprobation is the will of permitting one to fall into sinne and of laying vpon him the punishment of damnation for his sinne For the permission whereby God doth permit doth not belong to predestination but to his prouidence although it serue to predestination V. It is the opinion of the Arminian sect that Reprobates may be saued For saith Arminius that decree is not of the power but of the act of sauing Very ill spoken For where the act of God is determined by his decree in vaine is the power by which this act may be resisted This opinion doth draw with it other opinions no better then it selfe for errors are tyed together among themselues like serpents egges For if a Reprobate may be saued he that is not written in the booke of life may effect that hee be now written in and so the number of the elect will not be certaine nor the decree of Reprobation be irreuocable and peremptory as they speake vnlesse after finall perseuerance in incredulity Also hence it will follow that a reprobate may if he will obtaine faith and conuert himselfe whence it would come to passe that faith should not be of the meere grace of God which wee shall see hereafter to be the opinion of Arminius VI. God is after the same manner the cause of Reprobation as the iudge is the cause of the punishment of them that are guilty and sinne is the meritorious cause Seeing therefore the consideration of sinne doth moue the iudge and the iudge doth condemne to punishment it appeareth that sinne is the remote cause of damnation and not onely a condition necessarily fore-required and that the iudge is the next and neerest cause VII Furthermore although sinne be the cause of appointing to punishment yet it is not the cause of the difference betweene the Elect and Reprobate For examples sake Two men are guilty of the sâ—me crime and it pleaseth the king to condemne one and to absolue and free the other his sinne indeede that is condemned is the cause of his punishment but it is not the cause why the king is otherwise affected to the other then to him seeing the fault on both sides is alike The cause of the difference is that something thing steppeth betweene which doth turne the punishment from one of them which in the worke of predestination is nothing else but the very good pleasure of God by which of his meere good pleasure he gaue certaine men to Christ leauing the rest in their inbred corruption and in the curse due vnto them For which difference it is great wickednesse for vs to striue with God seeing hee is not subiect nor bound to any creature and punisheth no man vniustly giuing to one the grace that is not due and imposing on the other the punishment that is due VIII Here it is demanded what is that sinne for which God doth reprobate to wit whether men are Reprobated onely for the sinne which is deriued from Adam and for that blot which is common to Reprobates with the elect or whether they are also reprobated for the actuall sinnes which they are to commit in the whole course of their life The answere is at hand For although naturall corruption be cause sufficient for Reprobation yet it is no doubt but that God hath decreed to condemne for the same cause for which hee doth condemne and hee doth condemne the Reprobates for the sinnes which they haue committed in act For in hell they doe not onely beare the punishment of originall sinne but also of actuall sinnes Therefore also God hath appointed them to damnation for the same sinnes Now to Reprobate and to appoint to punishment are all one God doth so execute any thing in time according as he from eternity decreed to execute it Now he doth punish in time for actuall sinnes therefore also hee decreed from eternity to punish for them Thence it is that the punishments of the men of Capernaum was to be greater then the punishment of the Sodomites and the punishment of him that knew the will of his master greater then the punishment of him that knew it not because there is a great difference betweene the actuall sinnes for which they are punished Nothing hindreth that God considering a man lying in his naturall corruption and deprauation should not also consider him as poluted with those sinnes which he was to commit by that naturall deprauation IX Arminius doth not thinke that any man is Reprobated for originall sinne for he contends that Christ hath obtained the remission of it for all mankinde But he will haue man to be reprobated onely for the fore-seeing of actuall sinnes that is for the breach of the law and the contempt of grace In which thing he doth seeme not to be constant to himselfe For seeing all actuall sinnes doe flow from originall sinne it cannot be that the cause and fountaine of actuall sinnes should be remitted by God and yet the sinnes that flow from thence should not be remitted As if God should forgiue a man intemperance but should punish him for adultery for actions doe flow from habits and naturall inclinations as the second acts doe flow from the first X. Without doubt incredulity and the reiection of the Gospell are among the sinnes for which any one is reprobated For by this reiection we sinne against the Law by which God will iudge vs For the law commandeth that God be loued with all our heart and that he be obeyed in all things and without exception and therefore also that he be beleeued when he speaketh and that hee be obeyed when hee commandeth vs to beleeue whatsoeuer it shall be which he shall eyther command or shall say XI That hee should be Reprobated for reiecting the Gospell and despising the grace of Christ to whom the Gospel was neuer preached is against all reason For whom the Gospell doth not saue it leaueth vnder the law to be iudged by it which law doth then binde a man to beleeue in Christ when Christ is preached to him Nor is it the Schoole master to Christ but to them who haue meanes to come to the knowledge of Christ After the same manner as the law did not binde them to belecue the prophecy of Ieremy who neuer heard of the name of Ieremie nor could it be knowne to them XII And although reprobation cannot be said to be the cause of sinne because sinne goeth before reprobation yet it cannot be denied but that reprobation is the cause of the denying of grace and of the preaching of the Gospell and of the spirit of adoption which is peculiar to the elect For seeing this denying is a punishment it must needes be that it is inflicted by the will of a iust iudge These are the words of Arminius Page 58. against Perkins Effectuall grace is denyea by
spirit of Adoption is a prerogatiue of the sonnes of God therefore also these are more loued VIII Doth not God visite some people from on high and doth vouchsafe them the preaching of his word others being neglected as Saint Paul teacheth Acts 14.16 saying God in times past suffred the Gentiles to walke in their owne wayes At this time also there are very many nations drowned in deepe darkenesse to whom not so much as the report or name of Christ hath come IX Were the Corinthians and Philippians who liued before the time of the Apostles so much loued by God as their posteritie was who by the preaching of Saint Paul were conuerted to the faith Can it be said that God did alike wish the saluation of them as of these X. What should I speake of the men of Tyre and Sydon whose saluation if Christ had wished as well as he did the saluation of the Iewes it were a maruaile why he would not make knowne the Gospell to them especially seeing he giueth them this testimony that they were more prone to repentance then the men of Capernaum XI Acts 16.6.7 Paul endeauouring to preach the Gospell in Asia and Bythinia the spirit of God forbiddeth him and commandeth him to passe ouer into Macedonia Certainely it appeareth that God did not equally will the saluation of the Bythinians and the Macedonians seeing he would haue the Gospell rather to be preached to these then to them and presented the necessary meanes of saluation to these when he denied it to them I confesse indeede that after some yeares the Gospell came into Bythinia but in the meane time many dyed in Bythinia who had not the meanes of comming to the knowledge of Christ whose saluation that God did equally desire as hee did the saluation of the Macedonians to whom he commanded Paul to hasten there is no man will beleeue but he that doth willingly harden his minde to resist the truth No otherwise then if I should say that the Physition doth equally desire the recouery of two that are sicke of the same disease and yet doth prouide physicke for the one and will not prouide for the other XII When Christ saith Iohn 10.16 that he hath other sheep which he hath not yet gathered did he loue those sheepe which were not yet gathered but were to be gathered in his time no more then other men whom he hath not onely not drawne by his word but not so much as vouchsafed to call Surely if God did equally will the saluation of all and singular men he would equally supply to all men the meanes of saluation and he would not giue to many people onely a shadowed light and such meanes by which being alone the Arminians themselues haue not yet dared to affirme that any man hath come to saluation XIII Notable is that of Christ Mat. 11.25 where he giueth thanks to his father that he hath hidden the doctrine of saluation from the wise and had reuealed it to babes But why did he as much loue them from whom he had hid the doctrine of saluation Arnold pag 413 414. doth depraue and corrupt the words of Christ For he will haue Christ to giue thankes because his father had reuealed to babes those things which were hidden from men of vnderstanding But Christ doth not onely say that these things were hidden from the wise but doth expresly say that God hid these things from them XIV That place of Saint Paul Rom. 9. doth trouble the Sectaries where it is said that God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done good or euill We haue therefore God himselfe professing that he doth not equally loue men that are equall by nature and whereof neither is better then the other and that not because any one hath done any good or shall doe any good but of his meere good pleasure whereby he hath mercy on whom hee will For although Malachie saith that the dominion of Iacob ouer his brother was an effect of this loue and hatred yet the Apostle conscious and priuie of the minde and meaning of God will haue this to be an example or a type of Election according to his purpose and doth extend the words of God to the worke of our saluation Wee neede not be diligent in so cleâ—re a matter XV. The Arminians doe couer themselues against this shower of Arguments with that their distinction of the antecedent and consequent will of God They say that God doth loue some men more then other by his consequent will that is by that will which is after the faith and repentance of man For God doth loue them most whom he fore seeth will beleeue and by their owne free-will are to vse grace well But by his primary and antecedent will God doth alike loue all men and doth equally desire the saluation of all and therefore he doth giue to all men sufficient grace for faith and so for saluation And the cause why the Gospell is not preached to all they say is not the will of God but either the negligence of Christians or the indignity and vnworthinesse of the people or else the sinnes of their ancestors who haue reiected grace being offered XVI Certainely this is a deadly speech and is directly contrary not onely to the Scripture but also to it selfe For while they bring reasons why God doth not offer his Gospell to all vnawares they yeeld to our party for they lay downe the causes why God doth not equally loue all But the question is not why God loueth some men more then others but whether God doth loue all men equally therefore they entangle themselues And how absurd that distinction is of the will of God into antecedent and consequent how contumelious against God in that sence in which it is taken by the sectaries wee haue taught at large Chap. 5. XVII Moreouer they teach that God is often disappointed of his antecedent will and that the loue of God to vs is then mutable if he loue vs with his consequent will that is by his will which is after our loue and faith and our owne will It is a wicked thing to desire that the immutability of the loue of God towards vs should be after our loue and should depend on our will for the loue of God cannot be certaine if it be grounded on the loue wherewith we first loue him That therefore the loue of God to vs might be certaine and immutable it must needes goe before our loue as Saint Iohn teacheth 1. Epist 4.19 Ye loue him because he loued you first XVIII And if God by his consequent will loued one man more then another because hee foresaw hee would beleeue and vse grace well then God shall not sâ—perate man but man seperate himselfe contrary to that of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 4.7 Who seperateth thee c. And this man shall be loued more by God then another because he loued God more XIX Then also that speech of the
Apostle will faile Rom. 9. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy if the will of man doth goe before the will of God whereby hee will certainly and immutably haue mercy vpon vs. For the Arminians teach that the antecedent will of God may be resisted but his consequent will cannot It must needes be therefore that they say that the Apostle speaketh of the consequent will and of that loue whereby God loueth vs by his consequent will seeing that the Apostle doth there adde Who hath resisted his will And truely here the good men are held intangled with a knot from which they will neuer vnlose themselues For if they say that the Apostle in this place doth speake of the antecedent will of God which may be resisted then they fall foule vpon that which is there said Who hath resisted his will But if they will haue it to be spoken of the consequent will of God which is grounded on the will of man and the right vsing of grace and is after our will they are refuted by that other speech of the Apostle It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy But Saint Paul doth directly teach here that the will of man and the fore-seeing of the right vse of grace and of faith which the will of hauing mercy should follow is excluded by this will of God which cannot be resisted XX. Let the Arminians tell me why God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done eyther good or euill Surely he was not preferred before him by the Consequent will of God and which was after the faith or workes of Iacob seeing that Saint Paul doth directly remoue from the election according to the purpose of God the consideration of all good which they eyther had done or were to do for the Apostle should speak vnproperly if he should exclude only the consideration of the good done before his birth and not the consideration of the good which Iacob was afterward to doe seeing no man was ignorant that Iacob could not doe any good before his birth Yea if he could haue done yet the fore-seeing of the good to be done after his birth would no lesse derogate from the election of free grace then the fore-seeing of the good which should goe before his birth And if God electing had had respect to the good which Iacob was to doe Saint Paul would not haue appeased him that pleadeth with God and doth scrupulously enquire seeing that the reason had beene ready to wit that the one was preferred before the other because God fore-saw the faith and workes of the one Finally that speech It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth doth exclude all indeauour and helpe of man from the causes of election and of the good will of God by which he vnchangeably hath mercy vpon man XXI But those examples and testimonies which we haue brought out of the Scripture doe no lesse establish the inequality of the loue of God by his antecedent will then by his consequent will For when Christ saith Iohn 6. No man can come to me vnlesse my father draw him hee speaketh of the calling which goeth before faith and which is peculiar but to some men The same is to be iudged of the other examples For what Did God preaching to the Iewes and not to the men of Tire lesse loue the Tyrians then the Iewes by his consequent will that is because he saw that the Tyrians were worse affected and that they were lesse disposed to beleeue then the Iewes No sure for Christ doth contrarily testifie that the Tyrians were more prone to repentance then the Iewes XXII Had the Corinthians or Romanes that liued in the age of the Apostles more inclination to faith then their ancestors that liued an hundred yeers before Did God not vouchsafe the doctrine of saluation to the Corinthians and Ephesians who liued a little before the birth of Christ because their ancestors had refused it But if this were the cause why then did he inlighten with his sauing doctrine their children which proceeded from the same ancestors Surely because it so seemed good to God who for his owne goodnesse doth bestow more benefits vpon them whom hee loueth moâ—â— although they are neuer a whit better disposed to â—â—ith and Repentance XXIII But why did God call Paul with so effectuall a calling in the very height of his hatred against the Church and of a wolfe made him a sheep of a sheep a shepheard was it done because God perceiued in him some inclination to faith in Christ Or because he did well vse vniuersall grace No sure For at that time like a Tyger hee raged against the fould of Christ But God did not loue him any whit the more by his consequent will that is for the fore-seeing of faith seeing that the faith of Paul was an effect of the loue of God Nor was he loued because he was to be faithfull but that he might be faithfull as he himselfe witnesseth 1 Cor. 7. where he saith That he obtained mercy that he might be faithfull XXIV And seeing as it commeth to passe that God doth bestow vpon a man that is euill and borne of bad parents more of his grace and gifts and doth effectually conuert him that where sinne doth abound there grace might abound Rom. 5.20 I would know whether God would be more liberall to an euill man by his antecedent or by his consequent will If by his antecedent will we haue ouercome if by his consequent will let the Arminians tell me what will of the euill man went before his effectuall calling which could not be found in another which is lesse euill Will they say that he that was more euill before his conuersion did thirst was but a little euill and did the will of his father as they speake They shall more easily draw oyle out of a pumise stone then they shall finde in Saint Paul before his conuersion in the theefe before his crucifying or in them to whom for a heart of stone God giueth a heart of flesh any such dispositions before regeneration XXV Adde to these that the Scripture saith Act. 14.16 God in times past suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies Here I demand whether God did so much loue these nations and did alike wish their saluation as he loued their posteritie whom he afterward called with an effectuall calling by his Gospell I suppose that no man hath so brazen a face that he dareth affirme it Neither doe the Arminians deny but that the sauing calling by the Gospell is a very great argument of the loue of God to any nation But hauing bent their disputation another way they doe search into the causes why God doth more vehemently loue some then others which is that very thing which we would haue XXVI Finally if God doth equally will to all men
beleeue is of grace therefore to be able to beleeue is not of grace There is indeede naturally in man a possibility of hauing or receiuing faith but it is not in him by nature to be able to beleeue for these things doe very much differ The first notes the susceptability and possibility of receiuing faith the other signisieth the actiue power and faculty of beleeuing which surely is not in man by nature but is onely from grace XXVI Arnoldus pag. 271. layeth this to our charge as a very great errour that we say that the regenerate man cannot doe any good vnlesse hee be moued by grace Truely a great crime and that which is common to vs with the Apostle who doth pronounce that we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but all our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3.5 The same Arnoldus pag. 447. doth make the vse of grace subiect to mans will It is determined saith he that the vse of grace is subiect to mans will that man may vse it or not vse it according to his naturall liberty And a little after he doth confesse that the effect of the mercy of God was made by Arminius to be in the power of man but such a man as is already strengthened with grace To vse which grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue he thinkes is in the power of mans free-will Finally the Arminians will haue the efficacy that is the efficiency and working power of it to depend on free-will Arnoldus against Bogermannus pag. 263. and 274. All the operations of grace which God doth vse to worke our conuersion being granted yet the conuersion it selfe doth remaine so free in our power that we may not be conuerted that is that we may conuert or not conuert our selues Greuinchouius pag. 198. I say that the sffect of grace after the ordinary and vsuall rule doth depend on some act of free will as on a foregoing conâ—ition without which it is not The same man pag. 203. and 204. doth say that there câ—n no other common cause be guten of the whole why this grace should beâ—essectuall rather in Paul or Peter then in another then the liberty of the will Perkins said As there can no good either be or be done vnlesse God doth it so there can no euill be auoided vnlesse God hinder it This true and holy sentence Arminius carpeth at and doth depraue pag. 113 and for the words can be auoided he puts is auoided for he saith that there is in all men power of doing good and auoiding euill and that a man may auoide euill and abstaine from sinne although God doth not hold him from it but that the act it selfe is partly from grace and partly from free-will which as it pleaseth doth either admit or refuse grace Here the words of Arnoldus pag. 381. The good vsing of free-will is principally from grace but yet so that man himselfe doth vse well his owne free-will and the liberty of vsing or not vsing grace is left to him For these sectaries are of opinion that the power of beleeuing is vnresistably giuen to all and that the act of beleeuing is so helped by grace that it is left to mans free-will to beleeue in act or not to beleeue to vse grace either well or ill XXVII And they deny that faith is from grace alone but that it is partly from grace and partly from free-will Greuinchouius pag. 208. and 210. It is manifest that free-will and grace are together causes in part And pag. 211. We ioyne grace and free-will together as causes in part He must so speake who saith that Election is for faith fore-seen For God would be very vnfitly said to fore-see that which he alone is to do for this is not to fore-see but to decree Hitherto also pertaineth that conditional decree of sauing men if they shal beleeue for by this it is placed in the power of man to beleeue For this were a foolish decree I will saue him if I shall giue him faith Arminius against Perkins pa. 223. and 224. saith that the totall cause why one beleeueth and another not is the will of God and the free-will of man Arnoldus pag. 228. saith that Arminius gaue the chiefe part of the working of faith to grace viz. because in the working of faith he will haue free-will to haue a part which part that it is not the least yea that it is the greatest in the sence of the sectaries although they would make another shew Arminius and after him Arnoldus pag. 125. doth sufficiently acknowledge We deny saith he that this difference of calling grace is not placed so much in mans free-will as in the will of God And truely in the conuersion of man free-will must haue the chiefe part if it be true that the Arminians contend for to wit that the efficiency and working power of grace doth depend on free-will and that the right vse of grace is made subiect to mans will And that which Arnoldus saith pag. 444. That God doth so worke in man that in the meane while man is not wanting to himselfe he can conuert himselfe And Greuinchouius against Ames pag. 205. Grace doth not determine and conclude vnlesse free-will worke with it in which respect and manner what if we should say that the efficacy of grace doth after a certaine manner depend vpon free-will as concerning the euent If therefore the efficacy of grace as concerning the euent that is the effect doth depend on mans free-will it must needes be that free-will hath farre the greater part in our conuersion and regeneration The same man pa. 214. In comparing betweene themselues Arnold pa. 234. 235. the effectuall helpe of God and the insluence of free-will there is no priority betweene them both And seeing it is in the power of free-will so to vse grace that he may beleeue and obtaine faith we being by faith the sonnes of God Gal 3.26 It appeareth if we may credit Arminius that to be made the sonnes of God is a thing proper to free-will and although it cannot be done without the helpe of grace yet the effect doth depend on mans will So that God is willingly indebted to man for hee is beholding to free-will that he hath sonnes XXVIII This is the malicious and blacke iuyce of the fish Loligo and this is their most pestilent doctrine of which what is to be iudged it is easie to coniecture by those speeches which euery where meet vs in the bookes of these sectaries That Lydia opened her owne heart when yet as Luke witnesseth Act. 16.14 God opened the heart of Lydia And that a man doth separate himselfe although Saint Paul saith who seperates thee 1 Cor. 4.7 And that an vnregenerate man is not altogether dead in sinne and that God doth giue man power of beleeuing if he himselfe will when yet God giueth both to will and to doe Phil.
truth but a naturall auersion and disability II. Wherefore the Scripture doth call the change of man by the spirit of regeneration sometimes another birth Iohn 3. sometimes the creation of the new man Ephes 4.24 It calleth it another resurrection from the dead Reucl. 20.6 Luke 15.32 Iohn 5.25 Not that creation and resurrection is in all things like to regeneration and the change of the soule but only in this thing of which it is here spoken to wit as the Carkasse cannot dispose nor prepare it selfe to the resurrection and a thing that is not created cannot further any thing to the creation of it So man in the state of sinne and before his regeneration hath nothing whereby he may dispose himselfe or further his regeneration and spirituall new birth III. The Arminian conferrers at the Hage Page 279. doe roundly confesse that by our spirituall death the liberty of doing well or ill is separated from the soule I demand therefore whether an vnregenerate man furnished with that sufficient and vniuersall grace which is giuen euen to Reprobates hath free-will of doing well or ill in those things which belong to saluation If he haue not why doe the Arminians contend he hath If hee hath it is plaine by their owne confession that he is not dead in sinne But there is a speciall force in the word borne For if there were any seeds and reliques of spirituall life in an vnregenerate man as Arnoldus is of opinion there were no neede to be borne againe and that the new man should be formed but God were to be prayed to that he would againe raise vp those sparkes and reliques of spirituall life and would vouchsafe to kindle and increase it as it were by adding fuell to it IV. Adde to these those places which teach vs that without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. That all men haue not faith 2. Thess 3. because it is the gift of God Philip. 1.19 Ephes 2.8 Seeing therefore what soeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.25 it is plain that in things which belong to saluation and to the worship of God hee doth nothing but sinne that wants faith such as are all the heathen and vnregenerate men In which place to the Romanes it is to be noted that the Apostle speaketh of the vse of meates which he will haue vs to eate with faith that is with a certaine knowledge that the vse of meates is allowed by God and is agreeable to his word Seeing therefore that euen in things which are of their owne nature indifferent wee sinne when we vse them without such a faith how much more are we to thinke that the heathens sinne in euery action that pertaineth to saluation and the worship of God because they are altogether destitute of this faith Hitherto pertaine those places which teach vs that God is the author of euery vertue and euery good worke that is done by vs. We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but our sufficiency is of God 2. Cor. 3.5 And Christ himselfe Iohn 15.5 Without me ye can doe nothing And in the same place we are compared to branches cut off and appointed to the fire vnlesse wee haue beene engrafted into Christ by whom wee liue and beare fruit The Apostle Ephes 2.8 doth teach that saluation and faith is not of our selues but of the gift of God For by grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God How farre is this from Arminius who will haue the totall cause of faith not to be grace alone but grace and free-will And least any of Arminius followers should seeke a refuge and should say that the power of beleeuing is giuen to all vnresistably but that the act of beleeuing is so helped by grace that it is also from free-wil the Apostle doth fitly preuent such a weake subtilty Phil. 1.29 where he saith It is giuen to you in the behalfe of Christ not onely to beleeue on him but also to suffer for his sake You see that not onely the power of beleeuing is giuen vs but also the act it selfe to beleeue Agreeable to this is that Iohn 6. No man can come to me vnlesse my father draw him Where to come is to beleeue in act and not to haue the power and faculty of beleeuing which is brought into act by free-will No lesse direct is that of the Apostle Philip. 2.13 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Now to will is to will in act and not to haue the power of willing God himselfe Ezechiel 36.27 saith I will put my spirit within you and will cause you to walke in my statutes Therefore hee doth not onely giue the power of walking in his statutes but also doth cause that we really walke and doth worke in vs the very act After what manner and how farre the elect may resist the efficacy of the spirit shall hereafter be seene It is sufficient to the present question if we winne this of them that God doth not onely giue the power whereby we may beleeue but also that hee doth giue and worke in vs the act of beleeuing to beleeue it selfe We meete sometimes with places where the Arminians say that not onely the power of beleeuing but that also the act of beleeuing to beleeue it selfe is giuen by God But they will haue this act so to be giuen by God in as much as he giueth knowledge to the minde and doth raise vp the fainting affections which doe put forward the will to beleeue and that this is done by a morall perswasion and after the same manner that wee are moued by obiects But this is not to giue faith and the act of beleeuing For surely hee that doth perswade that doth propound obiects and doth inuite the appetite to runne doth not giue the act of running to runne it selfe Wherefore the Arminians doe deny that faith it selfe is infused or imprinted on the heart by God but that the will is inuited to beleeue onely by a morall perswasion and by a courteous allurement With a like fraud that they might seeme to attribute some great thing to God they say that God doth giue the power of beleeuing and that vnresistably But when they come to explane the manner whereby these powers are supplied it is manifest that they deny that the power of beleeuing is giuen to man by God For they thinke that God doth giue these powers no otherwise then by enlightning the vnderstanding with knowledge and by stirring vp the appetites which certainely is not to giue the power of beleeuing For hee which in the darke doth with a torch giue light to the wandring traueller and doth stirre him vp to goe doth not thereby giue him the power of going VI. And least any man should in any part arrogate to himself the prayse eyther of that knowledge which he hath obtained
Arminius doth say That God by little and little by the grace of his spirit doth free men from this necessity of sinning It is not therefore presently taken away yea it remaineth alwaies in them in whom the grace of the holy Ghost eyther doth not worke or doth not preuaile The same man Page 406. doth acknowledge that there is in man an impotency and disability of resisting sinne and this impotency what is it else then the necessity of sinning VI. Nay more then this the Arminians doe say that God doth vnresistably harden some men For I vse their owne words Now there is nothing more euident then that he doth necessarily sinne who is vnresistably hardned We haue therefore the confession of these Sectaries that there are some who sinne necessarily and whom the necessity of sinning doth not excuse from their sinne because they haue contracted this necessity to themselues by their owne fault VII It is a meruaile therefore that the Arminians who are otherwise ingenious doe stumble at this straw and had rather patronize and maintaine Pelagius and borrow weapons from him then yeelde to the Scripture and to the euidence of truth For after the same manner doth Caelestius a Pelagian dispute in Saint Austins booke de perfect iustitiae-Ratio 2. Againe saith hee it is demanded whether sinne be of the will or of necessity If of necessity it is not sinne If of the will it may be auoided In Arminius therefore we haue Pelagius raised to life againe VIII We determine therefore that the necessity of sinne doth excuse from sinne if he that sinneth hath not procured this necessity of sinning by his owne fault As also if by necessity constraint and a greater force of the outward agent be vnderstood or a naturall necessity appointed to some one thing by the creator and being voide of knowledge such as is the naturall inclination of heauy things to the center of the earth But necessity doth not excuse sinne if he that sinneth hath procured on himselfe that necessity of sinning and if hee sinneth wittingly and willingly and is delighted with that inclination to sinne IX And that which the Sectaries say that there is no place for punishment if man want the liberty of his free-will may be admitted if by libertie of free-will be vnderstood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is of ones owne accord In which sence many of the ancients especially before Saint Austin doe defend the liberty of free-will For whosoeuer sinneth sinneth of his owne accord But if by the liberty of free-will be vnderstood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inclination which is alike free eyther to good or to euill in those things which belong to faith and saluation I constantly affirme that man is worthy of punishment although he want this liberty It is sufficient to punishment that he doth not onely sinne of his owne accord but also voluntarily and that hee himselfe is the cause of his necessity of sinning and that hee doth applaude and please himselfe in this voluntary necessitie X. Yet the Arminians doe obstinately persist and doe maintaine that it is in vaine commanded if we baue not power to obey That exhortations promises threats and counsells are in vaine if none of them can be neither perceiued nor performed by man for that were as much as if a song should be sung to a deafe man or as if one should command a blinde man to see or one that is fettered to runne or as if one should thus speake to the dry bones of them that are dead be ye conuerted be ye conuerted and see This is an old obiection of the Pelagians as may be seene in Saint Austin lib. de perfect iustitiae Rat 6. 11. Where Caelestius the Pelagian doth thus dispute Againe it is demanded whether man be commanded to be without sinne For eyther hee cannot and it is not commanded or because it is commanded hee can For why should that be commanded which cannot at all be done And Rat. 11. Certainely all those things which are forbidden can as well be auoided as those things which are commanded can be done For that in vaine would be forbidden or commanded which cannot be auoided nor fulfilled Here is very starke Arminianisme Caelestius tooke this argument from Cicero as Saint Austin witnesseth lib. 5. de ciuitate Dei Cap. 9. where hee saith That Cicero whilest by the denying of the fore-knowledge of God hee would make men free made them sacrilegious XI I answere to these things that precepts threates and counsels c. are in vaine if man wanted the faculty of vnderstanding and of willing or nilling something of his owne accord and with reason and iudgement But an vnregenerate man is indued with vnderstanding and hath a will which is moued of its owne accord and incitation and after fore-going knowledge and practicall iudgement Nor is it alwaies true that those precepts are giuen in vaine which cannot be fulfilled For the intemperate man who by custome hath brought on himselfe insensiblenesse and cannot temper himselfe from lust and surfeiting is yet tyed by the lawes of sobrietie and temperance Neither is it any doubt but that the diuell who is necessarily euill and vnfit to yeelde obedience to God is bound to obey God for otherwise he should not sinne in being an enemy to God So from a debtor which hath consumed at dice a great some of money which he tooke vp at vse that which he oweth is not in vaine nor vniustly required nor can the creditor lose his right by the wickednesse of the debtor Seeing therefore that man by his owne fault procured on himselfe the disability of performing that which God would haue done God doth not vainely and vniustly require from him the obedience which he oweth For it is not equall that the sinne of man should profit him and that therefore he should be lawlesse because he corrupted himselfe with his owne wickednesse and brought vpon himselfe the disability of paying to God the debt of nature which God doth require of man considered not as a sinner nor yet as iust but simply as hee is a debtor and in as much as he is a creature subiect and bound to obedience After the same manner that a creditour requiring his debt doth not consider the debtor as he is poore or as he is rich but simply as he is a debtor God making his law doth consider man after this manner and so he doth consider him when he doth adde promises and threates to the Law saying Doe this and thou shalt liue And choose good that thou maist liue c. And make ye a new heart for why will ye die O house of Israell Ezech. 18. He is deceiued surely he is deceiued who thinketh that the commandements of God are the measure of our strength seeing they are the rule of our dutie For in the law we doe not learne what we are able to doe but what wee ought to doe nor what now we are able
so much to dispute as to liue and that they accustome themselues to fight with their owne vices and not with other mens opinions For it is a most hard and a very profitable combate which euery godly man maketh with himselfe On the contrary side when strife is sowne by strife and not the truth but the victory is sought first charity and then truth is lost among the contenders And especially diligence is to be vsed lest peace and riches bring forgetfulnesse of the Crosse of Christ and lest the people vnmindfull of the benefits of God should at length draw vpon them his iudgements There are not wanting examples of people to whom when religion had brought forth riches and prosperity a while after the same riches and prosperity choaked religion and with a shamefull parricide killed their Mother So much the more care therefore is to be had that the eares of your people may alwayes ring with those instructions whereby the memory of the calamities driuen from them may be refreshed and their mindes might tremble with a godly feare when they foro-see a farre off the dangers to come and Satan lying in waite for them To which thing it is no light instigation that by these late tumults you haue tryed that the peace of the common-wealth doth consist in the integrity of Religion neither can the purity of true Religion which is maintained by you be violated but that also the pillars on which your common-wealth standeth and by which the authority of your supreame Magistracy is sustained will be shaken For these two are so knit together by a mutuall bond that the one cannot be ouerthrowne but the other also must fall downe Your authority was strooke at through the side of Religion and in the foundations of the Church the foundations of the common-wealth were vndermined Your power therefore will be sound and safe when obedience due to princes shall be thought to be a part of piety and when the Pastors of the Church shall traine vp by the word of God the people to performe obedience to you And on the other side the Church shall flourish when Princes shall be her nourcing fathers and shall thinke themselues to be set by God at the sterne of the Common-wealth that God might raigne by them and that Religion might grow vp and might carefully be manured vnder the shadow of their ciuill power This you doe most Illustrious Lords diligently and happily It cannot be said how much your people are indebted to you and they will still owe you more Surely all good men in the Christian world doe greet your so prosperous successe and doe admire at your wisedome and doe striue in prayers with God that he would preserue you long to the Church and common-wealth whom hee hath vsed to preserue the Church and common-wealth and that he would so gouerne you by his spirit and defend you by his carefull prouidence that all your endeauours may obtaine their wished ends and that yee may haue a common-wealth happily gouerned a State set in safety domesticall concord aboundant riches valiant armies frequent victories a people obaying your command and who may doubt whether they should call you Lords or Fathers One that doth highly honour your most illustrious Lordships PETER MOVLIN COurteous Reader be entreated to take notice of these faults because they are materiall The rest may be amended by the prudent Reader Page 4. line 2. reade people out of the Pulpit seeing p. 13. l. 18 r. offend God not compelling But. p. 37. l. 1. r. by well aduised men l 2. r. by vnaduised men p. 41. l. 1. r. order We deny not that c. l. 3. r. as mans will p. 54. l. 5. r. thou doest not play p. 69 l. 30.31 r. euery where receiued l 32. r. organicall body p. 72. l. 7 to put sinne into the will p 83. l. 10.11 reprobated and some are preferred others being neglected p. 93. l. 22. r. the greatest punishment p 95. l. 27. r. He could not p. 144. l. 14. r. who will p. 155. l. 5. r. We are predestinated to faith p. 169 l. 25. r. sence In his p. 171. l. 15. r. in order admit p. 209. Let this be the title of the 26. Chapter Of Reprobation p. 218. l. 7. r. from good p 223 l 18. r. a token hereof that p. 246. l. 14. r. of the sonne is p. 284 l. 7. r. inordinate affections p. 311. l. 27 r. remainds if vniuersall sufficient grace be added p. 348. l. 14. r. this action of the spit it he carryeth p. 422. l 7. should not change p. 462 l. 3. r. that by those words p. 476. l. 27. but may finally The Table of the Chapters contained in this Booke HOw soberly we are to deale in this argument chap. 1. That we are not therefore to abstaine from the doctrine of Prouidence and Predestination although some abuse it to curiositie and impietie And whereto it is profitable chap. 2. What the prouidence of God is How farre it extends That God is not the author of sinne What permission is and what blinding and hardning is chap. 3 Of the will of God chap. 4. Of the Antecedent and Consequent will of God chap. 5. Of the sinne of Adam chap. 6. That all mankinde is infected with Originall sinne chap. 7. What Originall sinne is and whether it be truely and properly sinne chap. 8. How the sinne of Adam may belong to his posterity and how many wayes it may passe to his of-spring And first of the imputation of it and whether the sinnes of the Grand-father and great-Grand-fathers are imputed to their posteritie chap. 9. Of the propagation of the sinne of Adam to his posteritie Where also of the traduction both of the soule and of sin it selfe chap. 10. Whether the power of beleeuing the Gospell is lost by the sinne of Adam chap. 11. That God doth saue those whom of his meere grace he chose out of mankinde corrupted and obnoxious to the curse What Predestination is the parts of it That Arminius did not vnderstand what the decree of Predestination is and that he hath vtterly taken away Election chap. 12. Of the Obiect of Predestination that is whether God electing or reprobating considereth a man as fallen or not fallen chap. 13. That the Apostle Saint Paul in the ninth to the Romanes by the word Masse vnderstood the corrupted Masse chap. 14. That Arminius doth willingly darken the words of the Apostle which are cleare and expresse chap. 15. The opinions of the parties vpon the doctrine of Predestination chap. 16. That the Arminians make fore-seene-fore-seene-faith the cause of the election of particular persons chap. 17. The decree of generall Election is searched into by which Arminius will haue all men to be elected vnder the condition of faith chap. 18. The election of particular persons in respect of faith fore-seene is confuted by the authoritie of the Scripture It is proued that men are not elected for faith but to
faith chap. 19. Election for faith fore-seene is confuted by places taken out of the Gospell of Saint Iohn chap. 20. The same is proued out of the eight ninth and the eleauenth Chapter to the Romanes chap. 21. The same Election in respect of faith fore-seene is confuted by reason chap. 22. The opinion of Saint Austin concerning Election for faith fore-seene chap. 23. The arguments of the Arminians by which they endeauour to stablish Election for faith fore-seene are examined chap. 24. whether Christ be the cause and foundation of Election chap. 25. Of Reprobation chap. 26. How farre and in what sence Christ died for all chap. 27. That reconciliation remission of sinnes and saluation is not obtained nor purchased for all and particular men by the death of Christ chap. 28. The obiections of the Arminians are answered by which they endeauour to maintaine and confirme the obtaining of saluation for all men chap. 29. That it was long agoe desputed whether Christ died for al but in a farre other sence chap. 30. Whether God loue all men equally and doth alike desire the saluation of all chap 31. Of free-will the opinions of the parties chap. 32. It is proued out of the holy Scripture that an vnregenerate man is altogether destitute of the power and liberty of free-will in those things which belong to saluation c. 33. The reasons of the Arminians are examined by which they maintaine free-will in an vnregenerate man concerning things that are spirituall and belonging to saluation chap. 34. The obiections of the Arminians borrowed from the Pelagians and Papists are answered Whether an vnregenerate man doth necessarily sinne and whether necessity excuseth the sinner Also whether God commandeth those things which cannot be performed by man chap. 35. Of the outward and inward calling and whether the one may be without the other chap. 36. Of the distinction of Grace into sufficient and effectuall Grace chap. 37. The opinion of the Arminians concerning vniuersal grace which is also called sufficient grace chap. 38. Vniuersall sufficient grace is confuted by places of Scripture chap. 39. The same sufficient grace is impugned by reasons ch 40. The arguments by which the Arminians maintaine vniuersall sufficient grace are confuted chap. 41. The consent of the Arminians with the Semipelagians is declared chap. 42. The opinion of the Arminians concerning the manner of the operation of grace and of that power which they call Irresistible Of morall perswasion And of the power and act of beleeuing chap. 43. The opinion of the Orthodoxe Church concerning the conuersion of man and of the manner and certainty of conuersion chap. 44. The question of morall perswasion is sifted and whether euery perswasion may be resisted chap. 45. The certainty of the conuersion of the elect and the finall vnconquerablenesse of grace is proued chap. 46. The iudgement of Saint Austin concerning this controuersie chap. 47. That the Arminians doe openly stablish that vnresistiblenesse which they impugne chap. 48. The weake obiections of the Arminians against Irresistibility that is infallible certainty of conuersion are answered chap 49. An addition to the thirteenth Chapter containing some places taken out of the confession of the Church of France and out of the speciall doctors of this age concerning the obiect of Predestination and the iudgement of the Synode of Dordt FINIS THE ANATOMIE of Arminianisme CHAP. I. How soberly we are to deale in this Argument IF in any other Argument especially in this which we are to treate of that rule of Saint Paul is to be kept Rom. 12.3 that no man be wise aboue that he ought but that he be wise vnto sobriety For God hath put a great mist ouer the secrets of his wisedome into which it is a sinne to rush lest while wee search into his Maiesty we be ouerpressed by his glory Prou 25.27 It is better to vnderstand things that are safe then things that are high and to keepe Gods commandements then to pry into his counsels This curiosity hath vndone mankinde Adam whilest he would be like God in the knowledge of good and euill lost his good and learned euill to his losse being punished Hence Heresies haue beene bred whilest men violently carried with the itching of their owne wit runne out beyond the bounds of Gods word Hence haue proceeded those troubles which Sathan hath stirred vp in this age which is as fertill of disputes as it is barren of piety hauing vsed therto men who by their lewd wit and rash presumption daring to call God to account and to prescribe lawes to him haue greatly afflicted the most flourishing Churches of the low-Countries Most safe therefore it is to follow God as our guide to vnderstand so much as hee hath made manifest to vs in his word to command silence to our selues where God himselfe speaketh not But we must haue a very great care least we patronize and maintaine the wisdome and prouidence of God with the damage of his iustice and againe lest while we defend his iustice wee put out the eyes of his prouidence God is not to be thought vniust if hee doe any thing that doth not euery way answere to the rules we haue conceiued in our owne mindes These two things are seriously to be auoided as two fatall and dangerous rockes and yet it is farre worse to set on God the marke of iniustice then to place limits to his prouidence For with lesse perill is God made a carelesse spectator and beholder of sinne then if he be beleeued to be the author and incitor to sinne Neither is there any more capitall mischiefe then to transferre on God the cause of mans wickednesse For thus it comes to pass that men hauing broken their bars doe scot free commit all riot as hauing God the patron and author of their wickednesse And yet to restraine curiositie and to strike our mindes with a religious feare the consideration of our owne meanenesse being compared to the diuine maiestie is much profitable For if any of vs should crush to death an Ant with his foot no man would lay to his charge an action of iniustice for it although the Ant hath not offended him although he hath not giuen life to the Ant although he hath destroyed anothers worke which cannot be restored by man and although betweene man and it there is no infinite inequality but a kinde of certaine and finite proportion But man hath grieuously offended God and yet God hath giuen life to man and there is no proportion betweene God and man but as infinite a distance as betweene a finite and infinite thing If therefore God shall crush those sinfull men which he is able to saue if patiently tolerating the vessels of anger he shall make them the matter of his glory shall any man expostulate with God or thinke goodnesse wanting in him or accuse his iustice CHAP. 2. That we are not therefore altogether to abstaine from the doctrine of Prouidence and
is spoken of the Antecedent will of God by which God will haue mercy vpon some for so they speake that is vpon such as beleeue and not of his Consequent will by which he hath determined precisely and absolutely to haue mercy on this or that man And yet they forgetting themselues say that this Antecedent will may be resisted when notwithstanding Saint Paul saith in the same place Who can resist his will Either therefore let Arminius deny that the Antecedent will of God is a will but rather call it a wish desire or affection or if he doth contend that it is a will let him confesse that it cannot be resisted To which purpose excellently Saint Austen Enchared Cap. 95. Our God in heauen doth whatsoeuer things hee will both in heauen and earth which is not true if hee hath willed some things and hath not done them And which is more vnworthy of him hath not therefore done them because the will of man hath hindred that the Almighty should not doe what hee willed XIV Arminius indeede doth confesse that God doth not want power to fulfill that Antecedent will whereby he doth earnestly desire all men to be saued But it is not true saith he that the thing which he doth wish seriously desire that he will effect the same by what meanes soeuer he is able but by those meanes by which it is decent and conuement that he should effect it The Father wisheth and doth earnestly desire that his Sonne would obey mâ—n but he doth not violently draw his Sonne to obedience and a little after The similitude of a Merchant who doth desire his wares should be safe and yet casteth them into thâ— sea doth very well square and agree to the purpose God doth earnestly desire that all men should be saued but compelled by the stubborne and incorrigible malice of some men will haue them make losse of their saluation For although God doth earnestly will and intend the saluation of all and singular men yet he will not then put forth his omnipotency least hee should force mans free-will I answere Nothing is effected by these similitudes for they are plaine dissimâ—litudes Arminius vseth examples of men which cannot be made partakers of their vowes but by meanes that are not conuenient and of them who are oftentimes disappointed of their intention But to God there are neuer wanting iust and conuenient meanes by which he should obtaine that which he intends neither can he be disappointed of his intent But you say if God should exercise his omnipotency in conuerting man he should force mans free-will and compell mans voluntary liberty But that I deny For he can without constraint so bend the will that it should follow of its owne accord Without constraint hee suddenly changed the minde of Esau Gen. 33. and the minde of Saul 1 Sam. 19.23 and the minde of the Aegyptians Psal 105.25 and of Kings Pro. 21.1 If God doth make this change of the will in wicked men the liberty of mans free-will vntouched how much more may hee doe it in good and faithfull men God without constraint did change the heart of the Theefe on the Crosse and so doth he of all from whom hee takes their stony heart and giues them an heart of flesh Ezek 36.26 and of those who when they were dead in sinne hee raised vp with a spirituall resurrection Ephes 2.5 We shall see Arminius is of opinion that the vnderstanding is vnresistably indued with light by God and that God doth vnresistably giue power of beleeuing the Gospell to all men to whom the Gospell shall be preached and that hee drawes their affections But when the minde hath fully receiued in this perswasion and the affections doe stir vp the will it is impossible but their will should moue it selfe whether the minde instructed by God doth appoint it and whether the appetite doth force it for these are the onely incitements of the will neither is it moued by any other impulsion The schoole and followers of Arminius are also of opinion that the Elect are drawne of God by effectuall and powerfull grace the effect whereof is most sure because God doth draw them in a congruent and fit time and manner in which he knoweth they will infallibly follow him calling them And yet the Arminians meane not hereby that any force is offred to the will of man but that it is so vehemently affected with a morall and sweet perswasion that it followeth of its owne accord The example of the Theefe doth seeme to mee to be notable aboue all the other whose heart so suddendly changed in a time of aduersity when the faith of the Apostles themselues did shake is an euident lesson how great the efficacie of the holy Spirit is on them who are called by the purpose of God Rom. 8.28 But of this efficacy of calling it shall be spoken more at large in his proper place XV. Hence appeares with how prepostrous diligence Arminius hath turned his wit to the defence of free-will For there lay open to him a most sure and plaine way whereby God might shew forth his power in the conuersion of man without the diminishing of our liberty Nor while hee doth patronize and defend free will ought he to strike against the wisedome and perfection of God whom hee would frustrate and disappoint of his owne end and naturall desire and wish those things which he knowes hee shall not obtaine and propound an end to himselfe which shall neuer be XVI In the meane while the prudent reader shall easily discerne whereto that similitude of the marchant making losse and casting his wares into the sea with his owne hands may belong For Arminius doth not onely expressely say that God is compelled to doe something which he had not intended for the marchant did not intend to doe this but doth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nolens volens betweene willing and nilling but also by these hee doth insinuate that God being driuen from that better end which he had propounded to himselfe turned himselfe to another end lesse to be wished which things whether they be spoken by prudent men to the reproach of God or by vnwise men through ignorance it doth strike horror into pious mindes XVII But in this distinction of the will of God into Antecedent and Consequent the first whereof doth goe before the other doth follow mans will this is farre the worst thing that by it the will of man is made to goe before the election of God For according to Arminius God by his antecedent will would saue all men and giue them power of beleeueing in Christ but by his consequent will doth elect or reprobate seuerall men according as hee fore-knowes their faith or infidelity A deadly doctrine by which the election of man doth depend vpon mans will and our faith is made the cause and not the fruite of our election and man chooseth God and applyeth himselfe to God before he is
violated But he to whom Christ was neuer preached shall not be condemned because he hath refused Christ but he shall be iudged by the law which tyed him to beleeue in Christ if Christ had beene preached to him VIII And Arnoldus is plainely deceiued when he doth affirme that the power whereby we beleeue God is one and the power whereby they beleeue Christ is another because saith he the word of the law the word of the Gospell differ in the whole genus and are opposite this thing fell inconsiderately from the acute man Because white and blacke are opposite is it therefore the property of one power to see white and of another to see blacke is it not the operation of the same faculty to know contraries And yet I doe not see how the Law and the Gospell can be said to be contrary seeing the Law is the Schoole-master to Christ and the Gospell doth minister the meanes by which the law should be satisfied Surely betweene the creditor and the surety there is no discord Christ came not that hee might abolish the law but that hee might fulfill it Matthew 5.17 Romanes 3.30 IX Out of these it is easie to gather what is to be answered to that question whereby it is demanded whether the law doth comand vs to beleeu in Christ For this is euen as one should demand whether the law of Moses commands the Prophet Esay to be beleeued It is plaine that that is not expressely commanded by the law for no man was bound to beleeue Esay before he was borne Yet I say it was commanded by the law implicitely and by consequence in as much as the law doth command obedience to be yeelded to God And God is to be obeyed whether he speake to vs immediately or by his messengers The same I thinke may be saide of Christ X. For of those things to which we are bound by the law there are two kindes Some things are due absolutely by all men and at all times yea by them to whom the law deliuered by Moses hath not beene made knowne such as are to loue God and our neighbour For Adam was indued with the knowledge of these duties before the fall and was bound to performe them in act But there are some things to the obseruation whereof wee are then bound by the law of God when they are commanded in act and when the ability of knowing them is giuen vs of God Thus the Israelites in Aegypt were not bound to obey the commandement of the not gathering of Manna vpon the Saboth day or of looking on the bralen Serpent or of the passing ouer lordan which notwithstanding if any had not obeyed when God commanded them without doubt they had iustly borne the punishment of the breach of the law XI But Arnoldus doth wrongfully say that it is not spoken here of that generall power of beleeuing euery word of God for of it it is plainely spoken here seeing that the power of beleeuing in Christ is comprehended in that generall power No otherwise then the power of seeing doth comprehend also the power of seeing the remedies for blindnesse although those remedies are not present neither is there any neede of them before blindnesse XII All these things pertaine thither that it might appeare that the power of beleeuing and of embracing the remedies which God offers in the Gospell is lost by that naturall corruption which is deriued into vs from Adam And therefore that Arminius doth erre when hee saith that God is bound to giue to all men power to beleeue in Christ or that he is prepared to giue faith to all For God is not bound to restore to man that which man lost by his owne fault nor doth he deale vniustly when he requireth of man that which hee doth naturally owe. XIII Arminius is not constant to himselfe in this thing and doth pluck vp those things which hee laid downe For he saith that many nations haue for many ages beene depriued of the light of the Gospell without which yet there is no faith and that for a punishment of the incredulitie of their ancestors He doth acknowledge therefore that God hath not giuen nor was prepared to giue to these nations power of beleeuing in Christ Yea truely Arminius in speaking thus doth set downe the cause why God would not and therefore was not prepared to giue to people that without which faith cannot be Was God prepared to giue to the men of Tyre and Sydon the power of beleeuing of whom Christ giueth this testimony that they would haue conuerted in Sackcloath and Ashes if the word and his miracles had come to them Doth he giue power of beleeuing to them whose hearts he hardneth with his vnresistable will as Arminius speakes Could they beleeue of whom it is spoken Iohn 12.39 Therefore they could not beleeue because it is written he hath blinded their eyes and hath hardned their hearts In Perâ—ins P. 294. 295. Doth he giue power of beleeuing to them whom Arminius saith are called of God by a meanes that is not congruent and agreeable and by which he knoweth man will neuer be conuerted XIV Here Arminius doth not obscurely accuse God of folly for he will haue God to be aduerse to himselfe and to be prepared to doe that which that it might not be done he taketh an incongruent and disagreeable course nay like a iudge hee sets lawes for God himselfe for what else meane these words God is bound to giue the power of beleeuing Surely it seemes that Arminius doth binde God by this Law neither will God haue any reason for his iustice vnlesse Arminius supply to him the meanes whereby he may auoide the crime of iniustice XV. And although that impotency and disabilitie of beleeuing be a punishment of the sinne of Adam yet he is not vniustly punished who by this impotency hath refused the Gospell because the same impotency or disability which is a punishment is also a fault which I say that it might appeare how vnproperly Arnoldus doth here vse the examples of punishments which are not faults Is it equity saith he that to a Souldier that hath beene punished with the losse of his eyes for not keeping good watch the Generall should offer the pardon of some other fault or should promise some other thing with this condition that he should watch more diligently and then punish him because that being blinde he hath not watched This example is not to the purpose for to be blinde is not a fault neither is any man by a naturall obligation bound to see It is otherwise with our impotency to beleeuing Besides hee that is punished with the losse of his eyes is sorrowfull and doth heauily beare the losse of the light But man therefore doth not beleeue because he will not beleeue and this impotency is voluntary CHAP. XII That God doth saue those whom of his meere grace hee chose out of mankinde corrupted and obnoxious to the
but as a type hauing no agreement with the thing signified he doth so vse these names as Logiâ—ians vse Socrates or Lawyers Titius and Maeuius for any other man VII But if we exactly weigh what it is to haue hated man being yet in the wombe before hee hath done good or euill we shall easily see that Esau is not onely laid downe hâ—re as a type but also as an example to whom indeede these things agreed although he were not vsed for a type For Malachy from whence these words are taken doth not lay downe Esau as a type but as an example But how that which is said that God hated Esau being yet in the wombe before he had committed any cuill may be drawne to Arminius his purpose and belong to the type of those who will be iustified by faith hee hath seene surely I doe not see VIII Paul addeth What shall we say then is there vnrighteousnesse with God The sense is plaine and depending on those things that went before He had laid downe two twins of like condition and nature neither better then the other whereof yet God loues the one and hates the other and had brought the meere will of God who hath mercy on whom he will to be the cause of this difference and not the fore-seeing of any vertue in the one Hence is bred an obiection whether God be vniust who giueth vnlike things to them that are alike and why he hath not mercy on both What saith Arminius here Why hee takes these things as if Paul demanded whether there is iniustice with God who excludes those from the couenant who would be iustified by the Law which he himselfe made and who would haue them that beleeue in Christ to be iustified This is a bould coniecture whereof there is no step nor mention in that which went before But if it be lawfull for any one to mingle and adde to the Scripture so many things out of his owne wit there is nothing so absurd or impious which may not be proued out of the Scripture What that there is no color nor reason for this here for what shew is there here of iniustice in God or who is so mad that he will expostulare with God because he will iustifie by faith in Christ and obsolue them that are guilty of the breach of the law Truely whosoener doth maruaile or demand why it seemes good to God to saue sinners by faâ—th in Christ doth not require iustice in God but doth peere into the secrets of Gods wisdome And if this had beene the Apostles minde which Arminius doth faine to him it had beene easie to answere that God is not therefore vniust who doth saue them that beleeue and doth supply a better righteousnes to them who cannot be iustified by the Law of the breach whereof they are guilty or in place of the couenant of the law which by sinne is made voide doth set another by which man might be saued Saint Paul answers no such thing but doth bring in God himselfe answering thus I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy and I will haue compassion on whom I will haue compassion which words doe not speake of iustification by faith but of the free election of God whereby of two men alike conceiued in sinne and alike guilty one is preferred before the other Saint Paul doth not say that because the law is violated therefore there is neede of mercy but he doth bring the cause of this difference betweene those that are equall by nature I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy According to Arminius hee should haue said I will haue mercy by what meanes I will I will make such a couenant as shall please my selfe For he will haue God not to speake of the election of seuerall men but of the manner which it pleaseth God to choose to exercise his mercy As if he had said I will haue mercy as I will and not I will haue mercy cuius volo on whom I will Surely this word Cuius of whom doth put this question to flight and doth make dull the weake wit of Arminius for this word marketh out particular persons and not the manner whereby God doth exercise his mercy towards them For he that asked the question What shall we say then is there iniustice with God moued the doubt concerning the hardning and reiection of particular men not concerning the manner by which it seemed good to God to saue men or to haue mercy on them IX And these words I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy and it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy By which saluation and election is expresly ascribed to the good pleasure of God Arminius doth darken and obscure them for he thus interpreteth them It is not of him that willeth that is righteousnesse is not But in the former verses it is not spoken of righteousnesse but of election Also those wordes I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy are taken out of Exodus Chap. 33. v 19. Where it is spoken of saluation not of righteousnesse But grant that it is here spoken of righteousnesse will it not hence follow that faith is not of him that willeth and therefore neither saluation for saluation is by righteousnesse and righteousnesse is by faith X. The obstinacy and affected stupidity of these sectaries doth maruallously bewray it selfe in one thing Paul bringeth in the demander thus speaking Why doth he yet complaine for who hath resisted his will By which words it doth manifestly appeare that in this Chapter it is spoken of the will of God which cannot be resisted and that Arminius is willingly blinde while he affirmeth that it is here spoken of the antecedent will of God which hee thinkes may be resisted XI What That Arminius doth secretly accuse Saint Paul of stupid dulnesse or of preposterous and needelesse modesty for what neede was there in the businesse of the election and reprobation of seuerall persons to stop the mouth of demanders by saying O man what art thou that repliest against God seeing by the doctrine of Arminius there is at hand an easie and ready answere That God elected this man because he foresaw he would beleeue and hee reprobated that man because he foresaw he would not beleeue Did not the Apostle see these things Or did he see them but did enuy to vs the cleere solution of this knot that might bring light to this darkenesse The ignorance of Paul shall be alwaies better to mee then the sharpe vnderstanding of another XII Maruailous is the wit and ridiculous audacitie of Arnoldus Coruinus in expounding this chapter He in his worke against Tilenus Chap 9. doth thus expound the type of Iacob and Esâ—u Surely saith he as there the yonger was preferred before the elder so also it was figured that saluation should not be by the Law although it was first giuen but
by faith Surely if this man be beleeued the Law is the elder brother and Faith the yonger Did God then hate the law before it had done good or euill I am ashamed to confute these things for seeing God preached the Gospell to Adam himselfe by the yonger brother the law is rather to be vnderstood Perhaps by the elder he would haue those to be vnderstood who would be iustified by the law but this is no lesse difficult to conceiue how God hated them before they had done eyther good or euill and how they could be the elder seeing they neuer were sonnes XII Finally the truth is here so euident that Vorstius hauing left Arminius Câ—llat aduers Piscat sect 141 doth yeeld to our part For he thinkes that the scope of the Apostle in this chapter is to teach that righteousnesse and eternall saluation doth depend not on the dignity and worth of workes or any carnall prerogatiue such as the Iewes boasted of but on the meere * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good pleasure â—o God that hath mercy CHAP. XVI The opinions of the parties vpon the doctrine of Predestination I. WE haue already said that predestination is the decree of God by which in the worke of our saluation God hath from eternity determined what hee will doe with euery particular man and that there are two parts or species of it Election and Reprobation II. Arminius Thes 15. Theolog. Disputa vnderstanding by the name of Predestination onely election doth thus define it Predestination is the decree of Gods good pleasure in Christ whereby from eternity hee hath determined with himselfe to iustifie to adopt and freely to reward with eternall life the faithfull to whom hee hath decreed to giue faith to the praise of his glorious grace All other his sectaries doe with one mouth say that election is the decree of God of sauing those that beleeue in Christ and shall perseuere in faith III. But here the Arminians doe with a maruailous craft hide their minde and meaning For that definition laid downe by Arminius doth seeme to teach that God chose some certaine men to saluation But it is otherwise nor is this the meaning of this difinition for by these words the faithfull to whom hee decreed to giue faith they doe not vnderstand some certaine men whom God hath precisely elected but they onely insinuate of what quality they are whom God would elect to wit such as should beseeue And they teach that God is often disappointed of that will by which he hath decreed to giue men faith and that he may be condemned whom God hath so elected Greuinch p. 101 dicit Hoc decretum esse condits onale de qusitbet si credat seruando For they deny that this decree is precise but that it is conditionall and which depend of faith foreseene of which faith the grace of God is but a cause in part for free will hath also a part here in the power whereof it is to vse well or ill the preuenting accompanying grace of God eyther to receiue or to refuse it Therefore they make God by this decree seriously to intend the saluation of all men to haue determined to giue them sufficient grace power to beleâ—ue but that he is disappointed of this his decree intention in many mans will hindring it whereby it comes to passe that God is deceiued of his naturall desire and first intention which surely must needes be the best Coll. Hag. p. 96. Least therefore any one should thinke that by this decree of election which Arminius hath defined some certaine men are appointed to life it must be obserued that this decree according to the meaning of Arminius doth conditionally belong to all men whatsoeuer and that by this antecedent will Pharaoh and Iudas Arnold P. 192. c. are conditionally elected wherefore the Arminians doe deny that the number of the elect is certaine by the precise appointment of God which can neither be increased nor be diminished IV. Obserue also that that definition laid downe by Arminius doth not belong to infants which are taken away by an immature and vnseasonable death for the Arminians will haue onely them that beleeue to be elected V. Besides this generall and conditionall election by which all men without exception are elected they make another election of particular men which doth rest relye on faith foreseene This they define to be the absolute decree of God of sauing some certaine men whom he from eternity fore-saw would beleeue in Christ and perseuere in the faith which faith and perseuerance they say is considered in the decree of election as already fulfilled The same men are also of opinion that this election while wee are pilgrimes vpon earth is incompleate and reuocable For so Greninchouius P. 136.137 As the good things of our saluation which are continued faith being continued and are reuoked and called backe faith being denied are incompleate so election is in this life incompleate not peremptory not irreuocable But the course of election being finished they will haue this decree then to bee compleate and irreuocable VI. They will haue the will of God of sauing some certaine men to be after the will of man and to depend vpon the fore-seeing of faith VII They will haue that first election to belong to the antecedent will the latter election to the consequent will VIII That God doth supply tomen the meanes to beleeue they thinke it to be the act of his prouidence and not of this election whereby hee hath appointed some certaine men to glory and they denie true faith and perseuerance in faith to be an effect of this latter and absolute election seeing precise election doth rather depend on the fore-seeing of that faith and faith is before election For they denie that God hath precisely predestinated any one to faith but they will haue it that they that haue faith are predestinated to saluation IX They comprehend the whole doctrine of election in foure decrees which they so knit among themselues with a perpetuall linking that the latter depend on the former X. The 1. decree of God is of giuing his son for the abolishing of sin for the redemption of al mankind in which redemption they would haueal mankind to be reconciled and remission of sins to be obtained for all The 2. decree that whereby God decreed to saue them that beleeue would perseuere in faith This is that generall conditionall election The 3. decree is that wherby God decreed to giue to all men sufficient grace for faith repentance which power they say is giuen irresistably yea and that God is bound to giue all men this grace But the very act of beleeuing they say is not giuen but resistably least force should be offered to mans will They denie therefore that God decreed to giue to any one precisely absolutely faith and the act of beleeuing The 4.
last decree they would haue to be that whereby God hath precisely and absolutely decreed to saue some certaine men for their faith fore-seene XI These are the decrees of the Arminians and this is the summe of their whole doctrine in the searching and viewing of which the labour is not small they doe so enwrap their meanings they doe so hide their mindes that there alwaies lyeth open some hole to scape by whose meaning he that doth not know will easily beleeue they haue wrong done them they doe so parget ouer their errour with beautifull colours as if they were of the same opinion with vs when they are very farre distant from vs Then also if one in expounding their opinion hath not expressed all euen their least distinctions or hath not obserued all their shifts it cannot be said what tragedies they stirre vp how miserably they complaine as it were of force and grieuous slanders and calumny Being ready also to forsweare Arminius and themselues to pluck vp their owne opinions and to maintaine the cause of the Papists finally to doe any thing so they may escape our hands XII But we handle the matter more plainely nor doe we so laboriously cut the election of God into members Neither doe wee prescribe an order to God by which hee should haue digested or yet ought to digest his thoughts and to dispose his decrees We acknowledge there is no generall election seeing there is no election where nothing is left And we acknowledge no election vnlesse it be of seuerall and particular persons and that also to be precise and determined by the purpose of God neither doe we thinke any to be elected but he that shall certainly and infallibly come to saluation Nor doe we beleeue that we be elected from faith or for faith but vnto faith For God doth not elect those that are good by any goodnesse which goeth before election but by his election hee will make them good Nor doth he fore-know any good in vs but what he himselfe is to bring to passe which is not to fore-see but fore-ordaine Neither doe wee make the election of perticular persons to depend vpon mans will Yea and we beleeue that perseuerance and the confirmation of mans will in faith doth proceede from Gods free election of grace by which he decreed to giue to them whom he appointed to an end the meanes to come to that end XV. Wee agree with the Arminians in this that God in electing doth consider a man not onely as fallen but as one that by his gift is to beleeue for those which he appointed to saluation he appointed also to faith and repentance but we doe not thinke that in election faith is considered as accomplished but as that which should be accomplished by the grace of God and which is the effect of our election and that God doth this not by compelling the will but by bowing it and by granting that of its owne accord it should follow him calling Not by a force which is therefore called irresistable because thou canst not resist it although thou wouldst seeing this very thing is a part of this grace that thou shalt not be willing to resist it But that God is bound to giue his grace to men we detest it as an opinion contumelious reproachfull against the maresty of God Also we despise the opinion of the Arminians wherby they determine that God equally desires saluation to all as an opinion contrary to the Scripture to experience XIV Wee say that election is the eternall and therefore immutable decree of God whereby out of mankind fallen corrupted God decreed of his owne meere grace by Christ to saue some certaine men and to giue them the meanes whereby they might come to saluation XV. The decree of giuing faith repentance we make to be a part of that decree For the decree concerning the end includes also the meanes so the decree of making warre doth include Horses Armes and prouision and the will whereby any one hath decreed to builde doth necessarily include the will of gathering together stones and timber Neither doe we thinke it safe to pull asunder the counsels of God and as it were scrupulously to cut them into peeces CHAP. XVII That the Arminians make fore-seene faith the cause of the election of particular persons I. THe Arminian conferrers at the Hage and as many as are their sectaries in many places doe professe that they doe not make faith the cause of Election but onely a precedent condition and some thing pre-required before Election These things they say onely in word For the same men with very great diligence doe heape vp arguments whereby it may be proued that faith is the cause of the election of particular persons But oftentimes there fals from them either vnwilling or vnawares that which they indeauour to presse downe and as Rats they are catched by bewraying themselues II. Nicholas Greuinchouius pag. 103. doth confesse that Arminius was of opinion that election * inuiti did rest vpon fore-seene faith The Remonstrants in the conference at the Hage p. 117. doe vse the same manner of speaking And Arminius in the 47. page of his declaration The decree saith he whereby God decreed to saue some certaine men doth rest on the fore-knowledge of God whereby from eternity he hath knowne who will belieue c. The Arminians page 38. of their answere to the Walachrians haue these words We determine that the fore-seeing of faith and infidelity doth in order goe before the decree of predestination and that this decree doth * inniti rest on that former fore-knowledge Truely he is blinde that doth not see that it is one thing to follow one another thing to rest on him For if the rising starre doth in order goe before the following starre doth therefore the latter rest on the former Arminius therefore doth not lay downe faith onely as an antecedent thing but as something which doth sustaine election in which it is founded and on which election doth rest And he doth no lesse make election depend vpon faith who saith that faith is the foundation then he that saith that it is the cause of Election for the cause giueth to election that it should be the foundation giueth to it that it should stand and be firme Either way alike iniury is done to God whether you say that some vertue which is in man is the cause of the good pleasure of God or whether you say that the good pleasure of God hath his foundation from some vertue of man III. But by those words they doe not obseurely acknowledge that fore-seene faith is the cause of election for they will haue the fore-seeing of faith so to goe before election as the fore-seeing of incredulity doth in order goe before reprobation But that the reprobates are appointed to condemnation for incredulity and because they are vnbeleeuers they euery where acknowledge And Arminius against Perkins
condition which they might fulfill It might therefore haue come to passe that before this wicked deede they might haue beene conuerted and become faithfull and so had not crucified Christ And truely it cannot be said that Iudas and Caiaphas were elected to saluation vnder the condition of beleeuing in the death of Christ seeing they were appointed to that very thing that by their incredulity and wickednesse Christ might be deliuered to death but if Iudas and Caiaphas had beleeued in Christ Christ had not beene deliuered to death and therefore this decree whereby the Arminians will haue God to haue elected Iudas and Caiaphas and Pilate vnder this condition if they would beleeue in Christ doth infolde a contradiction For they doe as much as if they should bring in God speaking thus I appointed to saue Iudas and Caiaphas if they will beleeue in the death of Christ But if they shall beleeue and shall be faithfull Christ should not be deliuered to death nor be crucified Also of the foure decrees of the Arminians the two former are contrary one to another For by the first decree God decreed to vse the incredulity and perfidiousnesse of Iudas to deliuer Christ to death But by the second decree God elected Iudas vnder the condition of faith in the death of Christ Therefore by the former decree Iudas is absolutely considered as an vnbeleeuer and a reprobate but by the second he is considered as one conditionally elected The schoole of Arminius is painted about with these monsters and Chimeraes contrary one to another which would moue laughter if the church were not troubled by them and the wisedome of God exposed to reproach VII Furthermore by that generall decree whereby all men are said to be elected vnder the condition of faith to be performed Greuinch p. 101 DecretuÌ„ conditionale de quolibet si credat seruando Pag. 2. Decreuit salutem conferre sub conditione fidei prestande ab ijs qui. bus salutem ap plitaret God is openly mocked For it is a foolish decree which is made vnder a condition which condition he that decreed it knew certainely in the very moment he decreed it that it would not be fulfilled especially if this condition cannot be fulfilled but by the helpe and power of him who decrees it For by such a decree God should set a law to himselfe not to man But it is manifest by experience that God doth not minister to all men the meanes that are necessary to the fulfilling of this condition For he will not haue his Gospell preached to all neither doth he giue the spirit of regeneration to all VIII Finally what is to be iudged of this generall election appeares by the consectaries and conclusions which are drawne thence whereof that is the chiefest and farre the worst whereby they denie that the number of the elect is certaine and determined by the will of God electing whence it followeth that the election of particular persons is not certaine by the will of God For if it were certaine by the decree of God that this or that man were of the number of the elect then of seuerall persons ioyned together the whole summe and certaine number would be made vp But that which Arnoldus saith Arnold P. 192. Numerum statuitis certum esse ex precisa dei ordinatione determinatum qui nec angeri nâ—â— minui possit idque ex eadem ordinatione longe viro aliter Euangelium vera predestinationis doctrina que in genera tantum docet quales sunt electi Pag. 192. That the number of the elect may be increased or diminished is such a thing that there is no good man who doth not tremble at the hearing of it For what is it in God to diminish the number of the elect but to change his opinion and to take from the number of the elect those which indeede being not sufficiently well considered of and as hauing cast his accounts amisse he had brought into the white roule of the elect which should rather haue beene carried into the blacke booke of reprobates IX Of the same euill stampe is that of Greuinchouius against Ames Pag. 136. making a halfe an incompleate and so a reuocable election In the Scriptures saith hee men are called elect 1. incompleately according to the present state in as much as they are such to wit faithfull men for the present time the last tearme of their life being excepted in which 2. Election is fulfilled Behold a depending election by which euery most wicked man is incompleately elect and the decree of God is incompleate vntill it be made compleate by man which surely are not dogmata but portenta not doctrines but monstrous opinions which neuer came into the minde of any one of whom the name of Christ is any where heard of X. But the Scripture teacheth that the number of the elect is certaine Reuel 6. The soules which are vnder the Altar are commanded to waite while the number of the brethren is fulfilled Also that which Christ saith of the sheepe that were giuen him euen before their conuersion Iohn 10.1 As also that he saith that all shall come to him as many as are giuen him by the father Iohn 6.37 And that none of his sheepe can be taken out of his hand Iohn 10.28 doe all plainely declare that the number of them is determined by the purpose of God Saint Luke doth also accord in whom Chap. 10. v. 20. Christ thus speaketh to the Apostles Reioyce not that the spirits are subiect to you but rather reioyce that your names are written in heauen No lesse expressely doth the Apostle to the Hebrewes speake Chap. 12. v. 22.23 where hee calleth the church the heauenly Ierusalem the assembly of the first borne which are written in Heauen Hitherto pertaines that book of life concerning which it is spoken in other places And Reuel 20. where they are said to be cast into the lake of fire which are not found written in the booke of life The Arminians Pag. 96. of the conference at Hage doe with a vaine interpretation expound those words of Christ Reioyce that your names are written in the booke of life For they will not haue these words to be taken of election to saluation but they will haue this to be the sence of it Reioyce that according to the present state of faith righteousnesse and obedience ye are accounted for pious and godly men yea for the sonnes of God O good God where is modesty Here is neyther reason nor colour for this For to be accounted faithfull by men is not to haue their names written in heauen Nor was there any cause that the Apostle should so reioyce because men thought well of them seeing that often times happeneth to him that is most wicked and this had beene much lesse then that the diuels did tremble at their voice and fled from them which yet Christ reckons to be but a small thing in
should say that God fore-saw the Sunne would be round or shining for God himselfe turned it into roundnesse and put the light into it How greatly the Arminians erre here and that it followes of their doctrine that faith is not the gift of God although sometimes they speake otherwise shall be seene in the right place XII Thither also belong the words which are in the eleuenth verse of the first chapter Ephes 1.11 Being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counfell of his owne will If God hath predestinated any one to saluation he worketh also all things which are necessary to the execution of that decree and if all things then also faith Faith therefore is something after predestination for it is a part of the execution of that decree XIII There is a noteable place Acts 13.48 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They beleeued as many as were ordained to eternall life While Paul preached to the men of Antiochia some beleeued some refused the Gospell Saint Luke brings this cause why they did not beleeue to wit the ordination and decree of God Election therefore is before faith because the election of God is the cause why men beleeue According to Arminius Saint Luke ought to haue spoken thus And as many as beleeued were elected by God in reward of their faith But contrariewise hee saith they beleeued because they were elected Socinus and after him Arminius doe depraue and corrupt this place with very great wickednesse For by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they that were ordained they vnderstand they that were disposed prepared and inclined or well affected as if Luke had writ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainely a bold euasion and an interpretation without colour and example For neyther the Scripture nor any man that I know euer tooke the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this sence To which purpose when many examples may be heaped vp yet they are most fit which are taken out of the booke of the Acts it selfe that it may appeare in what sence Saint Luke doth alwaies take this word Chap. 15.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they decreed or determined that Paul should goe vp And Acts 28.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when they had appointed him a day So Saint Paul Rom. 13.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The powers that are are ordained or appointed by God So S. Chrisost Hom. 30. vpon the Acts doth interpret this place of the Acts as many as were ordained to saluation where he rendreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seuered by God and fore-determined Then also although the word were ambiguous reason it selfe would conuince this For none of the vnregenerate can be well disposed or well affected to eternall life But all these men of Antiochia before they beleeued the Gospell were vnregenerate therefore they were ill disposed to the obtaining of saluation Let the schoole and followers of Arminius tell me what disposition was in the theefe who was crucified with Christ to beleeue before he did beleeue Or in the Apostle Paul when like a wolfe he did rage against the flocke of Christ and swelling with Pharisaicall pride was a most eager maintainer of righteousnesse by the Law yea also common sence doth abhorre that kinde of speaking which they deuise For wee are not wont to say that one is well disposed or prone or well affected to blessednesse but to vertue This inclination must be to doe something and not to enioy or obtaine something So one may be said to be inclined to the exercise of his body but not to health to the combat not to the reward or victory Or if any one please to take the word dispositum disposed for cupido desire there is no man who is not disposed to saluation It is not for nothing that the Greeke hath not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simply and alone but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as many as were appointed By which preterpluperfect tense is plainely signified not a present disposition but an ordination that went before It is to no purpose that they therefore gather that by those that are ordained are vnderstood those that are disposed because in that place they are opposed to them that are vnworthy For Luke here makes no opposition nor if he did would it any thing hinder vs who know that by the very election to faith and saluation men are made worthy and therefore also we are opposed to those that are vnworthy In the meane time let the Reader iudge what and how wicked a doctrine this is which doth make men to be worthy before they beleeue and that some are found among Infidels who are worthy of saluation XIV Marke 13.22 False Christs and false Prophets shall arise and shall shew signes and wonders to seduce if it were possible the very elect There is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cause and reason of it giuen in the word Elect For the cause is noted why some cannot be finally deceiued to wit because they are elected Election therefore is before perseuerance in faith to the end as being the cause of perseuerance And that which is the cause of perseuerance in faith is the cause of faith That which is the cause why one doth alwaies beleeue is the cause why hee doth beleeue Therefore the opinion of Arminius doth fall to the ground by which he determineth that not onely faith but also perseuerance in faith is before election and that God in electing doth consider it as a condition already performed and fulfilled XV. The words of the Apostle ought not to be omitted 2. Tim. 1.9 He hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus before the world beganne These words seem to me to be diametrically directly contrary to Arminianisme For the Apostle doth not onely deny that we are saued for the fore-seeing of workes but also he brings the eternall decree of God to exclude the respect of workes But if God hath not elected vs for the foreseeing of workes then certainly not for the fore-seeing of faith which doth beget and effect workes And if God hath not elected any one for the fore-seeing of faith then certainely not for the right vsing of grace nor for the obedience of faith for as much as this vsing and this obedience is manifestly a worke Neither is it any doubt but that to embrace the Gospell by faith is a kinde of worke and action of the will XVI What Arnold cont Gomarum Pag. 4â— Arminius dicit ipâ—um credere in Christum nobis in iustitiam imputari non vt infirumentum P. 35. dicet fidem estimati pro â—â—edien iâ— opâ—re Vorst Cat. Error on Siber P. 41. Fides nobis ad iustitiam 〈◊〉 putatur formalâ—er Bretius Epist ad Sabr P. 69. 70. Non est inâ—ptum dicere cum Deus
ipse â—d aicat noâ— habitu sen qualitate inherente iustificari Idem dicit Vorst Cat. Errâ—rum Sibr. P. 61. 54. Impiutper paenetentiam iustificatur That Arminius doth acknowledge faith not onely to be an action and therefore aworke but doth also contend that faith is imputed for righteousnesse not as an instrument that is not as it apprehendeth Christ but as it is a worke and an action The words of Arminius are reported by the Walachrian brethren in their Epistle and they are these Faith is imputed for righteousnesse not as it is an instrument but as it is an action although it be by him whom it apprehendeth Neither doe the Arminians in their answere deny it but doe willingly acknowledge that these are Arminius his words and Pag. 87. they doe defend him The same men in the page going before doe confesse that Peter Bertius a man of speciall name amongst the Arminians is of opinion That the very act of faith is imputed to vs for righteousnesse in a proper sense and therefore that we are iustified by faith as by an inherent qualitie which vlcer I doe not touch here But I onely take that which makes for the present matter to wit seeing that faith it selfe is not onely an action and a worke but that also according to the minde of the Arminians wee are iustified by faith in as much as it is an action and a worke and an inherent vertue it is plaine that the fore-seeing of faith is excluded by that very eternall good pleasure of God which the Apostle vseth to exclude the foreseeing of workes seeing that faith it selfe is also a worke and an action yea and doth iustifie as it is an action if Arminius be beleeued XVII Hitherto pertaines that which is said Rom. 9.11 The purpose of God which is according to election not of workes but of him that calleth because faith it selfe is a worke and doth iustifie as it is a worke as the Arminians will haue it and to vse grace aright is with them to worke XVIII The Scripture speaketh of the decree of election as of a certaine immutable decree 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God standeth sure and hath this seale the Lord knoweth them that are his And Romanes 9. That the purpose of God which is according to election might stand And Iohn 10.28 I giue to my sheepe eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand And chap. 6.37 All that the father giueth me shall come to me whereunto adde that which is Mark 13. that the elect cannot be deceiued Did Pilate thinke it was an vnlawfull thing to change the title of the crosse which was written by him and will it be a thing worthy the maiesty and wisedome of God to cancell those things he writ and hauing changed his opinion to wipe out those which hee had set into the white register of the elect Hee therefore doth not thinke well of God and doth subuert the doctrine of the Gospell who will haue the decree of the election of men to be mutable and reuocable and to depend on mans will We haue heard that Greuinchouius doth deny the decree of election to be peremptory and absolute while we liue here And the whole Schoole of Arminius doth cry out with one voyce that the number of the elect is not certaine and determined by the election and will of God But if the number of the elect be not certaine by the will of God then neither is election it selfe certaine And surely they iustly make election mutable who make it to depend on mans will for they will haue election to rest on faith fore-seene and faith it selfe to depend on mans free-will Indeede they say that preuenting and accompanying grace is necessary to beâ—eeue but the vse of this grace they will haue to be in the power of mans will which alwaies hath this liberty that it may vse that grace or not vse it And we shall see in his place that the Arminians teach that the grace of God is not the totall cause of faith but onely a cause in part Finally you may euery where finde that election is made by the purpose and good pleasure of God and for his meere grace as 2 Tim. 1.19 Ephes 1. ve 5.6 and 11. Rom 9.15 and 11. ver 3. But I finde no where that any one is elected for faith fore-seene neither doe the Arminians proue it any otherwise but by consequences farre fetched which we will examine in their place and order CHAP. XX. Election for faith fore-seene is confuted by places taken out of the Gospell of Saint Iohn THis contention will cease if we stand to the testimony of Christ himselfe in the Gospell according to Saint Iohn hee faith many things which cut this knot and leaue no place for doubting I. Iohn 6 37. he thus speaketh to the Iewes Whatsoeuer my father giueth me shall come to me To come to Christ is to beleeue for so Christ himselfe expounds it verse 35. He that commeth to me shall not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst He might haue said in both places Hee that commeth shall not hunger nor shall thirst but in the latter place he puts beleeue for come that wee might know that we come to Christ by beleeuing The meaning therefore of Christ is that those that are giuen him by the father will beleeue in him and they are giuen to the sonne who are therefore giuen that hee might saue them and they might be his flocke The sense therefore of these words whatsoeuer my father giueth to me shall come is this Whosoeuer my father giueth me to be saued shall beleeue in me They are giuen then to Christ before they can come or can beleeue for therefore they come to Christ and beleeue because they are giuen him But Arminius will haue them beleeue before they be giuen for he will haue them to be elected and therefore to be giuen to Christ for faith fore-seene Christ saith that therefore they come because they are giuen him the sectaries on the contrary say that therefore they are giuen because they come In another place the head-strong obstinacy of these men doth no lesse discouer it selfe by them who are giuen to Christ they would haue the faithfull to be vnderstood as if Christ had said he that beleeueth in me will come to me But we haue already proued that to come is the same that it is to beleeue The sence therefore of these words of Christ according to Arminius will be this Whosoeuer doth beleeue shall beleeue in me Adde to these that seeing in the Arminian election faith and perseuerance in faith is considered as already performed and therefore they that are elected are considered as dead or in the very limits of life and death they cannot be said to come who haue not already measured out the course of their life Neither by them who are giuen to Christ
asunder For all that are glorified are iustified all that are iustified are called by that effectuall calling which is peculiar to the elect all that are so called are appointed that they should be conformable to the image of Christ Let the sectaries tell me whether glorification iustification and calling doe not belong to all the elect For Arminius while he doth restraine this conformity to afflictions he maketh many elect that are not conformable to Christ because many of the seruants of God euen of the best haue had peace without interruption and quietnesse with honour Doe the Arminians wipe themselues out of the number of the elect who in the height of peace forgetfull of the crosse of Christ haue moued this sinke pernicious and deadly to themselues and to the Church I am not ignorant that these things are spoken by the Apostle to the comfort of the afflicted to whom all things turne to good But what lets that hee should not comfort them by those lessons which might belong to all So the Apostle Saint Peter 1. Pet. 2. when hee had commanded seruants to be subiect to their masters not onely if they were good but also if they were euill and rough a little after he doth exhort them to patience by those instructions which are common to all Christians admonishing them that it is pleasing to God if any of them endure troubles for conscience sake that Christ being innocent therfore suffered that he might leaue vs an example that we might walke in his steppes And it is no doubt but that these that are here said to be predestinated to conformity vnto the image of Christ are the same with those who in the same place he saith are called by the purpose of God But they that are afflicted for Christ are not onely called but also all the elect among whom there are many that are free from persecutions III. Especially obserue that Saint Paul here doth speake of the election of particular persons those whom he Predestinated and those whom he glorifyed for but some and that a few are glorified These Innouators will haue the election of particular persons to be after calling and they will haue them to be elected whom God fore-seeth will follow him calling and they make election to rest vpon this foreseeing But Saint Paul here maketh election to be before calling when hee saith Whom he predestinated them also he called whom he called them also he iustified whom he iustified them also he glorified For as in order and time iustification is before glorification and calling before iustification so also the predestination of seuerall persons is before calling IV. But it is worth the labour to consider the linkes of that Apostolicall chaine Whom he predestinated he called whom he called he iustified whom he iustified he glorified Doe not you see how we are predestinated to our calling and by our calling to iustification And seeing that we are iustified by Faith it followeth that we are predestinated to Faith For how can he be predestinated to iustification by Faith who is not predestinated to Faith These things strike at the life V. I let passe that the Arminians doe ouerturne those words of S. Paul whom he iustified them also he glorified while they affirme that many are iustified who are reprobates This they cleerely shew in their Epistle against the Walachrians Pag 40. They who beleeue for a time may be said to be iustified whom the euent doth shew to be reprobates VI. In the same chapter v. 16. he saith The spirit of God beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God I demande whether this tesiemony of the spirit be certaine or doubtfull If it be doubtfull the spirit of God is accused of a lie If it be certaine I demand on what foundation doth this certainty rest Doth it rest on the power of free-will Why this is a doubtfull and deceitfull certainty Or is this testimony certaine because it is giuen to none but them whom God hath certainely appointed to saluation Why this is that very thing which we affirme and the Arminians deny VII There is no lesse force in the ninth chapter to the Romanes where the Apostle doth throughly and largely treate of Election and reprobation The scope of the Apostle is to teach that election and saluation is not of the workes of the law but of God calling and hauing mercy and his scope is not as Arminius faines to treate of iustification by faith I will not repeate those things which are spoken chap. 15. where we hauer pressed Arminius torturing the Apostle that he might draw him against his will to the patronage of his cause VIII Thus much the carefull Reader shall obserue that Paul after he hath spoken of the purpose of God according to Election doth presently lay downe Iacob for an example of that Election whom God loued before he had done any good or euil and therefore before he had beleeued for to beleeue is to doe something and so Election went before Faith Yea although to beleeue the Gospell and obey it were not an action yet if election went before the consideration of workes it must needes also goe before the consideration of Faith from which workes doe flow For if Faith should goe before Election God in electing could not consider Faith but as bringing forth workes for otherwise he had considered Faith not as it is but as it is not IX Also that which he saith v. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy were false if God had mercy on men for faith fore-scene For the Arminians doe hold this stedfastly and defend with greatest diligence that God giueth all men power of beleeuing in Christ yea and that he is bound to giue it and how great grace soeuer God may giue to beleeue in act yet it is in the power of mans free will to vse this grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue and that that man is elected by God whom he foresaw would beleeue and whom he considereth as already beleeuing According to this doctrine it may rightly be said that saluation is of him that willeth and of him that runneth and not onely of God that sheweth mercy But if Paul therefore said that it is not of him that willeth because it is not alone of him that wiâ—leth why shall it not be also lawfull to say that it is not of God that sheweth mercy because it is not alone of him shewing mercy but also of mans free will X. But if to that question whereby it is demanded why God of one and the same Masse hath loued one and hated another why hee had mercy of one and hardned the other it may be answered that it was done because God fore-saw that the one would beleeue and the other would not beleeue Saint Paul ought not to haue blamed the demander and commanded him to be silent seeing the
againe their negligence can hurt none but those whom God will absolutely destroy and who cannot be saued The Pelagians obiected the same things to Saint Austin Lib. de bono perseu Chap. 14. August de bono perseu cap. 14. â—iunt praedestinationis definitionem vtilitati praeâ—â—catronis aduersam Whereunto wee haue already largely answered For the same reasons which stirre vp the carefulnesse of the hearers to repentance and good workes are also of power to stirre vp pastors diligently to vndergo their office and to prick forward their hearers to repentance For although the elect cannot perish yet wee know that God doth bring the elect to saluation by the word and sacraments and by the ministery of the Gospell whose decree our obedience must serue And although the minister of the word dealing perfunctoriously and carelesly cannot cause that he that is elected should perish yet hee hurts himselfe and shall beare the punishment of that negligence in the day of iudgement Therefore although he did not hurt others yet hee should very much wrong himselfe Saint Paul a most vehement maintainer of election doth professe that he endureth all things for the elect that they may obtaine saluation 2. Tim. 2.10 XXXVIII As concerning the Reprobates if this reason of Arminius preuaile by the like reason we shall neyther eate nor drinke nor shall parents be bound to be carefull of the health of their children because this negligence can hurt none but them whom God will haue to perish who by his decree hath set sure bounds to the life of euery particular person which cannot be pulled backe nor passed ouer And if it were manifest to the pastors which of their flocke were Reprobates then there were some colour for the doubting whether they ought to be carefull for the saluation of them that are Reprobates But seeing that this is vnknowne to them they ought to scatter the seede of the word euery where and leaue the euent to God XXXIX Arnoldus Page 307. saith that which in my iudgement is exceeding bad If any one saith he should teach that God himselfe hath precisely appointed to nourish one for some time in this life and that he would so prouide the bread where with he should be nourished that he could not but haue it aboundantly I grant that such a one neede not be warned that hee should be carefull how to prouide himselfe bread But I affirme that such an one needes and ought to be warned to prepare himselfe bread because the same God who doth promise bread and hath decreed to giue it doth also declare in his word that he will giue this bread to our labour and by the meanes of our carefulnesse Therefore he that will giue the bread doth also giue strength will and industry whereby this bread should be prepared So that Arnoldus yeelds that to himselfe which no man in his right sense would yeeld to him XL. Furthermore the certainty of Election may be taken two manner of waies eyther for the immutability of the decree of God or for that certaine perswasion whereby any one doth beleeue that he is elected Of the former kinde of certainty it is onely spoken here the latter doth require a peculiar treatise But by the way we say that we beleeue none of those things which Arnoldus doth falsely attribute to vs whereof this is one that all men are bound to beleeue that they are elected to eternall life Nay we teach that he that will not beleeue in Christ and repent is bound to beleeue that saluation gotten by the death of Christ doth not pertaine to him Of the same stampe is that calumny when he saith that we command wicked men to be secure as they that can lose saluation by no euill deedes Fie on that abhominable doctrine To say I am elected therefore I may be wicked is the speech of a reprobate man who will therefore be wicked because God is good By this meanes that loue wherewith God in Christ hath loued vs which is the most vehement incitation to loue God is turned into a pillow on which prophane security may sleepe Whosoeuer God hath elected he hath giuen him or will giue him the holy-Ghost by which he abstaineth from so prophane a thought So him whom hee hath appointed to life he hath appointed also to foode and to breathing He were ridiculous who should say if God hath decreed that I should liue till I am eighty yeeres old what neede I eate seeing it cannot be but I must liue so long Surely the destruction of such a man is neere for God hath determined to vse this his sencelesse peeuishnesse to punish him XLI In the meane while wee admonish that the certainty of the election of seuerall persons is carefully to be distinguished from that certainty whereby seuerall men beleeue themselues to be elected The former is the certainty of the decree the latter is the certainty of faith For if Arminius could proue that piety and the endeauour of good workes is extinguished by the perswasion of election yet it would not thence follow that the decree of God concerning the election of particular persons is not certaine and precise But it would onely follow that this decree is not to be beleeued by vs to be certaine Whence it appeares how ill Arminius and Arnoldus doe reason who thereby inferre that the decree of God concerning the election of particular persons is not absolute nor precise because the confidence of election doth make some men more negligent to the workes of piety XLII Adde to these those things which we haue laid downe in the second chapter where we haue shewed how many waies the doctrine concerning election is profitable to good manners and to the discipline of piety which notwithstanding wee would haue thus to be taken not that euery one is to expect a reuelation of his election but the Gospell is to be heard and this promise whereby God doth promise life to them that beleeue is throughly to be fastned in our minde and to be embraced with our whole heart By which perswasion whosoeuer shall feele himselfe to be liuely affected with the loue of God and to be driuen to repentance shall easily gather that he is elected and that the thing promised in the Gospell doth belong to him For although election is in nature before faith and repentance as the cause from whence these vertues flow yet faith and repentance is better knowne to vs and we are alwaies to proceede from the things that best are knowne whence it commeth to passe that many times we goe to the cause by the effects which order in the schooles is called Resolutiuus XLIII And if we would imitate Arminius it were an easie thing to lay these things vpon him and to teach how many waies his doctrine doth offend against the wisedome and goodnesse of God and therefore also against his iustice How many waies occasion may thence be taken either of distrust or of
frowardnesse by what meanes it doth blow vp a man while he burst and lift him vp on high that it might throw him downe headlong For one that is filled with Armianisme may say thus God indeede is willing to saue me but he may be disappointed of his will hee may be defrauded of his naturall defires which are farre the best Those whom God will saue by his Antecedent will hee will destroy by his Consequent will Also his election doth rest on the fore-seeing of mans will I were a miserable man if my saluation depended vpon so vnstable a thing The same man will also reason thus God giueth to all men sufficient grace but hee hath not manifested Christ to all men therefore there is some grace sufficient without the knowledge of Christ Also the same man will easily beleeue that God doth mocke men for he hath learned in the schoole of Arminius that God doth seriously desire intend the saluation of all and singular men and yet that neuerthelesse he doth call very many by a meanes that is not congruent that is by a meanes in a time and measure which is not apt nor fit by which meanes whosoeuer is called doth neuer follow God calling But what doe I know whether he calleth by a congruent and agreeable meanes or no Adde also these famous opinions that vnregenerate men doe good workes that they are meeke thirsting after and doing the will of the Father that faith is partly from grace and partly from free-will Nay what that any maintainer of the sect of Arminius shall dare to set lawes to God himselfe and to say that God is bound to giue to all men power of beleeuing And that the iustice of God doth require that he may giue to man that which is his owne and that man himselfe may determine and open his owne heart to receiue the word of God O your fidelity Are these your famous incitations to holinesse of life Doth Arminius traine vp men to piety by these instructions Surely if any one is stirred vp to good workes by these things hee is thereby the more corrupted For God had rather haue sinnes with repentance then righteousnesse with pride God will not stirre vp men to repentance with the losse eyther of our faith or his glory Nor are we onely to doe our endeauour that men be stirred vp to repentance but we must also see that it be done by meanes that are conuenient and not contumelious against God CHAP. XXV Whether Christ be the cause and foundation of Election I. WE say that no man is saued but by and for Christ and that Christ is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and price of our redemption the foundation and meritorious cause of our saluation But we doe not say that he is the cause of election or the cause why of two considered in the corrupted masse one is preferred before another There are not wanting examples of most wicked men to one whereof God so dispensing the Gospell hath beene preached whence it came to passe that he was conuerted and did beleeue but to the other the Gospell hath not beene preached The Scripture doth not say that the death of Christ is the cause of this but doth fetch the cause from the good pleasure of God who hath mercy on whom he will For the loue of the father doth alwaies goe before the mediation of the sonne seeing that the loue of the father to the world was the cause why he sent his sonne Yea truely seeing Christ himselfe as he is man is elected and the head of the elect hee cannot be the foundation and cause of election For as hee is the head of men as he is a man so is he the head of them that are predestinated as he is a man predestinated to so great honour which came to him by the meere grace of God II. Wherefore the Apostle calleth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the price of our redemption and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the propitiation Coloss 1. Rom. 3. but he doth not say that he is the cause why some men should be elected rather then others III. Reason it selfe doth consent For as the recouery of the sicke-man doth in the intention alwaies goe before the vsing of the Phisitian so it must needes be that in the minde of God the thought of sauing men was not in time but in order before the thought of sending the Sauiour IV. Adde to these that the mediation and redemption of Christ is an action whereby the iustice of God is satisfied which is not signified by the word Election for it is one thing to be a mediator and another thing to be the cause of Election or of the preferring of one before another in the secret counsell of God Whence it is that Christ is the meritorious cause of our saluation but not of our election which is as much as if I should say that Christ is the foundation and cause of the execution of the decree of Election but not the cause of Election it selfe V. It is of no small moment that Christ Iohn 15.13 saith That he layeth downe his life for his friends chap. 10. v. 11. he calleth himselfe the good shepheard that layeth downe his life for his sheepe And if Christ be dead for his friends and for his sheepe it must needs be that when he died for them he did consider them as being already friends and sheepe although many of them were not then called as Christ himselfe doth testifie who in the sixteenth verse of the same chapter doth call those also his sheepe who were not yet conuerted And if Christ dying for vs considered vs as his friends and sheepe it is plaine that before the death of Christ there was already destinction made betweene his friends and enemies betweene the sheep and goates and therefore that the decree of Election was in order before the death of Christ and that the opinion of Arminius is to be hissed out as an opinion subuerting the Gospell whereby hee thinkes that the election had not place when Christ died Certainly he that died for his sheepe died for the elect and not for them who were to be elected after hee was dead By these things it is plaine that by those friends and sheepe for which Christ died are not vnderstood those onely who loue God and follow Christ but all those whom God loueth and whose saluation hee decreed for whom Christ died when they did not yet loue God and when they were enemies to him And therefore they are called enemies Rom. 5.10 because they did not loue God but yet euen then they were highly loued by God and were appointged to saluation in Christ For in a diuers respect they were both friends and enemies sheepe and goates Friends because God loued them enemies because they did not yet loue God VI. Neither is iniurie done to Christ if the loue of the Father and his good pleasure be said to goe in order
the decree of Reprobation and a 〈◊〉 after God by the certaine accree of Reprobation determinea not to giue faith anâ— repentance to some to wit by yeelding them his effectuall grace by which they would certainely belecue and be conuâ—rted There is no cause therefore that we should be traduced by the Arminians in this respect seeing that the principall of their sect doth say the same thing And it is easie to tell the cause why God should not be bound to giue to all men faith and repentance For God who hath not wrought the disease is not bound to giue to all men the remedies of the disease nor to giue the ability of performing those things which are due from man to God For this impotency disability in performing proceeded from man himselfe not from God And the fulfilling of the law is a naturall debt Which law seeing it is violated by the retection of the Gospell it is plaine that it is also a naturall debt to beleeue the Gospell not before it is preached Arnold Page 3.6 Dicat Arminius gratâ—am quaâ—aâ—u tas creâ—eâ—didaâ—â— quaÌ„plurimis dâ—â—at emmbus câ—mmunâ—m esse ac proinde nâ—gat graâ—iam esse Et P 262. Respondeo Dâ—um cum nâ—uum loe lus gratia pro enit cultae admistae remissi nem proâ—itâ—â— sub noua obedientiae conditione teneri maxiâ—â— vires 〈◊〉 quibus â—â—mo condi tonâ—m stuÌ„ possit implere alioqui non pâ—ssit â—udicars â—st im gratiâ—msincere offerre but then when it is preached XIII The Arminians are of opinion that no man is reprobated but hee that hath contemned that grace which doth leade to Christ and they make incredulity the speciall cause of reprobation not onely in them to whom the Gospell is preached but a so in them who haue not heard the name of Christ spoken off Arminius maketh these guilty of the contempt of grace For he saith that there is giuen to all men vnresistabâ—y the faculty of beleeuing and the power of obtaâ—ning faith if they will Yea they say that sufficient meanes to be eeue were administred to the heathen who before the comming of Christ liued in the inmost part of Spaine or Scythia And they lay downe a certaine vniuersall sufficient grace common to all men but when they come to explaine that grace sometimes they place it in the common notions and naturall light sometimes in the contemplation of the creatures sometimes in any generall knowledge of the law Of which cursed doctrine and how by these things they doe not obscurely passe into the campe of Pelagius shall be spoken in their due places XIV But here we are euery where set vpon by their darts and the Arminians doe abundantly cast reproaches vpon vs and doe faigne to themselues monsters which they may kill The conferrers at the Hage Page 122. after they haue belched out some calumnies doe thus conclude their speech These things are briefely spoken Collat. Hag Non potuit se conuertere impeditus sciticet a dinina voluntate against that absurd detestable and abhominable opinion Good words I pray you These terrible vizards doe not fright vs. They imagine that we teach that in fidelity doth flow from reprobation as if reprobation were the cause of infidelity The good men sing this Cuckowes song to vs sixe hundred times attributing to vs the doctrine which we neither beleeue nor teach For if one hath not decreed to giue to him that is blinde the remedies by which he might recouer his sight hee is not therefore the cause of his blindnesse nor hath hee appointed him to blindnesse XV. They ground on a false foundation on which they build those things which are worse For they thus beginne their speech of Reprobation Page 118. It is knowne to the Contraremonstrant brethren that such as Election is on the one part such Reprobation ought to be on the other part This is the fountaine of their error this false beginning hath led aside those acute men into by waies The respect of Election is one the respect of Reprobation is farre other For sinne and in fidelity is not a condition required after the same manner in the reprobates as faith is a condition required in the elect For sinne is a condition fore-required in reprobates but faith is a condition following election Reprobation is made for sinne but election is made to faith Sinne is the cause of the appointing to punishment faith is the effect of election God findeth sinne but worketh faith Sinne followeth reprobation onely in the necessity of consequence but not in the necessity of the consequent But faith doth follow election both waies By these things that calumny is abundantly washed off which Arnoldus Page 228. and in many other places doth sprinkle vpon vs that we deny that the reprobates are reprobated for sinne XVI It yeeldeth an occasion to the Arminians of falsely accusing vs because we say that the decree of reprobation is precise and absolute nor doe we agree to Arminius who teacheth that the reprobates indeede are not saued but yet they might be saued and who denieth that the number of the reprobates is determined by the decree of God But here is nothing from whence it can be drawne that reprobation is the cause of sinne or that any one is reprobated without the beholding of sinne XVII Arnoldus doth carpe at our opinion with certaine little obiections Page 219. Ye say that the reprobates haue beene excluded of God from saluation in his decree for one sinne but that they shall be excluded in time for another diuerse sinne It is a calumny wee neither thinke nor say it He doth heape vp the same false accusation Page 229. and 238. where hee saith that men are reprobated as onely considered in the sinne of Adam XVIII In the same page he doth thus vainely argue It is not the part of wisedome to be willing that they should hope for good who are excluded from it by the absolute decree of God But I deny that vnbeleeuers and prophane men are excluded from God by the absolute decree of God after that manner as you take the word absolute that is without respect to their sinnes Neither doth it fauor of folly to command that they who are excluded from eternall life by the absolute that is by the certaine and ineuitable decree should contend and aspire to eternall life seeing that they are therefore excluded from life because they haue not aspired to it XIX The same man Page 226. Ye determine saith he that God hath precâ—sely reprobated from saluation some sinners lying in the fall of Adam without the consideration of impenitency Is is a slander Our Churches doe not beâ—eeue it The confession of the Churches of France of England of the Low-Countries doth not say it Indeede in the decree of reprobation is included the will of not giuing faith and finall repentance to reprobates but it doth not follow thence that reprobation is without the consideration of impenitency
all men to be saued Which that it was truely spoken by Faustus and according to the Catholike faith the Arelaten Synode hath rightly iudged For the Synode beleeued that this was spoken by Faustus against Pelagius who seeing hee denied originall sinne and thought that a man might perfectly fulfill the law by his owne free-will it is no maruaile if hee said that Christ died not for all for why should Christ die for them that were not sinners Or what neede is there of Phisicke where there is no disease Or what neede of the Gospell to him who hath fulfilled the law But Faustus a crafty and subtle man imposed it vpon the Arelaten Synode with ambiguous and deceitfull words wherewith that Epistle was cloathed which hee offered to the Synode For afterward he explaned his meaning in the booke which hee writ De gratia qua saluamur where hee doth more incline to Pelagius which booke Gennadius Gennad lib de Scriptor Eccles cap. 85. Sydon Apol. lib 9. Epist 9. and Sydonius Apollinaris doe so mention that they seeme to thinke honorably of it But at the same time Caesarius Bishop of Arles and Auitus Bishop of Vienna writ against this Booke as Ado doth testifie in his Chronicle to whom Fulgentius Bishop of Ruspe in Africa ioyned himselfe Whereby we may see that the authority of Faustus is not so great that it ought to be of any estimation here Neither was this question euer handled in that sence that now it is for there was neuer question made as farre as I know before this age whether Christ by his death purchased saluation for all and seuerall men or whether by his death he obtained reconciliation as well for Pharaoh as for Peter CHAP. XXXI Whether God loue all men equally and doth alike desire the saluation of all I. THe question whereby it is demanded whether God doth equally loue all men and so desire their saluation is an addition to the former question and doth depend on it For if remission of sinnes and saluation are not purchased for all men by the death of Christ it is plaine that all men are not equally loued by God wherefore these innouators doe defend themselues in either question by the same places of Scripture These are the words of Arnoldus pag. 379 God in a generall will and affection doth equally desire the saluation of all men Greuinchouius pag. 335. doth consent to this The will of God and his affection of sauing men is equall towards all For in that series and order of the foure decrees in which they comprehend the whole doctrine of Predestination this is the third that God decreed to administer to all men sufficient meanes to faith and repentance But I suppose that these things are affirmed by them not because they beleeue and seriously thinke so but that they might maintaine their other opinions which cannot stand if this opinion fall for they doe openly repugne the Scripture experience yea and themselues II. Which before we demonstrate the reader is to be admonished that loue in God is not an affection nor passion nor inclination of the minde nor any desire for God is not touched by these passions as being impassible and not subiect to affections But as God is said then to be angry or to hate when he will punish or destroy so loue in God is a eertaine and sure will of doing good to the creature Whence it commeth to passe that hee may rightly be said to be loued by God to whom hee hath giuen or hath decreed to giue more and better good things III. This difference is manifestly seene not onely betweene the good and the euill but also betweene good men themselues to some one of whom God hath giuen more vnderstanding and doth measure out his spirit in a larger greater measure but to another more sparingly and as it were with a striked measure to one he giueth two talents to another fiue according to his owne good pleasure Not onely giuing many things to the best men but also making them better while hee giueth them many things IV. And here I cannot but meruaile with what face Greuinchouius pag. 335. dares to say that God gaue fiâ—e talents to one in the hope of receiuing more gaine from him then the other as if hope or feare or gaine could happen to God or as if he who so carefully encreased his estate by the fiue talents put out to vsury had not from God the will and power of imploying them so happily God is vnaptly said to hope for that which himselfe is to worke These subtill men are wont to say when they are vrged that these things are spoken by an Anthropopathy to mans capacity but in the meane while they abuse these improper words to bring in their owne speculations and to build vp their owne opinions In preaching and speaking to the people this impropriety of speech is to be borne with but not in disputing and when the importance of truth is to be considered and weighed V. Concerning this inequality of the gifts of God I would haue the Arminians shew me why God hath giuen more gifts to Paul then to Marke or Cleophas that were otherwise holy and good men Was it because Saint Paul before his conuersion was more inclined to the faith of Christ and better affected then they Or because Paul vsed that common and generall grace which happeneth euen to the reprobates better then Marke These are trifles for there was then none more deadly enemie to the name of Christ then Paul What then was the cause why because it so seemed good to God who doth with his owne what he will and who in distributing the gifts of the holy Ghost doth not follow an Arithmeticall or Geometricall proportion for he doth giue vnequall good things to them that are equally euill according to his owne pleasure as being a debtor to no man nor subiect to any Law VI. But the difference and inequality of the loue of God will more clearely appeare if those whom God doth call by his word and to whom he doth giue the spirit of adoption and faith and by them saluation be compared with other men Many saith Christ Mat. 22.4 are called few chosen Behold here three sorts of men some that are not called some that are called and not elected some that are called and elected all which that they are confusedly and equally loued and that God doth alike desire their saluation cannot be said or thought VII Christ Iohn 6.44 saith No man can come to me vnlesse my father which sent me draw him Where that it is spoken of the drawing to faith and by faith to saluation no man doth doubt Secing therefore by these words it is manifest that all are not so drawne it is certaine that they are most loued who are so drawne Faith is the gift of God but all men haue not faith and it is giuen but to few therefore these are more loued So the
or of that loue wherewith he feeles himselfe to be affected Christ doth beate downe all pride in speaking thus to Peter Matth. 16.17 Blessed art thou Symon Bar-Iona for flesh and blood hath not reuealed this vnto thee but my father which is in heauen And Chap. 11.25 he doth giue thanks to his father that hee hath hidden these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hath reuealed them to babes VII And especially when it is spoken of the loue of God and of obedience to his commandements the Scripture will haue vs to acknowledge that whatsoeuer is done well by vs is receiued from God We loue God because he hath loued vs first Iohn 4.19 For this is one of the effects of the loue of God towards vs that it doth put into our hearts a loue of him God himselfe thus speaketh Ier. 31. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And Chapter 32. I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me And Moses bringeth this reason as the cause why the Israelites did not repent at the law of God ratified with so many threatnings and confirmed with so many miracles Deut. 29.4 The Lord hath not giuen you a heart to perceiue nor eyes to see Let Arminius tell mee whether these men had sufficient power to beleeue or sufficient grace which with the helpe of free-will they might haue rightly vsed if they would Fie on this forgerie And yet was not God the cause of the impenitency and blindnesse of that people For hee that will not heale him that is blinde is not the cause of his blindenesse God did not put this wickednesse in man but he knoweth who they are on whom hee will haue mercy and he hath reason for his actions to enquire into which were not onely rash but also dangerous VIII Saint Paul Galath 3.26 saith That wee are the sonnes of God by faith in Christ If therefore it be in the power of mans free-will being helped with grace to beleeue or not to beleeue to vse that grace or not to vse it it must needes also be in the power of free-will helped with grace to effect that we may be the sonnes of God or may not Which is contrary not onely to piety but also to common sence for who euer effected that he was the sonne of his father or who is beholding to himselfe for any part of his generation IX The same Apostle saith Rom. 9. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of him that sheweth mercy By him that willeth and him that runneth hee vnderstandeth him that worketh for the consideration of workes is excluded from the election or as Arminius had rather from the iustification of man that this benefit might be acknowledged to be receiued from the mercy of God alone Arminius offendeth against this rule For by his doctrine the conuersion of a man by faith and therefore both his righteousnesse and saluation is of him that willeth and of him that runneth of him that worketh that is of him who by the helpe of his free-will doth vse vniuersall grace well and who doth therefore beleeue because to the helpe of grace hee hath brought the power of free-will by which hee hath obtained Faith For as I haue said the Arminians make the cause of faith to be these two ioyned together to wit grace and free-will to vse which free-will to the obtaining of saith and to the conuerting of himselfe is certainely to will and to runne The Apostle therfore ought to haue said It is of man that willeth and runneth and of God which sheweth mercy that free-will might be ioyned with the mercy of God And if as Saint Austin saith fitly Lib. 1. ad Simplic Quaest 2. It may be said That it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth because conuersion and saluation is not by the free-will of man alone why may it not also be said that it is not of God that sheweth mercy because conuersion is not made by the grace of God alone but also by free-will It skilleth nothing that Saint Austin vsed this argument against Pelagius who denied that we were preuented by grace for it hath the same force against the Semipelagians who ioyne free-will to grace Seeing that Saint Paul doth not say That it is not alone of him that willeth but doth altogether exclude free-will X. Finally this argument hath so tormented Arnoldus Page 445. that he would seeme to yeeld to our part for he saith It is not placed in our will that we should obey the calling of God but this thing it selfe is also from the mercy of God But the scoffing and crafty man is very wary least hee should say somewhat that should hurt his owne cause For when he saith that it is not placed in our will he vnderstandeth alone Therfore he would not say that this is wholy placed in the mercy of God alone but tenderly and with a flouting speech he saith that it is placed in the mercy of God He might yea he ought to say so much of free-will that he might agree to himselfe for he thinketh that it is not placed in the grace of God alone nor in free-will alone XI That man cannot be conuerted vnlesse God conuert him and that the whole praise of our conuersion is due to God Ieremy teacheth Chap. 31. v. 18. Conuert me and I shall be conuerted which is also repeated in the last Chapter of the Lamentations I am ashamed of the weake interpretation of the Arminian conferrers at the Hage who pag. 266. by conuerted would haue corrected to be vnderstood There is nothing so cleare and direct in the holy Scripture which may not be corrupted with a foolish and rash interpretation who hauing but little skill in the Hebrew is ignorant that the Verbe shub signifieth to be turned and not to punish and therefore in the contugation Hiphil it is to cause that one be conuerted and not that he be punished Or who doth not see how ridiculous a thing it were if men bruised with afflictions should pray that they might be still afflicted As if any one that were grieuously whipped should desire moreouer that he might be buffeted But Ieremy expoundeth himselfe and doth teach what it is to be conuerted for he addeth being conuerted I will repent and acknowledge my selfe this indeede is to be conuerted Seeing therefore that men who are already conuerted say Conuert me and I shall be conuerted Ier. 31. Draw me and I will runne Cant. 1. And doe ascribe the progresse and the proceeding of their conuersion to God alone how much more is the beginning of our conuersion to be attributed to God alone For if they that are already willing doe confesse that they owe to God whatsoeuer good they doe and that without his grace they cannot moue a foote further how much more is it to be determined that of being
that of two that are equally euill and furnished with the like helpe of grace that is hauing alike sufficient and vniuersall grace and being alike called by the Gospell whether it can come to passe that one should be conuerted and another not If it can come to passe I demand whence is the difference Was greater grace giuen to the one No he said the grace was equall Or is it because one is better then another No the question is of them that are equally euill Also if it were so the conuersion of the one should not be of grace alone but of free-will Neither is Arnoldus vnwilling to this for he addes Although God who doth principally worke faith in man doth separate the faithfull man from the vnbeleeuer yet because he doth not worke faith and conuersion in man without the will of man hee doth not separate man without man And a little after he addeth That man doth separate himselfe by his owne will You heare that God is the principall cause of faith but not the totall and that man doth separate himselfe by his owne will when yet the Apostle saith Who separates thee attributing this praise to God alone And that the cause why of two that are alike called one followeth the other refuseth is in the one free-will in the other grace indeede but yet so that the vse of it dependeth on mans free-will in the power whereof it is to vse grace or not to vse it So that in the one free-will is the totall cause of incredulitie and in the other it is the part-cause of faith and conuersion So that now man hath whereof he may boast it is he that separates himselfe and saluation is of man that willeth and runneth and of God that sheweth mercy These innouators that they might defend themselues against that saying of Saint Paul Who separateth thee doe contend that Paul speaketh of that separation by which they that haue receiued many gifts are separated from them who haue receiued fewer which I willingly receiue For if by the grace of God alone they which are indued with greater gifts are separated from the faithfull who haue receiued fewer gifts how much more are they who are furnished with many gifts separated by the mercy of God alone from them who are altogether voide of Faith and of the knowledge of God XXVI That therefore of Saint Paul Tit. 3. standeth vnmoueable Vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their minde and conscience is defiled And hee speaketh not onely of meates but also of the vse of meates which is pure according to the purity of conscience least any one should thinke that it is here spoken of the puritie of meates and not of the purity of actions XXVII Finally all Christian vertues Faith Charity c. are eyther in vs by nature or are obtained by vse and diligence or they are put and wrought in our hearts by God That they are naturally ingrafted Pelagius himselfe hath not dared to say That they are not obtained by vse and diligence the example of the theefe doth proue who in one moment without vse or exercise obtained faith It remainteth therefore that they are put into vs by God and that faith is from the meere gift and grace of God and not from free-will CHAP. XXXIV The reasons of the Arminians are examined by which they maintaine free-will in an vnregenerate man concerning things that are spirituall and belonging to saluation I. AGainst the doctrine of the Orthodoxe Church which doth put away from man all free-will in the worke of saluation being vpholden by the word of God and proued by sence it selfe and experience the Arminians doe oppose themselues with great diligence and doe patronize free-will in those that are vnregenerate II. They doe euery where obiect and reckon vp that of Saint Paul Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles which haue not the Law doe by nature those things contained in the Law I answere that by the Law it is commanded to loue God with all the heart with all the strength which cannot be done vnlesse you direct all your actions to his glory and vnlesse you be indued with faith because whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Whosoeuer shalexamine the vertues of heathen men by the line of these rules shall finde that in their most honest deedes there were many things wanting and much sinne in them Hence it appeareth that the Gentiles indeede in an externall worke doe those things which are of the Law The words of Saint Paul are not to be extended any further But the forme of a right worke which is placed in the inward conueniency and agreement of the minde with the law of God was alwaies absent from infidels and heathen men It is one thing to doe those things that are of the law it is another thing to fulfill the law The one is to obey the law as concerning the externall matter of the worke the other is to be obedient to the law after that manner with that minde and to that end which is commanded by the word of God III. They scatter some little motiues as that Esay 55. v 1. They that thirst are inuited by God that is those that are desirous of reconciliation with God and of saluation And that Matth. 11. They that are heauy laden are called Come vnto mee yee that are weary and heauie laden By those that are laden are noted our those that are pressed downe with the conscience of their sinnes and sighing vnder the burden of them Therefore say they they were already desirous of saluation and were pressed downe with the conscience of their sins before they were called and regeneration is after calling And therefore in the vnregenerate there may be a sauing griefe and a desire of remission of sinnes but I affirme that those men so thirsting and so laden were not vnregenerate For that very desire of saluation and the grace of God and the sighes of the conscience panting vnder the weight of sinne by which wee are compelled to flie to Christ is a part of regeneration And that beginning of feare if it be acceptable to God is an effect of the holy spirit mouing the heart For what hindreth that he who thirsteth after the grace of God hath not already tasted of it and as it were licked it with his lippes What hindreth that he who is commanded to come to Christ should not already moue himselfe and beginne to goe although with a slow pace Doth Christ as often as he commandeth men to beleeue in him speake onely to vnbeleeuers Yea this exhortation to beleeue and to come to him doth especially belong to them whose faith being new bred and weake doth striue with the doubtings of the flesh IV. It is familiar to the Arminians to cite the words of Christ Iohn 7.17 If any one will doe the will of him that sent me hee shall know of my doctrine whether it be of God or whether I
Scripture I. THis doctrine which doth place in an infidell and vnregenerate man grace which either mediately or immediatly may suffice to the obtayning of faith or saluation without any knowledge of the Gospell and faith in Christ doth pull vp Christian Religion by the rootes and is contrary to Scripture and experience II. First of all it must needes be that all doctrine in matter of our saluation which doth not rest it selfe on the testimony of the scripture must fall to the ground But the Scripture doth no where say that God is bound to giue increases of grace to them who haue rightly vsed naturall light and vnderstanding It doth no where say that a man without faith can rightly worship God It doth no where say that God is bound to giue to all men mediately or immediatly power to beleeue and fulfill those things which are commanded in the Gospell It doth no where say that supernaturall grace is giuen to all men by which they may rightly vse naturall light It doth no where say that the Gentiles who are ignorant of Christ are led by the holy Ghost These are the forgeries of idle men whom an euill itching of wit and a bad custome of disputing hath ceased on III. This doctrine is confuted by all those places of Scripture by which we haue proued that an vnregenerate man doth want free-will in those things which belong to saluation For thereby it is proued that an vnregenerate man hath not power of beleeuing and cannot worship God with that worship which is pleasing to him nor dispose himselfe to regeneration IV. Adde to these the testimony of the Apostle Ephes 2.12 where speaking of the Gentiles before the word of God had beene made knowne to them he saith that they were without Christ hauing no hope and without God in the world You see that they who are without Christ haue not God and how can they be said to be without God whom these Sectaries say haue sufficient grace by the helpe whereof they may beleeue and worship God and vse rightly the light of nature Surely these things cannot stand together V. The same Apostle Rom. 10.14 saith How shall they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard By these words he doth plainely enough teach that the Gentiles to whom Christ was not knowne could not beleeue But Arminius will haue the power of beleeuing to be giuen mediately or immediately to euery man VI. The Apostle proceedeth How shall they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard and how shall they heare without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent Let these words be weighed and considered of Saint Paul is of opinion that Christ cannot be beleeued in vnlesse the Gospell be heard and that the Gospell cannot be heard vnlesse preachers be sent This being laid downe I say that God doth doe nothing in vaine but he should in vaine giue power of beleeuing the Gospell to all vnlesse he should send those who should preach the Gospell now to the greater part of men he doth not send the preachers of the Gospell therefore he doth not giue to them all the power of beleeuing nor sufficient grace to beleeue VII The same Apostle 2 Tim. 1. saith that God hath called vs with a holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace The Arminians therefore doe falsely thinke that God doth giue supernaturall light and the knowledge of his Gospell to them who by free-will haue rightly vsed sufficient grace and the light of nature For if this were true our calling should be altogether for workes and according to workes For the good vsing of sufficient grace and of that light which is naturally engrafted in man is a good worke for the beholding of which the Arminians will haue God to call man by the Gospell and to enlighten him with greater vnderstanding The Arminian conferrers at the Hage pag. 86. doe say That God doth send his word whether it seemeth good to him not according to any decree but for other causes lying hid in man These men will haue the cause why God should send his word to some rather then to others to be in man himselfe and not in the good pleasure of God Which speach doth plainely make man to be called in respect of workes and according as man is affected and fitted to obey him calling when yet it is manifest by experience that the most vnworthy and worst affected men are often called by the word of the Gospell as the Romanes the Corinthians c. And where sinne abounded there grace abounded Rom. 5. That it might not be of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9. VIII Christ saith Iohn 15.5 Without me you can doe nothing That which is said to the Apostles is said to all for as many of vs as are without Christ can doe nothing These Sectaries doe offend against this saying of Christ when they teach that they who haue not knowne Christ and who doe want faith may beleeue and worship God with a worship pleasing to him and may doe the will of the father IX Whom God hateth from the wombe to them he doth not giue sufficient and sauing grace for this were to loue them But God hated Esau from the wombe Rom. 9.13 therefore he did not giue him sufficient and sauing grace For although Malachy speaketh these things of a temporall reiection yet it sufficeth to the present matter that this reiection as Arminius confesseth is laid downe by Saint Paul as a type of the spirituall reiection So that there are some whom God hath reiected with a spirituall reiection before they haue done either good or euill therefore hee doth not giue them sufficient meanes to faith or to saluation for this cannot be made to agree with hatred X. Were those Israelites furnished by God with sufficient grace to whom God himselfe Deut. 29.2 doth say that among so many miracles he did not giue a heart to vnderstand nor eyes to see God hath not giuen you a heart to perceiue and eyes to see and eares to heare vnto this day This place hath driuen Arnoldus to his shifts therefore hee seeketh for helpe from his audacity For those words I haue not giuen you a heart to perceiue he saith haue no other meaning then that ye haue not a heart And these words I haue not giuen you hee doth quite blot out yet a while after by the weakenesse of his forehead as being ashamed of it leauing this exposition he doth adde Although God hath not giuen them such eyes and eares it doth not follow that God was vnwilling to giue these things to them but God was willing to gine these things to them and they were wanting to themselues by their pride ignorance and sluggish dulnesse But hee doth not cleare himselfe by this yea rather hee doth more entangle himselfe For I demand whether they had an
appeareth that faith is as well comprehended vnder this gift as saluation But if saluation alone were here called the gift of God yet it would thence necessarily follow that faith is the gift of God For he that giueth saluation must needes also giue the meanes without which there is no saluation The same Apostle Phil. 1.29 saith It is giuen to you in the behalfe of Christ not onely to beleeue on him but also to suffer for his sake Doe you see that it is giuen to vs not onely to be able to beleeue but also the act of beleeuing and to beleeue it selfe That repentance is the gift of God Saint Peter doth witnesse Acts 5.31 God hath exalted Christ with his right hand to be a prince and a Sauiour for to giue repentance to Israel and forgiuenesse of sinnes And 2 Tim. 2.25 If God will at any time giue them repentance Saint Paul Rom. 5. doth say That the loue of God is shed abroade in our hearts by the holy-Ghost who is giuen vs To wit because the holy-Ghost doth imprint that sure confidence in our hearts that wee are loued by God Here you see that not onely the powers of willing and doeing are giuen by God but also to will and to doe it selfe Seeing therefore that as many Christian vertues as there are there are so many gifts of God and the same vertues are habits it must needes be that those habits are from God and therefore not engrafted by nature which Pelagius himselfe hath not said nor obtained by vse and actions the grace of God helping as the Arminians will haue it for so man himselfe should giue eyther all faith or at the least some part of faith to himselfe and should owe it to his owne labour and industry For truely if God doth giue the power of beleeuing and doth not giue the act of beleeuing after the same manner as he giueth the power because as these Sectaries thinke God doth giue the power of beleeuing vnresistibly but he giueth the act of beleeuing onely by perswading and inuiting and that by a perswasion which we may obey or resist consent to or refuse There is nothing so cleere as that the very act of beleeuing and therefore faith it selfe is not from God alone nor from the meere grace of God but is due partly to God and partly to mans free-will Which that it is the opinion of the Arminians and that they thinke that grace is not the totall but part-part-cause of faith we haue proued before Whereunto adde that which they say that God doth giue faith no otherwise then by perswading and by a gentle invitation Which if it be true it will be said that God doth giue neither the power nor act of beleeuing For he that doth onely perswade and exhort to runne although he set on fire all the brands of his oratory Art yet he will neuer be said to giue the power of running nor to runne it selfe XII Seeing therefore that the habit of faith is the gift of God it must needes be that it is infused and imprinted on our hearts by God himselfe which if it be so it is vnpossible that this infusion can be hindred in the elect For what should hinder it Doth the mutability and instability of the decree of God hinder it No His decrees can neither be abolished nor changed Doth the euill affection of the heart of man hinder it No euery man is ill affected before he hath receiued faith from God Doth the obstinate hardnesse of some men hinder it No this hardnesse is softned by faith being receiued Which also God promiseth that he will doe Ezech. 36.26 XIII This promise of God and others of the like sort by which God promiseth that he will giue a heart of flesh and will write on it his law and that he will cause that we should walke in his waies doe promise an infallible certainty of the conuersion of the elect and the grace of God which is impossible finally to faile For what can hinder that God should not stand to his promise and should fulfill that which he hath certainely and absolutely promised Doth the hardnesse of mans heart hinder No this is that which he doth promises to wit that he will soften the stony heart Doth the wickednesse of man hinder No there is no man but he is wicked before God conuerteth him Is it the stubbornnesse which is in some men more then ordinary No Where sinne abounded there also grace abounded Finally there can no impediment be obiected which God cannot put away and remoue There is nothing so intricate out of which the wise goodnesse of God cannot cleere himselfe and therefore to whom hee promised hee would giue a new spirit that hee would take from them their stony heart that he would cause that they should walke in his waies it is impossible that these should not be conuerted or should finally fall away Neither doe the Arminians themselues deny it although they seeme contentiously to striue against it For in the 286. page of the conference at the Hage they doe confesse that these words of God in Ezechiel It is declared that God will so effectually worke that actuall obedience must follow But say they is that done vnresistibly As if the controuersie were in that It is sufficient that it is done most certainely infallibly and vnauoidably although man should for a time resist and should be aduerse and contrary to God calling that is to his owne saluation For the workes of piety which are adioyned to follow this change of the heart are not laid downe as conditions on which this change is to be but as fruites and effects which are to follow this change of the heart XIV These Sectaries doe deuise another hiding hole in saying that this promise of giuing a new heart was made to a whole nation not to seuerall men But these are vaine things For Regeneration and the change of the heart is a gift which is giuen to particular men Neither were this promise true if it were to be performed to a whole nation in which there haue alwaies beene very many that haue beene stubborne and rebellious Therefore this promise pertaineth to those alone who were to be truely faithfull XV. They dispute neuer a whit more wittily when they say Collat. pag. 269. that by these places is promised not the first beginning of preuenting grace but a greater plenty and progresse of grace I doe not deny but that euen the progresse and proceeding in grace is promised here but I earnestly affirme that here the beginnings also of conuersion are promised The very words a new heart doe proue this For then truely and properly is the heart new when it begins to be changed Nor is it credible that the increase of grace is promised without the beginning of it XVI I further demand whether that promise whereby God promiseth that he will cause that wee shall walke in his wayes is extended to the end of
it was necessary that vertue should be wrought for the repressing of pride mens wills should be left to themselues that if they would they might remaine in the helpe and assistance of God without which they could not perseuere and God should not worke in them that they might will The will it selfe by its owne infirmity would faile among so many and so great temptations and they could not therefore perseuere because failing by their infirmity they could not be willing or by the infirmity of their will they could not be so willing that they might be able Therefore the infirmity of mans will was helped that by the grace of God it might be driuen vnauoidably and inseperably and therefore although weake yet it should not faile nor be ouercome by any aduersitie Hee suffered and permitted Adam the strongest man to doe what he would but hee hath preserued to the weake that they should will inuincibly by him that giueth it and inuincibly should not forsake it Obserue the words vnauoydably vnseperably and inuincibly he vsed not the word irresistibility which the Iesuites had not yet coyned But he vsed words which haue no lesse force to set out the power of the most certaine and finally insuperable and vnconquerable grace of God in them who are elected according to the purpose of God And yet he doth vse the word resisting Chap. 14. where he thus speaketh No free-will of man doth resist God being willing to saue For to will or nill is so in the power of him that willeth or nilleth that it cannot hinder the will of God nor ouercome his power Excellently spoken although Arminius cry out against it CHAP. XLVIII That the Arminians doe plainely stablish that vnresistiblenesse which they impugne I. VNresistiblenesse is painted by the Arminians as a monster whose beard they pluck whom they prick with needles and goades We haue already taught that they doe build castles in the ayre and paint gourdes and vaine conceits and doe impugne their owne dreames For we acknowledge no such vnresistiblenesse as they faigne II. But this is the greatest meruaile that they themselus doe build vp do euery where stablish that vnsistiblenesse which they doe falsely attribute to vs and doe impugne with all their forces You may say they are blinde-folded fencers who fighting with their eyes shutte doe beate the ayre and wound themselues III. The Arminians against the Walachrians page 68. Doe deny that they say That the holy-Ghost doth worke vpon the will by no other meanes then such as may be resisted But say they wee would haue these things restrained to none but to that ordinary manner of conuersion which the spirit for the most part doth vse not doubting but that the conuersion of some one or other is sometimes wrought by an extraordinary meanes Here wee haue them confessing themselues guilty For by this saying they ouerthrow from the foundation whatsoeuer they haue builded vp For if God conuert some men vnresistibly and doth giue them faith by his precise and absolute will it is impossible that these should be elected for faith fore-seene and by an election which doth rest on the fore-seeing of faith For he who is absolutely and vnresistibly appointed to faith must needes be absolutely appointed to saluation He should doe foolishly who should faigne God decreeing thus I indeede decreed to saue this man if he will beleeue But I will giue him faith vnresistibly Election cannot depend on the fore-seeing of that condition which God hath decreed certainely and infallibly to doe Thus God did not decree that Philip should liue if hee had breath but hee hath certainely decreed to giue him breath that he might liue IV. Hence it appeareth with what equity these Sectaries deale with vs For falsely attributing vnresistiblenesse to vs they cry out that thereby mens wills are compelled and that it cannot be called obedience to which man is vnresistibly compelled yet the same men doe thinke that there are some who are conuerted vnresistibly and after an extraordinary manner and whose conuersion they doe not deny to be obedience V. Adde to these that old and worne opinion among the Arminians which we euery where meete in their writings That God doth call some man after a manner that is not congruent and agreeable whereby they that are called doe neuer follow although they be able to follow That some againe are called in that manner state measure and time which is congruent and agreeable by which meanes whosoeuer are called doe certainely and infallibly follow God calling Also wee haue before in the 44. Chapter brought the words of Armini us himselfe whereby he determineth that such a calling is made by the decree of God and administred by his certain and sure predestination And iustly For why should God choose this apt state this fit time and this congruent manner whereby they that are called doe certainely and infallibly follow vnlesse because he will haue them certainely and infallibly to follow Surely these things maintaine the same vnresistiblenesse which is beleeued by vs that is a certaine and infallible euent from the preordination of God They endeauour indeede to qualifie their opinion by peecing to it this clause Those whom God doth call after a congruent manner are indeede certainely and infallibly conuerted but so that they may not be conuerted For if Arminius be beleeued they may doe that which neuer hath beene nor neuer shall be which God certainely fore-knew should not be and which if it should come to passe the purpose and preordination of God which Arminius doth here acknowledge should be made voide VI. The same men doe stablish vnresistiblenesse by that their old opinion whereby they teach that God in our conuersion doth vnresistibly enlighten the vnderstanding and stirre vp the affection It is something that they confesse that part of our conuersion and regeneration is wrought vnresistibly to wit the enlightning of the minde the raysing vp of the affections But I further affirme that by that vnresistible enlightning of the minde if it be cleere and euident and by that raising of the affections if it be vehement the will is necessarily affected and drawne to a spontaneus assent as wee haue at large proued VII They doe no lesse hurt and wound themselues when they teach that the power of beleeuing is giuen vnresistibly For what powers of beleeuing are there but by faith For habits are the efficient causes of operations as the first acts are the causes of the second Or what powers of beleeuing can there be without faith If therefore the powers of beleeuing are giuen vnresistibly it is plaine that faith also and therefore the assent of the will is giuen vnresistably seeing that the power and faculty of beleeuing is placed formally in faith it selfe The Arminians of the Hage Collat. pag. 269. doe grant that God doth vnresistibly cause that alway there are some who beleeue By which grant they doe plainely disturbe their owne
in themselues Wee doe not deny that doubtings doe sometimes creepe on godly and good men but yet those doubtings must needes diminish little by little as they are more affected with the sence of the grace of God and as their faith is increased But it is not needefull that he who is already conuerted and doth beleeue should feele himselfe to be drawne vnresistibly that is to be so drawne as he cannot resist For wee place the infallible certainty of conuersion not in the sence of man who doth feele that hee cannot resist but in the decree of God by which it must needes be that they come to Christ whom hee hath elected to saluation So the cause that the bones of Christ could not be broken was not in the hardnesse of those bones but in the purpose of God who forbad they should be broke And therefore it may come to passe that they who shall certainely be saued by the decree of God doe not certainely know of their saluation and are often troubled with rising doubts There are some to whom after many yeeres of their life led soberly and godly the confidence of saluation is at last giuen them at their death Nor is it needefull that the faithfull man should trie himselfe whether hee be drawne with an vnresistible power but whether after serious and earnest repentance hee doth so wholy rest himselfe in the death of Christ and in the promise of God that thereby he might be stirred vp to piety and to the feare of God Whosoeuer doth feele himselfe to be thus affected ought not scrupulously to weigh and examine the poyses and drammes of the efficacy of the spirit of God and of vnconquerable grace but so to order himselfe that he may represse his rising doubts by prayer and by the remembrance of the promises of God and that hee may breake and bruise the serpentine power of his lusts resisting the Spirit XXIV And if any one doth otherwise we are not they who can preuent all euils or cure vices knowing that by the best documents and lessons the occasion of sinning may be taken and that the best things may be wrested to the worse part XXV I omit that these Sectaries ioyne those things which cannot be coupled together and doe make those things apposite and agreeing which are opposite and disagreeing For they faigne that hee that hath true faith may doubt whether he be seriously and indeede conuerted Which surely is impossible for true faith doth stirre vp in man serious and true repentance and the loue of God which cannot be in man but it must be felt XXVI Finally the discommodities which these Sectaries doe pick out of our doctrine may be auoided but the doctrine of the Arminians doth enwrap mens consciences in vnauoydable euills For hereby is man puffed vp with pride teaching that man can separate himselfe that he can conuert himself that he can conuert himself before he be conuerted in act by God that man hath wherof he may boast that God is bound to giue him sufficient grace that God doth giue to man what he is indebted to him that the grace of God is not the totall cause of faith that the grace of God is subiected to mans free-will And on the other side Arminianismâ— doth vexe mens consciences with a carefull doubting For who can be certaine of his saluation if our saluation is not certaine by the election and decree of God And if the number of the elect be not certaine by the will of God Or if God hath elected no man but being considered as already dead Or if the certainty of saluation doth rest on the strength of free-will in the power whereof it is to perseuere or not to perseuere to beleeue or not to beleeue to cause that God should be partaker of his desire or should faile of his propounded end Surely if there be place giuen to this deadly doctrine faith and Christian humilitie is lost For it must needs be that they must be most doubtfull who are most proud It must needes be that the expectation of those men must hang in suspence who make the will of man a floating and vnstable thing the foundation of their hope Surely Satan doth therefore puffe vp these men with pride that they might be burst in pieces and doth lift them vp on high that being cast downe from on high he might more grieuously break them and crush them to pieces XXVII But to that our obiection by which we said That if God doth worke in vs onely by the manner of perswasion he is not the efficient cause of faith but onely the stirrer vp thereof by the manner of an obiect as Satan himselfe doth make it manifest who is not the efficient cause of the sinne of man although he doth stirre vp and instigate and worke effectually in the sonnes of rebellion to this obiection the Arminians answere nothing But they obiect on the contrary side If God say they doth conuert those which are his which are farre the lesser part vnresistibly and Satan doth auert and turne away the greater part resistibly therin Satan is of more power then God who by lesse and inferiour helpes can execute his purpose in many more men These good men doe alwaies put that their word vnresistibly for certainely and infallibly But to the purpose I deny that they whom God doth draw and effectually conuert are fewer then they whom Satan doth auert and turne away Indeede it is not to be doubted but that some in the beginnings of their conuersion are remoued from that beginning by the subtlety of Satan But these are but few in comparison of them who neuer felt any assaults or pricks of repentance Satan doth not auert these seeing these are auerse by their owne nature And whatsoeuer Satan doth is but small in comparison of the efficacy of the spirit of God in the elect For Satan found men prone to sinne and thrust them foreward that were falling nor is it any doubt but that the reprobates are not carried so much by the impulsion of Satan as by their owne Certainly it is a greater thing to heale a few that are deadly wounded then to exacerbate and make more angry grieuous the wounds of many and to poure vinegar on the Vlcer It is farre more easie to thrust them forward that are falling then to raise them that are fallen to kill ten that are about to die then to restore one to life that is dead XXVIII And here they exclaime that mans nature is auerted and ouerthrowne while it is necessarily determined and limited to one thing I answere If by the word necessitie be vnderstood not constraint nor naturall necessitie such as is the poise and inclination of all heauy things to the center of the world but an infallible certainty and that voluntary and spontaneus by such a necessity nature is not ouerthrowne The nature of Angels is necessarily determined and limited to that which is good and yet