the Grace of God is not given according to mans merit Another is that there is no man how great soever his righteousness be that lives without some sins The third is that men are born liable to the guilt of Adams first transgression De bon persev c. 2. The consequent of the second opinion that Election is ex praevisa fide of fore-seen faith is That although our good works are indeed the fruit onely oâ— Gods Spirit and to be ascribed to Gods grace yet must our frith upon which the Spirit or this grace is given or by which it is impetrated as that Father speaks be both in our own power and from our own will as being that and that alone in man that makes the difference between one and another or the reason why God should choose such a one to give him his grace and pass by the other And this doctrine with the Consequent of it must be acknowledged to be St. Augustine's in his first writings which he chose no doubt as the most moderate then in the Church which as we may judg by Prosper and Hilary's Epistles to him was never used to define election otherwise than secundum praescientiam according to foreknowledg till his dayes And this was the reason that those of Marsilia ad quorum authoritatem non sumus pares sayes one of those Epistles quia multum nos et vitae meritis antecellunt sacerdotis honore were so offended at that Father for his change And from hence does Arminius professe some-where Non stamus Augustino We stand not with Augustine for which this also as I remember is his reason Quia sibi ipse non stetit because he stood not to himself The Consequent of the other two doctrines which belong to Absolute election and come in this repect I have said bat to the same is on the contrary hand That neither our good works nor our faith it self nor indeed any good that is in man is of our selves but of the operation of God or of his Spirit who does at first excite our wills to Faith and a holy life by his continual assistance carry us on in perseverance unto the end that we may be saved so that the whole business of our salvation first and last must be ascribed to Him alone And if any ask the reason then why he gives not the same grace to others as to his Elect he shall find these words still in St. Augustine's mouth And who art thou that repliest agaâ—nst God May he not do what he will with his owne Hath not the Potter power over his clay O the depth of the knowledge and wisdome of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his wayes past finding out It were but jniury to quote a sentence or two out of the Father for this which is the designed contents of severall of his last books See de Praedestinatione gratia De correptione gratia De praedestinatione sanctoram De bono perseverantiae to name no more The great difficulty now in this Consequent of Election which appears does undoubtedly lye here If neither the faith nor good works of man do spring from his own free will but from the grace of God and Election then may the unbeliever and wicked excuse themselves and say It is not long of themselves that they believe not nor obey but the cause is in God who gives them not faith and obedience and they cannot help their own reprobation They will not say that Reprobation is any other than a negative decree which infuses no malice in them but it denyes them that grace which Election gives others and if it be not in their power to beleeve and repent without that grace How can they be condemned for their not beleeving and repenting This difficulty I am assured did stick so fast upon this Father in his first writings that I do hardly think him quite out of the gravell in any of his last Let us turn to his book De spiritu littera In his one and thirtieth Chapter he offers the question Whether faith be in mans power and determines that it is and must be so Upon this in his thirty third chapter he comes to another question which is put to the quick Whether the will whereby he believes be therefore of himself or of God If it be not of our selves sayes he but of Gods gift then may man say according to the objection proposed that he beleeved not because God gave him not the will If it be of our selves How can that text of the Apostle what hast thou O man thou didst not receive be true seeing this will to beleeve he hath of himself For the extricating us out of this distresse he yields to the first and seems convinced that faith must be both in our own power and of our selves for that reason Dicit Apostolus Idem Deus qui operatur omnia in omnibus nusquam autem dictum est Deus credit omnia in omnibus Quod ergo credimus nostrum est quod autem bonum operamur illius est qui credentibus dat Spiritum sanctum In his Exposition upon the Romans The Apostle sayes that God works all in all but never that he beleeves all in all That We beleeve therefore it is of our selves but that we do good works it is of him who gives his holy Spirit to them that beleeve To the last therefore he chooses to answer Liberum arbitrium naturaliter attributum a Creatore animae rationali illa media vis est quae vel intendi ad fidem vel inclinari ad infidelitatem potest Et idco nec istam voluntatem qua credit Deo dici potest homo habere quam non acceperit quandoquidem vocante Deo surgit de libero arbitrio quod naturaliter cum vocaretur accepit Vult autem omnes homines salvos fore in agnitionem veritatis venire non sic tamen ut eis adimat liberum arbitrium quo vel bene vel male utentes justissime judicentur The substance is that The will whereby we beleeve may be said to be received of God although it proceed from our selves because the faculty from whence it arises is received from him that is Because the nature we have is of our Creator the will which is of nature is of Him This does not satisfy me for these reasons 1. That which the Father sayes as to the voluntas qua credimus The will whereby we beleeve I take to be the same which Pelagius said as to the voluntas qua bene operamur The will whereby we doe good works But if this text and such as this be good against Pelagius they must be good against Augustine here that neither is our faith of our selves upon the same account The truth is The judgment of this Father while he wrot this book is this The Spirit is given to a man upon his beleeving This Spirit infuses grace charity or justification This
things if he will and threaten him if he do not write can we think this Magistrate serious Is this becoming a righteous and good man If you grant not man to have power why do you Preach why do you Exhort If you will give him more than this I must persist why do you Pray why do you ask Grace of God what is it to ask his Grace but that God would incline the will Alunt quorsum vocare hominem ad praestandam conditionem quam implere nequeat It is objected why are men called to that condition they cannot perform Respondeo posse non posse eam implere Non possunt nisi datur posse possunt tamen quia quod non possunt pravitati eorum debetur I answer sayes Conyer They cannot if it were not given that which is onely of Nature is given but they can because it is to be attributed to their wickedness alone that they cannot They can and they cannot Thus others say They can and they wont I say Onely in regard this wont is never changed in any but by special Grace the Scripture I have said calls it a can't That is it is a can in it self but a can't in the effect it being in effect all one when you never will as if you could not What when the Scripture sayes they can't do I then say they can yes because my can and never will I affirm is the Scriptures can't But there are some of you believe not Therefore I said unto you that no man can come unto me except it be given him Some of you notwithstanding all my Preaching and Miracles believe not therefore I said unto you you can't And this interpretation I must adde accords with the Ancients Non potuerunt hoc est noluerunt It a nonnunquam potestate pro voluntate utitur Chrysostome on Jo. 12.39 So Augustine Non poterant quia nolebant quippe eorum voluntatem praevidit Deus Hoc autem quod dicit non potuerunt credere significat noluerunt Nam malus improbus homo non potest credere quam diu talis fuerit mala scilicet eligent volens Thophylact Mundus odisse vos non potest Quomodo potestis bona loqui cum sitis mali Quo pacto quidquam horum impossibile est nisi quod voluntas repugnat Nazienzen Impossibile dicitur quod rarissime contingit according to one quod difficilime per ficitur according to another See Ruiz on that head Impossibilitatem bene operandi Patres abhorrent etiam quamdiu illam sonat expresse cortex Scripturae Ad quest 23 24. Ex parte prima S. Thomae Disp 39. Sec. 8. And here I cannot but insert the mention of a late Discourse about Natural and Moral Impotency or Natural and Ethical power which terms do express this can and cannot with so much dexterity though my self use them not because my Papers were on the Anvil before that book came out And there is somthing therefore I find I have already and after puts me in mind of two things I want in that singular pretty Tract One is a little more tenderness in that inculcated assertion The more moral Impotency the more inexcusable I believe the Author was himself of a healthfull mind and not sensible of those imbred inclinations and sickliness which some soul are born with no strivings against it will utterly subdue till death There are besides certain impressions and wounds sometimes on the imagination that are incurable I do not doubt now but God who is most wise and good who knoweth our frame as the Psalmist speaks and remembreth we are but Dust will consider the several Conditions Complexions and Temptations that every man is obnoxious to in this life and that there will be grains of allowance for some moral Impotency at the last day Non sine magna nostra utilitate relinquitur nobis materia certaminum ut humilietur sanctitas dum pulsatur insirmitas It is not without our great benefit that God does leave in his Children matter for their spiritual Combat that they may be humbled in their Piety while they are assaulted with their infirmity Ambrose De vocatione gentium The other thing I want is a distinction in regard to that principle of his and indeed foundation which he insists so much upon throughout the book That which is our duty must be possible It is certain that perfection is still our duty and it is enough for us onely to make whatsoever is necessary to our Salvation to be in our power Distinguish we must therefore between the Law of Works and the Covenant of Grace We are indeed to maintain the condition of the one to be possible for good reason but as for what is required in the other though it be still our duty and must remain so eternally for Good and Evil according to Nature can never be changed we are not to deny in our falne state to be impossible Which hath been before Noted To return There is a point near a kinn to the matter in hand of great difficulty what part the will of man does bear in our good acts That the beginning of all that is good comes from God who by his preventing Graee works in us at first as the Schools speak without us and That when the will is excited he does work also with us by his operating or co-operating Grace as the principal cause still and consequently That the whole good which is done upon that account is to be attributed to him we shall find yeilded by the School men as well as tendred by St. Augustine Prosper Fulgentius and the like Fathers Totum bonum est Deo tribuendum quia totum Dens operatur See Ruiz De Deo operante libero arbitrio Sec. 1. On the other hand That being acted we act and so concur with Gods Grace That it is we Believe Repent and not God We that work out our Salvation though he gives the will and the deed We who walk in his Statutes though he puts his fear in our hearts to do it and so We accordingly who are bid to make our selves new hearts which is his work out of question this is also undeniable in Scripture Deus est qui operatur cum procul dubio si homo ratione utatur non possit credere sperare diligere nisi velit nec pervenire ad palmam nisi voluntate cucurrerit It is God works in us when beyond doubt there is no man uses his Reason but it is himself also that wills Aug. Enchir. c. 32. Vt velimus suum esse voluit nostrum suum vocando nostrum sequendo in another book It is God then according to the determination of the schools that is the principal cause and the will of man the less principal partiall secundary cause of our good actions His part indeed is such to which all the glory is due and yet ours such as the good works are reckoned ours and we shall be
charity is that which disposes to good works Good works therefore he counts must be of grace and Gods spirit and to follow justification which is with him this infused grace But as for beleeving which is the first thing upon which the Spirit it self is given to infuse this grace from whence our good works doe spring this must arise he accounts from mans free will or else the fault will not be in himself which is the argument convinces him but it must lye on the will of God onely that he hath not the spirit and so no grace and so does not well and is not saved Whether this argument be irrefragable or no we shall see by what will follow 2. There are two questions raised together by the Apostle Who maketh thee to differ from another and What hast thou O man that thou didst not receive The chief difficulty lyes in answering the former question for by that is the second to be regulated Now if that we have from God is onely this middle faculty which we may use to beleeve or not Who is it makes the difference in one mans using it to faith and another's to infidelity That which is the less the Posse velle The power to will shall be of God that is of Nature and so of God but the Ipsum velle The will or willing it self which is the greater and which indeed saves us shall be of our selves 3. The Scripture is express concerning faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God If the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there referrs to the whole sentence we have other texts No man cometh to me that is beleeveth in me unless the Father draw him To you it is given not only to believe but to sufther for his name This is the work of God that you beleeve Who hath first given to him Of him and to him are all things I obtained mercy That I should be faithfull not Because I was faithfull But ye beleeve not because ye are not of my sheep Again As many as were ordained to salvation beleeved It seems here that the cause why some beleeve and some beleeve not is their being or not being of the number of those who are ordained to be of his flock The like text in reference to works as these to faith is that to the Ephesians He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy It is not therefore mans faith or holiness is the cause of Gods Election but it is Gods election is the cause of mans holiness and faith A prime and eternal cause say our Divines cannot depend upon the self same temporal effects which are thereby caused If therefore the Ordination of God be the cause from whence mans faith and holiness are derived his foreseen-faith or foreseen-foreseen-works are not to be imagined antecedent causes merits conditions or motives unto the Divine Predestination 4. We have St. Augustine acknowledging himself to have bin herein in an errour So that these arguments must be no longer against Augustine but against those who have taken up that opinion he forsook In nullo gloriandum est dixit Cyprianus quoniam nostrum nihil sit Quod ut ostenderet adhibuit Apostolum Quid autem habes quod non accepisti Quo praecipue testimonio convict us sum cum errarem putans fidem qua in Deum exedimus non esse donum Dei sed a nobis esse in nobis per illam nos impetrare Dei dona quibus temperanter juste pie vivamus in hoc seculo Quem errorem nonnulla opuscula mea satis indicant It was the saying of blessed Cyprian that we may glory in nothing because that which is ours is nothing This he proved by the words of the Apostle By which testimony I was first convinced when I erred thinking that faith was of our selves and then good works obtained by it Which errour several of my former pieces do sufficiently shew De praedestinatione sanctor c. 3. I wish he had mentioned the book here which I am citing as he does one or two other that I might have known his solution to the difficulty which himself hath urged but left unanswered upon our hands To return then to the Father's question Whether the Voluntas qua credimus The will whereby we beleeve be of our selves or God's gift I must not choose the first with him in that book but the last according to other of his works Nevertheless we must carefully distinguish the two things whereof he hath made two questions Vtrum fides in nostra constituta sit potestate Whether faith be in our power in one chapter and Vtrum voluntas qua credimus donum sit Dei an ex libertate arbitrii Whether the will whereby we do beleeve be the gift of God or the effect of our own liberty in another I do apprehend here that both these two things are to be held That faith is in our power and That the will whereby we beleeve is not of our selves but of Gods grace or gift The holding both these is that which cuts the thread of all difficulties in this matter For the one That faith is in mans power we are beholding verily to that Father A thing is in a mans power which he may do if he will Hane dicimus potestatem ubi voluntati adiacet facultas faciendi When he accounts Faith then to be in mans power he understands this That he may beleeve if he will And this is a truth of great necessity yet hath difficulty But when he proceeds hereupon so farre as to make the will therefore whereby we beleeve to be of our selves it was a step which himself saw need to draw back There are many things that are possible which yet never shall be as this Father himself gives instances of upon another occasion in the first chapter of this book There are likewise many things which a man can do that yet he never will or is like to do without some speciall cause moving him to it Such is the business of mans Conversion There is no man we are to hold with him but he may beleeve I will adde repent and be saved if he will yet is this to be known and held also That there is no man for certain ever will unless it be from that one special cause which is Gods grace or the Spirit 's motion that works his heart thereunto Now then Shall a man remain an unbeleever and impenitent and perish the fault shall lye upon himself and God shall be just because we place faith in his own power He may believe and repent and be saved if he will If God would and he will not he may thank himself Again if he do believe and repent and is saved he shall have no cause to boast or glory in himself because that though he might believe and repent if he would yet would he never have repented while the world lasted