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A77484 A Scotch antidote against the English infection of Arminianism Which little book may be (through Gods blessing) very useful to preserve those that are yet found in the faith, from the infection of Mr John Goodwin's great book. By Robert Bailie, minister of the Gospel at Glasgow. Baillie, Robert, 1599-1662. 1652 (1652) Wing B469; Thomason E1401_2; ESTC R209483 23,195 121

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the Arminian Questions were handled at leisure from November to May and all that was needfull was cleerly decided That labour was so blessed by God that the Land which through the Arminian Schisme and Errours was at the point of ruine since that time hath had peace from these turbulent Schismaticks When Arminianisme did take root in Britain But here the pity Britain whose waters mainly had slakened that fire abroad began at once to be scorched at home by some sparks of that flame The hopes of the Arminians in England were but small so long as K. James did live for that good Prince both in word and writing did threaten to burne these Hereticks if any of them should appeare in his Dominions see his Declaration against Vorstius yea so long as Abbot was in grace at Court the Arminians kept a low sayle but after that his Successor even in his owne time had come in favour that unhappy Sect under the patronage of Mountagu and White 's learning began to spread far and neare yea at last silence in a publike Edict was enjoyned to their opposers and all favours conferred on those who had skill and will to promote that Cause many evident disgraces poured on well deserving men for no other reason but their Anti-Arminian spirit All this time our Church was free of these evils but so soon as the advancers of Arminianisme at the English Court began to intermeddle with the affaires of our Kingdome at once these men were eyed who inclined that way prime places were put into their hands for no other vertue the World could discern in them but their boldness to let out their inclination towards the Arminian Errour This way of advancement being perceived incōtinent many among us set their hearts towards that art which was likeliest in haste to promote their fortunes It is to be remarked that the Arminian spirit in Holland leads men to hell another way then here in Britaine The British Arminians decline to Popery but the Belgick to Socinianisme there the Arminians with great boldnesse running after Vorstius Socinus with a marvellous petulancy fell to brangle the Trinitie of the Divine persons yea the simplicity of the Divine nature it self But that Devill finding this his rashnesse to revive openly Manes Arrius did make people abhorre him and flee away hee became more wary so that among us hee lets these old condemned Heresies alone and goes another way to work Hee leads by a new method to the errours of Antichrist A Netherlandish Arminian will scorn the superstitions the Idolatries the Tyrannies of the Romish Church but is much inclined after Vorstius and Socinus under the pretext of Liberty to run licentiously into Heresies condemned in the first Oecumenick Coun cels On the contrary a British Arminian with the Ancients will abhor the Extravagancies of Vorstius and Socinus yet their heart is hot and inflamed after the abominations of Rome God who put Confusion in Babel hath divided Satans Kingdome against it selfe else this subtill Devill might have indangered the safety of the whole Reformed Church But while in Holland the horn of Arminianism is now brokē out in his front long and great and in England the horne of Popery wee trust these two long black ugly hornes shall make that evill spirit both here and there so well knowne that hee shall not be able to doe so much harme any where as once was feared from him however the great Hammer that brake the necke of the beast over Sea was that Nationall Synod and the mayn hope we have to get it mastered here at this time is by the hand of our God in this present Assembly For the story I will say no more but come to the Doctrines The five Arminian Articles The multitude of their singularities was reduced at their own desire both in the Conference at Hage and Synod of Dort to five Articles or rather foure for Grace and Freewill are commonly disputed together The first Article concerns Predestination The state of the question in the first Article the next the Death of Christ the third and fourth Grace and Free-will the fifth Perseverance wee may adde Justification as a sixth whereon both these over Sea and their followers among us run as mad as on any of the former Concerning Election the first and chiefe part of Predestination they teach that it is posterior to Faith Works and Perseverance Arminius at the beginning made faith alone previous to Election but long since his followers and our men also joyne works yea perseverance to the end in faith and works as if God first did foresee by his eternal Prescience some men of their own Free-will assenting to his Cal in time believing and going on to the end in faith and good works and after this foresight did passe his Decree of Election to glory upon these men clothed with the named qualities But wee teach that Faith Works and Perseverance are posterior to Election that this is the cause root fountain whence all grace in us does flow that our Election hath no Antecedent cause condition or good quality on our part but flows meerly from Gods good pleasure and mercy looking upon us lying in our bloud corrupted with originall sin and in that case choosing us of his free mercy to be members of his Son to whō hee will give grace and glory though others as good and nothing worse then wee are permitted to lie still in the masse of corruption for the glory of his mercy to us and justice towards them without any ground of gloriation to the one or complaint to the other as if any wrong were done them when they are past by This our Doctrine of Election it is cleer from Scripture Our first argument for absolute election is from Eph. 1.3 1. see Ephes 1.3 Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in Christ according as hee hath chosen us in him that we should be holy and blamelesse before him in love having predestinated us to the adoption of children according to the good pleasure of his will Here wee are chosen to be holy and blamelesse not because wee were holy therefore we were chosen Holinesse is made posteriour to our Election Now Faith Perseverance Charity and such graces are all parts of holinesse are all fruits of the holy Spirit Here also all spirituall blessings for which God is to bee praised flows from this originall Election is the rule according to which God distributes these graces Adoption also is made a fruit of Election yea the only reason of this Election is made Gods good pleasure By this place of Scripture Augustine beat downe the Pelagians who taught an Election of foreseene works a Praedest c. 8. Praesciebat ergo ait Pelagianus qui futuri erant sancti immaculati per liberum voluntatis arbitrium ideo eos ante mundi Constitutionem elegit quia tales futuros praescivit
can it not hinder the Omnipotent power of the regenerating Spirit of God to call and convert and save whom ever hee hath a purpose to call convert and save For the full confirmation of the first proposition see in Scripture these 3 grounds cleerly set downe First Man by his free will is not able for any spiritual good That in no man by nature is any power at all to any spirituall good Secondly That in every man by nature not only is a simple impotencie to good but also an exceeding great inclination to all spiritual evill Thirdly What ever power to spiritual good or what ever gracious operation is found in any man the only cause of that good is from God who works it in man and makes man to worke in the strength not of humane Nature but of divine Grace For the first mans impotency see John 6.44 No man can come to mee except the Father draw him Jer. 5.23 Can the Ethiop change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may yee also doe good that are accustomed to doe evill Here is mans impotency to convert to God or change his wicked nature 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receives not the things of the Spirit of God For they are foolishnesse to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned No man can say that Jesus is the Lord 1 Cor. 12.3 2 Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God here the power to understand or thinke any good is denied to man of himself Mat. 12.34 O generation of vipers how can yee being evill speak good things 1 Cor. 14.3 No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Here holy and good speeches are denied to bee in the power of nature all power of good deeds is also removed Math. 7 18. Acorrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit John 15.5 Without me yee can do nothing Whereupon Augustine commenting confounds Pelagius thus i Quid dicitis quid vos ipsos decipitis non assertores sed praecipitateres liberi arbitrii ex alto elationis per inama praesumptionis in profunda submersionis hom●nes si●i placentes mente corrupti reprobi circa fidem nempe vox vestra est quod homo ex seipso facit justitiam sed veritas contradicit dicit Palme non potest fructum ferre a semetipso nisi manserit in vite Si est in vobis ullus sensus horretc qu● enim à semetipso fructum existimat ferre in vite non est qui in vite non est in Ch●sto non est qui in Christo non est Christianus non est haec sunt profunda submersionis vestrae ne quisquam putaret saliem parvum aliquem fructum posse à semetipso se ferre non ait quia sine me parum potestis facere sed nihil potestis facere sive ergo parum sive multum sine illo fieri non potest sine quo nihil fieri potest What say you why deceive you your selves not maintainers but casters downe of freewill from the heights of pride through the voids of presum ption into drowning deeps men pleasing thēselvs of corrupt minds and concerning the faith reprobate for it is your sentence that man of himselfe does justice But the truth contradicts and says the branch cannot bring forth fruit of it selfe unlesse it abide in the vine If there be any sense in you bee amazed for who ever thinks hee can bring forth fruit of himself is not in the vine who is not in the vine is not in Christ who is not in Christ is not a Christian These are your drowning deeps and lest any should think that at lest he might of himselfe bring forth some little fruit hee sayes not without mee you can bring forth a little fruit but you can doe nothing Whether therefore it bee little or much it cannot bee done without him without whom nothing can be done This for our impotencie to all spirituall good For our perversnesse and proclivitie to all spirituall evill Mans will is perverse and bent to all evil see Gen. 6.5 God saw that every imagination of mans heart was only evill continually Jer. 7.5 The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it Rom. 7.14.18 I know that in mee that is in my flesh dwelleth no good for I am sold under sin Ephes 2.5 Wee were dead in sins and 5.8 Yee were sometimes darknesse Ezek. 48.4 I know that thou art obstinate and thy neck is as an iron sinew and thy brow is brasse Zachary 7.12 They made their heart as an adamant stone lest they should heare the Law The third ground All good in man commeth only from grace that God alone works all our works in us that our Illumination Conversiō c. flows frō him alone see Ephes 2.10 Wee are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus to good works Psal 5.10 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit with in me 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts Phil. 2.13 It is God who worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I wil put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes 1 Chron. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Why doest thou glory as if thou hadst not received it We may see this doctrine of Scripture avowed often by all Christian Writers especially by Augustine and Bernard against the Pelagians Heare some few of their sayings The 1 tels us k Libero arbitrio male utens homo se perdidit ipsum nameum libero peccaretur arbitrio amissum est liberum arbitrium Liberum arbi●rium ad diligendum Deum primi peccati granditate perdidimus magnas liberi Arbitrii vires homo cum crearetur accepit sed peccando amisit per velle malumrecte perdidit posse bonum qui per posse bonum libere elegit velle malum Peccato Adae liberum arbitrium de hominum natura periisse non dicimus sed ad peccandum valere in hominibus subditis diabolo ad bene autem pieque vivendum non valere nisi ipsa voluntas hominis Deigratia fuerit liberata ut velimus sine nobis operatur cum volumus sic volumus ut faciamus nobiscum cooperatur tamen sine illo vel operante ut velimus vel coope rante cum volumus ad bona pietatis opera nihil va●mus Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed ille facit ut velimus de qùo dictum est Deu●in