equality with the wise Do we not see that as man is so is his strength and work operari sequitur esse The strong do as the strong and the weak judge and do as the weak Why else doth God give men strength of Grace sure they that think the habit of Grace must needs be before any act will not hold that all our lives after the Acts from immediate divine production go beyond the degree of the habits We know that God is the chief cause of our perseverance and all our works that are good But he causeth them by disposing and quickening strengthening illuminating and sanctifying our faculties to do them which is habitual Grace B. What is your own judgment in this point A. Our judgment is 1. That he that truly at the present preferreth the pleasing of God and his Salvation before all this World is sincere and justified 2. That of these some have well setled apprehensions and resolutions but others have such shallow Conceptions and weak Resolutions as that a very strong Temptation would change their minds and overcome them 3. But if they escape such Temptation and be not overcome they shall be saved For God will not damn men for possible Sin and Apostacy which they were never guilty of but only for that which they did commit 4. And that it is no certain sign of hypocrisie that they would have fallen away had their Temptations been great but only a proof that they were weak 5. Else to pray Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil should be rather discover not our sincerity or hypocrisie by temptation 6. Therefore God useth to proportion mens trials to their strength And that young and weak Believers may persevere he exposeth them not antecedently to their provocation to great Temptations as he doth the strong Even as while a young Tree hath little rooting it hath also but a little top else had it the top of a great Tree and but the roots of a Plant the first great Wind would overturn it 7. Even strong Christians might possibly have some Temptations which would over-match their strength and turn them from Christ if God should not keep them from such Temptations 8. Therefore there are some Temptations so far above the very nature of man by such Grace as is not a meer Miracle to be overcome as that God doth not suffer Mankind to be tried with them As to be most exquisitely tormented many moneths or a longer time And in that unusual trial of the poor Christians in Japon though many endured those torments many weeks yet nature could not sustain them to the last but when they had suffered as much as many Smithfield burnings to death at last almost all denied Christ so that Christianity is now there extirpated Now if Rogers Bradford Hooper shewed sincerity by suffering death why should we not think that these did so that suffered far more than they though afterward the degree was greater than their strength 9. We hold that Gods Punishments and Mercies to men in this World are very much exercised in either permitting or not permitting great Temptations * The same Bradwardine l. 2. c. 16. holdeth that the cause of the damneds obstinacy in sin is not only themselves and Gods not-willing to cure and save them but also Gods positive Will by which their obstinate wills are for ever continued in the act But I see not why we should assert Gods positive Will of Sin in Hell or Earth when his not-effectual willing to cure it is enough And that for great sin he oft delivereth men up to Satan and giveth him the greater power over them Yea that the nature of sin it self is such as giveth greater advantage to the Tempter As he that will with Achan look on the wedge of Gold or that will please his tast with delicious Drinks and Meats or that will permit his eyes immodest Spectacles hath thereby let in the Devil into his Imagination and will not easily thence cast him out And on the other side he that pleaseth God and conquereth one Temptation obtaineth that Grace by which he is much saved from the next and the Tempter is the more disadvantaged and restrained 10. Lastly We therefore hold That seeing Temptations do not only try our sincerity or hypocrisie else we should desire them for self-examination but also tend to change mens minds and make them worse the way to persevere is to pray against and avoid Temptations and resist those that cannot be avoided This is our judgment In which you see that we hold that all weak Christians that are sincere may have assurance of their present Justification though they are not strong enough to stand the greatest trials And that they may well hope that God will save them from over strong Temptations while they sincerely do his Will B. But Christ saith That he that forsaketh not all that he hath and hateth not his own life cannot be his Disciple And what greater trial can there be than the loss of life it self A. Though some taking it to be hard that none are true Christians that would not be Martyrs were they tried have said that this Text speaketh de necessitate praecepti non medii You must grow up to this at last if you will be my Disciples yet I will not so force the Text but say as you do But 1. There are far stronger Temptations than the love of Life Though not from Interest yet from false reasonings which may deceive the judgment And one that would die for Christ while he believeth in him may possibly have so strong Temptations to unbelief as shall exceed in danger his fear of death 2. And all men that at the present would forsake Life and all for Christ yet have not the same fixedness of Resolution nor the same degree of Faith and Love No doubt but the Martyrs in the same flames had various degrees of Grace Now a less firm and fixed measure may be loosened by degrees or shaken by Seducers and mutable man may after be overcome by that same Temptation which once he could have overcome So that I accuse their Doctrine as utterly inconsistent with true Christian Comfort on both these account And such is the success of those men that will overdo and devise means of their own for extraordinary comforts which God never gave them B. The comfort of poor Christians it seems standeth but on slippery terms in the Opinion of both sides while each Party thinks that there is no true comfort in the others way * Whether we may be morally sure of our present Justification the Papists Doctors agree not among themselves Bellarmine and many others affirm it and others deny it as Aureolus cited by Brianson in 4. q. 4. fol. 36. and others that say no man can know whether his Habits are infused But doth not experience confute you Do you not see that many have true Christian comfort that are not of
this point on one side or other either as holding or as denying the certain Perseverance of all the justified than those that differ from me in the point it self without any proud supercilious confidence And that it is to be numbred with Tolerable Opinions I have proved by these Arguments in sum 1. That which is so difficult that very few of the Learned and Godly Teachers of the Church in all ages could discern a certainty of it cannot be a point so great or clear as to be made necessary for all Christians or all Pastors of the Church to agree in But such is this For my part I profess that though my judgment incline more one way than the other it is with no certainty that I am in the right and I see so great difficulties after my hardest studies and search that my inclination is not without much doubtfulness And humility and modesty forbid me to profess a certainty or too much confidence for a Doctrine which I openly say I cannot prove or find that any one Christian held of about 1000 years after the Apostles dayes * * * Unless Jovinian may be excepted which is doubtful I have not read all Books and therefore there may have been some such that I know not of But I know of none that I remember for a far longer time I know the Learned Bishop Robert Abbot and others cite Augustine as on that side But it 's past all controversie that it is not all the justified but only all the elect whose Perseverance he asserted And I am not he that would be separated from the Communion of all the ancient Churches and Doctors and all the Greeks and Lutherans of these times Methinks we should learn of the Papists at least to be moderate in our censures when they who are so much for Impositions do yet bear in part of this with one another in the controversies between the Dominicans and Jesuites 340. 2. My other reason is as to the comfort of men's Souls how little is the difference between these two conclusions I am uncertain that every weak Christian shall persevere And I am uncertain whether I my self shall persevere The first is the Arminians and the second is all or almost all weak Christians conclusion in the world For I have fully proved elsewhere 1. That the sinfullest and worst sort of true Christians have not a certainty of their own Sincerity and Justification nor are they fit for it Nay that it is only strong active Christians who attain to such Assurance 2. And that there are but few strong active Christians comparatively in the world 3. Yea but few that will say I am certain that I am sincere and justified excepting those that speak it opinionatively or presumptuously experience satisfieth us 4. And that one that is uncertain that he is justified at all â—annot be certain that he shall persevere in Justification I need not â—rove So that by our own common Doctrine and Experience it is â—ew true Christians that are certain of their own Perseverance and Salâ—ation And what doth this comfort them more than their Doctrine who say that it is not certain in it self that any besides the strong confirmed Christians and the Elect shall persevere and that we can â—e certain of the Election of none but the confirmed and the perâ—evering 341. I confess it is a great comfort to doubting fearful Souls if they â—an soundly thus argue in their doubtful state I am sure I had true Grace once and I am sure none fall quite away that have it Therefore I am sure I have it still But 1. Even this could be the comfort of none â—ut those few that were once of the stronger sort of Christians For no other can say I am sure that I had true Grace once 2. And that present sense of sin which maketh them doubt of their present sincerity doth â—sually make them as much doubt of their past sincerity 3. And though such a comfort I think be due to a causeless and melancholy doubter who feareth unjustly which is fetcht from former perceived sincerity yet it is not fit for all Christians that are faln into such doubts For if a man be faln as sinful as will stand with any sincerity even â—n gross Sin it is not safe for that man to argue I am sure that I once â—as sincere in my obedience therefore I am sure it is so still for the reasons which I gave before But by Repentance he must make sure that he is truly obedient that he may be sure he was so 342. For my part I will labour as earnestly as I can to make sure both that I am sincere and justified and shall persevere and I will be none of those that shall command commend or encourage causeless troublesome fears But preventing fear is the means of perseverance Heb. 4. 1. Having a promise left us of entering into his rest let uâ— fear lest any of you should seem to come short of it Joh. 14. 4 c. Abide in me and I in you 6. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned 7. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you Continue ye in my love If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love Joh. 8. 31. If ye continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed So Col. 1. 23. passim And I will never reproach or censure or disaffect such men as holy Bernard though I am not of his opinion who said Serm. 1. de Septuages Quis potest dicere Ego de electis sum Ego de praedestinatis sum ad vitam aeternam Ego de numero sum filiorum Dei Quis haec inquam dicere potest reclamante nimirum Nescit homo si amore dignus sit an odio Certitudinem igitur non habemus Sed spes fiducia consolatur nos c. SECT XXV Degrees of falling and danger 343. Every degree of Grace that is true is not to be supposed prâ—portionable to the strongest Temptations But God preserveth the weak effecttually by keeping them from Temptations too strong for them And that which a strong Christian overcometh might overcome a weak one were he assaulted by it Therefore to avoid and pray against Temptation is the way to be delivered from evil 344. Yet the weakest true Christian in choice resolution and trial forsaketh all for Christ and loveth God and preferreth Glory in Heaven before his Life and is a Martyr in resolution And yet there are Temptations * * * What the Grace of perseverance and what confirmation is is a great controversie among the School-men Malderus in 12. Tho. q. â—9 a. â—0 d. 1. mentioneth five Opinions 1. That they are both one and consist in extrinsick Divine
hurt to the Christian World than the most bloody Wars of Princes And I must reduce the Causes to these three Heads I. The Abuse of POWER II. Of WISDOM III. Of GOODNESS or of the Names of these the three great Principles of Humanity That is I. By Clergie TYRANNY II. By OPINIONISTS or Dogmatists III. By SUPERSTITION and HYPOCRISIE or PRACTICAL BLIND ZEAL But among all these sorts selfish PRIDE IGNORANCE and UNCHARITABLENESS or want of LOVE are the great effectual Causes And departing from CHRISTIAN SIMPLICITY in Doctrine Worship Church-government and Conversation is the grand instrumental means of most of our Schisms Distractions and Calamities I. Only by Pride cometh Contention Prov. 13. 10. The Church-TYRANT is Proud of his Superiority and Wealth The OPINIONIST is Proud of his supposed Knowledge and Theological Wisdom on which account the Gnosticks troubled the Church of old The HYPOCRITE and the honester ignorant Zealot is Proud of his supposed Holiness or Goodness And for an eminency and precedency and praise in each of these they all conspire while they disagree among themselves to trouble the Church of Christ In a word Selfishness Ignorance and want of Love are the Causes of mens personal ruine and damnation and the same are the Causes of the Churches divisions and all the miseries of the World II. And that IGNORANCE is a Common cause even in the Gnostick Dogmatists that cry down Ignorance Error and Heresie needs no other proof than the diversity of Opinions which such contend for Every side pretend that it is ORTHODOXNESS FAITH or the Great Truths of God which they defend And in one Countrey or with one Party one thing is Orthodoxness and the Truth and another thing in another Countrey or Party and another thing with a third c. And did they all but know what is Truth and the Will of God indeed they would cease their Contentions and all the Sects would meet in Unity III. And did men but LOVE their neighbours as themselves and were as easily perswaded to think well of and deal gently with their neighbours as themselves and as hardly drawn to condemn hate hurt or injure them I need not tell you how easily quickly and universally we should be healed But before I speak of the Instrumental Means I will fullier open the three forementioned Causes I. Religious Clergie-TYRANNY hath so notoriously so long and so greatly made havock both of Piety and Peace that he that is not an utter stranger to Church-History cannot be ignorant of it I need not tell any Learned man how many even moderate Papists much more Protestants have thought that Constantine and other Emperours that over-exalted the Clergie poured out Poyson into the Church making great preferments a bait to invite all the worst of men to be seekers and invaders of Church Offices and Power and to corrupt those that otherwise would have been useful men especially when Christians having first made them their Arbitrators in obedience to St. Pauls counsel they were made the Legal Judges of the Causes of all contentious Christians and so set up Secular Magistratical Courts I need not tell them what work almost every General Council as those of one Empire were called did make what work even the first at Nice had made had not Constantine burnt their Bills of accusation against each other and personally lamented their divisions and driven them on to peace what work was made in that at Chalcedon and that at Ephesus and so of others what a horrid scandal the case of John and Dioscorus was and the murder of Flavianus and many others nor yet how the controversies against the Nestorians Eutychians and Monothelites were managed I need not tell them how soon Victor began at Rome nor what Socrates and others say of Cyril and Theophilus at Alexandria nor yet how Nazianzene was used at Constantinople nor how copiously and vehemently he accuseth the Bishops and wisheth that there were no such inequalities among them as gave them advantage to do hurt nor what he saith against their Councils nor yet of the quarrels of Basil and Anthymius nor of Basils sharp complaints of the Roman and other Western Prelates I need not tell them of the Usage of Chrysostome even by such men as Theophilus Epiphanius and their partakers nor of the dividing of the Constantinopolitan Christians thereupon nor how the violent Prelates made Separatists and Non-conformists of Chrysostoms adherents by the name of Joannites and how unlikely that Schism was to have been healed had not wiser Bishops succeeded who restored Concord by honouring Chrysostoms Name and Bones and dealing kindly with his followers I need not tell them of the sad work made at Ariminum and Syrmium and oft at Rome Constantinople and every great Episcopal Seat nor of the bloodshed between Competitors at the Election of Damasus nor of the separation of St. Martin from the Synod of Bishops led by Ithacius and Idacius nor of the difference of him and Ambrose from the rest about the complyances with Maximus The World knoweth of the doleful Rupture that hath continued between the Roman and the Greek Church about a thousand years And of the many Schisms at Rome by various Anti-Popes even at once above forty years together And of the reason of the calling of the Councils of Constance and Basil to end them And how the King of Rome keeps up his Kingdom to this day what work he hath made with Frederick the Henries and other German Emperours what divisions this caused among the Clergie what blood he caused to be shed for Jerusalem and how many thousands of the Waldenses have at divers times been slaughtered what work the Inquisition hath made in Spain and Belgia and elsewhere and the flames of Persecution in England and almost in all Christian Lands what work the Holy League did make in France and the English Bishops in many a War with their Kings besides the case of Becket and such others By whose instigation two hundred thousand Protestants were lately murdered in Ireland and many again in Piedmont I say to tell such things as these to those that are acquainted with Church History is vain And I would those that yet think cruelty the best way to set up themselves or Religion if that must bear the name and to repress their adversaries or Schisms would but among many others read the Epistle of great Thuanus before his Works to Henry King of France But is it only the old Bishops Greeks and Papists that have made such havock in the Churches Even those that pretended to moderation did by the German Interim make many hundred Churches desolate And the ten years imprisonment of Caspar Peucer vid. Histor Carcer and the silencing of many and many faithful Ministers and the banishment of many doth shew with what Spirit many of the Lutherans carryed on their work And doubtless had the Calvinists in Belgia been as wise and peaceable as the English Delegates were at
more of the world to Quietness and Concord had not Satan the great enemy of Love and Peace seduced them to that Instrumental Means and way which will never consist with Concord It is that which Christ and his Apostles have done very much to prevent but the Devil even with all the sorts fore-mentioned hath much prevailed against their precepts The Grand case of the Christian World is WHAT IS THE TRUE CENTER and RULE OF CONCORD Could they find out this it would hold men of various tempers to it I. Christ first laid down the Description and Measure of Christianity in the Baptismal Covenant and ordained that all should be accounted Christians in foro Ecclesiae who by Baptism were solemnly devoted to him in a professed Belief and Covenant Dedication and Vow to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost These he would have called Christians or his Disciples and this is their Christening and so ever called in the Church 2. And next he made it his new that is Last and Great Command that All his Disciples should Love each other and live in eminent Unity and Peace which he accordingly wrought them to by the first pouring out of his Spirit Act. 2. 3. 4. II. The Apostles founding the Church in this Baptismal Vow or Covenant and mutual Love exhorted accordingly all the Baptized to Love each other and to Receive even the weak in faith but not to doubtful disputations Rom. 14. 15. Oft vehemently charging them to be of one mind and live in Love and peace and to beware of them as not serving Christ but their own bellies who were for Divisions 1 Cor. 1. 10 11. Rom. 16. 17. And though they came with pretences of ORDER WISDOM or PIETY such Good words and fair speeches were noted to be engines to deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 17. And whereas the objection seemed unanswerable How can they so agree who are of several judgements about Good and Evil Paul often warneth them to hold fast the form of sound words and summeth up as 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4. the Articles of their faith and chargeth them that so far as they had attained they should walk by the same rule and mind the same things and if in any thing they were otherwise minded stay till God revealed the matter to them Phil. 3. He oft chargeth them to be of one mind and judgement thus far and to live in Love and Peace and to do nothing by strife and vain glory but in honour to preferr others to themselves and not to strive about words that profit not nor about unnecessary Questions seeing such disputings and strivings gender to ungodliness and fret like a Canker and pervert the hearers minds Yea he directeth the Pastors to edifie souls rather by a Teaching than a disputing way and to convince gainsayers by meek instructing opposers to see if thus God will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth for the Minister or servant of the Lord must not strive Love is their work to be effected in others and Love must be their Principle and Love must be their mode and means even Loving others as themselves Oft are they called by Christ and his Apostles from masterly opinions aspirings and endeavours and to be as little Children and the servants of all and as stewards of Gods mysteries and helpers not Lords of the Churches faith and not to domineer over the flock of Christ but to oversee them not by constraint but voluntarily And what cannot be done by Light and Love is not to be done by them at all The Magistrate and not they must use the Sword but not to make men believers for he cannot And though Vossius and others have rendred Reasons enough to perswade us that the story of the twelve Apostles making each one an Article of the Creed is not credible nor that they shaped it in every word to the present form yet it is to me a certainty that the Apostles made and used the Creed for sense and substance as the very summary and test of Christianity long before any Book of the New Testament was written about twelve years and almost sixty six before the whole For 1. It is certain that all Christians were Baptized 2. It is certain that they then professed to Believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and to Covenant accordingly renouncing the flesh the world and the Devil 3. It is certain that the Apostles and Pastors laboured to make men understand what they did and would not delude them by taking the bare saying of these three words 4. And it is certain that the Pastors altered not the Christian faith but taught the same for substance to all that were baptized 5. And it is certain that should men have taken much liberty to use new words or forms at Baptism in opening the faith it might easily have corrupted the faith and introduced a new doctrine 6. And it is certain by Church History that though some variety of little words was used yet this same Creed for substance except the two or three clauses mentioned by Usher and Vossius was commonly used at Baptism from the dayes of the Apostles 7. And we find yet that this Creed is nothing else but the explication of the three Baptismal Articles of which see Sandford and Parker two Learned Non-conformists in their very Learned Treat de Descensu Christi at large 8. And it is certain that if the Apostles did take this course so many years before they wrote any of the New Testament they did this as well as that by the Holy Ghost and so that the Holy Ghost seconding Christs own Baptismal Law or Instituted test did make the Creed to be the summary of the Christian Belief twelve years before we had any Book of the New Testament and about sixty six as is said before we had them all And then it will appear what is Gods appointed test of Christianity Communion and special Love All which considered though I think it is the truth which I long ago wrote against a Treatise of a Learned man Mr. Ashwell in the Append. to the second Edition of my Reformed Pastor yet I publish my Repentance that ever I wrote it as fearing lest it occasioned the turning of mens minds from this great truth which he and I agreed in and which I find few consider as it deserveth But the Gnosticks began the corrupting game and by pretences of higher knowledge spoiled men by vain Philosophy which engaged the Apostles to cry them down and to warn all Christians to take heed of being so spoiled and to vilifie arbitrary Philosophical notions tricks and vain janglings as likely to draw them from the simplicity of Christianity And the certain truth is that he knoweth neither the Interest nor the Ignorance and weakness of man nor the nature of Knowledge who doth not know that the frailty and employments of mankind are such as that there never
left to their own discretion in such and such circumstantials But do they dream of Perfect Concord on earth and that men of such various Interests tempers educations converse and degrees of knowledge should not differ in a word or gesture Our English Rulers make no Laws what Gesture shall be used in singing Psalms or in Hearing Sermons and there is no division or great disorder in them But if on pretence of nearer Concord they should tye all to one Gesture this or that we should presently find it an engine of division And O how many such Engines have the Papal Clergie made and used long and to what purpose To silence faithful Ministers to torment faithful Christians in the Inquisitions to brand the best men with the names of Hereticks and Schismaticks to gratifie all profaneness and malignity to quench brotherly love and to tear the Church into pieces And no experience will make them wiser II. And the DOGMATISTS also have done their part by departing from the Simplicity of the Christian Doctrine to set the Christian world together by the ears Of which Hilary hath written sharply against the Making of new Creeds not sparing to tell them that even the Nicene Fathers led others the way And Hierome wonders that they that were for the word hypostasis questioned his Faith as if he that had been Baptized had been without a Faith or Creed which all at Baptism do profess But this will not serve turn to these Corrupters Councils Doctors and Schoolmen have been led by the temptation of more subtle-knowledge to be Wise and Orthodox over-much till the Churches Faith is as large as all the Decrees of General Councils de side at the least and the Churches Laws a great deal larger And what abundance of dubious Confessions Declarations or Decrees are now to be subscribed or believed and justified before a man can have his Baptismal birth-right even the Love peace and Church-Communion bequeathed to him as a Christian by Christ And now controversal writings fill our Libraries by Cart-loads And a Use of Confutation is a great part of most Sermons among the Papists Lutherans and many others And men are bred up in the Universities to a Militant striving kind of life that their work may be to make Plain Christians seem unlearned dolts and dissenters seem odious or suspected men and themselves to be the wise and Orthodox persons and triumphant over all the erroneous that were it not for these Contenders would destroy the And so Ministers are armed against Ministers Churches against Churches Christians against Christians yea Princes against Princes and Countreys against Countreys by wrangling contentious Clergie men And O what an injury is â—t Young Students are almost necessitated to waste much of their lives which should be spent in preparing them to promote faith holiness and Love in reading over multitudes of these wrangling writers to know which of them is in the right And most readers catch the disease hereby themselves And those few that at great cost and labour come to the bottom of the differences do perceive that the Proud Opiniators have striven partly about unrevealed or unnecessary things but chiefly about meer ambiguous words and arbitrary humane notions and multitudes condemn and revile each other while they mean the same things and do not know it One writeth a Learned Book against such a party and another confuteth such an Adversary especially about Predestination Redemption Free-will Humane Power Grace Merit Justification Pardon Imputation c. and then many read and applaud all as excelently done Alas for the low estate of the Clergie that while when a truly discerning man perceiveth that it is but a striving about unexplained words for the most part And thus being Over-wise in pretences of Zeal for Truth and under-wise in understanding it and departing from Christian simplicity of doctrine and even deriding the Christian Creed hath made even some honest men become dividing Engineers and their Articles and Controversies the Churches calamity III. And what Practical misguided zeal about worship hath done almost all Sects Novatians Anabaptists in Germany and here and the various sort of Churches that refuse Communion with one another and that condemn or cast out dissenters from them and preach and talk and backbite their brethren into the odium or distaste of their seduced auditors the bitter invectives in Pulpit talk and press of the several Pastors and people against each other and worse than words where they have power all these speak so loud as may spare me the labour of any further discovery and calls us all to make it the matter of our lamentation And what shall I say in the conclusion now I am near to my departure from this contentious world but sound a Retreat to all these unhappy militants that will not let Holiness prosper by the necessary advantage of Peace Cease your Proud contendings O vain-glorious Militant Clergie Learn of the Prince of peace and the holy Angels that preached him to give Glory to God in the highest who giveth Peace on Earth and well-pleasedness in or towards men Did Christ or his Apostles make such work for Christians as you do The great Shepherd of the flock will take your pretences of ORDER ORTHODOXNESS or Truth and PIETY for no excuse for your corrupting ORDER FAITH and PRACTICE by your TYRANNY SELF-CONCEITEDNESS and blind ZEAL and SUPERSTITION and for using his name against himself to the destroying of that Love and Concord and Unity which he hath bequeathed to his Church and for serving his enemy and dividing his people and hardning Infidels and ungodly ones by these scandals Return to the primitive simplicity that we may return to unity Love and peace Dream not of them upon your own corrupting terms And read and read over again and again Jam. 3. which doth describe you condemn you and instruct you If you say Physicion heal thy self Who hath wrote more of Controversies I answer peruse what I have written and you will see it is of Controversies but against Controversies tending to End and reconcile If any thing be otherwise except necessary defence of certain necessary faith or duty I retract it and condemn it Let it be as not written I have meddled much with Controversies in this Book but it is to end them The God of Peace give Wisdom and peaceable principles minds and hearts to his servants that though I shall not live to see it true Love and Piety may revive in the Christian world by the endeavours of a healing Ministry and the shaming restraint and reformation of the CONTENTIOUS CLERGIE whether TYRANNICAL DOGMATICAL or SUPERSTITIOUS Amen Jan. 25. 167â— Of DIVISIONS and CONTENTIONS among Christians Consider I. The EFFICIENT I. PERSONS 1. The Devils 2. Men 1. A Contentious Clergie 2. Unwise and wicked Rulers instigated by them 3. The deceived people that follow them II. QUALITIES viz. I. Remotely 1. Selfishness in Carnal hypocrites who prefer worldly interest 2.
seem to have intended only Gods Government if not his word alone with the performance of it by Voluntas signi of which next Indeed the whole sensible world and all things in it is some way or other a sign of Gods will especially the nature of man himself with the nature of all creatures about him and the order in which he standeth to them which is therefore called The Law of Nature 323. Physical Permission is no positive sign nor of a positive will as For this read Alliaco ib. further after cited And his citation of Gregor that Voluntas beneplaciti is respectu complexi Volitio prosecutio aut fuga Aut simplex complacentia displicentia est ipse Deus praeter connotationem afore opened But Legal permission may be 324. The distinction between praecipit and consulit would be vain but that Aqu. and some others expound consulit by Perswading For God counselleth to nothing but what is Best and that which is Best precept even natural maketh it our Duty to choose But Precept going before and Making Duty Perswading-counsel may come after and urge us to perform it 325. Gods Voluntas signi Bene-placiti are never contrary properly taken Nor doth he give us any false signs of his Will And therefore his word is alwayes true But there are many things which ignorance mis-judgeth to be a sign of some Divine Volition which they signifie not and some dark signes which are not easily understood If men mistake Gods works or word the sign was not false but their exposition of it But of this next 326. IX Dr. Twisse useth instead of this the distinction of Voluntaâ— Beneplaciti Praecepti His sence is Right but the terms are too narrow â—â—â—â— siâ—â—â— seu praeceâ—â—â—â— â—â—â—â— diâ—â—tur duâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—â— 1. Qâ—â—â— ita sit qâ—â—â— per tale signum vel praeâ—â—pâ—â—â—â— signatur ad intentionem praecipientis Et sic sempâ—r implâ—â—â—r Nam pâ—r tale praeceptum significatur aliquid debere fieri à Crâ—aturâ— ita est Aliter tale signâ—m non essâ—t verum 2. Quod ita sit vel â—iat sicut per tale praeceptum signatar deâ—ere fieri sic non semper impletur Pet. de Alliaco 1. q. 14. F. Tâ—e true Distinction is of Gods Will of Natural Things and Events as such and his Will de Debito vel Jure as such His will as it is the Fountain of Nature and as it is the fountain of Morality or Right Oâ— his Will of Natural Events and his Law 327. This distinction is of Greater and more Necessary use to us than any of the rest yea so great that it is included in the first principle of Religion and morality and is understood distinctly or more darkly but really by all Christians and moral agents 328. The distinction is fetcht from the objects The common object of the one being Nature as such and of the other Debitum or Jus as such 329. As Gods Will de Naturalibus is his Bene placitum and the effects of it are the signa subsequentia and prophesie a prognostick of the effect so Gods will de Debito is his Beneplacitum signified by his Law and Judgement 330. Though the word Law be usually taken more narrowly for only Statute eminent Laws yet I here take it generalâ—y And it is The Governing Will of a Rector signified constituting or confirming Right or Dueness from and to the Subject or A Rectors constitutive Determination of Right or The sign of a Rectors Will constituting Right 331. God being most Great and Wise and Good and mans Creator and thence our Abâ—olute supream Rector his Will must needs be the fountain of all Morality and Right 1. Sicut Divina volunt as in gâ—â—â—re causae eâ—â—iciâ—â—is est prima â—â—â—â— causa sic ipsâ— in geâ—ere â—egâ—â— obligantis est pâ—ima â—ex seu Regula 2. Sicut divina voluntas est efficiens causa quia vult aliquid esse vel â—â—â—â— sic ipsa est â—ex obligatoria quia vult aliquid ad aliqualiter esse vel non esse tereri 3. Sicut divina Voluntas est â—ex perfectissima rationalis creaturae sic Lex Christi vel docâ—rina est signum perfectissimum voluâ—â—â—tis divinae Pet. Allâ—â— Camer in 1. seâ— â—â—â—â— 1. â—â—â—â— Dei signi non semper impletur 2. Voluntas â—enâ—placiti antecedeâ—s non seâ— per impletur 3. Voluntâ—s beneplaciti constqueâ—s semper impletur Prohibitiâ—â—et non signat Deum Nolie efficaciter illud fieri quod prohibet fieri Idem 1. q. 44. F. De praecepto prohibitione sâ—tâ—â— patet quod quilibet tenâ—tur se conformare universaliter tali Voluntati Dâ—â—â—â—ri obligationem non est proprie lâ—quendo effectus oâ—ligationis â—â—â—â— sed teâ—â—ri ad implendum est â—jus eâ—â—â—â—tus Idem ib. â— H. 332. It is not the Will in it self that is a Law nor doth any Immanent act oblige us or constitute Duty But it is Gods Will as signified And therefore Lex aeterna is an improper speech 333. Tilenus and others who think it fitter only to distinguish Quid Deus ipse vult facere and Quid à nobis vult fieri do but hide and not open the truth For the terms seem to express the Event in both and distinguish not of Event and Duty Whereas if God Willed the Event of what he commandeth us as he doth of what he effecteth it would be done And he doth also by his Absolute Decree Will many things to be done by us which his Law commandeth not Such as are many meer Natural actions quas à nobis vult fieri 334. Morality being but Modality and Relation of Natural Entities the Acts or Habits themselves commanded and forbidden are quid Naturale in themselves considered and so far are under Gods will de naturalibus But it is only the Debitum or Jus that is constituted by his Legislative will 335. Though Gods will de Naturalibus must operate by real efficient efflux yet his will de Debito effecteth by meer signification or notification to the subject 336. Legem facere vel signum dare is an act of Gods will de quodam naturali vel eventu For the signum is aliquid naturale But per signum facere Jus is that which is proper to the Governing or Legal Will 337. If we will denominate Gods will here ab origine It is 1. Antecedent to the Creature supposed And that is his Creating will 2. Supposing the Creature in Being and that is 1. His will as Proprietary and Actor of all things And that is his Moving and Disposing will of Events 2. His will as Governour Morally And that is his Morally Ruling will 3. His will ut Amator Finis And that is his Beneficent and felicitating will And among these it is his Regent will which I am treating of And though his Law as making Jus be the first and chief part yet his Judgement as it decideth and his Execution as it giveth
willing â—is at all And we have hitherto thought that Gods holy Wisdom and will is the Cause of his holy Law and much more against sin than mans is And that God willeth not and causeth not the sin of man And is it now come to â—his that sin is contrary indeed to our right reason but not to Gods because â—e is no subject You may next say that Holiness is meet for man but not â—or God 618. Pag. 197. Again he is at it Bonum esse ut sint mala Quia bonum est ut Deus finem sibi praefixum assequatur At hoc sine interventâ— mali peccati nullo modo potest Repl. 1. It is not per peccatum ut medium though not sine peccatâ— 2. Interventus therefore implyeth a falshood For in esse cognito sin is antecedent or presupposed to the way of glorifying Justice and Mercy upon sinners sinners are the object And consequently you must take it as before proved for antecedent to the Volition or simultaneous 619. He urgeth Oportet haereses esse ut qui probati sunt manifesti fiant Answ That neither meaneth that men ought to be Hereticks nor yet that God loveth willeth or approveth that there be heresies But only 1. God decreeth to manifest the difference between the sound Christians and the rest 2. And he foreseeth that there will be heresies 3. Therefore he decreeth to try them by the occasion of those heresies which he foreseeth and hateth The same is the case of all tryal by persecutions And God willeth not the sin of active perâ—ecution but only the effect or passive part So that the oportet by your own confession of it signifieth no more than a Logical necessitas consequentiae which â—ore-knowledge without Volition will inferr 620. He addeth Obj. It sufficeth that God permit sin and not will it Resp But either the existency of sin infallibly followeth the Permission of it or not If not Gods Intention may be frustrate If yea What matter is it whether God will that sin shall be he permitting or sâ— permit it as that infallibly it will be so we obtain either of these it 's all one to our cause of predestination Repl. 1. If it be all one take up with that agreement and make â—â— further difference with them that grant you enough 2. In case of veâ—â—ment Inclination to a sin it would follow upon Gods total permission but God never totally permitteth sin But in other cases it will not follow that is It is not a good consequence that This or that sin will be done because God doth no more to hinder it than that which sometime hindereth it not And yet Gods Intention is not frustrate For â—â— will infallibly come to pass from its proper cause which God foreknoweth And the consequence is good from his fore-knowledge And is not that all one as to the certainty of Gods intentions 3. You phrase it as if sin followed Gods permission as a deficient cause or as that which cannot be otherwise unless God do more to hinder it and so weâ—â— necessary thence necessitate consequentis or as others call it necessitate â—â—tecedente which is false and oft denyed by your self 4. The very truth is Permission is a word of so great ambiguity and laxity as relating to so many sorts of Impedition that it is but delusory withâ—â— much distinguishing to say sin will or will not follow it If you restraâ— it to a non efficaciter impedire as is usual it taketh not away the ambâ—guity much For still the question is What must make it effectual unless you call any impedition effectual meerly ab eventu whatsoever it be â—â— it self 621. He saith that the Universe would not be perfect if there werâ— perfect holiness and no sin and so no pardon or punishment But â—â— giveth us no proof but confident assertion at all I need not say thâ— It would be more perfect if there were no sin It sufficeth me to say thaâ— It would be as perfect And so that it is not Necessary to the World perfection that there be sin or Hell God could have freely willed the contrary And Gods Goodness could have been as fully manifested if iâ— had so pleased him and his Holiness too without sin or Hell It 's unpleasing to me that this good man pleadeth so hard against a necessity of Christs satisfaction for sin in another digression and yet pleadeth as hard for a necessity of sin As if it were more necessary to Gods Glory than Christ 622. It is very observable in all this controversie that he asserteth pag. 198. That it 's past all controversie that neither God nor the most sinful creature do will any thing but as Good And that no man can be instigated to malice or evil but only to the Act which is evil because he that is instigated is instigated to do something But to the evil of an act no efficiency is necessary but deficience only How far this is true or false I have opened before I here only note that he confesseth that he that causeth the Act of sin which he saith God doth more than man causeth all that is causable 623. Yet p. 199. he saith Sin is of man only as the cause when he professeth that man doth nothing but what God doth to cause it yea as the first total cause and that as to Deficiency man can do no more than he doth without predetermination which if God withhold man can no more help it than make a World So that all the mysterie of his language is this that because man is under a Law and God is not therefore man doing the same act as moved by God must be called the only cause of sin because it is no sin in God But if we spake as plain men ought to do should it not rather be thus exprest by you God is the chief cause of sin in man but not in himself 624. Pag. 200 201. he hath the same over and over again that Non abhorret à recta ratione Dei velle peccatum fieri ab hominibus Quod ex se habet quod conducibile est ad â—onum tanquam Materia scilicet non tantum idonea sed necessaria exercendae divinae justitiae misericordiae and that this manifestation conjunct with sin is Deo multò appetibilius than that Good which sin depriveth us of that is Holiness Because this Holiness is only the Creatures Good and the other is the Creators Good Answ But as the assertion is all false so the reason is vain For if he distinguish the Creator and Creature as subjects he is quite mistaken For both is the Creatures good and neither the Creators For to manifest Justice and Mercy is not Gods Essence as in it self but his Work of Punishment and Mercy And the glory of this is but the resplendent excellency of it as it is the appearance or Image of God And all this is in the Creatures
or cease it by his own will Sent. 13. He that saith that some men are not made by God to this end that they might obtain eternal life but that they might be the ornaments of their times and for the good of others would speak better if he said that God who is the Creator of all men maketh not them in vain who he foreseeth will not be partakers of life eternal Because even in bad men nature is Gods good work and Justice in their damnation is laudable But he cannot well be blamed that saith that even by the condition of such the World is adorned * * * But not by their sin i◠self and that those that hurt themselves by their own iniquity are born for the good of others For the multitude of the ungodly though innumerable is not disgraceful or a deformity to the World or unprofitable to the Kingdom of God seeing that by their propagation cometh the generation that is to be regenerate and by tolerating and loving them Gods people become the more illustrious Sent. 14. He that saith that they that believe not the preaching of the Gospel are unbelievers by Gods predestination and that God so decreed that they that believe not be unbelievers by his appointment or decree is not a Catholick For as Faith which worketh by Love is Gods gift so unbelief is none of Gods constitution Because God knoweth how to ordain Punishment for sin but not sin it self And it followeth not that what he remitteth not he committeth The predestinate therefore liveth by the faith which is given him The non-predestinate perish by Voluntary and not constrained infidelity Sent. 15. He that saith that Foreknowledge is the same with predestination doubtless in our good works conjoyneth or mixeth those two For what we have of Gods gift and is said to be foreknown must needs be predestinate And what is said to be predestinate must needs be foreknown But in our evil works only the foreknowledge of God must be understood Because as he foreknew and predestinated the things which he doth himself and giveth us to do so he FOREKNEW ONLY and DID NOT PREDESTINATE the things which he neither doth himself nor requireth us to do SECT XXI Prosper 's answers ad Object Vincent 662. I Will crave the Readers patience while I add the summ of hi◠Answers also to some of the Objections of Vincentius Obj. 1. That Christ died not for all Resp His death is a remedy in it self sufficient to profit all but if it be not taken it will not heal Obj. 2. That God would not have all saved though they would Resp We must sincerely believe and profess that God would have all saved That many perish is by the merit of them that perish That many are saved is the gift of him that saved them For that the guilty are damned is Gods inculpable justice that the guilty are justified is Gods unspeakable grace Obj. 3. That God made most of mankind that they might perish for ever Resp God is the Creator of all men but No man is made by him that he might perish For the cause of being born is one and the cause of perishing is another That men are born is Gods gift that they perish is the sinners desert He maketh men that they may be men Obj. 4. That the most of men are made of God not to do Gods will but the Devils Resp It is madness and against reason to say that it is by Gods will that Gods will is not done and that the damner of the Devil and his servants would have the Devil served Obj. 5. That God is the author of our sin in that he maketh mens wills evil and maketh a substance which by natural motion cannot but sin Resp This objection they make because we hold original sin and misery But we hold that whatever is of Nature is of God and none of that which is contrary to Nature But sin is contrary to nature from whence cometh death and all that is of death God is the author of no mans sin but the Creator of his Nature which voluntarily sinned when it had Power not to sin and by his own will man subjected himself to the deceiver And it is not by Natural but by Captive Motion that he liveth in sin till he die to sin and live to God which without grace he cannot do Obj. 6. That God maketh in men such a will as is in Devils that of its own motion can and will do nothing but evil Resp The whole world lyeth in wickedness But even very bad men may be reconciled and Devils cannot And God put not evil affections in men Obj. 7. That it is Gods will that a great part of Christians neither will nor can be saved Resp If you speak of them who forsaking the Godliness of a Christian conversation and faith do irrevocably pass over into prophane errours and damnable manners it 's doubtless that having such a will they will not be saved and as long as they will not be saved they cannot be saved But it is by no means to be believed that such men fell into this desperate case by the will of God when rather God lifteth up all that fall For no man is raised or established but by his Grace It is therefore Gods will that they continue in a good will And he forsaketh no man before that man forsake him and converteth many that do forsake him Obj. 8. That God will not have all Catholicks to persevere in the Catholick faith but will have a great part of them to apostatize from it Resp The same answer serveth to this blasphemy as to the former Obj. 9. That God would have a great part of the Saints to fall from the purpose of holiness * * * The Reader must note that their common opinion then was that some true Saints do fall away and perish Resp This madness also needeth no other answer Obj. 10. That Adulteries and corrupting consecrate Virgins do come to pass because God predestinated them to fall Resp It is a detestable and abominable opinion which believeth God to be the author of any mans evil will or evil action whose predestination or decree is never without Goodness and Justice †††That is of nothing but good and just For all the wayes of God are mercy and truth Adulteries and Corruptions of Virgins God knoweth not how to institute but to damn not to dispose * * * That is ut sint but to punish Which evils when men commit they serve their own lusts Gods predestination neither exciteth perswadeth or impelleth the fall malignity or lusts of sinners but plainly predestinateth his own Judgement by which he will reward every one according to what he hath done whether good or evil which Judgement would never be if men sinned by the will of God But be it will And every man whom the discerning of Gods knowledge shall set
ipsius Voluntatis rectitudinem Sic dicit Scotus quod licet non videatur aliqua ratio praedestinationis à parte praedestinati aliquo modo prior praedestinatione Reprobationis tamen est aliqua ratio propter quam scilicet ista actio terminatur ad hoc objectum non ad illud Cum Reprobare sit Velle Damnare Reprobatio habet ex parte objecti rationem scilicet peccatum finale praevisum Non videtur autem dicendum conformiter de Praedestinatione Reprobatione Quia Bona Deo principaliter attribuuntur Mala autem nobis Quia tamen Apostolus videtur totum hoâ— imperscrutabile relinquere Rom. 9. O altitudo c. ideo dicit Scotus quod eligatur opinio quae magis placet Dum tamen servetur Libertas Divina absque injustitia Hoc autem debet fieri absque assertione pertinaci Rationes namque particulares propter quas ex parte diversorum Divina inferuntur judicia sunt imperscrutabiles But note that as to the first part of Reprobation non velle dare gratiam Scotus Mayro c. hold it to be nothing or no act at all 702. And what D'Orbellis next addeth of Bonaventure setteth us at no further odds Bonav dicit quod licet non sit aliqua ratio Causalis seu meritoria praedestinationis à parte praedestinati quia siquis posset de condigno mereri primam gratiam tunc Gratia non esset Gratia Potest tamen esse aliqua ratio congruitatis condeoentiae praedestinationis Non quantum ad significatum quod est Volitio Divina sed quantum ad Connotatum quod est Gratia Gloria Potest enim dici quod Deus praedestinat istum proper praevisionem bonorum operum ut aliquo modo sunt à libero arbitrio Licet enim Gratificatio vel Justificatio sit principaliter à Divina Voluntate hoc tamen est cum cooperatione praeparatione liberi arbitrii quia ut Aug. Qui fecit te sine te non justificabit te sine te Unde cum peccator facit quod in se est meretur de congruo justificari seu secundum quid ex condecentia Divinae liberalitatis But the true meaning of this is no more than Protestants commonly hold that God giveth special Grace usually to such only as are prepared for it by more common Grace and so this preparation is quid praevisum in Gods decree but no Cause of his Act of Volition or decree 703. And in the next words he granteth that even this Preparation to special grace is not alwayes necessary Deus tamen sine aliqua praeparatione cooperatione aliquos justificat ut patet de sanctificatis in utero de parvulis post baptismum ad coelum evolantibus aliis sine baptismo decedentibus c. 704. And though they oft say that God would have all men saved quantum in se they mean not that God doth all to it that he can but that he maketh all capable of salvation and so far helpeth them that the failing shall not be on his part For so Bonavent ubi supra in 1. d. 47. a. 1. q. 1. explaineth it plainly adding that here Gods will connoteth not salvation it self but only the said Capacity and helps 705. Obj. But many say that Predestination doth not necessitate the eveâ— Answ Twisse told you before that we are agreed all in this It inferreth a Logical Necessity Consequentiae though not a physical Consequentis As Bonavent 1. d. 40. q. 2. Ex parte rei evenientis nullam ex parte Deâ— praescientis aliquam scilicet immutabilitatis certitudinem Yea as to grace and salvation it is certainly Causal as they confess 706. Obj. Many say that a predestinate person may be damned Answ Even as D'Orbellis in 1. d. 40. a. 2. Ista propositio Pradestinatus potest damnari est falsa in sensu composito vera in sensu divise Vide explicat It is unchristian and unmanly to revile men that say the same that we do meerly through distaste or because we will not be at the labour to understand them 707. Obj. We cannot be reconciled to them that give so much to mans free-will Ans How much do you mean It 's a dreadful thing to hear some good men ignorantly blaspheme God as the chief cause of every villany in the World meerly â—poh a factious prejudice and partial opposition to other men whom they never understood Would it please you to hear that God draggeth men into sin as by the hair of the heaâ— when the Devil himself can but allure them I know it would not Dâ— but make it plain as a granted thing that God doth not Will or Love sin and do more to Cause it than the Devil or the wickedest sinner himself doth and you can scarce tell how to differ from the greater part of the Schoolmen themselves or sober moderate Lutherans that are thought to be dissenters Let it be the Devils work and no good Christians to paint God in the shape of the Father of lies and all iniquity Our God is Holy and Holiness becometh all that draw near him and is the mark of all that shall see his face Dear Brethren let not us that daily and justly condemn our selves for sin and take such odious titles to our selves make our selves yet Holier than God and make God a far greater Lover and Causeâ— of sin than we are I will add one description of Free-will out of the last named Schoolman D'Orbellis a Scotist in 2. sent d. 25. dub 2. And tell me what the most rigid opposer of Free-will can desire more Q. Whether Free-will be equally in all that have it Ans Free-will may be compared 1. To that which it is free from 2. And to that which it is free to 1. In the first sense there is a threefold Liberty 1. From constraint 2. From sin 3. From misery Liberty from sin is not equally in good and bad nor in man on earth and in Heaven As Aug. Enchir. That 's the freest will that cannot at all serve sin And Liberty from misery is not equally in all But Liberty from constraint is equally in all because the will cannot be forced Though in God and the blessed there be a Necessity of Immutability yet not of Co-action And necessity of Immutability repugneth not Liberty For the will is called Free simply not because it so willeth this as that it can will the contrary but because that whatever it willeth it desireth it by its own Empire Because it so willeth any thing that it willeth to will it And therefore in the act of willing it moveth it self and useth dominion on it self And so far it is called Free though it be immutably ordained to it * * * But it were not so if it were immutably ordained and moved to sin 2. But if free-will be compared to that to which it is free viz. To do right for as Anselm saith It is a faculty or
optimum omnium qui uâ—quam extiterunt Estque hoc ipsâ—us peculiaâ—e eâ—coâ—â—â— quod ita prâ—dicetur citra exceptionem â—llam praedicatur Mer. Causabon Praef. in Vers Angl. ut citat per Gataker what is said But the question whether any or how many are actuaâ—â—y saved doth depend on the resolution of the question whether any of them are truly sanctified that is do truly love God and Holiness abâ—â—â— the Pleasures Profits and Honours of this world For nothing is moâ—â— certain in Gods Word than that all that do so shall be saved For a â—â—â— to live in Hell with the predominant love of God is as great a contradiction as for a man to be sick in health and both in the greater degree God cannot damn or forsake a Soul that loveth him and is holy in sensu composito 88. And whether any or how many without the Christian Church do truly love God is a question which dependeth as to probability upon the foresaid grounds but as to the certainty of the fact upon that heart-knowledge of other men which belongeth to God only 1. How can I that live in an obscure corner of England know whether any love God in Siam China Japon or Persia or at the Antipodes 2. If I were with them all and acquainted with every person in the world I could have but a probability of the affirmative of any one because I am not acquainted with the heart But when the Scripture assureth us that it is the Law of Grace and not only that of Innocency which all the world is governed by and shall be judged by and so that their Sanctification and Salvation is possible there is so great a probability that this Covenant and the mercies of it are not in vain to all of them that are under it alone and that the thing that is possible to so many millions doth come to pass with some that an impartial considerer of Gods Nature and Government may easily see what to think most probable 89. Those therefore that teach the Church that it is a certain truth that no one in the world Infant or Aged is saved from Hell fire but Christians only and that this is not only certain to such great understandings as their own but must be so to all true Christians do but discover that they over-value their own understandings and that siding hath contracted their thoughts and charity into a sinful narrowness and that the Opinions of men counted Orthodox prevaileth more with them than the evidence of truth and I think that they are to be numbred with those that by over-doing do dangerously undermine the Christian Faith 90. The Texts urged by them for this pretended certainty are all abused some of these ways 1. Either some one difficult Text is expounded contrary to the current of the whole Scripture 2. Or the words that are spoken only of privative Unbelievers who hear the Gospel are expounded of negative not-Believers who never heard it nor could do 3. Or that which is said against Unbelievers in general is exâ—pounded as against the non-Believers of the Articles of the Christian Faith which are superadded since Christ's Incarnation in special As if all the Apostles before they believed Christ's Sacrifice Resurrection Ascension c. were Infidels in a state of damnation 4. Or else they suppose without proof that the Spirit and Grace of Christ can extend it self to none that know him not as incarnate crucified risen glorified c. and so that the Apostles had no Grace till the Resurrection Some such fallacy is in all these particular textual arguments easily discernable 91. Were it not evident in Scripture that the world is under the Law of Grace as the norma officii judicii as it is yet could no man truly say that he is certain that no one of them should be saved For if they were all under the Law of Innocency yet there is this great difference between it and the Law of Grace that whereas the sentence of the latter is peremptory excluding all hope of Dispensation and Pardon to the final Rejecters of its Grace for ever yet the former was a Law whose penalty was remissible and it did not pass a peremptory sentence of dispair Though it gave no hope of Pardon yet it took not away the hopes of it that is It had a threatening-dispensable as Dr. Twisse and many other say Without a Saviour had God so pleased And as others say Through the virtue of Christ's Sacrifice even to them that know him not For the commination of that Law which threatened not the death of a Surety but of the Sinner was actually dispensed with in our Justification And what God can do they ought not to say that they are certain that he never will do it unless he had first said so himself 92. If in all Humane Judgments Nature dictateth that in doubtful cases the Judge should rather propend to the better interpretation and favourable Judgment why should it not be so in our judgment of God and man The Nature of God is infinitely good He hath proclaimed his Name as aforesaid even in the terrours of Mount Sinai to be a God gracious merciful long-suffering pardoning c. He hath protested or sworn that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked â—â—â—â— rather that he repent and live and so that he first seeketh the Glory of his Mercy and exerciseth justice in mans destruction but as his second work He that saved no man but Christ himself glorified upon the terms of Innocency but all by Grace and never else took one Soul to Heaven who had not first deserved Hell doth surely first seek the Glory of his Grace And we know that 1. All Judea was a small Country like England An inconsiderable point or spot of the Earth as to its magnitude 2. That most of the worlds duration in likelihood was over as Bishop Usher reckons 4000 years before Christ's death and the second Edition of the Covenant So that if none but Jews were ☞ saved all that while the number was comparatively next to none 3. That no man that I know of hath presumed to say that before Moses time none but the Seed of Abraham were saved 4. That the Covenant made by Moses at Mount Sinai and the inclosure of the Jews was no casting off the rest of the world into a worse condition than they were before 5. That none yet have presumed to say they are certain that all the Seed of Keturah of Ishmael of Esau were damned much less that Sem and all his Subjects Japheth and all his Subjects and Posterity till then or that Job and his Friends and Melchizedec and all his Subjects were certainly damned 6. That the Jews themselves were for the most part so wicked that seeing few even of that little Country were saved if you are sure that no others were saved they were but a few in the world indeed 7. That the Apostles
it he could never have the thing promised for that were to have God and not to have him nor yet his necessary disposition for fruition for without holiness he is not a capable disposed recipient of Salvation The rest of his arguments run all upon this error as iâ— love and holiness were only the means and not the end and Salvation given SECT XVI Of assurance of Pardon Justification and Salvation And whether it be Faith 224. The Faith by which we are justified is not a believing that â—â—â—â— justified but a believing that we may be justified Not a believing tâ—â— Christ is ours more than other mens or that we shall be saved but â— believing in Christ that he may be ours and we may be saved by him 225. There is assurance in this Faith not assurance that we are sâ—cere or shall be saved But assurance that Gods Promises and all â—â— Words are true and that he will perform them and that Christ â—â— the Saviour of the world and that the love of God is our End â—â—â—â— Happiness and that all this is offered to us in Christ even Pardon â—â—â— Life as well as others which offer Faith accepteth truly But the Believer is oft uncertain of the sincerity of his own belief and so of â—â— Salvation 226. How much certainty we have of Divine Revelation and Scripture verity I have so fully opened in many Tractates and lastly in oâ—â— I know that the learned Conciliator Guiliel Forbes doth confidently charge them as guilty of confusion who place Faith in more faculties than one and that call it Fiducia But I doubt not but the error is his own which tendeth to confusion by not distinguishing a meer physical act from a moral or political which is made up of many physical acts And if he or Bishop Gror. Downame Camero or any that go that way had been put to tell what one physical act they will confine Christian justifying Faith to they would have â—ound themselves in confusion To say It is assent denieth not but that it must be an assent to many verities And this assent signifieth at once a belief that God is true and that this is his word and that this word is true He that saith It is a belief of the assertion for the oredibility of the Asâ—ertor can scarce prove that he nameth but one Act And I know no such assent which â—â—â—â— bit essentially contain a trusting to the word of the Assertor or Testifier called Fiducâ—a Can you believe a â—aâ—â— â—oâ—â—â—â— be true because he is credible and not trust his credibility so far as believing him importeth It is a contradiction Fâ—â—â— eredentis is nothing but a trusting to the Fides dicentis and they are Relatives as Act and Object Though I grant that â—â—â—â— is also a quietting applicatory Trust or Fiducia which is but the exercise of Faith as supposing me to see my 〈…〉 Promise which cometh after our first believing in which we see but our receptive capacity that the Promise 〈…〉 with the rest of Mankind and the thing promised is offered to me called The certainty of Christianity without Popery that I will not here repeat it further than to say that it is not a perfect apprehension which we call our certainty nor yet an uneffectual doubtful one But such â—â—â— as will carry a man on confidence of Gods Word to a holy life and â—â— the forsaking of all other hopes even life it self for the hopes which â—â— given us by Christ which yet may have several degrees in several persons But objective certainty which is the evidence of verity is mâ—â—â— full than our subjective certainty for want of our due receptivity â—â— us and is still the same in it self though not equally brought or reveaâ—â— to all 227. Even doubting of the truth of the Scripture and Christianity may stand with saving Faith and Salvation when it is not predominant nor so great as to keep us from the said forsaking all for Christ and Heaven 228. Doubting of mans own Salvation is not always from weakness of Faith directly much less is it the want of Faith it self â—oâ— sometime a man may doubt meerly as doubting of the sincerity of â—â— own Faith and not at all doubting of the truth of the Word of God But when it is the doubting whether the promises be sure which makeâ— a man doubt whether he shall be saved this doubting is the debility â—â— Faith 229. The same may be said of dispair That dispair is from the weakness or want of Faith which cometh from an unbelief of the truth of the Promise And that also is pernicious dispair which from what Cause soever is so great as to take men off the use of necessary means to attain Salvation But that dispair which cometh from overmuch self-condemning and a conceit that a mans heart is false and not that Gods Promise is false may stand with true Faith and Salvation if it be not so great as to take him off the use of necessary means 230. No man ordinarily can be assured of his Salvation or Justification without extraordinary Revelation but by being assured first of the â—ruth of Gods Promise and of his own sincerity in believing For his assurance is of the conclusion of this argument Whosoever sincerely believeth and repenteth is justified But I sincerely believe and repent â—herefore I am justified And the weakness of the apprehension of either of the premises is ever in the conclusion which always followeth partem debiliorem 231. There are therefore but two sorts of men who can believe that they are justified by a Faith properly called Divine that is which is a belief of Gods Word herein 1. Those that God revealeth it to by proâ—hetical or extraordinary Revelation if there be any such 2. Those who are more certain of their own sincere Faith than they are that Gods Word it self is true if any such there be in the world For with all others the certainty of the sincerity of their own Faith being weakest â—he conclusion followeth it 232. If any man can possibly doubt more of the truth of Gods Word â—han of the soundness of his own Faith though that mans Faith may be called Divine it is no honour to it because it hath so much doubting of Gods Word mixed with belief And it 's like his greater assurance of his belief of it is but his error or infirmity 233. Ordinarily therefore no Christians can believe fide Divina that they are justified and shall be saved that is this is no Word of God but a conclusion of which one of the premises only and that the stronger is Gods Word 234. To say that he that believeth shall be saved is equivalent to this I shall be saved is not true nor reasonable seeing I believe is not Gods Word nor so certain as Gods Word And one of the premises is not equal to both 245. When they say That it 's all one when I am sure that
to be damned to Hell but to be glorified in Heaven or to be sentenced to endless life and acquit from this Accusation that we are damnandi or to be punished in Hell And in order to this to be sentenced such as have the true causes and conditions of Right to Impunity and Life which are 1. Immediately the gift of this Right by God himself in his Covenant with Christ the Fountain of it 2. A true Right and Relation to Christ as our Head and Saviour and the only Meriter of this Covenant-Gift and Justification and Adoption by his habitual active and passive Righteousness and Sacrifice advanced in dignity by Union with his Divine perfection 3. True Faith and Repentance with Love Obedience and Perseverance as the title-conditions required by the donative and condonative Covenant 358. As I have before said that a man must be justified at that Day from the charge of Infidelity by his Faith it self and not by Christ's Merits and from the charge of Impenitence by his Repentance it self So I add that he must be justified from the charge of Hypocrisie by his sincerity and from the charge of Rebellion by his subjection and from the charge of wickedness by final godliness and obedience and from the charge of Apostacy by perseverance But from the charge of his wickedness before Conversion and his pardoned sins and weakness since only by Christ's Sacrifice and meritorious Righteousness and the Pardon purchased thereby and given in the New Covenant And from the accusation that we are Sinners in general we have no Justification at all 359. Judgment is the Genus and Justification and Condemnation are the Species Therefore to be judged according to our Works is to be justified or condemned according to our Works 360. As I said that it is God's Justice and Mercy and Christ's Redemption of us which are chiefly to be glorified at that Day but it is our personal Gospel-Righteousness or performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant which is then to be tried and we and not Christ that are to be judged So I add that the New Testament referring to this fore-seen doth usually speak accordingly of justifying us by Faith by our words or by our works that he that doth righteousness is righteous c. And it speaketh of that same Righteousness as constituting us just first by which we must be judged just at last 361. It is very easie therefore where prejudice blindeth not men to see the concord of Christ's saying We are justified by our words and Paul's by Faith and not by Works and James by Works and not by Faith only Christ speaketh of a particular Justification from a common great Crime a wicked Tongue as the sign or product of a wicked Heart And this must be part of the personal material Righteousness by which we must be justified as true Christians * * * Tolet in Rom. 3. Annot 17. Estius in Rom. 3. 28. Vega de justiâ— qu 3. p. 899. say of Justification by Faith as the Protestants do Vid. Stapleton de Justifi li. 8. c. ult Bellarm. de Justif l. 2. c. 7 10 11. Suarez de Grat. l. 7. c. 7. n. 29. Topper art 8. de Justif p. 25 26 27. Vasqu in 1. 2. disput 202. c. 6. n. 45. Coster Enchir. p. 292. Paul speaketh of our being justified by being Christians and not by keeping Mose's Law or doing any Works which will be to us instead of a Christ or a free-given Pardon and Righteousness by him And James speaketh of the full condition of Justification as continued final and compleat as it consisteth of its essential parts 362. The Key of Understanding Paul's Discourses of Justification is to know 1. That the grand question which he first manageth is Whether the Gentiles may not be saved without keeping the Jewish Law as well as the Jews with it 2. To prove the Affirmative he proveth that the Jews themselves cannot be saved or justified meerly or primarily by the Law notwithstanding the divinity and great excellency of it but must be justified by a Saviour and free-given Pardon and Right to Life and to which the sincere keeping of Mose's Law was intended to be but subservient 3. That therefore it appeareth that the Jews did so fondly admire the Law and their national priviledges under it that they thought that the exact keeping of it was necessary and sufficient to Justification and Salvation And they thought the Messiah was not to be their Righteousness as a Sacrifice for Sin and Meriter of free Pardon and the Gift of Life but only a great King and Deliverer to redeem them by Power from all their Enemies and Bondage 4. That it was not Adam's Covenant of Innocency or Perfection which the Jews thus trusted to or Paul doth speak against as to Justification though a minore ad majus that also is excluded For the Jews knew that they were Sinners and that God pardoned Sin as a merciful God and that their Petavius de Leg Grat. li. 1. c. 7. Well openeth the various senses in which the Law doth or doth not promise life eternal And through his two Books is much worth the reading of the difference of the Law and Gospel See Mr. Allen's Treat of the Two Covenants with my Preface And Mr. Truman's Great Propitiat with the Append. Law had Sacrifices for Pardon and Expiation with Confessions c. But they thought that so far as God had made that Law sufficient to political ends and to temporal Rewards and Punishments it had been sufficient to eternal Rewards and Punishments and that of it self and not in meer subordination to the typified Messiah Therefore they thought that he that kept the Law so far as to comit no sin which the Law punished with death or abscission and that for all his other pardonable sins performed the required Penances and Sacrifices was by this which is called The Works of the Law that is the keeping of the Law a righteous justifiable person 5. That the thing therefore which Paul disproveth them by is 1. That the Law was never made for such an end 2. That even then it stood in subordination to Redemption and free-given life 3. That the free Gift or Covenant of Grace containing the Promise of the Messiah and Pardon and Life by him was before the Law and justified Abraham and others even without it 4. That their Law was so strict that no man could perfectly keep it all 5. That every Sin deserveth death indeed though their Law punished not every sin with death by the Magistrate 6. That their Law was never Obligatory to the Gentile world who had a Law written in their Hearts and therefore not the common way of Justification * * * Jansenius Aug. To. 2. c. 4. asserteth That the chief difference between the old Law and the new is that the old was written in Stone and Tables and the new only in memory and
to the work of Redemption his notions are too floridly or ambiguously delivered for me to undertake with confidence to unriddle But this seemeth the summ 1. That God is the fountain of Being by Emanation as the Sun of light And that his eternal Wisdom is Jesus Christ in the first instant or nature 2. That the first â—reature that he made or emaneth from him is a perfect universal mind the platform of all the rest of the Creation such as the old Philosophers called the soul of the world or an universal Intelligence And that this is Jesus Christ in his second nature and notion which Arius knew but did ill deny his divine nature 3. That this Universal Spirit or Mind maketh all the world besides and is in them all And so the whole Creation else was Christs first shadowy Image or body 4. That the Angels are the noblest parts of this and that the Deity first and Christs superangelical nature next is one in them all and they one with him as the beams with the Sun and as the lower part of the Sun-beams with the parts next the Sun 5. That the soul of man is the next part of Christs shadowy Image into which he descended 6. And so into all Bodies 7. And as into a special Branch into that Body born of the Virgin Mary 8. And in that and in other Bodies he dyeth and descendeth to his lowest state and 9. Then as the Sun doth rise again and bring all back to the state of pure spirituality in his superangelical nature whence all sprang And this is their Redemption which is most floridly set forth § 13. This doctrine seemeth to reconcile Philosophy or Gentilism and Christianity For what is it almost but names that are left in difference That which a Philosopher will call an universal Intelligence or soul of the world he calleth Christ And if such a soul there be no one will deny but that it floweth into all particular souls and bodies and is united to them or is to individuals as the soul in the head to the soul in the hand and foot § 14. And if I did believe that sin death hell and holiness life Glory are in the world but as Winter and Summer Night and Day and as Origen that the wicked are but in a state of Revolution and shall come about again into a state of hope or as he here seemeth that their sin and misery is but like the dying of a flower in the fall that shall in the Spring again be as before or rather another in its stead and that it is but the retiring of Christ from the Creature as the spirit of the Tree in Autumn from the Leaves I should then be ready to receive his Necessitating Predetermination to sin and fit all the rest of my opinions hereunto § 15. There is among many others one Joh. Jessenius à Jessen Doctor Eques Hungarus who in a Tract de Anima Corpore Universi hath written much to the like purpose save as being a Peripatetick he differeth from the Platonists viz. The world is one Animal and hath one soul and body which all Creatures are parts of That Stars are Intellectuals or Angels and all intuitively know each others minds loving the good and hating the evil here and are our chief friends and Keepers That Death befalleth only us lower Creatures Mors continua singulis nulli tamen aeterna Nam post longissimum temporis excursum quem Plato triginta insuper aliquot annorum millibus determinare ausus est removebitur factâ iterum aliquâ secundùm naturam solutione redintegratione And the Intellectus Agens he describeth as Mr. Sterry doth Christ in his second or middle nature pag. 165. Intellectum agentem substantia primae atque Dei fulgorem esse Non accidens sed substantiam Intelligeâ—tem quaeprimò propriéque Intellectus dicitur agens Primae substantiae adhaerens ab ea excurrens indivisus indivisibilis non aliter ac Lumen à Lucido emanat and so in many other particulars § 16. To all this my short time will allow me to give you but these short observations following 1. The doctrine of Redemption is so much of meer supernatural Revelation as that we must not easily receive that concerning it which is not in the Scriptures And where Christs person hath such a description in Scripture as he giveth I am not satisfied e. g. in pag. 232. where he thus saith The Word made flesh is the whole Tree of Being Uncreated and Created the Root the Body with all the Branches putting forth themselves into one little top branch now withering that through its death they may renew all to a fresh and flourishing spring I am loth to say that the Universe is Christ that his Divinity is the soul and the world his body and every Man and Beast and substance part of it and that he dyeth in all that dye and that his body born of the Virgin Mary was but one top branch of the Tree which Christ thus animateth and so that all other bodies are as truly personally united to the Word as that § 17. I will not deny that the Opinion of a Threefold nature in Christ looketh very plausibly viz. that the Divine eternal word the first nature produced and united it self to the prime created superangelical Mind the second nature and that this second nature in the fulness of time produced and united it self to the humane third nature 1. There are many texts which seem to countenance it 2. It seemeth to give Christ the greatest honour as being the most excellent of all Gods Creatures which is not so easily believed of him as Man 3. It seemeth to expound those texts of the Old Testament which mention such appearances of God to Adam Abraham and others which many of the Ancients say was Christ And it seemeth to some more probable that some pre-existent created nature should assume a body than the Divine nature only and immediately 4. And it smileth on us as an opinion likely to reduce and reconcile the Arians once too great a part of the Christian World as called Christians as not only Philostorgius and Saudius shew but also Petavius de Trinit who holding the prime-created super-angelical nature and denying the Divine it 's like would the more easily be brought to acknowledge the Union of the Divine Nature with the super-angelical if the super-angelical it self were first granted them For they might the sooner be convinced that the eternal wisdom or word which made that first creature was intimately united to it I know some pious worthy persons who upon such reasons incline to this opinion of a threefold nature in Christ Though some of them think that this second nature was the humane soul assuming only a body and others that it assumed both soul and body I am not forward to take men for unsufferable Hereticks that differ from me or hold that which seemeth to me hard and
so doing it was not a Will but bruitish Appetite B. The Understanding said truly It is pleasant and Appetible and so the Will in its initial desire sinned not But that it looked no further and excited not the Intellect to remember and it self to desire more to please God was by an abuse of its power and liberty of self-determining and so the sensible good prevailed because the superior good was forgotten and neglected And the Will may thus suspend its act after an intellectual perception without being bruitish though it so â—ar disobey Reason its guide C. These things are exceeding intricate and difficult for all that you say B. They are so * The same I say of objective and intellectual necessitation of the Will saith H. Kipping truly Inst Philos Nat. li. 9. c. 10. pag. 416. Errant Scholae reformatâ— doctores qui asserunt voluntatem ad actum suum determinari a judicio intellectus ita ut voluntatic libertas nulla sit constricta vero sit ad intellectus ductum a quo semper determinatur Joh. Camero Mart. Schogkius Hornbeck Maccovius Heerbord Hos prolixe bene refellit Episcopius But forget not that the great difficulty is between us and the Hobbists or Infidels and Fatists and not between the true Christians among themselves as to our present Controversies I confess that the confuting of their Opinion that all Volitions are necessitated unavoidably by Gods Operation is a far harder work than the reconciling of the Lutherans and Calvinists who go upon no such Principles Tell me Is this it that you would come to or not If you once perswade me that God causeth all sinful Volitions as necessarily as he causeth a Tree to grow and that man can no more avoid them and that liberty of Will signifieth no more than velle or not nolens velle and so that God is the prime irresistible cause of all Sin as much as of all Good so far as it is capable of a Cause I must needs next believe 1. That God hateth not his own Work yea that he loveth it 2. That he hateth no man for it 3. That moral Good and Evil is nothing in man but such as obeying or disobeying proportionably in a Horse or Dog 4. Yea far less because man doth â—ut as my pen which writeth as I move it in respect to God But so is not my Horse or Dog to me 5. And how then to judge of all the Scripture the Ministry of the Incarnation and Death of Christ of the Duties of a Christian life of Hell c. it 's easie to perceive viz. That as God differenceth Men and Toads meerly because he will do so even so doth he the good and the bad in the World and that Sin is no evil any way but to our selves and that God is as much the cause of it as of Sickness and is as well pleased with the Worlds Infidelity and Impiety as with the Churches Sanctity And that he will no otherwise damn men for Sin than erbitarily to make such baser than others as Dogs are than men Benedictus Spinosa hath given you the Consectaries more at large O how heartlesly should I preach and pray how carelesly should I live if once you brought me to this Opinion that all sin is the unresistible Work of God so far as it is a work as much as holiness is C. If there be no middle between Free-will and this Impiety as I confess I cannot disprove your Consectaries it's time for us to turn our studies against the common Enemies of all Religion and Morality instead of contending with one another specially when they have so much to say B. And do you think they do well and friendly by the Church who take these mens part and own their Cause in the foundation and entangle poor Souls in such intricate difficulties when we that know not the least of Gods Creatures or the mysteries of any of his Works do little know all the quick and intricate actions of our own Souls In a word man hath more power to good than he useth and that power is called sufficient or necessary Grace to the act though there be many difficulties which no one of either side can resolve The second Crimination C. But I fear many of them with Pelagius by GRACE do mean nothing So Dr. Twisse frequently repeateth that meeâ— posse credere is but Nature and not Grace because it is equally a posse non credere But 1. A natural power reprieved by Grace and preserved and given for gracious ends 2. And many and great helps of Grace to excite and rectifie it may be called an effect of Grace but Nature it self at least when they speak of the Heathens who they say have some kind of Grace B. Turn your eyes a little from the name of Pelagius and every thing else that useth to blind Disputers with prejudice and partiality and then answer me these following questions Quest. 1. Do you think that Mercy contrary to sinful Commerit is not properly Grace C. I confess it is B. Quest. 2. Is not the whole frame of Humane Nature and our Utensils put into the hand and power of Christ the Redeemer to be managed by him to his Mediatory ends Joh. 17. 2. Math. 28. 19 20. Joh. 13. 3. Ephes 1. 22 23. Phil. 2. 7 8 9 10 11 12. For this end he died rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and Living Rom. 14. 9. Joh. 5. 22 23 24. The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son c. And is not the very reprieval of the World from deserved ruine and misery so many thousand years an Act of Grace and Nature now continued used and improved by Grace and so far may be said to be of Grace C. This is plain truth and must not be denied B. Quest 3. Is it not undeserved Mercy to all Mankind that ever since Adam's Sentence Gen. 3. 15. they are all ruled by a Law of Grace and not the Law of Innocency alone and by that Law of Grace must all be judged C. If you before evinced that any thing is truly mercy to the Reprobate I must confess it But I have not before so much thought of this what Law the World is under as the case deserveth But I remember Camero in the fragments of his dispute with Courcellaeus taken by Testardus though he deny not that the Covenant of Grace was made with all mankind in Adam and Noah yet saith That by or for their nearer Parents sins the Infants of Infidels are out of that Covenant B. 1. It 's well you note that it is not only Augustine Enchir. ad Laâ—rent and I that are for the Imputation of nearer Parents sin in some Vid. Pet. Martyr in Rom. 5. confessing Augustine's judgment sort as well as Adam's 2. He speaketh there of the Covenant as mutual and not as a Law or an offered Covenant or Divine
your mind A. That is because of some better Principles which they hold and because they see not the contradiction and inconsistence B. You come near to this truth Indeed there are Principles better than either of your controverted Opinions common to both sides which may afford us great Consolation and which sound Christians live upon And I doubt your Disputes on both sides do more disturb than comfort most But this must be granted that Opinions are not true because they are comfortable nor all false that have any thing in them apt to trouble men who have the sinful matter of trouble in themselves no more than Physick is naught that maketh men sick We must take our Comforts on Gods terms The truth is your Doctrine seemeth more comfortable in the respects which you have named as to the assurance of present Justification and theirs more comfortable in another respect viz. as to the continuance of it when they have it But if this Doctrine were to be chosen by the comfortableness yea and usefulness of it there is a middle way of some Schoolmen which would be preferred before both That is that neither any of the Elect nor any that have attained to confirmation â—r a fixed degree of Grace do ever fall away But that there are some not-Elect who are sincere and justified but weak and mutable as Adam in Innocency and not confirmed who fall away and perish And this Vossius thinketh was Augustine's Opinion And Grotius in his excellent Epistle against Molin lately translated into English by Mr. Barksdale affirmeth it to be the common judgment of the Fathers which will be no small advantage to it with me And 1. This avoideth the uncomfortable Doctrine which you charge on them For this holdeth that a weak Christian may have the comfort of present Justification that is not certain to persevere nor that he is any better than some that fall away 2. And it avoideth the uncomfortableness which they charge on you viz. that no man can be assured of his Perseverance and Salvation For these hold that all the consâ—med may be assured of it And that all weak Christians may possibly attain to confirmation 3. And it only leaveth weak unconfirmed Christianâ— uncertain of Salvation which both sides are agreed in For they confess that weak Christians are seldom if ever sure of their present sincerity and Justification And you hold that they are uncertain to persevere And so both of you hold them to be uncertain of Salvation But proceed The fourth Crimination A. They do reproach the Holiness of Gods people and his â—mage and encourage most horrid wickedness while they make all the sâ—â— that ever was committed by any man after his Regeneration to be consistent with Holiness and Justification not only Noah 's Drunkenness Lot 's being Drunk and Incestuous two nights together David's hâ—rrid Murder and Adultery Peter 's denying and forswearing his Lord but for instance Solomon they say was a Saint and justified when he gave up himself to all manner of pleasure and denied himself nothing and Paul saith The carnal mind is enmity to God and if ye live after the flesh ye shall die when he clave in love to many Idolatrous women having seven hundred Wives and three hundred Coâ—cubins and his Wives turned away his Heart after other gods and his Heart was not perfect with the Lord but he went after Ashtoreth the Goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the abomination of the Amorites and built an High Place for Chemoth the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of Ammon and likewise did he for all his strange Wives which burnt Incense and sacrificed to their gods his Heart was turned from the Lord that appeared to him twice 1 King 11. 1 to 12. All this say the Calvinists you may do and yet be Saints and justified and saved * Bradwardine li. 3. c. 27. having maintained that all things come to pass by necessity and cap. 29. p. 734. answering the Objection that this will make men cast all their sin on God and be ungodly answereth that it will do so by none but the Reprobate and confesseth that so one of his Monastery did argue and turned thereupon to a wicked life but that he cannot help that for he cannot predestinate men that are reprobated All this may stand with Gods Image and true Holiness B. As to all the rest except Solomon the sin being one or two particular Acts contrary to the main bent and scope of their lives which were holy you seem 1. To deny an evident truth viz. that the habitual love of God was not extirpated by those Sins Can you think that habitually though the act was hindred Noah Lot David Peter did not then love God and Holiness better than sinful Pleasures And the Papists confess that Sin is not mortal that is an evidence of spiritual death till it conquer the habit of the love of God 2. You seem to take your offence at the Mercy of God himself because he will not disown men for such a particular sin contrary to their general will and life As if you provoked him to deal hardlier also with yourself lest he deal too easily or mercifully with others 3. But they are in these resolved that no man hath true Grace that loveth not God and Holiness above the World and sinful Pleasure And they and you are agreed in this And in the hypothesis if you can make them believe that any of these lost that predominant habitual love they would grant that they fell from saving Grace So that thus far you agree 4. And as for Solomon's case it is too hard for us all Some think that he had but common Grace till that Repentance which he published in Eccles And that so much might produce his Proverbs which say they were but spoken by him and written long after by others as some by Hezekiah's men Others think that he did but tolerate his Wives Idolatry and that he aggravated his own sensuality in hyperbolical words and so that his sin did stand with true Grace Others think that he fell into a state of damnation in which had he died he had been damned but yet neither totally from all feminal Grace nor finally and that others may do the like In a word the case is too hard for us But our comfort lieth not in being sure what condition Solomon was in either first or last And also as Means and Grace are greater under the Gospel than they were to Solomon and Life and Immortality more brought to light so more spirituality and heavenliness is now required of us than was then of them As long as Christ hath fullier described to us the title-conditions of Salvation we have better means to judge of our states than the deciding of these Difficulties about Solomon would be A. This is true but nothing to the purpose we prove by Solomon that a man may fall from Grace B.
Righteousness is it but Christs that is said to be imputed to us P. It is none but what we have from Christ But the phrase of Imputing supposeth it ours And the meaning is no more but that we are reputed Righteous And the causes are not included in the phrase of Imputing righteousness to us but in the words before and after As Imputing sin to us and not Imputing it is but to Repute reckon or judge us sinners or by sin guilty of punishment or not guilty so is it here So that it is supposed 1. That Righteousness that is This Relation of being Righteous is the thing imputed 2. Christs Righteousness is the meritorious cause 3. The Gospel Donation is the instrumental Cause 4. Our Faith in Christ is the condition and as such the subordinate matter necessary on our parts And that faith is imputed for Righteousness plainly meaneth but this that Christ having merited and satisfied for us all that is now required on our part to denominate or primarily constitute us Righteous is to be true Believers in him or true Christians And I further ask you Do you thus paraphrase the words Faith that is Christs Righteousness is imputed to us for righteousness Lib. Yes I do so because the act is put for the object P. Were it so said but once and otherwise oft you had some colour for this But when it is never said Christs Righteousness is imputed to us and so oft said Faith is imputed for righteousness how shall ever the Scripture be understood at this rate if still by faith it mean not faith at all but Christs righteousness And why must not all other places that mention faith be so understood also But read the Texts and set all together and see what sense thus will be made of it Rom. 4. 3. What saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it that is not his believing but Christs Righteousness was Imputed to him for righteousness Is this a sober and modest paraphrase or a shameless violence Doth not it refer to believing God before mentioned Vers 4 5. To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned or imputed of Grace but of debt But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith that is not his faith but Christs righteousness is counted for righteousness Is this a modest Exposition Vers 10 11. We say that Faith that is not faith but Christs righteousness was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness How then was it that is not his faith but Christs righteousness reckoned In uncircumcision And he received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the fiath that is not of the faith but of the righteousness of Christs righteousness which he had being uncircumcised that he might be the Father of them that believe that righteousness that is Christs might be imputed to them also who walk in the steps of that faith which Abraham had c. doth faith here also signifie no faith Vers 13. When the promise is said to be through the righteousness of faith and Vers 14. faith made void is it no faith that is here also meant by faith And Vers 16. It is of faith to that seed which is of the faith of Abraham is not faith indeed here meant by the word faith So Vers 18 19 20 21. Who against hope believed And being not weak in faith he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith And being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform is it no faith that is meant in all these words yea or no act of faith but accepting the righteousness of Christ So next Vers 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for Righteousness that is Not his faith but by It is meant only Christs Righteousness though it was faith that was over and over mentioned as the antecedent So Vers 23 24. It was not written for his sake only that it that is not faith but Christs righteousness was imputed to him But for us also to whom it that is not faith shall be imputed if we believe is not that faith neither on him that is God the Father that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead which is a distinct act from Consenting to have his righteousness who was delivered to death for our offences and was raised again for our Justification Is the meaning that we are justified by the Imputation of Christs Resurrection so to us as that in Law sense we rose again in him and by Rising fulfilled the Law of Innocency I will not for shame and weariness thus go over other such Texts but I must be so faithful as to say that if good men and wise men and men that cry down the Papists and others for adding to Gods Word and corrupting it and calling it a Nose of Wax and introducing new Articles of faith will yet own such Expositions as these and accuse those that own them not they are as great Instances as most I remember except the defenders of Transubstantiation how far education or custom or humane dependance or faction and partiality and prejudice may blind the reason of professed Christians and godly men And that man that dare lay his comforts and hopes of justification and life upon such expositions of Gods Word should be modest in crying down the false hopes of others and reproving them that build upon the sand Lib. You have made a long discourse to make us odious upon a false supposition We do not say that in all or any of those Texts by faith is not meant faith but only that it is not faith as faith or as an act of ours but as connoting its object the Righteousness of Christ P. 1. Alas a great number of better men than you have too oft and plainly said without distinction that Faith is not imputed to us for righteousness I hope they meant better than they spake but I would it could be hid from the world that these words are not only in the Independents Savoy Confession but even in the Confession of the Westminster Assembly cap. 11. Not by imputing faith it self the act of believing or any other Evangelical obedience to them as their Righteousness but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ to them So also in the larger Catechism Not as if the Grace of faith or any act thereof were imputed to him for his Justification How well soever they may mean Gods oft repeated Word should rather have been expounded than denyed 2. But what mean your cloudy words It is not faith as faith but as connoting the object They that cannot speak clearly seldom clearly understand what to speak The Question is Whether it be really and properly Faith that is meant in all these Texts or whether it be only Christs righteousness If you say that It is both in several respects you grant then that it is saith it self in one respect that is
it how to deal by it And now I assert 1. Too many are confident that they are justified who ought not only to Fear that they are not but to know it 2. Too many that are Justified fall into such decayes of Grace and heinous sin as that it becometh thereupon their duty to fear lest their hearts should deceive them and they prove unjustified till they rise by repentance and revived Faith The uncertainty becoming unavoidable some Fear in an uncertain person is a duty without which he would shew a contempt of God and his salvation 3. Too many Justified persons have Grace so weak and unactive and sin so strong as that in that case both uncertainty and fears are unavoidable to them A Certainty beyond fear supposeth a very high proportionable degree of all other Graces For the new creature in the chief parts useth to increase or decrease together But few have such high degrees of Grace 4. A fear of particular great and heinous sins which must be Repented of if you will be saved must be moderately feared by all Christians none being certain that they shall escape them 5. A believing lively apprehension of the dreadfulness of Gods Judgement as he is a consuming fire and one that can cast soul and body into Hell with so much as is necessary to vigilancy and labour for prevention is all mens duty Luke 12. 4 5. Heb. 12. 28 29. And on this consideration if we will serve God acceptably it must be with reverence and godly fear And we must keep under our bodies with Paul and bring them into subjection lest having preached or professed we should yet be cast awayes 6. Needful cleansing repenting and preventing fear doth secure and further our comforts by removing the sin and danger that would hinder them 7. All our enemies and dangers are not overcome till the end And danger must be escaped by moderate fear God who brings his servants over all their dangers will save them by a sober fear and vigilancy and not by fearlesness of the evil 8. But all that fear which includeth error or unbelief or distrust of Christ is sinful and to be resisted with all our care And the more distrust the greater is the sin 9. All Fear that driveth from Christ and faith and hope and love and true consolation we cry down daily as injurious to God and man 10. We teach all Christians to contend with utmost diligence to get up to the highest Trust Love Joy Thanksgiving and Praise as the proper Evangelical excellency nearest Heaven and to get as fast as they can above that fear which hath torment which is cast out as love groweth perfect and to pray and seek for the Spirit of Adoption of Power and Love and a sound mind instead of the Spirit of fear and bondage And not to place too much of their Religion in that very fear which in its season is a duty much less in hurtful sinful fear But alwayes and in all things to Rejoyce in the Lord with Love and Gratitude and confidently to cast all their cares on him 11. But as all men here are imperfect in Holiness Faith and Assurance and in their doubts some fear of the event besides meer reverence of God is their duty so we teach men how so to live in an uncertain fearing state as safeliest to get above it 12. And we know that sin wickedness presumption self-deceit and pride are so common in the world that Fear is very needful to the most and we have cause to call with Paul to many proud Professors Be not high minded but fear even lest God should cut them off as he did the Jews and Having a promise of entring into his rest let us fear lest any of us come short of it Heb. 4. 1. And Christ thrice over reciteth his urgent exhortatory words Luke 12 4 5. I say to you my friends I will tell you whom you shall fear Fear him who when he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you the third time fear him Is not this authority full and these words plain and very earnest even to his friends 13. And it is not fit to make such a Doctrine a fundamental certainty which we find none of all the Churches of Christ held from the Apostles dayes for many and many hundred years that ever I could read or hear of I mean that all the Justified persevere Be it never so clear to you that which now is and so long was thought so far from clear and sure to the Churches of Christ as it is no fit foundation for the Churches Concord so neither for a Christians everlasting hopes to be so much laid on it as by some they are CHAP. XII Of Mans Power to believe and of calling the unregenerate to Duty P. X. XI OF the first of these I have said so much before that I will here pass it by And as to the second you are a man of pernicious principles and downright heretical and damnable if indeed you would have us call no unregenerate persons to any duty whatsoever Answer me these Questions Quest 1. Would you not have your Wife Children and Servants taught that it is their duty to love honour and obey you and your neighbours to deal justly with you and the Rulers to protect you and the Judges to do you Justice Lib. I speak only of Religious and not Civil duties P. You are indifferent it seemeth as to the Interest of Gods honour and mens salvation Let those alone so be it your own interest be secured Duty to you must be preached but not to God But would you not have them taught to do you service as to the Lord and as such as from him shall have punishment or reward and to submit themselves to the Higher Powers for conscience sake as to the Ministers of God and â—o Honour Father and Mother in obedience to God and that by his reward their dayes may be long Should not all be done to the Glory of God Lib. Yes it should be but the wicked cannot do it Therefore they must be first made Godly and the Heart renewed that the life may be amended P. We are as much and more for Heart-work and for beginning there than you are â—â— we know that God accepteth not the hypocrite that draweth near him and honoureth him with the lips when the heart is far from him The outward actions are no further Good or Bad than they are â—â—â—â— or from the Will The Divine Nature and Image of God and life of the new creature is the new heart by the Love of God shed abroad upon it by the Holy Ghost But Quest 2. Are we to call men to no duty at all to the getting of a new heart Should we not perswade them to hear Gods Word Lib. Yeâ— How shall they believe unless they hear P. Quest 3. Must we call them from the Tavern Ale-house Gaming-house Play-house Whore-house yea
to perswade men that we are not of the same body and to own a sinful dishonourable separation 17. And by all these means these Over-doers do greatly increase Atheism and Infidelity and prophaneness among us while their zeal against Truth and reproaches of sound doctrine do make men think that our Religion is nothing but proud humour and self-conceit and while they see us so boldly condemn almost all the world except our selves they will think that so few as we deserve not to be excepted 18. By this injurious extremity against the Papists we do but kindle in them a bitterer enmity to us and hatred of them breedeth hatred in them of us and so we set them on plotting revenge against us as implacable injurious enemies when we should deal soberly and righteously with all men and seek to win them by truth and gentleness 19. I And such dealings with them do draw Persecution on the Protestants that live under their Dominions and if we refuse to use them here as Christians no wonder if abroad they use not the Protestants as Men. 20. And by such great abuses of Reformation men hinder Reformation for the time to come and do their part to make it hopeless while they discourage such attempts by dishonouring the Reformation which is past Even as David George and Muntâ—er and the Munster Doâ—ages and Rebellions do hinder the â—eviving of Anabaptistry in the world and the shame of their old practices and successes is as a Grave stone upon the Sepuleher of their Cause so do these men do their part to make it with the whole Reformation that none hereafter may date to own or meddle with such work These that I have opened briefly to you are the real fruits of false injurious and ignorant zeal and over-doing against the Papists And if Popery revive it 's like to be by such men S. But Popery is an heinous evil and corrupt nature is so prone to evil thaâ— you need not thus disswade men from going too far from it or from over-doing against it no more than from being overmuch religious P. You may say the same as truly of the errors on the contrary extream All of them are evil and men are prone to evil But 1. Little know you how common it is in the world to spend mens zeal against the real or supposed evil of other mens Opinions and thereby to strengthen the mortal evil of their own carnal affections and passions and worldly lives and to take a zeal for Truth and Orthodoxness for real Holiness while usually such miss of Truth it self 2. And you know not the wiles of Satan how ordinarily he betrayeth a good Cause by the ill management of its most zealous friends and doth undo by over-doing When he will play the Devil indeed with Eve he will seem to be more than God himself for Knowledge of Good and Evil and for the advancement of mankind to be like God and God shall be accused by him as if he were untrue and envyed our perfection When he will play the Devil indeed with Christ he will seem to be more for valiantness and trusting God than Christ was and pleadeth Scripture for tempting God When he will play the Devil indeed in the Pharisees he will be stricter for the â—abbath and for Discipline in avoiding the company of the Publicans and sinners and stricter in fastings and dyet and other observations than Christ himself And he will be a zealous enemy to Blasphemy and a zealous Royalist for Caesar and a zealous honourer of the Temple and the Law when Christ or Paul or other Apostles are to be destroyed by it And when he will play the Devil in the Nicolaitans Simonians and Gnostick Hereticks he will seem to be for higher knowledge and greater liberty than the Apostles were And so when he would sow discord among Christians and would kill their Love and divide Christs Church and set them in a mental and oral War against each other he will aggravate the errors and faults of others and he will seem a more zealous friend of Truth and enemy to Popery Heresie Error Superstition false Worship or other faults than Christ is But he knoweth why S. But God telleth us himself that he is jealous about his Worship and hath in Scripture more severely executed his Justice upon the corrupters of his Worship than almost any other crime P. No doubt but God is jealous against Idolatry He that knoweth not the true God from Idols cannot honour him And he that worshippeth him not as a most Great and Holy God dishonoureth or blasphemeth him on pretence of worshipping him And to worship him by an Image is to perswade men that God is like that which that Image doth represent which is to deny him to be God And no doubt but the Jews great temptations to Idolatry from the Nations about them were to be oppugned by great severities of God And no doubt but Moses Law was to be honoured by Gods severe executions on the breakers of it But when you come to Christs preaching you find how oft he teacheth the Pharisees to go learn what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice When he conferreth with the Woman of Samaria John 4. she presently turneth from the doctrine of faith as Sectaries do among us to the Controversies of the times Our Fathers say In this Mountain and you say At Jerusalem men ought to worship But Christ calleth her off such low discourse and teacheth her to worship God as a Spirit in spirit and truth if ever she would be accepted of him S. But it is a time now when Popery is striving to rise again and how unseasonably would you abate mens zeal against it P. No more than he was against his Lawyers Zeal who grew hoarse with senseless bawling for him saying I am glad he hath lost his voice or else I might have lost my Cause I am so much against Popery that I wish it wiser and abler adversaries than self-conceited unstudied Zealots who will honour Popery by entitling it to the Truths of God and the Consent of the Antient or Universal Church or would make people believe that it consisteth in some good or indifferent things as in some Doctrines Forms or Government which others can see no harm in And so teach men to say If this be Popery we will rather be Papists than of them that rave as in their sleep against they know not what Could these men be perswaded to lay out their Zeal and diligence in propagating the practical knowledge of Christianity it self and let things alone which they understand not and SUSPEND TILL THEY HAVE THROUGHLY STUDIED or at least to forbear hindering wiser men and calumniating and backbiting those that would by wisdom defend that truth which by folly and rashness they go about to betray they might be meet for their share of that honour which now they forfeit S. You strive against Gods Judgements by which he
tempted to doubt of the certainty of this or that Book words or reading it followeth not that he must therefore doubt of the Christian Faith 11. A thousand Texts of Scripture may be not known and understood by one that is Justified but all the Baptismal Articles and Covenant must be understood competently by all that will be saved 12. Those Church-Tyrants Dogmatists or superstitious ones who deny the sufficiency of this Test and Symbol made by Christ and his Spirit to its proper use to be the Symbol of such as in Love and Communion we are to take for Christians do subvert the summ of Christs Gospel and Law and do worse than they that add to or alter the lesser parts of the Word of God 13. Therefore our further Additional Confessions must be only to other subordinate ends As 1. To satisfie other Churches that doubt of our right understanding the faith 2. To be an enumeration of Verities which Preachers shall not have leave to preach against though they subscribe them not 14. Object Hereticks may profess the Baptismal Creed Answ 1. And Hereticks may profess any words that you can impose on them taking them in their own sense All the Councils are not large enough to keep out subscribing Hereticks We must not make new Symbols Rules and Laws as oft as Knaves will falsly profess or break the old ones there being none that may not be falsly professed and violated 2. Many subscribe to the whole Scriptures that yet are Hereticks 3. Church Governours are for this to cast out those or punish them who preach teach and live contrary to the certain and sufficient Rule which they profess Judicatures are not to make new Laws but to punish men for breaking Laws A heart-Heretick-only is no Heretick in foro Ecclesiae He that teacheth Heresie must be proved so to do and judged upon proof which may be done without new additional Symbols Rules or Laws of faith So that all this contradicts not the sufficiency of the Baptismal Creed as the Symbol of Christian Love Communion and Concord I thought meet to add this more fully to what I said in the Epistle to convince men of the true terms of Union and of the heinous sin of all the sorts of Adding and Corrupting overdoers that divide us THE PREFACE AGAINST CLERGIE MENS Contentions AND Church-distracting Controversies THAT the Churches of Christ are dolefully tempted and distracted by Divisions no man will deny that knoweth them That the Clergie is not only greatly culpable herein but the chief cause cannot be hid But which part of the Clergie it is and what be their dividing Errors and Crimes and how they should be cured is indeed easie for the truly faithful and impartial Spectators to perceive but exceeding hard as experience tells us to make the Guilty throughly know and harder to do much effectually for the cure For the error and sin which is the true cause is its own defence and repelleth and frustrateth the Remedies And so each party layeth it from themselves on others and hate all that accuse them while they are the sharpest and perhaps most unjust accusers of the rest I shall here freely tell the Reader the History of my own Conceptions of these matters and then my present thoughts of the Causes of all these Calamities and the Cure I. I was born and bred of Parents piously affected but of no such knowledge or acquaintance as might engage them in any Controversies or disaffect them to the present Government of the Church or cause them to scruple Conformity to its Doctrine Worship or Discipline In this way I was bred my self but taught by my Parents and God himself to make conscience of sin and to fear God and to discern between the Godly and the notoriously wicked For which my Parents and I were commonly derided as Puritans the Spirit of the Vulgar being commonly then fired with hatred and scorn of serious godliness and using that name as their instrument of reproach which was first forged against the Nonconformists only And the Clergie where I lived being mostly only Readers of the Liturgie and some others that rather countenanced than reproved this course I soon confined my Reverence to a very few among them that were Learned and Godly but Conformists and for going out of my Parish to hear them my reproach increased About eighteen or nineteen years of age I fell acquainted with some persons half Conformists and half Non-conformists who for fear of severities against private Meetings met with great secresie only to repeat the publick Sermons and Pray and by Pious Conference edifie each other Their Spirits and Practice was so savoury to me that it kindled in me a distaste of the Prelates as Persecutors who troubled and ruined such persons while ignorant Drunkards and Worldlings were tolerated in so many Churches yea and countenanced for crying down such persons and crying up Bishops Liturgie and Conformity Before I was aware my affections began to solicite my understanding to judge of the Things and Causes by the Persons where the difference was very great But yet my first Teachers kept my judgement for Conformity as Lawful though not Desirable had we Liberty till I was ordained But soon after a new acquaintance provoked me to a deeper study of the whole Controversie than I had undertaken before which left me perswaded that the use of Liturgie and Ceremonies was lawful in that case of necessity except the Baptismal use of the Cross and the subscription to all things c. But in 1640. the Oath called Et Caetera being offered the Ministry forced me to a yet more searching Study of the case of our Diocesane Prelacie which else I had never been like to have gainsaid At a meeting of Ministers to debate the case it fell to Mr. Christopher Cartwrights lot and mine to be the Disputers and the issue of all that and my studies was that I setled in the approbation of the Episcopacy asserted by Ignatius yea and Cyprian but such a dissent from the English frame as I have given account of in my Disputations of Church Government My genius was inquisitive and earnestly desirous to know the truth my helps for Piety were greater than my helps for Learning of which I had not much besides Books sickness helpt my seriousness keeping me still in expectation of death All my reverenced acquaintance save one cryed down Arminianism as the Pelagian Heresie and the Enemy of Grace I quickly plunged my self into the study of Dr. Twisse and Amesius and Camero and Pemble and others on that subject By which my mind was setled in prejudice against Arminianism without a clear understanding of the case whereupon I felt presently in my mind a judgement of those that were for Arminianism as bad or dangerous adversaries to the Church and specially of the then ruling Bishops which yet I think I had not-entertained had I not taken them withal for the great Persecutors of Godly able
Ministers and serious Christians not only for Ceremonies but for holy practices of life Being under these apprehensions when the Wars began though the Cause it self lay in Civil Controversies between King and Parliament yet the thoughts that the Church and Godliness it self was deeply in danger by Persecution and Arminianism did much more to byass me to the Parliaments side than the Civil interest which at the heart I little regarded At last after two years abode in a quiet Garrison upon the Invitation of some Orthodox Commanders in Fairfax's Army and by the Mission of an Assembly of Divines I went after Naseby Fight into that Army as the profest Antagonist of the Sectaries and Innovators who we all then too late saw designed those changes in the Church and State which they after made I there met with some Arminians and more Antinomians These printed and preached as the Doctrine of Free Grace that all men must presently believe that they are Elect and Justified and that Christ Repented and Believed for them as Saltmarsh writeth I had a little before engaged my self as a Disputer against Universal Redemption against two antient Ministers in Coventry Mr. Cradock and Mr. Diamond that were for it But these new notions called me to new thoughts which clearly shewed me the difference between Christs part and Mans the Covenant of Innocency with its required Righteousness and the Covenant of Grace with its required and imputed righteousness I had never read one Socinian nor much of any Arminians but I laid by prejudice and I went to the Scripture where its whole current but especially Matth. 25. did quickly satisfie me in the Doctrine of Justification and I remembred two or three things in Dr. Twisse whom I most esteemed which inclined me to moderation in the five Articles 1. That he every where professeth that Christ so far dyed for all as to purchase them Justification and Salvation conditionally to be given them if they believe 2. That he reduceth all the Decrees to two de fine de mediis as the healing way 3. That he professeth that Arminius and we and all the Schoolmen are agreed that there is no necessity consequentis laid on us by God in Predestination but only necessity consequentiae or Logical but in Election I shall here suspend 4. That the Ratio Reatus in our Original Sin is first founded in our Natural propagation from Adam and but secondarily from the positive Covenant of God 5. That Faith is but Causa dispositiva Justificationis and so is Repentance These and such things more I easilier received from him than I could have done from another But his Doctrine of Permission and Predetermination and Causa Mali quickly frightned me from assent And though Camero's moderation and great clearness took much with me I soon perceived that his Resolving the cause of sin into necessitating objects and temptations laid it as much on God in another way as the Predeterminants do And I found all godly mens Prayers and Sermons run quite in another strain when they chose not the Controversie as pre-engaged In this case I wrote my first Book called Aphorisms of Justification and the Covenants c. And being young and unexercised in writing and my thoughts yet undigested I put into it many uncautelous words as young Writers use to do though I think the main doctrine of it sound I intended it only against the Antinomians But it sounded as new and strange to many Upon whose dissent or doubtings I printed my desire of my friends Animadversions and my suspension of the Book as not owned by me nor any more to be printed till further considered and corrected Hereupon I had the great benefit of Animadversions from many whom I accounted the most judicious and worthy persons that I had heard of First my friend Mr. John Warren began next came Mr. G. Lawson's the most judicious Divine that ever I was acquainted with in my judgement yet living and from whom I learned more than from any man next came Mr. Christopher Cartwright's then of York the Author of the Rabbinical Comment on Gen. chap. 1 2 3. and of the Defence of King Charles against the Marquess of Worcester Answers and Rejoinders to these took me up much time next came a most judicious and friendly MS. from Dr. John Wallis and another from Mr. Tombes and somewhat I extorted from Mr. Burges the answers to which two last are published To all these Learned men I owe very great thanks and I never more owned or published my Aphorisms but the Cambridge Printer stole an Impression without my knowledge And though most of these differed as much from one another at least as from me yet the great Learning of their various Writings and the long Study which I was thereby engaged in in answering and rejoyning to the most was a greater advantage to me to receive accurate and digested conceptions on these subjects than private Students can expect My mind being thus many years immerst in studies of this nature and I having also long wearied my self in searching what Fathers and Schoolmen have said of such things before us and my Genius abhorring Confusion and Equivocals I came by many years longer study to perceive that most of the Doctrinal Controversies among Protestants that I say not in the Christian World are far more about equivocal words than matter and it wounded my soul to perceive what work both Tyrannical and unskilful Disputing Clergie-men had made these thirteen hundred years in the world And experience since the year 1643. till this year 1675. hath loudly called to me to Repent of my own prejudices sidings and censurings of causes and persons not understood and of all the miscarriages of my Ministry and life which have been thereby caused and to make it my chief work to call men that are within my hearing to more peaceable thoughts affections and practices And my endeavours have not been in vain in that the Ministers of the Countrey where I lived were very many of such a peaceable temper though since cast out and a great number more through the Land by Gods Grace rather than any endeavours of mine are so minded But the Sons of the Coal were exasperated the more against me and accounted him to be against every man that called all men to Love and Peace and was for no man as in a contrary way And now looking daily in this posture when God calleth me hence summoned by an incurable Disease to hasten all that ever I will do in this World being uncapable of prevailing with the present Church disturbers I do apply my self to posterity leaving them the sad warning of their Ancestors distractions as a Pillar of Salt and acquainting them what I have found to be the cause of our Calamities and therein they will find the Cure themselves II. I Have oft taken the boldness constrainedly to say that I doubt not but the Contentions of the Clergie have done far more