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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69245	The anatomy of Arminianisme: or The opening of the controuersies lately handled in the Low-Countryes, concerning the doctrine of prouidence, of predestination, of the death of Christ, of nature and grace. By Peter Moulin, pastor of the church at Paris. Carefully translated out of the originall Latine copy; Anatome Arminianismi. English	Du Moulin, Pierre, 1568-1658.	1620 (1620)	STC 7308; ESTC S110983	288,727	496

curse neither can any one know this except he be instructed by the word seeing I say it is thus whatsoeuer the Arminians doe tattle of vniuersall and sufficient grace doth fall to the ground seeing that by it a man cannot attaine to that which is the beginning and first element of conuersion and that from which grace doth necessarily begin certainely hee that shall turne ouer the writings of the heathen shall finde nothing of the death in sinne nothing of the viuification and regeneration nothing of the necessity of supernaturall grace The best of the heathens set this as the Cynosure and starre by which they would direct the course of their life viz. to follow nature when on the contrary this is the office and worke of the grace of God viz. to restore and change nature X. But in setting downe the time wherein this sufficient grace is at the first giuen to euery man by God they doe not explaine themselues For if all men haue this grace from the wombe then it is not rightly distinguished from nature seeing that that is natural which is ingrafted in euery man from his birth and natiuity But if this grace be giuen onely to them that are growne in yeares in what yeare of their age is it giuen Is it giuen to all at a certaine and equall age or is it giuen to some sooner and some later And if it be giuen in the tenth or twelfth yeare of the life what shall be done with those who dye in the seauenth or ninth yeare what shall be done with them whom death doth take away a day or two before that grace is bestowed Also if one dye presently after that sufficient grace is giuen before hee hath time of well vsing this grace what shall become of this man Being excluded from the right vsing of grace by the shortnes of the time shall he be excluded therefore from the kingdome of heauen Surely while they tye God to lawes they doe entangle themselues in bonds which cannot be shaken off XI And when the Arminians say that sufficient grace which is common to all men euen to vnregenerate men and in fidels is supernaturall it is a hard thing that he who is at the first touched with this supernaturall and helpefull motion should not feele it Or if the beginnings of it are doubtfull and vncertaine at the lest it must needes be felt in progresse of time But neuer any of the heathen hath professed that he hath euer felt this grace nor is there any mention of it in their wrightings XII Also it would be worth the labour to know by what degrees the heathen man dwelling in the south countrie or in the inmost part of Tartaria well vsing naturall instructions may at length come to faith in Christ For these Sectaries must needes faigne many things here and wantonly play with bold coniectures and with vnconstant rashnesse For they must faigne that eyther Oracles were poured on that man from heauen or that Angels were sent to him or some Prophet lifted vp by the hayre hath beene carried thither from some other place that he might instruct that man in the Christian faith For where the Scripture is wanting audacity must needes supply the place of the Scripture XIII Finally what is to be thought of this sufficient grace may hence be iudged in that the Arminians themselues are not constant to themselues and they doe so build it vp that they pull it downe For they which say and doe maintaine with great force that God doth giue sufficient grace to all men doe afterward say that God is ready and prepared to giue it to all as if he indeede were willing to giue it to all but it was hindred by man that it was not done Also the same men teach that no man is conuerted without speciall grace by which speech they confesse that generall grace is not sufficient Finally when they diuide that grace into grace which is sufficient mediately and grace which is sufficient immediately they doe confesse that some grace is sufficient mediately which is vnsufficient immediately and they make many degrees of sufficient grace which degrees how many and what they are none of them hath explained CHAP. XLI The Arguments whereby the Arminians doe maintaine vniuersall sufficient Grace are refuted I. THE arguments of the Arminians for Vniuersall Sufficient and Helpfull Grace are almost the same with them which they are wont to bring for the liberty of free-will in an vnregenerate man which seeing they are aboundantly confuted Chapter 34. there will be no great labour in examining some few which they most frequently vse to proue sufficient grace common to all men They maintaine it by that place of the Apostle Rom. 1.19 where Saint Paul doth thus speake of the Gentiles That which may be knowne of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it vnto them Surely here is no mention of sufficient grace which the Arminians think to be supernaturall For here the Apostle speaketh of the light of nature and of any sort of the knowledge of God by the creatures which may be had without supernaturall grace by which the Apostle doth not say that man hath power of beleeuing in Christ or that he can dispose or prepare himselfe to regeneration but he onely saith that the power and that the deity of God was seene of them by the creation that they might be inexcusable And they are inexcusable not because they haue abused that grace which was mediately or immediately sufficient to saluation but because they haue not vsed the light of nature as farre as they might and haue endeauoured to choake that light engrafted in them II. They pretend the words of the same Apostle Chapter 2.14 The Gentiles which haue not the law doe by nature the things contained in the law But neither can this place be drawne to stablish sufficient grace which these Sectaries will haue to be supernaturall For it speaketh onely of naturall impressions of equity and goodnesse and of outward actions that are ciuilly honest which are done by the guidance of nature for Saint Paul doth here make no mention of grace Furthermore those things contained in the law may be done by him who doth violate and breake the law for in the externall worke he may doe the things commanded by the law and yet not doe them after that manner and to that end which the law doth require that is with faith and to the glory of God III. That which they obiect out of the foureteenth Chapter of the Acts Vers 17. is nothing to the matter where Saint Paul doth thus speake of the heathen people Neuerthelesse he left not himselfe without witnesse They doe falsely thinke that this witnesse was some sufficient sauing and supernaturall grace and the law naturally engrauen in their hearts which should be a Schoole-master to Christ For the Apostle in the following words doth explaine what manner of testimony this is saying that God gaue

all men to be saued Which that it was truely spoken by Faustus and according to the Catholike faith the Arelaten Synode hath rightly iudged For the Synode beleeued that this was spoken by Faustus against Pelagius who seeing hee denied originall sinne and thought that a man might perfectly fulfill the law by his owne free-will it is no maruaile if hee said that Christ died not for all for why should Christ die for them that were not sinners Or what neede is there of Phisicke where there is no disease Or what neede of the Gospell to him who hath fulfilled the law But Faustus a crafty and subtle man imposed it vpon the Arelaten Synode with ambiguous and deceitfull words wherewith that Epistle was cloathed which hee offered to the Synode For afterward he explaned his meaning in the booke which hee writ De gratia qua saluamur where hee doth more incline to Pelagius which booke Gennadius Gennad lib de Scriptor Eccles cap. 85. Sydon Apol. lib 9. Epist 9. and Sydonius Apollinaris doe so mention that they seeme to thinke honorably of it But at the same time Caesarius Bishop of Arles and Auitus Bishop of Vienna writ against this Booke as Ado doth testifie in his Chronicle to whom Fulgentius Bishop of Ruspe in Africa ioyned himselfe Whereby we may see that the authority of Faustus is not so great that it ought to be of any estimation here Neither was this question euer handled in that sence that now it is for there was neuer question made as farre as I know before this age whether Christ by his death purchased saluation for all and seuerall men or whether by his death he obtained reconciliation as well for Pharaoh as for Peter CHAP. XXXI Whether God loue all men equally and doth alike desire the saluation of all I. THe question whereby it is demanded whether God doth equally loue all men and so desire their saluation is an addition to the former question and doth depend on it For if remission of sinnes and saluation are not purchased for all men by the death of Christ it is plaine that all men are not equally loued by God wherefore these innouators doe defend themselues in either question by the same places of Scripture These are the words of Arnoldus pag. 379 God in a generall will and affection doth equally desire the saluation of all men Greuinchouius pag. 335. doth consent to this The will of God and his affection of sauing men is equall towards all For in that series and order of the foure decrees in which they comprehend the whole doctrine of Predestination this is the third that God decreed to administer to all men sufficient meanes to faith and repentance But I suppose that these things are affirmed by them not because they beleeue and seriously thinke so but that they might maintaine their other opinions which cannot stand if this opinion fall for they doe openly repugne the Scripture experience yea and themselues II. Which before we demonstrate the reader is to be admonished that loue in God is not an affection nor passion nor inclination of the minde nor any desire for God is not touched by these passions as being impassible and not subiect to affections But as God is said then to be angry or to hate when he will punish or destroy so loue in God is a eertaine and sure will of doing good to the creature Whence it commeth to passe that hee may rightly be said to be loued by God to whom hee hath giuen or hath decreed to giue more and better good things III. This difference is manifestly seene not onely betweene the good and the euill but also betweene good men themselues to some one of whom God hath giuen more vnderstanding and doth measure out his spirit in a larger greater measure but to another more sparingly and as it were with a striked measure to one he giueth two talents to another fiue according to his owne good pleasure Not onely giuing many things to the best men but also making them better while hee giueth them many things IV. And here I cannot but meruaile with what face Greuinchouius pag. 335. dares to say that God gaue fi●e talents to one in the hope of receiuing more gaine from him then the other as if hope or feare or gaine could happen to God or as if he who so carefully encreased his estate by the fiue talents put out to vsury had not from God the will and power of imploying them so happily God is vnaptly said to hope for that which himselfe is to worke These subtill men are wont to say when they are vrged that these things are spoken by an Anthropopathy to mans capacity but in the meane while they abuse these improper words to bring in their owne speculations and to build vp their owne opinions In preaching and speaking to the people this impropriety of speech is to be borne with but not in disputing and when the importance of truth is to be considered and weighed V. Concerning this inequality of the gifts of God I would haue the Arminians shew me why God hath giuen more gifts to Paul then to Marke or Cleophas that were otherwise holy and good men Was it because Saint Paul before his conuersion was more inclined to the faith of Christ and better affected then they Or because Paul vsed that common and generall grace which happeneth euen to the reprobates better then Marke These are trifles for there was then none more deadly enemie to the name of Christ then Paul What then was the cause why because it so seemed good to God who doth with his owne what he will and who in distributing the gifts of the holy Ghost doth not follow an Arithmeticall or Geometricall proportion for he doth giue vnequall good things to them that are equally euill according to his owne pleasure as being a debtor to no man nor subiect to any Law VI. But the difference and inequality of the loue of God will more clearely appeare if those whom God doth call by his word and to whom he doth giue the spirit of adoption and faith and by them saluation be compared with other men Many saith Christ Mat. 22.4 are called few chosen Behold here three sorts of men some that are not called some that are called and not elected some that are called and elected all which that they are confusedly and equally loued and that God doth alike desire their saluation cannot be said or thought VII Christ Iohn 6.44 saith No man can come to me vnlesse my father which sent me draw him Where that it is spoken of the drawing to faith and by faith to saluation no man doth doubt Secing therefore by these words it is manifest that all are not so drawne it is certaine that they are most loued who are so drawne Faith is the gift of God but all men haue not faith and it is giuen but to few therefore these are more loued So the

grace that grace may be ouercome and finally extinguished This which is the thing to be proued and is the state of the question they leaue vntouched XIV Being driuen from the Scripture they flye to Reason and thus frame a Syllogisme That which is required of vs in the Gospell for due and filiall obedience that is not wronght in vs by an vnresistible power But faith and repentance are required of vs in the Gospell for due and filiall obedience Therefore they are not wrought in vs by an vnresistible power The Minor hath no neede of proofe The Maior they proue thus because that which is onely done in man by another so that he onely behaueth himselfe passiuely in it cannot be called obedience All these things are grounded on a double calumny The first is whereby they faigne that wee teach that conuersion is wrought in vs vnresistibly The other whereby they attribute to vs that we say conuersion and faith is wrought by God without vs and that men in conuersion behaue themselues onely passiuely Truely we acknowledge no such conuersion in which man should doe nothing but onely suffer we know that man is so drawne by a sweet and effectuall motion and that his will is so bent and turned that of vnwilling he is made willing and doth worke and is moued of his owne accord We know that it is man himselfe that doth beleeue and repent and not God But we say that God doth giue to man that he may be able to beleeue and repent No otherwise then the fruit doth moue it selfe in the wombe and yet the motion it selfe and the power of mouing it hath from God It is sufficient to obedience that man doth voluntarily obey God XV. And here we entreate the Reader that hee would stay a little and take notice how inconsiderately the Arminians deale here and how aduerse and contrary they are to themselues They deny that conuersion can be called obedience if man doe onely behaue himselfe passiuely in it But they themselues teach that man doth onely behaue himselfe passiuely in the beginning of his conuersion which yet all the Arminians acknowledge to be obedience Their words are these in their Epistle against the Walachrians pag. 69. and 70. Whether we say that the will is moued by the spirit onely by the fore-going operations of the vnderstanding or that there is a certaine new energeticall and operatiue quality infused to it we alwaies determine that the will is first moued that is behaueth it selfe passiuely before it doth actiuely moue it selfe to that which is good This they say but that is especially to be noted that the Arminians doe with one mouth teach that the vnderstanding is vnresistibly enlightned by God that is that knowledge is so giuen by God that it cannot be resisted when yet that knowledge is a kinde of obedience For the Scripture doth euery where command vs to know and vnderstand Psalme 2.10 Mat. 15.10 and 2 Tim. 2.7 Is not the earnest alacrity of the Angels to fulfill the commands of God obedience yet they cannot resist God commanding nor can they desire to resist XVI Lastly they heape together absurdities which they think may be drawn for that power which they call irresistible They say that it doth follow from thence that no other can be conuerted then they that are indeede conuerted And that no man can be conuerted before hee be conuerted indeede But this ought to be so farre from seeming absurd that on the contrary it is impious to beleeue that any one may be conuerted and regenerated but hee whom God doth conuert and regenerate and to whom he giueth faith and the spirit of adoption or that any one can be conuerted before God conuert him For if we be all by nature dead in sinne it is certaine that there are no other that can rise out of that spirituall death then they that doe indeede rise And if faith and the spirit of adoption is a gift of God proceeding from his meere grace it is plaine that they at length can be conuerted to whom God doth giue grace whereby they may be conuerted in act And seeing we are brought to that passe that there is no man who doth not resist God calling it appeareth that no man can be conuerted but he from whom God hath taken away this resistance and hath broke his hardnesse Let these new Semipelagians looke to it and consider with what face they dare maintaine that an vnregenerate man hath power of conuerting himselfe before God conuert him in act and how they can defend themselues against so many places of Scripture and so many reasons and proofes which we haue brought in the three and thirty Chapter Can they bring an example out of all records of Stories of any one who hath obtained faith and saluation by those gifts which doe happen to all men euen to Heathens and vnregenerate persons XVII That no man can conuert himselfe before he be conuerted and drawne by God the Scripture doth euery where witnesse Conuert vs and we shall be conuerted Ier. 31.18 Lament 5.21 Draw me and wee will runne after thee Cant. 1.4 Could the Thiefe conuert himselfe before Christ after a meruailous and vtterable manner changed his heart among so many occasions of doubting and in the flight and feare of the Apostles themselues Could Paul conuert himselfe before he was called from heauen by Christ Surely godly mens eares are vnacquainted with this opinion and it is of the Pelagian vaine By this meanes the decree of God is abolished by which he determined to vse the miraculous confession of the Thiefe to shew the efficacy of the death of Christ and his diuine power in the very height of griefes and reproaches and for a notable euidence of the election of grace God might haue beene disappointed of these ends if the Thiefe might haue conuerted himselfe some years before God indeede did not hinder that hee should not be conuerted but whereas all men of themselues and of their owne nature are vnable to conuert themselues concerning those whom he decreed to conuert he determined with himselfe in what time and manner he would conuert them XVIII But say they if no man can be conuerted but he whom God doth conuert in deede and in act it will thence follow that the rest who are called are called in vaine and that God should deale dissemblingly and vnwisely who should call them to saluation and yet withdraw the meanes necessary to obtaine saluation I answere that this word withdrawing doth sufficiently proue how vnfaithfully they deale For there is none of vs thinkes that God doth withdraw from them who are not conuerted the meanes necessary to saluation For if he should withdraw those meanes from them hee should take from them that which they had But no vnregenerate man euer had all the meanes necessary to saluation It is one thing to withdraw the meanes necessary to saluation and another thing not to giue them It