of the owner and though it hath a true efficiency in hurting wounding him yet the fault onely is his owne because he willingly turned the Sword against himself When a Physitian according to the true rules of Art shall administer wholesome Physick to his Patient for such or such a disease and this meeting with some hidden distemper or corrupt humour in the body shall cause greater pain or it may be death yet here neither the Physick nor Physitian are to be blamed because the work of both these in their owne nature tended to health and was fit to procure it When Jason had his impostume cured by the thrusting of a Sword into his body by the hand of his enemy this was no thank to his enemy who intended not his health but his death so on the contrary it is no blame to the Physitian that intends health and useth fit meanes to procure it though death follows by accident When the same Sun beames lights upon a Garden and a Dunghil and raise a sweet smell from the one and an ill savour from the other neither the Sun nor the beames thereof are to be blamed because the efficacy of them did extend to both a like but the different effect did arise from the difference of the matter whereon they did light The like instances also may be brought from Scripture when a man is hewing wood with an Axe and the head of the Axe slippeth from the helve and slayes the stander by here neither the Axe nor the man are to be blamed though they have an efficiency in the death of the other because they are onely causes by accident the scope of neither being to hurt the stander by Deut. 19.5 When King Uzziah went into the Temple of the Lord to burn Incense Azariah with fourscore other Priests went in after him and withstood him telling him that it did not belong to him to burne incense to the Lord then it is said Vzziah was wrath 2 Chron. 26.16 17 18 19. Here the Priests were causes of the wrath of the King but no faulty causes because they did but their duty and their intention was onely to hinder him from doing that which was unlawful for him to do but not to provoke him to anger and wrath When the Pharisees were filled with wrath against Christ and the Jews breast with anger against Stephen because they justly reproved them they were accidental causes of their wrath and anger but no faulty causes The Apostle saith that the Law causeth wrath Rom. 4.15 It causeth wrath by meanes of Transgression for transgression onely properly causeth wrath as the Law is the cause of wrath so likewise is the cause of transgression namely an accidental cause yet no faulty cause for the proper end of the Law was neither to procure wrath nor to procure transgression but rather to be a meanes to preserve man from both these by directing him so to walke as he might please God so when he saith that the motions of sin were by the Law that is were stirred up by the Law Rom. 7.5 and that sin took occasion by the Commandement and wrought in him all manner of concupiscence verse 11. here sin is said to be stirred up by the Law and to take occasion by the Commandement of working concupiscence and therefore the Law hath some kind of efficiency in producing of sin it is an accidentall cause but no faulty cause As the Law is in it selfe holy and just and good Rom. 7.12 so it is good that it should be brought to mans understanding by the knowledge of it and to his will and affections by the right application of it but the more this is done he being left to himselfe the more doth it irritate and stir up corruption in him and his will by reason of the contrariety that is in it to the holy Law of God waxeth so much more stubborne and rebellious as the Law is more closely applyed to it When the Apostle saith that beleevers are not under the Law Rom. 6.14 and that they are delivered from the Law that being dead namely that corruption wherein we are held Rom. 7.6 this must needs be understood of the accidentall worke of the Law whereby by meanes of our corruption it stirs up sin in us for it cannot be understood of the Law as it is a rule of obedience because then the Law should be wholly abolished to which the Apostle gives an absit do we then make the Law of none effect through faith God forbid Rom. 3.31 neither can it be understood in this place of the condemning power of the Law for though it be true that believers are freed from the curse and condemnation of the Law yet this is an effect of justification and hath reference to that whereas the subject of the Apostles discourse in these two Chapters where he speakes of freedom from the Law namely the sixth and seventh is altogether about sanctification and he brings many arguments to prove the necessary connexion of these two together and this amongst the rest because they were not under the Law they were delivered from it they must not suffer sin to raigne in their mortall because they were not under the Law but under grace cap. 6.14 they were delivered from the Law lust and concupiscence being kild in them chap. 7.6 How were they not under the Law how were they delivered from it So far as they were truly sanctified they were no longer under the accidentall worke of the Law whereby it had power to irritate and stir up the rebellion and corruption of their natures and so to cause sin more to abound in them being implanted into Christ and made partakers of the vertue of his death and resurrection their old man was crucified and their body of sin destroyed so as they should no longer serve sin as they did before chap. 6.6 while they were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law which were stirred up by having the Law brought nearer to them did worke in their members to bring forth fruit unto death but they were delivered from the Law from that accidentall worke of the Law that being dead wherein they were held their sinfull lusts being in part mortified that they should serve God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter chap. 7.5.6 by both which places it appeares that the Law hath power to stir up sin and corruption in those that are in the a state of corruption that remaine as yet altogether unsanctified and so it is an accidentall cause of sin yet no faulty cause that remaining still holy and just and good In this sence likewise Christ saith of himselfe that be came not to send peace but the Sword that he came to set a man at variance against his Father and the daughter against the Mother Mat. 10.34 35. that he came to set fire on the earth Luk. 12.49 How is this to be taken that
Pharach charging him to let the people of Israel goe but hence Pharach tooke an occasion to grow stubborne and rebellious and more to harden his heart in a resolution not to let them goe Exod. 5.2 I know not the Lord saith he neither will I let them go yea the ofner Moses came to him with command from God for doing it the more he still hardned his heart against it looke as a strong streame the more it is stopt the higher it riseth though no new water be added to it so it is in this case Thus the Jewes the more they were warned by the Prophet of their Idolatry and that they should not goe downe into Egypt Jer 42.17 the more obstinate and wilfull they waxed both these wayes Chap. 44.16 so when Christs hearers heard that which they thought touched themselves it is said they were filled with with wrath and thrusting him out of the City they led him to the edge of an hill with purpose to have throwen him downe headlong Luk. 18.27 When Stephen preached so excellently to the Jews they burst with anger and gnashed upon him with their teeth running violently upon him Act 7.54.57 So that Christs and Stephens preaching was an accidentall cause of the wrath of these wicked men as the stopping of a streame is the cause of the rising of it Hence the Apostle speaking of the Law saith where there is no law thene is no transgression Rom. 4.15 that sin took occasion by the command and wrought in him all manner of concupiscence for without the Law sin is dead but when the Law came sin revived Rom. 7 8 9. that sin took occasion by the command and deceived him verse 11. so that the Law quickned sin put life into it and seâ— it on worke it lying as it were dead before and not stirring so strongly as it did after the comming of the Law by all which it appeares that the Law is an accidentall cause of sin Now so far as the Law workes it God workes it the Law being his agent and instrument But here it may be asked Quest how can it be that the Law which in it selfe is holy just and good should any way be the cause of evill This ariseth from the contrariety that is betwixt the good and holy law of God Answ and mans corrupt and wicked heart there is nothing more pure and holy then the Law of God it being the perfect rule of righteousnesse and an exact idaea of all purity and holinesse there is nothing more corrupt and and impure then the wicked heart of man it being the fountaine of all pollution and filthinesse Mat. 15.19 Jer. 17.9 Now it is a true rule in Logick Contraria juxta se posita magis â—lâ—cescunt when contraries are placed neer together the contrarieties of their natures doth more appeare and put forth it selfe keep fire and water at a distance and the contrarieties of their natures doth not much shew it selfe but bring them together cast water upon the fire or put coales of fire into the water then they fight one with the other and the stronger overcomes the weaker so the more neer and close the most pure and holy word of God be brought and applyed to the corrupt and rebellious will of man the more is the innate corruption and rebellion of it irritated and stirred up and the more strongly doth it put forth it selfe The more strongly the command was pressed upon Pharaoh touching letting the Israelites goe the more strongly did his rebellious will rise up agaâ—nst it This we may see true in the ordinary carriage of wicked men Let a proud swearer or filthy speaker be rebuked for their ill language and they will the more breake forth into abusive speech Thus we see how the Law and Word of God that in its owne nature tends to restraine and represse sin may accidentally provoke and put men forward to greater eagernesse and violence in sinning yea not onely the Law but the Gospel may by accident be an occasion of greater evil Thus our Saviour tels the Pharisees that if they had been blind they had had no finne but because they said they did see therefore their sin remained Joh. 9. last if they had had no meanes of knowledge their sin had not been so great but now the light shined upon them thereby their sin was increased because they sâ—ut their eyes against it Hence likewise the Apostle saith that the Gospel was to somethe savour of death 2 Cor. 2.16 In it owne nature it did tend to life but by accident it came to be an occasion of death to such as rejected it Thus we see how God may be accidentally a cause of sin namely by administring occasion and that both inwardly and outwardly both by his workes and by his word and Bellarmine himselfe is forced in a manner to acknowledge thus much for he saith Bellar. de amiss grat statu pcti l 2. c. 14. Patientia Dei aliquo modo indurat Caeterum non dicitur excecare vel indur are nisi per accidens sedipsis homines abutentes rebus bonis seipsâ—s obdurat The patience of God doth after a sort harden men but yet he is not said to blind or to harden but onely by accident for when they doe abuse good things they harden themselves Here Bellarmine grants that God may bee said to blind and harden men by accident when they abusing his Patience and long suffering take occasion from thence to harden themselves in sinne CHAP. VI. Shewing that such causes as worke by accident may have a true efficiency and yet not be altogether blameless in blame-worthy actions THat accidental causes may have a true efficiency and yet not be faulty when the effect is faulty may appear both by Reason and Scripture 1. The rule of reason tels us that whatsoever hath a vis any power or vertue to bring forth an effect is so far a cause of that effect For causa est cujus vires est Now there be many things which have an efficiency in bringing forth such or such an effect which yet cannot justly be blamed though the effect be evill When a man stands so neare the fire that he scorcheth his legges the fire hath a true efficiency in this scorching yet not the fire but the man onely is to be blamed for though it be the natural property of the fire to burne yet the end why the fire was made was to warme not to burn those that stand before it and that it scorcheth the mans leggs it is his owne fault because he did not stand further off when he might have done it and the fire was onely an accidental cause of scorching When a man weares a sword for his defence and he in a Melancholike or mad humour shall run the Sword into his own body here not the Sword but the man is to be blamed because the end of wearing a Sword is the safety not the hurt
into the hands of Satan and then Satan stirres up the Caldaeans and Sabaeans to take away his Oxen and his Camels and to kill his Servants Job 1.12 15 17. And he suffered Satan to enter in the heart of Judas and to stir him up to betray his Master 3. By with-drawing his grace from men and not affording a continuall supply of his helpe for their support and sustentation that they may be preserved from falling Thus it is said he tooke away his spirit from Saul 2 Sam. 7.15 And that when the Embassadors of the King of Babell came to Hezekiah the Lord left him to trie him that he might know all that was in his heart 2 Chron. 22 31. The depraved nature of man is like to a ruinous house that his ready to fall if it be not continnally under-propped and upheld by some supporters now God is not bound to yeild this support to sinful men but he may with-draw his helping hand from them as he pleaseth which when he doth then are they ready to fall 4. God often times punisheth one sin with another thus he punisheth the abuse of the meanes of grace with hardness of heart and the abuse of light with greater blindness Thus it is said of the Jews that God gave them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares they should not heare Rom. 11.8 And of the Gentiles that because they abused the light of nature and when they knew the true God by the works of Creation yet they did not glorifie him as God but withheld the truth in unrighteousnesr therefore he gave them up to vile affections to doe such things which were not seemely Rom 1.21 26. And in the times of the Antichristian Apostacy because men received not the love of the truth therefore God did send them strong delusions to believe lyes Bellar. de Amis grat Sta. Pect lib. 2. c. 14. 2 Thes 2.10 11. And thus much Bellarmine himself grants for speaking of Absolons incest he saith Deus decitur malum illud fecisse non quia culpa Absoloxis sed qua paena Davidis erat God is said to have done it not as it was Absolons fault but as it was Davids punishment 5. God may be said to have a hand in the sinful actions of the Creature because he so ordereth them by his providence that he suffereth sin to be committed in one kind rather then in another thus he suffered Josephs brethren rather to sell their brother into Egypt then to kill him Thus Christ gave leave to the Devils rather to enter into the Swine then into men Besides he so ordereth and over ruleth the actions of the sinfull Creature as he makes them serve to good uses and purposes yea some times to ends altogether differing yea contrary to what themselves intended Thus he made the actions of Josephs brethen in selling him into Egypt for a slave to be a meanes of his greater advancement And Hamans emnity against Mordecay and the Jews in getting a decree of the King for their destruction to be a meanes of their greater safety and preferment And the envy of the Jews against Christ in procuring him to be put to a shamefull and cursed death to be a meanes and occasion not onely of mans salvation but also of Christs greater exaltation 6 God hath a hand in the sin which man commits so far as he doth sustain and support him in all his natural motions and actions God being the Author of nature doth support man in all the actions of nature and that not onely in good but in evill actions Sin being a defect or privation and so a kinde of none entity cleaves away to something that hath being to some habite to some action or motion as the subject wherein it is seated Now all natural actions and motions are in themselves goods hence the rule holds true that malum est in bono tanquam in subjecto evill is in good as in the subject of it All natures workes are Gods works In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17.25 This is true not onely in regard of our External but also of our internal motions and actions not onely of the body but of the mind As we cannot move our hand or foot or not our thoughts wills and affections without him In every sinful action there are two things conjoyned and included The action it self and the defect or deformity the inordinacy and obliquity of it One of these is as it were the matter the other the form of it which Divines call the materiale and formale Pacti The former of these is from God the other from the corrupt will of the Creature It is a true rule that Deus agit inpeccato non tanquam causa moralis sed tanquam causa naturalis God acts in sin not as a morall but as a natural cause so faire onely as there is natures worke in any action All new actions are new entities and beings and all beings are from God who is the first and most perfect being and from whom all other beings proceed All natural motions and actions are creatures and all creatures are the work of a Creator Pet. Mart. loc commun loc 14 sect 19. Qui equid est quatenus est non tantum a creaturis sed per deum produeitur saith Peter Martyr Every thing that is so far as it is hath his production not onely from the Creature but from God And so far as these actions are beings Augustin de Fera relig cap. 34. and from God they are good Ipsum quantulum cunque esse bonum est quia summun esse est summun bonum saith Augustin The very being of any thing though never so small is good because the chiefest being is the chiefest good If it be objected that in sins of Omission there is no action Object therefore in these God hath no hand It may be answered though there be no outward action yet there is an action of the minde and wil Ans for when a man doth omit any duty he omits it sciens velens upon deliberation he doth willingly choose rather to let it alone then performe it Homo corruptus vult non amare proximum Pet. Mart. loc commun loc 14. sect 20. vult nonire adsaerum caelum ac perinde videmus actum voluntatis ille actus quà astus nataâ—ae a Deo est saith Peter Martyr A corrupt minded man will not love his neighbour he will not go to the holy Assemblies this act of his will so far as it is an act of nature is of God Thus we have seen how God hath a hand in sin divers waies The two first are acts of his Soveraignty whereby he acts as a fire Agem as being bound to none The two second are acts of his justice whereby he inflicts punishment upon such as deserve it The two last are acts of his power and providence whereby he doth not
besides his scope and intents To this doubt answer may be made by distinguishing betwixt intentio operis operantis Answ the intention of worke and the workeman Sin is besides the scope of the worke which God doth but not besides his owne intent who is the agent and workeman When he decrees sin shall be he intends it shall be by such wayes and meanes by which acts and workes so far as he works in it as in themselues and their own nature tend onely to good and are meer accidentall causes of the evill which man does The Law and word of God his mercies judgements and all his dealing with men in their owne nature tend to this end namely to make men better not worse and if they be made worse by them it is propter scopum besides the scope and intent whereto these things in their owne nature tend The Gospel in it selfe tends to life when therefore it is the savour of death it is besides the proper scope intent and of the Gospel but though it besides the intent of the Gospel to be the savour of death it is not besides Gods intent for he both knows and intends in what effect the Gospell shall have otherwise he should be defective in his wisedome and providence besides what power the Gospel hath to produce an effect either way it receives from him Hence it is aid to be the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 the powerfull instrument which God useth to bring men salvation which power he puts into it and so likewise when he workes the other way it is power also The Lord bids the Prophet Go make the hearts of this people fat and make their â—ares heavie and shut their eyes c Isa 6.10 and how should he do this namely by preaching the word unto them by which it appeares that sometimes the word doth harden mens hearts close their ears and shut their eyes and that God intends it should do so and sends it for this very purpose yet the word in owne nature tends to soften their hearts to open their cares and eyes to make them see and heare better so that the word here is onely an accidentall cause it being beside the scope and intent of the word to harden yet this is not besides Gods intent who in all his actions and in the use of such instruments as are imployed in them propounds to himselfe a most sure and certaine end By all which appeares as the secret and just judgement of God so his infinite wisedome and skill who can worke out his owne ends by such meanes as in their owne nature do tend a contrary way CHAP. X. Shewing some usefull conclusions which do necessarily follow from what hath been spoken of this Subject IF God so ordereth things Conclu 1 that in all the sins which are committed by men though he hath a secret working hand yet he workes in a most just and holy manner and doth nothing but what is right and good Hence it followes that in all the sin which is committed in all the evill which is done either by our selves or others we lay all the blame on our selves or them not imputing the least miscarriage on God not so much as in our thoughts He is just in al his wayes and holy in all his workes what ever he doth is well done be the instruments never so bad by whom it is done In all the evill that befals us we have no just reason at all to repine and murmur to be impatient or discontent for all his dealings with us whether by his word or his workes his mercies or his judgements do in themselves tend to good when therefore any evill comes we must take heed we do not charge God foolishly Iob 1.22 but remember that we have procured these things to our selves as the Prophet tels the people Jer. 2.17 Sin is the seed of sorrow all the evill of suffering ariseth from the evill of finning and this ariseth onely from our selves yea though sometimes we suffer many evils altogether unjustly as they proceed from men yet as they come from God who guides all the actions of men they are done most holily wisely and justly Thus Daniel acknowledgeth in regard of himselfe and his people O Lord righteousnesse belongs to thee open shame to us Dan. 9.6 Thou art just in all that is come upon us saith Nehemiah for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly cap. 9. last Let God be true and every man a lyar saith the Apostle Rom. 3.4 So let God be just and holy and every man sinfull wicked and wretched abundantly worthy of all the evill which comes upon him Hence it follows Conclu 2 that we ought with all reverence to admire and to adore the infinite wisedome justice and power of God that is able to worke in the most blame worthie actions of sinfull men and yet himselfe remaine altogether blamelesse that is able to bring about the best ends by the worst meanes that in many great works which have been done in the world hath wrought out such ends as have been altogether different yea sometimes contrary to the scope and intent of those who have been the principall actors and agents in them Little did Josephs brethren thinke that when they sold their brother for a slave this should be the meanes of making him the greatest mam in all the Land of Egypt next to Pharaoh Little did Haman thinke that when out of his hate and indignation against Mordecai he gate a decree of destroying all the Jewes in the Kings Dominion in one day that this should be a meanes and occasion of making them have a hand against their adversaries and of procuring liberty to destroy them yea of bringing himselfe to the Gallowes Hest 8.11.7.10 Little did the Jewes thinke that their envie and hatred against Christ should be an occasion of redemption of mankind that when they spit upon him buffeted him beat him with rods crowned him with thornes caused him to suffer the shamefull and accursed death of the Crosse that this should be a meanes of his greater advancement and exaltation yet the Scripture saith that because he made himselfe of no reputation and humbled himselfe to the death of the Crosse therefore God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every man Phil. 2.8 what reason therefore have we in way of admiration to cry out with the Apostle Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and ounsell of God unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11.33 Thirdly Conclu 3 hence it follows that we ought to acknowledge with all thankefulnesse that infinite goodnesse of God which doth not suffer us to goe on in a course of sinning especially in such a sort as would ruine our soules and drive us to destruction for if he should it would be in vaine for us to complaine against him he would easily acquit himselfe and justifie his owne proceedings he would be justified in his words and overcome when he is judged as the Apostle speakes Ro. 3.4 he would easily convince us that in all the evill which we have done or shall suffer the just blame lyes upon our owne heads and our destruction is of our selves he would cause our mouthes to be stopped and make us as all the world to be found culpahle before him Rom. 3.10 If he should enter into judgement with us we should not be able to answer one of a thousand what a mercy is it that he doth not suffer us to fall into sin so frequently and in so fowle a manner as we are ready to doe especially that he doth not charge our sins upon us What reason have we to say with the Psalmist Praise thou the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thine infirmities who doth not deale with us after our sins nor reward us after our iniquities but as high as the heaven is above the earth such is his mercy towards us as far as the East is from the West so far he doth remove our sins from us Psalm 103.1 3.10 11 12. to him alone be all glory now and ever FINIS