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death_n	pass_v	sin_n	sin_v	8,257	5	9.3818	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09386	A C[hristian] and [plain]e treatise of the manner and order of predestination and of the largenes of Gods grace. First written in Latine by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Master William Perkins, late preacher of the word in Cambridge. And carefully translated into English by Francis Cacot, and Thomas Tuke.; De prædestinationis modo et ordine. English	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Cacot, Francis.; Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1606 (1606)	STC 19683; ESTC S103581	116,285	285

thee a view and picture of this Doctrine composed of these principles and do publish the same that I might to my power help out * Theologia fludi●ses those that stick in the difficulties of this doctrine of Predestination and that I might cleere the truth that is as they call it the Caluinists doctrine of those reproches which are cast vpon it and that I might mitigate and appease the mindes of some of our Brethren which haue beene more offended at it then was fit For I do willingly acknowledge and teach vniuersall redemption and grace so farre as it is possible by the word My mind is to pursue after peace which is departing from vs and I would haue all men so interpret my fact I alleadge the testimonies of the auncient euery where not but that euen one euident and perspicuous sentence of sacred Scripture cōcerning any point of Doctrine and Faith is of more value and force then all the testimonies of the Doctours and Schoole-men but because I hold it necessary that there should be had an example of consent and concord in that doctrine which is expounded in holy bookes and is propagated to all posterity And I hope I shall sufficiently perswade an indifferent iudge that these things haue not beene lately hatched at home which wee deliuer in our Congregations and Schooles but that we haue also deriued and fetched them from the Fathers themselues VVilliam Perkins THE ORDER OF PREDESTINATION as it is collected out of the Scriptures by the Author PRedestination is the counsell of God touching the last end or estate of man out of this temporall or natural life For as touching 1. Co● 15. 46 natural life we are all alike and this kind of life is in the counsell of God onely a preparation and step vnto the spirituall and heauenly life The supreme end of predestination is the manifestation of Gods glorie partly in his mercie and partly in his iustice And this hath bin the doctrin of the Fathers S. Austen saith that one of those two societies De Ciuit. ●Dei lib. 1● of men which wee mystically call two cities is that which is predestinated to raigne eternally with God and the other to suffer eternall punishment with the diuell Fulgentius saith also That in Gods predestination there Ad Monymum lib. 1. is prepared either a mercifull remission of sins or a iust punishing And Gregorie saith That God being a iust Creator vnto all after Comment in 1. Reg. Cap. 4. an admirable manner hath foreelected some and forsaken others in their corruptions And the more learned Schoolemen vse to say that God for the more full manifestation of his perfection hath predestinated some in manifesting his goodnes by the rule of mercie and damned others in representing his perfection by the rule of iustice The common meanes of accomplishing this counsell is two-fold the creation and the permission of the fall Creation is that by which God made y e whole man of nothing according to his owne image but yet changeable and endued with a naturall life The permission of the fall is whereby God did iustly suffer Adam and his posteritie to fall away in that he did not hinder them when he was able as being indeed bound to none to hinder And God is said not to hinder euill when he ceaseth after a sort from his operation not illuminating the minde and not inclining the will to obey his voyce This permission of the euill of fault is by Gods foreknowledge and will but yet only for the greater good of all which would bee hindred if God did not suffer euill For if there were not sinne there should bee no place for the patience of Martyrs and for the sacrifice of Christ offered vpon the crosse which doth infinitely exceede all the sinne of the whole world Augustine saith well God hath iudged it better to doe Enchir. cap. 27. good with euils than to permit no euill to be In like manner Gregorie saith In his seuere Expos. 〈◊〉 Reg. cap. 4. iudgement he suffereth euill to be done but withall he doth in mercie forecast what good things he may bring to passe by these euils which hee doth ordaine by his iudgement For what greater sinne is there than that by which we doe all die and what greater goodnesse than that by which we are deliuered from death And doubtlesse but that Adam sinned our Redeemer should not haue taken our flesh vpon him Whiles God was to be borne man the Almightie did foresee that hee would make of that euill for which they were to die a good which should be greater than that euill The greatnesse of which good what faithfull man is there who doth not see how wonderfully it doth excell Surely great are the euils which we suffer by the desert of the first fault but what faithfull man would not rather endure worse than to be without so great a Redeemer And in this respect elsewhere he calleth the fall of Adam foelicem culpam a happie fault That In benedict Cerci Pasc. which I haue said of the permission of the fall I doe also say of the fall permitted sauing that the permission is a meanes of the decree by it selfe but the fall is a meanes of accomplishing the decree onely by the ordination of God who draweth good out of euill This fall permitted commeth not to passe but God being willing neither doth it come to passe contrariwise or otherwise than God permitteth neither can it any further be than hee doth permit Yet the will of God is not the cause of the fall but the will of man left vnto it selfe by God and moued by the suggestion of Sathan which will appeare by this similitude I build a house subiect to change and falling which notwithstāding would continue many yeeres if it might bee free from the annoyance of windes yea if I would but vnderprop it when the storme commeth it would continue stable But as soone as the windes begin to rage I do not vnderprop it and it is my will not to vnderprop it because it is my pleasure so to doe thereupon the house being weatherbeaten falleth downe I see the fall and in part I will it because now when I could very easily haue hindred the fall yet I would not And although thus farre I doe will the fall in so much as it is my will not to hinder it yet the cause of the fall is not to be imputed vnto me that did not vnderproppe it but to the winds which cast it downe So God leauing Adam vnto himselfe that hee might be prooued by tentation and that it might appeare what the creature is able to doe the Creator ceasing for a time to helpe and guide is not to bee accounted the cause of this fall For he did not encline the minde to sinne hee did not infuse any corruption neither did he withdraw any gift which he did bestow in the creation onely it pleased

Gods counsels either haue an vncertaine euent or are in vaine propounded Thirdly this platforme attributed vnto God a certaine ordered and fitted will Error 3. which doth wholy depend on mans will Thou saist that God willeth that all men whatsoeuer should bee saued by Christ. Very well Tell me therefore why they are not saued They themselues will not thou first Yea wis What is this but to set the creature in the throne of almightie God the Creator against the order of nature and of all causes For the first cause which indeede is Gods will ought to order and dispose the act of the second cause And therefore wee must not giue vnto God a will that is ordered by the will of the creature especially considering that all order in heauen and in earth whatsoeuer proceedeth from him That which ordereth all things is ordered of none Moreouer men after this sort are elected of themselues by receiuing of Gods grace being offied by the assistance of common grace and are also reiected of themselues by refusing of grace offred and men themselues shall be the makers and framers of their owne election and reprobation and God who chuseth is not so much to be praised as the men that do receiue and embrace the blessing offered Fourthly this platforme laies downe a determinate spreknowledge about the Error 4. euill of fault without any decree going before concerning the euent of the fault which cannot be A definite foreknowledge is not the cause of that thing which is to be but the thing which shal be is the cause of the foreknowledge thereof For the thing which shall be followes not the foreknowledge of it but foreknowledge followeth the thing which shall be as Iustinus taught For God doth first decree a Quaest. 58. Orthodox thing as touching the euent then afterwards hee doth foreknew by his definite foreknowledge that it shall be And Anselme In that saith he a thing is said to be foreknowne it is by that pronounced that Depraed sanct c. 14. it shall be And Augustine before his time affirmed That God doth foreknow that which shall be Hence it followeth that a thing must oxist with God before it can be precisely and definitly knowne before And euery thing existeth and is because God did will and decree to doe it if it be good or to suffer it to be done if it be euill haue respect alwaies to the good that is ioyned with it Vnlesse wee shall hold and grant this it will follow that something hath being of it selfe that is that something is a God Therefore the existencie or being of things doth not goe before but out of all doubt followes the decree of God For first of al there is a foteknowledge or as it pleaseth others a knowledge Scientia intuitiua of beholding whereby God beholdeth and seeth what is possible to bee and what not Then followeth the decree either of Gods operation or of his voluntarie permission and consequently of the euent of the thing And this decree being once laid down the definitiue foreknowledge is conceiued whereby it is knowne what shall come to passe infallibly The fifth desect in this platforme is that it teacheth that Christ for his part Error 5. hath redeemed and reconciled all and euery man to God and that very many of them for all that as touching the euent are damned which is very absurd For if this were so sinne Satan death and hell should be more mightie than Christ the Redeemer and as Augustine saith Vitio humano vincitur Deus God is ouercome by mans sinne If thou wilt say that God is De cor grat cap. 7. not ouercome yet I say and that according to this platforme that he is altered for hee hath decreed and seriously willed to saue all men and yet not withstanding another sentence being giuen he willeth to destroy those which will not incline and bend themselues to this counsell This platforme maketh sauing grace which indeed is supernaturall to be altogether Error 6. vninersall But this opinion to speake no hardlier of it is a plausible deulse of mans braine For first of all hereby the speciall couenant made with Abraham and the greatnesse of Gods metcies towards the Gentiles is abolished And there is no mysterie of the vocation of the Gentiles if all and euery particular man were by certaine meanes called vnto Christ from the beginning For those which shall by the helpe of common grace which they shall receiue giue assent vnto God calling them whether it bee by extraordinary instinct or by the ministerie of the word preached they shall bee accounted among the members of the Church and shal belong to the speciall couenant of the Gospell Moreouer if the first grace bee vniuersall it is either faith actually or in power For without faith it is impossible to please God and to attaine saluation But actuall saith is not common to all The power of faith is double the first is that whereby thou hast receiued power to bee able to beleeue if thou wilt But this is not sufficient vnto saluation because now after Adams fall free will in spirituall things is wanting especially in the conuersion of a sinner and therefore further grace is required whereby a man may he able to will to beleeue No man can come to Christ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Ioh. 6. 44. drawne of the 〈◊〉 N 〈◊〉 they are not drawne 〈◊〉 to beleeue if they will 〈◊〉 of men willing a●● ma●● 〈◊〉 ●●lling The second power is that 〈◊〉 by a man hath receiued power to ●●ll to belee 〈◊〉 but this is not common to all men 〈◊〉 you saith Christ to his discipl●s it 〈◊〉 gi●●● 〈◊〉 know the mysteries of the Kingd●●e of heauen but Mat. 1● 15. not so 〈◊〉 sho 〈◊〉 because the Father hath ●idd● them from the wise Againe Therfore could they not beleaue because Isa 〈◊〉 foretold this Ioh. 32. 39. Furthermore if this power were common to all and to each person faith were common to all For the will and the deede sloweth from one and the selfe same grace Phil. 〈◊〉 13. It is God who worketh 〈◊〉 yo● the will and the deed euen of 〈◊〉 good Preposition pleasure Iohn 〈◊〉 Wh●s●●uer hath heard and learned of the f●ther 〈◊〉 vnto 〈◊〉 Christ. But whosoever hath power to will to beleeue hath heard and learned as being drawne of God therefore whosoeuer hath power to will to beleeue commeth vnto Christ. Well saith Ausien It followeth not that hee which can c●me doth De●at 〈◊〉 grat 〈◊〉 Pelag. c. 5. come vnlesse hee both will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do● i● 〈◊〉 euerie one that hath learned of the father hath not only power to c●me bu● also he doth 〈◊〉 where now there is possibili 〈◊〉 profect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affectus effectus est So it appeareth that to wil to beleeue and actually to beleeue are most neerely conioyned yea seriouslie to will to beleeue

themselues but against their sinnes and this both within and without Within when hee maketh them to feele an accusing conscience witnessing that God is displeased and that they are made guiltie of death by their sinne Without when they taste of Gods anger against them in the outward chastiseme●●s of the bodie And thus far they fall from his ●●herly loue and are become the enemies of God after a sort I say A●●er a sort because God doth not lay downe his fatherlie affection and doth not alter his purpose of Adoption and eternall life Although the faithfull do fall away so much as 〈◊〉 h in them yet God remaineth a father in Christ and they also as touching right vnto eternall life remaine sonnes Ioh. 10. 28. They shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hand Here some doe say that the sheepe cannot be pluckt out but yet they may of their owne accore s 〈◊〉 cke away but without reason for the sheepe which reuolteth is pluckt away by the diuell when it doth reuolt And as he which continueth in Christs word is verily his disciple so he that doth not fall away but abides a sheepe is verilie a sheepe Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ Rom. 10. 29. The gifts and calling of God are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without repentance 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale the Lord knoweth who are his Second grace is either imputed or inherent imputed is in iustification a part whereof is remission of sinnes And this remaineth and shall foy euer remaine sure as touching sinnes passed That saying of the Schoolemen is most true Sinnes once forgiuen continue so alwaies But when that any faithful man shall fall grieuously the pardon of that fall is granted in Gods decree notwithstanding no pardon is actually giuen of God nor receiued of mā vntill he doe repent yea if he should neuer repent which notwithstanding is impossible he should be damned as being guiltie of eternall death by this offence For there is no pardon of any new sinne without a new act of faith and repentance Inherent grace is either faith or the gift which followeth faith In sauing faith we must consider the act and the habit The act of faith is the very action of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apprehending or an vnfained apprehension of Christ. Now this faith may be lost according to some act The very habit also or power of faith may in it selfe bee lost but by reason of confirming grace faith doth not perish as touching the essence thereof but it is lesned and abated according to some degree And hence it followeth that our communion with Christ may bee diminished but that our vnion cannot be dissolued There remained in Dauid after his fall the seed of true faith and regeneration as appeareth by his words Psal. 51. 11. Take not thy holy spirit from me It is also the iudgement of the Greg. lib. 25 in lob in Eleb Homil. 15. Tertull. lib. de Persec Chrysoft hom 2● in Math. auncient fathers that the roote of faith in Peters fall was not taken away and abolished but only mooued and that it did as it were waxe drie that it was onely shaken and troden on and that it did not vtterly vanish Here also we are to giue eare a while to Gratian who consenteth with vs and to this purpose hath gathered many testimonies together out of the fathers Hath loue saith hee taken roote bee secure no euill can proceed Againe Loue doth vtterly Decret 2. pars c. 33. q. 3. sine de poenit d. 2. estrange the mind wherein it hath once taken possession from the delightes of the world Againe Loue is ioyned to God and vnited inseparably and is alwaies inui●cible in all Againe Loue is an inu●sible v●ction which sta●ds as it were in stead of a roote to him in whom s●●uer it shall be which cannot wither though the s 〈◊〉 e doe parch whatsoeuer is r 〈◊〉 d is nourished with the heate of the 〈◊〉 and doth not w●rher Againe Hee lookes backe after the plough who after that hee hath begun to doe good workes returnes to euil● which he did forsake Which in no wise befalleth to the elect Againe All the elect doe so goe forward vnto good things that they do not returne to the committing of euill And againe The fitting and mouing of the spirit may be thus vnderstood For as touching some virtues it doth alwaies abide in the hearts of the Saints but according vnto other it comes as that which will returne and ●eturnes as purposing to come For as c 〈◊〉 ning faith hope and charitie and other graces without which it is not possible to come to that heauenly countrie as namely humilitie Chastitie iustice and mercie it neuer forsaketh their hearts that are vpright But as touching the vertue of prophecie the eloquence of doctrine and working of miracles it is sometimes present with the elect and sometimes it withdrawes it selfe The Schoolemen alledge Augustine to the contrary opinion where hee saith De cor grat cap. 6. 8. That doubtlesse if the man which is renewed and iustified doe fall backe by his owne will vnto an euill life he cannot say I haue not receiued because he hath by his owne free will vnto euill lost the grace of God which hee did receiue And againe That God doth not giue the gift of perseuerance vnto some of his Cap 9. children whom he did regenerate in Christ and to whom hee gaue faith hope and loue But he speaketh not these things of those which are indeede the sonnes of the promise but of those which are so called of vs and which beare the name and profession of sonnes Furthermore he speaketh of such as haue faith and loue in opinion and imagination and truely also as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 touching outward practise ●or Augustine in the same place hath so expounded his meaning We must beleeue that some of the Cap. 13. sonnes of perdition doe * He speaketh of the iustice of life and not of the inwarde righteousnes of the heart Tract 5. in Iob. epist. begin to liue and for a time faithfully and iustly in the faith that worketh by loue and afterwards fall Thirdly he speaketh of faith and loue as they are imperfect vertues and as it were lately sprung vp and not as they are sound perfect and true to wit as touching the truth of their essence So Augustine Loue is sprung vp within thee but it is not yet persi●ed doe not despaire but nourish it lest it be sti●●ed And Gratian This loue which was an herbe in Peter before his deniall Ibid. cap. 24 and which springeth vp in euery one is lost and repaired before it be strengthened and made perfect And indeed for the manifesting of the truth of faith and loue there is required perseuerance by which it might bee knowne

naturall infidelitie and bee made vnexcusable of all their sinnes before God in the last iudgement For thus I distinguish of Gods commaundement there is a certaine commaundement of obedience the performance whereof God willeth in all hither are referred the commaundements of the morall law There is also a certaine commaundement of triall as the commaundement of sacrifysing Isaac Gen. 22. 〈◊〉 whereas God willeth not the act it selfe but onlie the manifestation of obedience And therefore God must not bee said to mocke men if by the word preached hee doe outwardly call those whom hee will not haue to be saued for by this meanes hee sheweth vnto them the riches of his grace and declareth that they perish by their owne fault because they will not receiue saluation offered But you will say they cannot I confesse as much but that inabilitie whereby they cannot is voluntarie and borne together with vs not infused into vs by God and therefore it cannot be excused Very well therefore saith Bernard The master knew well that the weightinesse of the commandement exceeded Ser. 40. in Cant. the strength of man but he thought i● expedient euen in this that it put them in remembrance of their owne insufficiency Therefore by commaunding things impossible hee makes not men s●arners from the trueth but humbleth them that euery mouth may bee stopped So saith Augustine de grat lib. arbit cap. 43. Secondly I answere that that which euery one is bound to beleeue is true vnlesse any one shall by his owne vnbeleefe hinder himselfe this doth the reprobate by his owne inborne infidelitie Thirdly I answer that the argument doth follow twice affirmatiuely in both propositions For the termini or parts of the proposition are thus to bee turned That is true that euery one is bound to beleeue but euery one is bound to beleeue that he is redeemed by Christ. Therfore that is true Obiect IIII. The fathers which beleeued aright doe affirme that Christ redeemed all the whole world Ans. Whereas they write that Christ redeemed all men and the world their meaning is that hee did it according vnto sufficiencie and the common cause and common nature of all which Christ did take vpon him and not effectually on Gods part This very thing doth Prosper make plaine All men saith he are rightly said to be redeemed in respect of the one nature of all and the one Resp. ad obiect vin l. 〈◊〉 ob 〈◊〉 cause of all which our Lord did truely take vpon him and yet all are not deliuered from captiuitie The proprietie of redemption without doubt belongeth vnto them for whom the prince of the world is sent abroad whose death was not so bestowed for mankind as that it should also pertaine vnto the redemption of them who were not to bee regenerated And againe he saith Our Sauiour may fitly be said to be crucified for the Ad Capit. Gall. cap 9. redemption of all the world both in respect that he truely tooke vpon him the nature of man and also in respect of the common or generall perdition in the first man and yet he may be said to be crucified only for those vnto whom his death was auaileable Moreouer the fathers speake of the vniuersalitie and of the world of beleeuers So saith he that is the Author of the calling of the Gentils The people of God saith he haue their Lib. 1. cap. 〈◊〉 fulnesse And thus much for the efficacie and greatnesse of Christs death Now as concerning grace I say that that is diuerslie distinguished For first it is either restrayning or renewing The restrayning grace is that whereby the inbred corruption of the hart is not therby vtterly diminished and taken away but in some is restrained more in some lesse that it breake not violently forth into action and it is giuen onely for a testimonie vnto man and to preserue order amongst men in a politique societie and this kind of grace is generall that is belonging to all and euery man amongst whome some doe exceed othersome in the giftes of ciuill virtues and there is no man in whom God doth not more or lesse restraine his naturall corruption Now renewing or Christian grace as auncient writers doe vsuallie call it is that whereby man hath power giuen him to beleeue and repent both in respect of will and power and it is vniuersall in respect of those that beleeue but indefinit in respect of all and euerie man Thus we teach thus we beleeue Secondly Grace is either naturall or De praed sanct cap. 5. supernatural as Augustine himselfe teacheth Naturall grace is that which is bestowed on man together with nature and this is either of nature perfect or corrupt Perfect as the image of God or righteousnesse bestowed on Adam in his creation This grace belonged genenerally vnto all because we all were in Adam and whatsoeuer hee receiued that was good he receiued it both for himsel● and his posteritie The grace of nature corrupted is a natural inlightning whereof Iohn speaketh He enlightneth euery man that commeth into the world yea and euery Ioh. 1. 9. naturall gift And these gifts truly by that order which God hath made in nature are due and belonging vnto nature But that Grace which is supernaturall is not due vnto nature especially vnto nature corrupted but is bestowed by speciall grace and therefore is speciall This the ancient writers affirme Augustine saith Nature is common to al but not grace and he only acknowledgeth De verb Apost ser. 11. a twofold grace namely that common grace of nature wherby we are made men and Christian grace wherby in Christ we are againe borne new mē And hee is of opinion that some that doe not beleeue in Christ do not sinne which is a thing notwithstanding very vngodlie and vntrue if grace bee as generall as nature Let vs well weigh his words In that he hath saith he added Now they are Tract 89. in Iohan. inexcusable for their sinne it may mooue men to aske whether those vnto whom Christ hath not come nor spoken may haue any excuse for their sinne To this question according to my vnderstanding I make answer that they cannot bee inexcusable for euery sinne which they haue committed but for this sinne that they haue not beleeued vnto whom Christ did not come and vnto whom hee did not speake But they are not in this number vnto whom hee hath spoken in his disciples and by his disciples which he also now doth For he came vnto the Gentils by his Church It remaines for vs to demaund whether they can haue this excuse which haue bin or are preuented by death before Christ came in his Church to the gentiles and before they heard his Gospell I answere that without doubt they may but they cannot therefore escape damnation for whosoeuer haue sinned without the law shall also perish without the law Againe hee saith Onely grace distinguisheth Enchir. c. 99