were euill that God chuseth some and not others Against vs he praeuaileth no more then if he should cast feathers against the winde For man originally was made right and to liue well and happily But falling wilfully from God he incurred Gods wrath Saint Paul 2 Tim. 2 saith if any man cleanse himselfe hee shall bee made a vessell of honour but if the Mountebanke say he can clense himselfe and hath it in his power to be made a vessell of honour he shall dishonour his Mountebankship turning plaine Pelagian Of any thing that we say it followeth not that man is of necessity forced to be euill as Basil saith for he sinneth willingly Chrysostome saith Iudas ranne wilfully into his treason so oftentimes blind and ignorant men run wilfully into Popery and other haeresies To conclude Prosper de vocat Gent. cap. 2. saith God damneth no man vniustly But what maketh all this long speaking against Caluin Doth he say or can the Mountebanke conclude out of his words that God damneth any man vniustly or is cause of euill Thus he wrestleth against Caluin in vaine But his owne wicked doctrine is quickly ouerthrowne without any great wrestling For if election and reprobation of men be made for the good vse of free-will or workes foreseene vvhy doth the Apostle Rom. 9. say that God did before they had done any workes loue Iacob and hate Esau And vvhy did he deny he calleth them for their vvorkes Why doth he assigne no cause of election but Gods purpose In the same place he saith God will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy and Ephes 1. that God made choice of his children before the foundation of the vvorld Saint Austine goeth a little further lib. 15. de ciuit Dei c. 1. vvhen diuiding all mankind into tvvo societies he saith The one is praedestinated to reigne eternally with God the other to sustaine eternall punishment with the deuill And epist 105. ad Sixt. God made some vessels of wrath to destruction that hee might therein shew his power This is also the doctrine of Peter Lombard sent lib. 1. dist 41. a. of Thomas 1. q. 23 art 2. and many Schoolemen Neither is this a forraine doctrine as is his Foppery Popery and Arminianisme but the true tenet of the domesticals of faith yea of the Church of England from vvhich this runnegate doth vvilfully dissent Art 17. The Church saith predestination is Gods euerlasting decree before the foundation of the world was laid The Mountebanke maketh praedestination to follovv the creation The Church maintaineth that we are iustified freely This Factor for Antichrist teacheth iustification by somewhat inhaerent in vs. The Church alloweth the doctrine of praedestination to be sweet pleasant and comfortable Desperate Dicke holdeth it to be a desperate doctrine He refuseth to be tied to the conclusions at Dort So doth also Master Alder and other Papists But what hath he to obiect against the conclusions of that reuerend Synode wherein his Diocesan and diuers learned Diuines of England did sit as iudges Is not such a blinking bayard ashamed to controle such authority And if he can say somewhat against it he will proue a profounder Arminian then his fellowes He praetendeth to follow the determinations of the Synode at London yet I haue proued that he directly opposeth them Further like as Iudas betraying Christ kissed him so this treacherous runnegate praetending to praise our English Diuines that were actors in the Synode of Dort doth secretly buffet them as confirming desperate doctrine and false conclusions Rayling against our brethren in the Low Countries he saith our Churches discipline in the Synode of Dort and other Dutch Synodes is held vnlawfull a shameles vntruth For in the Synode of Dort nothing was mentioned that condemned our discipline and other Synodes established their owne orders and spoke nothing of ours But to him all are Puritans and enemies that are not of his Popish cut This is certaine that neither our Church nor any Orthodox congregation doth hold that the reprobate and vessels of dishonour may be purged made vessels of honor as he doth p. 67. This is to rake hell and make Gods heauenly decrees mutable That Deodatus a minister of Geneua dissented from the conclusions at Dort as he affirmeth is not probable For why then did he subscribe to them That the Church of Geneua should dissent from Caluin and Beza her teachers I shall then beleeue when the Mountebanke shall shew wherein Let the Mountebanke shew if he can that the learned in Schooles or the Church in Synods maintained his Arminianisme or opposed or sharpely reproued the Articles established in a Synode at Lambeth as he boldly blindly and impudently affirmeth or else he hath for euer lost his credit And as for Doctor Whitaker of pious memory he was a man of that sincerity and learning that none of his Arminian consorts if he were aliue durst encounter him in disputation or otherwise As for this Mountebanke he dares not declare all his opinions but spuing forth his poison here and there by fragments hideth himselfe in the confusion of his other discourses Returning backe to talke of iustification he saith a iustified man may become like Saul and Judas But the Church of England teacheth not so nor doth it hold that Saul and Judas were truly iustified nor if he were once iustified should he be so like Saul and Judas He inueigheth against our brethren of France and the Low Countries as not conformable to vs in their discipline Bu◠his hatred is more to their doctrine of faith then of discipline This is only to make a diuision and to stirre vp mens hatred against them that in the end they and we may haue our throats cut for our doctrine of faith Of sauing by absolute necessity without relation of repentance he talketh idlely For albeit God saue sinners yet he saueth none but such as are repentant And albeit he conferreth grace vpon men yet he doth not grace them but he changeth their will and maketh them conformable to his lawes But this is not the cause either of mans election or iustification but the effect rather Of the destruction of the reprobate he disputeth contrary to the doctrine of Saint Austine lib. 15 de civit Dei and Epist 105. ad Sixtum Yea contrary to the doctrine of his owne Fulgentius who saith Gods aequity maketh some to perish in hell Nay he doth not only resist the doctrine of the Fathers but of the Apostle also who Rom 9 saith God made some vessels to honour some to dishonour CHAP. 6. The censure passed vpon the eighth ninth tenth and eleuenth Chapters of the Mountehankes mishapen Appeale THe quaestion of freewill saith the Mountebank is full of perplexed obscurity And why so I pray you Forsooth because he findeth not that in praedestination and saluation God respecteth mans freewill or that man hath povver to resist Gods grace effectually mouing him and such like points of Popery and Pelagianisme But Saint Austine thought it no such matter of difficulty Neither doth our Church so thinke determining that man after Adams fall cannot by force of his will and workes prepare himselfe to faith and to call vpon God or to doe good works But saith he to my capacity that is obscure that is so much entangled with contradictory disputations Wherein he sheweth himselfe to be a man of shallow capacity For Papists against Scriptures and plaine points of faith oppose and dispute and yet will not say all points of faith which we hold against them are obscure perplexed He addeth that Bellarmine saith that concurrence of grace and freewill is a thing very difficill the same he proueth out of Benius Occham Sa and Caietan Fit Authors to iustifie Popery which indeed doth so neere touch Pelagianisme that it cannot be separated from it If the Mountebanke had not a mountaine of Popish haeresie in his braine he would neither hold such conclusions nor offer to iustifie them by such Authors all the difficulty consisting in this how they might vphold their errours against the doctrine of our Church grounded on Scriptures and Fathers Chap. 9. pag. 1. The Gagger he saith had merited more at Gods hands if he would haue beene more sparing in multiplying controuersies And so he betraying the cause of God and yeelding to his enemy for feare of multiplying controuersies thinketh he meriteth much at Gods hands as if honour were to be obtained by dishonoring and betraying the truth If he had liued in the time of the Arrians he would haue reconciled Catholike Christians and Arrians that hopeth to reconcile true Christians and Antichristian Papists Speaking to English in French he neither speaketh good English nor French Nay he speaketh not like a true Christian denying either Arminius to be a Bontifeu or incendiary he should say Boutefeu or that himselfe is a mouer of contention and therefore meaneth as he saith to haue an action of the case against the informers But while he is fitting a case with a cockescombe for his owne crowne let him looke to follow his Appeale more closely The informers feare him nothing being alwayes ready to iustifie their charge and auerring confidently that the Mountebanke in this Church and Arminius in the Low Countries with their intempestiue contentions about grace will predestination and perseverance other points of refined popery haue kindled such a flame as I feare will not easily bee quenched He commēdeth himselfe much for his moderation and dislike of multiplying controversies So doe also other vaineglorious pedants but his moderation is nothing but treason to religion and his dislike of controversies a liking of Popery Howbeit no man blameth him for his temper or for saying no more but for saying too much and because he could not temper himselfe so but that he shewed great zeale in fomenting seeds of Popery The controverted particulars about free-will as he beleeueth are of no such great moment vpon due examination As if he could better examine the wicked doctrine of popery thē the Church of England which art 10. resolueth that man after his fall cannot prepare himselfe to faith by his owne strength or doe good workes acceptable to God both directly against Papists whom hee seemeth to favour The 2. Councell of Orange c. 1. determineth that the liberty of
or euill and that he hath mercy me for works foreseene but because God hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and hardeneth whom hee will He addeth that God did not call saue and glorifie Peter without consideration of his faith obedience and repentance nor condemne Judas without respect to his sinne but this is the gaggling of a Goose to no purpose For the quaestioâ—â—s of election and reprobation and not of saluation and damnation of which damnation is for euill workes and saluation followeth worckes although not the merit of works That our will and works goe not before election the Apostle declareth Rom. 9. Jt is not in him that willeth saith the Apostle nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Ephes 1. He saith we are praedestinated in good workes which is a plaine 〈…〉 that good works are the eff 〈…〉 e causes of election Boldly also the Mountebanke auoucheth that our Church teacheth that a man truly iustified praedestinated may fal from grace proue not to be the child of God A most shamelesse slander against the whole Church of England that in the sixteenth Article by him pointed at doth neither speak of the falling away of the truly iustified or of such as are praedestinated Nay contrary in the seuenteenth Article our Church determineth first that the decree of praedestination was before the foundation of the world was laid and secondly that the same was constantly decreed We enter not into search of Gods secrets as he doth charge vs but only learne what God hath reuealed vnto vs in his word what the Apostle teacheth all of vs. And this we may doe without danger but to contest with God and to deny what the Apostle teacheth as the Mountebanke doth is not only dangerous but also impious That the doctrine of Gods absolute decree concerning praedestination to life without respect to mens works is desperate no man that is pious and learned will affirme for it is the doctrine of the Apostle of the Church and most learned Diuines only such desperate Papists and Arminians as this desperate Mountebanke declareth himselfe to be desperatly auouch vntruth But shall we heare the profundity of this Mountebankes learning concerning praedestination Listen then first he saith whatsoeuer God willeth commeth to passe A profound piece of worke which euery naturall man vnderstandeth and yet this naturall by consequence denieth that they are all saued whom God willeth and decreeth shall be saued He doth also contradict himselfe promising before that he would not meddle with the execution of Gods purpose 2. He pitcheth vpon creation and saith it goeth necessarily before praedestination a doctrine most false impious The Apostle Eph. 1. saith God hath chosen vs in Christ ante mundi constitutionem that is before the creation The Church of England likevvise Art 17. speaking of praedestination saith it is Gods euerlasting purpose before the foundations of the world were laid He should therefore if he cast off all piety yet remember his subscription to the Articles of our Religion of which he so oft talketh Thirdly he saith that all being in the masse of perdition God stretched out deliuerance in a Mediatour the man Iesus Christ and drew ehem out that tooke hold of mercy leauing them that would none of him But first the Mountebanke forgetteth what he hath in hand that is Gods aeternall decree before the world of sauing the elect and speaketh of the execution of the decree of which formerly he made promise to say nothing Next he maketh mans will to goe before election and to be the cause of our saluation and not Gods election which is the prime cause of it The foundation of God remaineth firme and hath this seale saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. God knoweth who are his Thirdly he contradicteth the Apostle Romans 9. who maketh Gods will to be the cause of our election and not our will apprehending Gods mercy 4. He saith nothing of faith obedience and works foreseene which notwithstanding his consorts make to be causes of election This is enough saith the Appellant to free God from being the Author of sinne As if God by the Apostle were not freed froÌ„ this wicked imputation albeit he did chuse men before the fouÌ„dation of the world did elect or reiect according to the purpose of his wil or men did not sinne willingly albeit he did elect some and reiect others Further if God did draw out such as would lay hold of his mercy and damned the rest yet seeing he knew all things before and decreed hovv all things should be God by the inference of this Mountebanke should be the Authour of sin and damnation for it And if this be fate then is the Mountebanke a teacher not only of fate but also of much fatuity making man to be the cause of his ovvne saluation and God the Author of mans damnation vvhich he vvould impute to others Justine Martyr in his Apology speaketh against fate as he saith and so doe vve But if election and reprobation inferre fate as he praetendeth then is this fatall Mountebanke a teacher of fate not daring to deny Gods aeternal decree of election and reprobation according to his owne purpose and wil. Fulgentius ad MonimuÌ„ saith iustice cannot be iustice if God be said not to find men vniust but to make them vniust As if any of vs held that God made man vniust or as if this did follow of Gods decree of reprobation He addeth that God doth praedestinate none to sin But the man hath lost both shame wit if he say that Caluin taught that man is praedestinated to sinne Going about to define fate the Mountebanke saith it is this that they that chuse the better part should receiue worthy rewards and that they that doe euill should receiue contrary rewards But fate is not only in receiuing rewards but in the disposition of things by a concatenation of ineuitable causes But if it be fate that men should receiue rewardes according to workes then is this talker of fate chained with the bonds of fate teaching as others doe rewards to be giuen according to works Tortullian de spectac cap. 2 denieth that God created his works to their destruction and saith that the cause of damnation is mens peruerse administration which we also confesse And yet election and reprobation is not for workes foreseene as the Popish Mountebanke would haue it With Clement also of Alexandria we deny that God is cause of euill and reason taught heathen men so to say And yet if this Mountebanke should praesume to say that God set him on to make this blind Appeale he should vndoubtedly hold that God is cause of euill Ecclesiastes chap. 7. saith God made man right but he busied himselfe with many quastions as this Mountebanke doth Nazianzen orat 42. saith we were made to be well and happy and Basil in a certaine Homily proueth that God is not the Author of euill As if it
CHAP. 5. A censure vpon his fift sixt and seuenth chapters concerning Election Praedestination and Reprobation IN the argument of his fift Chapter his words stand so as if he meant to ouerthrow the Apostles doctrine concerning predestination But his text sheweth that he meaneth to dispute against Gods purpose in choosing some and reiecting others and to declare that God saw some cause in man why he did both holding part with Arminius part with the Iesuites who make either faith or works foreseene or mans freewill to be cause of mans election and saluation and say that man is not rejected or not chosen but for the defect of his will and workes Which is misliked by all sound Diuines not because such enter into Gods secrets but because this is diuine doctrine reuealed in the Apostles writings He praetendeth to consent with the Lutherans But Zanchius declareth that they are a bastard brood of Lutherans that oppugne that doctrine which is the Apostles and was lately taught by Luther Bucer and other German Diuines As the Pagans did attribute the causes of their calamities to Christian Religion so saith the Mountebanke some haue attributed the troubles of the Low Countries falsly to the dissention wrought by the Arminians But this he speaketh out of his ignorance not knowing the danger wherein the Low Countries stood by the practises of Barneuelt and other of that sect And absurdly compareth the false doctrine of Arminius with the Catholicke doctrine of the Apostles and Christians that mislike the haeresies of Arminius with Pagans blaspheming our Christian faith Blessed be the peace-maker among men saith the Mountebanke But he is not the peace-maker that troubleth the peaceable state of the Church with his intempestiue doctrines of Popery nor is it a fit meanes to make peace to betray the truth of Religion to the publike enemies thereof Many fall away to the Pope but their apostacy maketh the diuision the greater and maketh vp no rents but renteth the vnity of the faith There is neuer a Bible-bearing hypocriticall Puritan in the packe saith he a better Patriot then himselfe As if Bible-bearing were a brand of an hypocrite By which argument either you or your man will proue hypocrites or Puritans when you appeare in the pulpit which is very seldome What doe or can professed Papists say more Such particoloured iacket-wearers albeit they seeme to make a faire lustre in the packe of cards yet are they nothing but Canarian pedants praising and pleasing themselues and no man else As for Bertius and Barneuelts followers they are Apostates and haue forsaken the faith and so would he haue once if mariage and hope of preferment had not staid him His heart is with the enemy and if any occasion be offred it is iustly to be suspected his body will not bee long from them John Caluin saith he came after in time So worthy Master John Caluin that famous Diuine with this biting Canarian is but plaine Iohn Caluin and he in his lofty conceit will be called Master Mountebanke and Rabbi and that is forsooth because he teacheth Pharisaicall iustice and such like haeresies But why noteth he as a defect in Caluin that he came after Luther Doth not he come after Arminius and betrayeth truth as Iudas betrayed Christ He professeth he will not be more tied to Caluin then to Luther or to either of them more then to Bellarmine As if Bellarmine were aequally to bee prized with these two Doctors that were great discouerers of the Popes Antichristian haeresie and policy We see indeed he standeth rather with Bellarmine then with Caluin and Luther or Causabon if any way they follow his squint-eyed positions But in wars and state if any false traitour be found flying to the enemy the Marshall where lawes are executed ties him vp as a fugitiue stops his flight Pag. 40. he telleth vs he was brought vp a member of the Church of England But why then did he once determine to aband 〈…〉 urch of England And why doth he now in so many points follow rather Bellarmine and Arminius then the Doctors of our Church Explaining his aduersaries doctrine he saith they hold that God primarily absolutely and irrespectiuely did from all aeternity decree to make some vessels of honour and some of dishonour to bring them vnto life or to cast them off vnto death to crowne them with glory or to plunge them into destruction and hell fire But if he were not ashamed of his owne absurd opinion he would first declare what himselfe holdeth and then more truly report his aduersaries doctrine That God did not respect somewhat in himselfe somewhat in his ends we deny not neither can any doubt that all the elect were praedestinated in Christ only we say he respected not mans freewill or faith or workes in chusing some and reiecting others Secondly we distinguish the decree of reprobation from the execution and deny that God did condemne and destroy any but for their euill deeds and deseruings Albeit he loued Iacob and hated 〈…〉 they had done either good or euill as the Apostle declareth Rom. 9. Chap. 9. He insinuateth that Caluin taught that God is Author of sinne that God made the most part of the world to perish euerlastingly that the reprobate are incited and prouoked to sinne by God that God was the Author of Iuda's treason Damnable calumniations against that faithfull seruant of God and borrowed from Papists in whose steps this man doth commonly and willingly tread I need not refute them for that the Mountebanke durst not affirme them But he that will be resolued of Caluins sincere dealing let him read the words as he setteth them downe in his owne bookes and consider the malice of his aduersaries distorting his words contrary to all sense and true meaning That Peter being elected could not perish or that Iudas being a reprobate could not but perish is a Catholike doctrine vnlesse it be an errour to hold God to be vnchangeable in his decrees and haeresie to hold Gods decrees to bee mutable If the Mountebanke doth maintaine the contrary he will discouer himselfe to be who he is and what the world supposeth him to be Gods absolute decree in election and reprobation without respect to workes in man the Lutherans saith the Mountebanke doe abhorre But Zanchius de Naâ—en Dei lib. 5. cap. 2. and in his Tract de Praedest Sanct. in Miscellan doth shew such to be Pseudolutherans prouing that Luther and Bucer taught as he did And that no such inference can be drawne out of it as they calumniously and blasphemously doe make That the Church of England teacheth that election or reprobation was decreed without respect of mens works or freewill well vsed this gaggler denieth But the declaration 〈…〉 de at Lambeth doth manifestly 〈…〉 shamelesse deniall The A 〈…〉 e also which this Church defendeth refelleth his boldnesse For Rom. 9. he sheweth that God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done good