The spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and if children then heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ The Holy Ghost we received which is the earnest of our inheritance and whereby we are sealed against the day of Redemption and having Christ's spirit we are sure to be his this spirit makes us call God our Father which is no lye for it is the Spirit of Truth it is the Spirit of Adoption which assures us that we are the children of God and consequently heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven which Christ is gone before to take possession of in his name and for us and if we may so speak after the manner of Men God the Father trusted the Son for the satisfaction to be given to Divine Justice till the time appointed to do 't was come in hope of the Resurrection of the Body the Souls of the redeemed were before Christ's death received into Abraham's bosom So for the possession of the purchase made by Christ's death namely eternal life if I may so say the Son doth trust the Father till the time of the whole and full purchased possession be come Yet this ought to be taken notice of how God not only hath promised but also for our Comfort and Assurance hath given us his holy spirit for earnest of performance of his promises And this holy spirit is given us not only as security but as a guide to direct and (a) Joh 16.13 lead us as our Saviour saith into all truth which he doth 1. with Illumination and shewing us the way 2. In his giving us strength and courage to go thorough Dark and Thorny ways 3. In removing obstructions and difficulties 4. In continuing his help to improve grace 5. In bringing us at last into eternal life Which truths the Soul of the Elect being convinced of they suffer themselves wholly and only to be guided by him with an absolute resignation unto his directions whereby we learn not to trust our selves to the guidance of our own natural reason or of our heart for in spiritual things our Light is but Darkness And (b) Prov. 28.26 he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool for neither our Reason nor our Heart can shew us a way to be delivered from sin and to give a satisfaction to God there being none but the righteousness of Christ which the holy spirit doth perswade us of and through Faith applies it to us to which end (c) Joh. 14.16 he doth abide with us for ever He is not come afterwards to leave us but saith our Saviour Ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Vers 17 'T is upon the presence of this Holy and Blessed Spirit and the knowledge we have of him that we do ground the certitude of our Election which to deny is as much as in one lies to deprive the believing Soul of the sweetest comfort in this life and 't is that consideration that makes me insist so long upon this point wherein we do but follow St. Paul's steps in those Quotations we had of him just before out of those several verses of his 8. chap. to the Romans than the which nothing can be more fuâ—l and to the purpose to work an assurance and a study how in our lives and conversations to behave our selves as becometh the children of God to which for greater confirmation of this we shall add the three last verses of that Chapter where after he hath said before by way of defiance no body can lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect nor condemn them nor nothing in this World part them from God's love in Christ he concludeth in these words (a) Rom. 8.37 38 39. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours through him that loved us for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come Nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. After this he who will believe Scripture must believe there is a certitude of Election though in a different degree every true Believer hath assurance though every one hath not a full assurance (b) 1 Joh. 3.3 Yea every man that hath this hope of glory in him purifieth him self even as he God is pure Yet for all the clear Evidences of this Truth the Adversaries thereof will not be mute but better for them to say nothing than what they say First they corrupt a place of Scripture which Papists made use of against us upon the very same account (c) Eccl. 9.1 2 A man cannot tell whether he deserves love or hatred so he cannot be sure but according to the Original 't is thus No man knoweth what either love or hatred by all that is before them That is he knoweth not the causes of the things which in this world happen unto men for this he speaks of vers 2. as followeth All things come alike to all men there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean c. As is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an Oath So that hath no relation to his Eternal State or his Election and though Man cannot tell the reason of the several dispensations of God's Providence it doth not hinder but he may know his own Eternal State and Condition They object the saying of (d) Prov. 27.1 Solomon Boast not of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Which Text forbiddeth an over confident boasting of good successes in this Life and 't is not to the purpose of Election or Eternal Life As to that of St. Paul (a) Rom. 11 2â— thou standest by faith be not high minded but fear There the Apostle speaketh against carnal Security and a confidence in ones own strength Many say our Adversaries who think to be in favour with God deceive themselves consequently cannot be sure of their Election we own there are such ones but they have nothing of true Piety only an outward profession a vain name and only in appearance So they cannot be sure of that which is not But those who are elected indeed do attain to the certitude of it In time of temptation this assurance is shaken and somewhat disturbed but when through grace we have overcome the temptation the certainty is renewed and strengthned for in the temptation or out of it 't is never utterly lost We do not wonder some deny it to be had till the last breath if at all because the ordinary means of certitude as justifying Faith Justification Sanctification c. which are only the Childrens Bread they make common to Believers and Reprobates Thus much of Election now we must speak of Reprobation Of REPROBATION
arising out of their Doctrines AFter they have done their worst against us they must now give us leave to retort upon them but on much better and truer grounds First Their Doctrine of Predestination doth quite overturn the Eternal and Unchangeable decree of God about Election and Reprobation for if every man may believe repent and be saved if he will himself then it unavoidably followeth that every man is left unto himself without the bounds of any decree set unto him then there can be no eternal immutable positive decree binding either way Election or Reprobation Secondly It makes the unconstant will of man the ground of all God's Eternal and Unchangeable Decrees concerning man Whereas God only (a) Ephes 1.11 works all things after the counsel of his own will not according to the natural inclination of our will whereby God is subordinated to man and his will made to depend upon the will of man Thirdly This makes the Creature Absolute Independent from the Soveraign disposing and over-ruling Providence of the Maker and makes God a bare Spectator not an orderer of humane Actions Hereupon God must wait upon Men and not Men upon God so God is deprived of all disposing Power and over-ruling the wills and works of men His absolute Supremacy over them to save or not will be abolished thus men may save themselves when God will damn and damn themselves when God would save This is to constitute an absolute independent eternal Being in the wills of men pre-existent to the eternal will of God both in Nature and Time for if the fore-knowledge and Decrees do result from the will and inclinations of men then man's inclination and will doth necessitate and predetermine the most absolute and most free Decrees of God and raiseth a self dependence which is to make a god of the will of man Fourthly It takes away from God the Praise and freedom of his grace for if every man may thus convert and save himself because according to them those only are saved who take care to improve the general common grace derived equally upon all men what thanks to God then for any special favour man may thank himself not God who doth no farther save him than he saveth himself This indeed destroyeth the nature of the grace of God in that it doth indifferently communicate it to all Hence Election Vocation Adoption Justification Sanctification Faith Conversion Repentance Charity are called graces because bestowed upon few and that without any merit of the person Thus when a Prince bestoweth freely a Place an Office a Pension upon a man it is grace and favour because not bestowed upon all or upon some other man farther this maketh Grace and Heaven a purchase of our own and not a free gift of God and makes it subordinate unto our will confining the receiving or rejecting of it to times and seasons of our own When alas (a) John 3.8 the spirit doth breath when and where it listeth and subjecting it to several alterations at our pleasure whereas it is perpetual and unchangeable in it self Fifthly It suspendeth the fruit and application of Christ's death the effectual working of the spirit the saving power of God's Ordinances with the beginning and progress of Grace so by these means our whole Salvation is in our hands It gives man liberty to make all inward and outward means of grace either void or effectual at his pleasure which overthroweth the whole foundation of Scriptures which attribute our whole Salvation to God alone and giveth the lye to God's word which saith (a) Ephes 2.1 5. we are dead in trespasses and sins and so cannot exercise any functions of life (b) Joh. 15.5 That God hath quickned us and not we our selves That without Christ we can do nothing that is without his special grace And (c) Philip. 2 1â— God worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure and not according to our will and inclination That it is (d) 1 Cor. 4.7 God that makes us to differ one from another And that we have nothing but what we did receive That (e) 1 Cor. 15.10 by the grace of God only we are what we are and so many more places to the same purpose which wholly overthrow universal sufficient grace Sixthly This puts mankind in as good if no better condition after fall than before Adam had only a possibility not to fall but not to rise after the fall but we though naturally born in sin may after this rate rise if and when we please he had a free will not to sin yet he did sin and was not born in sin but we who are sinners from the Womb can save our selves if we have a mind to it if so no hurt is happened to us by his fall On the contrary we are put in a better condition than before for thereby Election Vocation Conversion Faith Repentance and every other saving grace are put in our power that all these divine soul-saving graces do depend upon our corrupt wills and contrary to Scripture are not the (f) Matth. 13.11 Rom. 5.15 16 17. chap. 11.29 gifts of God and doth not this give men just occasion to boast and glory in themselves whereby the chief end of grace is destroyed which is to (g) Rom. 3.27 take away boasting from men and have (h) Ephes 1.12 14. Philip. 1.11 all things to the praise of the glory of God Another evil effect of these errors of theirs is that they frustrate our Prayers and Thanks-givings and make trifles of them for in vain we beg of another that which comes from us and is in our own power in vain we give thanks to another for that which we have without him so we need not thank God for any of his graces seeing it is in our power to receive or reject them In the next place this unavoidably draws many inconveniencies with it First of all it brings in all manner of prophaneness and licentiousness for what needs a man to care how wickedly he liveth for the present if it be in his power to believe and repent when he will is not this an encouragement for prophane men to continue longer in sin Secondly These opinions are able to engage a man that hath no truth of grace in him in any villany and desperate attempt he that wants true grace within to restrain him will quickly run upon any evil act or course upon this false presumption that he may presently of himself repent and be saved after all his sins Thirdly This encourageth men to delay and put off repentance and for the present to neglect the means of grace and all Christian duties for what is the chief ground of the common neglect both of means and works of grace But this unhappy delusion that they may undoubtedly be converted repent and be saved when they have amind to it thus this doctrine of free-will universal sufficient grace openeth the
door to all such prophane and wicked licentiousness and security as the hearts of men can admit Farthermore this makes all men equal puts them in the same condition whether Elect or Reprobate Heathen or Christians Godly or Ungodly since all of them may be saved or damned if they will for thereby their Salvation is laid in their hand Now what can be more derogatory to God's special grace and love more uncomfortable to all good Christians more acceptable to all licentious persons more advantageous to Satan and pernicious to mankind than to remove the bounds of God's all limiting and immutable decrees and throw down the walls hedges and partitions he hath made himself of his special love and to lay them common unto all without distinction and as much as in them lays to ruin the order which God hath settled and thereby bring in a general confusion Again this takes away repentance and salvation it self also the hopes and possibility of repentance for if our conversion grace and Salvation depend upon our unsettled corrupt wills who can be saved If Adam in a state of Innocency could not preserve himself from falling when he had power not to sin how can we who since his fall lay under a necessity of sinning even in a regenerate state by any sufficient universal grace or any power of our own raise convert or save our selves St. Paul in whom the grace of God did abound thought he could not do 't (a) Rom. 7.14 15 17 c. To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not for the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do If our Salvation was in our own hands it should soon be lost and forfeited but thanks be to God 't is in sure hands (b) John 10.28 29. My sheep shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand Our saving graces cannot be lost for they are (c) Acts 13.34 the sure mercies of David This also doth exclude Infants from Salvation for they want knowledge to discern and will for to desire it because they know not what it meaneth Moreover this revives the old Pelagian Error that a man may live and keep himself without sin for if men have such an ability of will of universal grace to convert themselves when they are in the state of nature much more shall they in the state of grace when they enjoy the help of God's spirit keep themselves free from sin if once through their strength men have mastered sin much more may they totally suppress it being wounded but Scripture teacheth there is no perfection to be attained to in this life no perfect man in the world (d) Jam. 3.2 chap. 2.10 for in many things we offend all and though we should offend only in one he who offendeth in one is guilty of all The beloved disciple of Christ and in whom his grace aboundeth saith (e) 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Their opinions do cross one another for to put in man's will to keep himself from sin if he willeth doth not agree with their doctrine against perseverance for 't is to be supposed no man is willingly damned the desire of well being is in the Creature and to be against perseverance doth continually bring a servile fear upon men and always keeps them under uncertainty as to their future state contrary to that of St. Paul (f) Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear Now saith another Apostle (g) 1 John 4.18 Fear hath torment he that feareth is not made perfect in love for perfect love casteth out fear This also maketh grace of a larger extent than the decree of God's Election and the inward or outward means of grace That is the effect is more general than its cause which is a very great absurdity God hath not actually decreed to save nor by a call to offer soul-saving means of grace to all men for if it were so as they would have it I see no reason but that all men should be converted and saved because God's decrees and his words are always true and never fall to ground for want of execution but Scripture and Experience teach the contrary Wherefore either we must admit an universal Election of all men to life which necessarily implyeth an universal Salvation of all Men or else we must disclaim a Chimaera of universal grace which may well be called a Monster in Divinity Another ill consequence of this universal grace is that it makes this pretended grace which is not sufficient to Salvation seeing it doth not produce it Mother to true saving grace which is of a quite different nature but such is the cause such the effect (a) Matth. 7.16 Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Either this universal grace is saving grace which cannot be for all men would be saved by it or else it cannot be the Mother or Author of true saving grace which so far differeth from it in kind or nature We own there are God's common temporal favours whereof Reprobates are made partakers because living in the visible Society of the Elect they thereby receive some outward benefits which in that respect may be called universal graces but the question is about effectual and saving grace such as inward calling Conversion Justification Sanctification Faith Repentance c. which are peculiar to God's Elect and not extended to Heathen and other Infidels who are no part nor members of the visible Church much less of the universal Church which promises and saving graces do only belong to so that without the Pales of it no true saving grace to be had to the end that universal grace be sufficient it must contain other particular graces as Faith if it be Faith it ceases to be universal for it doth not belong to all or else what our Saviour saith (b) Luke 18.8 when the Son of Man cometh shall he find faith in the Earth Were but a tale if it be not faith it signifieth nothing and will do no good 't is not sufficient for (c) Heb. 11.6 without faith it is unpossible to please God If this be a true universal grace it must be a grace for every thing or else 't is not universal it must unfold to us all the mysteries of God's proceeding's specially those which relate to Salvation as for us who do not believe it when we inquire into things the last reason that can be given us is the will of God no higher can be assigned therewith we are satisfied and do acquiesce we go no further for thereby a stop is put to all our queries But for them that universal grace giveth an apparent cause even in men themselves besides the absolute disposing will of God namely the prevision of their
alone can give it which in another place is confirmed (m) 2 Tim. 2.25 If God peradventure will give them that is men repentance And as repentance is meerly a gift of God so is saith if we must believe St. Paul (n) Ephes 2.8 For by grace ye are saved thorough saith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God Our salvation here is not attributed to free-will or any thing of our own The Apostle is not satisfied to say by grace ye are saved through Faith but he excludes himself and all and that not of our selves but that Faith which is the Instrument whereby Christ is received and applyed is a gift of God not of Nature or any Parts Abilities or Free-will in us And another Apostle comfirms it very much with a general rule he gives how not only the gift of Faith but (a) Jam. 1.17 every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights We must not look for any grace to grow here below no such thing to be found upon Earth but what doth originally come from Heaven We must not seek for any in Man in any faculty of his Soul which is a bondslave of sin and naturally dead in sin till God hath been pleased to quicken it (b) 1 Pet. 1.9 The end of our faith saith an Apostle is our salvation And Jesus (c) Heb. 12.2 saith another is the Author and finisher of our faith Thus our whole Salvation comes from Christ alone exclusively to any man This work I thought fit to conclude with the several Proofs drawn out of Scripture to shew how our Salvation not only as to the general but also as to particulars in every part and degree thereof doth wholly and only depend upon God and in case there be any good in or done by us we must own God to be the Author of it through the immediate and effectual working of his holy Spirit to trust upon himself or in any thing in himself (d) 2 Kings 18 21. 'T is to trust upon the staff of a bruised reed on which if a man lean it will go into his hand and pierce it To seek for salvation and power to repent and believe within himself in his Mind in his Will in his Heart it is (e) Luk. 24.5 to seek the living amongst the dead By God's command we are (f) Rev. 18.4 come out of the Roman Babylon if we are God's people so that except we have a mind again to be partakers of her sins and so to receive of her Plagues we must return thither no more When God had brought his people out of Egypt by the mouth of Moses he gave this command (g) Deut. 17.16 Ye shall hence forth return no more that way This command is addressed to and concerns us for we know Rome is the great City (h) Rev. 17.8 which spiritually is called Egypt and Sodom too 'T is called Babylon by reason of her Idolatry Egypt upon the account of slavery and Sodom for her abominable wickedness thence God hath graciously brought us out why should we like some of the Children of Israel or Lot's Wife incline and desire to return thither we read as of the sin of the punishment of those that did so for their carcases fell in the wilderness and the Woman became a Pillar of Salt which we are commanded to remember Luk. 17.32 Now I say that the Arminian Errors do lead men back into the Church of Rome I hope I sufficiently demonstrated how in these matters of grace they joyn hands and agree together against us that when Arminianism began to settle here a design was carried on to meet with and be reconciled to that See If then we be not willing to return to it again we must avoid falling into the way that leadeth to it to escape the danger These points about grace are not indifferent and inconsiderable but of the highest nature and concernment that can be for our eternal Salvation doth wholly depend upon God's free-grace I mean our Election Vocation Faith Repentance Conversion Justification Sanctification and at last Glorification These are such fundamental truths as no Martyr can lay down his life upon a better account wherefore no man ought to be ashamed or afraid to own and suffer for if called to it But self-denyal is a hard thing to be obtained and self-love so deeply rooted in man's corrupt heart that they will not part with boastings they are pleased with the thoughts of their own worthiness and are fond of an imaginary power and abilities which they fansie to be in themselves instead of giving God the glory Yet O Lord to thee belong honour and righteousness Dan. 9.7 but to man nothing but shame and confusion of face FINIS
Jesus is a fall to Reprobates which yet perish through their own Defaults so is his Word yea the whole Book of God a cause of Damnation unto them through their Incredulity c. Furthermore Christ Jesus the Prophets the Apostles Pag. 16. and all the true Ministers of his Word yea every jot and tittle in the Holy Scripture have been is and shall be for evermore the Sauour of Life unto eternal Life unto all those whose Hearts God hath purified by true Faith c. God of his mercy and special Favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting Salvation hath so offered his Grace especially and they have received it so fruitfully that altho' by reason of their sinful living outwardly they seemed before to have been the Children of Wrath and Perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily working in them unto the obedience to God's Will and Commandments they declare by their outward Deeds and Life in the shewing of Mercy and Charity which cannot come but of the Spirit of God and his special Grace that they are the undoubted Children of God appointed to everlasting Life c. For a further confirmation of this 't is said The reasonable and Godly as they must certainly know and perswade themselves Part 2. p. 172. that all Goodness all Bounty all Mercy all Benefits all Forgiveness of Sins and whatsoever can be named good and profitable either for the Body or for the Soul do come only of God's Mercy and meer Favour and not of themselves So c. p. 199. we have thus It is the Holy Ghost and no other thing that doth quicken the Minds of Men stirring up good and godly Motions in their Hearts which are agreeable to the Will and Commandment of God such as otherwise of their own crooked and perverse nature they should never have Man of his own Nature is carnal corrupt and naught sinful and disobedient to God without any spark of Goodness in him without any vertuous or godly motion only given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds as for the works of the spirit the fruits of faith charitable and good motions if he have any at all in him they proceed only of the holy ghost who is the only worker of our sanctification and maketh us new men in Jesus Christ And page 219. his power and wisdom compell us to take him for God Omnipotent having all thing in his subjection and will have none in Council with him nor any to ask the reason of his doing for he may do what liketh him and none can resist him for he worketh all things in his secret judgment to his own pleasure yea even the wicked to damnation saith Solomon .... David would make answer for all know ye for surely even the Lord is God he hath made us and not we our selves .... Not to us O Lord not to us but to thy name give all the thanks for thy loving mercy .... Verily the holy prophet Esay beareth record and saith O Lord it is then of thy goodness that hath wrought all our works in us not we our selves .... St. Paul bringeth in his belief We be not saith he sufficient of our selves as of our selves once to think any thing but all our ableness is of God's goodness for he it is in whom we have all our being our living and moving And pag. 228. It is he that preventeth our will and disposeth us thereunto That is as said before Faith Charity and Repentance And p. 229. For without his secret and lively inspiration can we not once so much as speak the name of our mediator ... It is he that purgeth and purifieth the mind by his secret working .... He lightneth the heart c. And p. 263. We must beware and take heed that we do in no wise think in our hearts imagine or believe that we are able to repent aright or to turn effectually unto the Lord by our own strength ... For this cause although Jeremiah had said before If thou return O Israel return unto me yet afterwards he saith Turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned c. Why should I longer insist upon this which is so full and so clear let those that have a mind to know more of it read the First and Second Parts of the Homilies of the misery of Man with the Homilies of Christ's Nativity Passion and Resurrection The first on Whitsunday the First Second and Third part of that on Rogation-week and the First part of that of Repentance And as to the points of our Election Vocation Justification Sanctification and Salvation besides the foresaid let them read the First Second and Third parts of the Homilies of Salvation and Faith And out of all they shall find that there is an eternal and immutable predestination of certain Men unto eternal Life out of meer grace and free-mercy and a passing by or reprobation of others to eternal Death out of Gods meer pleasure That there is no free-will or sufficient grace communicated unto all men whereby they may convert and save themselves if they will on the contrary that Man without the special help of Gods spirit and grace is so weak that he can neither think any thing that is good nor prepare his heart to seek for grace That Christ dyed intentionally and effectually for none but the Elect that Gods grace and spirit do always work effectually in the hearts of the Elect in the act of their Conversion which they can never totally nor finally resist and that the same Elect do never nor can wholly and finally fall from the state of grace In these Homilies which for the most part were compiled by the learned Martyr Cranmer doth appear the spirit of our first Reformers to have been wholly for free-grace against free-will or any thing of merit or strength in man Another Authentick proof of the Doctrine of the Church against Arminianism is taken out of a short Catechism published in the time of good King Edward 6th It was Composed by John Ponet Bishop of Winchester and before its publication was presented to the King who committed the perusal thereof to some Bishops and other learned men who assured his Majesty it agreed with Scripture and the Statutes of the Kingdom whereupon by his special command it was not only Printed in Latine and English in the Year 1553 The next after the first publishing of the 39 Articles So that we may well look upon it as a perfect Comment on them but he also prefixed his own Epistle wherein he did command all School-masters within the Kingdom carefully and diligently to teach it in all their Schools There in one of the Scholars answers to the Master 't is said But as many as are in the faith stedfast were fore-chosen predestinate and appointed to everlasting life before the world was made And in another thus The first principal and most proper cause of our Justification and Salvation is the goodness
in a little corner of Germany and upon occasion only of Indulgences at first how suddenly upon new inquiries and new discoveries notwithstanding the rage and craftiness of those that held it in unrighteousness did it spread abroad almost all Europe over So that the Lilly though amongst Thorns by the dew from Heaven the heat of the Sun of righteousness and the fatness of the Soil watered with the Blood of so many thousands of Martys became extraordinary fruitful Germany Bohemia Hungary Sweden Denmark Poland England Scotland Ireland the Low Countries France Swisserland generally and for the most part and some Persons in Italy received it But since whilest the Protestant Reformed Churches though in some of their Members lying under Persecution from Worldly Powers were undisturbed amongst themselves and agreed upon these Points the Enemy again sowed Tares which out of Flanders spread into Holland whence not just presently but soon after that Poyson crept over hither where it was opposed and condemned as contrary to the professed Doctrine of the Church as by the Grace of God I shall clearly make it appear Though upon these Matters several Books have been written in Defence of Truth yet 't is long since so that many of them are almost out of Print and those that remain do not fall into every one's hands wherefore it will not be amiss sometimes and upon occasion for some to publish their thoughts to assert and vindicate Matters of God's Grace and Providence in opposition to what Adversaries do write or say against it in their Discourses and in the Pulpits and upon that same account I now do bring in my Evidence That which chiefly engages me upon this present Design is to hear upon all occasions these unsound Doctrines ring out of the Pulpits which for the most part they have been in possession of for several years they having taken effectual care to keep those that are for the Truth from going up to such publick Places so that they would create a belief in People that what they teach is the Doctrine of the Gospel received by the Church and by those means infuse into common capacities those evil Principles which do puff up Men with the Opinion of their Natural Strength which must needs produce dangerous practises We teach how God from Eternity hath freely Decreed our Salvation in the fulness of time Christ purchas'd it and in time 't is promised and offered us in the Word and thereby we are called to come in to Christ upon his own terms Sacraments do seal it the Holy Ghost applieth it Faith receives it and Holiness with other good Works do bear Witness to it In few Words out of the whole corrupt lump of Mankind God hath freely chosen some to be Objects of his Mercy and hath elected them to eternal life through Faith in Christ our Lord which Faith and other necessary means to come to Glory in execution of his Decree he doth in time give us till at last through these means of Grace we are brought into eternal life and all this meerly out of his Mercy and only through his free Grace the rest of Mankind he leaves in their Natural corruption at last to have his Justice executed upon them We attribute our whole Salvation to God's free Grace and they to Natural Strength and Free-will which is clearly made out But a further reason to engage me upon this Design is the great affinity between Socinians and Arminians for in some things they border so near one upon the other and in others are so united that specially they agreeing with Papists in most of those Points wherein they differ from us I am afraid of the production of some new Monstrous Opinion now when Socinians increase come fast upon us and even in Print without any check grow bolder every day God knows what the effect of such an Vnion may prove and how pernicious to the Souls of many as some of them formerly turned Papists so now others may happen to become rank Socinians Once Arminianism had very near brought in Popery and now 't is a-pace ushering in Socinianism these are great Judgments though most Men seem not to be sensible thereat which at last may happen to deprive us of the light of the Gospel all this danger and evil if it doth befal us we do and shall owe to Arminianism Here we have a large Field to bring in the Evidence and Authority of several of the Ancient Fathers of the Church engaged in the Defence of the same Cause with us which have spoken clearly fully and to the purpose but because the Rule I mean the Word of God is so clear I think it were needless to borrow the Authority of Man which we may believe no farther than it agrees with Scripture after God hath declared his Holy Will and Mind neither are there such difficulties as do need the interpretation of most or many Ancient Doctors Besides it would be tedious for common capacities which I desire to make these Matters intelligible to as mach as I can and the subject will admit to run over several passages of the Fathers for 't is not material chiefly for a kind of Readers to know what Austin Hilary Prosper Fulgentius Hierom and so many others with Bertram Bernard c. have written upon the matter as what the Word of God saith about it wherefore for Proofs we shall stick chiefly to the Law and to the Testimony The Church like the Ship in the (a) Marth 8.24 25 26. Gospel is tossed up and down with Winds and Waves exposed to Rocks Sands and many other Dangers in such a case what 's to be done In Storm time like the Disciples we must go to the Lord Jesus with Cries and Prayers awake him and say Lord save us we perish for our Comfort we must not go far he is in the Ship and though he be asleep and to make us call the louder seems to be so for (b) Psal 121.4 he that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep yet in good time he will awake arise and rebuke the Winds and the Sea and there shall be a great Calm may the Lord do so in his due time Yet sometime some Jonah who is the cause of the Tempest must be cast over-board some are by Christ (c) Rev. 3.16 spued out of his Mouth and (d) 1 Tim. 1.2 delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme This is the end of many a disturber of the Peace of the Church which we are sure cannot miscarry but shall at last come to a good Harbor for though sometimes the Body be under Water as long as its Head is above it there is no danger of being drowned TO THE READER THE following Sheets I once intended to Dedicate to my Lord Carteret thereby to shew my singular esteem for his Piety Virtue and Merits But God By a late untimely Death and much to be lamented having taken him to
a Convocatio of a Synod at last it began in 1618 to be held at Dort Where did meet Divines not only within the Dominions of Holland and the Seven Provinces but also out of England and from most if not all other Reformed Churches T is true the French did not send in any solemn deputation for they dared not do it without leave of that Popish Court and they chose rather not to ask than to do it and be denyed however the sense of that Church was by the French Churches gathered in those Provinces and then by Peter Du-Moulin in his Letters and Book of Anatomy of Arminianism sufficiently made known to that Synod and afterwards a French (a) Held at Aleâ—zon Octob. 6. 1620. National Synod approved of and inserted amongst their one resolutions the Acts of the Synod of Dort where the Arminian Errors were unanimously condemned This the Arminians from the beginning thought would be the conclusion of such a Solemn Assembly wherefore like Popes Papists and Hereticks they were afraid to have things discussed in a free Council where the word of God is the only Rule and therefore they used their utmost endeavours to stop it as long as they could As to Arminius his Opinions they are part from Pelagius and part from Papists Against the first God raised Austin who by force of Scripture did beat the Heretick in all his Errors yet after his Death (a) Faustus and Cassianus those of his Sectators that remained thinking it not fit for them to own things to the height as Pelagius had done abated something of it and made alterations and got the name of Semipelagians whom also Austin and his Followers did write against with the same success he before had obtained against their Founder In the Eighth Century Semipelagians caused a great deal of trouble as we see in the Cause of Gottescalk whereof Worthy and Famous Primate Vsher hath given so true and so good an account About the Year 1590 Molina a Jesuit renewed the old Errors but was opposed at Rome by Alvarez a Dominican Fryar who followed the Principles of Thomas Aquinas hence to this very day continues the dispute about these matters between Jesuits and Dominicans Lessius another Jesuit at Lovain in the Spanish Netherlands became a Second to Molina and under the favour of the Neighbourhood those Errors passed into Holland where Arminius entertained them Let those who have a mind to a fuller account of Pelagius his Errors read what (a) Joh. Ger. hardi Vossii Hist Pelag. one hath written upon that Subject for I mention it only by the by and as it leads me to the Arminians who here durst not appear during King James's Life but in his Sons Reign under Archbishop Laud's Favour and Protection in they came with a full Sail and then indeed but not before begins our Arminian Church but with this difference from those in Holland that they incline more to Socinianism and ours more to Popery hence it is that at last some of them as Barret Montague c. turned Papists Now 't is true and to be observed how concerning the controverted points we hold the same as did the ancient Fathers who did write against Pelagius and Arminians assert some of the same things if not all which Pelagius did so that 't is the same Cause and as by the grace of God we shall see anon Pelagians did cast on their Adversaries the same aspersions as Arminians do upon us But first we must set down what are their Opinions contained in several Articles which they themselves at the Hague-Conference and at the Synod of Dort reduced to five the Chief though there be more Here I will in substance set them down but to help the Reader I must first write the Orthodox Doctrine in opposition to every Article of theirs as an Antidote and Preservative against the Poyson Afterwards I shall endeavour out of Scripture to prove it and so confute their Notions and this as shortly as I can and as far as I am able accommodating things with the capacity of the unlearned Reader which being done then by the grace of God I shall go on and as far as God will be pleased to enable me enlarge somewhat in the School way upon every point First Orthedox I. We say that from all Eternity God hath by his unchangeable Decree and Purpose predestinated unto life not all Men nor any undetermined but a certain select number of particular Men commonly called the Elect which number can neither be encreased nor diminished Others he hath passed by and predestinated to eternal Death They say Arminian I. there is no absolute or unrevocable but only a conditional and mutable Decree of Predestination both to Life and Death and that not of any particular persons but indefinitely of all Believers and Unbelievers and that the number of the Elect and Reprobate is not so certain but that it may be either increased or lessened We say that the only moving and esficient cause of Predestination or Election unto Life Orth. II. is the meer good Pleasure Love Free-grace and Mercy of God not the foresight of faith perseverance good works good will or any other quality whatsoever in the persons elected And that though sin be the only cause of Damnation yet the sole and primary cause of non-Election or Reprobation or why God doth not Elect those that Perish is the meer Free-will and Pleasure of God not the foresight of any actual sin unbelief or final impenitency in the person rejected They say Arm. II. the foreknowledge of Faith Perseverance Good-works and the right use of Grace received are the pre-required Conditions and the efficient causes of Election unto Life not God's free-grace and mercy only without respect to these as to a cause and that the original and moving cause of reprobation that is of the Decree not of its Execution is only the foresight of sin unbelief or final impenitency in the persons rejected not the meer free-will and pleasure of God We say that the Elect do always obey Orth. III. when the time appointed for their Conversion is come neither do or can they finally or totally resist the inward powerful and effectual call or working of God's spirit in their Hearts in the very act of their Conversion neither is it in their own power to Convert or not Convert themselves at that very time when they are converted They say it is in the will and power of men Arm. III. either finally or totally to resist the inward call the effectual working of God's Spirit in their Hearts in the very act of Conversion so that they may at that very instant and all times else either withstand or embrace their Conversion as they please We say that true justifing saving faith Orth. IV. is proper and peculiar to the Elect alone who after they are once truly regenerated and by faith ingrafted in Christ do always and constantly
that calleth any thing of works and of Faith too for they could have no Faith before they were born or had done any good or any evil are here excluded and all attributed to the purpose of God according to Election The same Apostle saith in another place that though some have erred concerning the Truth even those who before were professors of it such as (b) 2 Tim. 2.17 19. Hymineus and Philetus yet Nevertheless the foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his 't is no prejudice to neither can it change God's Decree And still to make use of the same authority St. Paul saith elsewhere (c) Ephes 1.9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself Not only that purpose in himself but also the declaration to us of that my stery of his will are altogether attributed to his good-pleasure not to any thing without him or in the Creature and all this to the end (d) Ephes 2.7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness tovards us through Christ Jesus Here is Grace here are riches of Grace yea exceeding riches of Grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus through whom only these graces are conveyed to us and who is the sole dispenser thereof and he addeth (f) Ephes 1.11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will Here every word is a sentence against our Adversaries and after this t is an amazement to me that amongst those who pretend to be Christians and to receive the word of God for rule of the Truth there should be some who go about to set up Free-will and Man's strength to the prejudice of Grace and forge Motives and Counsellours for God besides his own good-will and pleasure We say further there is a certain small select number of those that are predestinated to Glory this we speak after St. Paul (g) Rom. 11.5 6. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace and if by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise work is no more work Here the reason is given why amongst the unbelieving obstinate Jews there was a small remnant which did believe and were saved The Faith Grace and Salvation of this remnant is ascribed to their Election as to the cause and this Election affirmed to come only of God's grace and deny'd to have proceeded from any of their works not by a simple affirmation but by a double opposition of Works and Grace as incompatible in point of Election Arminians must not think to blind this with saying they do not attribute Election to a foresight of Works but of Faith 'T is true their Father Arminius doth not openly assert it this Text being so clear and so positive however he minced the matter for he made Election and Justification to depend upon Faith not as an Instrument applying Christ but as an Evangelical Work in the Gospel appointed of God to be a saving quality in it self as a perfect Obedience should have been under the Law but his Followers are not so scrupulons as he But the Apostle denies it to be of Faith as of Works wholly ascribing it to the Election or Grace But as to the point of the small number of the Elect our blessed Saviour himself decides it when he saith (a) Matth. 20.10 Many be called but few chosen and St. Paul to shew the small number of those that are elected and shall be saved is not satisfied to call it a remnant in the place already quoted but in another of the same Epistle he also makes use of the word remnart (b) Rom. 9.27 Though the number of the children of Israel be as the Sand of the Sea a remnant shall be saved Only a remnant and this after the Prophet Isaiah 10.20 21. Who elsewhere calls it (c) Isai 1.9 A very small remnant which the Apostle in the same Chapter doth call a Seed (d) Rom. 9.29 Except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed which is only as much as sufficeth to sow the ground (e) Heb. 12.23 These are called the general Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven in the Book of God's Election which can never be encreased nor diminished and this (f) Ephes 4.12 13. for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Which meaneth that there is a fullness of the mystical body of Christ that is so many Members and that every Member is to come unto a degree of Stature unto a perfect Man as a certain number of Martyrs that shall be fulfilled Rev. 6.9 11. All those and those only (g) Rom. 8.30 whom God did predestinate them he also called with an inward and effectual calling and whom he called all and only them he also justified all and only them he also glorified This is the Golden Chain of our Salvation and the thing so certain and so sure that though to some it be to come 't is represented as already past and as if they were in actual possession of Glory There shall be no more nor less and though to the eye of Man in this there may seem to be some alteration some falling from the Truth it is only as to the outward shew and profession not as to the Election Wherefore St. John (h) 1 John 2.19 saith They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us And this also is a strong proof and evidence of the perseverance and against the final Apostacy of Saints which Arminians are stiff asserters of And that Election is the sole cause of everlasting Salvation it appears because into the heavenly City (i) Rev. 21.27 none shall enter but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life In another place this Book is mentioned (k) Rev. 13.8 and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him the Beast whose names are not written in the book of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world This is the Book of God's Decree of Election all that have names written in it shall enter into new Jerusalem or Heaven but those whose names are not written therein and do worship the Beast (l) Rev. 20.10 12. shall with the devil the beast and the false prophet be cast into
to move the Lord God to do them good Hence it is that Samuel saith to Israel (r) 1 Sam. 12.22 the Lord will not forsake his people and the reason he gives is this because it hath pleased him to make you his people Thus it is with God upon the account of any mercy he bestoweth upon the Creature of any nature whatsoever David declareth the same (i) Psal 44.3 for they got not the land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arm save them but thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them Thus we read in the Gospel when the Lord Jesus worked a Cure of any bodily or spiritual Disease he made it wholly depend upon his will as in the Miracle upon the Leper he said (k) Matth. 8.3 I will be thou clean and in the case of working Faith (l) chap 11.27 neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him So (m) Joh 5.21 the Son quickneth whom he will Thus as of our Election so of our Regeneration and Conversion there is no other cause but the will of God for (n) Jam. 1.18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth In few words the whole work of Salvation is an effect of his free-grace (o) Ephes 2 â— ad vers 8. When we were dead in sin he hath quickned us the reason he giveth there is this by grace ye are saved in both verses for he repeats it three verses lower by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God We further say there was no foresight or consideration of any work faith or merit in us why God should Elect us (p) Ezck. 16.6 And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live What sign of Faith or comeliness in that condition was there in us what ornaments in us there have been since they are the work of God in us whether repentance faith holiness or any other grace For after God said to us live he washed and anointed us clothed and decked us c. as may be seen in the following verses vers 8 9 10 11 12 13. We add that sin is the only cause of damnation as in St. Matthews (q) Matth 25.42 43. Gospel by me quoted already (r) Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil In another place of Scripture he says positively (s) Rom. 6.23 the wages of sin is death But here by the by this I must take notice of how though Damnation be the reward for Sin it doth not follow that Salvation should be the reward of Faith or good Works the just reward of Sin is Death it is its due but the Apostle doth not say that Eternal Life is the wages of Faith or Righteousness as Death is of Sin (a) Ver. 23. but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is a great disparity between the rules and means of Justice and of Mercy as hereafter we shall have occasion to shew as also why God leaves and Elects one and not the other as in the ease of Esau and Jacob. (b) Malach. 1.2 3. I have loved you saith the Lord yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us Was not Esau Jacob's Brother yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau of which no account but God's pleasure for St. Paul makes to the same purpose use of the place in Rom. 9. as already quoted But now we must come to the proof of our 3d. Article namely that the Elect do constantly obey God's call when the time is come when (c) Cant. 1.4 God draweth they follow nay they run draw me we will run after thee and (d) Lament 5.21 turn thou us unto thee and we shall be turned The Elect obey the call When St. Paul heard the voice from Heaven he said (e) Acts 9.6 Lord what wilt thou have me to do This inward call for St. Paul's was such as well as outward makes a great change in Man how willing how ready to obey (f) Gal. 1.16 he confered not with flesh and blood but submitted So did the Jailour he said to Paul and Silas (g) Act. 16 30. Sirs what must I do to be saved The new Converts willing to be directed said unto Peter and other Apostles * Acts. 2.37 men and brethren wha shall we do though at first all know not what to do ye are prepared to obey and desirous to be instructed when the Lord said unto Paul arise and go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou must do he complied and went So Samuel assoon as (h) 1 Sam. 3.4 6 8 10. the Lord called Samuel he answered Here I am and though he at first did not well know the nature of the voice nor whose it was yet he ran to the place whence he thought the voice came disposed to obey and when heat last was better informed then he said Speak Lord for thy servant heareth For though may be at first God's people do not distinctly understand the call yet God never gives over calling till we are come to him God makes known unto us the mystery of his will to this end saith St. Paul (i) Ephes 1.10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him But God is never disappointed of his ends he worketh effectually and unresistibly Ver. 19. wherefore this is called the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power Observe the Emphasis This dealing of God in and towards Believers is in one and the same verse called the working of Gods power yea his Mighty Power and in the beginning of the verse not only his Power but the greatness and the exceeding greatness of his Power The effectual preaching of the Gospel to People or Persons is an effect of their Election as the Cause is known by the effect so a posteriori Election is by a powerful preaching of the Gospel (k) 1 Thes 1.4 5. Knowing beloved your election of God saith St. Paul for our Gospel came not you unto in word only but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance c. to the Elect ever it comes so in the due time and by its coming so they may judge themselves to be Elect for he saith also in much assurance We add further that the Elect neither do nor can finally and totally resist the inward powerful and effectually calling of God's spirit in the very
Scripture in matter of Predestination speaks only of men we shall consider it only as men are the object thereof but before I must shew what a Decree is because it entereth within our definition now God's Decrees are the eternal and unchangeable counsels and resolutions he hath taken from all Eternity about what he purposed to do in time according to the first rule we have laid down These Decrees are called God's essential works ad intra inward according to our capacity and manner of conceiving which himself in his word is pleased to condescend to We then call them Decrees after the manner of Men for Decrees and Resolutions of Men are works or acts really distinct from Man from his Understanding and his Will By this way we do conceive God's Decrees or rather God Decreeing though properly they may not be called his Works for every act so properly called is an effect really distinct from the Agent But in God 't is not so or else his supream Simplicity would come to nothing when 't is said of God are known all his works that knowledge is nothing else but his Decree of doing all things to be done in time Of ELECTION PRedestination hath two parts Election and Reprobation the word is not restrained only to Election as Papists and some others would have it It is in vain amongst Hebrews or Greeks to search the Original of the word which is Latin The ancient Latin Authors used the word destinare to destinate or appoint for Pains as well as Rewards so did the ancient Doctors of the Church as (a) Enchirid. cap. 100. de Civit. Dei lib. 12. cap. 24. Austin (b) Ad. capital Gallor Prosper (c) Lib. 1. ad Monim Fulgentius Now the Election we here speak of is not to an Office in which (d) 1 Sam. 10 24. Saul and David were chosen Kings over Israel So Matthias (e) Acts 1.24 26. was by lot chosen one of the twelve But 't is Election to Eternal Life and Salvation Now Election is a Predestination of some Men to Eternal Life to be obtained by Faith in Christ only out of God's pleasure in them to declare his Divine Mercy Every part of which definition we by the grace of God shall speak of This point most of any is to be taken notice of because it is the ground of our Hope Faith Holiness in a word of the whole mystery of our Salvation which doth wholly run and depend upon the decree of our Election therefore to darken it the Devil hath stired up so many instruments to oppose it In Scripture among many Texts we have one specially lays open the whole matter before us which here I quote to be read with great application (a) Ephes 1.3 4 5 6 7. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood c. The eternity of God's decree of Election is here asserted he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World this Election is affirmed to be the cause of all spiritual blessings which God hath blessed us with some of those blessings are named as Holiness Blamelessness and Adoption Now Faith Repentance Charity and such graces are parts of Holiness and the fruits of the Spirit Holiness is posteriour to our Election All those blessings are in and by Jesus Christ Out of this Text it also appeareth that the good pleasure of God is the only impulsive or moving cause if we may use such a word which is improper here to Elect us nothing from without all from within according to the good pleasure of his will Hence between Papists Arminians and Us for I must say in matters of grace they both joyn against us ariseth the question What it is that moved God to appoint some Men to Eternal Life We say nothing but God's good will and pleasure moved him to it Amongst several reasons we have to prove it I will only bring two of the chief The first because Scripture assigneth no other cause but that as the only and when the word is silent we ought not to speak The whole 9th Chapter to the Romans is a sentence of condemnation against the Adversaries there St. Paul saith of Election (†) Rom. 9.16 15. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Which is but a conclusion out of what God said to Moses in the foregoing verse verse 18. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion whence he thus concludes so then it is not of him c. 't is only of free grace Why three verses after the Apostle gives the reason He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth This is very plain if any one is willing to dispute God's right herein let him do 't but he shall find God is a strong party (a) 2 Tim. 1.9 God hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us before the world began Here the Decree of Election is made the cause of calling and other graces we receive in time The other reason is because in those that were elected was nothing at all that could move him to love them (b) Ephes 2.1 We were men dead in trespasses and sins unfit for any good thing and guilty of eternal death They say God hath chosen some because from Eternity he foresaw they would believe in Christ and continue in the Faith to which some add the foresight of some good works with Faith but against this I say God could foresee in sinful Man no spiritual good but what out of his mercy he was to give him this none but Pelagians can deny consequently God could not foresee Faith or Good Works as a motive to his Decree God elected us to be holy and without blame before him That is to the end we should be and not because we were such Holiness is an effect and not a cause of Election Faith also is an effect of Election as clearly expressed in Scripture (c) Acts 13.48 And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed If so then Faith is not the cause that moved God to elect us we were elected to believe not because we believed before for then we had chosen Christ and not he us contrary to what he positively saith
to his disciples (d) John 15.16 chap. 13 1â— Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and I know whom I have chosen Now though Election be the cause of Faith it doth not follow by the rule of relatives which are said to be the cause of one another that Faith should be the cause of Election that maxim is to be understood of the natural respect and relation of the Subjects not of the Subjects themselves of relations else it would a so follow That because the Creator is the cause of the Creature the Creature ought also to be the cause of the Creator which is Blasphemy It is the part of a wise Agent when he doth appoint to the end also to appoint to and provide the means So the only wise God having predestinated us to the end eternal life hath also predestinated us to the means namely Faith For saith the Apostle (a) 2 Thes 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth here are the decree election chosen the efficient cause God the Object you the end to salvation with the means sanctification of the spirit and belief of the Truth or Faith Farther I say if prevision of Faith had been the cause of our Election it would also be the cause of our Vocation in time which is contrary to the word (b) 2 Tim. 1.9 God hath called us with his holy calling not according to our works but according to his purpose and grace I bring one Argument more which is this if Faith and Holiness fore-seen had been the cause of our Election it would follow that the object of Election had been Man already restored through Grace and justified which is false Take notice that there are not two Decrees one to Grace the other to glory as they say Scripture maketh no mention of a double Election by one and the same Decree we are elected to Glory through Grace as the means and way for the first in Intention is last in Execution We are saved by Faith yet not elected by Faith the reason of both being different Election is an eternal act of God inward and immediately proceeding from God but Salvation is a temporal act of God outward and mediate which is perfected thorough many other means and second causes if the causes of Election and Salvation be the same then the Law of God the Gospel Sacraments and Ministers are the causes of our Election for God makes use of all these means to bring us to eternal life We are elected in Christ not for Christ God was never moved by the merit of Christ to Elect us but he decreed to save us in Christ who is not the cause of the Decree but a medium or means appointed in the Election to execute it We must have a care not to confound between the cause and sign of things which do very much differ thus the Rainbow is not the cause why the world shall no more be drowned with a general Flood 't is only the sign of it the cause is God's Will and Promise thus Sacraments are signs not causes of the things they represent Circumcision was the sign of God's Covenant with Abraham but not the cause which was God's Free-grace and Mercy to him the Lords Supper is the sign of Christ's Passion but not the cause which is God's Free-grace and Mercy to mankind When our blessed Saviour saith (a) Matth. 16.2 3. When it is evening ye say it will be fair weather for the Sky is red c. that colour of the Sky is not the cause but the sign of fair or foul weather Thus to make an Application to our Subject I say we must take heed not to make Faith the cause of our Election when it is the sign and effect of it so much posteriour to it for Election is from eternity when Faith is given but in time and yet serveth to prove Election for wheresoever true saving Faith is there is an infallible sign but no cause of Election which far from being caused by any grace is the sole and only ground of all and every grace we receive Faith it self the chief Gospel grace is an effect of it as it appears out of many places of Scripture which I already quoted so out of (b) Acts 18.27 Acts where 't is said Apollos helped them much which had believed through grace And those men who will not believe this will have much cause to fear they are of the same sort of those whom our Saviour speak of when he saith (c) John 9.39 For judgment I am come into this world that they which see not may see and that they which see might be made blind There is mercy for the first and judgment for the last for certainly Christ came into the world both for mercy and for judgment to make some unexcusable (d) John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin It was said of Christ almost after his very Birth That (a) Luk. 2.34 he was set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against And as the Prophet says (b) Isa 3.14 a stone of stumbling a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel for a gin and for a snare to Jerusalem And Men are too apt to fansie things to be the cause of God's actings which are not thus the Disciples themselves thought because a Man was born blind the Man's sins or his Parents must be the cause of it but our Saviour tells them they were in an error for (c) Joh. 9.3 neither hath the man sinned nor his parents but he was born blind that the works of God should be made manifest in him This place sheweth clearly how God in whatsoever he doth in upon or for Men he minds chiefly his own Glory and followeth his own will and pleasure Thus (d) Chap. 11.4 Lazarus's Sickness and Death was for the glory of God and of Christ God denyed the Man his sight from his Birth here are his Will his Power and Justice over his Creature the Lord Jesus gives him his sight there is mercy thus the works of God are made manifest in this Man and why not so too in others in relation to eternity as well as to time This Man was naturally blind but God is pleased to give him his sight as he might without any wrong have left him in his blindness if it had been his pleasure So if God be pleased to leave some Men naturally dead in that condition and quicken others that were in the same state what hath wretched Man to do to cavil against or find fault with it Or presumptuously not to be satisfied with this cause the meer will and pleasure of God but must prye into his Secrets and forge other Motives instead
of sticking to the Rule and Word of God To such we may put St. Paul's question (e) Rom. 11.34 35. Who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counsellour Hast thou known his mind or hast thou been his Counsellour Or who hath first given to him hast thou then it shall be recompensed to thee again Thou hast chosen him to be thy God before he predestinated thee to the adoption of Children thou hast believed in him before he elected thee to believe in Christ since thou makest God as accomptable to thee be sure if he owes any thing he will pay it but one should know that (a) Job 33.13 there is no striving against God and that he giveth not account of any of his matters For (b) Prov. 21 30. there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. As to the question whether or not the decree of Election be absolute I say 't is not in some respect and in some other it is 't is not absolute in relation to the means conducing to the obtaining of Salvation which are included in the decree whereof the merits of Christ and Faith are the chief though I must say that the Use and Application of those means is the work of grace God saith Job (c) Job 23 1â— performeth the thing that is appointed for me And St. Paul by the grace of God I am what I am ... Yet not I but the grace of God that was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 And I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me Philip. 4.13 It is absolute in relation to any impulsive or instrumental cause or any condition which the decree should depend upon which is the question between Arminians and us In the execution of the decree Faith is the instrument and hand whereby we receive and apply Christ's merits unto us but it is under no such Notion in the making of the decree What I said before I repeat here that there are not two decrees one for the end another for the means but one and the same for both because God willeth together end and means where one can do two are superfluous Now God doth nothing in vain Let us now speak of the matter of Election or who are those whom God elected unto eternal life They are Men fallen in Adam and for sin in the sight of God guilty of eternal death yet God hath not chosen all men sinners but only some few of every sort especially of those which are low and contemptible in this world As to the first they are Men fallen in Adam We think this to be the order of God's decrees about Men First to Create Man for the glory of his Name Secondly to permit they should fall from the integrity wherein they were created and so become guilty of eternal death Thirdly Out of that whole lost lump of mankind to restore some to everlasting life thereby to shew his mercy and leave the rest in the state of Perdition and Damnation for their sins to manifest his Justice Our reasons why God hath chosen men in that state are First Because he hath (a) Ephes 1.4 elected us that we should be holy and without blame Therefore he lookt upon such as unholy and sinners Secondly Scripture calleth Election (b) Rom. 9.15.23 a will to shew mercy and a little lower the Elect are called vessels of mercy therefore considered as in misery for misery is the Object of Pity and Mercy We say in the second place all men are not elected only some out of all sorts on which Scripture is positive (c) Matth. 20.16 few are chosen Neither doth God give eternal life to all for some are Damned therefore he decreed not to do 't for God doth nothing in time but what from eternity he decreed to be done God hath not mercy upon all but (d) Rom. 9.18 he hardneth some neither doth he give the means of Salvation as calling by the word Faith in Christ Repentance Justification by Faith to all but only to some so that we may say they who are not elected to the means are not elected to the end for God will not bestow the end but through the means the very name of Election signifieth a choice of some out of many he cannot be said to chuse who taketh all promiscuously The Adversaries we are now disputing against to prove that God decreed from eternity with an antecedent will to save in time all and every Man do argue thus (e) 1 Tim. 2.4 God will have all men to be saved therefore he decreed to save them all but the consequence is not good for in the Text the Apostle doth not mean every particular Man but men of all sorts as Princes and Subjects which is the scope of the place For there he exhorteth to have prayers made for all men for Kings and all in authority Rich and Poor Old and Young Men and Women great Men and of low degree that is of all Ages Sexes Quality Nation and People c. The particle all is distributive as School-men say into the genders of singulars not into the singulars of genders we do not our selves give that sence but 't is Scripture interpretation The four Beasts and twenty four Elders said to the Lamb (a) Rev. 5.9 chap. 7.9 and chap. 11.9 chap. 13.6 chap. 14.6 chap. 19.18 Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation Which is repeated in several other places of the same book as are quoted in the Margin to shew this is the true meaning of the Spirit of God And the Reader may peruse them with that of Colos 3.4 Again they object (b) 2 Pet. 3.9 God will have none to perish but all that should come to repentance But there the Apostle speaketh not indifferently of all Men but only of the Elect as appeareth in the same verse God is patient or long suffering to us ward so he is not willing that any of us should perish and who those are whom he speaks to they are the same he writes his Epistle to and them he nameth in the first verse of the first Chap. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us thorough the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ He will have none of these to perish but that they all come to repentance and certainly they will Thus the word all is taken for the Elect in the two following places (c) 1 Tim. 2.6 Christ gave himself a ransome for all and (d) 2 Cor. 5.15 Christ died for all and not for every Man whether Believer or Reprobate as it will be proved in its place by the grace of God What St. Paul saith that (e) Rom. 11.32 God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all is not to be understood of every particular Man but
of Jews and Gentiles indefinitely to whom he gives hopes of Salvation through Faith in Christ for that is the scope of that whole Chapter so the sence is this God hath concluded under sin Jews and Gentiles to have mercy on both in Christ apprehended with Faith so that Jews and Gentiles may ascribe their Salvation only to God's mercy This Text compared with another (f) Gal 3.22 Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe doth clear the point this last interpreting the other for as it appeareth that all are concluded under sin so it sheweth how special mercy reacheth only those who through the grace of God do believe and through Faith are elected to everlasting life To say that God hath from Eternity decreed to save all and every Man under this condition if they believe in Christ not only they find in Scripture nothing to ground it upon but withall intangle themselves in two very great difficulties First to God they attribute a vain and imprudent Decree for if from Eternity God hath foreseen that the condition of Faith in Christ shall not be performed by many to what purpose to make such a Decree of Salvation to depend upon such a condition Such a Decree doth not become the wisdom of any Man much less of God The Second inconveniency is this they submit and make faith a free gift of God to depend upon the free-will of man dead in trespasses and sins that it is in the power of Man to believe or not believe which is meer Pelagianism and wholly contrary to Scripture These considerations have so wrought upon some that they wave off the fore-sight of Faith but betake themselves to the fore-sight of the right use which Men would make of outward means of Conversion and Salvation as the serious saving hearing reading and meditation of the word of God receiving of the Sacrament frequenting of Churches c. But alas the first of these is the fruit of the Spirit not of corrupt Nature the saving hearing of the Word as well as Faith proceedeth from our Election For (a) 2 Cor. 2.15 16. the word is a Saviour of life unto life to none but the Elect but to others that perish it is the Saviour of death unto death And if going to Church and every hearing of the word of God could make a difference between chosen and reprobates and was necessarily joyned with Election all those that perform those duties would be Elect which we know to be false Experience teacheth us how sometimes the worst of Men most averse from hearing of the Word or walking in the way of Salvation are converted to God others who seemed better and fitter for the Kingdom of God being passed by and left so calling is sometimes for those who seemed the worst not for those who appeared the best Farther this opinion makes the rejecting of the grace of the Gospel outwardly offered the only cause of reprobation What then shall we say of those who from the beginning of the world to the birth of our Saviour were damned whereof the thousandth part never heard a word of Christ Now we proceed and say in the third place the lesser part òf sinners is elected and the greatest part left in their state of Damnation which Scripture clearly affirmeth (a) Rom. 9.29 Chap. 11.5 4. Except the Lord of Sabbath had lest us a seed 't is but a Seed a remnant a little one seven thousand amongst all the people of Israel our Blessed Saviour who knew it very well saith though (b) Matth. 20.16 Chap. 7.13.14 many are called yet few are chosen and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat But strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it They are called the little Flock whereof the Members at certain times are so few as thereby invisible to man's eye some times in God's not one Fourthly Kings 19.14 Ezek. 22.30 We say that these few ones are chiefly chosen out of those that are low and contemptible in the world for which we have that famous Text (c) 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28. For ye see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak to confound the mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen c. Hence we learn two considerable things First Not to judge of the love of God or his special grace out of humane Wisdom Power or Nobleness The Second patiently to bear the lowness meanness weakness and despicableness before the world for they are signs rather of Grace than of Wrath. To that purpose also is that passage in the Gospel (d) John 7.48 49. Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed These learned and wise High-priests and Pharisees in their own conceit would not go into Heaven nor suffer others to enter into it Ver. 47 not only they called the people cursed but also the Officers they had sent deceived are ye also deceived But upon occasion our Saviour plainly tells them the truth ye who think your selves so wise and righteous are fools in comparison of those whom you despise For (e) Matth. 21.31 Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you As every wise Agent proposeth an end to himself in every thing he doth so likewise the only wise God in our Election purposed the manifestation of his mercy in his gracious Salvation of some sinners this St. Paul speaks of when after having said (a) Ephes 1.4.6 We are elected in Christ he addeth to the praise of the glory of his Grace Hence it is that the Elect be called (b) Rom. 9.23 Vessels of mercy Which mercy when God gives us grace to depend upon then we are grounded on the rock of Eternity but Man's Pride makes him desire to be loose from the Rock and stand on his own bottom which is meer quick Sand and Mud. So at last he must needs sink into it if God leaves him Now two things belong to the Decree of Election and are inseparable from it which do afford us matter of unspeakable comfort they are Eternity and Immutability for our Election is eternal and unchangeable First Eternal (c) Ephes 1.4 chap. 3.9 God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world which in the same Epistle is called the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God And in another place (d) 2 Tim. 1.9 Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began And in another the same Epistle calls it (e) Rom. 16.25
and eternal life are called the Kingdom by way of Excellency which Kingdom is not any purchase of ours but the gift of God to give you to the Elect to the little Flock and to no others upon no other motive than God's Will and meer Good-pleasure for it is your fathers good-pleasure 't is not said your God which is also true but your Father is a more tender word to express love for in a special manner he is Father to the Elect whom God hath chosen and adopted in Christ Jesus our Lord who himself is the Author of these words and did speak them upon sure grounds and out of his certain knowledge thus he saith elsewhere I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me Luke 22 29. All done by way of preordination and fore-appointment But before I conclude this matter of our Election I must speak of the Effects and Consequences thereof which are the means whereby to attain unto the end for as we said before the most wise God hath not ordained us to Glory and everlasting Happiness and left us to seek how to come there but also he hath appointed the way that every thing belonging to Salvation the grounds and beginning the progress and end may all be of his own so that we may be sure of it to the praise of the riches of his Grace Hence it is that our Blessed Saviour is called not only (a) Heb. 2.10 Chap. 5.9 the captain of our Salvation and the author of eternal Salvation unto all that obey him but also the author and finisher of our Faith which is the way and means conducing to it The most Holy and Blessed Trinity did purpose and resolve it In the execution Christ is the Captain and Leader and he will finish it for he will never give over till (b) Joh. 17.24.11 those whom the Father hath given him his elect be with him where he is that they may behold his glory and that they may be one as the Father and he are Now the means appointed for the execution in time of the Decree of Election are our Vocation to and in the Church thorough the ministry of the Word our Conversion Regeneration Faith in Christ Justification Sanctification which are all grounded upon our Lord and Mediator Jesus Christ These means that are between our Election and Glorification are as the Chain that links it together and spoken of by St. Paul in the place already quoted (c) Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified No danger of breaking or miscarrying it is so sure that he speaketh of it not as a thing to come but as passed and already done The Consideration of these means is part of the Decree of Election as well as Glory and Salvation for 't is but one single and individual act of Election to Glory by the means of Grace for neither Glory was decreed without relation to Grace nor Grace without relation to Glory Another fruit and effect of our Election is the certainty we have of it within us whereby (a) This affirmed in Rogers Analysis Pag. 76. we know and are sure we are elected to everlasting life This certitude ariseth out of the sence and feeling we have of the means appointed to execute Election every Elect after his Conversion having faith in Christ may certainly know whether he be elected If upon examination of himself he may say I by the word of God am called to the Church and to eternal life I have the gift of Faith in Jesus Christ that is I believe my sins are forgiven me for the merits of Christ the Mediator God and Man Furthermore with a real and sincere desire and endeavour I worship God according to the rule of his word and I love my Neighbour out of this he may conclude I am elected to life everlasting All this depends upon a true examination and the Consequence is drawn à posteriori where are fruits there is a Tree when we find heat and motion in a Man we safely conclude there is Life Now all this examination is grounded upon that Text of Rom. 8.30 which I quoted but a little before but the calling is inward proper to Believers that answer and obey the call which our Saviour speaks of (b) John 5.25 the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live for they were dead in their sins the call is inward and spiritual whereby the blind mind is enlightened by the Word applyed by the Spirit and the obstinate and perverse will is brought under to obedience they who make Faith and Justification common to Believers and Reprobates cannot have this certitude of Election but others can according to St. Paul (c) 1 Thes 1.4 Knowing brethren beloved your election of God Hence we conclude it may be known This certitude and assurance of Election and so of Salvation for if I can but make my Election sure then I am sure of my Salvation is no motive to softness neglect and carelessness he who is sure of Salvation is sure to perform the Condition Salvation is the end of Election and Repentance Faith Holiness perseverance are the effects thereof Grace is the way to Glory God promising to save the Elect promised also to preserve them in that without which is no Salvation and when sometimes Believers do so much forget and are so senseless to themselves as to sin offend and leave Gods ways God wants no Scourges or other means to bring them in again This certitude of our unchangeable Election doth not as our Adversaries would have it breed in us Prophaneness and carnal Security on the contrary as we already said 't is the greatest motive and incentive we have to Piety for which St. Peter is my Witness (a) 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure For if ye do these things ye shall never fall If it were not possible to attain unto it it were in vain for the Apostle to exhort us thereunto When once Men have that assurance they will endeavour to answer it in the study and practice of holiness and become worthy of it with their upright walking knowing they are elected and called thereunto For (b) Tit. 3.8 they which have believed in God must be careful to maintain good works And they will take care of their ways so that they can never fall finally For (c) Psal 37.24 God upholdeth them with his hand St. Paul saith the same with St. Peter For (d) Rom. 8.14 15 16 17. as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the Sons of God For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father
guilty and not excuseable when God judgeth us as sinners and takes vengeance of our unrighteousness The Doctrine then is this that the sins of Men serve to the glory of God for as skillful Physicians make poisons to be ingredients into their best Cordials so the wise God makes Man's greatest sins to be subservient unto his glory and draweth good out of evil Yet for that those poisons are poisons in themselves those sins in themselves are sins and God doth punish them without any injury either to his mercy or to his justice But because 't is natural with Man to raise questions to find out excuse for himself here the Apostle doth propose one which carnal sence and reason are apt to make against this Doctrine and therefore to qualifie the objection and shew he doth not approve of it he saith I speak as a man Well what doth Man say if my sin commends the righteousness of God and becomes an instrument of his glory then God is unrighteouss to take vengeance of me and punish me as a sinner besides that I cannot avoyd sinning being a reprobate But the Apostle saith God forbid though things be so yet there is no unrighteousness in God thou art in the wrong to think and to say so and he gives a reason For then how shall God judge the world and as Abraham said Shall not the judge of all the earth do right Gen. 14.15 This is a true Doctrine which by some was misconstrued and that makes St. Paul complain they slanderously reported of him We have the same ground to complain against Arminians and for the like slander Let this Text be compared with that of Rom. 9.14.15 To what hath been said we shall add that the Decree of reprobation is the sentence and Damnation the execution of it Sin is not the cause of reprobation but sin is the cause of Damnation God as Judge hath passed sentence yet there is a reprieve but the last day shall be Execution-day then actual sins shall be laid to the charge of reprobates they shall have nothing to say for themselves why sentence should not be pronounced against them For the sins of the Elect they shall solemnly be declared to be forgiven in and through the Lord Jesus and though Grace be the means appointed for us to come to glory yet reprobates are not appointed to sin though it be the way to eternal misery for there is a different reason of means conducing to Salvation and those to Damnation God is the Author of the first which are good because he puts into the Elect that which was not in them namely his Grace Faith Repentance Holiness c. But as to the last he infuseth nothing into reprobates he finds in them that which is evil namely sin and there he leaves it he is not bound to take it away Mercy is free and God is the Author of Grace which is the way to Salvation but not of sin which is the way to Damnation These two several ways all the world will go some one way and some another wherefore that Exhortation of St. Paul is very necessary (a) 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whither you be in the Faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates The reasons of God's election and reprobation differ as much as Mercy doth from from Justice His ordaining means for one doth not conclude his ordaining means in like manner for the other Against the Text about Jacob and Esau which strikes home upon them they say two things first concerning the signification of the word hated Secondly That t is spoken of temporal advantages and not of spiritual things As to the first God loved Jacob and hated Esau mean's nothing else but that God loved Esau less than Jacob which interpretation they ground upon that place where 't is said that Leah was hated that is as in the foregoing verse less loved than Rachel Gen. 29.31 We know how in Holy Scripture one and the same word hath sometimes a different signification but the true one is always to be deduced out of the scope of the place and the Analogy of Faith How often doth the word of God mention his Hatred Anger Indignation and Wrath against the wicked whom he is said to abhor and they are said to be abomination unto the Lord when God speaks of evil men in opposition to the good whom he is said to love as to hate the others must we understand that hatred of his love only with this difference of a lesser and lower degree this were to overthrow the whole Scripture and the intent of God's Spirit therein Certainly the sence of that Scripture by them quoted doth not at all reach our case or come within our present purpose There it is spoken of the passion of a Husband who having two Wives that Affection of his had two several Objects but St. Paul mentioneth the love and hatred of God towards his Creatures which in verse 18. of the same Chap. is represented by his shewing mercy to one and hardning the other Let the signification of a word be what it will yet all must agree how there ought to be a vast difference in the meaning in relation to the carriage of a Husband towards two Wives whereof he loves one more than the other and that of God of a great and a just Judge towards two persons whereof he hath chosen the one and rejected the other as may be seen in the case of David and Saul As in that of Abel unto whom and to his Offering the Lord had respect Gen. 45 5. and of Cain unto whom and to his Offering God had no respect The like may be said of Isaac that was the Son of the Promise and Ishmael of the Flesh and so here God loved Isaac and hated Esau Besides love and hatred are humane Passions not really in God though improperly attributed unto him after our manner of conceiving and to condescend to the weakness of our Nature they are not affections in but effects from God when God bestowes favours he is said to love and when he inflicteth punishments to hate By love and hatred of God are meant the Mercies or Blessings and Curses of God Come ye blessed depart ye cursed 'T is called the wrath of God which abideth on him that is the unbeliever Reprobation is called hatred John 3.36 as Election love Rom. 9.11 Now we must come to the other part of their exception how here the Apostle speaks of temporal advantages and not of spiritual blessings To say that love and hatred here relate only to temporal things is not enough those words are taken out of Malachy 1.2 3 4. and there is in it also something of the worldly concernment when God said he laid his Mountains and his Heritage wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness which yet is a Metaphorical expression whereby things of another nature
Messiah Jesus Christ that should be born of his Seed but also this other promise that he should be (b) Gen. 17.4 7. Father of many Nations and that he would be a God to him and to his seed after him and these promises the Apostle calls (c) Gal. 3.8 The Gospel preached before unto Abraham And to shew how this relateth to the Elect and Believers the Apostle saith (d) Rom. 4.16 Therefore it is of faith that it may be by grace to the end the promise may be sure to all the seed not only to that which is of the law but that a so which is of the faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all That is of all Believers so then there was a double Seed that which is of Faith and that which is of the Law and accordingly a double promise one of Temporal the other of Spiritual Blessings which both were surely performed and this the same Apostle enlargeth upon and spiritualiseth the promise with saying that (e) Rom. 9. â— 3. all the seed of Abraham are not children of Abraham for there are the children of the flesh and the children of God But the children of the promise are counted for the seed And he instances it not only in Isaac who was the son of the promise but also in Jacob and Esau the first a child of God and of the promise the other the child of the flesh one was loved the other hated but there is in the Book of (a) Rev. 12.5 Revelation something much to our purpose the Woman was delivered of a Man-child that is the Lord Jesus for two reasons The first by the character therein given of him who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron a thing applyable to none but him The second reason is the attempt of the Dragon at his birth for that ancient Dragon would have destroyed him in his very Cradle by the means of Herod (b) Matth. 2.19 20. who sought his life So that Christ was that true individual person promised under the name of the Woman's Seed but there is besides her the remnant of her Seed for when the Dragon could hurt neither the Man-child nor the Woman he went (c) Rev. 12.17 to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ That is the Elect and Believers This hath not led us out of our way but all along shewed us a distinguishing mercy of God upon some which others were excluded from and that nothing of a natural privilege moved God to do so only out of his own good-will even in some places against the intentions of the good Instruments he made use of and this hath by degrees led us to the great points of Vocation and Election which St. Paul doth treat of in the last quoted place all which together doth concur to the clearing and further manifestation of the truth I could carry it on further in both branches as to the person of the Messiah and as to his Seed and his Chosen and to entail those promises chiefly upon the Tribe of Judah and the Family of David and also to shew how great and visible a difference there was after Solomon's death and the renting of Ten Tribes only Judah and Benjamin adhering to Reoboham David's Grandson How Jeroboam upon a Politick account altered the true worship of God whereby he made Israel to sin after that division not one good King over Israel they all generally fell into Idolatry and all manner of wickedness till after several interruptions in the Succession and after the cutting short the Tribes of Gad Reuben and Manasseh and how by Tiglath-Pileser the people of (a) 2 Kings 15.29 Gilead and Galilee and of Naphtali were carried into Assyria And at last in the days (b) Chap. 17.6 Chap. 25. of Hoshea the Ten Tribes were by Shalmaneser transported into Captivity and about 140 years after in Zedechiah's time Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar and Judah carried into Babylon whence after 70 years Captivity they returned the City was newly built and also a new Temple but they could never recover themselves as before Antiochus came after upon them then they passed under the Dominion of the Romans and then in the fullness of times after great Confusions and Revolutions the promised Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ came into the World whose coming made a new face of the Church then the Woman's Seed bruised the Serpent's Head the Ceremonial Law was abrogated a new Ministry instituted the Gospel Preached the Gentiles called and though the Oracles concerning the coming of the Messiah be fullfilled yet the promises about his Seed do go on and will till all be gathered in one and their number perfected So with David we must say his work is honourable and glorious Psal 111.3 All these things I say I could have insisted upon to shew the wonderful and adorable Providence according to his Eternal Purpose (c) Heb. 2.10 In bringing many sons into glory by the way of Grace and amidst a great variety of Dispensations but I think what hath already been spoken is sufficient for our present purpose and it directly leadeth us to say something about Providence CHAP. IV. Of PROVIDENCE GOD hath not only created the World but he doth also govern it this is called actual Providence whereby he ruleth all his Creatures specially mankind We shall not speak of it in its full extent for the whole world and every thing therein is the Object of God's Providence he takes care of and governs great and small things necessary and contingent good and evil but we shall speak of it only as much as is conducing to our present purpose and as it chiefly relates to good and wicked Men in order to their Salvation and Damnation as much as it leadeth to the execution of God's Decree of Predestination for this is the part of it which the Papists and Arminians do strike at and which by the help of God we now intend to vindicate as far as he will be pleased to enable us Some make a confusion of Predestination and Providence as if it was the same thing but there is a great difference this last is of a larger extent and as we already said is extended upon every Creature of what nature soever but Predestination regards only Men and Angels at the most yet such a relation they have that one is the Decree and the other the execution of it Whereof for the present we shall give but two instances to shew how these things which in the world seem to us to be in a Confusion and meer accidents of Man's malice and designs are by God's ordering most wisely directed to a good end to the unspeakable comfort of those who observe such effects of Providence The first instance is that (a) Gen. 3â— 21 of Joseph's being sold by his Brethren a most wicked thing in
of God Secondly We ought to put our trust and confidence in God as a Father who takes a special care of all his Thirdly In adversity we must not look so much upon Second Causes as upon the first and whatsoever we suffer we must own it to come from the hand of God and in prosperity we must acknowledge and praise God as the Author of every good thing we enjoy (a) Job 2.10 For at the hand of God we receive both good and evil Then we ought to fear and reverence so potent a God in whose hands is every Creature which he can arm all against us David saith Fire and hail snow and vapour stormy winde fullfilling his word Psal 148.8 So we may say of every other Creature they all are his Servants Psal 119.91 Further more we must love God who out of his Fatherly care watcheth for and promoteth our good and hereby ought to be excited a mutal love amongst us who are Children of the same Father This also layes an obligation upon us when there is occasion to make use of the means God hath prescribed yet not so as to put our trust in them neither are we to despair in case they fail us knowing how God is not so tyed to them but that he may help us without so that upon all occasions of whatsoever nature they be we ought to submit to trust and depend upon God's providence and in conformity to God we ought to follow our Work and Duty The Psalmist in the whole 107. Psalm having exhorted the redeemed of the Lord to praise God for his manifold providence as over Travellers Captives Sick-men Seamen and several other varieties of life in the last verse of all to bring them into a serious consideration of the right use they ought to make of it saith Who so is wise and will observe those things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. We must not be as idle and unconcerned Spectators for such are not wise But it is a part of wisdom in us to take a special notice of all effects of God's wise mighty and gracious Providence CHAP. V. Of GRACE WIth corrupt Men 't is natural to have too good an opinion of themselves and too mean of God therefore they are pleased with what exalteth humane strength and Free-will though Free-grace be thereby abased the more a Doctrine is suitable with Holy Scripture the less 't is acceptable to humane affections People must not dispute about these matters as some do to try their Wits and make a shew of their Parts but to find out the truth as revealed in God's word and then receive adhere to and profess it About this important matter of grace several parts are controverted between Arminians and us As first About Resistiblity of it Secondly About the Amissibility Thirdly About universal grace Fourthly About Faith the chief Gospel Grace which hath several branches By the grace of God we intend of every one of these to speak in its due place but in order thereunto we must endeavour first to beat down Free-will opposite to grace Here I put them together not by reason of their affinity but of their contrariety about this matter though in some different degrees we have for Adversaries Pelagians Papists and Arminians CHAP. VI. Of FREE-WILL THE Word Free-will doth properly denote the faculty of the Soul called the Will but in the present Question the Understanding and other faculties of the Soul are also understood thereby in as much as the Will is enlightned by the Intellect and followeth the last Dictates of it so that it is the guide of Will and Affections Now the Question is about the power of all Natural faculties of Man how far they may go in promoting of his own Salvation This is called Free-will and we are to see how much Nature which here is opposed to Grace can promote or hinder our Salvation Pelagians do say that by Obedience to the Law of Nature through the direction of right Reason Men may be saved that is by Nature without Grace So that the right use of Nature by infallible dependence draws the Grace of Regeneration which is to settle a soundness of Nature so contrary to what is expressed in the whole course of Scripture But these I pass by to come to others Papists who go not so far yet in matter of Salvation give Nature too much for in part they attribute it to Nature and in part to Grace Sin say they hath not taken away the Power of the Understanding and of the Will of Man to obey God and to believe but only the exercise of that Power that the power of Man's Soul to all good Works is not dead but only chained up and bound and in the act of Conversion the effect of it doth depend part upon Grace and part upon Man's own Strength About this part of farthering our Salvation Arminians do mince the matter and are sometimes on and off if not wholly yet in part but as to the other point of Man's natural power to hinder Grace and Salvation they highly and altogether are for it as it will appear when we speak about resistibility of Grace But as neither Free-will nor any natural faculty hath any power to purchase the beginning or progress of our Salvation for both Grace and Glory as after David I said before Psal 84.11 come from God who alone quickeneth Nature dead in Sin so Nature cannot hinder the Almighty power of God in the Conversion of Sinners except one will affirm the power of Men to be greater than that of God which is downright Blasphemy We say First That Man through his Fall is so corrupt that by Nature there is not in him any power at all to any Spiritual good rather a propensity and inclination to all kind of Spiritual evil so that our Will instead of being free is a Servant and a Slave to sin The consideration whereof made Luther give a Book he did write upon this Subject the Title de Servo Arbitrio the Will Slave or Servant The first Part that is our unableness is clear (a) Joh. 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father draw him (b) Jer 13.23 Can the Aethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are used to do evil St. Peter speaks of those who (c) 2 Pet. 2 19. promise others liberty whilest they themselves are the servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage How far this Text is appliable to those who boast of a Power of Free-will in themselves and promise it to others I leave it to God and their Consciences sure I am the best of us (d) Eph. 2.3 5. are by nature Children of wrath even as others and dead in Sins This Natural and Moral impotency is by St. Paul clearly set down (e) 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural Man receiveth
far from a Free will to receive good as evil This I shall conclude with an observation upon the remedy which God proposeth to prevent their death and ruin namely to repent v. 30. and to make them a new heart and a new spirit Here God speaks as one who insists upon performance of Articles thus Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul Deut. 6.5 and with all thy might But saith God that ye have not done wherefore make you a new heart and a new spirit to enable you to perform what hitherto hath been wanting for why will ye die O house of Israel He commands them to do 't themselves which they are able to do no more than to repent because all is a gift of God Psal 51.19 which David knew well when he prays thus Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Let us take notice of two different methods of God upon this account here God commandeth things to be done as they ought as performance of conditions but he promiseth nothing Do your duty which for them 't is impossible to perform wherefore he hath another way of speaking for those whom he is graciously pleased to favour he doth not command to do but promiseth himself to do for them (a) Ezek. 11.19 And I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh Which is repeated with this addition (b) Chap. 36.27 And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them To the same effect speaks another Prophet (c) Jer. 32.39 And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever Here are the most gracious promises of a Gospel-Covenant what we cannot do our selves he will do for us he will give us that heart and that spirit whereby we shall be enabled to keep and do his judgments and fear him for ever hereby we are secured from the danger of a final Apostasie The same Prophet just the Chapter before saith (d) Vers 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people and they shall not teach c. and that this is the true Evangelical sence of the place it appears out of the application of it made by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who doth quote the very same words and concludes all in these (c) Heb. 8. from 6. to 13. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more This is God's way with those whom he is pleased to save from dying and perishing as all must do whom he leaves to make themselves a new heart and a new spirit for Man's Will far from being free and able to contribute to Conversion the new Creation and Salvation is a perfect Slave to Sin till God be pleased to work upon and turn it which once being effected there is no danger of a final Apostacy for thereby we are secured against a total falling from grace and that is the Subject of the following Chapter CHAP. VIII About Amissibility of GRACE AS one depth calleth to another so doth one Error to another our Adversaries are not satisified to make Man if he be willful and obstinate stronger than God when he hath a mind to take possession of a Soul but they go farther and assert That after God is actually in possession of that Soul he may be turned out of possession which is their true sence of the point we are now going upon The Question is Whether a Man truly converted and regenerated can to the end persevere in the state of Salvation he is actually in And whether it be possible for such a one who is Elected in Christ called with an effectual Calling totally and finally to fall from God and be Damned This is the true state of the case and not whether the Elect and true Believers can fall into great sins which they do too often as it appeareth out of Scripture and Experience We say That God makes to persevere and go on to the end all the Elect and true Believers whether their Faith be strong or weak provided it be true that when once they are in the right way of Grace they shall infallibly come to Glory it being not possible for the Elect to become Reprobates to Apostatize and finally fall to Damnation Our Adversaries affirm the contrary though Arminius himself finding the stream of Scriptures and Fathers run so strong against the total and final Apostasie of Saints durst not openly declare for it yet his Followers have strongly set themselves against this Article which is the chief ground of all the comfort the Soul hath in this World to know 't is not in the power of the Devil or any other creature whatsoever to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now to prove this Doctrine we can begin no better than with that place of St. Paul's who in (a) Rom. 8.30 ver 31. that Chapter from verse 28. to the last giveth us the greatest grounds of assurance that can possibly be expected grounded upon our Election Calling Justification c. whence he proceedeth to a defiance to all (b) Vers 33 34. which is taken out of Isai 50.7 8 9. If God be for us who can be against us And (c) Ver. 32. who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Now if Christ hath loved us which is clear in that he hath given himself for us and (d) Ver. 35. God delivered him up for us all After this the Apostle argueth from a thing impossible Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword (e) Vers 37 38 39. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors Take notice with what assurance he speaketh in the two next verses for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord I would be loth to lose one word of these wherein the Apostle speaks so fully so clearly and so much to the purpose that if to confirm this Doctrine we had had the penning of the words we could not have done it with so good effect to prove that God's Elect and Believers cannot finally fall and totally be separated from Christ and we know (f) Joh. 13. whom Christ loveth them
The temporal Faith spoken of here is only an outward profession and not the power of true Religion in this same sence is to be taken what St. Paul saith (d) 1 Tim. 1.19 of some who concerning faith have made shipwrack They made an outward profession of the Gospel which at last they fell from so that whensoever mention is made of falling from Grace from Faith from the Truth 't is only mentioned of the outward profession of it or of a temporal Faith but not of true saving Grace when 't is said (e) 1 Cor. 10.12 Rom. 11.20 Let him that thinks he standeth take heed lest he fall The Apostle doth not say that any fall from the Faith but he teacheth them how they ought and can prevent falling from it namely to have a care not to run into Carnal security such warning are effectual means whereby the Holy Ghost keepeth Believers upon Duty and doth preserve them from falls Though our first Parents fell it doth not follow the Saints should do so too the reason is God gave them only the Grace whereby they might continue in Innocency if they would but the Will he gave them not but to Elect and Believers is given Grace whereby not only they can but also they are (f) Philip. 2.12 willing to persevere But St. Peter speaks of some (g) 2 Pet. 2.21 who have known the way of righteousness and depart from it but there is a great difference between turning from saving Faith and Grace and turning from the way of righteousness which the Apostle in the same verse calleth the holy commandment that is the Doctrine of the Gospel CHAP. IX About Vniversal Sufficient GRACE NOW we must proceed to another Head wherein also Arminians joyn with Papists against us this Vniversal Sufficient Grace the whole Fabrick of Arminianism doth center upon Though several Sects are combined to assert such a thing yet they somewhat differ when they come to say what it is to Pelagians it is Nature to Papists Free-will to Quakers the light within to Arminians 't is a general influence superadded to the Natural faculties of every Man whatsoever whereby without any particular concurrence of God's Spirit and without any special Grace they are sufficiently enabled to embrace Jesus Christ and apply his Death and Merits to themselves in a saving manner which are offered alike indifferently to all Men to convert regenerate and to save their Souls if they will themselves which is meerly Free-will baptized with the Name of Grace a thing unknown to Scripture but if it be Grace in Truth as in Name how is it equally derived unto all Men and in the same measure When Grace is that which maketh one Man to differ from another Mercy distinguisheth one from another for (h) 1 Cor. 4.7 What hath a man more than another but what he received There is much to be said upon this matter but I will endeavour to restrain it within as narrow bounds as I can and I state the question thus Whether there be any such Universal Grace indifferently given to all Men at all times and in all places sufficient to convert to regenerate and to save We say no they say yea Let us examine who is in the right and let Scripture be the Judge The Word of God not in one but in many places taketh away from an unregenerate Man the power of doing good and of being converted (a) Jer. 13.23 Can the Aethiopian change his skin and the leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil (b) Mat. 7.18 Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit (c) ch 12.34 O generation of vipers how can ye being evil speak good things (d) Joh 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (e) Joh. 6.44 No man can come unto me except the father which hath sent me draw him (f) Joh. 15.5 And without me ye can do nothing (g) Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Farther (h) 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned (i) 1 Cor. 12.3 No man saith the same Apostle can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost (k) 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think much less to do any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God All these places are so clear and positive to shew there is no such a power in Man as to convert himself that it were needless to make any enlargement upon them therefore we proceed and say how can there be such a power in men dead in trespasses and sins for such were the Gentiles before God had quickened us together with Christ Nay (l) Ephess 2. â— 5 12. we were strangers from the Covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world (m) Ephes 2.3 And we are by nature children of wrath even as others Therefore what Will and Power to do good is in us it comes from God and those whom he is not pleased to bestow it upon they never have it this is the reason assigned why the People of Israel had not well seen and perceived the great things God had done for them (a) Deut. 29.4 Yet saith Moses the lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day If without the gift of God they could not well know and perceive things obvious to their sences so palpable and visible to them how could they or any other see and understand things of a Spiritual Nature of an eternal concernment to be seen only with the eye of Faith (b) Joh. 3.12 If I have told you earthly things and you understand and believe not how shall ye believe and understand if I tell you of heavenly things This they must own Men cannot be saved without a Saviour then they also must grant there is no other Saviour but Christ no means to come to him but by Faith what then will become of those who never heard of Christ as the wild and ignorant Americans before the discovery of that Country and of so many Millions both before and after but chiefly before his coming who never heard one word of a Saviour and so could not believe in him for (c) Rom. 10.14 15. how shall they believe in him of whom they never heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they Preach except they be sent Before Christ's time we do not hear of any general Mission indeed after his Resurrection he gave his Disciples Commission but their number was but small they could not at once Preach all the
World over then they died the Candlesticks were removed from the places where at first they were placed We see by experience the Gospel to be ambulatory from one place to another Asia which first received it is at present and hath for these many years been over-spread with Heathenism and Mahometism where is then this Universal sufficient Grace For at this very day in the greatest part of the World there is no sign nor step of it so that there is no such Universal Grace as to Persons Places and Times besides Experience and Scripture runs against it there are but (d) Mat. 20.16 few elected to salvation they are but (e) Rom. 4.27 a remnant (f) Rom. 9.29 a seed (g) Luk 12.32 a little stock (h) Mat. 7.14 a very small number in respect of those that perish (i) 2 Pet. 2.5 one Noah amongst a World of ungodly (k) 2 Pet. 2.7 one Lot amongst a multitude of unclean Sodomites (l) 1 King 18.22 one Elijah amongst four hundred and fifty false Prohets one (a) Joh. 6.23 Rahab in all Jericho and Canaan one Nation of the Jews amongst all the world and in that Nation sometimes but (b) 1 Kings 19.18 seven thousand chosen ones to many hundred thousands sometimes (c) Isa◠1.9 a lesser remnant and sometimes (d) Jerem. 5.1 hardly one this scarcity we met with after the Ascension of our Lord as before his coming Christ had but a (e) Rev. 3.4 few names in sardis Few are the names (f) Chap. 15.8 written in the Lambs Book of life when all the world runs after the beast to worship him (g) 1 Cor. 1.26 not many wise after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called and few are chosen Christ's people in respect of others have been always few yet none but these are elected adopted effectually called justified sanctified glorified or endued with any grace sufficient to Salvation and if this be true as it is can there be any universal grace to prove this paucity or few-in the judgment of all Protestants rather than multitude and universality hath Being comparatively taken been a Character of Christ's Church Thus far we have considered this pretended universal sufficient Grace in the extent thereof as to Times Places and Persons which doth relate to the means conducing to Salvation afforded unto men Now we must consider it in Man himself as it is in the Soul I would find to know how it cometh in there is it a natural inherent faculty of the Will If so then 't is no grace for in relation to spiritual things and to Salvation Nature and works are opposed to Grace by Nature we are Children of Wrath but through Grace we are Sons of God and to make it natural is meer Pelagianism which our Adversaries dare not openly to own for Pelagius used to cloth Nature with the name of Grace If this universal grace be not natural then it must be adventitious or accidental either acquired derived or infused If acquired by any art or industry of our own then it becomes particular and cannot be universal it being originally proportionable in none If acquired 't is only in those who seek after and take pains to purchase it which certainly whole mankind doth not if not acquired then it may be derived but it must either be so from our Parents and so from Adam the first Parent but if from Adam 't is nature and not grace or if not from Adam then if from any 't is derived from Christ and from his Spirit the spring of all graces but they derive grace only to their believing and living Members not generally to all Men and this not by immediate inspiration from Heaven but by the word and means of grace which are neither common nor effectual to all But if they say this universal grace is infused by a divine immediate influence let us have some Scripture to prove it or else no body must believe it but as there is no word for it let them shew when and how this is done This universal sufficient grace of Arminians is the Quakers inward light and the reason of Socinians But to forge an universal sufficient grace without a power of doing good without Christ and without God without a 〈◊〉 by the word of God as without heart to understand eyes to see without a faculty to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and without knowledge and sence of our misery is to set up a defficient not a sufficient grace That cannot be called sufficient to act which hath not every thing necessary to acting and that Cause which hath all things necessary to act must needs produce its effect for in vain is that Power to act which doth never act so that pretended grace supposed to be sufficient to convert a Man and bring him into the way of eternal life and yet never doth it is but an insufficient power and an imaginary grace They would have Christ to have made God reconcileable to mankind procured a possibility which not being reduced to an act signifieth nothing and derogateth from the power and efficacy of his death for he hath by his death made a real and perfect reconciliation and all those he dyed for he actually reconciled them to his Father and all they and none else shall be saved They would ground their opinion upon what the Apostle saith of the Gentiles (a) Rom. 1.10 That which may be known of God is manisest in them for God hath shewed it unto them Therefore they have a sufficient grace but the knowledge of God spoken of there is such a one as the Devils have as well as they and I hope no man will dare say the Devils have a sufficient grace that the knowledge which St. Paul speaks of was not saving consequently not sufficient it appeareth because they did not know God as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ neither did they know Christ as Saviour of the World without which no saving nor sufficient knowledge But however say they (a) Rom. 2.14 They do by nature the things contained in the Law But they must take notice how the Apostle doth not say they do not by grace but by nature so that except they will have nature to be their universal sufficient grace the Text saith nothing to their purpose Besides we own that some amongst the Gentiles had great and extraordinary parts and natural gifts great Philosophers great Orators c. Yet for want of Faith the vertues of the Heathens were saith Austin shining sins splendida peccata But we deny those gifts to have been an universal sufficient grace the same may we say in that (b) Acts 14.17 God left not himself without witness amongst them not in that there is a God for as 't is said in the same verse He gave rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness But all these
are common mercies though great which come short of saving and converting grace 't is not every manifestation that there is a God which must be called a sufficient grace amongst the Devils themselves God hath not left himself without witness CHAP. X. Of Vniversal Calling AND now we are upon this let us view another branch of this universal grace for they say God according to his Decree doth universally call all Men Reprobates as well as Elect to receive and believe in Christ and this by the means of the word preached to every Man What we already said may also serve in answer to this namely that before and after the coming of Christ millions of Men are dead who never heard Christ preached unto them yet we may charitably believe that God shewed some of them mercy for though they were deprived of the outward ordinary means God who is not tyed to second causes might by the inward call of his spirit have revealed unto some of them his saving knowledge We may say of this Ordinance of the Word as is said of Baptism which is another (a) Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned He doth not say and is not baptized shall be damned so he that heareth the outward preaching and believeth shall be saved we may say that though the outward hearhing of the word be the usual means to breed Faith yet he that wants it may be taught inwardly and believe and be saved However things be those are secrets of God which we ought not to dive into Our Blessed Saviour is positive against universal calling when he saith (b) Matth. 20. many are called he doth not say all but many we may say very many or the greatest part are not called for as we see he comes to narrower bounds if few be chosen many are called so by a gradation we may say if many be called more are not called Indeed David saith (c) Psal 47.1 Let all the earth fear the Lord let all the inhabitants of the world stand in are and O clap your hands all ye people shout unto God with the voice of triumph But this is no such an universal vocation to all the Inhabitants of the World as the question is about all the earth besides the reason of saving grace hath cause enough to fear the Lord and to praise him All the world could not hear what David said and did write but the question is to have Christ offered to every Man in the Gospel by the ministery of Men. This leadeth us to another question between Remonstrants and us namely supposing every Man in the world had been called by the preaching of the word yet it doth not follow they should have been converted and saved without God's special saving grace because in Adam men lost the power of believing the Gospel This question these innovators started up to show how God is bound to give every Man a sufficient grace to believe in Christ if they will So they say the grace of believing in Christ was not given to Adam therefore he could not lose it and so God may no justly require of Man faith to believe in Christ except he giveth him sufficient grace to believe But we say God gave Adam that grace and he lost it For whatsoever Adam received from God for himself and Posterity that same through his fall he lost for himself and Posterity too now that with other privileges he received also the power of believing the Gospel it appeareth for he received for himself and Posterity the power of loving God and believing his word whatsoever it might be in time to come this is proved because without this power the image of God had not been perfect in him neither had he been without it provided with a sufficient grace to avoid all manner of Infidelity In the state of innocency God might have revealed him future things and in case of a fall have promised him a gracious restoration by the means of his Son Who can deny but that Men in the state of Innocence might and ought to have believed such a promise of God Let us hear what they say for themselves Adam in the state of Innocency stood in no need of Faith in Christ therefore God gave him not power to believe in Christ but though in the state of innocency he had no need of Faith it doth not follow but that God might give it to him strength and power is not always given to nature for use but sometimes for perfection In this sence 't is said (a) Matth. 3.9 God is able of these stones to raise up Children to Abraham Yet there is no need of doing it God had given Adam strength to travel all the world over which he never did neither was there any occasion for him to do it Again they object God gave Adam the Law therefore he was not bound to believe in Christ because Faith is not commanded by the Law but though the Law was given unto Adam yet he was bound to believe in Christ for although Faith be not expresly commanded in the Law yet 't is implicitly because by the Law a Man is bound to believe every word of God which in time to come should be revealed unto him We have already shewed there is no such universal vocation as they are for However it is granted several Reprobates have an outward calling but seeing they are not converted the question is put to what purpose and for what end are reprobates thus called Our Adversaries say 't is to the end they should be made partakers of everlasting life This we cannot agree to because they do not attain to it Whence necessarily followeth that as I said heretofore God is frustrated of his end which is a sign and effect of want of Power and Wisdom which must needs be so if in what God doth he proposeth to himself an end which he foreknoweth he cannot and shall not attain unto no Man of sound mind will do so and of God it cannot be affirmed without blasphemy This consideration is so pregnant that they think to shift it off with a distinction God doth not absolute say they intend they should be saved but upon condition they shall obey and come in at the call and persevere therein now this condition not being performed by Reprobates they say God is not disappointed of his end but what a pitiful coming off is this shall a Man not deprived of his wits make an end which he in earnest aimeth at depend upon a condition which he is sure shall never be God foreseeth Reprobates will not obey the call much less continue in obedience I farther say no Man who hath his wits will make an end which in earnest he proposeth to himself depend upon such means as none but himself can procure and which he is resolved never to procure But to incline to obedience the hearts of
fellow servant for though it was unpossible for him to pay the ten thousand talents yet he delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due that is for-ever for he could never do 't here the torments of Hell are meant so God may justly do with every Man whom he hath no mind to be merciful to I do add one thing more how the Law promised life upon unpossible conditions of a mans own perfect obedience yet we do not read that any of the Jews ever said the Law was unjust on the contrary we find the Law was confessed to be holy just and good Rom. 7.12 and let some men say what they will we all know and must own that faith the condition upon which eternal life is promised in the Gospel is unpossible for men because 't is a gift of God Let therefore God be owned to be just in all his ways 2 Thes 2.12 though all may be damned who believe not the truth God sent them strong delusions to believe a lye that they might be damned as if he had said that there might be a just cause of their damnation CHAP. XI Of FAITH NOW we must come to the chief and most excellent Gospel Grace which is Faith concerning which also Arminians do teach many unsound things we intend by the Grace of God to speak of every one of them in order Satan ever raised his strongest batteries against this (a) Ephes 6.16 shield wherewith we are able to quench his fiery darts To have a right understanding of this matter we must know Scripture doth mention four kinds of Faith First Historical whereby we believe the Word of God to be true as 't is revealed in Scriptures and God to be the God of Truth the Devils have this Faith (b) Jam. 2.19 for they believe and tremble Secondly The Faith of Miracles which at first was granted thereby to confirm the Doctrine of the Cospel for (c) 1 Cor. 14.22 tongues a sort of Miracles aâ—â— a sign not to believere but to unvelievers t is a certain persuasion grounded upon some Revelation or a special Promise of some miraculous work to be done Our Saviour granted it to the Apostles but it ceased long ago Thirdly Temporal Faith is a knowledge and assent to Truth contained in God's Word but only for a time hence called Temporal attended with some joy arising out of the consideration of some worldly advantages or of the thoughts and bare notion of a future happiness which at last vanish away Some Reprobates have this Faith This our Saviour speaks of when he mentions that part of the (d) Matth. 13.20 21. Seed which fell into stony places where it is received with joy Thus (e) Mark 6.20 Herod heard gladly John the Baptist and went farther for he did many things and observed him Whether this as (f) Acts 26.28 Agrippa's being almost perswaded to be a Christian may be said of Temporal or only of Historical Faith I will not dispute it being nothing at all material for my purpose but this I say that this Temporal Faith sometimes goeth so far that they who have it are said (g) Heb. 6.4 to have tasted of the heavenly gift and been made partakers of the holy Ghost The spirit of God sometimes bestoweth grace upon some which graces are not common nor saving neither our Saviour saith to the man in the Gospel who had discreetly answered him (h) Mark 12.34 Thou art not far from the Kingdom of Heaven for a man may go far on the way and yet fall short of it All that came out of Egypt though they went far into the wilderness nay some came within sight of the Land of Promise yet never entred into it so many (i) Matth. 7.14 strive to enter in at the straight gate who cannot find it We read of one (k) Mark 10.20 21. who observed all the commandments from his youth and in part he spok the truth for 't is said our Saviour beholding him loved him which he would not have done if he had told him a lye This I insist the more upon to make this temporal Faith better known and how far it bordereth upon true faith because our Adversaries do confound it with the true faith which is the fourth kind of Faith This is the only true faith otherwise called saving and justifying faith which doth consist not only in knowledge of things necessary to Salvation and also in an assent to all truths revealed in Gods word which reprobates may have but also in a trust and confidence and relying upon Christ and in a special way applying unto the Soul the general promises of God without this there is no true faith and here we are to do two things First To shew the difference between temporal and justifying faith and then prove that assurance is essential to true faith without which it cannot be such As to the first saving faith is attended with a real spiritual joy not arising out of any humane consideration but only out of the sence of God's mercy this temporal faith hath not nor the following signs of saving faith Secondly True faith hath a love of Christ overcoming all difficulties which love is attended with a religious fear of offending God and with a studying how to promote his glory Thirdly A sence of a future happiness amidst the greatest troubles and calamities Fourthly A hope of glory which maketh not ashamed raised within us by the spirit (a) Rom. 8.15 which beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God Lastly A special unmoveable trust and confidence in the mercy of God and an application of Christ's merits Temporal faith hath nothing to do with these but they are proper to true saving faith Hence may appear the error of our Adversaries or rather of the truth who would have temporal and saving faith to be the same in nature and to differ only as to duration of time Now as to the other thing that a trust and confidence in God is of the nature of faith it doth appear from the names given faith in the word of God 'T is called boldness and confidence (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him or a strong persuasion A liberty of confidence (c) And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 3. chap. 10.19 and 1 Joh. 5.14 If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end A full assurance (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith A (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hâ— 11.1 substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Also confidence (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 16.33 This is the confidence we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he
the word as often as they ought that the spirit of God is ever ready to give faith to all that do these things which is most false for though we own men are in the wrong to neglect those Christian duties yet though they would perform all that and more it would not do for God giveth faith to none but to those whom from eternity he decreed to give it to How could God have decreed by the word to give faith unto every man when as experience sheweth and we already have proved it he doth not afford every man that outward call We own that usually God doth not give men come to years faith without hearing or reading of the word but Scripture and experience do teach God doth not give it to every one that heareth and readeth it so that 't is false to say the neglect of the word is the only cause why God gives not every one faith for several do read hear meditate preach and write Commentaries upon the Word who yet never have true faith Yet we own how God blesseth the Ministery of some more than of others Now to come to the true cause of it 't is because God hath decreed to give it only to the Elect for faith is an effect of our Election (a) Acts. 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed as I quoted before and our Saviour saith all that the father giveth me hath elected in me shall come unto me and none else (b) Joh. 6.37.44 for no man can come to me except the father draweth him The good pleasure of God is the cause of the decree and of Faith too wherefore 't is called the gift of God nothing more free than what is given Our Saviour saith plainly to his Disciples (c) Eph. 2. â— It is given unto you to know the misteries of the kingdom of heaven to them it is not given Grace puts a difference between them After his resurrection our (d) Matth. 13.11 Saviour opened the understanding of his disciples that they might understand the Scripture without which they could not do it as afterwards was (e) Luke 24.45 opened the heart of Lydia and this made her attend unto the things which were spoken of by Paul So that to believe or not to believe (f) Acts 16.14 is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy (g) Rom. 9.16 God prepareth the heart of the humble saith David without it nothing can be done 't is his work First In relation to those that believe for our Saviour saith (h) Matth. 11.25.26 I thank thee O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hath revealed them unto babes If in this God had been accepter of persons or had been moved by any qualification in the persons he would have done the contrary of what he acted he would have revealed it to the Wise and Prudent and hid them from Babes This to a carnal reason seemeth strange yet 't is true and in the next verse our Blessed Saviour assigneth God's will as the only cause and ought to be sufficient for any one Even so father for so it seemeth good in thy sight They who are become the Sons of God and believe on his name (a) Joh. 13. are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Here our Coversion and Regeneration are attributed to the will of God exclusively to the will of the flesh or of man Now God doth act on both parts not only he maketh those believe who do but also others cannot believe because (b) Joh. 12.39.40 he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts and be converted and I should heal them In consequence of this they are delivered up to Satan who acts his part upon them in the way exressed by St. Paul (c) 2 Cor. 4.3 4. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them whieh believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine upon them Of these speaketh the Prophet (d) Isai 43.8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears they shall continue blind and deaf no Faith for these On the contrary side (e) Isai 32.3 The eyes of them that see shall not be dim and the ears of them that hear shall harken these shall have Faith After this we adore the actings of God and with St. Paul cry out (f) Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Now as begetting of Faith in us is an effect of God's Election and of his good-pleasure so is the increase and improvement of it for the more it feeds upon Christ the stronger and the more lively it groweth There are degrees of Faith so that though all Believers have the same Faith as to the substance and to the parts yet there is a great difference as to the degrees upon which account we are said (g) 2 Pet. 3.18 Ephes 4.15 to grow in faith or grace There is weak Faith and strong Faith yet both true that Man's Faith who said to our Saviour If thou (h) Mark 9.22.23 canst do any thing have compassion on us was a weak and languishing Faith and seemed to doubt whether Christ could cure his Child after Christ had said to him Mark 9 22.23 If thou canst believe all things are possible to the believer as if he had said to him I can do it but canst thou believe whereupon the Man prayed for supply and strength of Faith Lord I believe but help thou mine unbelief he was much weaker in Faith then he who said Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Luke 5.12 And then the Centurion of whom our Saviour (a) Matth. 8.10 saith I have not found so great a faith no not in Israel and that of the Woman of (b) Matth. 15.26.27 Canaan who for all the repulses which our Saviour did outwardly give her even comparing her to a Dog yet she would not give over till our Saviour had said to her (a) Matth. 8.10 O woman great is thy faith and cured her Daughter so of the woman who had the Issue of Blood for 12 years If I may but touch his cloths (c) Mark 5.28 I shall be whole all effects and signs of a great Faith the increase whereof we ought ever to pray for thereby in time of tryal to be able to resist the temptation Now as Christ is the true and only object of our Faith so 't is a hindrance to 't when we
and without disturbance taught the truth of all those Doctrines The truth was then in possession of the Pulpits of Divinity Schools and of Presses but what when this Man appeared the most Famous and Learned Protestant Divines at home and abroad opposed him and did write against him If any one hath a mind to know the shifts and tricks of that Party to strengthen themselves and undermine their opposers and to prevent the calling of a General Synod which was sued for as the best way effectually to maintain truth and oppose falsehood let him read the Acts of the Synod of Dort with the Preface to it where they had all the fair play that might reasonably be wished for But because about these matters in the eighth Century disputes did break out again as it appeared in the case of Gottescalk wherein Hinemarus of Rheims and Remigius Archbishop of Lyons with the Churches of his Diocese were highly engaged these last for and the other against Gottescalk which if any one desireth to be well informed of let him read the Honest and Excellent account of it given by that worthy and Eminent Prinate of Ireland James Vsher which I quoted before A thing much to be taken notice of in all these disputes and which is the chief Subject of this Chapter is this that Arminius and his Followers do hold the opinions of Pelagians and Semipelagians and that Calvin whom they make the head against their opinions and we hold the same with Austin Hilarius Prosper Fulgentius and other Orthodox Doctors of the Primitive Church we hitherto have sufficiently declared ours what remaineth is for me to shew what those Fathers of the Church did hold about these points but that shall be briefly because the trouble of proving it hath been saved me by others who make good out of the writings of those ancient Fathers the things now in question First As to Predestination (a) Justin Martyr dialog cum Triph. Sect. 2. God elected us and was made manifest to them that sought him not And do you think O man that we could ever have understood these things in the Scripture except we had received grace by the will of God of which grace ye Jews being destitute have understood none of them Another saith (b) Cyprian de Mort. num 2. there is no need of Money Industry and Man's Hand but it is the free and ready gift of God as freely as the Sun shineth the Fountain watereth the shower moisteneth so doth the heavenly spirit power it self into us The great asserter of Christ's Divinity speaks thus (a) Athanas cont Aâ—â—â—â—n 4. Pag. 175. The Apostle James hath taught of his own will begat he us with the word of truth Therefore of all the regenerate yea and of all that by creation were generated it is the will of God by the word of God that doth create and regenerate whatsoever pleaseth him Let us hear what saith another (b) Ambros in Psal 118. Serm. 10. Perseverance is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth for it is not in the power of man but in God that sheweth mercy that thou shouldest be able to accomplish that which thou hast began Another saith (c) Hieron ad Ruff. lib. 1. Paul and those that are like him are not elected because they were holy and unspotted but they are elected and predestinated that afterwards in their lives in good works and vertues they may be unspotted and holy These Doctors attribute it to grace to the free gift of God to his own will and pleasure perseverance is not in the will or power of man but in Gods mercy neither were we elected for our Faith or Holiness but to be unspotted and holy all this is the sense of the fore-quoted Doctors which agreeth with what we said But because in Austin's days chiefly that Heresie sprung up and that he was the man who most laid it to heart and made it his main business to oppose it he hath written against it more clearly and most to the full of any Out of so many Treatises he hath written about it which are so well known we shall quote only one or two places (d) August de praedest grat cap. 13. Out of those to whom the severity of Justice adjudgeth punishment according to the unexpressible mercy of his secret dispensation he chose out vessels which he might fit unto honour both delivering some from wrath to come and leaving others to the sentence of Justice Enchirid. ad Laurent cap. 99. And in another place he hath mercy with goodness he hardeneth without injustice so that he that is freed may not boast of his merits neither he that is damned may complain of any thing but his merits for grace alone maketh a difference between the redeemed and the lost whom one common cause derived from the root had united together in one lump of destruction With this concurred another when he saith (e) Prosper ad except genu resp ad dub 9. Austin by a godly and constant doctrine hath abundantly proved that predestination was to be preached to the Church in which it is the preparation of grace and grace is to be preached in which is the effect of predestination and the fore-knowledge of God wherein he fore-knoweth before all ages on whom he would bestow his gifts Which preaching whosoever is against he is a most open defender of Pelagian Pride And in another place he saith from himself No Catholick doth deny the predestination of God The faith of predestination is established by many authorities of holy Scriptures yet unto it Ad capit Gall. cap. 1. it is not lawful to attribute any of the sins of men who came to their inclination to sin not by God's Creation but by their first Fathers transgression from the punishment whereof no man is free but only by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ prepared and predestinated in the eternal counsel of God before the foundation of the world An excellent testimony about all these Doctrines by Austin asserted is given by Hormisda a Bishop of Rome to a Bishop of Africa who desired his advise about the Books of Faustus the Semipelagian in these words (a) Epist ad Possessor They know how not only the Roman and African Church and all the Sons of promise through all parts of the world do agree with this man's Austin Doctrine as in the whole Faith so in the confession of Grace But let us come to another (b) Fulgent de incar grat in fine God who made man by his predestination fore-appointed to whom he would give the gift of illumination to believe and the gift of perseverance to profit and persevere and the gift of glorification to reign who no otherwise performed indeed then he hath ordained in his unchangeable will The truth of which predestination by which the Apostle witnesseth that we are predestinated in Christ before the foundation
of the world If any man refuse to receive with the belief of the heart or to speak with the confession of his mouth if before the last day of this present life he doth not cast off the stubbornness of his error whereby he rebelleth against the true and the living God it is plain he doth not belong to the number of those whom God hath freely chosen in Christ and predestinated before the foundation of the world There is a two fold predestination saith one (c) Isidor Hispalensis either of the Elect unto rest or of the reprobate unto death both are done by the Judgment of God So that he ever causeth the Elect to follow heavenly and inward things and by forsaking the reprobate he suffereth him to follow earthly and outward things Another speaks thus (a) Anselm de cencor praesâ— praedest Predestination is not only of good but it may also be said of evil as God is said to do the evil he doth not because he permits it for he is said to harden a man when he doth not soften him and to lead into temptation when he doth not deliver therefore it is not unfit that he should thus predestinate whilst he doth not amend evil men nor their evil deeds but yet he is said more specially to fore-know good things because in them he makes that they be and that they be good But in evil things he makes but their being not the evil of their being The same Author saith farther in another place to this purpose (b) In Rom. 9. God did not therefore take mercy on Jacob because he willed and runned but therefore Jacob willed and runned because God had mercy on him Let it be enough for thee who yet livest by Faith and not seeing perfectly but knowing only in part to know and believe that God doth save none but by free mercy nor damn none but by most righteous justice But why he saveth or saveth not this man rather than that man Let him search who will look into the great depths of God's judgments but withall let him take heed that he doth not fall down headlong But to come to lower times let us hear what saith Bernard a good and famous Writer (c) Bernard in Cant. Serm. 14. My right is the will of the Judge what more just for merit What more rich for reward May not he do what he will Mercy indeed is shewed to me but to thee is done no injury take that which is thine and go thy way If he hath decreed to save me also why wilt thou destroy me take what thou wilt of thy merits extol thy labours the mercy of God is better than life If we descend to the School-men we can hear them speak at the same rate first the Master of Sentences (d) Pet. Lombard lib. 1. dist 41. lit d. God elected whom he pleased by free mercy not because they would be faithful but that they might be faithful and he gave them grace not because they were faithful but that they might be for the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7. I obtained mercy that I might be faithful He saith not because I was faithful grace is indeed given to the faithful but it is also given first that he might be faithful So also he reprobated whom he pleased not for any future merits yet by a most true justice though hidden from our eyes The next saith (a) Thom. Aquin. part 1. quaest 23 Art 5. It is manifest that grace is an effect of predestination and that cannot be put as a cause of predestination which is shut up under predestination God would shew his goodness on some whom he predestinated in sparing them by way of mercy and on those whom he reprobateth in punishing by way of justice and this is the reason why he chuseth some and reprobateth others but why he chuseth these unto glory and reprobateth those there is no reason to be given but the will of God Another speaketh thus (b) Bradward de causa dei lib. 1. cap. 39. There is no such cause either forbidding the will of God or causing it by which an answer may be given why he loved this man or hated that man Two or three more I shall add then I have done with this He concludes out of St. Paul (c) Gorran in Rom. 9. That both Election and Reprobation depend on Gods good-pleasure saying therefore he hath mercy on whom he will because he hath freely loved Jacob and rejected Esau he hath mercy on whom he will by giving grace and he hardeneth whom he will not by imparting wickedness but by not giving grace whereupon St. Austin as the Sun in departing far from the earth doth harden Ice not by imparting coldness but by not giving heat The next saith I (d) Thom. Campensis de imit Christ lib. 2. cap. 63. am he that made all Saints I gave them grace I bestowed glory I knew all their good works I prevented them in the blessings of my sweetness I fore-knew my beloved before all ages I elected them out of the world and they did not pre-elect me I called them by grace I drew them by mercy I led them thorough many temptations I poured into them glorious consolations I gave them perseverance c. I am to be blessed and honoured in them all whom I have so highly glorified and predestinated without any foregoing good works of their own The last is one whom some of our Adversaries do set a high value upon his words are these (e) Cassand consult art 18. The grace of predestination is so greatly commended in the word of God and Ecclesiastical writers that those who are endued with faith in Christ and with good works springing from that faith may not ascribe these things to themselves but unto God and to the grace of his divine predestination and election and so may glory in the Lord and not in themselves Surely all these men were Calvinians Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 24. ad 38. ad lib. 3.33 Hiliar in Psal 48. Pet diacon de incarn grat Christ Gregr. mag moral in Job lib. 29. cap. 15. Beda in Rom. 9. and may be by a Metempsycosis he had the Soul of some of them transmitted into his body if so that of Austin was the likeliest for both were great asserters of these truths yet Dr. Taylor saith Austin is the first that stirred the mudd if instead of Austin he had named Pelagius he had spoken the truth but 't is usual for the Wolf to say the Lamb hath troubled the waters However 't is but an idle notion but withall spiteful and malicious to give these Doctrines the name of Calvinism But we have with us men of all Ages and they very considerable To the same purpose we could bring in others whom for brevities sake we quote in the Margin and if I went about to make use of more quotations on this point I should weary my self
Faith their perseverance their good use of grace received their original and actual sins and final impenitency why one man is predestinated to salvation not another So it unveils to them those high and unsearchable mysteries of Gods decrees which put St. Paul to a nonplus or else he had not been strucken with such amazing admiration as made him cry out (a) Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding-out Surely he wanted that universal grace or else he would not have thought those judgments so incomprehensible though I would have the Adversaries of the truth to know that St. Paul wanted no grace he had a sufficient grace (b) 2 Cor. 12 9. My grace is sufficient unto thee But that sufficient grace in Paul was for another end it never went so far as Arminians pretends theirs doth yet they must give us leave to think he was inferiour in grace to none of them nor David who saith (c) Psal 36.6 thy judgments are a great deep I shewed how Arminians have renewed several of Pelagius his Errors but I did not fasten upon them his denying Original Sin which I must now do (d) Contra Tilen pag. 388. Corvinus one of their great men saith that with Arminius orginal sin hath not the nature of sin or fault properly so called and Arminius himself affirmeth that it is wrongfully said (e) Pag. 174. That original sin makes a man guilty of death And one of our own who is highly esteemed by his own Party in his Book Vnum Necessarium doth expressly deny original sin and the imputation thereof and takes a great deal of pains to answer arguments drawn out of Scripture and experimental reasons to prove it and what he had written he goes about to justifie in his answer to the then Bishop of Rochester's Letter which he had written to shew him his Error Here and there I shewed how about these matters Arminians do joyn with Papists and Pelagians against us Now I say they do so with Socinians so no wonder if they have and still usher in Socinianism For both Arminians and Socinians do affirm that the causes of predestination are not in God but in us That he doth not predestinate to Salvation any certain or particular persons and that predestination may be changed and frustrated also that theâ—e is a free-will to good in us And as to Providence that God hath not determined contingencies nor foreseen future contingents and such others as Arminians have borrowed from Socinians as in the mistakes concerning the high point of justification Christ's satisfaction c. Then they deny the knowledge and confession of the mystery of the Trinity to be absolutely necessary to Salvation and that the Doctrine of the three persons of the Godhead specially of Christ's being God from Eternity are not a fundamental Article of our Faith as affirmed in their Apolog. Vindic. Respons ad except Leyd nay in vindic cap. 7. lib. 1. pag. 37 38. With Socinians and some Anabaptists they falsely say that the Doctrine of the Trinity began in the time of the Council of Nice and they are so good friends that in the same Apol. Vindic. they affirm Socinians to be Pious nay most Pious Men whom all Protestants ought to take for example of Piety wherefore no wonder if they say we ought to keep Communion with them that is Socinians Some of them say the Father to be Essentiantem and the Son Essentiatum and subordinate to the Father In few words that most of the Arminian Doctors do in the Article of the Trinity which they make to be of no great moment go hand in hand with Socinians hath clearly been made out by Vedclius Part 2. Arcanorum Armin. and what I have here charged them with and other things too I am able to make good out of their publick writings as the Apology Vindic. and out of the works of their most approved eminent Authors as Worstius whom they would have had promoted to be Divinity Professor at Leyden after Arminius's death Episcopius the chief manager of their Affairs in the Synod of Dort Curcelaeus c. But all these and more too ill consequences in matters of Doctrine I now must conclude with the bad influence it hath upon life and conversation It is too true as we find it by experience that there are multitudes of wretches kept in their carnal security by a perswasion that there is an universal grace offered unto all by which they may repent and believe when they will this makes them resolve to enjoy the pleasures of sin a little longer and then they will receive and entertain grace and so easily get to Heaven which is a great encouragement to all wickedness but it suits with the nature and desire of wicked presumptuous and prophane sinners who though they were not fully perswaded of it yet for them t is a pretence to continue in sin 'T is said of one Thompson a great propagator of Arminianism that when he was in his fits of intemperance if any one minded him of the wrath of God threatned against such courses he would answer I am a child of the devil to day but I have free-will and to morrow I will make my self a child of God Jansenius hath made this general observation that the Pelagians were generally loose in their lives which he taketh abundance of good Pains to prove and I conceive it cannot be too much considered in this controversie because Pelagius urged nothing more vehemently than this that the extolling of the grace of God and lessening the liberty of man's will is the readiest way to destroy all Piety By those that for a considerable time have conversed amongst Papists 't is observed how the Jansenists are the best moral livers amongst them of a much better life and conversation than the rest so it cannot but be taken notice of that amongst us the greatest sticklers for Arminianism even amongst some of the Clergy are the proudest most vicious Ambitious Voluptuous Drunkards prophane livers of any making little or no conscience to seek the glory of God to feed their flocks amongst which they seldom are resident except in sheering time for to feed they care not so much as to fleece the Flock making not much conscience of performing Pastoral Duties being more for wealth and preferment than for the good of souls If their Doctrine be good why are their lives and actions so vicious I speak for the generality their practice contradicteth what they would have us to believe of their Doctrine their bad lives they would shelter under the notion of a good Doctrine the goodness of their Religion must be a cloak but we with a good life would as much as the frailty and corruption of our nature can permit endeavour to credit the doctrine we profess and because we will not run into the same excesses
The Doctrines contained in every Article he reduces under several Heads and Propositions which he proves out of Scripture and these Propositions he in his Epistle Dedicatory affirmeth to be maintained by the Church of England which if it had not been true he would not have had the Face to have said so in Print to the Primate of the whole Kingdom To add a greater weight to what he writes I must warn the Reader he was no Puritan nor Friend to them as it appeareth out of his Book and so no Calvinist to make use of their Words He out of this 17th Article draweth ten Propositions the 1st That there is a Predestination of Men unto everlasting Life 2. Predestination hath been from everlasting Here is the eternity 3. They which are predestinated unto Salvation cannot perish This is Perseverance and against the Apostacy of Saints 4. Not all Men but certain are predestinated to be saved Here is a certain number of Chosen and Elect 5. In Christ Jesus of the meer Will and purpose of God some are elected and not others unto Salvation Here are Election and Rebrobation and no outward Motive in God but his meer Will and Purpose In the 6th and 7th Propositions he makes the outward Calling by the Word and inward by the Holy Ghost the Justification by Faith of those that are predestinate their Sanctification by the Holy Ghost and Glorification in the Life to come to be infallible Effects of free Election Take notice also how in his Proofs of the first Proposition he makes use of the Examples of Abel and Cain Isaac and Ishmael Jacob and Esau as Examples of Election and Reprobation And amongst those whom he condemns as Adversaries to this Truth for of the Truth he asserts in every Proposition he names those that are against it he expresses those that say how some are appointed to be saved but none to be damned And upon the 4th Proposition he condemneth those who say no certain Company be fore-destined unto eternal Condemnation Upon his 5th Proposition he condemneth of Impiety that 's his Word those who say that Man maketh himself eligible for the Kingdom of Heaven those who say that God beheld in every Man whether he would use his Grace well and believe the Gospel or no and as he saw a Man affected so he did predestinate choose or refuse him And those that say that besides God's Will there was in him some other Cause why he chose one and cast off another O Arminians here by a true Son of the Church according to the Doctrine of the Church you are charged with Impiety for your Opinions More of this is to be seen in the Book which for Brevities sake I omit One Evidence more of a true Son of the Church I shall make use of upon this point which also proves our 13th Chapter in the very Words (a) Reply to Fisher p. 275. Although our Tenet concerning predestination be no other than St. Austin and his Scholars maintained against the Pelagians saith Dr. Francis White Dean of Carlisle As to Mr. Rogers's Book something else I shall add how therein in matter of Predestination he saith as do all the Churches Militant and Reformed with a sweet consent testifie and acknowledge Then all such Churches agree against Arminians in these points For free-Will we must read the 10th Article The Condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural Strength and good Works to Faith and calling upon God wherefore we have no power to do good Works pleasing and acceptable unto God without the Grace of God preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will This is plain enough as observed by Rogers how Man cannot do any good Work before he be regenerated and converted And he declares Adversaries to this Truth all such as hold that naturally there is free-will in us and that Man hath free-will to perform spiritual and heavenly things Again that Men believe not but of their own free-Will That it is in a Man's free-Will to believe or not to believe to obey or disobey the Gospel of Truth preached This is the Doctrine we assert in as plain and proper Words as can be expressed And on his 3d. Proposition upon the same Article he brings in the very same Texts we make use of for that purpose As (b) Acts 15. â— God purifieth man's heart (c) Phil. 2.13 works in us both the will and the deed (d) Rom. 8 2â— the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought (e) 1 Cor. 6.7 Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God c. All this against free-Will and for God's free effectual Grace As to the certainty of Salvation and for Perseverance 't is contained in the already-quoted 17th Article where 't is said God hath constantly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to bring those he hath chosen in Christ and by Christ to everlasting Salvotion Whence it doth follow that certainly and infallibly such shall be brought to Salvation or else God could not execute that which he hath decreed to do which is Blasphemy Now the Adversaries are for Mutability and in constancy of Salvation which certainly this Article doth cross for it induceth a certain and constant Salvation and a constant Decree of Election constantly bringing to Salvation which must be by way of Perseverance in the State of Grace But they by inducing this Apostacy and that Men though elected may have leave to fall from Salvation if they will make an Election which followeth a Man upon condition of his fore-seen Perseverance a strange Election that waits upon Man to see whether he will give to himself a final Perseverance by his own free-Will an Election by which no Man is actually elected until he be no more that is after his death In this Article the Church hath another way to teach the certainty of Salvation which is to go upon the same Grounds St. Paul doth when he saith by Particulars to make the General sure (f) Rom. 8.29.3 Whom he did fore-know them he also did predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son Whom he did predestinate them he also called whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified According to this Foundation in the said Article are these Words Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a Benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through Grace obey the Calling They be justified freely they be made Sons of God by Adoption they be made like unto the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by God's
Mercy they attain to everlasting Felicity Here are also the Particulars by which that general bringing to Salvation is perfected so that to joyn both together it is but one and the same and from first to last there is such an indissoluble Connexion that he who is elected to eternal Life shall infallibly have it Upon this certitude and assurance it is that St. Paul concludes nothing can deprive us of eternal Life because nothing can separate us from the love of God which is the Ground of our Happiness Wherefore he defieth any thing or person to do it though Arminians undertake to accept of the Apostle's Challenge not caring how they come within his Defiance For they seem to answer that there are many or some things that can separate us from the love of God in Christ tho' after and before a long Enumeration St. Paul concludes In all things these we are more than conquerours And Job will trust in God John 13.15 though he kill him Now that which maketh us to Conquer is not our own free-Will but it is God that loved us In conformity to this in the same Article it is said The consideration of Election doth greatly establish in the Saints and confirm their Faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ And the same Interpreter upon the 17th Article in his 3d. Proposition out of the Words constantly decreed doth infer this Wander then do they from the truth which think that the very Elect totally and finally may fall from Grace and be damned c. I think this is very clear for us And in the latter end of his 8th Proposition he condemneth those who call the Doctrine of Predestination a licentious Doctrine As to the point of Justification which is a Fundamental Article of our Religion and much corrupted by Arminians the xi Article of the 39. saith We are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works and Deservings These last Words do reach Arminians as well as Papists for free Will Faith Perseverance right use and improvement of Means do come under the Word Deservings There is then nothing of Man and Rogers in the Proofs of his 1st Proposition explains it thus By his only Righteousness we are justified It expresses only Christ's Righteousness and excludeth any thing else But I must not be too long upon this Out of what hath been said I hope it doth appear how of the 39 Articles those which speak about these Matters are clearly for us against Arminians Now we must come to the Liturgy or Common-Prayer-Book which now and then and in several places doth strike against those Errors and for the Truth And as the Church teaches us those Doctrines by Articles of Faith so in the Liturgy she doth confirm it by Practice But before I come to it I must take notice of some Passages in the Catechism which is also a publick Record and Evidence of the Doctrine of the Church Know this that thou art not able to do these things of thy self nor to walk in the Commandments of God and to serve him without his special Grace See also the Answer to the first Question about the Lord's Prayer I desire c. Read the Answer to the 4th Question and by God's help so I will c. Now to come to Particulars out of the Prayer-Book In one place we have thus (a) Collect on Christ's Nativity Grant that we being regenerate and made thy Children by Adoption and Grace may daily be renewed by thy holy Spirit Those Benefits we receive as effects of Grace not of our free-Will and our being renewed is by God's Holy Spirit not by our Will If it be by one it is not by the other because in Matters of Salvation Grace and natural Strength are opposed In another place (b) Collect upon Ash-wednesday we beseech God to create and make in us new and contrite Hearts Then we cannot have it of our selves and the Word to create sheweth it to be beyond the power of any Creature it is the Work only of the Creator Elsewhere we own (c) Collect on 2d Sunday in Lent to have no power of our selves to help our selves If we have a free-Will we have a Power Again (d) Collect on Monday and Tuesday in Easter week As by thy special Grace preventing us thou dost put into our Minds good Desires so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect This is plain and full against Arminians If there be good Thoughts in our Mind good Desires in our Heart it is God alone that puts it therein By what Motive and upon what Account Not for any thing in us but by his Grace nay his special not a common universal Grace not for our Faith Repentance good Works right use of Means but by his special Grace preventing Grace before we can think and desire But this is not all for as the beginning is from God as are Desires so is the Progress for we pray for his continual help so also is the end that we may bring the same good Thoughts and Desires to good effect Without that help nothing doth or can come to any good We have more than this to shew (e) Collect on 4th Sunday after Easter Almighty God who alone canst order the unruly Wills and Affections of sinful Men grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou command-est and desire that which thou dost promise We are all sinful Men even God's People Our Wills and Affections are unruly where then lays their Freedom They are obstinate Slaves to their Passions therefore called unruly None but God can order them nothing under a Divine Power can influence them to what is good nay in things that are natural to them as to love and to desire Nothing seems more natural than Love and Desire nothing more free yet here we see our Wills cannot love that which God commands or desire what he promises except God makes them do it Surely these are mortal Wounds to free-Will Furthermore we cannot so much as to think any good thing but by the Spirit of God For St. Paul saith of our selves we cannot have a good Thought so the Church which believeth his Doctrine saith to God (f) Collect on 5th Sunday after Easter Grant to us that by thy holy Inspiration we may think those things that be good This is of Grace and not by Nature therefore (g) Collect on 1st Sunday after Trinity we can do no good thing without thee grant us the help of thy Grace that we may please thee both in will and deed God puts into our Hearts to do Duties and to perform them well (h) Collect on 3d. Sunday after Trinity Thou hast given us a hearty desire to pray We pray God to grant (i) Collect on Ascension day and Collect on Annunciation day
in the Prayer in time of War and Tumult amongst the Thanksgivings that we may in Heart and Mind ascend into the Heavens Surely 't is to deny those Prayers if one denieth the effectual Power of God on the Will of Man In another place Almighty God c. whose power no Creature is able to resist in Spirituals as in Temporals But I must not much longer stand upon this for the Stream runs strong that way only few places more I shall quote as that wherein we own (k) Collect on 4th Sunday after Trinity God to be our Ruler and Guide and beseech him to be so In another we say (l) Collect on 6th Sunday after Trinity and Collect on 7th Sunday after Trinity Pour into our Hearts such Love towards thee And we pray (m) Collect on 14th Sunday after Trinity for increase of Faith Hope and Charity And almost in every Collect we pray to God to rule our Hearts and in one place to work upon and move our Wills in these Words (n) Collect on 25th Sunday Stir up we beseech thee O Lord the Wills of thy People They are not free nay they are asleep and dead to every good thing except thou be pleased to stir them up The Question is about the Will and here the Will is named God may well rule the Heart for (o) 2d Collect on Good Friday by his Spirit the whole Body of the Church is governed In the Church-Prayers we own he ruleth the Hearts of Kings (p) 1st and 2d Collect on the Communnion Rule the Heart of thy Servant the King The Hearts of Kings are in thy Rule and Governance and thou dost dispose and turn them as it seemeth best to thy godly Wisdom We humbly beseech thee to dispose and govern the Heart of thy Servant our King that in all his Thoughts Words and Works he may ever seek thy Honour and Glory If Men have free-Will and Power to do those things as to purifie themselves why do we pray for them 'T is in vain for us to pray to God to do for us that which we can do our selves But if therein we want his Assistance then we must need want that Power I shall conclude with two or three places out of the Litany where 't is prayed for the King That his Heart may be ruled in the Faith Fear and Love of God In another place That the Church may be called and universally governed in the right way and That God would bring into the way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived Here the Church doth plainly acknowledge the Efficacy of God's Grace on the Wills and Hearts of Men for when we pray that God's Grace may work such Effects 't is owned such Effects to be the proper Works of God's Grace One thing more I shall take notice of and it is this In a Prayer are these Words We beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of Men that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them Hence we see how Men cannot of themselves know God's Ways but it is God that makes them known unto them therefore we therein beseech God to do it Which if it were not proper for God alone the Prayer would be in vain Hence we also learn the Sense of the Church as to the signification of the word all used in Scripture as it ought to be the Object of our Prayers and then by a consequence apply it to those for whom Christ died against an universal Redemption in their way for in the Collect it is not said for every single and individual Man but for all sorts and conditions of Men. Now to proceed We should bring something out of the Book of Homilies and of the authorised Catechism of Edward the 6th As to the first take notice of the following places out of the Edition quoted in the Margin London 1623. Part. 1. pag. 8. Ephes 2. St. Paul in many places painteth us out in our own Colours calling us the Children of the Wrath of God when we were born Saying also that we cannot think a good Thought of our selves much less can we we say or do well of our selves c. And we be of our selves of such Earth Pag. 10. as can bring forth nothing but Weeds Nettles Brambles Bryars Cockle and Darnel we have neither Faith Charity Hope Patience Chastity nor any thing else that good is but of God and therefore these Vertues are called there the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and not the Fruits of Man In another place Of our selves and by our selves we have no Goodness part 1. p. 11. and Part 2. p. 181 182 183. Help nor Salvation but contrariwise Sin Damnation and Death everlasting Our Salvation comes only by Christ We are all become unclean but are not able to cleanse our selves nor to make one another of us clean We are by nature Children of God's Wrath but we are not able to make our selves the Children and Inheritors of God's Glory c. He is the God who of his own Mercy saveth us and setteth out his Charity and exceeding Love towards us in that of his own voluntary Goodness when we perished he saved us and provided an everlasting Kingdom for us And all these Heavenly Treasures are given us not for our Desert Merit or good Deeds which of our selves we have none but of his meer Mercy freely Doth not this wholly and only attribute our Salvation to the free Grace of God in Christ and consequently excludeth any thing in or from us to move God to be so gracious to us As to the great point of our Justification before God in the Sermon of the Salvation of Mankind by only Christ our Saviour from Sin and Death everlasting are these Words But our Justification doth come freely by the Mercy of God of so great and free Mercy that whereas all the World was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their Ransom it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite Mercy without any our Deserts to prepare for us the most precious Jewels of Christ's Body and Blood c. And further to shew there is nothing of ours Part 2. p. 172. it is said elsewhere It is of the free Grace and Mercy of God by the Mediation of the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ without Merit or Deserving on our part Part 2. p. 81 82. that our Sins are forgiven us that we are reconciled and brought again into his Favour and made Heirs of his Heavenly Kingdom And as to the Certainty and Immutability of our Election it is said in another place Let us by such Virtues as ought to spring out of Faith shew our Election to be sure and stable Part 1. p. 28.29 c. And elsewhere we read this The holy Man Simon saith Part 2. p. 152. that Christ is set forth for the fall and rising again of many in Israel As Christ
and love of God whereby he chose us for his before he made the world after that he granted us to be called by the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when the spirit of the Lord is poured into us by whose guidance and governance we be led to settle our trust in God ... From the same spirit also cometh our sanctification the love of God and our Neighbour justice and uprightness of life finally whatsoever is in us or may be done of us honest pure true and good that altogether springeth out of this most pleasant Rock from this most plentiful fountain the goodness love choice and unchangeable purpose of God he is the cause the rest are the fruits and effects .... It is meant thereby that faith or rather trust alone doth lay hand upon understand and perceive our righteous making to be given us of God freely That is to say by no desert of our own but by the free grace of the Almighty Father .... For not by the worthiness of our deservings were we either heretofore chosen or long ago saved but by the only mercy of God and pure grace of Christ our Lord whereby we were in him made to do these good works that God hath appointed for us to walk in ... And fol. 68. Immortality and blessed life God hath provided for his chosen before the foundation of the world was laid To what hath been said out of fol. 7 8 12. I shall add few words more The image of God in man by original sin and evil custom was so obscured that man himself could not sufficiently understand the difference between good and bad between just and unjust c. And from these and other actions of Christ two benefits do accrue unto us one that whatsoever he did he did it all for our profit so that they are as much ours if so be we cleave fast to them with a firm and lively faith as if we our selves had done them .... Out of all this I made it appear Arminian Tenets to be contrary to the Doctrine of the Church and upon occasion I shall be ready to make enlargements not only out of all the same Springs and Authentick Records but out of others too which now for brevities sake I do not mention tho' they be considerable however before I make an end of this point I must not omit taking notice of the Catechism of Predestination or some certain Questions and Answers about that matter in opposition to Arminianism and as a preservative against it when here it began to appear in the Year 1607 they were Licensed by Authority and Printed by Robert Barker which then were bound up and sold with the Bibles I shall take notice only of three or four things in it The answer to the question What is the reason why men do so much vary in matters of religion Is this Because they only believe the Gospel and Doctrine of Christ which are ordained unto eternal life And to the next question Are not all ordained to eternal life The Answer is Some are vessels of wrath ordained unto destruction as others are vessels of mercy prepared to glory And to the question How standeth it with God's justice that some are appointed to damnation The Answer is Very well because all men have in themselves sin which deserveth no less and therefore the mercy of God is wonderful in that he vouchsafed to save some of that sinful race and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth And to the following question If God's ordinance and determination must of necessity take effect then what need any man to care For he that liveth well must needs be damned if he be thereunto ordained And he that liveth ill must needs be saved if he be thereunto appointed The answer is this Not so for it is not possible that either the Elect should always be without care to do well or that the Reprobate should have any will thereunto for to have either good will or good work is a testimony of the spirit of God which is given to the Elect only whereby faith is so wrought in them that being grafted in Christ they grow in holiness to that glory whereunto they are appointed c. And as to another question Cannot such perish as at some time or other feel these spiritual motions within themselves 'T is answered It is not possible that they should for as Gods purpose is not changeable so he repenteth not of the gifts and graces of his adoption neither doth he cast off those whom he hath once received If we had had the penning of these words we could not have set them down otherwise than they are Hence appeareth the sweet and perfect harmony between these publick Records of the Faith and Religion of the Church of England let those that have a mind to look farther there into among the 39 Articles to peruse the 9th about Original Sin the 11th of the Justification of Man and the 18th of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the name of Christ With Mr. Roger's Exposition upon every one of them specially the 17th about Predestination I hope we hitherto have out of Publick and Authentick Records sufficiently demonstrated Arminianism to be contray to the Doctrine of the Church We ought to take notice how these 39 Articles Common-Prayer-Book c. were compiled before Arminius and his errors were heard of here for I make no doubt but if they had been spread before we should have had other things more directly and positive against them for certainly the spirit of the first Reformers was altogether for free-grace against free-will wherefore to prosecute my Argument I now must shew how strongly and generally Arminianism was opposed here when it first appeared Which can more and more confirm it to be against the Doctrine of the Church But this affordeth matter enough for another Chapter CHAP. XVI How Arminianism did meet with a strong and general opposition here when it began to appear HEre the sparkles of that unhappy Fire did at first except once which I shall have occasion to mention break out in Cambridge where one Doctor Baroe a Divinity Professor and one Barret in a Sermon of his having published some Arminian Tenets a speedy course was taken to suppress it for the Vice-Chancellor and Heads of the University-Colleges met together and declared those opinions to be Innovations and contrary to the Doctrine of the Church professed in that University Whereupon they sent up Doctor Whitaker and Tindal two Members of their own to Archbishop Whitgift who forthwith called to him several learned and worthy Divines amongst whom were the then Bishop of London the Elect Bishop of Bangor and others in and about the City and upon due Examination and Debate upon the matter on the 20th of November 1595 drew up unanimously the 9 Articles called the Lambeth Articles wherein they also had the concurrence of the Archbishop of York and of several Divines of that
Province which Articles are a sentence past against Arminianism as the fit and proper remedy for the Disease the Antidote was specifical and composed against the Poyson which because they are few short and altogether to our purpose I shall here set down in English as they were in Latin I. God from Eternity hath predestinated certain men unto life certain men he hath reprobated to death II. The moving or sufficient cause of predestination unto life is not the fore-sight of Faith or of Perseverance or of Good works or of any thing that is in the persons predestinated but only the good will and pleasure of God III. There is a predetermined and certain number of the predestinate which can never be augmented nor diminished IV. Those who are not predestinated to Salvation shall necessarily be damned for their sins V. A true living and justifying Faith and the spirit of God justifying is not extinguished it falleth not away or vanisheth not away in the Elect either finally or totally VI. A Man truly faithful that is such a one who is endued with a justifying Faith is certain of the full assurance of Faith of the remission of his sins and of his everlasting Salvation by Christ VII Saving grace is not given is not communicated is not granted to all men by which they may be saved if they will VIII No Man can come unto Christ unless it shall be given him and unless the Father shall draw him And all Men are not drawn by the Father that they may come to the Son IX It is not in the will or power of any Man to be saved These Articles upon serious debate and mature deliberation having been agreed on by the persons before named very Eminent and Considerable Men were afterwards sent to the University of Cambridge by their Deputies where they were received with the unanimous approbation of the whole University with such success that of the two Arminians Baroe not long after left the University and went away and Barret was forced solemnly to recant which recantation was Registred Thus a full stop was put to those Innovations and since that time till Laud's Faction got the upper-hand this and no other contrary Doctrine was taught there as being the true Orthodox according to Scriptures and the Church of England's but since that time the Party have done what they could to suppress and discredit it Yet though sometimes truth be driven into corners we doubt not but at last it will prevail notwithstanding the opposition of Men and Devils as it happened in the case of Arrianism An Heresie against the person of Christ as Arminianism is against his grace though to our great grief we see Arrianism revived in Socinianism as Pelagianism is in Arminianism But we must go on in our design In these 9 Articles we see the true Sence and Doctrine of the Church explained by those that by their office and learning are the fittest Interpreters thereof so we may conclude that to be at that time the Doctrine of the Church which we have asserted But we have farther proofs which to bring in I must skip over some passages but with an intent to make use of them in due place the reason I have to do so is because what I am going upon carries along with it the stamp of Publick Authority and Influence I mean the confession of Faith and Articles of the general Convocation of Ireland held in Dublin 1605 That is 20 years after the Articles of Lambeth By the grace of God I shall here set down those Articles of that Convocation which are to our present purpose and so shall begin with the Eleventh XI God from all eternity did by his unchangaeble Counsel ordain whatsoever in time should come to pass yet so as no violence is offered to the wills of the reasonable Creatures and neither the liberty nor the contingency of the second causes is taken away but rather established XII By the same eternal Counsel God hath predestinated some unto life and reprobated some unto death of both which there is a certain number known only to God which can neither be increased nor diminished XIII Predestination unto life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the Foundations of the World were laid he hath constantly decreed in his secret Council to deliver from Curse and Condemnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring them by Christ unto everlasting Salvation as vessels made to honour XIV The cause moving God to predestinate unto life is not the fore-seeing of Faith or Perseverance or of good works or of any thing which is in the person predestinated but only the good pleasure of God himself for all things being ordained for the manifestation of his glory and his glory being to appear both in the works of his Mercy and his Justice It seemed good to his heavenly wisdom to chuse out a certain number towards whom he would extend his undeserved mercy leaving the rest to be spectacles of his Justice XV. Such as are predestinated unto life he called according unto God's purpose his spirit working in due season and through grace they obey the calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by adoption they be made like the image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and at length by God's mercy they attain to everlasting felicity But such as are not predestinated to Salvation shall finally be condemned for their sins XXV The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable unto God without the grace of God preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will XXXII None can come unto Christ unless it be given unto him and unless the Father draw him and all men are not so drawn by the Father that they may come to the Son Neither is there such a sufficient measure of grace vouchsafed unto every Man whereby he is enabled to come to everlasting life XXXIII All God's Elect are in their time inseparably united unto Christ by the effectual and vital influence of the holy Ghost derived from him as from the head unto every true member of his mystical Body and being thus made one with Christ they are regenerated and made partakers of him and of all his benefits XXXVII By justfying Faith we understand not only the common belief of the Articles of Christian Religion and a persuasion of the truth of God's word in general But also a particular application of the promises of the Gospel to the comfort of our own souls whereby we lay hold on Christ with all his benefits having an earnest trust and confidence in God that he will be merciful to us for his Sons
persevere unto the end though they sometimes fall through infirmity into grievous sins yet they never fall totally or finally from the habits seeds and state of Grace They say that true justifying Faith is neither a true special fruit of Election Arm. IV. nor yet proper to the Elect alone that 't is often found in Reprobates And that the very Elect by falling into sin may and often do fall totally and finally from the very habit seeds and state of Grace We say that Christ's death is of sufficient intrinsecal merit in it self Orth. V. though not in God's intention or his holy Spirit 's application to redeem and save all mankind wherefore he died really and effectually for none but the Elect for whom alone he actually and effectually hath obtained remission of sins and everlasting life They say Jesus Christ died effectually alike for all men whatsoever Arm. V. whether Elect or Reprobates without any special intent to save the Elect alone or any particular persons more than others With a general purpose to save all men alike upon condition of their believing and applying of his death which dependeth principally upon every man's own actual will and powers not of Christ's actual application of it to them by his Spirit To this one thing more I shall add against one of their Opinions Orth. VI. We say there is not any such Free-will any such universal and sufficient Grace communicated unto all men whereby they may Repent believe and be Saved if they will themselves They say there is an universal sufficient Grace derived upon all men since the fall of Adam Arm. VI. by vertue of which they may all Repent Believe and be Saved if they will themselves These and several other things of that kind as namely the important point of Justification which they so highly have corrupted of Providence and others which by the grace of God in due time we shall have occasion to speak of are the matters we do differ about yet to what we already said of their adhering to Pelagians Massilienses and Semipelagians we may add how some of them own Socinus's and Worstius his Blasphemies against the Trinity of the Divine Persons the simplicity of divine Nature it self c. as King James charges them with it and well so he might for after Arminius's Death they were so desirous to be headed by Worstins that they used all their endeavours to have had him to succeed the other in his place of Professor of Divinity at Leyden Hence it is that they openly declared they had nothing against Worstius nor had found any thing in his Writings contrary to Truth and Piety and that it would be most profitable for Church and Commonwealth if his calling should go on This account we have in the Preface of the Acts of the Synod of Dort And it is well known how King James opposed effectually that man's promotion to that place and whose Book De Deo Attributis was here burnt by the hand of the Hangman according to King James's special Order and by advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury But because it is not enough to affirm things without proofs therefore now before I proceed I must bring in evidence for the Articles I set down Scripture which in this is Judge and Rule affordeth us a great cloud of Witnesses And to begin with our first Article clearly proved out of that excellent place of (a) Ephes 1.4 c. St. Paul which hereafter I shall have occasion to make use of but for the present omit to prove first the Eternity of God's Decree out of another Text of the same Apostle God who (b) 2 Tim. 1.9 hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began This Text is very comprehensive here is the Decree under the name of his own purpose out of which are excluded any thing of our own not according to our works but attributed only to his Free-grace according to his own purpose and grace The eternity of this Decree is thus expressed before the world began this Decree of Election is the ground of our Salvation God who hath saved us the next effect is our Vocation and called us with an holy that is an effectual calling We want not other places of God's word to prove the Eternity of his Decree but afterwards we shall have occasion to make use of them for often one and the same Text doth prove several things As for the Immutability of God's Decree of Predestination we have clear and undeniable proofs (c) Psal 33.11 David saith The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations As positive as this is what he saith in another place (d) Psal 89.28 33.34 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my covenant shall stand fast with him And a little below nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth Here we see how the Counsel of the Lord and the thoughts of his heart which are his Decree shall stand that is are unchangeable so are his mercies his loving-kindness his faithfulness which the Decree of Election is grounded upon as to his Covenant called the thing that is gone out of his mouth it shall not be broken nor alter'd but it shall stand All this is for its immutability And the prophet saith (e) Isai 14.24 The Lord of hosts hath sworn saying surely as I have thought so shall it come to pass and as I have purposed so shall it stand Vers. 7 We have not only God's Word but his Oath for his Truth which must needs convince us of what a high concernment it is yet as if 't was not enough three verses lower 't is added For the Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disanul and his hand is stretched and who shall turn it back This makes good the immutability of a Decree both of Election and Reprobation so it doth the final unrefistibility of Grace and of the works of his Providence St. Paul that great Preacher of Free-grace out of a sense of the great mercy God had shewed him doth almost every where batter down Works Free-will and all pretences of man's strength to set up the Grace and Power of God specially in his Epistle to the Romans but above all in the 9th chap. which before we have done we shall often have occasion to make use of for it seems to have been written to condemn Arminianism In a place there the Apostle saith (a) Rom. 9.11 For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or any evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him