example God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac therfore it is Gods will to binde him to the doing hereof and to make it his duetie to doe it But it appeares by the sequel that it was Gods purpose that Isaac should not be sacrificed In like sort he commanded Pharaoh to let Israel goe this then was Pharaohs duety it was Gods will to oblige him hereunto and to make it his duety to let Israell goe but withall he revealed to Moses that he would harden Pharaohs heart the consequent whereof was this that he should not let Israel goe for a long time Now let every sober man judge whether there be any double dealing in this or if it be double dealing whether the Scripture it self doe not attribute it unto God and whether they may not as well charge the scriptures for attributing double dealing unto God as they doe charge us with the like As for desires and velleities we acknowledge no such imperfections in God being such as are incompatible with his omnipotency As for Gods invitation of a sinner unto grace we know not what he meanes by grace unlesse it be faith and repentance and by grace heretofore he meant nothing lesse for ought I could perceave but the more aequivocall a terme is the fitter it is for their turne that desire to play fast and loose Now Gods invitation hereunto is no other theÌ„ by professing that by faith and repentance they shall be saved without faith and repentance they shall be damned And hereupon by his ministers he commands them entreats them beseecheth them that they will beleeve and repent that they may be reconciled unto God and saved But what is the ministers ayme in this Surely though they become all things to all men yet their scope is only to save some by all meanes even by entreating obtâ—sting beseeching And who are these some None but the elect 2. Tim. 2 10. I suffer all things for the elects sake And this he learnt of the Lord Iesus when he came to Corinth for there the Lord spake unto him in a vision by night saying Feare not but speake and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall lay hands on thee for I have much people in this ciâ—te And indeed therfore Christ dyed not for the Iewes only but that he should gather together into one the children of God which were scattered all the world over According to that profession of his formerly made Other sheepe have I which are not of this folde them also must I bring and they shall heare my voyce and there shal be one sheepefolde and one sheepheard And indeed how could it be otherwise then that Gods ministers should cary themselves indifferently towards all inviting all entreating all beseeching all For can they dâ—stinguish betweene elect and reprobate 〈◊〉 was God bound to reveale unto them who were elect and who were not Then againe we know full well that man is of a presumptuous nature presuming of the power and liberty of their wills Dicere solet humana superbia Sifecissem fecissem accordingly they are as apt to say Si audivissem Evangelium c didissem Evangelio The Arminians are acquainâ—ed with this full well What then can they expect more at the hands of God then to cause his Gospell to be preached unto them But if withall God revealeth unto us the naturall impotency that is in man contracted unto him by the sinne of Adam to the end he might beate out such presumptuous thoughts out of the hearts of man that so as many as to whom he is pleased to affoord the grace of faith and repentance might give him the glory of it Shall proud maÌ„ take advaÌ„tage of the ministry of the word as Proceeding indifferently towards all that heare it therby to outface the prerogative of Gods grace only effectuall to the working in us both faith and repentance and to nourishe the presumption of their owne workes concerning the power and libertie of their owne wills to that which is good wheras those revelations of our naturall impotency should rather humble us and move us to waite upon God for the curing of it not by heating only but by the sweete irradiation and inspiration of his holy Spirit But let Arminians continue to abhorre this doctrine we by Gods grace shall continue to abhorre the contrary and why should their abhorring of ouâ—s be any better argument on their side then our abhorring of theirs is an argument on our side yet our cause God be thanked is not so desperate as that we shoulde be provoked to make use of so base argumentations much lesse of running unto Infidells to begge their approbation though commonly on the contrary we are charged to have too great correspondency herin with the Stoickes of ancient times and with the Turkes in these dayes And indeede I reade in Busbequins that when the Turkes heaâ—d him discourse of Gods loving Iacob and hating Esau they herupon conceaved a good opinion of him as likely to embrace their opinion and indeede we are nothing ashamed to embrace the doctrine of S. Paul in that not for the Turkes sake but for the word of Gods sake we discourse with the Apostle of leading men unto repentance but where doe any of our divines discourse of leading men unto damnation As for meanes of damnation we knowe none we knowe God hath given us meanes of grace Meanes of damnation on mans part can be none but sinnes yet these cannot be called his meanes or intended by him as meanes for as much as the intention of meanes ariseth from the intention of the ende but no man or divell intends to bring upon himselfe damnation as the ende wherunto he intends to sinne Agayne the sinne of man cannot be any meanes intended by God For as much as meanes are intended but by him who is the Author of them but God neyther is nor can be the Author of any sinne for sinne as Austin long agoe professed of Malum hath not causam efficientem but only deficientem and the cause of sinne deficient is deficient culpabiliter which is not incident unto God He coulde I confesse keepe any creature from sinne if it pleased him but if he will not and doth not herin he committs not any culpable defect for he is not bounde to preserve any man from sinne The permission of sinne I willingly confesse is Gods worke and this he may and doth intende and that as a meanes to his owne glorious endes which is the manifestation eyther of his mercy or his justice and not the damnation of any For the damnation of the creature neyther is nor can be Gods ende but his owne glory and accordingly Solomon tells us God made all things for himselfe even the wicked against the day of evill So he hath created some both Angells and men permitted them to sinne and will damne them for their sinne to the declaration of his
commandement precedes the doing of that which is commanded but Gods approbation followeth the doing of it But this Author takes voluntas approbans in a different sense presupposing it to precede the doing of a thinge as if it were all one with that will which the Schoolemen call voluntas beneplaciti which is nothing so for that voluntas beneplaciti is all one with voluntas propositi or voluntas decernens the will of Gods decree denoting that which God thinkes good shall come to passe whether it be good or evill good by his effection evill by his permission For even the Iewes and Gentiles Herod and Pilate when they were gathered together against the holy Sonne of God did but that which Gods hande and Gods counsayle had foredetermined to be done So that taking Gods will of approbation as this Author takes it to witt preceding the thing done it is all one with Gods decree and therfore cannot make a member distinct from it Vndoubtedly the sacrificing of Isaake had bene accepted with God and Abrahams obedience therin had not God restrayned Abraham from execution of that which God commanded him albeit by Gods restraint it appeares that God had determined that when it came to the issue he shoulde not sacrifice him which will of God was voluntas beneplaciti as Schoolemen call it In like sort had Pharaoh let Israel goe in obedience to Gods commande God had approved it albeit it appeares by the revelatioÌ„ made to Moses that God hardened Pharaohs heart that he should not let Israel goe this with us is as true as the oracles of God whatsoever this Author conceytes newe Euangelist like out of the oracles and dictates of his owne brayne In like sort that God ordeyneth that many thinges which he naturally detesteth and hateth shall nevertheles come to passe is no newe Gospell of ours but the very doctrine of the newe testament For the ignominious usages of the Sonne of God and Saviour of the world wrought by Herod and Pontius Pilate together with the Gentiles and people of Israel were as naturally detested hated by God as ever any courses were from the beginning of the world unto this day yet the holy Apostles with one consent professe that both Herod PoÌ„tius Pilate together with the Gentiles people of Israel were gathered together against the holy Sonne of God to doe that which Gods hande Gods counsayle had not only determined but predetermined to be don What courses are more naturally detested hated by God then for Kings to use their power to the supporting of Antichrist O what bloody courses were these take but a scantling of them by the martyrdomes of Gods Saincts in the dayes of Queen Mary when this land was made another Aceldama a field of blood Yet hath the holy Ghost testified that God it was who put into the hearts of those Kings to fulfill his will not his will of commandement but only his decree to doe with one consent for to give their professe that Non aliquid sit nisi omnipotens fieri velit he doth not say nisi quod omnipotens fieri praecipit and because amongst such things as come to passe some are evill some are good and in this saying of his he comprehendes them all therfore he addes by way of explication vel sinendo ut fiat vel ipse faciendo Therfore even evill thinges God will have come to passe in Austins judgment But how Only by suffering them and good things by effecting them So that this doctrine of ours is as old as the doctrine of Austin yea as the doctrine of the holy Ghost And let this Author looke unto it how he will cleare himselfe from coyning a newe Gospell and that neyther out of the new Testament nor out of the old nor out of any tolerable monument of Antiquitie so much as pretended by him but merely out of the invention of his owne brayne Yet we want not cleere demonstration of the truth of this manifestly provinge that eyther they must deny Gods fore-knowledge of evill or be driven to acknowledge that God decrees it shall come to passe by his permission For it cannot be foreknowne by God as future and that from everlasting vâ—les it were future that from everlasting as all confesse Now let us soberly inquire how the crucifying of the Sonne of God became future and that from everlasting Not of its owne nature for if so then shoulde all things even the most contingent things become future by necessitie of nature But if of their owne nature they were thinges merely possible their transmigration out of the condition of things merely possible into the coÌ„dition of things future coulde not be wrought without a cause And what coulde be the cause herof Not any thing without God for as much as this transmigration was made from everlastinge for from everlasting they were foreknowne by God as future therfore from everlasting they were future But without God nothing was from everlastinge and consequently coulde not be the cause of that which was from everlastinge Therfore the cause of this transmigration must be found within the nature of God or no where Inquire we therfore what that is within the nature of God that may be a fitt cause here of Now the knowledge of God alone cannot be the cause herof as which rather supposeth things future then makes them so It remaynes then that the decree of God and that alone is the cause of this transmigration If to avoyde this they fly to the essence of God as the cause herof I farther urge that if the essence of God be the cause herof then eyther as working necessarily or as working freely Not as workinge necessarily for then all things shall proceede froÌ„ God working by necessitie of nature which is Atheisticall utterly overthrowing all divine providence if as working freely this is as much as to confesse that Gods free will is the cause herof which indeede is most true But this Author like his fellowes is very cautious for he doth not deny that God hath ordeyned that those thinges shall come to passe which he naturally detesteth and hateth but only seemes to deny that God hath ordeyned it by an absolute and irrevocable decree So that he seemes willing to confesse that what evill soever was or is or shall be found in the world comes to passe by Gods decree only he denyes that this decree wherby he decreed the crucifying of Christ and such like abominable courses was an absolute and irrevocable decree So that the question betweene us according to this Authors judicious stating of it is not whether evill thinges are decreed by God or no but rather supposing on both sides that they are decreed by God the question betweene us is only about the manner of this decree or about the nature of it as whether it be absolute or conditionall for what other member they devise in this case contradistinct to decree absolute I
the act another speciall as touching the manner of performing it Lastly as touching the manner how all things shall come to passe by vertue of Gods decree this Author lurkes purposely under a miserable confusion which we cleere thus All things come to passe we say by Gods decree whether they are such things as come to passe necessarily by second causes working necessarily Or such as come to passe contingently by second causes working contingently and freely And accordingly upon supposition of Gods decree we say it is necessary that such things as God hath decreed shall com to passe but how Not necessarily allwayes but eyther necessarily or contingently and freely according to the condition of second causes some of them onely working necessarily but others working contingently freely All this this Author most judiciously confoundes as whose ende is to serve his owne turne and the advantage of his owne cause but not the cause of God in the sincere and faithfull investigation of his truth As in the very next sentence he manifesteth himself deep in this confusion as when he saith That the first cause doth in such manner moove and direct the second among which is the will of man that they cannot otherwise stirre then they are stirred For here he confoundes the different manner of Gods mooving and directing second causes as if there were no difference herin wheras indeede there is a very vast difference For wheras of second causes some worke necessarily some contingently God mooves them all not after one manner but differently that is agreably to their different conditions Second causes working necessarily he mooves and directs to worke necessarily in such sort as they cannot otherwise stirre then they are stirred but as for second causes working contingently and freely he mooves and directs them to worke accordingly that is contingently and freely to witt so as they have power eyther to suspende their operation which is their libertie quoad exercitium or to produce another operation which is their libertie quoad specificationem Thus he mooved Cyrus to builde his cittie and lett goe his captives as he had foretolde long before thus he mooved Iosiah to burne the prophets bones upon the altar which was foretold in the dayes of Ieroboam many hundred yeares before and no sober man makes doubt but that these workes of theirs though predetermined by God yet were performed as freely by them as any other workes of theirs In like manner he mooved the souldiers to absteyne from breaking of Christs bones prophecyed of about a thousand yeares before and the bordering nations to forbeare to invade the land of Israel when all the males came up thrise in the yeare before the Lord in Ierusalem according to the promise made unto them Exod. 34.24 I will cast out the nations before thee enlarge thy coasts so that no man shall desire thy land when thou shalt come up to appeare before the Lord thy God thrisâ— in the yeare Yet who doubts but they did as freely forbeare this as ought els and that the souldiours as freely absteyned from breaking Christs bones as they did freely breake the bones of them who were crucified with him But these Lucifugae delight in confusion like owles that are in love with darkenes that is their best time for prey In that which followes I confesse he deales clearly saying that though a man be given to sinne yet in case he knowes God would have it so by his secret will and that God hath predestinated him therunto this is a comfort unto him and truly I doe not envy him such a comfort and I see no reason but in the midst of the torments of hell it shoulde be likewise a comfort unto him that God did predestinate him therunto by his secret will Only he is pleased to speake in his owne phrase when he talkes of predestinating unto sinne Of predestinating unto damnation the Ancients spake acknowledging such a predestination But they acknowledged no predestinating unto sinne for as much as they tooke predestination to be only of those things which were wrought by God not of sinnes which are only permitted by God Yet these even as foule sinnes as were committed Herod and Pilate together with the Gentiles and people of Israel when they were gathered together against the holy Sonne of God are in the mouthes of the Apostles confessed to have bene foredetermined by the hand and counsel of God which wee understand thus God did fore-determine they should come to passe by his permission as touching the sinfulnes of them Now as for the Spirit of this Author how well it suiteth with the Spirit of Gods Saints we may easily judge by the word of God For when they doe expostulate with God in this manner Lord why hast thou caused us to erre from thy ways and hardned our hearts against thy feare it seemes apparantly that they tooke no comfort at all in this that God hardned their hearts against his feare and caused them to erre from his wayes And when the Lord revealed unto Moses that he would harden Pharaohs heart wherupon he should not let Israel goe for a long time I never perceaved that herby any comfortable condition was denoted that shoulde be unto Pharao in case he had known so much It seemes allso S. Paul tooke no notice of any such comfortable condition when having taught that God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth he bringâ—s in one herupon expostulating thus why then doth he yet complayne For who hath resisted his will Neyther doth the Apostle take any such course to pacifie him as by representing any coÌ„fortable condition redounding unto him hereby namely in as much as God it is who hath hardned him unto disobedience But the course he takes to stop his mouth is of another nature thus O man who art thou that disputest with God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lumpe to make one a vessell unto honour and another unto dishonour And whatsoever a debaucht Christian may be feigned to conceave for mine owne part and so I thinke I may be bold to say of every one of our profession whose hearts God hath seasoned with his feare I may be bolde to professe a truth that albeit I take notice of Gods hand sometimes hardening me against his feare yet God knowes I take no comfort in it but rather in this that God knowes how to worke it for my good according to that of Austin Audeo dicere vtile est superbis in aliquod apertum manisestumque cadere peccatuÌ„ c. when I find that my sinnes doe not make a finall or a totall separation betweene my soule God this may well tende to the corrobaration of my faith and persuade my soule that nothing shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Iesus our
corruption of the worship and service of God with superstition idolatry Yet amongst them all is the Gospell preached What colour of reason then is there to conceave that in joyning with us any should suspect himself to be of the number of the Reprobates rather then of Gods elect although the most part of them to whom the Gospell is preached were reprobates But suppose that in every congregation the most part were reprobates If they are so allready before the Infidell comes to joyne himself unto us the number of the most being up allready on the reprobates part what reason hath he to conceave that he is of the number of them rather then of Gods Elect Againe his case is different from all the rest for all the rest have beene borne and brought up in the Church of God and therefore it is more hard to distinguish betweene true faith and hypocrisie But in case an Infidell convert and become a Christian This alteration is so great that it is more likely to affoord him better evidence and assurance of his election then others have whose conversion hath not beene from Infidelitie to Christianitie For all that are brought up in the Church of God whatsoever their hearts be yet they have alwayes concurred in the profession of Christianitie Adde to this why should it be more likely that he is of the number of Reprobates then any other upon this ground that the most part are Reprobates And if it be as likely for all and every one then it were most likely that all every one were reprobates which is contradictious to the suppositioÌ„ Lastly what if it were more likely as he speaketh shall this be a sufficient motive not to hearkeÌ„ at all to the doctrine of the Gospell The coÌ„mon practise of the world doth manifest this to be most untrue as it appeares by mens forwardnes to venture in lotteryes where it is most certeyn that the greatest part by farre sit downe with losse At the poole of Bethesda how many wayted for the mooving of the waters by an Angell yet but one could be cured namely he that prevented all the rest in stepping into the poole Nay we reade how that a creeple wayted there amongst the â—est and how unlikely a thing was it that he could get in before the rest yet there he wayted in hope And what if some are more hardned upon the hearing of the word is this any discouragement to us to present our selves before the Lord and to be humbled at his feete to heare the word In the course of his fiction he feignes his proselyte to remember somewhat out of Calvin namely that God directeth his word unto them wherby he makes them more deafe sheweth them the light of the Gospell to blinde their eyes but he tells not where Calvin sayth so But are not these the words of Calvin which here he shewes his teeth at Ecce vocem ad eos dirigit sed ut magis obsurdescant lucem accendit sed ut reddantur caeciores Now Calvin here in speakes not out of his owne Spirite but represents the word of God as playnly signifying so much in his judgment and gives reference to the place immediately related by him in the first word Ecce and the places immediately before alleaged by him partly out of Esa. 6 9. and partly out of Ioh. 12.34 His words are these Sed magis etiamnuÌ„ premit I saiae prophetia Sic enim a Domino dimittitur Vade dic filijs Israel Audiendo audite ne intelligatis Videndo videte nesciatis Obstina cor populi hujus aures eius aggrava oculos eius obline Vt ne fortè videat oculis suis corde intelligat quò conversus sanetur And hereupon he saith Ecce vocem ad eos dirigit sed ut magis absurdescant lucem accendit sed ut reddantur caciores Now this Author blames not Calvin either for false translation of the Prophets or for false interpretation of them onely takes his words a part from the place quoted by him as if he delivered this at large out of his owne doctrine without reference to any particular passage of holy scripture by concealing the place where Calvin writes this thought himself safe from having his unconscionable caryage herein discovered Yet Calvin sayth noâ— that God by his word doth make them more deafe or blindes their eyes as this Author forgeth Calvins wordes He signifies only Gods intention that they shoulde herupon be more deafened and blinded and Saint Peter as good as in expresse termes professeth as much where he sayth of some that Christ is a stone to stumble at and a rocke of offense to witt to them that stumble at the word being disobedient and that to this thing they were even ordeyned But how come they to be more deafened and blinded upon hearing the word as Act. 19.9 it is sayde that some herupon were hardned and disobeyed speaking evill of the way of God before the multitude surely after the same manner that Saint Paul sayth some are the worse for Gods lawe Sinne sayth he tooke occasion by the commandement and wrought in me all manner of concupiscence So then their owne corruption is it that blindes them deafens them hardens them more and more together with the God of this world 2. Cor. 4.3 God only refuseth to cure that natural infidelity impenitency he finds in them and in this respect only he is sayde to harden them to blinde them that is in denying mercy according to that Rom. 9.18 God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth And our Saviour was not ashamed to professe to the faces of the Iewes Therfore we heare not my woordes because ye are not of God And Ioh. 12.39 Therfore they coulde not believe because that Isaias sayth againe He hath blinded their eyes hardned their hearts that they should not see which theyr eyes nor understaÌ„d with their heart should be converted I should heale them Yet this Author to shewe of what Spirit he is and how opposiâ—e to the Spirit of Christ and his Apostles as if he were neyther new nor old Evangelist but a very Atheist rather woulde as much oppose them all as he opposeth Calvin if he dâ—â—st reproâ—heth us with this very doctrine as namely that therfore men cannot believe because God would not give them grace sufficient to believe which is as much as to reproache us for saying that all men are born in sinne that infidelitie and impenitency is naturall unto all God alone can cure it I wonder they doe not call Moses to a reckoning also and reproach him for saying as he doth unto the Iewes Ye have seene all that the Lord did before your eyes in the Land of Aegypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his Servants and unto all his Land The great temptations which thine eyes have seen those great miracles and wonders Yet the
did beseeche you So the Iewes with their Fathers resisted the holy Ghost Act. 7.51 For as much as the wordes delivered unto theÌ„ which they resisted were sent by the Lord of hosts in his Spirit by the ministery of his prophets Zach. 7.12 accordingly God is sayde to have protested among them by his Spirit by the handes of the prophets but they would not heare Nehem. 9.30 But they doe not resist nor can resist the holy Ghost working immediately and physically upon their wills the act of conversion and physicall or rather hyperphysicall transmutation We willingly confesse that the elect resist neyther tending to their first conversion provided the time be come which God hath appoynted for their conversion till then they resist all exhortations tending thereunto as well as others but as for any divine act for a physicall transmutation of their wills they are not made pertakers thereof till the time of their effectuall calling Yet after their effectuall calling as they doe too often disobey God in his particular exhortations So likewise they have cause sometimes to expostulate with God for hardning their hearts against his feare But in their first conversion he doth not only pierce their eares the word of the minister being able enough for that but he gives them eares to heare so also he gives them eyes to see and as for the opening of the heart that also I take to be all one with giving them an heart Deut. 29.4 Now hereupon this Author tells us we must be driven to confesse that the word preached for the most part is destitute of that operation of the Holy Ghost as it appeares by the misprise that the most part make of it which cannot be when the efficacy of the spirit doth accompany it but this is untrue we are not driven nor neede to be driven hereunto we must willingly acknowledge it rightly understood namely that God â—nto the outward ministery of the word doth not for the â—ost part adde the efficacy of his Spirit to worke men unto faith and repentance as it is most evident by experience and our Saviour in the parable of the sower that went forth to sowe his seede teacheth us as much And the Prophet Esay also when prophecying of the times of the Gospell he beginnes thus Who hath beleeved our report and giving the cause hereof in the next words addeth And to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed But as touching the consequence herhence deduced namely that the whole ministery is but a dance no more cooperating wâ—th mans conversion then the clay which our Saviour applyed to the eyes of the blind did unto his sight or the sole voyce calling upon Lazarus made him to rise out of his grave Here this great master of ceremonies is miserably out in his formalities as well as in his realities It followeth not herehence that the ministery is a dance but a piping rather as our Saviour signifies in the Gospell when he sayth wherunto shall I liken this generation they are like to litle Châ—ldren sitting in the market place and saying we have piped unto you but ye have not danced we have mourned unto you but you have not wept yet piping is a naturall provocation to dance but the exhortation of the word without a more speciall operation of Gods Spirit is no provocat on at all to believe how can it be to naturall man to whom it seemes foolishnes and witt wisdome is naturally more affected by men then honestie For qui velit ingenio cedere rariu erit and the Italians have a proverbe that witt is aequally divided and the instance is given thus Let a proclamation be made that all Taylers appearing in an assembly stand up in this case Taylers will stand up and none but Taylers so of shoemakers so of other â—â—ades But if a proclamation be made that all wise men should stand up every one will be ready enough to stand up men of the meanest trade being apt to conceave that they are likely enough to be as wise as they who are of the best Yet by this Authors leave the ministâ—ry of the word confers more to a mans conversion then the clay did for ought I know to the curing of the blinde mans eyes c. For the word informes what is to be beleeved and likewise what is to be practised though to discerne the wisedom of God in the one and to be in love with the other and to feele the power of God in both requires another operation of the Spirit oâ— God to the inlightning of the minde and renewing of the will He that said nature doth nothing in vaine saâ—de God and nature doe nothing in vayne so that there was litle neede of such a gradation as here is made Nâ—yther is the ministery of the word in vayne though all or the most part are not converted by it For it informes all it takes away excuse from all they cannot say si audivissem credidâ—ssem they know hereby a Prophet hath beene amongst them though they who yeelde obedience to it have no need of any such excuse and for their sakes it is principally intended as appeares both by the revelation made to Paul Act. 18. Feare not and holde not thy peace for no man shall lay holde on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this city And accordingly by the Apostles scope in his ministery For albeit he professeth that he became all things to all men that he might save some 2. Cor. 6. Yet he manifests who those some were whose salvation he sought where he sayth I suffer all things for the elects sake 2. Tim. 2.10 And lastly it is not in vayne towards any for as much as the ministers thereof are the sweete savour of God both in theÌ„ that are saved in them that perish To them that perish a savour of death unto death to them that are saved a savour of life unto life in both a sweete savour unto God in Christ. As for the things which we ascribe onely to the Spirit of God we ascribe them to that Spirit of God onely in the way of a cause physicall we ascribe them to the word also in the way of a cause moâ—all as both informing the understanding concerning them and persuading thereunto But the Spirit of God alone both opens the eyes to discerne them and the heart to embrace them as the things of God And for the cause fore-mentioned to witt because the Spirit of God doth not inlighten to discerne the things of God but as revealed in his word nor to incline to any thing as to the will of God but as proposed in his word therefore is the word called the sword of the Spirit Eph. 6. Thus justly are we said to be begotten by the word renued by the word aedified by the word fed by the word clensed by the word And I finde it very strange that when these men will have all that
mayntâ—ynes any such doctrine it is more then hitheâ—to I have learned or can justifie It is untrue that the word is dangerous by our doctrine but rather that it is dangerous for any man to contemne or despise the goodnes of God therin their condâ—mnation it aggâ—avates only occasionally it is a mans owne coâ—ruption causally that aggravates his damnation when the Lord calls unto them and they will not heaâ—e admonisheth them but they will not hearken It is true that it is not in the power of man to adde unto the word the efficacy of Gods Spirit and it is as true that a carnall man hath no desire that God would adde the efficacy of his Spirit therunto The discipline of Christs Kingdom is as cords and bonds unto them they desire to breake them and to cast off the yoke of obâ—dience unto him And agayne it is as true that no man is damned for not adding the efficacy of Gods Spirit unto his word They are damned for contemning Gods word and not hearkning to his gracious admonitions but they coulde doe no other as this Author intimats but what impotency is this is it any where els then in theiâ— wills which this Author considers not nor distinguisheth betweene impotency naturall and impotency morall were they willing to hearken hereunto but coulde not then indeede their impotency were excusable but they please themselves in their owne and 〈◊〉 in their obstinate courses and if they woulde doe otherwâ—se I make no question but that they shoulde have no more cause to complayne of their impotency to doe that good which they would doe then the servants of God have yea and holy Paul himselfe had How can you believe saith our Saviour here is a certeyne impotency of believing which our Saviour takes notice of but what manner of impotency is it observe by that which followeth who receave honour one of another regard not the honour that comes of God only Therfore you heare not my wordes because ye are not of God Ioh. 8.47 this is as true as the word of the Sonne of God is true allthough this Author setts himselfe to impugne this kinde of doctrine all alonge But withall consider doe they deplore this impotencye doth the consideration herof humble them nay rather they delight in it as the Prophet noteth Ier. 6.10 Their eares are uncircumcised eares they cannot hearken beholde the word of God is as a reproch unto them they have no delight in it The fourth Section THere now remayneth no other instance for our Censurer theÌ„ to exhort this profane fellow to pray unto God that he would be pleased to give him the grace to leave his lewdnes promising that if he pray as he ought to doe that he shall be heard and receave what he demaundeth But herupon this profaner being well instructed in the doctrine of Dort will demaund of him how it is possible to pray as we ought if God give him not the grace before hand and that allso so effectually that it shoulde be impossible for him not to pray therfore seing that he faileth so to doe the Censurer must needes see that God will be no more invoked on by him then he hath given him grace wherby to doe it And that it is no lesse easye to perceave that God sent this Corrector unto him with an intention not to better him by his ministery when he findes more confusion in the doctrine of the speaker then ameÌ„dment in the practise of the hearer to whom he bringeth either the pillow of Epicurus to lull him asleepe in his securitie or else the haltar of despayre wherewith he may hange himselfe as Iudas But above all this profaner will finde yet one more singular benefit to the flattering of his flesh by the answâ—r which the Synodists doe usually make unto those who aske in what case David would have beene had he dyed in his adultery whereunto they say it was impossible for David to have dyed before he had repented bâ—cause that after this he was to begett a Sonne from whom the Messias must descend But hereunto our profaner will reply that the impossibilitie of dying before repentance according to the doctrine of the Synods is founded upon the generall promise made to all the Elect and not on any particular promise made to David touching the Messias whom God had sent into the world by other meanes had he foreseen the impenitency of David as he foresaw his repentance That if the Synod be not deceaved he is sure to dye never without repentance as was David So that following this doctrine the true meanes to avoyde death is to committ and ever to continue in some mortall sinne it being impossible for him to be killed in adultery or perish in any other sin before having first made his recoÌ„ciliation with God who is not angry for ever to speake in the language of the Synod of Dort but onely against the Reprobates See then the invention of immortalitie found out to satisfye the Paracelsians and such like fooles who search for this remedy against death in drugs and naturall causes Our Synods shew the Anâ—idote in a morall cause of so facile and agreable execution to their facile Auditors that the Poets Ambrasia and Medusaes charmes are fabulous unto it Now then our Corrector will eyther desist his enterprise in reforming this mans deboisnes or else forsake his owne principles and correct the doctrine of his Synods Consid. Surely we have small reason to exhort a profane fellow to pray unto God that he would be pleased to give him the grace to leave his lewdnesse so long as we finde him to delight in his profanesse and take pleasure in his unrighteous courses had he a desire to leave it but findes himself unable to cast off this yoake of sinne oâ— to breake the bonds of iniquitie then and in this case it were seasonable to admonish him to cry unto God that he would be pleased in mercy to loose him whom Satan hath bound so many years and that for his Sonnes sake whom he sent into the world to loose the workes of the devill he would be pleased to sett him free and give him the libertie of his children like as the children of Israel cryed unto the Lord by reason of their sore bondage and the Lord heard their crye and considered their sorrowes and came downe to deliver them Neyther are we driven to any such course as this Author feigneth who all along opposeth the secret providence of God in shewing mercy to whom he will hardning whom he will in giving hearts to perceave and eyes to see and ears to heare to whom he will and denying this grace to whom he will I say this he opposeth all along to the very face of it nothing fearing the judgements of God nor his power to harden theÌ„ to make theÌ„ feele that powr which they will not confesse saving that these such like spirituall
Author will bethinke himself and take heede how he censureth Abraham for giving credence to a lye in this but he runnes on more like a blind man then like one who as Salomon saith hath his eyes in his head Yet am not I of Piscators minde in that like enough Abraham was apt to thinke so but I see no cause to say that Abraham was bound to beleeve that which Piscator saith he was The fourth Section SEe then if this be not a Labyrinth of prodigious Divinitie which turneth obedience into punishment For if the Synod speake true and that Christ be not dead for those that beleeve not in him how can they deserve to be punished for not having bâ—leeved that which is false And they that have obeyed his commandement in beleeving of his death how should they suffer the punishment due unto disobedients and incredulous which is to beleeve lying In a word to deny the vniversalitie of the merit of Christs death is outragiously to dishonour God as though the Author of truth commanded all men to beleeve a falshood And the better to discerne the ficklenesse of this Spirit that did praeside at the two Synods it is to be noted how that as on the one side this doctrine doth forbid to beleeve that which the Scriptâ— affirme as most true and in most expresse termes So on the other side it commaunds every one to beleeve that he is elected unto life although he be a reprobate in effect And that he cannot loose his faith being once had for any sinne whatsoever he doth committ which the Scriptures deny as a thing most false in the like termes If then that this doctrine which denyeth that Christ dyed for all bereaveth the afflicted of all consolation the other point which denyeth that a man may fall away from grace faith doth cleane overthrow the ministry of preaching which consisteth in exhortations by promises and threatnings which can no longer be meanes of doing any good worke which is only by the immediate operation of the holy Ghost as it hath bene abovesayde So neyther is there to be found in all the scripture any one promise of such a perseveraÌ„ce in faith as the Synod intimates seing that all exhortations wherof the Scriptures are full doe directly oppugne the pretended promise They admonish the faithfull that they take heede they doe not fall of hardning their hearts of receaving the grace of God in vayne from falling from their stedfastnes c. And yet the imaginary promise of the Synod doth declare that they cannot fall they cannot harden their hearts that they cannot have receaved the grace in vayne and that they cannot fall from their stedfastnes By which means the admonitions which denounce the danger and begett feare doe overthrowe the promise which saith there is no feare of danger nor cause of feaâ—e If it be not that the Synod would make us to believe that the faithfull who feare danger that can no more happen then that God should lie are more foolish then certeyne melancholy persons who feare that the havens will fall which notwithstanding shall one day passe away We reade of one that while he slept loosing his eye-sight after he awaked out of sleepe and had layne long on bed wondering that he saw no light imagined that the reason thereof was because the windowes were shutt and therupon cryed out to open the windowe In like sort this Author cryeth out of the Labyrinth of prodigious Divinitie when it is nothing but his prodigious ignorance that makes our doctrine seeme prodigious divinitie unto him It is untrue that we turne obedience into punishment but he feignes the object of obedience and obtrudes it upon others before he doth sufficiently understand it himselfe being disirous that others should be like himselfe in believing they knowe not what As in believing that Christ dyed for them we willingly confesse that Christ dyed not to procure faith and regeneration for them that never believe in him that never are regenerated I doubt not but this Author believeth this as well as wee we farther believe that Christ dyed to procure the grace of faith and regeneration for some namely for Gods elect I doubt whether this Author who vaunts so much of Christs dying for all according to his faith doth believe so much and herin I am confirmed in that the Remonstrants spare not to professe that Christ merited not faith and regeneration for any Exam. Censurae pag. 59. Yet as touching Christs dying for all men so farre as to procure pardon of sinne and salvation for them absolutely I knowe no Arminian that affirmes that on the otherside we willingly confesse that Christ dyed for all and every one so farre as to procure them both remission of sinne and salvation in case they believe In all which wee doe not maynteyne that any man is bound to believe that which is false much lesse that they deserve to be punished for not believing that which is false I dare admitt Impudency it selfe to be Iudge between us in this who of us doe attribute more to the vertue of Christs death as allso which of us doth more believe that Christ dyed for us let their owne conscience be Iudge nowe the state of the difference betweene us is cleered For as touching the benefites of remission of sinnes and salvation in the extension therof unto all and every one conditionally we are aequall But as touching the benefites of grace and regeneration that we allso attribute to Christs death as the meritorious cause therof to all that enioy those benefites wheras the Remonstrants have openly professed to the world that Christ hath merited faith and regeneration for none How then doe we at all deny the universalitie of Christs merit when on the one side we extend it as farre as they on the other side much farther then they and who deserves to be censured as outragiously dishonouring God let the world judge upon indifferent hearing of both parts It is a false suggestion that we charge God the Author of truth to commande a falshood not only for as much as we esteeme that there is no small difference betweene believing in Christ which we acknowledge to be commanded and believing that Christ dyed for us which we finde no where commanded but allso upon supposition that we are commanded to believe that Christ dyed for all and every one yet herin should we not be commanded to believe a falshood for as much as in a good sense and which alone is tolerable we believe that Christ dyed for all and every one as much as the whole nation of Arminians doe and in another sense believing that Christ dyed for us we goe farre beyond them in extending the merit and vertue of Christs death and passion Therfore it is most untrue which this Author doth reiterate charging us to deny that which the Scriptures affirme in expresse termes but in as much as neyther doe the scriptures
proximi charitatem Ora ergo pro me ut hanc accipiam per hanc ex animo cum bona voluntate quae praecipit faciam Rectè autem corriperer si eam mea culpa non haberem hoc est si eam possâ—m mihi dare vel sumere ipse nec facerem vel si dante illo accipere noluissem Cum ergo ipsa voluntas à Domino praeparetur cur me corripis quia vides me eius praecepta facere nolle non potius ipsum rogas ut in me operetur velle Now to all this Austin in the next chapter answereth in this manner Ad haec Respondemus Quicunque Dei precepta jam tibi nota non facis corripi non vis etiam propterea corripiendus es quid corripi non vis Non vis enim tibi tua vitia demonstrari non vis ut feriantur fiatque tibi utilis dolor quo medicum quaeras Non vis tibi tuipse ostendi ut cum deformem te vides reformatorem desideres eique supplices ne in illa remaneas foeditate Tuum quippe vitium est quod malus es maius vitium corripi nolle quia malus es quasi laudanda vel indifferenter habenda sint vitia ut nâ—que laudentur neque vituperentur aut verò nihil agat timor correpti hominis vel pudor vel dolor aut aliud agat cum salubriter stimulat nisi ut rogetur bonus ex malis qui corripiuntur bonos faciat qui laudeÌ„tur Quod enim vult pro se fieri qui corripi non vult dicit â—ra potius pro me ideo correpiendus est ut faciat etiam ipse pro se. Dâ—lor quippe ipse quo sibi displicet quando sentit correptionis aculeum excitat eum in majoris orationis affectum ut Deo miserante incremento charitatis adjutus desinat agere pudenda dolenda agat laudanda atque gratanda Haec est correptionis utilitas quae nunc major nunc minor pro peccatorum diversitate saluâ—riter adhibetur tunc est salubris quando supernus medicus respicit Non enim aliquid proficit nisi cum facit ut peccati sui quemque paeniâ—eat Et quis hoc dat nisi qui respexit Apostolum Petrum negantâ—m fecit flentem Vnde Apostolus Paulus posteaquam dixit cum modestia corripiendos esse diversa sentientes protinus addidit Ne quando det iis Deus paenitentiam ad cognoscendam veritatem resipiscant de diaboli laqueis Gods omnipotencie no creature is able to resist and therfore if God will have any man to believe freely to repent freely to doe this or that good worke freely it is impossible it shoulde be otherwise but that looke what he doth by divine instinct he should doe it freely And that God is he who workes in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ is as true as the epistle to the Hebrewes is a part of the newe testament though like enough it is no part of the Gospell of this old Evangelist Now that any in Austins dayes eyther amongst the Adrumetine monkes or amongst the Pâ—lagiâ—Ì„s did from the same ground object that it is Gods fault that so many persons continue faithles profane and desperate I reade not For albeit our Saviour is bolde to tell the Iewes to their face that therfore they did not heare his wordes because they were not of God and Moses to the Israelites in the wildernes signifies that therfore they did not profite eyther by Gods wordes which they heard or by his wonderfull workes which they saw because God gave theÌ„ not an heart to perceave nor eyes to see nor ears to hear unto that day yet neyther the Iews of our Saviours words nor of Moses words the Israelites took any such advantage as to say that then it was Gods fault that so many continue faithles profane and desperate For what though God coulde cure their infidelitie profanesse and desperate condition yet if he be not bound to cure it shall he be accoumpted faultie for not doing what he is nothing obliged to doe how many uncurable diseases are to be founde in the bodies of men throughout the world as leprosies gangrenes the woolfe cancers gouts dropsies which no question God is as well able to cure as that uncurable disease wherof Hezechias somtimes lay sicke what then shall we not spare to blaspheme God in saying It is his fault that so many diseases are not cured God deales playnly and tells us to our face that he will have mercy on whom he will yea and that he hardneth whom he will even to the blaspheming of him and his providence in this profane manner And albeit he will not cure profanesse and hardnes of heart in many yet will he take libertie still to complayne of their disobedience And farre more savoury were it to object against this providence of God and say If God hardeneth whom he will why then doth he yet complayne for who hath resisted his will Yet in this case we know full well how the holy Apostle takes such a one downe first with O man who art thou that disputest with God and then answeres him in this manner Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lumpe to make one vâ—ssell unto honour another unto dishonour In Austins dayes I reade of such an objection as this Quomodo meo vitio non habetur quod non accepi ab illo à quo nisi detur non est omnino alius unde tale ac tantum munus habeatur They sayde it is he alone that giveth grace and thereupon they built that objection They sayd as this Author doth that it is he that taketh away the grace necessary as well to their conversion as to their repentance we acknowledge that where God gives the grace of perseverance thereby perseverance is wrought and consequently impossible it is that grace should be taken away In like sort of conversion and repentance neyther doe we mainteyne that there is any falling away from this grace The Physician I willingly confesse doth not use to cary hâ—s Patient upon his shoulder after he hath cured him neyther doth the Patient expect it or so much as accoumpt it any courtesie for it would proove unnecessarily cumbersome unto them both and that were not to use his owne legges in going but to have the soundnesse of them restored to him in vayne Man if naturally sound is able to go without the helpe of any Physician And is man so sound spiritually taken at the best that he is able to doe any thing that is good without the helpe of God What is it to contradict the Apostle to his face if this be not who professeth that God it is who worketh in us both the will and the deede that according to his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Yea