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mercy_n	glory_n	prepare_v	vessel_n	3,783	5	9.2997	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10180	The Church of Englands old antithesis to new Arminianisme VVhere in 7. anti-Arminian orthodox tenents, are euidently proued; their 7. opposite Arminian (once popish and Pelagian) errors are manifestly disproued, to be the ancient, established, and vndoubted doctrine of the Church of England; by the concurrent testimony of the seuerall records and writers of our Church, from the beginning of her reformation, to this present. By William Prynne Gent. Hospitij Lincolniensis.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1629 (1629)	STC 20457; ESTC S115281	150,664	200

difference between the cause and the effect The first principall and most proper cause of our Iustification and Saluation is the goodnesse and loue of God whereby he chose vs for his before he made the world After that God granteth vs to bee called by the Preaching of the Gospell of Iesus Christ when the spirit of the Lord is powred into vs by whose garding and gouernance wee bee led to settle our trust in God and hope for the performance of his promise With this choyce is ioyned as companion the mortifying of the olde man that is of our affection and last From the same spirit also commeth our Sanctification the loue of God and of our neighbour iustice and vprightnesse of life Finally to say all in summe Whateuer is in vs or may be done of vs honest pure true and good that altogether springeth out of this most pleasant Rocke from this most plentifull Fountaine the goodnesse loue choise and vnchangeable purpose of God he is the cause the rest are the fruits and effects Yet are also the goodnesse choise and spirit of God and Christ himselfe causes conioyned and coupled each with other which may bee reckoned among the principall causes of saluation As oft therefore as we vse to say that wee are made righteous and saued by saith onely it is meant thereby that faith or rather trust alone doth lay hand vpon vnderstand and perceiue our righteous making to bee giuen vs of God freely that is to say by no deserts of our own but by the free grace of the Almighty Father Moreouer Faith doth ingender in vs loue of our neighbour and such workes as God is pleased withall For if it bee a liuely and true faith quickned by the holy Ghost shee is the mother of all good saying and doing By this short tale it is euident whence and by what meanes wee attaine to bee righteous For not by the worthinesse of our deseruings were wee either heretofore chosen or long agoe saued but by the onely mercy of God and pure grace of Christ our Lord whereby we were in him made to doe these good workes that God had appointed for vs to walke in And although good workes cannot deserue to make vs righteous before God yet doe they so cleane vnto Faith that neither Faith can be found without them nor good Workes bee any where found without Faith And Fol. 68. Immortality and blessed life God hath prouided for his chosen before the foundations of the World were laid This Catechisme was published by King Edward the 6. his Authority in the yeere 1553. being the next yeere after the composure and publishing of the Articles of our Church which were first of all concluded vpon in the yeare 1552. being onely reui●ed not framed or new composed in the yeare 1562. From whence I collect that this Catechisme is fully agreable to the true sence and meaning of our Articles and may well bee taken as a Comment or Explanation on our 16. and 17. Articles so that whatsoeuer is affirmed in this Catechisme is likewise affirmed by those Articles And if so then it is more then euident that our Articles doe point-blanke oppugne the Arminian mutabilitie of Predestination Election from Faith or Workes or any thing else foreseene in vs Free-will and vniuersall or sufficient grace the totall and finall resisting of the worke of grace and Apostasie from the state of grace together with the truth of grace in reprobates or castawayes all which are euidently refuted and condemned by this Catechisme as the figured passages will demonstrate Certaine questions and answeres touching the doctrine of Predestination Printed by ROBERT BARKER Anno 1607. and bound vp and sold with our English Bibles Question WHy doe men so much vary in matters of Religion Answere Because all haue not the like measure of knowledge neither doe all beleeue the Gospell of Christ. Qu. What is the reason thereof An. Because they only beleeue the Gospel and doctrine of Christ which are ordained vnto eternall life Qu. Are not all ordained to eternall life An. Some are vessels of wrath ordained vnto destruction as others are vessels of mercy prepared to glory Qu. How standeth it with Gods Iustice that some are appointed to damnation An. Very wel because all men haue in themselues sinne which deserueth no lesse and therfore the mercy of God is wonderfull in that he vouchsafeth to saue some of that sinnefull race and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth Qu. If Gods ordinance and determination must of necessitie take effect then what neede any man to care for hee that liueth well must needs be damned if hee be thereunto ordained and he that liueth ill must needes bee saued if hee bee thereunto appointed Ans. Not so for it is not possible that either the elect should alwaies be without care to do wel or that the reprobate should haue any will thereunto For to haue either good will or good worke is a testimony of the Spirit of God which is giuen to the Elect onely whereby faith is so wrought in them that being graft into Christ they grow in holinesse to that glory whereunto they are appointed Neither are they so vaine as once to thinke that they may doe as they list themselues because they are predestinate vnto saluation but rather they endeauour to walke in such good workes as God in Christ Iesus hath ordained them vnto and prepared for them to be occupied in to their owne comfort stay and assurance and to his glory Qu. But how shall I knowe my selfe to bee one of those whom God hath ordained to life aeternall Ans. By the motions of spirituall life which belongeth onely to the children of God by the which that life is perceiued euen as the life of this body is discerned by the sense and motions thereof Qu. What meane you by the motions of spirituall life Ans. I meane remorse of conscience ioyned with the loathing of sinne and loue of righteousnesse the hand of Faith reaching vnto life eternall in Christ the Conscience comforted in distresse and raised vp to confidence in God by the worke of his Spirit a thankefull remembrance of Gods benefits receiued and the vsing of all aduersities as occasion of amendment sent from GOD. Qu. Cannot such perish as at some time or other feele these motions within themselues Ans. It is not possible that they should for as Gods purpose is not changeable so hee repenteth not of the gifts and graces of his adoption neither doeth hee cast off those whom he hath once receiued Qu. Why then should we pray by the example of Dauid that he cast vs not from his Face and that he take not his holy Spirit from vs Ans. In so praying wee make protestation of the weakenesse of flesh which mooueth vs to doubt yet should not wee haue courage to aske if we were not assured that God

to these blessed truthes wherein the very marrow of all true Christian comfort yea the strength the ground and certainety of our Saluation rest though some haue ●leited them as meere curious and nice Disputes as now to question yea silence and restraine them when they haue thus long kept her in such peace and glory as no former age hath euer matched nor subsequent dayes ha●e hopes to parallell What shall we thus requite the Lord for these his documents wherein his incomprehensible Wisdome Freedome Mercy Iustice Power Grace and glory shine foorth in greatest luster as after all the good they haue brought vpon vs to dis-inherit them of their ancient Freedome and by certaine Politike and insensible gradations to shoulder them out of our Church that so Popery and Arminianisme the fertile mothers of all licentious dissolutenesse may possesse their throne Shall wee thus repay our blessed Martyrs for all their glorious sufferings as now for to dis-martyr yea vncrowne and tread them vnder foot by disputing or doubting these Theologicall positions which they haue canonized and sealed to vs with their bloud Shall we thus retaliate the very Pillars of our Church and Patrons of our Faith euen all our learned Writers as to brand them for illiterate erronious and seducing Nouellers to their eternall infamy in rooting vp these fundamental Truths which they haue planted or re-implanting those Pelagian Arminian Popish Errors which they all haue laboured to extirpate Shall we now proue so vnnaturall to our Mother Church as to rip vp her wombe that bare or cut off her duggs that nourished vs in offering violence to these her sacred Assertions which did at first begette vs vnto grace and now cheerish and prepare vs vnto glory Or shall wee bee so iniurious so destructiue to our owne distressed soules as to strippe them naked of all coelestiall comforts to vnbottome them of all their hope and stay or to leaue them destitute of Saluation in depriuing them of all these sweete and rauishing cordialls in dis-lincking that Golden that Adamantine chaine of Gods immutable and free Election whereon their very happinesse comfort and Saluation are alone suspended Let this let this bee far from all our thoughts at leastwise from our practise Farre be it from any of vs especially from you right Christian Worthies intrusted with the care and safety of Religion as to question or doubt of these Orthodox these sweet Conclusions so long estated so oft resolued in our Church without any retractation or controll Your onely care your worke is now to defend to settle them not dispute them to damne yea quite extirpate their opposite Arminian Errours which like Tares spring vp apace among vs and ouergrow our Wheate not to honour countenance or equalize them with them by putting them both to triall to question censure and condemne their audacious open Aduersaries their secret dangerous Master-vnderminers who are of different rankes and must be dealt with in a various manner not to discusse their verity of which our Church was neuer yet suspitious in the least degree Proceede therefore as you Gods name be blessed haue already done to inquire out the Heads the Nurseries rootes and grand Protectors of our Popish our Arminian mungrell rabble which swarme like Locusts in our Church of late combining both together as is iustly feared to eate out our Religion by degrees to spoile vs of these temporall immunities of those coelestiall treasures of Gods sauing truth which are farre dearer to vs then our dearest soules and when you haue once discouered them as you may quickely doe since practise fame and iealousie haue made them so notorious it will be worth your labour to hew them downe with speede both root and branch at once else all your superficiall hacking of some smaller Issues will but increase their growth augment their strength and multiply their fruit their branches and al-daring practises when the time the feare of lopping are but passed ouer Trampling we know on Camomile stalkes doth but make them grow the thicker spread the faster it is the breaking not the bruising of the roote that kills it The mowing down of weedes of grasse the lopping off of lesser branches doth neuer hinder but aduance their growth not lessen but augment their number The rootes must first bee stocked vp or else the blades the stalkes the branches will not cannot wither or giue ouer budding Strike therefore at the roots as well as at the branches of these preuailing Factions else all your lopping will turne but into pruning your launching into festring your medicine into poyson to kill our Church the Patient but strengthen her diseases which haue hitherto got ground vpon vs by all those former Parliamentary lenitiues and verball purges which your Medicinall skill applyed to them It is noted of Pelagianisme of which the doctrinall part of Popery in the points of Grace and the whole body of Arminianisme are the reuiued ashes and new-raysed Goasts that it tooke its rise in England Pelagius the Father of it being himselfe a Brittaine and a Monke of Bangor What a regained Honour were it to our Nation What an inutterable benefit to our Church What a glory to this your Honourable and great Assembly if you could now at last eternally interre it in the soile that bare it and make its ancient now its second wombe its last its endlesse Graue It was said by one of note some fewe yeeres past and I wish it may be Prophetically true at least Tulit malum hoc sustulit Brittania● That England had both hatched and destroyed this monster of old of new Pelagianisme which Arminius and his followers had then newly raised from Hell to which it was of old condemned But alas we see its liuing and springing vp like Hydraes heades It s former ouer-indulgent decapitations both at Dort at home being but a blood-letting to increase its future vigour not a fatall blow to bring it to its finall period because it cut not off those master-veines which gaue greatest though but hidden life and growth vnto it O therefore giue and strike it and its Arminian Issue now at last a finall fatall and heart-killing blow which needes no iteration and bury them this once so deepe so sure that they may neuer neede a second Funerall But how you will say may this bee done I will informe you in a word or two It is Storied of the chiefe Priests and Pharises who were euer the greatest and most imbittered enemies to Christ and his Apostles as their successors who will needes be stiled Priests haue since bene to his members that hauing crucified our blessed Sauiour because they would bee sure to keepe him from rising from his graue againe according to his promise they did not onely suffer him to lye intombed in a rocky Sepulchre to the doore of which there was a great stone rolled but they likewise went and made the Sepulchre sure sealing the

3 There is a pre-determined and certaine number of the Predestinate which can neither be augmented nor diminished 4 Qui non sunt Praedestinati ad Salutem necessario propter peccata sua damnabuntur 4 Those who are not Predestinated to Saluation shall be necessarily Damned for their sinnes 5 Vera viva iustificans Fides Spiritus Dei iustificantis non extinguitur non excidit non euanescit in Electis aut finaliter aut totaliter 5 A true liuing and iustifying Faith and the Spirit of God iustifying is not extinguished it falleth not away it vanisheth not away in the Elect either finally or totally 6 Homo vere Fidelis id est Fide iustificante praeditus certus est plerophoria Fider de Remissione peccatorum suorum salute sempiterna sua per Christum 6 A man truely Faithfull that is such ●one who is endued with a iustifying Faith is certaine with the full assurance of Faith of the Remission of his Sinnes and of his Euerlasting Saluation by Christ. 7 Gratia salutaris non tribuitur non communicatur non conceditur vniuersis hominibus qua seruari possint si velint 7 Sauing grace is not giuen is not Communicated is not granted to all men by which they may be saued if they will 8 Nemo potest venire ad Christum nisi datum ei fuerit nisi Pater eum traxerit omnes homines non trahuntur a Patre vt veniant ad Filium 8 No man can come vnto Christ vnlesse it shall be giuen vnto him and vnlesse the Father shall draw him and all men are not drawn by the Father that they may come to the Sonne 9 Non est po●itum in arbitrio aut po●estate vniusc●iusque hominis servari It is not in the Will or Power of euery one to be saued These Articles of Lambheth how euer some may chance to slight them as the Resolutions of some priuate m●n yet they were vnanimously composed and approued by both our Right Reuerend and Learned Archbishops Whitgift and Hu●ton by the Bishops of London and Bangor and by sundry other of our most eminent Diuines and that not rashly or vnadvisedly but vpon serious debate and mature deliberation and being afterwards sent to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge for the allaying of some Arminian Controuersies there raysed by master Barret whose publique Recantation I haue heere inserted and abetted by one Peter Baro a Frenchman Lady Margarets Professor in that Vniuersitie they were there receiued with such an vnanimous approbation of the whole Vniuersitie that those Arminian Tenents were foorthwith abandoned and Baro forced to forsake his place since whose departure to this present the Diuinitie Professors of this our Famous Vniuersitie haue constantly adhered to these Conclusions as the vndoubted Doctrine of the Church of England What respect the Reformed Churches abroad haue giuen to these Articles or Assertions Let famous Thysius who hath twice published them Hardrouici 1613. and quoted the Fathers to them together with learned Bogerman President of the late famous Synod of Dort in his 107. and 108. Notes vpon the second part of Grotius Fran●ke●● 1614. p. 183. 184. testifie who both recite and repute them as the receiued and vndoubted Doctrine of the Church of England What approbation they haue had with vs at home their vnanimous approbation by the Vniuersitie of Cambridge at first their insertion into the Articles of Ireland agreed vpon by the Archbishops and Bishops and the rest of the Clergie of Ireland in their Conuocation hol●en at Dublin 1615. where all or most of them are recited verbatim as any man may see that will compare them The mentioning of them in the Conference at Hampton Court where his Maiestie of blessed memory was moued to insert them into the Book● of Articles and vnderstanding not what these Assertions of Lambheth were was informed that by reason of some Controuersies arising in Cambridge about certaine points of Diuinitie my Lords Grace of Canterbury assembled some Diuines of especiall note to set downe their opinions which they drew into nine Assertions and so sent them vnto the Vniuersitie for the appeasing of those quarrels Their honourable recitall by the late Reuerend and learned Bishop of Chichester Doctor Carlton in his Examination of Master Mountagues Appeale Edition 2. cap. 2. pag. 8. 9. 10. By learned Doctor Benefield De Per●euerantia Sanctorum lib. 1. cap. 15. p. 162. to 167. By Ma●●er Francis Rouse in his Doctrine of King Iames p. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Iohn Browne in his Appendix to the Life of Queene Elizabeth where they are likewise Printe● By Mr. Thomas Vicars in his Pusillies Grex Oxo●iae 1627 p. 31. By Abdias Asheton in Vita Gulielmi Whitakeri Cantabrigiae 1599. p. 43. who all repute and deeme them the Orthodox and vndoubted Doctrine of the Church of England All these recited Euidences I say doe abundantly confirme the truth the honour and Orthodox Authority of these Articles or Assertions which were neuer yet impeached by any Orthodox English Diuine as different from o●● 39. Articles or varying from the receiued Doctrines of our Church And therfore especially since the Articles of Ireland thus approue them we may safely embrace them as the vndoubted and anciently receiued Doctrines of our English Church Articles of Religion agreed vpon by the Archbishops and Bishops and the rest of the Cleargie of Ireland in the Conuocation holden at Dublin in the yeere of our Lord God 1615. 11 GOd from all eternitie did by his vnchangeable counsell ordaine whatsoeuer in time should come to passe Yet so as thereby no violence is offred to the wills of the reasonable creatures and neither the libertie nor the contingencie of the second causes is taken away but established rather 12 By the same eternall counsell God hath predestinated some vnto life and reprobated some vnto death of both which there is a certaine number knowen only to God which can neither be increased nor diminished 13 Predestination to life is the euerlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were layed he hath constantly decreed in his secret counsell to deliuer from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankinde and to bring them by Christ vnto euerlasting saluation as vessels made to honor 14 The cause mouing God to predestinate vnto life is not the foreseeing of faith or perseuerance or good workes or of any thing which is in the person predestinated but onely the good pleasure of God himselfe For all things being ordained for the manifestation of his glory and his glory being to appeare both in the works of his Mercy and of his Iustice It seemed good to his heauenly wisedomee to choose out a certaine number towards whom he would extend his vndeserued mercy leauing the rest to be spectacles of his iustice 15 Such as are predestinated vnto life be called according vnto Gods purpose his spirit

to be read in Churches in the time of the late Queene ELIZABETH of famous memory And since thought fit to be reprinted by Authoritie from the KINGS most Excellent Maiestie SAint Paul in many places painteth vs out in our colours calling vs the children of the wrath of God when we be borne saying also that we cannot thinke a good thought of our selues much lesse can we say well or doe well of our selues c. Our Sauiour Christ saith There is none good but GOD and that wee can doe nothing that is good without him nor no man can come to the Father but by him c. For of our selues we are crabtrees that can bring foorth no Apples We bee of our selues of such earth as can bring foorth but weedes nettles brambles briers cockle and darnell Wee haue neither Faith Charitie Hope Patience Chastitie nor any thing else that good is but of God and therefore these vertues bee called there the fruites of the holy Ghost and not the fruites of man Let vs therefore acknowledge our selues before God as wee bee indeede miserable and wretched sinners Of our selues and by our selues wee haue no goodnesse helpe nor saluation but contrariwise sinne damnation and death euerlasting which if we deepely weigh and consider wee shall the better vnderstand the great mercy of God and how our saluation commeth onely by Christ. Wee are all become vncleane but wee all are not able to cleanse our selues nor to make one another of vs cleane Wee are by nature the Children of Gods wrath but wee are not able to make our selues the children and inheritors of Gods glory Wee are sheepe that runne astray but wee cannot of our owne power come againe to the sheepefold so great is our imperfection and weakenesse In our selues therefore may wee not glory which of our selues are nothing but sinnefull To GOD therefore must wee flee or else shall we neuer finde peace rest and quietnesse of Conscience in our hearts For he is the Father of mercies and God of all consolation Hee is the Lord with whom is plenteous redemption He is the God who of his owne mercy saueth vs and setteth out his charitie and exceeding loue towards vs in that of his owne voluntary goodnesse when we were perished he saued vs and prouided an euerlasting Kingdome for vs. And all these heauenly treasures are giuen vs not for our owne deserts merits or good deedes which of our selues wee haue none but of his meere mercy freely He is the high and euerlasting Priest which hath offered himselfe once for all vpon the altar of the Crosse and with that one oblation hath made perfect for euermore them that are sanctified Hee is the alone mediatour betweene GOD and man which paid our ransome to GOD with his owne blood and with that hath hee cleansed vs all from sinne He is the Physitian which healeth all our diseases Hee is that Sauiour which saueth his people from all their sinnes he is that flowing and most plenteous fountaine of whose fulnesse all we haue receiued A Sermon of the saluation of mankinde by onely Christ our Sauiour from sinne and death euerlasting All the world being wrapped in sinne by breaking of the Law GOD sent his onely sonne our Sauiour Christ into this world to fulfill the Law for vs and by shedding of his most precious blood to make a sacrifice and satisfaction or as it may bee called amends to his Father for our sinnes to asswage his wrath and indignation conceiued against vs for the same But our iustification doeth come freely by the meere mercy of GOD and of so great and free mercy that whereas all the world was not able of their selues to pay any part towards their ransome it pleased our heauenly Father of his infinite mercy without any our desert or deseruing to prepare for vs the most precious iewels of Christs body and blood whereby our ransome might be fully paid the law fulfilled and his iustice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the righteousnesse of all them that truely doe beleeue in him Hee for them paid their ransome by his death Hee for them fulfilled the Law in his life So that now in him and by him euery true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked Christs iustice hath supplied For the very sure and liuely Christian faith is not onely to beleeue all things of GOD which are contained in holy Scripture but also is an earnest trust and confidence in God that hee doeth regard vs and that hee is carefull ouer vs as the Father is ouer the Childe whom hee doeth loue and that hee will be mercifull vnto vs for his onely sonnes sake and that wee haue our Sauiour Christ our perpetuall aduocate and Priest in whose onely merits oblation and suffering we doe trust that our offences bee continually washed and purged whensoeuer wee repenting truely doe returne to him with our whole heart stedfastly determining with our selues through his grace to obey and serue him in keeping his Commandements and neuer turne backe againe to sinne Such is the true faith that the Scripture doeth so much commend the which when it seeth and con●idereth what GOD hath done for vs is also mooued through continuall assistance of the Spirit of GOD to serue and please him to keepe his fauour to feare his displeasure to continue his obedient children shewing thankefulnesse againe by obserui●g or keeping his commandements and that freely for true loue chiefly and not for dread of punishment or loue of temporall reward considering how clearely without deseruings wee haue receiued his mercy and pardon freely For as the holy Ghost doeth teach vs to trust in GOD and to call vpon him as our Father so did hee teach them to say as it is written Thou Lord art our Father and Redeemer and thy Name is without beginning and euerlasting GOD gaue them then grace to bee his children as he doth vs now It is euident that the true liuely and Christian faith is no dead vaine or vnfruitful thing but thing of a perfect vertue of wonderful operation or working and strength bringing forth al good motions and good workes Of faith he saith Hee that beleeueth in the Son hath euerlasting life but he that beleeueth not in the Son shall not see that life but the wrath of GOD remaineth vpon him And the same hee confirmeth with a double othe saying Verily verily I say vnto you Hee that beleeueth in me hath euerlasting life Now forasmuch as hee that beleeueth in Christ hath euerlasting life it must needes consequently follow that he that hath this faith must haue also good workes and bee studious to obserue Gods commandements obediently For to them that haue euill workes and leade their life in disobedience and transgression