he believes the remission of his sinnes But this consequence agayne we utterly deny we suppose not any such faith in him nay we have it rather most probable that in case of his debaucht course of life and conversation that such a one hath no true faith at all For if the Apostle exhorts such as the Corinthians were to proove and examine themselves whether they were in the faith writing to the best of them why shoulde we conceave a wicked person that lives in manifest profanenesse and uncleanes to have any true faith at all Perhaps he may reply why then doe you exhort him to repentance seing without faith he cannot repent I answere why did Peter exhort the Iewes to repentance who had killed the Lord of life as he tells them Act. 3.14.15 and desired a murtherer to be given them But saith he v. 18. those thinges which God before had shewed by the mouth of his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath thus fulfilled Amend your lives therfore and turn that your sins may be put away when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Did Peter suppose them to have any faith in Christ when thus he exhorted them to amendment Surely he did not and no more doe wee but by Peters ministery God might be pleased to worke them both to faith and to repentance so he did for many that heard the word believed and the number was about 5000 and the like he may and doth usually worke by our ministery allso Then agayne there is a legall repentance and there is an Evangelicall repentance And that legall repentance may be unto desperation as Iudas his repentance was Agayne that legall repentance may be a fruite of the Spirit of bondage which praepares for the hearing of the Gospell and for the receaving of the Spirit of adoption by the Gospell Then in the preaching of the Gospell the tender mercies of God displayed unto us and how ready he is to pardon sinne in generall and that of free grace may better our repentance and when we are thus by degrees brought to the Spirit of adoption to cry Abba Father then our repentance shall be most perfect as before I sayde and when we looke upon him whom we have pearced and can in assurance of faith professe with the Apostle saying I live by faith in him who loved me and gave himselfe for me this is of power to pricke a Master veyne and make us bleede out our repentance in the sight of our gracious God whom we have offended and who yet in despight of our sinnes hath loved us more devoutly and affectionately then ever before Yet is it true as he saith that repentance is nothing worth without faith What thinkes he of Ahabs repentance when he put on sackcloth and wallowed in ashes upon the word of judgment against his house brought unto him by the Prophet Eliah Doe we not know what the Lord sayde herupon unto Eliah seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me because he submitteth himselfe before me I will not bring that evill in his dayes The uttermost of the Ninivites faith was but this that we reade of who can tell if God will turne and repent turne from his feirce wrath that we perish not yet their repentance was such that when God sawe their workes that they turned from their evill wayes he repented of the evill that he had sayde that he woulde doe unto them and he did it not Ion. 3.9.10 And certienly the moralitie of some Heathens was such that their damnation will be easier then the damnation of those that lived in all manner of impuritie and vncleanes By faith we say the children of God are assured of the love of God towards them which was aeternall and is unchangeable and consequently that God will never forsake them but will from time to time pardon their sinnes according to that faith of Paul The Lord will deliver me from every evill worke and preserve me to his heavenly Kingdom 2. Tim. 4.18 And no other faith of remission of sinnes doe we teach or any of our divines that I know and this Author foreseing it likely enough that his Synodicall adversary will except against such a ones election much more against his effectual vocation who walkes not after the Spirit but after the fleshe yet to shewe his confidence of holding to hard-meate his wilde adversary being in some degree wilder himselfe though he were sayth he of the number of reprobates yet his censurer shoulde gayne nothing by it for as much as his exhortations and threanings coulde not any way alter the decree of heaven but only molest him with the torments of hell and stirre up a worme in his conscience to gnawe him to no purpose Wherto I answere that by our doctrine as we have no encouragement to conceave such a person as here is brought in to play the part appointed for him and wherto this Author promts him to be an elect of God so neyther have we any reason to conceave him to be a reprobate for as much as there neyther is nor can be any ordinary evidence of any mans reprobation but eyther finall impaenitency or guiltines of sinning against the holy Ghost So that albeit where we observe the worke of a mans faith the labour of his love the patience of his hope we have good reason to conceave of such a one that he is an elect of God as Paul did of the Thessalonians 1. Thes. 1 3.4 Yet where we finde these to be wanting and a carnall walking and sensuall conversation in the steede therof we have no cause to conclude herupon that such a one is certeynly a man rejected and reprobated of God For we were carnall and sensuall before God visited us with his grace and quickned us by his holy Spirit What a strange race did Manasses runne for a long time in a most siâ—nefull course in the way of idolatry blood sorcery yet God brought him to repentance before he died Paul likewise for a time was a bloody persecutor of Gods Church yet even then was he a chosen vessell not only to be a professor but a preacher allso of that way which formerly he had opposed and persecuted even unto blood whether a man be an elect or reprobate we leave that as a secret unto God only considering that Gods long suffering is sayde to be salvation we hope the best and it is our duty to become all thinges to all men that we may save some as Paul professeth of himselfe 2. Cor. 6. and those some whose salvation he aymed at he professeth to be Gods elect 2. Tim. 2.10 wherfore we enterteyne no such thought as of altering the decrees of heaven as this Author in his scenicall imagination shapeth the matter but we endeavour therby to take him off from his ungodly courses and worke him to godly sorrowe that bringes forth salvation never to be repented of as in case he may proove to
for us that it extends so farre therfore without just cause we must not conceave otherwise of them then that they are in the state of grace and consequently that they are elect And no other kinde of certitude is required in the case we treate of so that this Author caryeth himselfe miserably extravagant in his very extravagancyes And as for an afflicted soule we have reason to conceave better of him then of civill Christians for as much as his state is not so obnoxious to hypocrisie as is the condition of Christians who are nothing exercised with the terrors of God and with the affrightments of a tender conscience Be it so that it hath course only betweene man and man this judgment of charitie such is the case we treate of For as for the afflicted soule we doe not say that in the judgment of charitie he is bound to conceave that he is an elect of God any farther then he hath cause to conceave that he is in the state of faith But we come to the application which he makes herof to divine promises Now we willingly professe that divine promises are to be believed by certentie of faith we doe not say nor I presume was ever any of our divines knowne to say that the truth of divine promises was to be believed by the judgment of charitie Whosoever believes shall be saved we apprehende this by certeintie of faith not out of any judgment of charitie what a wilde race doth this Author runne in his roaving discourse We will be bolde to affirm that every one is to believe that he is of the number of Gods elect so farre forth as he knowes himselfe to have faith in Christ which as it is a gift of God Philip. 1.29 Eph. 2.8 so God giveth us his Spirit by the hearing of faith that we may knowe those things that are given to us of God 1. Cor. 2.12 But this to witt whether a man hath true faith or no though it be knowne to him that hath it yet is it not knowne to others any otherwise then by the judgment of charitie Yet Paul was confident of the truth of the Thessalonians faith and consequently of their election 1. Thess. 1.3.4 and 2. Thess. 2.13 It is untrue that we must have a sufficient assurance that Christ dyed to procure pardon of sin and salvation of soule absolutely for him whom we goe about to comfort it is enough that Christ dyed to procure these benefites for him condiâ—ionally to witt in case he believe and repent and of this we have a most sufficient assurance But these disputers like owles fly abroade only in the night of darknes and confusion but let the light of distinction come and then t is time to hide themselves in their close harbours for shame But over and above we can treate with our Patiens about Christs dying not only to procure pardon of sinne and salvation of soule conditionally to witt in case they believe and repent but allso for procuring the gift of faith and repentance for them allso wherof we have the better hope when we consider their afflicted condition this being Gods usuall course to transforme them into the image of Christ crucyfyed first then rising from the dead by making them to feele the fellowshippe of Christs passions and the power of his resurrection Now this way of consolation is quite out of the Arminians element The third Section THe minister or Comforter will then aske the patient if he never felt the witnes of adoption which the Spirit of God beareth with the Spirit of the elect And if he be assured that he once had faith he may be certeyne that he hath it still notwithstanding the small fruit that it produceth Wherunto the Patient will reply that Calvin himself doth much trouble obscure this doctrine of certitude in his Institut lib. 3. cap. 2. parag 10. where saith he The heart of man hath so many secret corners of vanitie is so full of so many hiding holes of lying is covered with such guilefull hypocrisie that it dâ—ceaveth it selfe and persuadeth him that he hath true faith when he hath it not If the patient acknowledgeth that he never found this testimony in his heart his comforter will answere him in the same manner as he formerly did the profane when he tooke upon him the office of a censurer and corrector to witt how that all are not called at the same houre But if the patient doe then aske him some assurance that he shall be thus efficaciously called before his death the comforter will finde none for him eyther at Dort or Arles only he will tell him that assuredly Christ dyed for him if so be he believes in him wherin he will shewe himselfe eyther a praevaricator of his owne side and an overthrower of the doctrine of the Synods or else that he is deprived of common sense For if he give the selfe same consolation to all that are sicke to all that are afflicted yea even to those who for their greater offenses are ledde to execution and if this consolation be founded upon the truth doth it not then follow that Christ dyed for all and every one And if he so understandeth it that this becommeth true by the faith which the Patient addeth to the discâ—urse of the Minister he hath lost his sense in affirming that the object of faith or thing proposed to be believed receaveth its truth and dependeâ—h of the consent and beliefe of men who by his approbation and faith hath no more power to make that true which is false in it self then to make that false by his incredulitie which in it self is true The incredulitie of man may deprive him of the benefiâ—e of this death yet can it not make that Christ suffered not this death to testifie his love unto all mankind universally even as all are bound to believe in him and yet no man bound to believe that which is false The Apostle saith that God will sende the Spirit of errour upon them that have not receaved the love of the truth And yet according to the Doctrine of Dort he would have all men first to beleeve that Christ dyed for him which is false in the judgemen of the Synod and then afterward for believing this falshood he shall be punished with the Spirit of errour for giving credence to a lye Consid. That there is a Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father is as true as the word of God is true as also that his Spirit doth testifie together with our Spirit that we are the Sonnes of God And that there is no falling away from the state of sanctifying grace we are ready to mainteyne according unto Gods word whensoever we shall be called thereunto Of some Apostates S. Iohn writes plainely saying They went out from us but they were not of us for had they bene of us they had continued wih us By faith we are built on
Lord and I have good cause to take comfort in this But it is untâ—ue that God hath as much willed the treason of Iudas as the conversion of Paul though Bellarmine hath so calumnated us longe agoe For albeit the treason of Iudas in betraying his mayster is one of the thinges meant by the Apostle which Iewes and Gentiles did against the holy Sonne of God and which they say were foredetermined by the hand and counsell of God And Austin is bolde to professe that Iudaâ— electus est ad prodendum sanguinem Dominisui notwithstanding which as another Father speaketh etiam Iudas potuisset consequi remedium si non festinasset ad laqueum yet there is a vast difference betweene Gods willing Iudas his treason and Pauls conversion For as for Iudas his treason his will was that should come to passe onely by Gods permission And Arminius is bold to profes that Voluit Deus Achabum mâ—nsuram scelerum implere but as for Pauls conversion that was not only willed by God but wrought by God and that in an extraordinary manner appearing unto him in the way and striking him downe with a light from heaven so with a strong hand taking him off from his persecuting courses when Ferox scelerum quia primò provenerat and flesht in the blood of Steven Iehu like he maâ—ched fuâ—iously against the Church of God As for no power in man to retain grace when God will take it away First where man is found willing to reteyne grace I know no just cause to complaine of the want of power for this And where there is no will to reteyne it I see no likelyhood that any man should complaine of want of power to reteyne it Yet like as man is not Lord of his owne Spirit nor able to reteyne it so I wonder it should seeme strange that men should have no power to reteyne the Spirit of God in case God should withdraw it from them And as for grace of sanctification which God should take away from man we know none as who mainteyn that God will deliver his children from every evill work and preserve them unto his heavenly Kingdom and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation That the Spirit bloweth where it listeth is the doctrine of our Saviour to Nicodemus Ioh. 3. That God inspireth whom he will with the Spirit of faith repentance we take to be all one with that Rom. 9.18 He hath mercy on whom he will And accordingly he denyes this inspiration to whom he will as much as to say He hardeneth whom he will But as for any actuall withdrawing of the Spirit of sanctification we acknowledge not It is true even his owne Servants he hardneth sometimes against his feare as the Scripture speaketh Esa. 63.17 Whereupon their peace of conscience is disturbed and they have cause to pray unto God to restore them to the joye of his salvation Psal. 51. as David there did But David did not pray that God would restore him to his Spirit but rather that he would not take it from him And Bertius professeth that he will not say that David by those foule sinnes of his was wholy bereaved of Gods Spirit and that propter graves causas As for Gods permission of men to sinne for their amendment Arminius himself acknowledgeth in effect in the particular case of David His words are these Permisit Deus ut ille in negligentiam istud incideret peccatum istud illa occasione perpetraret quò diligentiùs seipsum observaret peccatum suum exemplo aliorum deflerâ—â— egregium humilitatis resipiscentiaeque specimen Exemplar praestaret gloriosiùs ex peccato resurgeret As for the impossibilitie to withstand Gods operation the Scripture doth expressely justifie Eze. 20.32.33.37 Neyther shall that be done which commeth into your minde For ye say we will be as the Heathen as the families of the countries and serve wood and stone As I live sayth the Lord God I will surely rule you with a mightie hand a stretched our arme c. And the issue followeth which is this I will cause you to passe under the rod and bring you into the bond of the covenant Yet what is the issue of this impossibilitie Is it only in respect of the thing which God will bring to passe as these Arminians most superficially conceave and not as well in respect of the manner how it shall come to passe Nothing lesse but as God will have it come to passe and come to passe contingently and voluntarily and freely So it is impossible upon this supposition but that it shall come to passe but how not necessarily but contingently voluntarily and freely And as it thus comes to passe and no otherwise when the time which God hath appointed is come So before that time it shall not come to passe but how contingently also and voluntarilly and freely and impossible it is that it should be otherwise The second Section THat it is not for him to prescribe the time and houre of his conversion wherein a living man doth no more then a dead man in his resurrection That God is able to quicken him endue him with his Spirit though he were allready dead 4 dayes as stinking in the grave as Lazarus yea and that perhaps it shall not be untill the last houre of the day That as yet God giveth him not the grace to cry Abba Father That he so abhorreth the doctrine of those that are stiled Arminians that he dares not use the least endeavour to doe well for feare of obscuring that grace which worketh irresisâ—ibly and attributing of any thing â—o the will of man Yet he remembreth that he had sometimes good motions proceeding doubtlesse from the spirit of God which hath given him the true faith which can never faile and that for the present he is like the Trees in Winter which seem dead though they are alive That being of the number of the Elect as every one is bound to beleeve by the two Synods if he will not be declared perjured by that at Arles his sinne it self how enormous soever worketh together to his salvation yea and that he hath allready obteyned pardon for it That his Censurer cannot deny it seeing that he instructeth him unto repentance which is nothing worth without faith no more then faith it self if it beleeve not the remission of all sinns both done and to be done And though he were of the number of the Reprobates a thing which he will not affirme for â—â—are of being so held indeed by the Synod yet notwithstanding his Censurer would gayne nothing by it who by his exhortings and threatnings could not any way alter the decree of Heaven but onely molest him with the torments of Hell and stirre up a wâ—rme in his conscience to gnawe him to no purpose Consid. Were it in the power of man to change his owne heart who is not able to change
one hayre of his head he might well prescribe the time and houre of his conversion But seeing it is Gods worke alone to circumcise our heartes Deut. 30.6 to take away the stony heart and give us an heart of flesh and put his owne spirit within us Ezech. 36 27. to quicken us when we are dead in trespasses and sinnes Eph. 2.15 Surely it belongs to God alone to prescribe the time and houre when a man shall be converted And accordingly our Saviour gives us to understand that some are called at the first houre of the day some at the third some not untill the last And the Apostle exhorts Timothy in effect by his meeke cariage to wayte when God will give them repentance that are without that so they may acknowledge his truth and come out of the snare of the devill by whom they are led captive to doe his will 2. Tim. 2. last And albeit men are living as beasts why should they be thought to have any more power to rayse themselves or quicken themselves unto life spirituall then a dead man hath to quicken himself to life naturall Now that men are dead in sinne the scripture teacheth evidently and that the worke of conversion is called regeneration but the Scriptures are a strange Language to these Arminians They are diserti lingua sua And they discourse amongst Christians as if they should discourse among Cannibals Yet there is a difference betweene him that is dead naturally and him that is dead spiritually For he that is dead naturally can performe no naturall action at all but he that is dead only spiritually is able enough to perform any action naturall And some naturall actions are required without which a man cannot be converted As for Example it is requisite a man should be acquainted with Gods word which alone is the ordinary means whereby the Spirit workes in mans conversion Now it is in the power of man to heare the word And albeit he cannot hearken unto it in a gracious manner pleasing unto God yet shall not that hinder the efficacy of Gods word if God be pleased to shew mercy on him No though he comes to the hearing of it with a wicked minde As they that came to take Christ Iohn 7. yet when they heard him were taken by him and returned without him saying Never man spake as this man speaketh So is it in the power of a man to reade the word Now suppose he exercise this power and that with a minde averse from it yet may this word proove a word of power to the changing of his heart As Vergetius tooke Melanthons writings to reade with a purpose to confute them yet in the reading himself was confuted by them and this was a meanes of hâ—s conversion from Popery to the Protestant confession This Author discourseth in such sort as if the power of God to quicken a man though 4 dayes dead and stinking in the grave as Lazarus were taken up in his mouth in scorne For such is the manner and strengâ—h of his discourse in the most hungry fashion that ever I thinke proceeded from a reasonable man Our Saviour hath given us to understand that some are not called till the last houre we have an example of it in the thiefe upon the crosse If God hath not giveÌ„ him as yet the grace to cry Abba Father that Spirit of adoption requiring a spirit of bondage to precede it Rom. 8.15 Yet this houre and that by our admoniâ—ion and conviction of his sinnes God may humble him and make him feare and thereby prepare him to the Spirit of adoption For his word is as a fire as an hammat that breaketh the bones the Infidell findes this by good experience when hearing one prophecy he is rebuked of all judged of all the thoughts of his heart are made manifest and he falls downe on his face and confesseth thaâ— God is in his ministers of a truth 1. Cor. 14.24 The Iewes did finde this power of the word when hearing Peter discoursing how God made him both Lord and Christ whom they had crucified they were pricked in their hearts and sayd Men and Bretheren what shall we doe Act. 2. When in the course of his histrionicall fictions he feignes his Factor not daring to endeavour to doe well He supposeth and insinuateth that he would endeavour it but dares not for his hatred to the Arminian doctrine which is nothing answerable to our doctrine who deny that there is any such will in a carnall man We say the maine reformation of man consists in the change of the will from evill to good we know that God accepteth the will for the deede And the Saints of God commend themselves in this manner unto God We that desire to feare thy name Nehem. 1. And the desire of our hearts is towards thy name Esa. 26. And we desire to live honestly Heb. 13. And Austin mainteynes as I remember that the Saints of God no otherwise fullfill the Law of God then desiderio conatu And albeit this Author at pleasure feigneth his prolocutor to embrace our Tenets yet if he be but a carnall Christian he cannot embrace them or any doctrine of faith Fide vera infusa but onely fide acquisita Yet againe it is in the power of any man not onely to desire and endeavour to doe well but also to doe indeed quoad exteriorem vitae emendationem All the morall vertues as they were found in Heathen men so are they atteynable by a naturall man For even Heathens were famous and renowned some of them not onely for their good rules but for their vertuous practise of moralitie which yet nothing hindered Austin from passing his censure upon their best actions professing them to be no better then splendida peccata and for a rule of direction to judge aright herein he tells us non officijs sed finibus discernendas esse virtutes And therefore there is no cause of so superficiary a conceyte forged in this Authors braines as if endeavours to such moralitie should any way obscure the prerogative of Gods grace as only effectuall to the working of that which is pleasing in the sight of God Such moralitie shall nothing at all commend the will for any goodnesse in the sight of God any more thâ—n Socrates or Plato or Aristides their moralitie did though their damnation shal be farre lesse then the damnation of such who among the Heathens have bene given to a debaucht life and conversation Good motions undoubtedly God can rayse by his Spirit in the heart of the most wicked in the Church of God but like as the devills suggestions are not our fault if we resist them so such good motions of God doe nothing commend us in the sight of God if we doe not give way unto them but rather one day rise up in judgment against us to our greater and more inexcusable condemnation But that a carnall man is here brought-in conceyted
you into the bond of the covenant Thus the Lord caryeth himselfe towards them in their first conversion and taking them off from their ungodly and wilfull courses as he tooke off Saul from his persecuting courses even then when he breathed out threats against the Saints of God and had gotten him a commission from the high Priests to goe to Damascus and bind all that called on the name of Iesus But when he hath converted them which is my third answere then he putts his feare into their hearts that they shall never depart from him so that by restrayning them from sinne and preserving the feete of his Saints he keepes them unto him not suffering such wilde thoughts as these which this Author feigneth to have place in them Fourthly that which here he fitteneth is incompetent to a naturall man that hath but any sparke of naturall ingenuitie in him For suppose a Father shall be resolved concerning a debaucht and lewde sonne never to disinherit him though he shoulde continue to the ende in his disobedient and rebellious courses if the Sonne should herupon take occasion to be the more riotous and disobedient would not the world of naturall men generally condemne such a Sonne as most unnaturall and voyde of all sparkes of common ingenuitie How much more incompetent is such a disposition to him who is ruled and governed by the Spirit of God an earthly Father being not able to change the heart of his rebellious childe but God our heavenly Father being sufficiently armed with power for this who hath gifts even for the rebellious to make them a fitt habitation for him that so the Lord God may dwell among them Fiftly albeit the Spirit of this Author should perhaps serve him to be so much in love with this temporall life as by any vile meames to prolong it as namely by committing one mortall sinne as he calls it upon the necke of another yet why shoulde he be so charitable towards us his adversaries as to thinke so well of us as he doth of himselfe and of those of his owne sect who coumpt it our duetie to endeavour to be so possessed with the love of Christ and to enjoy him as to desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ in such sort that if he shoulde give us leave to choose whether we would live Methusalehs yeares in all happines to serve him glorifie him or for the triall of our Christian faith to be burnt at a stake and as it were in a fiery charet to goe to Christ we ought to accoumpt that God doth farre more honour us in this then in the other and we have good reason to make choyse of this to suffer for him who was so well content to leave as it were the glory he had with his Father and to empty himselfe for us and to take upon him the shape of a servant and be crucified upon the crosse between two theeves that so he might overcome death and open the gate to us of everlasting life Let this Montabanke of discourse goe then and applaude himselfe for the subtiltie of his invention and sacrifice to his witt and burne incense to his artifice and cry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and solace himselfe in the sport he makes amongst his consorts and make themselves merry with their Ambrosia beyond Paracelsian drugges For these are his inventions not ours manifesting withall how savoury they shoulde be to his affections but that he wants faith to embrace our doctrine And no mervaile if such as is their faith they unadvisedly declare that such like are their affections That God is not angry for ever is for substance the phrase of the Holy Ghost And it is as true of some that their worme shall never dye their fire shall never goe out and there is no greater kinde of Gods anger then that and consequently his Anger shall never end towards them and if we devide the world of men into Elect and reprobates who can these be but reprobates and consequently they towards whom God is not allwayes angry must needes be his elect and not reprobates Yet I nothing merveyle at this Authors Spirit who throughout passeth his scoffes and scornes upon that which is the cleere doctrine of the word of God as on that which he conceaves to be the doctrine of the Synods of Dort and Arles And therfore I commende his wisedome that to avoyde the appearance thereof medles so litle with taking notice of any passage out of Gods word alleaged by any of us to addres any answer thereunto for if he had his blasphemous scoffes had been more apparantly terminated upon the doctrine of the Holy Ghost as well as upon the doctrine of Dort and Arles I finde this Author is a very kindhearted Gentleman towards himself and to the Helena he cherisheth in his bosom For whatsoever his premises be he will be sure to be full for his owne cause in the conclusion Yet will we neyther forsake our owne principles by the grace of God nor give over our course of reformation of any that is under our charge to draw him from his profane courses taking our president direction herein from the holy Apostles admonition unto Timothy The servant of the Lord must instruct them with meeknesse that are contrary minded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if so be at any time therfore it becomes us continually to wayt for this time and not to prescribe unto God God will give them repentance that they may acknowledge his truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the devill of whom they are taken prisoners to doe his will The THIRD PART The first Section BVt perhaps he will acquit himself farr better in undergoing the office of a Comforter to one that is afflicted then he did in playing the Converter of an Infidell or Corrector of the profane Christian. The ground of all comfort and consolation to each afflicted soule hath been ever sought and found in the death and passion of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ whereby having satiâ—fyed the justice of his Father he obteyned reconciliation for all mankind actualâ—y appliable to all those who acknowledging the infinitenes of the benefite doe therupon imbrace the Author of it with a true and lively faith Neyther can our comâ—orter find any other foundation wherby to consolate assure his patient against the terrors of Godâ— justice the condemnation of the lawe and accusation of his owne conscience But the sicke or otherwise afflicted can never make this true foundation of Gods word agree with the false foundations of the second article of the Synod of Dort to witt that Christ dyed not but for a very small number of persons allready elected unto salvation by the heavenly Father who in his decree did no more consider the death of his Sonne then the faith of the elect How shall I truely know will the patient then say that I am rather of the small number
that worketh in us every thing that is pleasing in his sight doth the Physician sett the mans leggs whom he hath cured I thinke he hath enough to doe to sett his owne legges members going according to their severall motions was holy Paul nourished in his sloath who both professeth that he laboured more abundantly then they all yet in the same breath acknowledgeth that nevertheles it cannot he but rather the grace of God in him Nay how is it possible that God should bring a man to a sermon while he lyes lazy in his bed How is it possible he should continue that excesse which brought him to his sicknes when God workes in him that which is pleasing in his sight and fullfills the good pleasure of his goodnes towards him and the worke of faith in power But we may easily proceave the Spirit of his Author he would not be a child still he would goe on highe alone and not have any neede of the leading of his heavenly Father his owne Spirit serves his turne to performe any holy duetie any gracious worke And as Plato discerned the pride of Antisthenes through his patcht coate so may we thorough these wilde expressions as if God did mans worke for him while he lay in sleepe we may easily perceave the pride of his heart requiring no more succour from God to the performance of to velle agere of that which is good then Pelagius of olde did Yet the Lord by his prophet playnely professeth of himselfe that he causeth us to walke in his statutes and judgments and to doe them and the Apostle as playnely teacheth us that God workes in us both the will and the deede according to his good pleasure yea that he workes in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ. The meaning whereâ—â— Pelagius his opinion was only this that suadet omne quod bonum est and in all liklihood no other is the meaning of the Apostle in the opinion of this Author though he comes not so farre as to the discussing therof and to treate of Gods concourse For which kinde of exercise this comicall witt of his is nothing accommodated and like enough this discourse of his is plausible to none but such comicall witts as himselfe is of and no merveyle if it be magnified of them For Lactucas similes labra simillima habent like lettice like lips Yet he doth us wrong in saying we are not content that God should furnish us with necessary and sufficient grace to preserve and keepe us from sinne For albeit we doe require that God should immediately and irresistibly worke all our good workes in us yet surely we acknowledge this to be necessary unto every good act and no grace without this sufficient ad velle agere though there may be without this a grace sufficient ad posse and the word of God it selfe we acknowledge to be sufficient in its kinde to witt in the way of instruction but the ministery therof we willingly professe goes no farther then Pauls planting and Apollos wateringe over and above all which unles God be pleased to give the encrease we shall continue unfruitfull still only there is a sect that have a better opinion of their activitie unto that which is good then so Sure I am the Apostle tells us that God doth fulfill the good pleasure of his goodnes in us and the worke of faith with power and if he fulfill the worke of faith with power doth he not fulfill the worke of love of repentance of obedience of all holy conversation and godlines that with power Molira will have Gods concourse to be simultaneous with the will not antecedaneous in nature to the wills operation least otherwise God should not be the immediate cause of the act of the maintenance wherof he was zelous and it seemes Arminiâ—â—s tooke his conceyte from him of making God in the same manner an immediate cause of every act But Suares his fellowe Iesuite doth not approove of that Molinaes conceyte and is of opinion that albeit God doth worke the will to her operation yet this nothing hinders the immediate condition of Gods causalitie So that all of them stande for the maintenance of Gods immediate causalitie which this Author very judiciously and profoundely out of the depth of his scholasticalitie rejects and after his manner takes it in scorne that God shoulde be required to performe an immediate operation in producing any good worke he would have that left to the will of man not that he desires to have wherof to boast for he will be ready in great plerophory of wordes to professe that he gives God the glory of all but how Forsooth of working him so to that which is good as to leave it to his will at the pleasure therof to be the immediate operator in all Otherwise he should worke irresistibly which is a phrase of an ill accent in their eares and stickes as a burre in their throate it will not downe with them for they are verily persuaded it would breede no good blood in them not for feare least herby they should ascribe too much to God and too litle to themselves farre be that from the Spirit of their humilitie but they would have the Allmightie cary himselfe decently in dealing with them and sith he hath indued them with free will not to damnifie the free course therof which were to disanull his owne workmanship For as yet they are not arrived to any such faith as to believe that it is in the power of the Almightye to make them to worke this or that freely But let me have leave to spurre this Author one quaestion Cannot he endure that God should so powerfully worke them unto that which is good that the world should have no abilitie to resist him nor the divill and his Angells of darkenes We knowe the course and fashions of the one and the practises and suggestions of the other are prest and forward enough to hinder us in the good wayes of the Lord as much as ever the Angell of God was to hinder Balaam in his wicked courses Now why should you be so zealous of maynteyning the power eyther of the world or the divill to corrupt your soule and overthrowe your faith were it not rather cheifly to be desired that God should so worke us by his holy Spirit unto every thing that is pleasing in his sight that it shoulde not be in the power of the very gates of hell to prevayle against us that is I trowe to worke us unto that which is good irresistibly that is so that the world nor the divill should not be able to resist Gods operation though they much desire it I shoulde thinke it is not the genius of this Author to oppose irresistible operation divine in this sense though it may be he was never cast upon this distinction untill now In respect of whom then would he have this