Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	8,077	5	5.8830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75582	The just mans defence, or, The royal conquest being the declaration of the judgement of James Arminius, Doctor of Divinity in the University of Leyden, concerning the principall points of religion, before the States of Holland and VVestfriezland / translated for the vindication of truth, by Tobias Conyers, sometimes of Peter-house in Cambridge.; Declaratio sententiae de predestinatione. English	Arminius, Jacobus, 1560-1609.; Conyers, Tobias, 1628-1687.	1657 (1657)	Wing A3700A; ESTC R208013	52,267	187

shutting of him up under sin and condemnation IIII. For unless God had created some he had not had upon whom he might bestow eternall life and bring upon everlasting death had not he created them in righteousness and sanctitie God himselfe had been the Author of sin and so had been deprived of the right of punishment to the praise of his Iustice and salvation for the honour of his mercy unless they themselves had sinned and by the merit thereof rendered themselves guilty of Death there could have been no place to demonstrate either Justice or Mercy 5. The meanes fore-ordained These are the special means for the putting into execution the decree of election are these three First The preordination or the giving of Jesus Christ a mediatour and Saviour who should purchase by his merit for all and onely the Elect life and lost righteousness and by his vertue communicate the same Second Their vocation to faith outwardly by the word inwardly by his spirit in the mind affections and will by an operation so efficacious that the elect person must needs assent and yeeld obedience thereunto in so much as he is not in any capacity able not to beleeve this his Calling or not to be obedient thereunto Hence comes to passe their justification and sanctification by the blood and spirit of Christ and in like manner all their good workes and this by the same forementioned force and necessity Third meanes to be is the Keeping the Elect in the faith sanctitie and zeale of good works or the donation of the perseverance to them whose vertue is to be this that the beleeving and elect persons do not onely not sin with that plenitude and wholeness of will or not fall Totally from faith or grace but they Cannot sin with that full bent of mind neither Can they totally or finally fall away from faith or grace received 6. The two * Vacotion perseverance last of these means belonging onely to the adult elect person of ripe years but for the children of beleevers who pass out of this life and never come to maturity of age God leads them a shorter way to salvation if they belong to the number of the elect which God onely knows by giving Christ a Saviour to them and them to Christ who saves them by his blood and holy spirit without actuall faith and perseverance and this according to the promise of the Covenant I will be your God and the God of your seed 7. The means appointed to These proper to the decree of Reprobation put into execution the decree of reprobation are partly proper to All the reject and reprobate whether they have lived to ripeness of years or died before their maturity partly peculiar to Some of them onely Means Common to them all is their dissertion in sin by the suspension of that saving grace which is sufficient and necessary to salvation and this hath two branches 1. God not being willing that Christ should die for them neither * i. e. He neither dignitate pretii died for them in regard of the value of the price Nor voluntate propositi God never intending that hee should shed his blood for them Quoad Voluntatem Antecedentem according to his Antecedent will as some call it or Quoad Sufficientem according to the sufficient or the valew of that reconciliatory Price which was never offerd for the Reprobate either in respect of the divine decree or the vertue and efficacy of it The 2. branch Gods unwillingness to communicate the spirit of Christ to them without which 't were impossible for them to be made partakers of him and his benefits 8. The means Peculiar to some of them onely is that obduration which befalls Adult persons for their often enormous violation of the Law of God repudiation of the Grace of the Gospel To the executing the first * For their violation of the law of God induration appertains the witness of their minds to the righteousness of the Law by knowledge illumination and conviction it not being possible for the Law not to detaine them in unrighteousness onely but necessary to the rendring them inexcusable To the execution of the second * For their refusing the grace of the Gospel obduration God makes use of their calling by the preaching of the word which is to be both insufficient and ineffectuall as well in regard of the decree of God as the event thereof This vocation is to be either externall onely which they neither will nor can obey or internall whereby some of them are raised in their understandings to embrace and beleeve the things they heare yet with such a faith as the devils endowed with beleeve and tremble some of them are carried on further even after a manner to desire to taste of the Heavenly Gift these being the most miserable of all who are therefore taken up on high that their fall may be the greater it being impossible that this event should not befall them necessitated to returne to their vomit and to fall away from the f 〈…〉 9. From this decree of election and reprobation divine and the administration of the means appertaining to the execution of both it followes that the elect should necessarily be saved so as they are not in any possibility of perishing and the reprobates unavoidably damned so as 't is utterly impossible for them to be saved and that out of the absolute purpose of Gods preceding all things and causes which are in things or could result from things This Opinion by some of those that adhere thereunto is judged the foundation of Christianity Sa●vation and the certainty thereof in which the sure and undoubted consolation of all beleevers giving them a peaceable conscience is founded and upon which the praise of the grace of God leaneth in so much as the contradicting this doctrine is surely to rob God of the glory of his grace to attribute the merit of salvation to the free-will and power of man which savours of Pelagianisme these being the causes pretended why they labour so anxiously to retaine the purity of this doctrine in their churches and oppose themselves to all alterations repugnant there unto For my part to speake what I thinke freely with the Salvage of a better judgement I am of that minde That this doctrine of predestination containeth in it many things false impertinent and discrepant with it selfe which Universally to run thorough time permits me not but I shal leave it to be examind in grosse in its latitude There 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are foure speciall heads in my view and those of the greatest weight in this doctrine I shall first declare them then give you my own judgement concerning them They are these First That God hath Absolutely and precisely decreed the salvation of some particular men by his mercy or grace and the condemnation of others by his justice without any sight or intuition in this

inspiring him with holy desiers to the willing of good Actually yea also by this he so wills and works together with man that what man will 's he might accomplish And thus I atribute to Grace the begining continuance and consummation of all good so far as that man now regenerate without this preventing exciting Subsequent and Cooperating Grace is in capable to think will or do any good or resist any noxious temptation Hence it 's apparently manifest I am no way injurious to the grace of God by ascribing too much to the free will of man as some asperse me The hinge upon which al the Controvercy is turned is this whether the grace of God be an irresistible force actions and operations as ascribable to grace are not here disputed none more ready then my selfe to confesse and inculcate them all the manner of the operation onely is that in debate wherein I believe according to the Scriptures that many resist the HolyGhost and repell Grace offered them As to the perseverance of Saints my judgement is this Persons engrafted into Christ by true Faith and participating of his quickning spirit have strength sufficient to encounter Satan Sin the World and their own corruption and by the same assisting grace to carry away the Victory Christ himself standing by them in their assaults by his spirit extending his favourable hand towards them so they be found in a fighting posture implore his aid and not be awanting to themselves preserve them from falling so that neither the fraud or violence of Satan shall be able to seduce or pluck them out of his hands But whether these very persons by negligence may not desert the imitation of their existency in Christ embrace again this present world fall from the sound Doctrine once deliver'd to them lose a good conscience make void the grace of God would be diligently inquired into out of the Scriptures and very useful and necessary to be debated in our first convention yet I profess ingenuously It was never taught by me that the true Believer might totally or finally fall away from the faith and so perish though I cannot dissemble there are places of Scripture which seem to countenance the same to which I could never meet with any satisfactory answer although on the other part there are some places alledged not unworthy of observation Concerning assurance of salvation I judge him who believes in Jesus Christ as well by the act of the holy spirit inwardly moving and the Fruits of Faith as by his own conscience with the Testimony of the spirit witnessing with it may have a certain perswasion and indeed be assured if his heart condemn him not that he is the son of God and stands in the love of Christ yea more may depart this life with an unshaken confidence of the grace of God and mercy in Christ Jesus and appear before that Tribunal of grace devoid of all anxious fear and trembling solicitude yet ought he alwayes to pray Lord enter not into judgement with me but in as much as God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things and man not his own Judge for though he know nothing by himself yet is he not thereby justified it is God that judgeth him I dare not equal this certainty with that wherewith we know there is a God and that Christ is the Saviour of the world but the extent of this may be further treated of in our Convention Besides all these there hath been much discourse abroad concerning the perfection of Believers and regenerate persons in this life wherein I have been traduced as heterodox and as almost of the Pelagian Opinion in this point viz. That the regenerate in this life may perfectly keep the Law of God To which I answer That if I should thus judge yet should I not Pelagianize either in whole or in part if so be I added this they were able to do by the grace of Christ and not without it yet that there could be a plenary observation of the precepts of Christ by a renewed person in this life I never affirm'd neither ever denied but left it alwaies dubious contenting my self with that of Austine whose words I often quoted in the University having nothing to adde of my own they were these There are four questions Austine's Judgement observable in the business in hand 1. Whether there was ever any man without Sin who from the beginning to the end of his life never transgressed 2. Whether there ever hath been now is or ever can be any such person that sinneth not i. e. who hath reached that perfection here that he transgresseth not but fulfils the Law of the perfect God 3. Whether there be a possibility in this life for a man to be without Sin 4. If 't be possible why there was never any such person found To the first the Father answers That there was never any such person found besides the Lord Jesus Christ To the second He thought never any man attained perfection in this life To the third He judged it possible by the grace of God and mans free-will To the fourth Man doth not that which is possible by the grace of Christ either because he is ignorant what good is or places no complacency or delight in it Hence it s apparently manifest Austine the sharpest adversary the Pelagian Doctrine ever had was of this Judgement That it was possible by the grace of Christ in this life to be without sin Yea he further addes Let Pelagius confess mans possibility of being without sin to be only by the grace of Christ and we are agreed but the Pelag●an Tenent appeared to this Father as if man by his own stre●gth though with greater facility by the grace of Christ had been able to keep the whole Law How far I dissent from this Opinion I have enter'd above and now testifie mine account of it as Heretical diametrically opposite to the words of Christs Without me ●e can do nothing and perniciously John ●5 9 destructive to the glory of God My judgement thus stated I cannot see any thing comprehended therein for which any man should justly fear to appear together with it in the presence of God or suspect any grievous evil to arise He refers to Mr. Gomar's Expression to the States p. 1. yet being sensible of those daylie Aspersions more and more cast upon me as if I should carry in my bosome some pernicious Heretical opinions I am not able to divine what the matter is unless they pretend something amiss in my Judgement concerning the divinity of the Son of God and mans justificat●on before him for as I understand touching both these heads much speech was had after the last Act before the Supreme Court and many things given out upon it for which I think my self engaged to declare to your Highnesses the carriage of the whole business That which relates to the Divinity of the Son of God and the word

decree of righteousness or sin obedience or disobedience that might proceed from either of them Secondly That God for the bringing to passe this his preceding decree determined the creation of Adam and all men in him in the right state of originall righteousness and futher ordained that they should sin and so be deprived of originall righteousness and become guilty of eternall condemnation 3. That God hath decreed those whom he would precisely save as to salvation so to the means appertaining thereunto to bring them to faith in Jesus Christ and perseverance in it and this indeed by his irresistible grace and power so as they cannot but beleeve persevere and be saved 4. That God hath decreed to deny unto them whom in his absolute will he hath preordained to destruction and accordingly doth not confer that grace which is sufficient and necessary to salvation so as they are neither able to believe neither can they be saved Now after the diligent weighing and examination of these foure branches in my own breast I come to deliver the things that Arminius his Arguments against the doctrine contained in the four branches mentioned above follow touching this doctrine of predestination 1. That this doctrine is not the foundation of Christianity Salvation or the Certainty therof Not of Christianity 1. For this predestination is not that decree of God wherein Christ is established by his Father the Saviour head and foundation of those who are made heires of eternall life which is the onely fundamental of Christianity 2. Neither is this of predestination that doctrine by which men as living stones are built upon Christ alone the corner stone by faith and joyned to him as members to the head Not of salvation 1. For this predestination is not that decree of the good pleasure of God in Christ Jesus upon which alone our salvation leaneth 2. It is no foundation of Salvation for it is not the powor of God unto salvation to those that beleeve in that the righteousness of God is not manifested by it ex fide in fidem from faith to faith Neither of the certainty of salvation For that stayeth it selfe upon this decree they that beleeve shall be saved I beleeve therefore I shall be saved but this doctrine of predestination neither comprehendeth the first or second member of this syllogisme which some confessed in these words We meane not that Consult the Belgick Theses the knowing of this predestination is the foundation of Christianity or salvation or that it is necessary after the same manner as the doctrine of the Gospel Secondly The doctrine of 2 Arg. predestination thus delivered doth not contain in it either the whole or any part of the Gospel for this consists partly of an injunction of faith and repentance partly of a promise of forgiveness of sins of the spirit of grace and of eternal life according to the tenure of the sermons of Christ and the Baptist his forerunner and his successours the Apostles after his ascention but this predestination neither respects the command of faith and repentance neither the promise it doth not teach us What kind of persons God hath predestinated in general which is properly the Evāgelical doctrine but contains in it a mystery onely known to God wherein are comprehended the individual persons whom God hath decreed to save and condemne whence I further conclude this doctrine of predestination not to be necessary either to be known beleeved hoped in or effected to salvation so a learned man confesseth in his questions to bee disputed Why the Gospel cannot be termed a Book or discovery of predestination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simply in its self but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respectively because it neither Sets downe the numerical matter nor forme absolutely that is It doth not declare how many nor whom * As Ieremiah whom God knew before he came out of the womb sanctified him Jer. 5 a very few onely excepted but what kind of persons in general are predestinated Thirdly This doctrine of predestination was never admitted decreed or approved 3 Arg. of for the first six hundred yeares after Christ in any councel General Councils either general or particular not in the Councel holden at Nice wherein it was determined against Arrius for the diety and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Son of God not in the first at Constantinople in which it was decreed against Macedonius for the diety of the holy Ghost not in the Ephesine Councel against Nestorius for the unity of the person of the Son of God not in that holden at Calcedon which condemned Eutiches and determined for two distinct natures in one and the same person of our Lord Jesus Christ not in the second held at Constantinople in which Peter Bishop of Antioch Anthym the Constantinopoletane and others were condemned for asserting the passion of the Father with the Son not in the third at Constantinople in which the Monothelites were condemned for affirming to be but one only will and operation in Jesus Christ Neither had this doctrine any better intertainment in particular Councils as that at Jerusalem Particular Councils Arausin neither was it vintilated or confirmed in that held at Milevite in Affrick against Pelagius and his errors as appeares by the Articles of doctrine decreed in it against them And the doctrine of Austine himselfe touching this point was so farre from being received in these Councils that Celestine the Romane bishop his contemporary writing to the bishops of France and condemning the Pelagion tenents shuts up his Epistle in these words As we dare not contemne the more profound and difficult parts of those questions started and broadly handled by the opposers of the Hereticks so judge we it not necessaty to abet them beleeving it sufficient what the writings have taught us according to the forementioned rules of the apostolical seat to the owning of the grace of God from whose power and worth nothing ought to be substracted For those Canons mentioned by Celestine in his Epistle and decreed in the three foregoing particular Councils we shall agree well enough especially as to those things which were requisite for the maintaining of grace against Pelagius and his errours Fourthly There was never 4 Arg. any sound and orthodox teachers of the church for 600. yeares next after Christ that ever broched and approved this doctrine of predestination no not the keenest assertors of Grace against Pelagius such was Jerome Austin the Author of the Book entituled The Call of the Gentiles Prosper the Aquitani Hilarius Fulgentius Orosius as appears by their writings Fifthly This holds no agreement 5 Arg. or correspondency with the Harmony of Confessions put forth in the name of all the reformed and Protestant Churches Printed and published at Geneva For if they be faithfully consulted 't will be apparently manifest that many of them do not agree in this point some of them onely glancing at it And

as to the four heads above-mentioned chiefly urged in this Doctrine not once touched upon by them no Confession of any Reformed church delivering the doctrine of predestination as before propounded by me The Bohemian Confession the confession of the Church of England that of Wittenberge the first Helv●tian confession of the foure Cities Argentorate Constantia Memminga and Lindavia make not the least mention of it The Basilian and that of Saxony do onely point at it in three words The Augustan confession is so darke that it stands in need of annotations to preadmonish us of it as they of Geneva have thought the last Helvetian confession which hath the consent and subscription of the greatest part of all reformed churches doth so speak of it that I would gladly see how it is consistent w th it as before represented though the Sabaudican and that at Geneva have approved it Sixthly Without all strife and 6. Arg. contention this doctrine may be justly cald into question touching its concordancy with the Belgick Confession and Heydelberg Catechism as I shall briefly demonstrate Artic. 14. Confes Belg. you have this passage Man knowingly and willingly subjected himself to The Author proves the disagreement of this doctrine with the Belgick Confession being that of his own County rather then any other sin and by consequence to Death and Malediction whilest he inclined his ear to the words and impostures of the Devil Whence I conclude Man sinned not by any necessity of the preceding Decree of Predestination which is diametrically opposite to the Doctrine thereof Again Artic. 16. speaking of the Eternal Election of God God shewed himself mercifull by saving and freeing them from damnation whom in his everlasting and unchangeable counsel for his gracious goodnesse without any respect of works he chose in his Son Christ Iesus our Lord and also just in relinquishing others in that their fall and perdition whereinto they had precipitated themselves How these words are consistent with the forementioned Doctrine I plainly see not In the Heydelberg Catechism Quest 20. Salvation is not given to all those by Christ who perished in Adam but to them onely who are ingrafted into him by faith and embrace his benefits Whence I conclude God to have fore-appointed none absolutely to Salvation but those beheld in his Decree as believers which is in open defiance with the first and third head of this Predestination So Quest 54. See pag. 26. I believe the Son of God out of all Mankinde doth from the beginning unto the end of the World gather a chosen company consenting in the true faith unto Eternal life Where Election to life and consent in Faith are mutually placed together and the latter not subordinate to the former which according to the nature of this Doctrine ought necessarily to have been and the words run thus The Son of God calls and gathers by his spirit and word a company chosen unto life everlasting that they might believe and agree in the faith Things being thus there is no cause why the maintainers and promoters of this Doctrine ought with that violence contend to obtrude the same on their Complices or the Church of Christ or take it in such ill part when any thing is taught either in Church or University not consenting or at variance therewith Seventhly This Doctrine 7. Arg. fights against the very Nature of God especially with those Attributes of his Divine Being by which he worketh and manageth all things viz. With his Wisdom Justice and Goodness It opposeth his Wisdom three waies 1. In that it asserteth God to decree something for that end which neither is good nor can be made so such is Gods creation of some persons to eternal Perdition to the praise of his Justice 2. In that it averreth God by this Predestination to have proposed to himself the demonstration of the praise of his Mercy and Justice which he could no way do but by an act contrary to both such is that decree whereby he determined that man should sin and become miserable 3. It changetk and invert's the order method of the twofold Wisdom of God manifest in Scripture in that it asserts God absolutely to have fore-appointed the salvation of men by the Mercy and Wisdom comprehended in the Doctrine of the Cross of Christ without foreseeing 't was impossible that man and that through his own default should be saved by Wisdom perfected in the Lavv and infused into him by Creation vvhen the Scripture avers the contrary 1 Cor. 12. 1. It pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save those that believe i. e. By the Word of the Cross after that in the Wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God 2 It wars against the Justice of God which represents him not only as a Lover of Righteousness and hater of sin but as having a perpetual and unshaken will of giving every one his right Against the first of these in that it makes God precisely to will the salvation of singular men and decree the same without any intuition or respect to righteousnesse or obedience and become a lover of those men more then his own Justice Against the later in that it stateth Gods vvillingness to entail misery upon the creature which is onely the punishment of sin not beholding it as peccant and so a culpable subject of Wrath and Punishment and so is made to impose upon the creature both that which belongs not unto it likewise that which is in conjuction with its greatest evil which is abhorrent from his Justice According therefore to this Doctrine God first detracts from himself that which is his right and attributes to the creature that which appertains not unto it to the making of it miserable 3. It is in open defiance with the goodnesse of God which is an affection in him of communicating good according to that fitnesse and congruity judged and permitted by his Justice But in this Doctrine of Predestination God is set forth unto us induced of his own accord without any external Motive to will and ordain the greatest evil to the Creature and that by an eternal preordination preceding any determination in him of indowing it with the least good this Doctrine being a declaration of Gods will to damn which that he might execute he purposed also to create now Creation is the first egresse of Divine goodnesse How discrepant are these things from that bounty of God whereby he doth good not only to the undeserving but also evil and guilty persons and which we are commanded to imitate in our heavenly Father Eightly It oppugneth the nature 8. Arg. of man consider'd in his being created after the Image of God in knowledge and righteousnesse in freedom of will with aptitude and affection to the enjoyment of Eternal life These three things may be concluded of him out of of that short sentence Do this and live in the day thou doest Rom. 10.

Prayer can be no means to procure it it 's onely the Worship and service of God for out of his positive decree of Predestination he hath appointed the salvation of such individual men 5. It takes away that wholsome fear and trembling in which we are commanded to work out our Ph. l. 2. 12. salvation in that it positively affirms That the elect and believing person cannot sin with that full bent of will as the wicked do neither totally or finally fall away from faith or grace received 6. It begets in men a despair of doing that which their duty required obtaining that whereunto their desires were carried out when they are taught that the grace of God which is necessary to the production of every good act out of the absolute and precise Decree of God is denied to the major part of men and that in pursuance of a preceding Decree equally peremptory with the later wherein he determined not to confer eternal life but everlasting death upon them it cannot but easily hence arise that whoever is not perswaded of his being elected should judge himself of the number of Reprobates whence must needs spring up in him a fearful desparation of doing righteousness and gaining eternal life Seventeenthly This Doctrine 17. Arg. inverts the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ In the Gospel God requires of men faith and repentance promising to converts and believers life everlasting but by this Decree of Predestination God is set forth as precisely willing to give salvation to some singular men together with faith and repentance by an absolute and irresistible power because 't was his will and pleasure to save them In the gospel God denounceth eternal death to Impenitents and Unbelievers that deterring them by his threats from their infidelity he might save them but in this Decree of Predestination God is represented unwilling to give unto some men that grace necessary to Faith and Conversion because he had peremptorily decreed to condemn them The gospel saith God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son 3 Joh. 16. that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life but this Doctrine saith God so loved those he absolutely elected to eternal life that he hath given his Son for them alone and works them up to faith by force irresistible In a word the gospel saith Perform the Command and thou shalt obtain the Promise believe and thou shalt live but this Doctrine saith Because it is my will and pleasure to bestow life upon thee therefore will I give faith unto thee likewise which is the very inversion of the gospel and a turning it upside down Eighteenthly This Predestination 18. Arg. is in open hostility with the Ministry of the gospel 1. For no man can be a Minlster and fellow-labourer with God neither the Word preached by him an instrument of grace and the spirit if the Lord quicken him who is dead in sin by an irresistible power no more then the creature could be an instrument of * Instrument of Grace i. e. of love in the Creation of the world grace in the first Creation or Contributory to its resuscitation from the dead 2. By this Doctrine the dispensation of the Gospel is made the savor of death unto death to the greater part of Auditors and an instrument of condemnation out of the primary purpose and absolute intent of God without the least intuition of their preceding Rebellion 3. By this Predestination baptism to reprobate Infants the children of federal and believing Parents is a meer blank and seals nothing and so altogether unprofitable and that out of the precise Intention of God without any default of the Infants to whom according to divine Command this Ordinance is administred 4. This obstructs faith and confidence in publique prayers and supplications to God for the benefit of all those that hear the word when according to this doctrine there are many amongst them whom God is not onely not willing to save but in his absolute eternall immutable will preceding all things and causes would condemne notwithstanding the Apostle injoining Prayers and supplications to be made for all men adds this reason for this is good and acceptable before 1 Tim. 2. 1 4. God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledg of the truth 5. The composure of this Doctrine easily renders Pastors and Teachers sloathfull and negligent in their function as if their diligence were onely advantagious to those whom God would precisely save being in no possibility of perishing and their negligence only Prejudiciall to those whom God would have miscarry and are necessarily to be undone for ever without any possibility of salvation 19. This Doctrine tends to Religions 19 Arg. overthrow in Generall and the christian in speciall Religion considered in generall is founded upon a twofold love of God without which it neither hath nor ever will have any being in the world the first is that Love of righteousnesse which gives being to the hatred of sin the second is the love of the rationall creature the love extended to man as in the businesse in agitation according to that of the Apostle He that cometh unto Heb. ii 6. God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him his love of righteousnesse is demonstrated in this that he will not give eternall life to any but those that seek him his love of men that he will bestow blessednesse upon them if they inquire after him The mutuall relation betwixt them is this There can be no place for the fefluxes of love to the creature but as the love of righteousnesse permits it The * The love of Righteousness more noble then the love of the creature former is far more excellent then the la●er there is alwayes a way open for the emanations of love to the Creature where the love of righteousnesse hath not stop't it The first is evident in Gods condemning man for sin which he loves as his Creature which he would not do if man were more dear to him then his own justice or his eternal ruin more abhorrent then his disobedience The second is clear in that he condemnes none but for sin and saves those that are turnd from it which would not be done by him unlesse he yeelded his love to the Creature so far as justice regulated by judgment permitted it This Doctrine of predestination inverts and changeth this order and mutuall respect First by asserting God precisely to will the salvation of some men without having in his purpose an eye to their obedience whereby his love of men is preferd to his love of righteousnesse and that as men they are more respected by him then his own justice and their misery more abhorrent unto him then their sin and disobedience The second by averring the contrary that God absolutely will 's the

and others be explained by beleevers and unbelievers my judgement is dilucidly comprehended in it which moved me being to dispute publikely in the Colledge to order the questions In Collegio publicoprivato Academiae to be stated in the words of the Confession It agrees with the Catechism Quest 20. 54. 7. It very well sutes the Nature of God viz. his wisdome goodness and righteousness is the principal matter and clearest demonstration of them 8. It 's at very good agreement with the Nature of Man whether considered in the state of Innocency Apostacy or restauration 9. It holds good correspondency with the Act of Creati●n confirming it to be the communication of good according to the intent of God and the event of the thing that it had its rise from Divine goodness its continuation and preservation from Divine Love and that it is the perfect and proper work of God wherein he pleased himself and procured all things which were necessary ad non peccandum to a not sinning 10. It consents with the Nature of eternal life and those titles wherewith it is dignified in Scripture 11. With the Property of eternal death and those names put upon it by the Holy Ghost 12. It makes sinne to be truly disobedience and the meritorious cause of condemnation and so concords with Apostacy and Transgression 13. It harmonizeth with the Nature of Grace by ascribing all things competible thereunto reconciling it to his justice and the nature and liberty of Mans will 14. It 's a most advantagious declarative of the glory of Gods Justice and Mercy representing him the cause of all good and our salvation and Man the cause of fin and his own ruin 15. It contributes to the honor of Iesus Christ appointing him the foundation of Predestination the procuring and communicatory cause of salvation 16. It greatly promotes the salvation of men being the power and means unto everlasting life procreating in them sorrow for sin a sollicitous care of conversion faith in Christ study of good works zeal in prayer causing us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and as far as is necessary hinders desperation 17. It confirms and establisheth that Order and Method the Preaching of the Gospel requires First exacting Faith and Repentance then promising Remission of Sin the grace of the Spirit and eternal life 18. It strengthens the dispensation of the Gospel and renders it fruitful in the promulgation thereof administry of the Sacraments and Publike Prayers 19. It is the foundation of Christianity in that in it the double Love of God are haply joyned together and at good agreement one with another namely his Love of Righteousness with his love of men Lastly This doctrine hath always been allowed of by the major part of Christians and to this day stands approved by them neither can it administer an occasion of its abhorrency or ground of contention in the Christian Church It s much to be wished that men would proceed no further in this matter neither be inquisitive into the unsearchable judgements of God any more then as revealed in the Scriptures And this is that most Noble and Potent States I have to declare to your Highness's concerning this Doctrine so much ventilated in the Church of Christ And if I should not be burdensome I have other things to offer to your Highness's conducing to the declaration of my ●udgement and leading to the self-same end for which I am commanded hither by your Highness's The Providence of God the Free-will of Man Perseverance of Saints Assurance of Salvation are points of so great affinity with this Doctrine of Predestination and have so much dependance upon it that with your good leave I shall deliver my self upon them THe Providence of GOD I judge to be that careful continual and ever-present eye of God by which the care of the whole Universe and all particular Creatures not one exempted is upon him to the conservation and government of them in their essence qualities actions and passions as it best becomes him and sutes them to the glory of his Name and salvation of Believers Herein I substract nothing from Divine Providence competible to it but yeeld it the conservation regulation gubernation and direction of all things even to the abolition of Chance and Fortune yea I subject to the great Providence the Will of Man and the very acts of the rational creature so that nothing is done without its will though contrary thereunto This difference betwixt good and bad actions onely observed in that we affirm God both to will and do good acts but freely to permit the bad being willing to concede the attribution of all acts excogitable concerning evil to the providence of God so wee take heed lest thence God be determin'd The Author of Sin which I evidently enough testified in a Dispute once and again under me at Leyden concerning the righteousness and efficacious Providence of God in evill in which I endeavoured to ascribe unto Providence all those acts concerning sin attributed to God in Scripture making such progress herein that occasion was taken by some of impeaching me with making GOD the Author of Sin which was often produced against me at Amsterdam according to their suggestion from those Theses but how justly it is sufficiently manifest from my answer to the one and thirty Articles mentioned above falsly imposed upon me this being one of them Touching mans will I am of that opinion that he was in dowed with knowledg holiness and other ablities by his Creation whereby he was able to understand estimate consider will and performe true good even as far as the commandment obliged him yet not this without the auxiliaries of Divine grace In the state of Apostacy and sin he is disabled of himselfe and by himself to think will or do any thing truly good and stands in need of the renovating and regenerating power of God in Christ by his Spirit in his intellect affections will and all other faculties to impower him hereunto but participating hereof as freed from sin he is able to think will and do good yet still as under the Supplies of the grace of God Concerning the grace of God I believe it to be that gratuitous and undeserved assio● whereby God is well affected towards a miserable sinner by which first he gave his Son that whosoever believe's in him might have eternall life and then in and for Christ justifies him and adopts him into the right of his sons unto Salvation 2. It is the infusion of Spiritual gifts into the understanding will and affections of man appertaining to his regeneration and renovation viz. Faith hope Charity c. without which gratious donatives man is not meet to think will or do any thing that good is 3. Grace is that continued assistance that non-intermissive helpe of the Holy Ghost by which the Spirit doth instantly perswade excite man before Regenerate unto goodnesse infusing Salutiferous cogitations