it with my best strength courage and skill against the adversary of this grace who saith that the Child of God maâ— fall away totally and possibly also finally from grace and justification Which one Heresy overthroweth the whole tenure and truth of the Gospell it turneth vpside downe the very foundation of our salvation grounded vpon Gods eternall loue in Electing and Predestinating vs in Christ to Grace and Glory those gifts and calling of God without repentance it revineth directly in part and by consequence altogether that wicked heresy of the Pelagians noted by the Reverend Bishop of Chichester and the worshipfull M. Francis Rovs two noble champions of Gods Truth it comes close vp also to make a league with the Councel of Trent to truck with Rome in all that fardâ—ll of Apostaticall doctrines packed vp in the sixt Session of it as of Freewill Iustification Predestination Cortaintie of salvation Perseverance in grace c. In which poynts and many more of that nature coincident to the doctrine of Iustification the subiect of that whole Session I had I confesse formerly taken some paynes in setting downe the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this mayne fundamentall And having the Treatise by me already finished and priviledged also while the season served for the Presse onely prvented by the last visitation I haue ben the more willing to take this new occasion to borrow at least some Artillery from that greater worke to encounter these fresh Assaults made against the Truth And see how the same motiue that put me vpon the former worke hath drawne me also to this Shall I tell the plaine truth Why not But I must name Doctor Francis White then and discover something which passed betweene him and me in private But this I hope shall not violate the Law of fidelity sith I shall say no more but what himselfe in his Approbation prefixed to the Appeale hath not stuck to make open profession of to the world It is this I having about foure yeares agoe taken a thorow survey of the sixt Session of the Councel of Trent and finding therein Romes Apostacy from the faith of Christ cunningly couched I tooke occasion simply suspecting nothing as then to goe to the said Doctor wishing he would vndertake so worthy a Taske as to declare fully the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in the doctrine of Iustification according to the Councel of Trent But his answer was that the difference was but small between vs. I wondring at his answere No Sir said I then let vs shake hands with them and be good friends For on this foundation stands the maine fabrick of Romes Religion consisting in humaine satisfactions and merits all devised to fill vp the vast emptines of their Iustification from which Roote they all as branches doe receiue life and growth Yet to be sure another time I propounded the same question vnto him his answere was the same and so was my reply Hereupon farre aboue my strength I tooke courage to attempt that taske my selfe leuelled against Pontifician and Arminian Doctrines ioyntly all along and now againe am I no lesse if not much more iustly prouoked to reuiew and reuiue something of that former worke being spurred thereunto more I confesse by Doctor Whites Approbation then Master Mountagues Appeale Nor in such a Cause am I a whit moued with the name and fame of Doctor White He is a learned man I confesse but Truth is better learned Hee is an ancient graue Diuine crowned with an hoary venerablenesse true but Salomon saith The hoary head is a crowne of glory if it be found in the way of righteousnesse And howsoeuer the world may value Truth according to personall respects yet God is no Accepter of persons My brethren saith Saint Iames haue not the faith of our Lord Iesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons He condemnes those that in points of faith preferres the Gold-ring the soft or white rayment before the poore man Tertullian saith Quid si Episcopus c. What if a Bishop if a Deacon if a Widdow if a Virgin if a Doctor if also a Martyr shall fall away from the Rule therefore shall haeresies seen e to obtaine the truth Ex personis probamus fidem an ex fide personas Doe we approue the faith by the persons or the persons by the faith Nemo sapiens c. No man is wise but hee that is faithfull none great none a Christian. Nemo auteÌ„ Christianus c. And no man is a Christian but hee that shall perseuere vnto the end Auolent quantum volent paleae leuis fidei c. Let the chaffe of light faith fly away as fast as they will with euery breath of temptation the cleaner heape of graine shall be laide vp in the Lords Garner Nonne c. Did not some of the Lords Disciples forsake him being scandalized and offended with his Doctrine Yea was not Iudas the Traitor one of the twelue Apostles What then if any great Doctor yea or Bishop fall away from the faith they once professed Is this a sufficient proofe that Gods saints may fall away totally or finally from sauing grace and iustification Will any Appealer or his Approuers make this good by their owne examples of falling away No saith Saint Iohn cited by Tertullian in the foresaid place Phigellus Hermogenes Philetus and Hymeneus forsooke the faith they went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would no doubt haue continued with vs but they went out that they might bee made manifest that they were not all of vs. And why weÌ„t they out Saint Iohn a little before admonisheth Gods children to beware of the loue of the world whereupon he giueth them examples of Apostates inferring that the loue of the world drew them away Demas forsooke Paul and imbraced this present world So easie a thing is it for a louer of the world to fall into all heresy the God of this world hauing blinded his eyes Therefore when we see a starre shoote as the vulgar call it doe we as they thinke it to be a very starre falling from the firmament Nothing lesse We know it to be nothing else but an earthy slime falling to the earth whence it ascended in a vapour For earth will to earth Stella cadens non est stella cometa suit Such acry vapours then when you see ambitiously mounting aloft towards the vpper part of the lowest heauen well may they shine there for a time like starres but maruaile not when you see them fall backe againe they were no true starres Sacerdotium quod intus cecidit diu foris stare non potest It was Gregory the greats saying of ambitious simoniacks Was Iudas once in the state of grace iustification because he was an Apostle Indeede Andreas Vega one of the champions of the Trent Councell puts him downe fâ—â— an in instance
wished might neuer bee mentioned by Diuines and Preachers Yet the mentioning of it by you in this place ministers vnto me a fit occasion to desire your resolution concerning this point it being also the next thing in order treated of by our Authour Orthodoxus Sir you speake contradictories first you wish all were mute in the mention of this Doctrine and yet in the second place you desire me to speake my minde of it But I pray you tell me why you wish the mention hereof to be altogether silence Babylonius Because of the generall offence taken at it for it is a stumbling stone whereon many doe fall Orthodoxus So is Christ a stumbling stone and a rocke of offence to many would ye therefore haue the mention of Christ suppressed But what if many men are offended with this Doctrine an offence may be vniustly taken where it is not iustly giuen Babylonius But it is called by a late great Bishop of this Land quoted by the Authour cap. 4. a desperate Doctrine as himselfe also stileth it in his 7 chapter and none saith he did contradict the Bishops words at that Conference Orthodoxus I haue by this time learned to lessen my wondering to see which Saint Iude tells vs a raging waue of the sea foaming out his owne shame hee hauing not once but so often leapt ouer all the limits of modesty The Romanes had a custome if the dogs that kept their Capitall did barke in the day time ' or causlesly at friends and those that came to worship their Gods crura suffringere to breake their legges The Orator applies it to accusers Yea I haue knowne a poore dog beaten by his Master for giuing warning of theeues approach So easie it is to finde a staffe to beate a dog And yet shall Censure pardon the Crow and punish the Doue shall a man thus impune lawlesly reproach Gods truth his Church his children yea the prime Fathers of our Church no small scandall to our Religion and yet be suffered to triumph and glory in his owne shame How The Lord Bishop of London Doctor Bancroft in publicke audience with much vehemency without any checke dislike distast dissent to stile praedestination a desperate Doctrine Is it possible a Bishop of the Church of England should say so to call praedestination a desperate Doctrine And if he did so is it credible that such a speech so vehemently avoucht in a publike assembly should passe without hissing And in what assembly surely where were present the most wise learned judicious pious King in Europe or in the whole World the most renowned King IAMES with many reuerend and learned Diuines And none of these to check such a speech surely their honor and credit lies at the stake vpon it But how doth it appeare that the Bishop vttered such a speech How Pythagoras himselfe hath said it M. Mountagu the Appealer saith it But by his leaue by our former experience of his allegations we will aske and enquire in the originall record whither it be so or on In the summe of the Conference pag. 29. line 8. wee finde these very wordes indeede a desperate Doctrine But what did he call a desperate Doctrine The doctrine of praedestination Nothing lesse The Appealers wits are too nimble out-running his his reason by many degrees Wee must put a clog vpon his heeles setting downe the whole passage of that vpon this occasion The Bishop of London tooke occasion to signifie to his Maiestie how very many in these dayes neglecting holinesse of life presumed too much of persisting of grace laying all their religion vpon Praedestination if I shall bee saued I shall bee saued which he tearmed a desperate Doctrine shewing it to be contrary to good Diuinitie and the true Doctrine of Praedestination wherein we should reason rather ascendendo then descendendo thus I liue in obedience to God in loue with my neighbour I follow my vocation c. therefore I trust that God hath elected me and praedestinated me to saluation not thus which is the vsuall course of argument God hath praedestinated and chosen me to life therefore though I sinne neuer so grieuously yet I shall not be damned Thus the words run Now I must confesse I am to try the matter at the Appealers owne chiefe weapon euen the Syntax of Grammer wherein he is no small Critick He saith that the Relatiue which hath for the Antecedent Praedestination I a poore Punie say Which hath for his Antecedent Presuming too much of persisting of grace laying all their Religion vpon Praedestination If I shall be saued I shall be saued Which he tearmed a desperate doctrine For it is plaine the Bishop called not Praedestination a desperate doctrine but the sinister conclusions that carnall and impious men abusiuely draw from thence being of the number of those vnlearned in the true mystery of Christ and vnstable which as Saint Peter speakes wrest this and other Doctrines of the Scriptures and particularly of St. Pauls Epistles to their owne destruction Such wreched peruerting of the Doctrine of Praedestination the Bishop calleth a desperate doctrine and not Praedestination it selfe For Praedestination and the holy vse of it such as the Scripture hath reuealed and described vnto vs he calleth good diuinitie and true doctrine laying downe very godly and ancâ—â—tly the right order and rule of euery faithfull mans particular vse and application of Praedestination to himselfe namely that we labour to know we are rooted in that deepe mystery of Gods Election in Christ by the fruits of a liuely faith in all obedience Thus and no otherwise doe the Scriptures teach Thus and no otherwise doe all orthodox Diuines euen Caluin himselfe apply this Doctrine Such the learned Caluin calleth plaine hoggs that say if they bee of the number of the Elect their sins shall not hinder them from attaining to life Facessant ergo c. Away therefore with such sacrilegies which wickâ—dly peruert the whole order of Election And hee calls also such conclusions blasphemies So that the Bishop of London Doctor Bancroft and Master Iohn Caluin say in effect one and the same thing the one calling the corrupt conclusions which carnall men draw from Praedestination a desperate Doctrine the other the blasphemies and sacrilege of hogges and swine which is the very Doctrine of the Church of England as it is excellently set downe in the Article of Praedestination and Election 17. Thus wee see the Appealer hath brought his hogges to a faire market while through poore Caluins sides he smites the Bishop of London Doctor Bancroft yea and the whole Church of England and through all by his vndisciplined solecisme hee wounds Praedestination it selfe while hee will needes haue it absolutely called A DESPERATE DOCTRINE Nor is it a new thing that carnall men stumble and cauill at the Doctrine of Praedestination The Pelagians in Saint Augustines time did the like Nor can I shape you a fitter
answere then hee did to them and so to all aduersaries of this Doctrine of the grace of God Nuâ— propter malos c Is the truth of this Doctrine to wit of praedestination to be forsaken or shall it bee thought worthy to bee cancelled out of the Gospell because of those that are wicked cold Let the truth be spoken especially where any question doth require it to be spoken that they may receiue it who are capable of it least haply while it is concealed in regard of those that are not able to receiue it they who are capable of the truth wherby falshhood may bee detected bee not onely defrauded of the truth but may be ouertaken with falshood And a little after Nonne potius est dicendum verum c. Is not the truth rather to be spoken that he which can receiue may receiue it than to be suppressed that not onely neither can receiue it but also he that is more intelligent may be made worse The enemy of grace is importunate and vrgeth by all meanes that it might be beleeued that it is giuen vnto vs according to our merits and so grace should now be no more grace and yet we will not speake that which by the testimonie of the Scriptures wee may speake for we feare forsooth lest if wee speake hee that cannot receiue the truth be offended and we feare not lest while we are silent he which is able to receiue the truth may be deceiued by error For either is praedestination so to be preached as the holy Scripture doth euidently declare it that in those that be praedestinate the gifts calling of God may be without repentance or else we must confesse that the grace of God is giueÌ„ according to our merits which is the opinion wisdome of the Pelagians And againe cap. 2 1. ibid. he saith Nimiae coÌ„tentionis est c. Itis too much peruersues to contradict praedestinatioÌ„ or yet to doubt of it Babylonius But you know that the late wise and judicious King IAMES of famous memory did inhibite and restraine the preaching of the Doctrine of Praedestination and Election Orthodoxus But in what respect His Maiestie did not restraine Preachers from the liberty of preaching the Doctrine of Praedestination it being a speciall part of the Gospell but rather to giue caution and direction at least to yonger Ministers and Diuines lest through want of mature judgment in the manner of opening that mystery and applying of it they might haply put a stumbling blocke before the inâ—udicious and ignorant hearer or those of weake consciences As Saint Aug. denies not but wisdome and discretion is to bee vsed in the preaching of it For saith he it is not so to be preached to the ignorant multitude as that the preaching of it may seeme worthy of reproofe Nam dolosi vel imperiti medici est c. It is the propertie of a deceitfull or an vnskilfull Physitian so to apply euen a wholesome plaster as that either it doe no good or else hurt This was the minde of his Excellent Maiestie of blessed Memory in that his iniunction to aduise all Ministers to play the faithfull and skilfull Physitians in in the applycation of so wholsome profitable and comfortable a plaster and Doctrine as the Church of England calls it Art 17 though the Appealer doth flout his Informers and those which call Praedestination a comfortable doctrine Appeale pag. 39. But otherwise his Maiestie himselfe of blessed Memory hath left His royall record of this Diuine Doctrine in his learned and Diuine Paraphrase of the Reuelation the 20 chap. in the latter end in these words The Booke of life was opened to the Elect that all those those whose names were written into it to wit Praedestinated and Elected for saluation before all beginings might then be selected for eternall glory Babylonius Neither doth the Authour here simply oppose or question the Doctrine of Praedestination and Election but as it is deliuered by the new Diuines as hee calls them to wit Caluin and his fellowes whom he chargeth with a two-fold error as touching Praedestination The first is that they teach especially Caluin that Gods eternall election and praedestination was irrespectiue and absolute without any respect or reference to Adams fall The second error of Caluin is in deliuering the doctrine of praedestination in such a rigid manner as he doth Orthodoxus For Master Caluin there needeth none other Apologie then his owne Workes or Writings which shall euer praise him in the gate For his workes and in summe his Institutions if a man snatch at them as the Aegyptian dog doth at Nilus for feare of the Crocodile not obseruing his grounds taken from Scripture nor well waighing his reasons no maruell if such snatchers prepossessed with a preiudicate opinion can as easily opeÌ„ their mouths against such famous Authours as the Dog can barke at the Moone-shine But perhaps hee had no more quarrel to holy Caluin then that fellow had to just Aristides who not knowing Aristides by face but onely by fame that he was a just man came to him vnwittingly to craue him to write downe his name for him that hee might with the rest of the enuious Citizens consent to his banishment by their law of Ostracismon because he so much excelled others in honesty It may be he neuer read Caluins workes much lesse his Institutions to catechise him in the grounds of religion Or perhaps hee hates Caluin as Ahab did the Prophet Micaiah because his Doctrine is altogether against his Interim-religion with all his confederate Intermiists Orwhatsoeuer is the cause Thus did Heretickes by catching at the outward rinde and barke of some one part of Scripture maintaine their Heresies But I maruell what the Appealer could reade or heare of Master Caluin that hee should write so contemptuously of him sauing that he was a holy man faithfull and painfull in his calling exercised with continuall preaching writing watchfull prouidence in gouerning a man of great learning dexteritie of wit sincerity of judgment of great piety equity and sobriety of life a true patterne and precedent of vertue Therefore as Christ said Many good workes haue I done among you for which of these doe yee stone me so for which of Caluins vertues doth this Authour tongue-smite him The most noble and judicious King IAMES of happie Memory thought not so slightly of that learned Diuine while he prefered his Commentaries vpon the Scriptures before all others It were to be wished that the Authour going about to oppose such a worthy and famous man had imitated the heathen Academicke Carneades who intending to write against the positions of Zeno the Stoicke did first purge his stomacke and pectorall parts with white hellebore lest some malignant humour possessing the stomacke might distemper and imbitter his style which is no lesse a disparagment to a professed Christian Diuine than was wont to be of old to the Heathen