because their deeds are evill Is there any reason why their condemnation should be any whit the easier for this Neither have I ever read or heard it taught by any that men shall be damned for not believing fide infusâ which is as much as to say because God hath not regenerated them but either because they have refused to believe or else if they have embraced the Gospell for not living answerable thereunto which also is in their power quoad exteriorem vitae emendationem though it be not in their power to regenerate their wills and change their hearts any more then it is to illuminate their minds yet I never read that any mans damnation was any whit the more encreased for not performing these acts Thus farre I have been content to expatiate in the way of reasonable discourse to meet with this Disputer in his own element though every sober Christian I should think should rest satisfied with the word of God which both teacheth us that the naturall man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned that all men are found dead in trespasses and sinnes before the spirit of regeneration comes that men cannot believe that they cannot repent that they that are in the flesh cannot please God and that a man hardned cannot obey and yet withall that God doth command faith repentance and obedience and complaines of default in performance And if any man charge such courses as unjust what is the Apostles course in meeting with such imputations but either to shew that the word attributes such a course to God and therefore it cannot be unjust as Rom. 9. 14. What shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid for he saith to Moses I will have compassion on him on whom I will have compassion and I will shew mercy on him to whom I will shew mecy or to fly to the consideration of the Lords dominion over all as Creator over his creatures I come to his second reason 2. And that is because it is impossible that they should believe they want power to believe and must want it still God hath decreed they shall have none to their dying day I answer This argument is the very same with the former not so much as differently drâ—st or crambe bis cocta and therefore my former answer will serve in every particular Yet adde this also this impossibility is only upon supposition of Gods Decree which nothing hinders the liberty of the creature in doing freely what he doth and freely leaving undone what he doth not as appears manifestly by divers instances For upon supposition of Gods decree that not a bone of Christ should be broken it was impossible they should be broken yet who doubts but that the Souldiers did as freely abstaine from the breaking of Christs bones as they did freely break the others bones And the Text notes the reason why they brake not Christs bones to wit because they saw he was dead already In like sort upon supposition of Gods decree that Josiah by name should burne the Prophets bones upon the Altar Cyrus by name should build him a Citty and let goe his captives it was impossible that it should be otherwise yet I think no wise man doubts but that Josiah did the one and Cyrus the other as freely as they did any thing in their lives And therefore this Author doth miserably overlash in the element of his Philosophy and rationall discourse in saying a man in justice can be tyed to believe no more then a man can be bound to fly like a Bird or to reach heaven with the top of his finger He might as well say that because God had determined that the Souldiers should not breake Christs bones therefore they had no more power to breake Christs bones then they had power to fly like a Bird or to reach Heaven with the top of their finger Certainly there is no man but by grace may be enabled to believe but never was any man known to affirme that by grace a man may be enabled to fly like a Bird or to reach Heaven with the top of his finger If this be not miserably to over-reach I know not what is As for his rule Nemo obligatur ad impossibile judge I pray of the truth of it by this What if a man by a vitious conversation hath made it as impossible for him to doe good as it is impossible for a Blackemore to change his skinne or a Leopard his spots Shall he therefore be obliged no longer to doe good And as by our own sinnes committed by our persons so by the sinne of Adam which was the sinne of our nature upon the whole nature of man was this impotency brought as the Scriptures teach and none that I know were known in the dayes of Austin to deny but the Plagians I come to the Third 3. Now this depends upon a notorious confusion of things that differ For I have shewed how the Lord hath given them a sufficient object of that faith which he requires of them as touching Christs dyeing for them namily to believe that Christ hath merited the pardon of sinne and salvation for as many as believe in him in such sort that if all and every one throughout the World should believe in him they should be saved by him And this depends meerely upon the sufficiency of Christs merits and undoubtedly it was the will of God that Christs merits should be of such a value as was sufficient for the salvation of all and every one otherwise it were not true that if all and every one should believe in Christ they should be saved by the vertue of Christ merits But as for any obligation to believe that Christ died to procure faith and repentance for all and every one I never yet heard or read of any Arminian that he believed it Nay in their Apologia Remonstrantium or Censura Censurae they plainly professe that Christ died not at all to merit faith and regeneration for any In like sort it is not credible to me that any Arminian believes that Christ dyed for any so as to procure pardon of sinne and salvation absolutely for him whether he believe or no provided that he live to be capable of faith and repentance and to enjoy the Gospell and the Preaching of Christ crucified And like as it is no lye but truth that Christ dyed to procure salvation to as many as believe in him so in being obliged to believe this or punished for not believing it is neither to be obliged to the believing of a lye nor punished for not believing it Therefore it is false to say there is no such matter For look in what sense they are bound to believe that Christ died for them in the same sense it is most true that Christ died for them they are bound to believe that Christ dyed to procure salvation for every one
making him to conceive that he was a castaway For it is apparent that by our Doctrine the way is open namely by faith in Christ to be perswaded that he is an elect of God but no way open to conceive that he is a reprobate Not any sinne before faith for faith in Christ gives sufficient assurance of the pardon of all former sinnes nor yet want of faith for though a man want faith to day yet he may enjoy it to morrow as Palmer told the Sheriffe that executed him saying As it hath pleased God to call me to day so it may please him to call you to morrow Least of all was the consideration of the great number of Reprobates in comparison with the small number of Gods elect likely to be the cause thereof neither is any such mentioned either of Hosuanus or of Spira or of Latomus or of Krans or of any other that ever I heard or read which is sufficient to discredit this Authors discourse in this place 4. Lastly observe the absurdity of this speech Commendo vos Deo cujus misericordia mihi negata est Though he had no heart to commend himselfe to Gods mercy yet he takes heart to commend others thereunto as if God though he would shew no mercy to him yet for his sake and his prayers and commendation sake he would shew mercy unto others I find a story in Osiander of one Adamus Neuserus delivered with a farre better grace to discredit Calvins doctrine not in poynt of Predestination but as touching the person of Christ in opposition to the Ubiquitary Chimera of the Lutherans as Sir Edwin Sands calls it and it is this Neuserus Pastor Heilderbergensis ex Calvinista Arrianus ex Arriano Mahumetanus Eques Turcici Imperatoris factus Constantinopoli circumcisus est inque des peratione Turcica ad Inferos descendit Ante mortem suam D. Stephano Gerlachio referens qua occasione in Arrianismum Turcismum incidisset dixit Qui vult cavere Arrianismum caveat Calvinismum Yet Dietericus alleadgeth the former story of Hosuanus only to requite Lampadius who gave instance of the uncomfortable ends of certain Lutherans as also to shew that personall faults or unhappinesses must not prejudice the truth of any cause albeit it be maintained by them I could in some part requite Georgius Major with a saying of Augustus the Elector of Saxony concerning his Lutherans which I find in Melchior Adamus in vita Penceri This Pencer had been imprisoned by the Duke of Saxony and in that state had continued many yeares yet at length being set free by the mediation of the Prince of Anhalt When the Duke found that he continued still in the same faith for which he was imprisoned Laudo quoth the Duke Doctorem Pencerum facit quod viro bono dignum est perseverat in sua confessione firmiter constanter Ego quid credam in quo acquiescam incertus sum prorsus quod Deus novit De die enim in diem aliquid novi mei sacerdotes cudunt proferunt ex uno me errore in alterum pelliciunt atque implicant dubitationibus perpetuis One story more for I am compelled unto it by the Genius of this adversary The day before I entred upon this Section a Gentleman of good quality coming to this Towne sent unto me desiring to enjoy my company with him at his Inne I had heard well of him before both of his service in the Low Countries and at the Isle of Ree Amongst other things he fell upon discourse of the good discipline in the Low Countries especially as touching the preparation of the people to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper both by preparatory Sermons before the day comes as also by going to their houses to know of their purpose to come to the Lords table and whether any difference between them and their neighbours were any impediment thereunto In this course of theirs one coming to a certain house the Master whereof and his Wife were turned Arminians and making the usuall motion unto the Wife for her husband was not within she beganne to raile upon him and to defye him and to professe her disdaine to come to their Communion at all The Minister used not many words but as soone as he heard whereto her speech tended departed not long after the Master of the house coming home and hearing the Minister had been there and where abouts he beganne to raile much more then his Wife disdaining and indignating that the Minister should come unto him about such a businesse and calling him black Devill with protestation that if he had been at home when the other came he would have had his bloud or trodden out his guts That night this Arminian Bedlem fell sick and in his weaknesse vomited bloud which not only came out of his mouth but out of his nose eyes and eares as it is said Hereupon he sent for the Minister who came unto him when he came he confessed his fault and fury against him beseeching him to pardon him The Minister exhorted him to make his peace with God for as for himselfe he had not offended him and gave him the best comfort he could never the lesse the fellow dyed The Gentleman that made this relation to my selfe and an other with me upon the noyse of so strange a buisinesse thought good to enquire of the truth and comming to Leyden there was this Tragedy acted he went to his Painter whom he meant to employ in drawing his picture and asked him about the matter This Painter was also become an Arminian and told him that indeed the Man had raved against the Minister in the street but the manner of his death was nothing so as he had heard After this the same Gentleman passing over from Flaunders side unto Dort as he was in the boat asked the Boatman of the truth of this report This Boatman also was an arminian and he tells him it was nothing so but that the man dyed by accident as any other man might An other in the boat hearing this turnes to the Gentleman saying Captaine believe him not for the story you have heard is a certaine truth but this Rogue sayeth he poynting to the Boat-man is an Arminian and these Arminians are like the Egyptians let God shew never so many miracles and judgements upon them yet they will not believe I protest I doe nothing affect them nor please my selfe in these and such like relations but I am driven to it to requite the adversary who helpes out his hungry discourse with such tales as these DISCOURSE SECT II. IT leaves men in temptation and this it doth two waies First by making the tempted uncapable of true comfort 2. By making Ministers unable to give true comfort First it maketh the tempted uncapable of true comfort like a Gorgons head it doth so trouble their fancies and amaze them especially in their paroxysmes and fits that the strongest arguments of comfort applyed
conclude that this reason drawn from the neernesse of the Ancients to the Apostles how plausible soever it seems at first sight yet indeed is of no force Now to the contrary we have these reasons 1. Like as it is fit every man should profit in the knowledge of God more and more as long as he lives so in all likelihood the Christian world doth profit more and more as they draw neerer to the end of the world excepting those times of Gods judgements in giving the world over to illusions to believe lies Austin did profit as in other points of Christian knowledge so in this as concerning Predestination and blames the Massilienses for not profiting with him De Praedestin lib. 1. cap. 4. Videtis quid tunc de fidei operibus sentiebam quamvis de commendandâ dei gratiâ labor arem In qua sententia istos fratres nostros esse nunc video quia non ficut legere libros meos ita curaverunt proficere mecum 2. We have more means and helps for our furtherance in Christian knowledge then they had and that in divers respects First because we enjoy their labours they enjoyed not ours nor the like before them So that by the reading of their writings we soon attain to that knowledge which they had they communicating it unto us and it were very strange we should adde nothing thereunto especially considering that Veritas was wont to be accounted temporis filia and Aristotle accounts it an easy thing to adde Any man saith he may doe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thus saith he Arts come to their perfection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A tall man is able to discover much farther then a Dwarfe but let a Dwarfe be advanced upon the shoulders of that tall man and he will discover much farther then he Let then those Antients goe for tall fellowes in the discovery of Christian truth let the Divines of moderne ages be but Dwarfes as the Children of Israel seemed to be but Grashoppers in comparison of the Canaanites especially to the sonnes of Anack yet if by their pious labours and industries which they have with much ingenuity communicated unto us they suffer us to get upon their shoulders shall not we though Dwarfes be enabled hereby to discover somewhat more then they The Eagle is a fowle of great strength and soareth high the highest of all Kites and Haukes yet let her carry a Wren along with her on her shoulders in her aëriall ascentions when she is weary and can fly no higher can it seem strange if the Wren carried thus high by this Anakim of fowles presumes of her own strengh to fly a little higher then she or is this any glory to the Wren or disparagement to the Eagle 2. Secondly Have not we better helpes of Art then they especially as touching the knowledge of the Tongues and Logicall resolutions of the Text. The Latine Fathers most of them were little acquainted with the Greek neither Latine nor Greek Fathers were usually much acquainted with the Hebrew Origen amongst the Greek and Hierom amongst the Latine had not their fellows for this 3. Lastly the Ancients in their daies were not so put unto it as the latter Nothing did more quicken them or doth us then contentions with Heretiques And therefore look how they were exercised with Heresies so it is to be expected they were best seen in those Articles of Faith which were most shaken by Heretiques This both Austin and Gregory take notice of and Austin is most frequent herein some passages to this purpose I shall relate hereafter Now before Pelagius his daies the Fathers were much exercised in opposing the Manichees and accordingly gave themselves to the maintenance of Free-will as Aniarius observes by the relation of Sixtus Senensis But Pelagius was the first that opposed Gods grace and therefore those Fathers that contended with him gave themselves chiefely to the maintenance of Gods grace And now am I come to the treating of Ancients no longer in generall but in a speciall reference to the doctrine of predestination Now herein the Papists themselves who in other points labour to beat us down with nothing so much as with the noise of Antiquity are willing to confesse that in the point of grace and predestination we need not trouble our selves with inquiry after the doctrine of the Ancients before Pelagius rose and that upon the ground before mentioned to wit because they were nothing exercised hereabouts As for example Bellarmine De Grat. lib. Arbitr lib. 1. c. 14. having proposed diverse passages of the Fathers favouring as it seemed the doctrine wherewith Pelagius troubled the peace of Gods Church makes Austin to answer for him Veteres Patres qui ante Pelagium floruerunt quaestionem istam nunquam accuratè tractasse sed incidentèr solum quasi per transitum illam attigisse Addit verò saith Bellarmine in fundamento hujus sententiae quod est Gratiam Dei non praevenire ab ullo opere nostro sed contrà ab illâ omnia opera nostra praeveniri ita ut nihil omnino boni quod attinet ad salutem sit in nobis quod non sit nobis ex Deo convenire Catholicos omnes ibidem citat Cyprianum Ambrosisium Nazianzenum yet he takes a course to reconcile them to the truth so doth Sixtus Senensis Bibl. Sanct. lib. 6. Annota 251. so doth Alvarez de Auxil lib. 5. disp 37. Again consider The decrees of predestination and reprobation are secret neither doe they appeare of what condition they are but by the manner of their executions Now their executions doe consist partly in bestowing salvation on some and inflicting damnation on others partly in bestowing the grace of faith and repentance on some and denying it unto others As touching salvation and damnation we willingly professe that the salvation of men of ripe years doth alwaies presuppose Faith and perseverance therein and the damnation of others doth alwaies presuppose finall perseverance in sinne unrepented of But we deny that herehence it followeth that either faith precedes the decree of salvation or sinne precedes the decree of damnation or the prescience of either That faith cannot precede election nor sinne reprobation is evident For as much as election and reprobation are eternall but faith and sinne are things temporall but that wich is temporall cannot precede that which is eternall Neither doth it follow that because faith precedes salvation therefore faith precedes the decree of salvation For it is faith existent in time that precedes salvation but no Divine will say that faith existent in time precedes Gods decree of salvation unlesse it be some such as maintaine with Vorstius that Gods decrees are not eternall In like sort it is sinne existent in time that precedes damnation but no wise Divine will say that sinne existent in time precedes Gods decree of damnation the former being a thing temporall but this decree eternall Lastly neither will it
weake one 1. Because that they that understand it of the Elect understand it so in no other sense but as I have expounded it 2. If I should say of the twelve Apostles Judas excluded and Matthias substituted in his roome that God so loved them that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever of them believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life who can deny but that this was a truth accommodated unto them but will it here hence follow that among those Apostles some were believers some unbelievers Suppose all the World were Elect and it pleased God to give them all Faith should this Doctrine be the lesse true whosoever believes shall be saved yet in this case it would not follow that amongst the World of men some were believers and some unbelievers But whereas he faines that some of our Divines should interpret the word World here of Believers that is such a fiction as is incredible I come to the fourth DISCOURSE SECT IV. 1. TImoth 2. 4. Who would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of his truth In these words the Apostle delivers two things 1. That it is Gods will that all men should obtain an happy end viz. Salvation 2. That it is his will also that they should use and enjoy the means which is the knowledge of his truth that so they might obtain the end the salvation of their soules there is no let in God but that all men may believe and be saved and therefore there is no absolute will that many thousands of men shall never believe nor be saved Two answers are usually returned which give me little satisfaction The first is that by All we are to understand all sorts and not every particular man in every sort and condition It is true that all is sometimes so used in Scripture but I believe not here for the very Text shewes that we are to understand by it the Individualls and not the kindes v. 1. There is a duty enjoyned I will that prayers and supplications be made for all men and in this verse the motive is annexed God will have all to be saved as if he should have said our charity must reach to all whom God extends his love to God will have all to be saved therefore we must pray for all Now in the duty All signifies every man for no man though wicked and prophane is to be excluded from our prayers pray for them saith our Saviour that persecute you And pray saith the Apostle here for Kings and all that are in Authority men in those daies though the greatest yet the worst yea very Wolves and Lyons and Bears of the Church pray for them and if for them then for any other thus in the duty it signifies every man and if it doe so in the duty it must have the same extent in the motive too or else the motive will not reach home nor have strength enough to enforce the duty The second answer is that God will have all to be saved with his revealed will have Millions to be damned with his secret will If this answer stand then in my understanding these inconveniences will follow 1. That Gods words which are his revealed will are not interpretations of his mind and meaning and by consequence are not true for Oratio quae non est mentis significatio simulatio est 2. That there are two contrary willes in God a secret will that many Sonnes of Adam shall irrevocably be damned and a revealed will that all the Sonnes of Adam may be saved 3. That one of Gods wills must needs be bad either the secret will or the revealed for of contraries if the one be good the other is bad and so of Gods contrary wills if the one be good the other must needs be bad for malum is contrarium bono TWISSE Consideration THe Conclusion here is very loose the Arguments being thus It is Gods will that all should be saved therefore there is no absolute will that many thousands of men shall never believe nor be saved and the vanity of this consequence I will shew more waies then one 1. The Apostle doth not say It is the absolute will of God that all men shall be saved nay Vossius interprets this place and that according to the meaning of the Ancients of voluntas conditionata a conditionall will in God not absolute and he gives instance of it thus It is the will of God that all shall be saved in case they believe in Christ Now albeit it be the conditionall will of God that all and every one shall be saved in case they believe yet this hinders not but that it may be the absolute will of God that many thousands of men shall never be saved as in case his will be to deny the grace of faith and repentance to many thousands as it is cleare and undeniable that he doth Nay the Remonstrants themselves and particularly an Arminian that I had to doe withall lately spared not to professe that Election is absolute if so then reprobation also is absolute and I doubt not but that they will all confesse that howbeit Gods will be that all should be saved yet thousands are reprobated 2. Suppose the Apostle had said it is the absolute will of God that all men shall be saved yet I say it followes not herehence but that by the absolute will of God many might faile of falvation for it was the absolute will of God that every foure footed beast should be represented to Peter let downe unto him in a linnen vessell yet neverthelesse it might be that many thousands were not represented to him and that by the will of God Thus having discovered the vanity of this conclusion I will now proceed to demonstrate that this place cannot be understood of Gods will in proper speech viz. willing all and every one to be saved 1. Like as it is impossible that a man at the same time should be saved and damned so it is impossible that God should at the same time and duration both will to save and will to damne the same man But God from everlasting did will to damne many thousands therefore it was impossible that from everlasting he should will to save them 2. If it be Gods will that all and every one shall be saved then all and every one shall be saved For who hath resisted his will Rom. 9. 19. And for confirmation hereof we find in our selves that if we will doe ought we doe it if we can and if we doe not ought the reason is either because we have no will to doe it or because we have no power to doe it In like sort that God doth not save many thousands the reason must be either because he will not or because he cannot not because he will not for these professe that it is his will to save all and every one Therefore the reason why he doth not save all
that believeth and it is most true that in like manner Christ hath procured the salvation of every one that believes so that here is a truth to feed upon and they that oppose it are strengthned in their vaine confidence by a meere mist of confusion which they raise unto themselves and others that so they may set the better face upon that lye which they hold in their right hand wherewith they are so enamoured that they had rather forsake their own mercies then forgoe it And so I come to the third and last reason in generall drawn from Gods justice DISCOURSE SUBSECT III. THe third reason why absolute Reprobation infringeth Gods justice is because it will have him to punish men for the omission of an act which is made impossible unto them by his own decree not by that decree alone whereby he determined to give them no power to believe having lost it but by that decree also by which he purposeth that we should partake with Adam in his sinne and be stripped of all that supernaturall power which we had by Gods free grant bestowed upon us in Adam before the fall These are my reasons which move me to think that this absolute decree is repugnant to Gods justice TWISSE Consideration I Have already shewed how Gods decree and impossibility arising upon supposition thereof doth no way prejudice the liberty of the creature as by pregnant passages of the Scripture is made plaine unto us And as for the other decree here spoken of First it is untrue which he supposeth that God by a speciall decree decreed all mankind to be made partakers of Adams sinne and therein to be stripped of all supernaturall power which before the had by Gods free grant For if it were just with God to decree that Adams nature upon his sinning should be bereaved of all supernaturall power which formerly he enjoyed this and this alone should suffice to bereave all his posterity of supernaturall power to doe that which is good For seeing all his posterity did receive their natures from Adam after his fall they must therewithall necessarily receive their natures from him bereaved of all supernaturall power unto that which is good untill such time as God be pleased of his free grace to restore it by regeneration 2. Is it not good reason that God for Adams sinne should bereave us of all supernaturall power in Adam as of his meere grace he did adorne us all with supernaturall power in Adam 3. Notwithstanding this depravation of supernaturall power in Adam yet we acknowledge that neverthelesse whatsoever sinne a man commits he committeth freely and the Schoole hath taught it before us Aquin. p. 1. q. 23. art 3. ad 3. licet aliquis non possit gratiam adipisci qui reprobatur a Deo tamen quòd in hoc peccatum vel illud labatur ex ejus libero arbitrio contingit undè merito sibi imputatur in culpam DISCOURSE SUBSECT IV. TWo things are usually answered First that there are many things delivered for truths in Scripture among which this is one which are above the reach of humane capacity and therefore are we quietly to submit as to other revealed truths so to this and not to be so bold as to examine the justice of this decree or any thing else in it by our shallow and erring understandings But this answer takes not away the arguments for I have these things to reply 1. That though there be diverse things revealed in Gods word which are above reason viz. That there are three Persons and one God and that Christ was borne of a Virgin that the world was made of nothing that the dead shall be raised c. to all which we must captivate our understandings and yeeld a firme assent propter authoritatem dicentis yet there is nothing revealed therein abhorring from and odious to sound and right reason for it cannot be that the most excellent gifts of God Faith and Reason Nature and Scripture should overthrow one another and that the wise God who is the fountain of all right reason should discover any thing to us in his word or enjoyne us any thing to be believed which is vere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly and properly unreasonable Our faith is an act of our service of God and Gods service is cultus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reasonable service Rom. 12. 2. and Gods word is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 milk reasonable and without guile they are so called no doubt to shew that there is a sweet harmony between faith and reason things revealed and mens understandings though there be a disproportion yet there is no contradiction between them 2. That therefore all those Doctrines which are adverse and repugnant to understandings purged from prejudice and false principles are not to be taken for doctrines of Scripture but devices of men corrupting Scripture by false glosses and interpretations and consequently that this absolute reprobation of so many millions of miserable men out of Gods only will and pleasure because it is most irkesome to the eares and understandings of all sorts of men best and worst that stand indifferent to the entertainment of any truths that may appeare to be so is no doctrine of the Text no part of the word of God 3. That howbeit some things in Scripture which are peculiar to the Gospell are above our understandings and must without hesitation be believed yet there are many things there which have their foundation in nature and may be apprehended by the light of nature and demonstrated by reason and among these things the justice of Gods waies is one as I have shewed before out of Isaiah 5. 3. and Ezek. 18. and it is but a meer evasion when the absolute decree is proved by sound reasons to be unjust to say reason is blind and must not be judge but the Scripture only for God offers the justice of his waies to the tryall of reason TWISSE Consideration THis Author seems to swell in the conceit of his rationall performances as if never any fly sitting upon a cart-wheele in a Sommers day had made such a dust as he had made And fashioning to himselfe a victorious conquest as if all his adversaries were but Pigmies to this Anakim glad to runne into corners or into Acorn-cups to hide themselves there For his reasons like some hobgoblins doe so fright them more then all the spirits that stand by the naked man in the book of Moones And therefore all the help they have if we believe this Pyrgopolinices is to charme them by saying that many things are delivered in Scripture which are above the reach of humane capacity among which this is one c. And I take this to be sound For otherwise why should the Doctrine of Godlinesse be called a mystery of Godlinesse And the Schooles teach that Fides est assensus inevidens and Cajetan who was no gras-hopper as great an Anakim as this Author or
that they may be without excuse and that the Preachers of the Gospell were unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish without putting any difference according to this Authors Gemora that this is to be understood of the one occasionally of the other intentionally But to ransack this also and to speake distinctly What is the good that God hereby intended them Was it Salvation And how did he intend that unto them Was it intended to be their portion whether they believed in Christ or no Undoubtedly his meaning can be no other then this he intended they should be saved by him provided they did believe in him Now what Christian was there ever known to deny this namely that as many as believed in Christ should be saved by him But let me aske another question Did God intend they should believe in him Yes surely in the opinion of this Author but is not faith the gift of God They are ashamed to deny this at least in concione populi whatsoever they doe consessu familiari Why then did not God give them faith Why surely because they refused to believe in him so that had they believed in him then God would have given them faith as much as to say had they bestowed faith on themselves then God would have bestowed faith on them this is their sobriety that oppose the grace of God and such be their sobriety still that fall away from the truth of God If Physick doe the Patients harme through the distemper of their bodies this must be through the ignorance of the Physitian who either knowes not the distemper of their body or else knowes not how to master it But spare I pray to make God obnoxious to the like ignorance or impotency when the Lord saith I have seen his wayes and will heale them Isai 57. 18. When was it ever known that such a patient was not healed What greater distemper of the soule than back-sliding or Rebellion Yet when God saith I will heale their back-sliding and I will heale their Rebellions Hosea 14. vers 4. When was it ever knowne that any of his Patients were not the better for his operation but the worse rather At length that breakes out of this Author that formerly stuck in the way like a burre in his throat as when he saith that God intends the chearing of men by the shining of the Sunne but that some are scorched by the heat of it some hurt by the light of it is accidentally as if these effects were not intended by God as much as to say that God doth not intend that the sunne should scorch in Zona torrida though the sunne works by necessity of nature and cannot but scorch there as the Abissines felt to their smart who were wont to pray unto the sunne as he was rising to spare them but after he was passed and going downe to curse as fast for his scorching of them whence it is conceived that proverbe came plures adorant solem orientem quam occidentem as naturall it is to the light to scatter the sight and if by scattering the eye be ill affected this is as naturall to the sunne like as to make sweet flowers send forth their odoriferous savours as a dung-mixen to exhale an unsavoury smell but suppose a man should loose his sight by the light as some have by the light of the sunne being kept long in some darke place before shall this be accidentall unto God wheras the Prophet professeth there is no evill in the City which the Lord hath not done Like as Gods blessing it is that neither the sun scorcheth him by day nor the influence of the Moon or any other planet hurt him by night But come we to the Apodosis of the simile He renewes his coccismes of Gods blessings out of his abundant goodnesse bestowed on men for their good which is a generall speech and in the generality nothing to the present purpose we know God saveth both man and beast he makes his sunne to shine and his raine to fall on the just and on the unjust but as for the knowledge of God revealed in his creature whatsoever is brought forth according to it we doubt not but God intended it as civill society and some naturall feare of God and civill conversation where any thing is done contrary unto it the Apostle hath discovered unto us the end of naturall revelation is that they might be without excuse they connot say si scissem fecissem that excuse is taken from them As for the dictates of supernumerary Apostles we have no cause to regard them especially when they are cantradictitions to the word of God and Christian reason the Gospell is unto God throughout a sweet savour in Christ both in them that are saved and in them that perish It is true that it is through the corruptions of mens hearts that men doe not yeeld obedience to it but that corruption God can cure and doth cure where it pleaseth him that men doe obey 't is also through the good temper of their hearts but through the grace of God curing that corruption in them that he leaves uncured in others And we willingly grant that he intends their salvation in whom he means to cure this corruption to bring them to the obedience of faith but most absurd it is to say that he intends their salvation on whom he never meant to shew any such mercy but rather to harden them where the honest and good heart is wanting the word proves not fruitfull but only where such an heart is found Now it is Gods work I know alone to take away the stony heart and to give an heart of flesh But this Author carryeth himselfe so throughout that he would have this worke to be the work of mans free will not of God any other way than by perswasion admonition exhortation and concourse many talke of Robin Hood that never shot in his Bow and this Author talkes of the anticedent will of God which I doubt whether he understands either the meaning of Damascen herein or of Crysostom either Vossius reduceth it as I have shewed before to Voluntas conditionata thus God willeth that men should be saved if they believe is it not as true that his will is they shall be damned if they doe not believe this is the only gratious will this Author magnifyes but God give me experience of another manner of his gratious will towards me namely as he seeth my wayes so to heale them yea and to rule me with a mighty hand so he make me to passe under the rod and bring me unto the bond of his covenant But yet see I pray whether this Author be yet come to the sobriety of his sences in speaking here of Gods severity in the way of a will judiciary as when he gives wicked men up to the lust of their hearts and permits them to dash against Christ and other meanes
denies it Yet he goes on most ridiculously in the same tenour saying If they be absolutely appoynted to destruction their hearing reading praying almesgiving and mourning for their sinnes cannot possibly procure their salvation damned they must be But we still deny that men are absolutely appoynted to destructiō we willingly grant the elect are absolutely appointed unto grace namely to have regeneration faith and repentance to be conferred upon them and that absolutely not upon any foregoing condition performed by them but according to the meere pleasure of God but as for salvation that is appointed to be bestowed upon them only by way of reward of foregoing faith repentance and good workes observe by the way how he considers not the contradictious nature of that which he imputes unto us As first that we deny man to have any liberty or power to choose life and death And secondly that we maintain That their hearing reading praying almesgiving and mourning for their sinnes cannot possibly procure their salvation which is to imply that they have power to heare read pray give almes and mourne for their sinnes and consequently that they have power to choose life or death For to choose life or death is no other then to embrace such courses as by the ordinance of God lead to life or death Now such are hearing reading praying giving asmes and mourning for sinnes for these courses are the way to everlasting life Yet as touching the latter well we may say that Reprobates can neither heare nor read nor pray nor give almes as they ought nor mourne for their sins yet surely we are so farre from saying that these courses cannot possibly procure salvation that on the contrary rather we are ready to professe that these courses rightly used shall infallibly procure salvation for there is none more pretious mourning then to mourne for sinne and our Saviour hath pronounced them blessed adding that they shall be comforted Was it ever heard amongst us that men should be damned for reading hearing praying and mourning for their sinnes Yet the word of God teacheth us that men may houle yet be farre enough off from mourning for their sinnes as Hos 7. 14. They cryed not unto me when they houled upon their beds they assembled themselves for corne and wine they rebelled against me And if men be damned notwithstanding such mourning I should think it is nothing strange Of the same tenour is that which followeth If they be absolutely ordained to salvation their neglect of holy duties their ignorance their love of pleasure and continuance in a course of ungodlinesse cannot bring them to damnation as if this were our doctrine whereas to the contrary we maintain that from election flowes holinesse Eph. 1. 4. Who hath elected us in Christ that we should be holy And faith Acts 13. 48. As many believed as were ordained to everlasting life And 2 Thes 2. 13. God hath elected you unto salvation by sanctification of the spirit and faith of the truth And indeed our profession is That Gods purpose is to bestow salvation by way of reward of faith repentance and good workes And accordingly there is no other assurance of election then by faith and holinesse 1 Thes 1. 3 4. Remembring the work of your faith the labour of your love and the patience of your hope knowing beloved brethren that ye are elect of God And therefore Saint Peter exhorts Christians To make their election and vocation sure by joyning vertue with their faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience Godlinesse and with Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse and with Brotherly kindnesse Love 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. 10. But it were pitty this Author should have liberty denyed him servire scaenae and to execute his Historicall part in conforming our Doctrine to the Heresy of the Predestinatians so called as it is recorded by Sigebert And indeed the very Doctrine of Austin was charged with the same crimination For albeit Sigebert professeth that this Heresy arose ex Augustini libris male intellectis out of Austins Book not rightly understood yet the learned Arch-Bishop of Armach had made it manifest that this very crimination was charged upon Austins doctrine Histor Gottesc pag. 22. And that out of the beginning of the 6. book Hypomnestican or Hypognosticon The words are these and I pray mark it well whether it be not punctually the very objection which this Author makes in this place Credere nos vel praedicare sugillatis quia cum lege Dei Prophetis cum Evangelio Christi ejusque Apostolis Praedestinationem dicimus quod Deus quosdam hominum sic praedestinet ad vitam regni caelorum ut si nolent orare aut jejunare aut in omni operé divino vigiles esse eos omnino perire non posse nec prorsus sui debere esse sollicitos quos Deus quia voluit semel jam eligendo praedestinavit ad vitam Quisdam vero sic praedestinavit in Gehennae paenam ut etiam si credere velint si jejuniis orationibus omnique se voluntati divinae subjecerint in his Deum non delectari vitam illis aeternam in toto dari non posse sic electione praedestinatos esse ut pereant Judge I pray whether this be not the very objection charged upon the doctrine of Austin which this Author chargeth upon our doctrine And indeed that most learned Bishop sheweth how that albeit the Predestinatian heresy is pretended by Sigebert to have risen out of Austins bookes not rightly understood as also by Tyro Prosper Auncient to Sigebert as he is set forth in Print yet Tyro himselfe plainly professeth that the Heresy mentioned orta est ab Augustino rose from Augustine himselfe as appears by the Manuscripts of that Author which that learned Bishop had searched one found in Bennet Colledge in Cambridge and another in the Kings Library whereby it is apparent that this pretended Heresy of the Predestinatians no Author thereof being ever known to the world was a meere nick-name devised by the Remnants of the Pelagians and reproachfully cast upon the doctrine of Austin as now a daies it is upon our doctrine which is the same with Austins As for the Ministers Preaching in vaine in some sense and in some cases this is nothing strange to them that have their eyes fixed on Gods oracles and not on the oracles of their own braines For the Prophet Esaiah thus complaines and that as some conceive in the person of Christ Then I said I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and in vaine yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God And Jerem. 8. 8. How dare ye say we are wise and the love of the Lord is with us Loe certainly in vaine made he it the penne of the scribe is in vaine And Ierem. 6. 29. The bellowes are burnt the lead is consumed of the fire the
with as much art and cunning as can be will not fasten upon them With David they say in their feare that all men are lyars namely all such as come to comfort them in their temptation And the reason is because it is an opinion incompatible with any word of comfort that can be ministred to the distressed soule in this temptation Gods love to mankind Christs death for all mankind and the calling of poore sinners without exception to repentance or salvation with all other grounds of consolation the tempted will easily elude with the grounds of his opinion which that we may the better see let us imagine that we heare a Minister and a tempted soule reasoning in this or the like manner Tempted Woe is me I am a castaway I am absolutely rejected from Grace and glory Minister Discourage not thy selfe thou poore afflicted soule God hath not cast thee off For he hateth nothing that he hath made but bears a love to all men and to thee amongst the rest Tempted God hateth no man as he is his creature but he hateth a great many as they are involv'd in the first transgression and become guilty of Adams sinne And God hath a two-fold love as I have learned a generall love which puts forth it selfe in outward and temporall blessings only and with this he loved all men And a speciall love by which he provideth everlasting life for men and with this he loves only a very few which out of his alone will and pleasure he singled from the rest Under this generall love am I not the speciall Minister God so loves all men as that he desires their eternall good for the Apostle saith he would have all to be saved and he would have no man perish nor thee in particular Tempted All is taken two waies for all sorts and conditions of men high and low rich and poore bond and free Jew and Gentile and for all particular men in those severall sorts and conditions God would have all sorts of men to be saved but not all particular men of these sorts some of my Country and my calling c. but not all or mee in particular Or if it be true that God would have all particular men to be saved yet he wills it only with a revealed Will not with a secret will for with that he will have a great company to be damned absolutely Under this revealed will am I not the secret Minister Christ came into the World to seeke and to save what was lost and is a propitiation not for our sinnes only idest the sinnes of a few particular men or the sinnes of all sorts of men but for the sinnes of the whole world therefore he came to save thee for thou wast lost and to be a propitiation for thy sinnes for thou art part of the whole world Tempted The World as I have heard is taken two waies in Scripture largely for all mankind and strictly in a more restrained signification for the elect or for believers Or if it be true that he dyed for all mankind yet he dyed for them but after a sort he dyed for them all dignitate pretii he did enough to have redeemed all if God would have had it so but he did not dye for all voluntate propositi God never intended that he should shed his bloud for all and every man but for a few select ones only with whom it is my lot not to be numbred Minister God hath founded an universali Covenant with men upon the blood of Christ thy Mediator and therefore he intended it should be shed for all men universally He hath made a promise of salvation to every one that will believe and excludes none that doe not exclude themselves Tempted God purposed his Sonne should dye for all men and that in his name an offer of remission of sinnes and salvation should be made to every one but yet upon this condition that they will doe that which he meanes the greatest part of them shall never doe idest Repent and Believe nor I among the rest Minister God hath a true meaning that all men who are called should repent and believe that so they might be saved as he would have all to be saved so to come to the knowledge of the truth and as he would have no man to perish so he would have all men to repent and therefore he calls them in the Preaching of the word to the one as well as to the other Tempted God hath a double call an outward call by the Preaching of the word an inward call by the irresistible work of the spirit in mens hearts The outward call is a part of Gods outward will with that he calls every man to believe the inward and effectuall call is a part of his secret will and with that he doth not call every man to believe but a very few only whom he hath infallibly and inevitably ordained to eternall life And therefore by the outward will which I enjoy among many others I cannot be assured of Gods good will and meaning that I shall believe repent and be saved By this we may see that no sound comfort can be fastned upon a poore soule rooted in this opinion when he lyes under this horrible temptation The example of Francis Spira an Italian Lawyer will give some farther light and proofe to this This Spira about the yeare 1548 against his knowledge and conscience did openly abjure his religion and subscribe to Popery that thereby he might preserve his life and goods and liberty Not long after he fell into a deep distresse of Conscience out of which he could never wrestle but ended his woefull daies in despaire To comfort him came many Divines of worth and note but against all the comforts that they applyed unto him he opposed two things especially 1. The greatnesse of his sinne It was a sinne of a deep dye commited with many urging and aggravating circumstances and therefore could not be forgiven This argument they quickly took from him and convinced him by the example of Peter that there was nothing in his sinne that could make it irremissible Peter that committed the same sinne and with more odious circumstances repented and was pardoned and so no doubt might he 2 He opposed his absolute reprobation and with that he put off all their comforts Peter saith he repented and was pardoned indeed because he was elected as for me I was utterly rejected before I was borne and therefore I cannot possibly repent or be saved If any man be elected he shall be saved though he have committed sinnes for number many and haynous in degree but if he be ex repudiatis one of the castawaies necessario condemnabitur though his sinnes be small and sew Nihil interest an multa an pauca an magna an parva sint quando nec Dei misericordia nec sanguis Christi quicquam ad eos pertinet A reprobate must be damned be his sinnes many or few
manner to command Abraham to sacrifice his sonne but it was not Gods determination that Isaack should be sacrificed In like sort he commanded Pharaoh to let Israel goe but withall he told Moses he would harden Pharaohs heart that he should not let them goe for a long time 2. But in the accommodation of these distinctions unto thy selfe What ground hast thou to affirme that God willeth not thy salvation in particular If thou believest Gods word assureth thee thou shalt be saved if thou believest not yet thou maist believe and Gods word hath power to bring thee unto faith as formerly I have discoursed And as for the best of Gods Children who doe believe to the great comfort of their soules rejoycing with joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1. They were sometimes in as uncomfortable a condition as thou now art And the rather I put thee upon this because I see he that takes upon him to comfort thee doth take a course rather to feed thy humour then to remove it in as much as he never enquires into the cause thereof For albeit he gave to understand he would apply his argument with as much art and cunning as could be yet it may be that was rather with respect to the advantage of his own cause then to thy consolation But let us see whether he mends it in the next Minister Christ came into the World to seeke and to save what was lost and is a propitiation not for our sinnes only i. e. the sinnes of a few particular men or the sinnes of all sorts of men but for the sinnes of the whole World therefore he came to save thee for thou wast lost and to be a propitiation for thy sinnes for thou art part of the whole World CONSIDERATION Still he continues to afford thee as much comfort as any Reprobate in the world and if thou desirest no more thou maist rest satisfied with this but withall I confesse he affords thee as much comfort as he can afford any of Gods elect for he maketh elect and Reprobate all alike in receiving comfort from Gods Word Christ came into the world to save that which was lost but unlesse he came to save all that is lost it will not follow that he came to save thee We know that pardon of sinne and salvation is procured by Christ for none but such as believe and therefore be not deceived without faith looke for neither by faith be assured of both and that thou art one of Gods elect and no Reprobate And observe well he tells thee nothing of Christ meriting faith and repentance this now a dayes is plainly denyed by the Remonstrants and this Authour is content to say nothing of it when he is put to it we know what must be the issue of it if he sayeth Christ hath merited faith and repentance for thee the meaning is but this Christ hath merited that if thou wilt believe thou shalt believe if thou wilt repent thou shalt repent And that Christ hath merited that God should bestow faith and repentance not on whom he will according to the meere pleasure of his will but according to mens workes The comfort that our doctrine ministers unto thee is this If thou dost believe in Christ thou maist be assured thou art an elect of God if thou dost not believe there is no cause why thou shouldest thinke thy selfe a Cast-away for albeit thou hast not faith to day yet thou maist have faith to morrow Give thy selfe to Gods Word and waite upon him in his ordinances thou maist be so wrought upon as that unbeliever was 1 Cor 14. Who is there represented falling downe on his face and confessing that God was in the Preacher of a truth And though at first thou attendest to it but in a carnall manner yet God may open thy heart as he opened the heart of Lidia and make thee attend unto it in a gracious manner Tempted The World as I have heard is taken two waies in Scripture Largely for all mankind and strictly for the elect or believers In this latter sense Christ dyed for the World Or if for all yet it was only dignitate pretii not voluntate propositi thus only for a few selected ones with whom it is not my lot to be numbred CONSIDERATION Suffer not thy selfe to be abused by them who pretending thy comfort yet seeke nothing lesse but only the promoting of their owne cause And observe how he takes notice of no other benefits of Christs death then such as belong unto men upon the condition of faith to wit pardon of sinne and Salvation in which case the mention of Gods elect comes in very unseasonably And thus is the love of God set forth unto us so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And if it be not thy lot to be numbred amongst believers then we can give thee by Gods Word no assurance of thy Salvation But if thou art not a believer yet thou maist be in good time as formerly I have spoken more at large and therefore no reason to think thou art a Reprobate And if once thou dost believe in Christ our doctrine gives thee assurance of Justification Salvation and Election the Arminan doctrine doth not As for faith and repentance we say Christ hath merited them also but to be bestowed how According to mens workes say our Arminians though forraine Arminians professe plainly that Christ merited not faith and regeneration for any And if thou relishest this comfort be satisfied with it we say faith and repentance are bestowed absolutely according to the meere pleasure of Gods will and accordingly Christ merited them but not for all for then all should believe and repent and be saved but only for some and who can these be but Gods elect whence it followeth clearly that whosoever believes may by our doctrine be assured of his election not so by the doctrine of Arminians but if thou believest not thou art in no worse case then the best of Gods childern have been for there was a time when they believed not therefore thou hast no more cause to think thy selfe a cast-away then they had Minister God hath founded an universall Covenant with men upon the bloud of Christ and therefore he intended it should be shed for all men universally he hath made a promise of salvation to every one that will believe and excludes none that will not believe CONSIDERATION This I confesse is to administer as much comfort as is administred to any Reprobate but how can this qualify thy discomfort and discontent which riseth from this conceit that thou art a Reprobate And the truth is that by our Doctrine wee were all in a miserable case if Gods Covenant of grace extended no farther then this But hath not God promised to be our Lord and our God that sanctifyeth us to circumcise our hearts and the hearts
of our Children to love the Lord our God with all our hearts to take the stony heart out of our bowells and give us an heart of flesh and to put his own spirit within us as he seeth our waies so to heale them yea to heale our back-slidings to heale our rebellions All this this sweet comforter takes no notice of contenting himselfe with such a grace to be merited for him by Christ as this if he will believe he shall believe if he will repent he shall repent if he will love God with all his heart he shall love him with all his heart Yet when a man doth believe they are able to give him no assurance of his salvation or of his election because they maintaine that a man may totally and finally fall away from grace And all because their doctrine is that Gods effectuall grace in working the act of faith and repentance is given meerely according to mens works Tempted God purposed that his Sonne should dye for all men and that in his name an offer of remission of sinnes and salvation should be made to every one but yet upon this condition that they will doe that which he meanes the greatest part shall never doe i. e. Repent and believe nor I among the rest CONSIDERATION How doth God meane that the greatest part of men shall never believe and repent by our opinion Is it in this sence that they shall not believe and repent if they will When was it ever knowne that any of our Divines ever wrote or taught this We think rather it is impossible it should be otherwise therefore say it is a very absurd thing to call this Grace as the Arminians doe Indeed we say that God doth not meane by his preventing grace to work the wills of the greatest part of men to believe repent Doe not the Arminians say so too Yes verily and a great deale more for they deny that he workes any mans will to believe and repent in this manner but we say God purchaseth thus to worke the wills of all his chosen ones and when he hath wrought them to keepe them by his power through faith unto Salvation and put his feare in their hearts that they shall never depart a way from him Jer 32. 40. And upon this ground we can assure believers of their election which Arminians cannot And them that believe not keepe from dispaire in better manner then the Arminians can for they leave them to themselves to believe whereas the Scriptures shew that to be impossible so that they take upon them to comfort such quite against the haire But we comfort them with a possibility of being converted unto God by representing his allmighty power whose voyce is able to pierce into the graves and make dead Lazarus heare it This power he shewed in converting Saul when he marched furiously Jehu like against the Church of God Therfore be thou of good comfort especially considering thou art as it were under the wings of God thou hearest his voyce many come out of their graves at his call some at one time some at another and so maist thou God knowes how soone then shalt thou be assured of thine election which by Arminianisme thou canst not be in the meane time thou hast no cause to conclude that thou art a Reprobate Minister God hath a true meaning that all men who are called should repent and believe that so they might be saved as he would have all to be saved so to come to the knowledge of the truth and as he would have no man to perish so he would have all men to repent and therefore he calls them in the Preaching of the word to the one as well as to the other CONSIDERATION He keepes his course to afford thee the best comfort his doctrine yeelds which is as much as is incident to a Reprobate and how that should make thee conceive better of thy selfe then as of a Reprobate I doe not perceive Gods meaning is that as many as heare the Gospell should believe and repent ex officio that is that it shall be their duty for he commands it but he hath no meaning to bestow on all and every one the grace of faith and repentance as appeares by experience And if God did will they should de facto believe and be saved then either God is not able to bring them to faith and to save them or else his will is changed In like sort if it were his will that all and every one should know his truth then God is not able to make all and every one know his truth for it is apparent that all doe not it is apparent that all have not the Gospell The Apostle saith That God will not have any of us to perish but all to come to repentance he doth not say he would but he will And this is true of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as the Apostle speakes of believers and elect But as for others the Scriptures plainly professe that God blinds them hardens them and of Israell in the wildernesse The Lord saith Moses hath not given you an heart to perceive nor eyes to see nor eares to heare unto this day Deut 29. 4. He calls all that heare the Gospell indifferently by the Ministry of the Word but he openeth not the heart of all to attend unto it as to the Word of God like as we read he opened the heart of â—idia Acts. 16. 14. Tempted God hath a double call outward by his word inward by the irresistible work of his spirit with this he doth not call every man to believe but a very few only whom he hath infallibly and inevitably ordained to eternall life and therefore by the outward call which I enjoy among many others I cannot be assured of Gods good will and meaning that I shall believe repent and be saved CONSIDERATION Our Doctrine teacheth not that God calls every one by his Word that is an Arminian interjection But the outward call belongs to many more then are chosen as our Saviour sayth many are called but few are chosen Indeed he gives faith and repentance to a very few which no Arminian denyes only the Question is Whether God gives faith and repentance to whom he will or according to mens works We saytis to whom he will proceeding herein according to the meere pleasure of his will and not according to mens workes which to affirme is manifest Pelagianisme and publikely condemned many hundred yeares agoe It is true if thou dost not believe Gods Word doth not assure thee that he will make thee believe that were to assure thee of thine election before thy vocation a most unreasonable thing to be expected But God by his word assures thee that t is his meaning that without faith thou shalt not be saved Yet there is no cause thou shouldest think thy selfe a Reprobate for this was the condition of every one of Gods elect before their calling
to cast a colour that this discourse of Mr Hord's hath not as yet been answered It may be it would faine have shewed it selfe unto the world in this masculine shape and vigour before this time if Doctor Duppa while he was Vicechancellour at Oxford would have given way to the printing of it if it be true as I have heard that it was offered unto him to be licenced for the presse Doctor Potter also of Queenes Colledge performed a freindly part to some body in checking the Stationers for selling the copies of it forwhich courtesy I doe account my selfe so much in his debt as that comes to and should much more had he sent me one of the copies as he did noe lesse then six on the same day to his friend Doctor Aigleonbee as the Book-seller confessed to a Scholar a friend of mine Well Mr Hord's treatise is at length come to the Presse and shewes it selfe in publique without shame though I thought it had been sufficiently confounded almost three yeares agoe yet this Mistres blushes not though dares not open her mouth to cleare her reputation in any one particular of that which I layd to her charge manifesting her to be no Daughter of God's truth but a meere Bastard begotten by a carnall wit upon a specious pretence by miserable deflowring and adulterating the word of God one builds a wall as the Prophet speakes and another daubeth that with untempered mortar Mr Hord is well knowne to be the Author of the first by mee formerly answered But what Mason's hand was used in the addition that is concealed but that may breake out into pregnant evidences before we have gone through with it The Prefacer at the first chop begins with a notorious untruth and that in more particulars then one for first whom doth he meane by the Author of this Treatise M. Horde That which M. Horde sent to his worthy friend is yet to be seen containing not halfe so much as this it was not above 30 leaves manuscript and that not closely but written at large And this containes 55 leaves in print But it may bee M. Horde hath since inlarged his own discourse and so continues to be author of it not in part only but in the whole And I confesse it may be he is as much the Author of the one as of the other if it be true as some have told me of the very first sent to his friend indeed namely that it was the very strength of M. Mason him I knowe of old and should be acquainted with his sufficiency though it was a long time ere I had so much as heard of his zeale for the Arminian cause and after I heard so much it was yet longer ere I could believe it untill I saw it under his own hand And whereas M. Horde comming to his second convincing Argument as he calls it drawne from Attributes Divine layeth downe certaine premises the second whereof is this That justice mercy truth and holinesse in God are the same in nature with these vertues in men though infinitely differing in Degrees I willingly confesse I stood amaz'd and albeit I conceived it and doe conceave it to be one of the absurdest positions that ever dropped from the pen of a Schoole Divine yet the adventure was so great in my judgement that I was apt to imagine that it proceeded not from a vulgar spirit This conceit of mine was improved by the reasons he brings to justifie so strange a Paradox for they are plausible make a faire shew at the first like the fruit of Sodom but crush them once come to the Scholastical discussion of them forthwith In Cineres abeunt vagam fuliginem they vanish into smoak and emptinesse A second untruth is this that he saith The Author was perswaded by a worthy friend to pen the Reasons of his opinion against absolute reprobation for he was only put upon shewing reasons of the change of his opinion in the controversies of late debated between the Remonstrants their opposites as M. Horde himselfe confesseth in his Preface M. Horde indeed is willing to drawe the matter unto the consideration of Gods decrees as if that were the maine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most absurdly and quite contrary to the doctrine of Augustine who shapes the decrees of God in conformitie to the doctrine of grace and accordingly to certifie the Massilienses in the doctrine of Praedestination he thinks it most fit to begin with proving that Faith is the gift of God yea the very beginning of it Now he liked not to follow Austins course and in the first place to deale upon the point of grace And herein hee savours of M. Masons spirit for that is his course as I have seen under his hand yet suppose that this be the maine thing controverted namely the qualitie of Gods decrees whether they be absolute or conditionall only How doth he satisfie his friend or performe the promise made in letting election passe untouched and dealing only upon reprobation And this I know also to have been M. Masons genuine course far worse then the Remonstrants in the Synod of Dort for they made a motion that they might deal upon reprobation in the first place and then upon election wherein notwithstanding they were condemned in the judgement of all forraigne Divines assistant there But this Author and M. Mason too on my knowledge affect to deale upon reprobation only Yet I have alwaies been and still am glad to see the utmost of their strength or any mans strength on any of the five points and should be very glad to see what they could say upon the point of free will which is most congruous for them though they meddle not at all with grace For even on that point I seem to have profited more lately by dealing with some English Arminians then ever before having alwaies acknowledged that to be a point very obscure like as is the nature of originall sinne which was one of the three points concerning which I did not look to live so long as to meet with convenient satisfaction M. Horde I heard conferred with M. Mason about Election and told him that the doctrine of our Divines therein seemed very comfortable to the children of God whereunto M. Mason should answer by granting that but then adding it was very prone to provoke men to loosenesse of life This concession was as a shooing horne to draw M. Horde on to the Remonstranticall Tenet nothing doubting but in the end to take him of from entertaining so good an opinion of our doctrine of Election as if it were not any such comfortable condition teach him to magnifie the comfortable condition of the adversaries doctrine depending upon a threefold cord which as the proverb faith cannot easily be broken 1. The universalitie of Gods love 2. The universalitie of Christs redemption 3. The universalitie of the Covenant of grace Thus the comforts of the Remonstrants are
this asseveration I confidently believe it For he well perceived that this position utterly infatuates the strength of his discourse in this place And I have still looked when these men will come to a plaine denyall of Originall sinne Now if God may justly cast all mankind away for sinne originall and that as touching the inflicting of damnation upon them for it how much more evident is it to be just with God to cast away all mankind for originall sinne as touching the denyall of grace unto them Now let us proceed to that which is here inserted out of Calvin and Maccovius Now Calvin sayth not that God may with as much justice determine men to hell the first way as the latter He speakes not at all of Gods decree of damnation he speaks only of Gods decree that Adam suâ defectione periret by his fall should be obnoxious to destruction And he proves it by their acknowledgment that it was by the counsell of God that all à salute exciderent unius parentis culpâ should incurre the losse of salvation by the fault of one parent Hereupon he demands saying What lets them to grant that of one man which they must grant of all men And a little after It is too absurd that those kind patrons of Gods justice should thus stick at a straw and leap◠over a blocke And whereas Calvin sayth as he relates him that All men are made guilty of Adams sinne by Gods absolute decree alone First This is untrue No where doth he say that this came to passe by Gods absolute decree alone If he had I had thought this Authour would have justifyed him as well as M. Hord who in this very place professeth that Originall sinne is a sinne made ours only by Gods appointment Indeed as M. Hord is now set forth in print this passage is not found but in M. Hord's own copy thus it ranne M. Mason belike hath gelded him Yet that of M. Hord's was accounted the quintessence of M. Mason's strength in this argument and he took upon him the propagating of the manuscripts thereof as my selfe know in some particulars Likewise the involving of men in the guilt of Adam's sinne and of eternall death is M. Hord's phrase in one place as before I have shewed out of the fourth Section of his preface and that by the only decree of God did he expresse in this place The same argument is used by Maccovius applyed to purpose so was not that of Calvin's As for that saying of Maccovius that God may ordaine men to destruction without respect to any sinne of his that is so ordained is not this manifest 1. In the case of annihilation For doth not Arminius confesse that God can annihilate the holiest creature that is 2ly As touching the suffering of hell paines For did not Christ suffer them by the ordinance of his Father Or was this suffering of his for any sinne of his own This have I proved more then once in my Vindiciae to be in the power of God And Medina professeth as much and that ex concordi omnium Theologorum sententiâ And Vasquez the Jesuite concurres with Medina in the same opinion And lately Raynaudus in his justification of Valerianus who proves this to have been the confession of many of the antient Fathers and particularly of Fulgentius in that booke of his De praedestinatione gratiâ which goes under Austin's name And is it not evident by M. Hord's acknowledgment when he saith that men are made guilty of Adam's sin and of eternall death only by God's decree Which passage of M. Hord's this Authour hath razed out and wipeth his lips as if he had done no iniquity with his Index expurgatorius not that he hath changed his opinion as I verily thinke but because he saw what a funestous blow it gave unto his cause in this particular Yet is he magnified as a man unanswerable none daring to take the bucklers against such a Don Quixot But let the judicious consider this his practise well whether he be a man of such authority as deserving that they should pin their faith on his sleeve especially considering that he takes no notice of what I have answered to M. Hord to reply thereupon and that there is scarce any thing in all this which I have not answered in my Vindiciae Yet he continues to clamour still at least by other Jack a Lents whom he sets up but answers nothing but that which is of his own shaping that making his own bed he may lye the more softly But let The Reader seriously consider this that will not be gulled and cheated of his faith as Pope Caelestinus was of his Popedome and remember what Austin sometimes sayd Si lupi concilium fecerunt ut pastoribus non responderent cur oves consilium perdiderunt ut ad luporum speluncas accederent If the wolves have consulted together and resolved not to make answer to the shepheards why have the sheep so farre lost all good counsell as to come to the dens of wolves Pag 67. Sub-Sect 2 concerning God's justice there is a passage inserted out of M. Perkins but it is of no more moment then the rest In the same sub-section the three causes why repobates cannot in justice be bound to believe are much changed from that they were in M. Hord's discourse sent unto his freind which Copy was sent unto me Yet upon better consideration I find it is not so much changed as at first sight I conceived The order of the two first reasons is changed only in the first here some similies of exageration are wanting which are not wanting in the second of M. Hord's The second here is most altered For wheras in M. Hord's first discourse which he tendred to a Freind of his the reason ranne thus Because it is God's will they shall not believe To wit in our opinion it is altered here thus from an affirmative to a negative It is not God's unfeigned will they shall believe Yet himselfe layes the same thing to our charge in an affirmative manner pag 78 treating of God's truth sub-sect 2 the very last words which I answer apart all that page almost not being found in M. Hord's first discourse The words are these Can God speak thus to Reprobates who by his own decree shall never repent c. And in this very place at length he riseth to this affirmative thus It may rather be said it is God's unfeigned will they shall not believe because it is his will they shall want power to believe So that I need not to trouble my selfe with adding any farther answer to this more then I have to M. Hord and to that page 78 concerning God's truth Sub-sect 3. Pag 69 and Sub-sect 4. In dealing on God's attribute of justice After the Authour had proposed his reasons which moved him to thinke that our doctrine of God s absolute decree is repugnant to God's justice he proposeth
the parts of it selfe 1. To the matter whereunto it is applyed For it is proposed in such a case as men could not obtaine a certaine incorporation though they much desired it Now such a thing is not incident to Reprobates namely that they cannot believe though they would For had they a will to believe undoubtedly that would be accepted of God Then 2 it is incongruous to the parts of the Simile it selfe For incorporation only is precluded unto Germans by the unrepealable law he feignes without common understanding For undoubtedly all lawes of men are repealable by the same authority whereby they are made And afterwards the condition of obtaining certaine bountifull gratuities by vertue of the foresaid incorporation is proposed most undecently not of their being incorporated into that society but of their will to be incorporated Now it is apparent that by the case feigned their incorporation only is precluded unto them not their will to be incorporated In the accommodation he saith God hath made a decree by our doctrin that such men shall never believe Now what one of our Divines can be produce to justifie this We say God hath decreed not to give them grace to work them unto faith but to leave them unto themselves And is not this Authour of the same opinion Nay doth he not extend it farther then we doe even to the Elect as well as Reprobates We say not so but that his elect he doth not leave unto themselves to worke out their faith if they can but workes them by his grace and holy Spirit thereunto Himselfe seemes to be conscious of the falshood of this his imputation dealing upon the point of God's justice Sub-sect 2. For having there proposed three causes why Reprobates cannot justly be bound to believe The second of them was this in M. Hord's discourse Because it is impossible that they should believe because God hath decreed they shall have no power to believe till their dying day This reason is changed in this Authour 's refining of that discourse as indeed all these reasons are changed by him more or lesse without replying upon ought that I have answered thereunto but only putting out or putting in at his pleasure to cast a shew that the former discourse of M. Hord's is not answered such is his subdolous cariage to undermine that truth which he is not able to oppose in a faire manner with any sound reason least of all by evidence of Scripture that flying in his face at every turne and therefore his best wisdome is to shut his eyes against it And here he sayth not in representing his second reason that God hath decreed they shall have no power to believe to their dying day but thus rather Because it is not God's unfeigned will they shall believe But now againe in this supplement of his he returnes to the first and saith that by our doctrine God hath made a decree that such men shall never believe Quo teneam vultus mutantem Protea nodo But I confesse it is an honour to God's truth that it cannot be opposed but in so vile a manner Yet I have already shewed that we deny not unto reprobates a power to believe if they will We deny not the ministery of the word unto them exhorting them to believe We deny not but that whosoever hath a will to believe or doth believe God must necessarily concurre to the producing of that will and that act of his All this we grant which is the uttermost whereunto this Authour comes but over and above we say that God doth not only give his elect a power to believe if they will and perswade them to believe but that also he works them to believe and not only concurres with them in producing gracious acts but makes them to concurre with him also this is the grace and this alone that he denies to reprobates Pag. 85. Treating of the use and end of God's gifts the Authour hath an addition of some seven lines concerning the Lord's supper but nothing at all to purpose Pag. 87. Of the fift Section next following The passages out of the suffrages of our Brittain Divines in the Synod of Dort quoted by M. Hord here they are expressed namely that there are certaine internall workes preparing a man to justification which by the power of the word and Spirit are wrought in the hearts of men not yet justified such as are the knowledge of God's will and sense of sinne feare of punishment Now I have shewed that these our Brittish Divines goe much farther and yet in their fift Article and fourth position they professe of all such as are none of Gods Elect that it is manifest they never really and truly attaine that change and renovation of the mind and affections which accompanieth justification nay nor that which doth immediately prepare and dispose unto justification And therefore the preparation that this Authour speaks of as out of them must needs be a remote preparation And withall they adde that They never seriously repent they are never affected with hearty sorrow for offending God for sinning neither doe they come to any humble contrition of heart nor conceive a firme resolution not to offend any more Now let every sober person judge whether God proceeding no farther with them then this can be said to intend their conversion and salvation The other position of theirs is this Those whom God by his word and Spirit affecteth after this manner those he truly and seriously calleth and inviteth unto conversion I make no question but whom God calleth he calleth seriously and whom he inviteth unto conversion that is as I take it unto repentance he inviteth truly seriously thereunto But that God intendeth either their conversion or salvation I utterly deny For did he intend it undoubtedly he would worke it For certainly this is in his power Faith is his gift and repentance is his gift and perseverance in both is his gift And unlesse he gives faith and repentance we hold it impossible that any man should believe or repent And what a monster is it in Divinity to maintaine that God's intentions are frustrated which cannot be maintained without denying God's omnipotency For no man's intentions are frustrated but because it lyeth not in his power to bring to passe the things intended by him Pag. 88. In the next section following is inserted a sentence of Prosper which no man denies It is this They that have despised God's inviting will shall feele his revenging will but it is rightly to be understood namely of despising his inviting will all along and finally Otherwise if they break of their contempt by repentance there is mercy enough in store with God to pardon them and his revengefull hand shall not be felt by them Pag. 89. And seventh section concerning the use and end of God's gifts divers passages of our Divines are mentioned shewing the end of God's providence in affording his word unto reprobates As first
I shall proceed by degrees proving first that it cannot be gathered out of the Text that Christ prayed universally for all that crucified him Secondly That the contrary may be cleared from the Text both considered in it selfe and compared with other places of Scripture as also by reason Thirdly That those of his persecutors for whom he prayed were such as belonged unto the election of grace First All the Logick in the World though racked never so much cannot inferre out of the Text that Christ prayed universally for the pardon of all his Crucifyers for out of an indefinite terme a universall cannot be concluded saith our Author in defence of Moulin his denyall that Christ prayed for all without exception Vindic. l. 1. part 2. Digres 7. p. 136. Secondly That Christ prayed not for all his Crucifiers without exception may be cleared from the Text both considered in it selfe and compared with other places of Scripture as also by reason First From the Text considered in it selfe Father forgive them for they know not what they doe Here Moulin from the reason adjoyned to the Petition concludes That he prayed not for all that had a hand in Crucifying him but only for those who did it out of ignorance and in all probability some of them especially some of the rulers did it out of pure malice And whereas Corvinus objecteth out of Acts 3. 17. against Moulin That even the Rulers did it through ignorance Doctor Twisse upbraideth him with his unskilfullnesse in framing consequences and making an indefinite proposition equivalent unto an universall It doth not follow saith he The Rulers did this through ignorance therefore all the Rulers did it through ignorance That some did is certain from that place and so it is that some of them were converted and obedient to the Faith Act. 6. 7. Besides he addes that the Rulers in all likelyhood did it out of affected ignorance resisting the evidence of the holy Ghost speaking in and by Christ and bearing witnesse to the divine Authority of his Doctrine by miracles Whereas 't is possible that Christ might pray for the executioners that assisted and acted in his crucifying perhaps not out of malice but meerely in the simplicity of their hearts in obedience to their Superiours not knowing any thing Tum vero ad ignorantiam istam quod attinet quam populo Iudaico primoribus populi vitio vertit Apostolus quid obstat quo minus affectata fuerit in multis resistendo scilicet evidentiae Spiritus sancti per Christum loquentis per miracula doctrinae ipsius testimonium ferentis praesertim in primoribus Qui vero ipsum in crucem egerunt pro quibus etiam oravit erant illi ministri superiorum mandatis ex officio inserviebant poterat ergo Christus orasse pro iis qui non malitia pulsi Sed cordis simplicitate in Superiorum obsequium ducti Christum in crucem sustulerunt He also addeth that he prayed only for them that were present at his Death and 't is probable that the Rulers at least such of them as were not afterwards converted were not present at his Death Esto vero non fuerint conversi sed nihilo minus probabile est primores istos non adstitisse presentes Christo qui crucifixionem ipsius promoverent pro quibus tamen solis oravit Christus in cruce Secondly that Christ prayed not for all and every one of his crucifyers D. Ames confirmeth from comparison of this text with other places of Scripture Coron Art 2. c. 9. Art 5. c. 5. Amongst these his enemies there might be some that had committed that great and unpardonable sinne against the holy Ghost Math. 12. 24 31 32. There were some by the confession of Arminius himselfe that were finally impenitent and finall impenitency in generall and the sinne against the holy Ghost which formally includes finall impenitency are sinnes unto death for the pardon of which if knowne prayer is not lawfull 1 Iohn 5. 16. And therefore saith Austin if Gods Church knew who were predestinated to be sent into eternall fire with the Divell and his Angells they would no more pray for such then they would pray for the Divell himselfe Now Christ knew who had committed the sinne against the holy Ghost and who would be finally impenitent for he himselfe knew full well what was in man Ioh. 2. 28. Yea he knew from the begining who they were that believed not Ioh. 6. 64. See the Learned and reverend M. Owen in his Treatise of Universall Redemption p. 44. 45. Thirdly that Christ prayed not for all his crucifyers may be confirmed by an argument shaped in imitation of that which Doctor Twisse urgeth against a common and generall intercession which Corvinus ascribeth unto Christ If Christ prayed that all who crucified him should be forgiven then it was either that they should be forgiven absolutely or conditionally not absolutely for then all of them were pardoned if conditionally upon condition then this condition was either on Gods part or else to be performed on his crucifyers part it could not be on Gods part modo scilicet ipsi visum fuerit for then all of them should be pardoned according to your opinion for you hold that God truly and unfainedly desires the salvation and justification of all and every one of the Sonnes of Men If you say that 't is a condition on the part of his crucifyers why this condition can be nothing else but faith and repentance and then I demand whether he prayed for their faith and repentance or no If you answer that he did not pray for the Faith and Repentance of all and every one of them then say I neither did he pray for their pardon for he that truly and sincerely prayeth for any thing prayeth also by just undeniable consequence for all the necessary antecedents and consequents causes and meanes fruits and effects thereof If you hold that he prayed for the faith and repentance of all and every one of his crucifyers then the argument may be renewed as in the begining for I aske you againe whether he prayed for their faith and repentance absolutely or conditionally if absolutely then all and every one of them did believe and repent which the Remonstrants themselves deny if conditionally then this condition is either on Gods part or else on the part of the crucifyers of Christ if upon condition on the part of God it can be nothing but this if he will or please and then all of them should believe and repent for as Arminians glosse that text 1 Tim. 2. 4 God will have not only all sorts and kinds of men but also all and every individuall man to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth if it be a condition on the part of those who crucified him then pray doe you assigne that condition and either I shall drive you upon the same rock of absurdity upon which Doctor Twisse
God that is not yet regenerated but yet neverthelesse they may be in good time Yet here also there is some defect for want of cleare explication of this truth For will you conclude hence that non-regeneration is the cause of infidelity as some doe in effect Why but this is either notoriously false or if true it is true in such a sense as whereby God is no more the cause thereof then a Physitian is the cause of a disease because he will not cure it For infidelity is a naturall fruit of mans hereditary corruption and God alone can cure it but if he will not God is not to be said to be the cause of any disobedience issuing therefrom otherwise then per modum non removentis by way of not removing the cause of it or per modum non dantis quod prohiberet by way of not curing the cause that is by not giving faith Now what harshnesse there is in this to as many as doe not concurre with the Pelagians so as in plain termes to professe that Grace is given according to mens works And the objection framed against Austin and grounded upon that doctrine which he acknowledged ranne thus Caeteri qui in peccatorum delectatione remoramini ideo nondum surrexistis quia nec dum vos adjutorium gratiae miserantis erexit Therefore you are not risen out of that delight you took in sinne because the succour of Gods grace hath not raised you not as Calvin expresseth it Therefore you believe not because ye are ordained to destruction And this very doctrine as formerly I said our Saviour spares not to apply to some particular persons and Preach it to their faces like as Moses Preacheth the very same doctrine to the Children of Israel Deut. 29. 2 3 4. Yet Austin to prevent harshnesse doth not like this manner of proposing it so well seeing it may be and it is fit it should be delivered coveniently thus Si qui autem ad huc in peccatorum damnabilium delectatione remoramini apprehenditis saluberrimam disciplinam Quod tamen cum feceritis nolite extolli quasi de operibus vestris aut gloriari quasi non acceperitis If any of you doe yet continue in the delightfull course of damnable sinnes take hold of wholesome discipline which when you have done be not proud thereof as of your own work or Glory as if you had not received this grace of God Now what advantagious service this first witnesse hath done him I am well content the indifferent may judge I come to his second witnesse that is of the Land-grave of Turing reported by Hesterbachius as I remember it is about the Twelfth Century of yeares since our Saviours incarnation This man being admonished by his friends of his dangerous and vitious courses made this answer Si praedestinatus sum nulla peccata poterunt mihi Regnum Caelorum auferre Si praescitus nulla bona mihi illud valebunt conferre It is not the first time I have met with this story not in Vossius only but in an Arminian Manuscript it seems they make some account of it yet I see no cause they should make any such account thereof It is the common voyce of prophane persons corrupting the doctrine of Predestination to serve their own turnes My selfe remember an instance of it in my minority when I was little more then a child and I remember both the Person whom and the place where it was delivered and it was accounted as a signe of a prophane heart yet this Vossius makes use of as an instance forsooth of a Predestination Heretique And I wonder why they doe not devise as well a Praescientiarian Heresy and that by as good an instance as this of one of Austins Monkes who being reproved by his brethren made the like answer as touching Gods praescience but yet with more sobriety saying Whatsoever I am now I shall be such as God foreseeth I will be Yet herein as Austin professeth he spake nothing but truth but the saying of the Landgrave implyes a notorious untruth namely that if he were predestinated he should be Saved though he continued in his sinfull courses Now this I say is a grosse untruth For predestination is the preparation of Grace as Austin desineth it and consequently such as are predestinated shall be taken off from their sinfull courses in good time and by Grace be brought unto Salvation In like sort he supposeth a Reprobate may be truly righteous whereas Austin professeth of such as are not predestinate that God brings none of them to wholsome and spirituall repentance whereby man is reconciled unto God in Christ what patience soever he affords them Contr. Jul. Pelag. l. 5. c. 4. Nay this kind of Argumentation drawn from destiny Stoicall wherewith our adversaries doe usually reproach our doctrine of Predestination like as the Pelagians did in the same manner reproach Saint Austins doctrine concerning Predestination I say this argument was in course and profligated in the daies of Cicero and censured as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an idle argumentation as before I mentioned and it is to be seen in Cicero his book De Fato and thereupon they distinguished of some things which they called Fatalia as victory and some things which they called Confatalia as all necessary meanes requisite to the getting of the victory And Origen though he be accounted a favourer of our adversaries Doctrine in his writings yet he shewes the vanitie of this Argument applyed to fate wherby undoubtedly he meanes providence divine For he proposeth such a kind of objection as if a sicke man should dispute himself from taking Physick after this maner Either by destiny is it appointed I shall recover or no If my destiny be to recover I shall recover though I use no Physicke if my destiny be not to recover all the Physitians in the world shal doe me no good And the vanity of this is represented by the like argument in another manner thus If it be thy desteny to beget children whether thou usest the company of Woemen or no thou shalt beget children And concludes thus Ut enim hic si fieri non potest ut quis procreat nisi cum muliere concubuerit sic si valetudinis recuperatio medicinae via efficitur necessariò adhibetur medicus The Greeke of Origen is set downe at large by Turnebus in his disputation upon Cicero his book De Fato against Ramus Now judge you I pray what colour of detriment to Religion hath he produced from our doctrine of absolute Reprobation and whether his discourse herein is any better then the imagination of a vaine thing DISCOURSE SECT IV. BUt there are two things chiefly which are said for the vindicating of this opinion from this crimination 1. First that many of them which believe and defend this opinion are Godly and holy men and therefore it doth not of it selfe open a way to liberty but through the wickednesse of men who pervert the
sweetest and the surest truths revealed in Gods word to their own damnation Resp It cannot I confesse be denyed that many of this opinion are Godly men but it is no thankes to their opinion that they are so the true and naturall genius of which is to breed sloth to drowne men in carnall security and to countenance carnall liberty but to some thing else either to Gods providence who will not suffer this doctrine for his own glory and the good of men to have any great stroake in their lives or to mens incogitancy who think not of reducing it ad praxim or drawing conclusions out of it but rest in the naked speculation of it as they doe of many others or lastly to some good practicall conclusions which they meet with in the word of God and apply to their lives as they doe not the former deductions such as these are for example Be ye holy as I an holy Without holinesse no man shall see God If ye consent and obey ye shall eat the good things of the land Godlinesse hath the promise of this life and of the life to come and such like And hence we may learne to measure this opinion not by some few of the men that hold it but by the sequels which the Logick even of simple men if they should apply their braines to ponder and consider it would fetch out of it No man that hath thoroughly suckt it in and understood the force of it but will either relinquish it or live according to the naturall importment of it that is licentiously 2. Secondly it is said that albeit this Doctrine doth teach that men are absolutely elected or absolutely rejected yet it tells no man who in particular is elected who rejected that must appeare by themselves and their lives and so it doth not stifle holy endeavours in any but rather encourage them in every man because it makes them to be signes whereby men must and may get the knowledge of their election Resp For answer to this in my judgement or the present the ignorance of a mans particular case doth not alter the case a jot For he that believes in generall that many and they the greatest company without comparison are inevitably ordained to destruction and a few others unto salvation is able out of these two generall propositions to make these particular conclusions and to reason thus with himselfe Either I am absolutely chosen to grace and glory or absolutely cast off from both If I be chosen I must of necessity believe and be saved If I be cast off I must as necessarily not believe and be damned Therefore what need I take thought either way about meanes or end My end is pitched in Heaven and the meanes too my finall perseverance in faith and my salvation or my continuance in unbeliefe and my damnation If I lye under this necessity of believing and being saved or of dying in unbeliefe and being damned in vaine doe I trouble my selfe about meanes or end I have my supersedeas I may take mine ease and so I will it is enough for me to sit downe and waite what God will doe unto me And in this manner it is to be feared doe too many reason in their hearts and by this very ground though they will not perhaps acknowledge it encourage themselves to prophanenesse Though men cannot hide their wickednesse yet they will hide their grounds which flesh them in it either through modesty or to avoyde some farther ignominy The foole hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 40. Suetonius de Vita Tiberii c. 69. p. 180. Saies of Tiberius that he was circa Deos religiones negligentior quippe addictus Mathematicae persuasionibus plenus omnia fato agi TWISSE Consideration I have already made answer to his objections after my maner it remaines I consider what he delivereth in debilitating those answers which he takes in to consideration 1. This answer was made by our Brittaine Divines in the Synod of Dort upon the first Article but so as that they proposed it not by it selfe alone but joyntly with shewing that neither the Nature of our Doctrine doth any way prove any hinderance unto pietie as formerly I have made mention therof Whereas he sayth that many of this our opinion are Godly men but that is no thankes to their opinion that they are so I answer that neither doe we give the glory of our Godlinesse to our good opinion nor have cause to thanke it therefore but we give God the Glory both of leading us into this truth amongst many others and for that Godlinesse that is in us also For we acknowledge that God is able to convict our consciences of that trueth hereof and yet refuse to lead us thereby into any Holinesse at all Yet let every sober man judge who are in a fairer way to true Holinesse or who are more likely to be in the state of true Holinesse they that oppose the grace of God in working our wills to faith and repentance or they that acknowledge it They who maintaine that God of the meere pleasure of his will regenerates us endueth us with the spirit of faith and repentance or they who maintaine that God doth not give faith and repentance to whom he will Neither is it the meaning of S t Paul where he sayeth God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth but rather where he findes an absolute disposition or worke in one which he finds not in an other Againe consider I pray indifferently who are more likely to be partakers of Gods grace they who truly magnifie it as the Author of their faith and repentance and of every good worke performed by them and that in a preventing manner or they that pretend to make Gods grace to be the Author of their faith and repentance and every good worke only by giving them power to believe if they will which we are able to prove both by the judgment of Austin and by cleare reason to be meere nature and not grace and accordingly exhorting them to believe and last of all concurring with them to the producing of the act of faith in them in case they will And seeing grace proves effectuall only by this subsequent manner of operation whether they doe not plainely mocke God in making him the Author of grace seing in respect of this effectuall operation they might as well make him the Author of every sinfull act as of every gratious act For it is agreed on all hands that God concurres as well to every sinfull act as any gratious act Whereas he sayth The true and naturall genius of our Tenet is to breed sloth and to drowne men in carnall security and to countenance carnall libertie I answer these words of his are but wind his reasons I have already considered and proved them to be of no weight For they depend partly upon a vaine supposition as if we maintained that God hath
he hath prevailed so with them we have no reason to conceive that it is an easy matter for him to perswade us that we are absolute Reprobates no nor then neither considering that we make no such rules but rather conceive them to be the fancies of crackt or crazed braines And the Devill had need be more wise then so if he practice to prevaile with us which undoubtedly so long as God be pleased by his grace to keepe us in our right wits he never shall Certainly if they desire to bring this rule into our faith they must first manifest that the Devill hath so prevailed with them to make them conceive themselues to be Reprobates otherwise it cannot be they should conceive so easy a matter for the Devill to perswade any of us upon so sorry a ground as this that we are absolute Reprobates As for them that are fallen to prosecute that distinction this Authour gives according to the parts of it which the Authour himselfe doth not Christians fallen may be understood two manner of wayes either as fallen from the state of grace or as fallen only into sinne but still standing in the state of grace As touching the first we acknowledge no such falling away St John professing of certaine Apostates saying They went out from us but they were not of us for had they beene of us they had continued with us As for such as fall into sinne we that maintaine absolute election and reprobation doe withall maintaine with King James in the conference at Hampton Court that all such shall arise againe by repentance And therfore there is no reason we should conceive upon the committing of any such sinne that we are Reprobates least of all upon so base grounds as here are specified by this Authour Now I come to his proofe of this by his three testimonies 1. The first whereof is the testimony of Calvin whereto I answer first in generall That not one of these Authours here mentioned take any notice of the ground whereupon this Authour builds namely of the paucity of the elect in comparison to Reprobates therehence to conclude That it is an easy matter for the Devill to perswade them that they are Reprobates if they should have beene sure to have received so much from the pen of this Authour More particularly I acknowledge the words of Calvin here alledged namely that the Devill doth not assault the believer with a temptation more dangerous But why doth not this Authour goe on to tell what the temptation is which as it were in a breath Calvin sets downe thus Quam dum ipsos suae electionis dubitatione inquietans simul prava ejus extra viam inquirendae cupitate solicitat It consists of two parts The first is disquieting of them with doubting of their election The second is his solliciting of them with an ill desire of inquiring about it after a wrong way Both these Calvin so compounds as to make up but one tentation In the next place Calvin shewes what it is for a man to inquire of his election a wrong way Extra viam inquirere voco ubi in abditos divinae sapientiae recessus perrumpere homuncio conatur quo intelligat quid de se sit constitutum apud Dei tribunal ad supremam usque aeternitatem penetrare To inquire after it out of the way is when a vile man endeavoureth to breake into the secrets of divine wisdome and to pierce into the highest eternity to know what God hath ordained of him there This he sayeth is for a man to cast himselfe into a deep to be swallowed up of a bottomlesse gulfe and to throw himselfe into innumerable snares such as he can never wind himselfe out off And to this he sayeth we are very prone and hereupon comes in the next sentence alledged by this Authour Rarissimus enim est few there be whose minds are not taken up with this contemplation Whence doth Salvation come unto thee but from Gods election Now what revelation hast thou of thine election And if these thoughts doe once take hold of a man either in cruell manner it torments miserable man continually or makes him altogether stand astonished All this is delivered by Calvin of them who enquire about their election a wrong way the very same way being condemned also by King James in the conference at Hampton Court or that which he there delivereth much at one And all this this Authour very judiciously conceales thinking such a dog-trick well becomes his free will and his grace also But then Calvin discovereth also another way in ea lustranda that is in discovering a mans election and such as wherein tuta est pacata addo etiam jucunda navigatio a man may saile safely peaceably and sweetly and that they who search after their election in a due order as it is contained in Gods Word they are like to reape thence singular consolation eximium inde referent consolationis fructtum Then he shewes what this way is and that we must beginne from our vocation to wit unto faith and unto repentance and thence ascend to our election in this way he professeth no uncomfortable condition but most comfortable is likely to accrue unto him The wrong way he warnes us to avoyd carefully but withall professeth that no rocke at all is likely to be met withall in this right way By this I desire every indifferent person will judge aright of this Authours carriage 2. The next is Bucer in 8. ad Rom q de praedest Now Bucers discourse as it is related by this Authour himselfe appeares to tend to no other end but this that Christians should not disquiet themselues with doubting whether they are predestinate or no but rather without doubt perswade themselues that they are of the number of those whom God hath predestinate And by this I perceive what is his meaning here in which formerly I understood not when this of Bucer was alleadged by this Authour to an other purpose And his meaning seemes to be this whosoever is called and believes in Christ ought to believe that he is predestinate For indeed faith in his opinion is the fruit of our election and from the like in the Thessal Paul was perswaded of their election 1 Thess 1. 3 4. Remembring the worke of your faith and labour of your love knowing that you are elected of God Now shall others hereby be drawne to be confident of our election and shall not we our selves who alone are privy to the secret passages of our hearts when others are not Now I pray consider whether this be so much as to intimate that it is a farre easier matter for a man to be perswaded that he is a Reprobate then that he is of the number of Gods elect 3. By this I perceive the meaning of Zanchy also in saying That every Christian is bound to believe that he is elect Let us in the name of God examine our faith whether it be
true faith or no but surely so farre as we are perswaded of the truth of our faith so farre have we no cause to doubt of our election But this of Zanchius is no more to the purpose whereunto this Authour alleadgeth it than that of Bucers 4. In the last place I come to the relation of Georgius Major of a certaine Schoole-Master in Hungary Petrus Hosuanus by name for so I find him called in Dietricus though this Authour calls him Ilosuanus mistaking belike the copy which he transcribed Now Dietricus relates it as out of Georgius Major as this Author doth But I wonder not a little that Osiander in his last Century makes no mention of it that I can find though I have searched after it as the Woman in the Gospell did after her lost groat Whether he gave any credit to Georgius Major his relation I know not or whether any thing came to his knowledge afterwards as touching the unfaithfullnesse thereof But take we it as it lyes in this Authours relation 1. That he professed himselfe of Calvins and Austins opinion I hope this makes no more against Calvin and us then it doth against Austin and all those that tooke part with him against the Pelagians in his dayes and the remnants of them afterwards But if his opinion was that men are not dealt withall secundum bona or mala opera but that there are occultiores causae of mens Eternall conditions will any sober Arminian impute this unto us Doe we say that God damnes any man but for sinne or that God rewards any man of ripe yeares with Salvation but by way of reward of theire faith repentance and good-workes When the Remonstrants at the Hague conference proposed their doctrine of predestination and reprobation after this manner namely That God from eternity did ordaine to save believers and to damne unbelievers to this effect Did any of the Contra-Remonstrants or any of the Synod of Dort except against the truth of this But whereas the Remonstrants and Arminians did acknowledge this to be the whole decree of predestination and reprobation Against this exception was tooke both in the Hague conference and in the Synod of Dort and Theses also by divers forraine Divines laid downe against it particularly by our Brittayne Divines amongst others All of them maintaining that there was an other decree concerning the giving of the grace of regeneration of the grace of faith and repentance unto some and denying it unto others And this decree we willingly maintain proceeds not no not in the execution thereof according to mens workes good or evill whatsoever be the end of any that maintaine it The contrary namely that grace is given according unto workes being a doctrine generally condemned in the Church from the yeare 415 at that time it was condemned in the Synod of Palestine and Pelagius himselfe driven to subcribe unto it otherwise himself had been anathematized But this Authour delivers it as the opinion of Hosuanus concerning mens Eternall conditions whereby I take to be meant Salvation and Damnation And indeed as here the doctrine is expressed it is more agreable with the doctrine of the Predestinarians as Sigebert relates it then with the doctrine either of Austin or Calvin and the same Sigebert writes not that it was Austins doctrine but that it rose out of the misunderstanding of Austins writings Yet I confesse that Tyro Prosper before Sigebert spares not to professe of that Predestinarian hereby that it rose from Austin as Dr Vsher observeth But this was a meere practice of the Semi-Pelagians corrupting the doctrine of Austin the better to expose it to obloquy and reproach 2. As for the second that he was one of the woefull company of absolute castawayes Herein the Author of this discourse accomodates himselfe to his own stage Throughout Dietricus his relation I find no mention of any such distinction as of reprobates and absolute reprobates but an acknowledgement certum esse numerum salvandorum praedestinatorum vel ad vitam vel ad mortem And of himselfe that he was ex numero damnatorum but I doe not find the word absolute throughout That his life was none of the worst himselfe was no competent judge yet I confesse there are degrees of prophanenesse and hypocrisy and the very reprobates are not equall in sinne And withall a morall life is esteemed in the world in respect of their conversation towards men but we know that to deny Gods truth and to oppose it against the light of conscience is of an higher nature in the sight of God and usually is of more fearfull consequence Of Francis Spira I find no complaints made in respect of his morality towards men but he laid unto his own charge That he had sinned against the holy Ghost Yet neither this Hosuanus nor Spira doe I find to have broken forth into any blasphemy against Gods justice in reprobating them Nay this latter was heard strangely to discourse of the justice of God without any murmuring against his power And in our time we have heard of strange examples of some that have gone soberly on to the destroying of themselves in a very devout acknowledgement of Gods justice in giving them over 3. As touching the dreadfull apprehensions of Gods wrath I nothing doubt but when God gives men over to the power of Satan they may be so improved by him as to make a man weary of his life though I find not this specified in Dietricus who yet relates this story out of Georgius Major But I read the like in Goulartius his collections of a desperate man in his time dying that said among many other horrible speeches that he wished to be already in Hell And being demanded the cause of so wicked a desire For that said he the apprehension of torments which doe attend me cause me presently to feele a double Hell when I shall feele it at the full I shall not exspect it any more But no mention throughout of any opinion of his concerning Divine reprobation that moved him thereunto The words here alleadged Discedo ad lacus infernales Deo vos commendo cujus misericordia mihi negata est These I say and the matter of these alone I find in Dietericus his relation out of Georgius Major on 2 Tym. c. 2. p. 59. 6. It runs thus Ait in Hungaria multis aliis locis notissimum esse de homine quodam Calviniano Petro Hosuano Rectore Scholae Gengerinae qui ex desperatione sibi ipsi laqueo injecto vitam finivit Anno 1562. die 22. Julii relicto manuscripto in quo praeter alia haec exstitere O me infaelicissimum omnium quia satius fuisset me nunquam natum Verum est certum esse numerum salvandorum hoc ex me sed quid ad me Hoc ità necessariò fieri debuit Nemo igitur argumentetur Deus omnes vocat longe secùs se res habet Calvini sententiam de certo praedestinatorum numero item