naturall unto us all had Adam continued in his originall integrity But I am content to let that passe only whereas he saith that by such a law the Allmighty law-giver binds himselfe to his creatuees to give them such power as may enable them to keepe that law I think rather if any obligation had place in this case it were rather to maintaine the power already given them than to give it For every law-giver rather presupposeth ability of obedience in them to whom he gives a law then first gives a law and then gives ability to performe obedience thereunto And certainly God first created man after his owne image before he gave him any law to be a rule of his obedience unto his creatour So I take the multiplying vertue was given to his creatures in their creation before he said encrease and multiply In the curing of the lame man his word indeed was a word of power like as when he said let there be light and there was light For though it goe under the forme of a command yet it was not so properly a command which is to command obedience as the going forth of vertuous efficacy to create like as that also Ezek. 37. O ye dry bones heare the voyce of the Lord. And undoubtedly the strength of obedience given unto Adam preceded Gods command for his abstaining from the fruit of the tree in the midst of the Garden He had in his creation given him posse non cadere not non posse cadere the event manifested as much and it is as true according to the same Austin that God gave him posse stare si vellet not velle quod potuit But that God is bound to restore any such power unto mankind which they have wilfully lost is boldly avouched but let us consider how Scholastically it is proved 1. The first reason hereof is because God hath vouchsafed to enter into a new Covenant of Peace with men when he needed not To this I answer that God hath entred into a new Covenant with men is an indefinite proposition as touching the persons included in this Covenant and being not in a necessary matter but contingent this Covenant proceeding meerely from the good pleasure of God it hath no more force than to signify that God hath vouchsafed to enter into a new Covenant of peace with some men which we wilingly grant but not with all neither doth this proposition enforce any such meaning And that God hath not entred into a new Covenant with all I prove by these reasons 1. As many as are under the Covenant of grace sinne shall have no dominion over them Rom. 6. 14. Sinne shall not have the dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace But sinne hath the dominion over too many even over the most part of the world as we find by lamentable experience therefore too many even the most part of the World are not comprised under the Covenant of grace 2. The covenant of Grace doth covenant on Gods part not only to give salvation upon condition of faith and repentance but for Christs sake to renew mens natures also and to give them faith and repentance As appears by diverse passages of Scripture Jer. 31. 31. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah v. 32. Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt the which my Covenant they brake though I was a Father unto them But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your bodies and will give you an heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and doe them Ezek. 20. 23. I will surely rule you with a mighty hand c. 37. And will cause you to passe under the rod and bring you into the bond of the Covenant Isai 57. 18. I have seen his waies and will heale him Hos 14. 5. I will heale their rebellions I will love them freely And that faith it selfe and repentance is the gift of God who hath taken upon him by his covenant of grace to be our Lord and our God to sanctify us is manifest by diverse pregnant passages of holy Scriptures 2. I come to his second reason And in that Covenant he requires obedience at mens hands even at theirs that perish God in his covenant of Grace requires obedience unto salvation but of his free grace undertakes to regenerate them and work them to obedience but how Agreeable unto their rationall natures that is by admonition instruction exhortation that is to work faith and repentance by exhorting and perswading them unto repentance And because this he performes by his Ministers to whom he hath not revealed who they are whom he hath chosen therefore he commands them to Preach indifferently unto all perswade all exhort all unto faith and repentance whereof also he makes this use even towards reprobates that whereas they are naturally confident of their ability to doe as much as any other and as Austin saith dicere solet humana superbia si scissem fecissem The Lord by his Ministry takes from them this excuse so that unto all that heare is this truth delivered whosoever believeth and repenteth shall be saved and thereupon every one is exhorted in the name of the Lord to believe and repent But God resolveth to worke faith and repentance in none but those whom he hath chosen according to that Acts 13. 48. As many believed as were ordained to everlasting life And withall the Doctrine delivered in the Gospell is such and so confirmed as may justly make them inexcusable that doe not believe when it shall appeare that many a vile legend they are apt to believe and in the mean time despise Gods holy Oracles by divine Authority many waies confirmed unto them 3. It is most true eternall life is promised to every on that obeyeth and keeps Covenant with God but God over and above worketh some unto obedience unto faith and repentance bestowing these gratious giftes on them even on whom he will when he hardeneth others even whom he will Rom. 9. 18. 4. He punisheth the disobedient with eternall death true but acording unto what Covenant Not according unto the Covenant of grace that is only a Covenant for Salvation but according unto the Covenant of the law the Covenant of works Whereas herehence this Author inferres that the most free God
be as ready to worke it in themselves 3. And now I come to this Authors third Topick place of consolation drawn from the universality of the Covenant of grace Now this is as strange as any of the former or rather much more and when the Covenant of grace is so much enlarged we have cause to feare that it is confounded with the Covenant of Workes And indeed if it were true as some of this sect professe namely that there is an universall grace given to al for the enlivening of their wills wherby they are enabled to will any spirituall good whereunto they shall be excited and to believe if they will and from the love of temporall things to convert themselves to the keeping of Gods Commandements if they will I see no reason but that the Law is able to give life though the Apostle supposeth the contrary and the way is as open unto man for justification by the workes of the Law as it was unto Adam in the state of innocency And if the Covenant of grace be universall and ever was for that I take to be this Authours meaning then God was no more the God of Abraham and of his seed then of all the World nether was the people of Israel more the Lords portion then any other Nation of the World yet Moses was sent unto Pharaoh in their behalfe with this Message Thus sayth the Lord Israell is my sonne my first borne wherefore I say unto thee Let my sonne goe that he may serve mee if thou refuse to let him goe Behold I will slay thy sonne even thy first borne Ex 4. 22 23. Thus God accounts them albeit they were miserably corrupted with Idolatry as it appeares Ez 20. 6. In the day that I lift up my hand upon them to bring them forth of the Land of Egypt 7. Then sayd I unto them Let every one cast a way the abominations of his eies and defile not your selves with the Idolls of Egypt for I am the Lord your God 8. But they rebelled against me and would not heare me for none cast away the abominations of their eyes neither did they forsake the Idolls of Egypt then I thought to poure out mine Indignation upon them and to accomplish my wrath against them in the midst of the Land of Egypt 9. But I had respect unto my name that it should not be polluted of the Heathen So he proceded in despite of their sinnes to carry them out of the Land of Egypt and brought them into the wildernesse and gave them Statutes and Judgments and his Sabaths v 10 11 12. But they rebelled against him in the Wildernesse whereupon he thought againe to poure out his indignation upon them in the Wildernesse to consume them v. 13. But he had respect unto his name v. 14. amd his eie spared them and would not destroy them v. 17. And againe when their Children provoked him by rebelling against him whereupon he thought of powring out his Indignation upon them v. 21. Neverthelesse he withdrew his hand and had respect unto his name v. 22. Then as touching the generation of that present time he professeth he will rule them with a mighty hand v. 33. And the issue thereof is no worse then this I will cause you to passe under the rod and bring you into the bond of the Covenant v. 37 And againe marke with what a gratious promise he concludes v. 43. There shall ye remember your wayes and all the workes wherein ye have been defiled and ye shall judge yourselves worthy to be cast of for all your evills which you have committed 44. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have respect unto you for my names sake and not after your wicked waies nor according to your corrupt worke O yee house of Israel saith the Lord God Here is the peculiar fruit of the Covenant of grace to master their iniquities to bring them unto repentance and to deliver them from the dominion of sinne and Satan If God performe this Grace to all and every one throughout the World then is the Covenant of grace universall and all and every one are under it but if there be few very few over whom sinne hath not the dominion then certainly very few are under the Covenant of grace For the Apostle plainly signifyeth this to be the fruit of the Covenant of grace where he saith Sinne shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace Rom 6. 14. And the like we have Heb. 8. 8. I will make with the House of Judah a new Testament 9. Not like the Testament that I made with their fathers in the day that I tooke them by the hands to lead them out of the Land of Egypt For they continued not in my Testament and I regarded them not saith the Lord. 10. For this is the Testament that I will make with the House of Israell after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Lawes in their mind and in their heart I will write them and I will be their God and they shall be my people 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them 12. For I will be mercyfull unto their unrighteousnesse and I will remember their sinnes and their iniquities no more According to this Covnant proceed those gratious promises whereof the Scriptures are full I have seen his wayes and I will heale them Es 57. 18. I will heale their rebellions Hos 14. 5. The Lord will subdue our iniquities Mich. 7. I will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your children to love me with all your heart and with all your soule Deut 30. 6. I am the Lord your God which sanctify you c And therefore these comforts which here are so much magnified as only and fully sufficient for the releeving of an afflicted soul in the hour of temptation are but so many lies to speake in the Prophets phrase that this Author holds in his right hand and if through the illusions of Satan he take hold of them they may cast him into a dreame like unto the dreame of an hungry man who eateth and drinketh and maketh merry but when he awaketh his soule is empty For all these comforts so magnificently set forth have no force save in case a man believe them now if a man believeth our doctrine can assure him of Everlasting Life and so of his election which the Arminian cannot For we teach that which our Saviour hath taught us He that believeth in the Son hath Everlasting Life and he that obayeth not the Sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth upon him But as for the performing of faith they leave that unto man together with Gods concurrence And in like sort for the maintenance of their faith they teach a man to put
doe choose the things that God would not 2. If God doth will it but not by a powerfull and effectuall irresistable decree let him shew what that decree is whereby he wills sins Now this is commonly accounted a decree conditionall and let him speak plainely then tell us upon what condition it is that God doth will and procure sin in the world and I am verily perswaded he is to seek what to answer 3. If God doth will and decree it it cannot be avoided but it must be by a powerfull and effectuall decree which cannot be resisted seeing the Apostle saith plainly speaking of his decree that it cannot be resisted Upon these considerations I am perswaded that this Authour doth utterly deny that God doth at all will sin or decree that any such thing shall come to passe in the world that these attributes of powerfull and effectuall irresistable are used by him not for distinction sake but meerly for amplification that so he might speake with a full mouth Now having brought this Authour home to himselfe and delivering himselfe and his meaning plainely I am very willing to cope with him on this point Yet what need I having so fully disputed the point in a certaine digression in my Vindiciae lib. 2. Digrees 4. The title whereof is this Whether the holy one of Israel without any blot to his Majesty may be said to will sin And forthwith I answer that God may be said thus farre to will sin in as much as he will have sin to come to passe And for explication sake it is added that whereas God will have all the good things of the world whether naturall morall or spirituall come to passe by his working of them Only evill things he will have come to passe by his permitting them But this Authour affects to worke upon the ignorant and he doth not affect to trouble their braines with answering my reasons least thereby he should raise many spirits and afterwards prove unable to lay them And this discourse of M. Hord's some of that sect thought good to have it coppied out and communicated to people in the Country as accommodated to their capacities and so more fit to promote their edificatiō in the plausible way of Arminian religion well therefore in the proofe of this tenet namely that God will have sin come to passe by his permission I prove first by Scripture God hath put in their hearts that is in the hearts of the 10 Kings to fulfill his will Now marke what is the object of God's will in the words following and to agree and give their kingdōes unto the beast untill the words of God shall be fulfilled now by giving their Kingdomes unto the beast is not to depose or dethrone themselves or to part with their Kingdomes but only to submit their regall authority to the executiō of the beasts wrath against the Saints of God Like as in the dayes of Popery when the Saints of God were by Popish Prelates condemned for heresies then they were delivered into the hands of the secular powers the sherifes to burne thē at a stake Now this the holy Ghost makes the object of Gods will and their agreement thus to execute the Popes Antichristian pleasure is said to be Gods worke For God is said to put it into their hearts to doe this evill of his Of disobedient persons the Apostle professeth that they are ordained to stūble at Gods word wherein undoubtedly they sin Paul likewise testified of some that God sends thē strong delusions that they should beleive a lye of others that God gave them up to uncleanes through the lusts of their owne hearts to dishonour their owne bodyes betweene thēselves And to a Reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient Now let every sober man judge whether when God blinded the eyes of the one and hardned the harts of the other it were not his will that those foule things which were committed by them should come to passe by his permissiō Then consider what the Apostles with one consent testifie concerning those abominable acts committed against the holy son of God namely that both Herod Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles people of Israel were gathered together to doe what Gods hand his coūsell had before determined to be done This the Apostles deliver to the very face of God in their prayers holy meditatiōs And let every Christian consider whether it the Scripture had not made mention of this any one of us had used the like prayer meditatiō this Author all that are of his spirit would not have beene ready to spit in our faces cry us downe for notorious blasphemers Yet the Apostles indued with the spirit of God feared not to be found guilty of violating the Lords holinesse in all this Hence I proceeded to the passages of the Old Testament for the confirmation of the same truth As namely that whereas the desolatiō of the holy Land begun by the Assyrians finished by the Babylonians could not cōe to passe without many enormous sins Who can deny that it was Gods will that these things should come to passe considering that Assur himself is acknowledged by God to be the rod of his wrath and the staffe of his indignation whom God would send against an hypocriticall nation against the people of his wrath would he give him a charge to take the spoyle to take the prey to tread them downe like the mire in the streets Hence I proceeded to shew how that it is Gods usuall course to punish sin with sin Now when God exerciseth his judgments shall not those things justly be said to come to passe by his will which are punishments of foregoing sinnes See the judgment of God denounced against Amaziah the Preist of Bethell Thou sayst prophecy not against Israel drop not thy word against the house of Isaac Therefore thus saith the Lord Thy wife shall be an harlot in the Citties thy sons thy daughters shall fall by the sword And in like manner Solomon saith The mouth of a strange woman is a deep pit he that is abhorred of the Lordshall fall therein The incest of Absolom defiling his fathers cōcubines in a shameles manner came it not to passe by the will of God whose word is this Behold I will raise up evill against thee out of thine owne house I will take thy wives before thine eyes give them unto thy neighbour he shall ly with thy wives in the sight of this sun The defection of the ten tribes frō the house of David came it not to passe by the will of God when God himselfe testifies that it was his worke not his will onely Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel I will rent the kingdome out of the hands of Solomon give ten tribes to thee speaking to Ieroboam here we have Gods will for it And
againe the word of God came to Semaiah the man of God saying speak to Rehoboā the son of Solomon King of Iudah unto all the house of Iudah Benjamin to the remnant of the people saying Thus saith the Lotd ye shall not goe up nor fight against your brethren the children ef Israel returne every man to his house for this thing is from me Here we have Gods word for it Who can deny that the hardening of Pharohs heart that he should not let Israel go the selling of Ioseph into Egypt by the hands of his unnaturall brethren came to passe by the will of God I proceed to prove the same truth by evidence of reasō First because God permits sin to come to passe as all confesse though he could hinder it if it pleased him that without all detriment to the free will of the creature why then doth he permit it but because he would have it come to passe accordingly permission is reckoned up by Schoole Divines amongst the sinnes of Gods will like as allso is Gods commandment Now what God commandeth if it be done it is said to come to passe by the will of God albeit the things that God commandeth seldome the things he permits allwayes come to passe according to the common tenet of Divines even Vostius Arminius not excepted Againe it is the common opinion of all that therefore God permits sin because he can and will worke good of it which plainly supposeth that sinne shall come to passe if God permits it consequently it must needes be the will of God it shall come to passe Thirdly it is granted on both sides that the act of sin is Gods worke in the way of an efficient cause not the outward act onely which is naturall but the inward act of the will which is morall even this as an act is the worke of God How can it be then but the deformity and vitiousnesse of the act must come to passe God willing it though not working it considering that the deformity doth necessarily follow the act in reference to the creatures working it though not in respect of Gods working it Lastly all sides agree that God can give effectuall grace whereby a man shall be preserved from sin infallibly Wherefore as often as God will not give this grace which is in his power to give doth it not manifestly follow that he will not have such a man preserved frō sin To these I added the testimony of divers as that of Austin Not any thing comes to passe unlesse Good will have it come to passe either by suffering it to come to passe or himselfe working it If good he workes it if evill permits it 't is true of each that he wills it cap. 96. It is Good saith Austin that evill should come to passe And Bellarmine himselfe so farre subscribes hereunto as by professing that It is good that evills shoul come to passe by Gods permission The same Austin confesseth that The perversity of the heart comes to passe by the secret judgment of God And againe that after a wonderfull and unspeakable manner even those things which are committed against the will of God to wit against the will of his commandment do not come to passe besides the will of God to wit the will of his purpose Anselme the most ancient of schoole Divines in his booke of the concord of foreknowledge with free will Considering saith he that what God willeth cannot but be when he wills that the will of mā shall not be constrained by any necessity to will or no and withall will have an effect follow the will of man In this case it must needs be that the will of man is free and that also which God willeth shall come to passe to wit by that will of man Now observe what in the next place he concludeth hence In these cases therefore it is true that the worke of sin which man will doe must needs be though man doth not will it of necessity And in his concord of predestination and free will In Good things God doth worke both that they are and that they are good in evill things he workes onely that they are not that they are evill Hugo de sancto Victore 1. De sacr 4. p. 13. When we say God willeth that which is good it sounds well but if we say God willeth evill it is harsh to eares neither doth a pious mind admit of the good God that he willeth evill for hereby he thinkes the meaning is that God loves and approves of that which is evill therefore the pious mind abhorres it not because that which is said is not well said but because that which is well said is not well understood To these I adde the testimony of Bradwardine at large A man reputed so pious in those dayes that the Kings prospe ous successe in those dayes was cheifly imputed unto his piety who followed him in his warres in France as Preacher in the camp In the last place I make answer to the Sophisticall arguments of Aquinas and Durandus and the frothy disputation of Valentianus all of them standing to maintaine the contrary Now let every sober Christian judge of this Authors proposition when he saith that If God doth will and procure sin c. he is worse then the Devill For I have made it evident by variety of Scripture testimonyes by reason and also with the concurrence of diverse learned Divines that it is Gods will that sin should come to passe even the horrible outrages committed against the holy sonne of God were before determined by Gods hand and counsell Now what followes herehence by this Authours dicourse but that the holy Apostles yea and the Spirit of God do make God worse then the Devill So little cause have we to be impatient when such horrible blasphemyes are layd to our charge when we consider what honourable compartners we have in these our sufferings Yet see the vanity of this consequence represented most evidently For albeit the will of Gods decree be powerfull effectuall and irresistable and consequently every thing decreed thereby shall come to passe powerfully effectually irresistibly yet this respects onely the generality of the things eveniency not the manner how For onely things necessary shall by this irresistible wil of God come to passe necessarily But as for contingent things they by the same irresistable will of God shall come to passe also but how not necessarily but contingently that is with a possibility of not comming to passe Now the free actions of men are one sort of contingent things They therefore shall infallibly come to passe also by vertue of Gods irresistible will but how Not necessarily but contingently that is with a possibility of not coming to passe in generall as they are things contingent And in speciall they shall come to passe not contingently onely but freely also that is with a free power in the
Behold Reader the issue of this man's Divinity and whether he be not leading thee into the very chambers of death by working thee with him to oppose the free grace of God both in predestination and in regeneration and the power and efficacy therereof in working thee to faith to repentance and to every thing that is pleasing and acceptable unto him that through Jesus Christ Yet we have shewed a manifest difference between God's moving the creature unto that which is good and moving the creature unto such acts as are evill For in evill be moves only to the substance of the act whereof our Adversaries themselves acknowledge God to be the Authour that is the efficient cause and this he performes by influence generall But as touching every good act the Lord moveth not only to the substance of the act by influence generall but also to the goodnes thereof by influence speciall He proceeds to tell us what Philosophers teach concerning the condition of the will And because it is very absurd for a Christian to goe to schoole to Philosophers to learne the condition of Divine providence he tels us of Fathers too that maintaine the same as he saith but he quotes neither the one nor the other Now I would gladly know what Father hath ever taught that God hath no power over the will of man to convert it and ex nolentibus volentes facere of unwilling to make men willing to worke men to faith to repentance to all kind of pious obedience And as for God's secret providence in evill how plentifull is the Scripture concerning this God is said to have sent Ioseph into Egypt though this was brought to passe by the parricidiall hands of his brethren To tell David that the sword should not depart from his house though this could not be taken up or used but by the free will of men To send Senacherib against a dissembling nation and to professe that this proud King in all his bloudy executions upon the people of God was but as the axe or the sawe in the hand of God The like is testified concerning Nabuchodonosor after him Nay the Prophet demands Whether there be any evill in the Citty and the Lord hath not done it speaking of the evill of punishment though wickedly executed by the hands of wicked men that the Lord caused the King of Assur to fall by the sword in his own land though this was done by the hands of his own children And as in violent courses so in impure courses the Scripture as plainly testifies the secret providence of God to have place therein And what doth Austin observe from the like places both in his fift book against Iulian the Pelag c 3 and in his book de gratia libero arbitrio professing occulto Dei judicio fieri perversitatem cordis that the perversity of the heart or will comes to passe by the secret judgment of God And the power that God hath over the wills of men to incline them even to evill that is his phrase as I have formerly shewed abundantly representing the places where he delivers this He proceeds not so much in Scholasticall discourse as in rhetoricall amplification more like a Shrew vexing him selfe and fretting that he cannot have his will then like a disputer That which necessitates the will makes it become but a servile instrument irresistably subject to superiour command and determination this action of command comes in most unseasonably it denoting a morall action commanding not only things agreable but sometimes contrary to the will of the person commanded No such thing hath place in God's moving of the will of man did he move it unto sinne which yet is most false for he moves it only to the substance of the act But why should it seeme strange that the creature should be a Servant to the Creator and his instrument and a servile instrument Yet the notion of servility is very aliene from the matter in hand that having place only in proper speech as touching morall obedience that which we treat of is rather of motions naturall and of the subordination of the second cause to the first the second Agent to the first And was ever any sober man known to oppose this with such froth of words as this Authour doth Doth this Authour himselfe thinke it possible that the Creature can move it selfe or performe any operation without God's concourse I doe not think he doth Doe we not live in God have we not our being in God And what is this other then to say that our life and being depend on God in the kind of a cause efficient And doth not the same Apostle and in the same place testifie and that in the words of an heathen man to shew that all such did not so maintaine the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condition of the will as to maintaine the exemption of it from influence Divine professe that in God we move also And the truth is all the question is about the manner of this concourse divine whereabouts this Authour spends not a word as if he kept his breath for some other purpose then to deale on that point which alone is controverted The irresistable subjection he speaks of is no more then the bereaving of the will of her liberty which is most untrue For proof whereof I appeale to every man that will but look upon Alvarez that maintaines this divine motion of will under the notion of determining And upon Bradwardine who alone that I know maintaines the same divine motion under the notion of necessitating Whereas he infers herehence that God is a truer cause of all such acts and sins that proceed from the will so determined then the will is Oftentimes he hath set before us such Coleworts but we have nothing but his bare word for it And it depends merely upon this that the action of the creature is not free Whereas both Bradwardin maintaines that God necessitates the creature to every free act of his And Alvarez that God determines the creature to worke freely Now is it a sober course hence to inferre that the act is not free As much as to say it cannot but be free therfore it is not free And yet we know that every one naturally is prone to sinne and in the best of God's children there is a principle that inclines to sinne God is confessed by our very opposites to be the true cause of the act yet not at all the cause of the sin by his concourse Only they differ from us as touching the nature of this concourse We say God concurres to the producing of the act as it becomes not an Agent only but the first Agent not a cause only but the first cause and man as a second Agent and second cause that moveth in God as the Apostle testifies like as he lives in God and hath his being in God But these
cap. 9. Isti aut minorem acceperunt amoris divini gratiam quam illi qui in eadem perstiterunt aut si utriquè boni aequaliter creati sunt istis mala voluntate cadentibus illi amplius adjuti ad eam beatitudinis plenitudinem unde se nunquà m casuros certissimi fierent pervenerunt so likewise that Gods permission is enough to prostitute any man unto sinne And not our Divines only but Arminius also and others Arminius Exam. pag. 152. Quoties voluntas permittitur a Deo ut faciat aliquid necesse est ut nullo argumentorum genere persuadeatur ad nolendum secùs permissio non fieret And Pag. 157. thus he defines the permission of sinne Permissio peccati est suspensio omnium impedimentorum quibus positis peccatum non fieret Now let any sober man judge whether herehence it it followeth not necessarily necessitate consequenti◠suppositionis that sinne shall be to wit upon the removing of all those impediments upon the position whereof sinne could not be considering that an impediment of sinne in this case and in Arminius his phrase is every thing quo posito peccatum non fuerit Vorstius in like manner in Amicitia duplicatione Pag. 213. Fateor quidem permissione jam positâ in actu necessariò etiam poni rem aliquam permittendam idque ob necessariam talium relatorum ad se invicem habitudinem atque in arguendo mutuam quandam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae ferre non potest ut unum sine altero reipsâ sit nedum ut alterum extra se quidquam verè agat altero ne quidem adhuc existente nedum verè patiente aut contra Navarettus in 1. Quest 19. Art 9. § 2. maintaines Posita permissione infallibilitèr sequi quod permittitur Austin himselfe supposeth as much where he saith Ad omnipotentissimam suam bonitatem pertinere potiùs bona ex malis elicere quam mala esse non sinere For hereby he gives to understand that God permits sinne with a purpose to work good out of evill Now this manifestly implies that upon Gods permission of sinne sinne shall exist Nay how can this be avoided unlesse we deny that God alone is he that keepes us from running into sinne and maintaine that man can doe this of himselfe without that speciall grace of God whereby he keepes us from sinne yet in the Councel of Palestine it was concluded that Gods grace was required to every act and Pelagius himselfe was driven to subscribe thereunto and to anathematize those that denied Now let us examine what this grace of God is which is necessarily required to every good act whether God doth not work the will thereunto according to that I will cause them to walk in my statutes and keep my judgements and doe them Ezech. 36. 28. or whether it be only such a Cooperate grace as some now a daies blush not to professe as whereby God workes in us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Velle bonum modò Velimus this I can shew under the hand of a zealous Partizan for Arminius Now I hope there is no such cunning contrivance in the permission of sinne Farther there are certain occasions opportunities offered for the cōmitting of sin in the course of the World We willingly ascribe unto God the administratiō of these and so doth Arminius and that not of Occasions only but of Arguments also inciting unto sin Disput Pub. Thes 9. De Iustitiâ Efficaciâ providentiae Dei in malo Num. 6. Efficientia Dei circa peccatum concernit tum actum ipsum tum vitiositatem ejus Efficientia quae circa initium consideratur vel impeditio vel permissio est cui addimus administrationem argumentorum occasionum ad peccatum incitantium Yet there is a greater power of provocation unto sin then all these that is by the practises of Satan who goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whō he may devoure How coms he to have such liberty Hath not God power to bind Satan for a thousand years and more if it please him The Devills sometime besought our Saviour that he would not send them into the deep surely they acknowledged thereby his power to send them thither yet he did not though he was not ignorant that their going about was like so many roaring lyons to devoure the soules of men by provoking unto sin As for those that Tiberius set about Drusus and Nero to provoke them what were they comparable to the Devill and his Angells for the practising of provoking courses But Tiberius bid his servants to provoke Drusus and Nero and not to spare but can any say truely that we maintaine that God bids the Devill to provoke this Author or any such Arminian spirit to make such parallels as these Yet 1 Kings 22. we read when a wicked spirit offers his service to God to intice Ahab that he might goe and fall at Ramoth-Gilead that by becoming a lying spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets the Lord not only accepts it saying Goe forth and doe so but also tells him thou shalt entice him and shalt also prevaile That was a great deale more then was in the power of Tiberius or his instigators or the Devills themselves And did not Ahab deserve as much at the hands of God And why might not this Author and his fellowes have deserved so much at the hands of God as to have a lying spirit put in the mouthes of them on whom they depend for resolution in poynts of Divinity and that they prevaile with them also And why may not he also be thus given over to illusions to believe lies Nay what doe we talk of desert in this Did not the Devill provoke Eve and Adam to sin against God in Paradise Could not God have kept the Devill off Why did he not Cur non intercessit circumscriptorem colubrum cohibuit to speak in Tertullians phrase Doth it not manifestly appeare that it was Gods will to have them tempted to have them provoked unto sin why not Is it lawfull for a man to lay a bait of gold and silver in his servants way to try his fidelity and whether such a provocation will make a breach upon his honesty and shall not such a course be lawfull unto God for this nothing hinders their liberty of transgressing And to serve God while we are not tempted to sin against him is a poor commendation If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small saith Solomon Iob. 1. 11. Stretch out now thine hand and touch all that he hath and see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face as much as to say Let but Iob be in this manner provoked and see whether he will not blaspheame What is the Lords answere Lo all that he hath is in thine hand only upon himselfe shalt thou not stretch out thine hand Hereupon Satan goes to his work One messenger comes and brings tydings saying The Oxen were
so Gods grace preserved him from such excesse but that the Ministers Tiberius set about them did more provoke them by exasperating courses then God did in like manner provoke Ionah it doth not appeare but had Ionah hereupon broken forth into blasphemies had Ionah's sinne been excusable or Gods course blameable Revel 16. 21. we read of a great hayle that fell upon the men like Talents out of heaven and men blaspheamed God because of the plague of the hayle for the plague thereof was exceeding great And Isai 8. 21. The Lord prophecyeth that He that is afflicted and famished shall goe to and fro and when he shall be hungry he shall even fret himselfe and curse his King and his Gods and look upward such plagues are the work of God for there is no evill in the citty but the Lord hath done it Amos 3. But let them look unto it that thereupon take occasion to blaspheme And Tentatio probationis was never yet that I know denyed unto God to try whether they will blaspheme God or no. To this end Satan desired to have an hand on Job yet not so much to try whether he would blaspheme or no but being confident he should bring him to blaspheme Job 1. 11. stretch out now thine hand and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face The Lord gave him leave and Job acknowledgeth the Lords hand in all that Satan did saying The Lord gave and the Lord takes away yet in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly Satan desires yet farther liberty saying skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thy hand but save his life So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boyles from the sole of his foot unto his crowne and he took him a potshard to scrape himselfe withall and he sate down among the ashes Then said his Wife unto him Doest thou yet continue in thy integrity Curse God and dye She manifested the inward corruption of her irreligious heart Job might have brought her to a forme of godlines by his pious courses in his family but litle power of godlinesse doth appeare upon her For as Solomon saith If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small It seems her heart was sowred with Atheisme thinking the world was governed by chance rather then by divine providence and consequently it was all one whether a man did blesse God or curse God and a madnesse to make a conscience of walking in integrity and that in Iobs case at this time whether he did blesse God he must dye or whether he did curse God he could but dye and better it was for him thus impoverished thus afflicted to dye then to live as for the powers of the world to come it seems she never had but a tast of them and that tast never produced any true faith in her concerning them Here was a sore temptation the very gates of hell playing upon him with their greatest Ordinance to batter if it were possible his shield of faith But what is Iobs answer Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh What shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evill In all this did not Iob sin with his lips The worke of Satan in the impoverishing of Iobs estate and afflicting his person cannot be denied to be Gods work As for the work of his wife why might not that be the work of God as well as the work of Satan For did not Satan sin in all this As our Saviour saith that he was a murtherer from the beginning and as S t Peter saith The devill goes about like a roring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure so who can make doubt but these courses practised against Iob were fruits of his murthering and devouring disposition And all sides now a daies confesse that the act of the most flagitious sin committed by man or Angell is the work of God in the way of a principall efficient cause as well as it is the work of the creature And as for the sinfulnesse of the act either of the Devill or his Wife that was not it which did or could hurt Iob but the works wrought by Satan the temptation atheisticall proposed by his Wife this was the greatest danger in the consideration thereof to corrupt his soule for that is it alone that workes upon the will to incline it And as for their sinning herein that proceeded from the want of Gods feare according to that of Abraham Genes 20. 10. I said surely the feare of God is not in this place therefore they will slay me for my Wives sake And albeit God engageth himselfe towards some for the putting of his feare in their hearts that they shall never depart away from him Ierim 36. 40. yet he hath not engaged himselfe thus farre towards all For the Apostle plainly professeth that He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth Rom. 9. 18. and hardning we know is denying the feare of God either as touching the habituall infusion thereof or as touching the actuall excitation thereof after it is infused Yet I deny not but obduration and excaecation are sometimes promiscuously used the one for the other because of the strict conjunction that is betwixt them And as touching the particular act of Convitiation Austin spares not to professe that even when it is committed by man it is brought forth by God out of his secret providence lib. 9. Confess cap. 8. Quid egisti Deus meus unde curasti unde sanasti nonne protulisti durum acutum ex alterâ animâ convitium tanquam medicinale ferrum ex occultis provisionibus tuis uno ictu putredinem illam praecidisti And whereas Bellarmine endeavoureth to blast the evidence of this place giving testimony unto Gods secret providence in evill I have endeavoured to shew the vanity of his discourse in my Vind. Grat. Dei lib. 2. Crim. 3. digress 2. cap. 13. And in what congruity can it be said that God bid Shimei to curse David but that in the same analogy of faith it may be said that God bid Iobes Wife in this manner to tempt him And which of the two was the greatest provocation Tiberius his Ministers Provocation of Drusus and Nero or Shimei's provocation of David rayling on him to his face the Subject blaspheaming his Prince undoubtedly the provocation was nothing inferior only here was the difference Tiberius gave such commandment to his Ministers so to provoke Drusus and Nero God gave no such commandement in proper speech unto Shimei but rather commanded the contrary in his law Thou shalt not speak evill of the ruler of thy people But Gods secret providence whereby he
have I received this from three severall hands of Arminians each giving the same interpretation of it as if it were called a strange work because it is alienum a naturâ Dei I know none but Papists doe justify them in this interpretation in my judgement a most unreasonable exposition the Lord taking unto himselfe the execution of judgement as his peculiar saying vengeance is mine and I will repay And Magistrates are but Gods Ministers for this And he professeth his delight in this as well as in the execution of mercy It is true he doth not inflict judgement without cause for that were not a work of judgement in proper speech but of power and absolutenesse rather as in turning a holy and innocent creature into nothing And in that respect he is said not to afflict willingly sinne alwaies deserving it Mercy is of another nature and supposeth free grace though I find little or no notice this Author takes of this throughout his discourse Neither doe I find that he or any Arminian acknowledge that the change of a mans heart is wrought in a man of the meere grace of God without any motive cause in the creature Neither doe all Papists concurre in this interpretation for Lyra and Burgensis are together by the eares hereabouts and our Divines as Junius and Piscator doe render it opus insolens terribile an unusuall and terrible judgement interpreting it of bringing the Babylonians upon them so strange a worke that they should wonder at it And as Moses foretold that God should bring upon them Wonderfull judgements Deut. 28. So the Prophet Abakuk sets it forth in like manner Abak 1. 5. Behold among the Heathen and regard and wonder and marvaile for I will worke a worke in your daies you will not believe it though it be told you For loe I raise up the Caldeans that bitter and furious nation which shall goe upon the breadth of the Land to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs And Jer. 19. 3. Behold I will bring a plague upon this place which whosoever heareth his eares shall â—ingle For seeing Gods lawes are strange things unto them Hos 8. 12. God would bring such judgements upon them that should be as strange unto them And in the same phrase it is said that destruction is to the wicked and strange punishment to the workers of iniquity Job 31. 3. Yet be this granted him it is nothing to the purpose For be it never so deere unto God yet if he restraineth his chiefe mercy which consists in changing the heart whereof this Author seems unwilling to take any distinct notice only to the Elect called accordingly in Scripture vessells of mercy in distinction from vessells of wrath which are the Reprobates this nothing prejudiceth the absolutenesse of reprobation And as for the frequent exercise thereof we read Zeph. 3. 5. That every morning God bringeth his judgements to light and as for the mercy which consists in regenerating man which alone is to the present purpose it is apparent that it is farre lesse frequently shewed then the contrary judgement in obduration And certainly the vessells of mercy are by farre fewer then the vessells of wrath and as for temporall mercies the more frequent they are the worse where the spirit of regeneration is wanting through the corruption of man that makes him thereupon the more obdurate The vanity of the next as touching the amplitude of the objects whereto mercy is extended though this alone is to the present purpose I have already sufficiently discovered it being apparent that in Scripture phrase only the Elect are counted vessells of mercy and all the rest vessells of wrath As there be examples of Gods long suffering and patience so we have fearfull examples of the suddainesse of Gods judgements taking Men and Women away in the very act of sinne Thus the Israelites in the Wildernesse when the flesh of Quailes was in their mouth the heavy wrath of God came upon them and sent them to the graves of lust Zimri and Cozbi perished in their incestuous act and gave up both lust and ghost together Balshazzar a King cut off in his drunken revells to make good the Prophecy of Isaiah The night of my pleasures hath he turned into feare unto me And in like manner the wrath of God seazed upon Herod in his pride But above all this appears in Gods dealings with his Angells who sinned once and fell for ever without all hope of recovery And as for Gods sparing a man in case God gives not repentance what will be the issue but filling up of the measure of their sinnes For to speak in Austins language Contra Julian Pelag. lib. 5. cap. 4. Quantamlibet praebuerit patientiam nisi Deus dederit quis agit paenitentiam Now the case is cleare God gives repentance to a very few who are in Scripture called vessells of mercy which nothing at all prejudiceth the absolutenesse of reprobation 5. Of the riches of Gods mercies to his children we nothing doubt but what doth this prejudice the absolutenesse of reprobating those whom he never meaneth to make his children But here it is to be suspected that this Author accounts all and every one the children of God for forthwith he confounds this notion with the notion of creatures quite contrary to the most generall current of Scripture not of the New Testament only which teacheth us that we are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. and if children then heires even heirs of God and heirs annext with Christ Rom. 8. But of the old Testament also Gen. 6 2. The sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that they were faire c. Exod. 4. 22. Thou shalt say to Pharaoh thus saith thè Lord Israel is my Sonne my first borne wherefore I say let my Sonne goe that he may serve me if thou refuse to let him goe behold I will visit thy Sonne even thy first borne Deut. 14. 1. Ye are the children of the Lord your God 2. Thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a precious people to himselfe above all the people that are upon the earth That of the Hen though we give him liberty to amplify her naturall affections as one of the most affectionate Females among unreasonable creatures yet doth it nothing profit him for it represents Gods love appropriated to his Children which nothing prejudiceth the absolutenesse of his power reprobating others Nay rather as it justifies his absolutenesse in electing them if we consider the meere grace of God to have made the difference as the Scripture sheweth Deut. 7. 7. The Lord loved you because he loved you and Deut. 9. at large he beats them out of all conceit of any righteousnesse in them moving the Lord to plant them in the Land of Canaan so by consequent it justifies the Doctrine of absolute reprobation also for as much as the Apostle
such as believe and repent and undoubtedly if all and every one should believe and repent all and every one should be saved by him on the other side if not one should believe and repent not one should be saved by him But what doth this Author think of faith and repentance Are these also benefits purchased unto us by the merits of Christ This is the poynt that puts all the Arminians to their purgation If they be so then I demand Whether Christ purchased these to be obtained by all and every one absolutely or conditionally if absolutely then all and every one must have faith and repentance and consequently all and every one must be saved if only conditionally then let them name upon what condition the gift of faith is to be obtained and let them look to it how they avoyd the giving of grace according to mens works which in the phrase of the Ancients is the giving of grace according to mens merits The sonne of man came to seeke that which was lost Luk. 19. 10. We grant that but when it is added that is every man we deny this As for the reason added for every man was lost put these propositions into a Syllogisme and see what stuffe it will make thus Christ came to save that which was lost every man was lost therefore Christ came to save every man Now let every young Sophister judge whether here be not foure termes had it been said that Christ came to save every one that is lost the place had been indeed alleadged to the purpose It is also said I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel let this be understood only as touching the exercising of Christs Ministry among them for this Author I suppose will not say he was sent to redeem them only will it herehence follow that seeing every one of them was lost therefore he exercised his Ministry unto every one of them how improbable a thing is this How much lesse did he exercise his Ministry amongst the twelve Tribes dispersed in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia c. Yet my former distinction may serve to accommodate the businesse and to cleare the truth although we prove so liberall as to grant him his hearts desire Lastly as touching that Acts 3. 26. To you hath God sent his Sonne to blesse you in turning every one of you from your iniquities every one of you that is saith this Authors glosse as well you that receive him as you that receive him not But let us not carry the matter in hugger mugger without distinction If this were the end of Christs coming into the world then it was intended by some one or other and that must needs be God Now did God intend that they should be turned from their iniquities absolutely or conditionally If absolutely then all must be turned from them if conditionally then shew what that condition is if faith we willingly grant that as many as believe shall be blessed and turned from their iniquities For Christ indeed dyed for this end namely to redeeme us from our iniquities and to purge us a peculiar people unto himselfe zealous of good workes But as for faith and repentance which is also a gift of Christ Christ did not purchase this for all absolutely for if he did then all should believe if conditionally then upon some work of man and consequently the gift and grace of faith shall be bestowed according unto mans works which is expresse Pelagianisme To the contrary that Christ died not for all I prove thus First the reason why none can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect is because Christ died for them Rom. 8. If therefore Christ died for all none can lay any thing to the charge of a Reprobate more then to the charge of Gods Elect. Secondly Christ prayed only for those who either did or should believe in him and for whom he prayed for them only he sanctified himselfe Ioh. 17. And what is the meaning of the sanctifying of himselfe for them but that he meant to offer up himselfe in Sacrifice upon the crosse for them as Maldonate confesseth was the joynt interpretation of all the Fathers whom he had read Thirdly did he dye only for all then living or which should afterwards be brought forth into the World or for all from the beginning of the world If so then he dyed for all those that already were damned Fourthly if he dyed for them then Christ hath made satisfaction for their sinnes and is it decent that any man should fry in Hell for those sinnes for which Christ hath satisfied Lastly if Christ hath died for all then hath he merited Salvation for all and shall any faile of that salvation which Christ hath merited for them Is it decent that God the Father should deale with Christ his Sonne not according to the exigence of his merits If we had merited salvation for our selves would God in justice have denied it unto us Why then should he deny any man salvation in case Christ hath merited salvation for him DISCOURSE SECT III. 1. THe Ministry of the Word and Sacraments is given also to the same end and is in its owne proper nature and use an instrument of conveying the spirit of regeneration to those that enjoy it and to all those I cannot have better proofes for this than those that our Reverend Divines of Dort have gathered to my hands Isa 59. 21. This is my Covenant with them sayth the Lord my spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor seeds seed for ever Hinc patet say they from these words it appears that the Word and Spirit are joyned together in the Ministry of the Word with an inseperable bond by promise of God Hence it is that the Ministers of the New Testament are called Ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit not of the letter which kills but of the Spirit which gives life and the Ministry of the Gospell is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same place v. 8. the Ministry of the Spirit Hence is the Gospell called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grace bringing Salvation Tit. 2. 11. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5. 19. To these let me adde 1 Pet. 1. 23. where the word is called the seed of the new birth and 2 Cor. 5. 20. where Ministers are called Embassadours for Christ to beseech men to be reconciled to God and they are so called to shew that the Word preached is by Gods appointment an instrument to make men new creatures and that the matter of Ministers errand is peace and reconciliation and the proper fruit of it in Gods intent is not the obduration and destruction but the conversion and salvation of men The same men out of Ioh. 15. 22. if I had not
the part of Sysiphus for he takes great paines inkindeling a fire but alasse he cannot warme himselfe thereby he must blow his nails still there is no remedy And truly I see noe reason to the contrary but that a man as profitably bestowes his paines in picking strawes or playing with feathers as this Authour doth in such maner of discourses Domitian killed flyes but this Author doth not so much as flap a flye only I confesse he doth very energetically discover the nakednesse of his owne discourse And such be the issue of those that affect a name by becomming Arminian Proselits and shew as litle grace in their writings as it becomes them whose growth in perfection by their owne account is to appose the grace of God Pelagian like whom Austin was bould to call the enemyes of Gods graee Indeed it was high tyme for Balaam to leave his sorceries when he saw the Lord was determined to blesse Israel For his sorceries were no meanes to blesse them but to curse them rather In like sort if I am perswaded that God hath appoynted me unto Salvation it will be high tyme for me to leave off all care of faith repentance and good workes when this Author shall make it appeare that these studies are no more conducent in Gods ordination unto salvation then Balaams sorceries were to the blessing of Israel but rather the high-way unto damnation as his sorceries were to the cursing of the Lords people I make no doubt what this Authors creed is to the contrary I care not but that every mans temporall estate is determined in heaven as well as Pauls escaping safe out of shipwrack and all that were in the same ship to the number of two hundred threscore and sixteen soules yet both Paul and all the rest did not take their ease but were vigilant to take all opportunity to use the best meanes for their safe arrivall at the land some by swimming some by sitting on bords some on one piece of the ship some on another and so and not but so they came all safe to land And as our Divines in the Synod of Dort observe albeit the Lord had promised Ezechiah he should recover and fifteen years more should be added to his life yet he refused not the counsaile of the Prophet Esay in laying a plaster of figges unto his sore We know what was the forme of Ionahs Preaching to the Ninivites Ion. 3. 4. Yet forty daies and Niniveh shall be destroyed Here we have an absolute forme of sentence denounced against them And the people of Niniveh believed God Yet did they not give over all courses for the pacifying of the wrath of God but proclaimed a fast and put on sack-cloath from the greatest of them to the least of them the King himselfe arising from his throne and laying his robe from him and covering himselfe with sack-cloath and sitting in ashes and commanding others to doe the like And mark their reason Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne from his fierce wrath that we perish not In like sort damnation being determined to none but to such as are finally impenitent and this being not doubtfully or obscurely but clearely revealed unto us in Gods word shall our endeavours to turne unto God by Godly sorow and repentance be accounted vaine and fruitlesse in the judgement of any sober man And let this Author look unto it that these Ninivites doe not one day rise in judgement against him And not the Ninivites only but the Stoicks also who as they acknowledged some things fatalia so they confessed there were some things confatalia And this very argument here used they commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an idle argumentation because it tended to the humouring of men in their idle courses And thus is it censured above 1500 yeares agoe by Cicero in his Booke De fato It is the blessing of God that makes men fat and if God hath determined this and man knows it will he therefore sit still and starve himselfe It is the blessing of God that makes men rich God promised as much to the Israelites in case they kept his Commandements which commandements did not instruct them in good husbandry but where they instigated hereby to neglect any usuall meanes of making themselves rich Nothing lesse nay God was jealous least in presumption of their owne wise and thriftie courses they should give the glory of it to themselves and not to God Deut. 8. 17. Beware least thou say in thy heart My power and the strength of mine owne hand hath prepared me this abundance But remember the Lord thy God for it is he which giveth thee power to get substance If it be sayd that God hath not determined to make any man fat but by feeding nor any man rich but by labouring in some vocation or other I answer That neither hath God determined to bring any man to Salvation but by Sanctification of the spirit and faith of the truth 2 Thess 2. 13. By feeding on Gods Word which is the word of grace able to save our Soules Iam. 1. and to build further and to give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified through faith in him In like sort if God hath appoynted every Commonwealth a fatall period yet if he hath appointed to bring them to flourishing estate by certaine meanes or to desolation no otherwise then by neglecting the meanes of prosperitie as it is aparent he doth not would any wise man conclude hence that it were bootlesse either to call Parliaments or to make use of privy Councelors But this Author perhaps will reply that this is not absolutely to ordaine a period to a state for as much as the period is brought to passe by meanes Be it so Now let the indifferernt consider whether we doe maintaine that the periods of men to wit Salvation on the one side and damnation on the other are by God brought to passe without meanes Doe we maintaine that God damnes or decreeth to damne any man but for finall perseverance in sinne Doe we maintaine that God brings any man to Salvation if he come to the use of reason but by faith repentance and good-workes But the truth is this Authors ignorance in part and in part a dexterity that this Sect hath to confound things that differ is his best armour of proofe to hold up his confidence in spending his powder liberally but without shot For salvation is not bestowed or damnation inflicted absolutely but that meerely upon the foregoing of faith and repentance this meerely upon finall perseverance in sinne Only regeneration together with the grace of faith and repentance is bestowed absolutely by God upon whom he will and denyed to whom he will according to that of Paul He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth And it is very strange that this being the criticall poynt and the most momentous poynt of controversy and such
doth obtrude upon us that Manoahs Wife had no faith but only a probability of this that is his glosse yet this acceptation of a burnt offering at their hands was manifested by no lesse then a miracle and the difference between Abels offering and Caines offering is laid downe to be this that The Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering but unto Cain and to his offering he had no regard Gen. 4. 4 5. And Davids prayer for acceptation and finding favour at the hands of God is set downe in this manner amongst other particulars Let him remember all thine offerings and turne thy burnt offerings into ashes Psal 20. 3. Yet why should he conceive that Manoah and his Wife were not in temptation and that a very sore one strēgthened with the expres word of God namely that No man can see God live which in these days was generally received amongst thē applyed by thē in this particular For Manoah said unto his Wife we shall surely dye because we have seen God could a probability to the contrary put by such a temptation as this How was the great Prophet Esay exercised with this when he cryed out Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of polluted lipps and dwell in the midst of a people of polluted lipps for mine eyes have seen the King and Lord of Hosts What temptation hath he that thinkes himselfe a reprobate like unto this excepting still the guilte of that sinne which is unto death What ground of Scripture can they represent to prove that they are reprobates as those Ancients had ground for this that they must dye who had seen God It is one thing to be in temptation it is an other thing to yeeld to the temptation and to be overcome with it and that upon no ground which yet this Author confounds as a course very propitious for his turne and suitable with the part that he acteth As for Jacob the cause was this he that now enjoyed as it were the death of Joseph for many yeares his sonnes pretending they knew not what became of him yet brought his Coat imbrued with bloud unto their old Father who there upon conceived some evill beast had devoured him and who could expect that at the first hearing he should believe now the report of the same sonnes to the contrary especially considering how those brethren of Ioseph were astonished when Joseph himselfe told them saying I am Joseph doth my father yet live for the text saith his brethren could not answer him for they were astonished at his presence And though Iacob at the first believed not the report they made to be true yet neither is it said or likely that he believed it to be false But the Text saith his heart failed him denoting a condition betweene hope and feare as the Geneva noteth in the Margent As for Thomas his incredulity which he ascribeth unto a temptation he may as well ascribe the infidelity of Turkes Jewes unto a temptation The person tempted here represented doth not say I hope as Thomas did Except I see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nayles and put my hand into his side I will not believe it And what power doe Arminians attribute unto temptation doe they ascribe more unto it then to the operation of God which with them extends no farther then this as touching grace then to excite them to believe which yet they may resist if they will And may they not also resist the Divells temptations if they will Especially considering that in perswading them that they are Reprobates the Divell proceeds upon no ground which is not common to every one of Gods elect when he saith They will not believe any thing that is said for their comfort till it be made so apparent that they have nothing to say to the contrary It seemes this Author hath had some extraordinary experience of the condition of persons tempted I had thought the condition of persons not tempted only but giving way to the temptation had been for the most part unreasonable untill it pleaseth God to bring them to their right wits and like as feares property is to betray the succours that reason offereth so is the Devills practice to take them off from attending that to they cannot answer and holding them to their uncomfortable conclusions in despight of the weaknesse of their own premises and strength of contrary principles Excepting the case of finning against the Holy Ghost which was the case of Francis Sptra and accordingly his conclusions were most true as his premises strong and his comforters had little or nothing to say to the contrary And in such a case the only course to quench the fiery darts of desperation is to enquire diligently about the matter of fact whether he hath committed any such sinne as he layeth to his charge and thereupon to discourse of the nature of that sinne which is commonly called a sinne unto death and not only so but a sinne against the Holy Ghost which our Saviour pronounceth to be unpardonable and the Apostle signifieth as much when he saith that in such a case there is no more sacrifice for sinne but a fearfull expectation of fire And it may be this Authors discourse runneth with reference to such examples as this of Spira but fashioned at pleasure to serve his turne as formerly he did set down the story out of Coelius Secundus Calvin as he said but without any quotation of the place where But to enter upon a comparison between their doctrine and ours and that upon supposition of this rule delivered by him I say first that by our doctrine we can make it so evidently appeare that the tempted hath no ground at all to conceive himselfe to be a reprobate whatsoever his condition be except guiltinesse of the sinne against the Holy Ghost I say we can make it so evident that neither he nor any Arminian can say any reasonable thing to the contrary not denying but that they may say enough to the contrary in an unreasonable manner And my reason is because whatsoever his condition be it is no other then is incident to one of Gods elect Secondly I say as touching the Arminian doctrine two things The first is this There is no condition of man so holy in this life as whereby any man can have any assurance by Arminian doctrine that he is an elect of God and consequently no reprobate much lesse can they give any assurance to any man in the time of temptation as this Author speakes of it that he is no reprobate The Second is this Arminians can give assurance to no man that he is no reprobate for as much as all their grounds of comfort are common to the reprobate as well as to the elect wherehence it manifestly followeth that their doctrine can afford no better comfort then a reprobate
that they shall come to passe in such a manner as joyned with a possibility of not cōing to passe otherwise they should come to passe not contingently but necessarily But it is growne to be this Authours naturall genius miserably to overreach while he keeps himselfe to his own formes inshaping the opinion of his adversaries impatient to be beaten out of them and to have his veteres avias à pulmone repelli oldgrandmothers vain conceits to be pulled out of Lastly this Authour shapeth us to make damnation an end intended by God which we conceive to be a very shallow project we know nothing but Gods owne glory that can be this end And therefore even there where Solomon professeth that God made the wicked against the day of Evill herewithall acknowledgeth that God made all thinges forhimselfe At length we have gotten cleare aboard to come acquainted with this Authours full discourse and not by patches as hitherto we have done For here he promiseth to acquaint us with the reasons that have convinced him of the untruth of absolute Reprobation as it is carried the upper way and like a Martialist a man at armes he tells us they fight against it and thus the interpolator discourseth The first part of the first Argument against the supralapsarians sect 1. They are drawen ab incommodo from the greater evils and inconveniences which issue from it naturally which may be referred to two maine heads 1 The dishonour of God 2 The overthrow of religion and government It dishououreth God For it chargeth him deeply with two things no wayes agreeable to his nature 1 Mens Eternall torments in Hell 2 Their sinnes on Earth First It chargeth him with Mens eternall torments in Hell and maketh him to be the prime principall 2nd invincible cause of the damnation of Millions of miserable soules The prime cause because it reporteth him to have appointed them to distruction of his owne voluntary disposition antecedent to all deserts in them and the Principall and invincible cause because it maketh the Damnation of Reprobates to be necessary and unavoydable thorough Gods absolute and uncontroulable decree and soe necessary that they can no more escape it then poore Astyanax could avoyd the breaking of his necke when the Graecians tumbled him downe from the Tower of Troy Now this is an neavy charge contrary to scripture Gods nature and sound Reason 1 To Scripture which makes man the Principall nay the only cause in opposition to God of his owne ruine Thy destruction is of thy selfe ô Israell but in me is thine help As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of the wicked c. Turne yee turne yee why will yee dye He doth not afflict willingly nor greive the Children of men To which speech for likeneile sake I will joyne one of Prospers Gods predestination is to many the cause of standing to none of falling 2 It is contrary to Gods nature who sets forth himselfe to be a God mercifull gracious long suffering abundant in goodnesse c. And he is acknowledged to be soe by King David Thou Lord art good and mercifull and of great Kindnesse to all them that call upon thee And by the Prophets Joell Jonah and Michah He is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great Kindnesse And who saith Micah is a God like unto thee that taketh away iniquity c. He retaineth not his wrath for ever because mercy pleaseth him 3 'T is contrary also to sound reason which cannot but argue such a Decree of extreame cruelty and consequently remove it from the father of mercyes We cannot in reason thinke that any man in the world can so farre put off humanity and nature as to resolve with himselfe to marry and beget Children that after they be borne and have lived a while with him he may hang them up by the tongues teare thir flesh with scourges pull it from their bones with burning pincers or put them to any cruell tortures that by thus torturing them he may shew what his Authority and power is over them Much lesse can we believe without great violence to reason that the God of mercy can so farre forget himselfe as out of his absolute pleasure to ordaine such infinite multitudes of his Children made after his owne image to everlasting fire and create them one after another that after the end of a short life here he might torment them without end hereafter to shew his power and soveraingty over them If to destroy the righteous with the wicked temporally be such a peece of injustice that Abraham removeth it from God with an Absit wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked that be farre from thee O Lord. shall not the judge of all the world doe right How deepely may we thinke would that good man have detested one single thought that God resolveth upon the destruction of many innocent soules eternally in hell fire Here this Authour carrieth himselfe like another Ptolomeus Ceraunus or as if he had some cheife place in the lightning legion not by his prayers but by his discourse he seemes to thunder and to lighten all along When the Lord appeared to Elias he was neither in the mighty wind nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but in the still and soft voyce I hope to prove all this to be but Ignis fatuus Mountebancks use to make great ostentation and crackes but commonly they end in meere impostures and it is no hing strange when men opposing the grace of God loose their owne witts and please themselves in the confusion of their owne senses For when men are in love with their owne errours they hate the light yea the very light of nature in the distinct notice of it would be an offence unto them Can this Authour be ignorant of that which every meane Sophister knowes that there be foure kinds of causes Materiall Formall Efficient Finall that he should expatiate thus in speaking of a cause without all distinction Is it strange that God should be a prime cause and principall in execution of vengeance Doth he not professe saying vengeance is mine and I will repay Is he not called the God to whom vengeance belongeth And are not his magistrates his Ministers to execute vengeance temporall here in this world And can any sober man dout whether God be invincible whom the Apostle pronounceth to be irresistable Againe an efficient cause admits farther distinction for it is either Physicall or Morall Physicall is that which really workes or executes any thing as every tradesman hath his worke which his hands doe make so God hath his worke which he executes and his worke is judgment as well as mercy I am the Lord which shew mercy and judgment and righteousnesse for in these things I delight saith the Lord and he would have us when we doe glory glory in this that we doe understand and know him to
the end to bereave him of commō sense He contents himsele as his manner is with saying that Interpreters doe generally expound it as he doth some few he confesseth understand it other wise but most concurre with him to wit that it is delivered in earnest what a jest is this as if any Interpreter was ever known to say that our Savour spake not in earnest Neither doe I know any that interpreteth the place as he shapes it as if our Saviour spake according to the opinion of weak-minded faint-hearted men only Not one that I know putteth any such difference of men under the torments of hell Like as the Prophet speakes of the stoutest as well as the weakest Can thy heart endure or thine hands be strong in the day that I have to deale with thee or the Lord rather by the Prophet The School-men suppose without difference that the damned wish they had never been borne or rather that they had never been So the Saints of God in this life have broken forth into passionate expressions in the time of their extremity Maldonate on this place gives instance in many but the question is whether these proceed from the judgment of right reason or erroneous rather through the vehemēcy of passion whose course is as Aquinas observes extinguere rationem to extinguish reason And it is one of the three things as Aristotle observes in his bookes De Animâ that hinders the mind in her judgment The other two are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Disease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sleep the third is passion how much more when passion is stirred up by the sorest disease of all other the torments of hell fire 1. But if I am glad to see the issue whereto he drives his discourse For he grants that the scripture speakes sometimes according to men's opinions but without reason to fasten such an expression upon any Scripture is to doe as Dunses doe c. he gives no instance I will supply the want thereof and that out of one of those dunses a follower of Iohn Duns an eminet school-man from whose name school-men are called dunses whom this Authour was woont to magnifie Lychetus a Minorite is the man who is the first that I have found hitherto maintaining that God's purpose of election of any particular man may cease and the purpose of reprobating the same may come in the place thereof So the purpose of reprobating Iudas may come in the place thereof and that without all change in God This is a doctrine that now a dayes growes in request Penotus hath taken it up without betraying from whom he had it And Franciscus à sanctâ Clarâ after him and some of our Arminians I find inamoured with it Now this Lychetus when he is charged with the doctrine of Scotus as directly opposite hereunto his answer is in part that he speakes according to the opinion of others Now I desire not upon better termes to contend with M. Mason For Austine hath given many reasons to prove that simply and absolutely not to be is not a thing desirable above being though joyned with never so great misery of pain And the School-men acknowledge that Austine herein delivers his judgment and withall they concurre with him as Scot Biel Durandus Maldonat And it is evident that to be turned into nothing is an universall destruction of being so is not inflicting of punishment as both Durandus and Maldonat argue the case And saying that not to have any being at all is better for Iudas then to be in torment here is something affirmed of a subject that makes him of a better condition then otherwise which hath no place but upon supposition of a subjects existence that in distinction from an attribute affirmed of him which constitutes him in a condition of betternes now that that which is nothing by reason of being nothing should be better the something is one of the wildest expressions I think that hath been heard of since the world began And therewithall creatures began to have a being Againe consider take Gabriel the Arch-Angell most holy as a creature and let every sober man judge whether it were better for him not to be then being holy as he is to be tormented in hell fire I should think that albeit God should torment me with hell fiire yet if he should preserve my soule from sinne in the love of him out of the sense of his love towards me I should have infinitly more cause to rejoyce then to complain how weak soever I am at this present Thirdly if it be better and more desirable to have no being at all then to be in hell fire then this is to be uderstood of hell fire either without limitation of time only or with limitation If only it hold in respect of everlastingnesse then it followes it is better to be in hell fire provided a man shall not everlastingly continue there then to have no being at all though it be for a thousand yeares not only twise told but a thousand times over and over and that multiplied Cubically and yet no end of multiplication of the time of tormenting If it be better to have no being at all then to suffer hell torments so long then it is better to have no being at all then to suffer hell torments halfe so long For no reason can be given to the contrary In a word it will follow that it were better to have no being then to suffer hell torments one houre or halfe an howre or a quarter or a minute or halfe a minute For no reason can define the bounds within which it will be better to suffer the paines of hell fire then to be turned into nothing and beyond which it will be worse But M. Mason saith secondly This Scripture cannot in reason be thus expounded And he gives his reason for it Because it is an argument and ground by which Christ declareth the greatnesse or truth of the misery of Iudas and I pray let every sober man judge whether this be not a sufficient amplification of that misery that they shall wish they had never been or that they might be turned into nothing rather then suffer such torments How many preferre death before this worlds misery and so goe on to destroy themselves will it therefore follow that death indeed though it should be an utter abolition of man is not so bad as to suffer the miseries of this world The mistake of a damned person wishing not to be consists not in conceiving his torments to be unsufferable with any content or patience but in conceiving that by not being he should have ease which is a most absurd conceit arising merely from distraction of mind throug extremity of anguish So that all things rightly considered here is no encouragement for men to become Atheists Epicures unlesse this be an encouragement thereunto that their pain shall be so extreme and unsufferable as to make them
that it is a condition no way desirable by a reasonable creature no more then the suffering of hell fire But whereas hell fire cannot be suffered of any unlesse he hath a being here is something found desirable to wit the continuance of being But in the condition of being nothing there is not found any thing to be a fit Object of mans desire The third thing which I oppose is common sense which judgeth paines when they are extreame to be worse then death Hence it is that Job being tormented in his body by the Devill cursed his birth day magnified the condition of the dead and wished himselfe in the grave plainely preferring the losse of his being before that miserable being which he then had And hence it is that men even of stoutest and hardest spirits as we see by dayly experience would if they might enjoy their option choose rather to have no bodyes at all then bodyes tormented with the stone or gout or any other sharpe and sensible disease It is a knowen saying grounded on this judgement of sense Praestat semel quà m semper mori better it is to dye once then to be allwayes dying This the tyrant Tiberius knew very well and therefore he would not suffer those towards whom he purposed to exercise his cruelty to be put to a speedy death but by lingring torments And Suetonius repoâ—tâ—th of him in that chapter wherein he reckoneth up his barbarous and cruell practises These sayth he who would have dyed through the extremity of their torment he used meanes to keepe alive nam mortem adeo leve supplicium putabat For he accounted death so light a punishment that when he heard that one Carnulius a man appoynted to torments had prevented him he cryed out Carnulius me evasit Carnulius hath escaped mine hands To a prisoner entreating him to put him quickly to death he gave him this answer Nondum tecum redii in gratiam I am not yet friends with thee accounting it a great kindnesse to put him quickly to death whom he might have tortured Many that were called into question did partly wound themselves in their owne houses Ad vexationem ignominiosam vitandam to prevent that paine and ignominy which they knew they should endure And partly poysoned themselves in the mid'st of the Court as they were going to their aâ—â—aingment for the same cause Seneca speaking of one Mecaenas who was so a frayd of being dead that he sayd he would not refuse weakenesse deformity nec acutam crucem no nor the sharpest crucifying so that he might live still in these extreamityes he calleth his desire Turpissimum votum a base and most ignoble and unnaturall with and censureth him for a most effeminate and contemptible man because in all his evills he was afrayd of that which was the end of all evills the privation of his being And certainly we must needs conceive and censure them to be stocks and stones rather then flesh and blood who can so put of all feeling and sense as to thinke a tormented being in hell to be a lighter and lesser evill then no being at all We know that death to such as Iob was is not only better then extreame paines but better then all the joyes of this world by how much to be present with the Lord Christ is better then to be absent from him and we know sayth Paul to the unspeakable comfort of all true Christians that when the earthly house of this our tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God not made with hands but eternall in the heavens So that I wonder not a little at these wilde discourses of this Authour When he saith that even the stoutest and hardest spirits would choose rather to have no bodyes at all then bodyes tormented with the stone or gout what other is this then to desire that they were impassible would they not desire to have no soules too and to be without sense like stocks and stones But let every sober man judge whether this be a reasonable desire what Christian justifies Iob in cursing the day of his birth What Martyr hath not rejoyced in suffering not naturall diseases but the cruellest torments that most cruell and spightfull Tyrants could devise to be inflicted upon them And even to suffer other evills by course of nature brought upon us with patience acknowledging the hand of God therein and submitting unto his will justifying him as righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works and condemning our selves even this long a goe hath beene accounted for Martirdome in the judgement of Chrysostome It is true such proverbs have had their course in most nations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praestat semel quam semper mori And amongst us Better eye out then allwaies aking better one dead then allwaies dying But shall we take this hand over head without a difference between a Christian unchristian and heathenish interpretation As many as had an opinion of the immortall condition of the soule and withall of different conditions of men in joy or sorrow according to the condition of their life spent in their courses vertuous or vicious if they were well perswaded of their life past they might accordingly think it better for them to dye then live And it is noe lesse desirable to them who had no comfort in their life past Bradwardine hath such a meditation Mallem non esse quà m te offendere I had rather have no being at all then to offend thee speaking unto God Yet in sinning against him we are matter of his glory which we are not when we have no being at all Matter of his glory I say either in pardoning sinne or in punishing it or both But what sober man will justifie such a saying I had rather have no being at all then be troubled with the stone or gout Is not this the proper place for patience to have its perfect worke And if it be urged that this holds true only in evills tolerable not in case they prove intolerable I answer that surely the pain of stone or gout is not intolerable not any in the judgment of Paul whose profession was this I am able to doe all things his meaning is to suffer all things by the power of Christ that inableth me and when upon his prayer that the messenger of Satan might be removed from him he received this answer from the Lord My grace is sufficient for thee and my power is made perfect in thy weaknesse What is Paul's resolution hereupon though in himselfe a very weak creature I will gladly therefore rejoyce in my infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecution in anguish for Christ's sake For when I am weak then I am strong Doth not this extend to the very torments of hell suffered by our Saviour for our sakes Undoubtedly if the glory of heaven possesse
then to advance our selves into the very Throne of God's Soveraigntie and doe wee not feare least his wrath smoake us thence And if all this that hee contends for were granted him that nothing but mere necessitie were found in the motion of men's wills yet Suarez will justifie us from speaking contradiction or delivering ought that exceeds the compasse of God's omnipotencie And what if all the world were innocent yet God should not be unjust in casting the most innocent creature into hell fire as Medina professeth and that by the unanimous consent of Divines and Vasquez the Jesuite acknowledgeth this to be in the power of God as he is Lord of life and death and in the last chapter of the booke de praedestinatione gratiâ which goes under Austin's name there is an expresse passage to justifie it And albeit that worke be not Austin's yet it is lately justified to be the worke of a great follower of Austin's and as Orthodoxe as he namely the worke of Fulgentius as Raynaudus the Jesuite hath lately proved and justified that passage also together with that which is usually brought by School-Divines to prove it out of the twelfth chapter of Wisedome and shewes the right reading as followed by Austin and Gregory And withall represents a pregnant passage taken out of the fifteenth Homily of Macarius to the same purpose And out of Chrysostome in his 2. De compunctione cordis about the end thereof And out of Austin upon Psalme the seventieth about the beginning And to these he addeth Ariminensis Cameracensis Serarius and Lorinus all maintaining the same And this is evident by consideration of the power which it pleased the Lord to execute upon his holy Son and our blessed Saviour and by the power which he gives us over brute creatures This I say if all that he contends for were granted should rather be concluded therehence namely that in this case the creature should be innocent then that God should be the Authour of sinne especially considering that God performes in all this noe other thing then belongs unto him of necessitie as without which his moving of the second causes it were impossible the creature should worke at all which we have made good by shewing the manifest absurdity of their contrary doctrine who maintaine a bare concourse Divine either in subordination unto the agency of the creature or without subordinating the operation of the creature to motion Divine But we doe subordinate it as without which the second cause could not worke at all and by vertue whereof it doth worke and that freely so farre forth as liberty of will is competent to a creature but not so as to make the creature compeere with his Creatour Let man be a second free Agent but set our God that made us evermore be the first free Agent least otherwise we shall deny him the same power over his creatures that the Potter hath over the clay of the same lumpe to make one vessell unto honour and another unto dishonour This power in my maker the Lord hath given me eyes to discerne as taught us in his holy word and an heart to submit unto it and to his providence in governing my will even in the worst actions that ever were committed by me without any repining humour against his hand though I thinke it lawfull for us in an holy manner to expostulate with God sometimes in the Prophets language and say Lord why hast thou caused us to erre from thy waies and hardened our hearts against thy feare Which yet I confesse he brings to passe at noe time infundendo malitiam by infusing any malice into me who naturally have more then enough of that leaven in me but non infundendo gratiam not quickning in me that holy feare which he hath planted in me of which grace I confesse willingly I have a great deale lesse then I desire though the least measure of it is a great deale more then I doe or can deserve Neither shall I ever learne of this Authour after his manner to blaspheme God if at any time hee shall harden my heart against his feare Though this Authour speakes commonly with a full and foule mouth yet his arguments are lanke and leane and of noe substance but words As when hee saith that God over-rules men's wills by our opinion Now to overrule◠a man is to carry him in despight of his teeth Wee say noe such thing but that God moves every creature to worke agreably to it's nature necessary things necessarily contingent things contingently free Agents freely though nothing comes to passe by the free agency of any creature but what God from all eternity by his unchangable counsell hath determined to come to passe As the eleventh Article of Ireland doth professe by the unanimous consent of the ArchBishop Bishops and Clergy of that Kingdome when those Articles were made So I speake warily and circumspectly the rather because one Doctour Heylin doth in a booke intituled The History of the Sabbath professe Chapter 8. page 259. That that whole booke of Articles is now called in and in the place thereof the Articles of the Church of Ireland confirmed by Parliament in that Kingdome Anno 1631. A thing I willingly confesse at first sight seemed incredible unto mee namely that Articles of Religion agreed upon in the dayes of King Iames should be revoked in the dayes of King Charles but expect to heare the truth of that relation For the Authour thereof hath never as yet deserved so much credit at my hands as to be believed in such a particular as this But to returne this Authours text is nothing answerable to the margent For first imperare to command is one thing and to over-rule is another thing though he that doth imperare command ought is commonly accounted the Authour thereof as a cause Morall from whom comes the beginning of such a worke But utterly deny that God commands evill and the truth is wee acknowledge noe other notion of evill then such as the Apostle expresseth in calling it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an incongruitie to the law of God which law commands somethings and forbids other things I come to his third reason 3. I grant wicked counsellours and perswaders are deservedly accounted the Authors of sinne The common use and acception of the words as I shewed in answer to the first is observed to denote such Therefore Cicero makes Authour and disswader opposite and by law they are punishable in the same degree with the Actors But God is noe counsellour or perswader to any lewd course but forbids it and disswades it and that with denuntiation of the greatest judgments among trangressours 2. I willingly confesse that councelling is farre inferiour to enforcing yet in Scripture phrase earnest intreaty or command is oftentimes exprest by compelling as Mat 14. 22. Mark 6. 45. Luk 14. 23. Gala 6. 12 and 2. 14. 1 Sam 28. 23. 2 Chron 21. 11. And noe marvaile
for hereby many times men are drawen full sore against their wills to doe that which they would not It is true God's power cannot be resisted but neither hath any man any will to resist that motion of God whereby he workes agreable to their natures then indeed there were place for resisting If the Lord carrieth on a covetous person such as Achan to covet a wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment and coveting it move him accordingly to take it and convey it away secretly and hide it in his tent what resistance doth he make in all this Or what is done in all this lesse agreably to his covetous disposition then to the disposition of Toades and Addars when he moves them according to their nature to sting and poyson So he moved the Babylonians compared to Serpents and Cockatrices to sting a wicked people Doe not the Scriptures plainly professe that God did send them Is not Assur in this respect called the Rod of God's wrath and the staffe in his hand Was it not called the Lords indignation Is he not compared to an axe and a sawe shall the axe boast it selfe against him that heweth therewith Or shall the saw extoll it selfe against him that moveth it Still he confounds the act with the sinfulnesse thereof speaking of God's producing sinnes whereas sinne is never produced it being only an obliquity consequent unto the act of such a worker as is subject to a law And our Adversaries confesse that God is the cause of the act as well as we Yet will they not hereby be driven to professe that in producing the act he produceth the sin As for that which he speaks of Inforcing we may well pitty him that when he wants strength of reason he supplies that by phrases We deny that God inforceth any man's will Nay it is the generall rule of Schooles that voluntas non potest cogi the will cannot be forced We maintaine that every act of the will especially in naturall things such as a sinfull act must needs be for only gracious acts are supernaturall is not only voluntary which is sufficient to preserve it from being forced but free also by as much libertie as the creature is capable of only we deny that the will of man is primum liberum a first free agent that is the prerogative of God alone the first mover of all and the supreme Agent thus I have dispatched my answer to his first reason consisting of three parts I come unto the second Sect 4. If we could find out a King that should so carry himselfe in procuring the ruine and the offences of any Subjects as by this opinion God doth in the affecting of the damnation and transgressions of Reprobates we would all charge him with the ruine and sinnes of those his Subjects Who would not abhorre saith Moulin a King speaking thus I will have this man hangâ—d and that I may hang him justly I will have him murder or steale This King saith he should not only make an innocent man miserable sed sceleratum but wicked too and should punish him for that offence cujus ipse causa esset of which himselfe was the cause It is a cleare case Tiberius as Suetonius reports having a purpose to put some Virgins to death because it was not lawfull among the Romans to strangle Virgins caused them all to be deflouered by the hang-man that so they might be strangled Who will not say that Tiberius was the principall Authour of the deflouring of those Maides In like manner say the Supralapsarians God hath a purpose of putting great store of men to the second death but because it is not lawfull for him by reason of his justice to put to death men innocent and without blame he hath decreed that the Devill shall defloure them that afterwards he may damne them It followeth therefore that God is the maine cause of those their sinnes If a King should carry himselfe as God did in hardning Pharaoh's heart that he should not let Israel goe and when he had let Israel goe to harden his heart that he should follow after them we would acknowledge such a one not to be man but God And then surely whatsoever our Arminians would thinke of such a one we would thinke noe otherwise then Solomon did of him of whom he professed that he made all things for himselfe even the wicked against the day of evill If God doth but permit a man to will this or that necesse est saith Arminius it must needs be ut nullo argumentorum genere persuadeatur ad nolendum that noe kind of argument shall perswade such one to abstaine from willing it And I hope Arminius hath as great auhority with this Authour as Mr. Moulin deserves to have with us Noe King hath power to dispense any such providence as this St. Paul tells us plainly that God hath ordained some unto wrath and as he hath made of the same lumpe some vessells unto honour so hath he made other vessells unto dishonour The Lord professeth that he kept Abimelech from sinning against him Thus the Lord could deale with all if it pleased him Why doth he not is it not for the manifestation of his own glory For to this purpose he hath made all things And that he suffers with long patience vessells of wrath prepared to destruction And what to doe doth he suffer them But to continue and persevere in their sinfull courses without repentance the Apostle plainly tells us that it is to declare his wrath and make his power known This is not the voice of any Doctor of ours now a dayes but of St. Paul And shall Mr. Moulin be brought in to affront St. Paul For recompence let the Jesuits be heard to whom the nation of the Arminians are beholden for their principall grounds Wherefore doth God give effectuall grace unto one and not unto another but because he hath elected the one and rejected the other And I appeale to every sober Christian whether the absolutenesse of reprobation doth not as invincibly follow herehence as the absolutenesse of Election But touching Mr. Moulin I have heard that Doctor Ames somtimes wished that he had never medled in this argument I am not of Doctor Ames his mind in this though it were I thinke most fit every one should exercise himselfe in those questions wherein by the course of his studies he hath been most conversant so should the Church of God enjoy plus dapis rixae multo minus invidiaeque I doe admire Mr. Moulin in his conference with Cayer as also upon the Eucharist and on Purgatory he hath my heart when I read his consolalations to his Breathren of the Church of France as also intreating of the love of God I would willingly learne French to understand him only and have along time desired still to get any thing that he hath written I highly esteem him in his Anatomie though I doe not
like all and every passage yet but few are the passages wherein I differ from his opinion I have been very sory to observe how by his doctrine in the point of reprobation he overthrowes his own Orthodox Doctrine in the point of Election I would he would answer Sylvester who hath replied to his admirable letters written to Monsieur Balzak I could be well content were I once free to supply what is wanting to Waleus his Apologie for him against Corvinus But to the point the passage here proposed by him is I willingly confesse somewhat harsh I will have this man hang'd and that I may hang him justly I will have him murther or steale But compare it with that of St. Paul formerly mentioned God suffers the vessells of wrath prepared to destruction that he may declare his wrath and make his power known And that of Eli's children They obeyed not the voice of their Father because the Lord would slay them And that Amaziah would not heare For it was of the Lord that he might deliver them into his hands because they sought the Gods of Edom. And that of Ieremiah Doubtlesse because the wrath of the Lord was against Ierusalem and Iuda till he had cast them out of his presence therefore Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babel And observe how neare Mr. Moulin is to expose these holy passages of Scripture and the doctrine contained in them in like manner unto scorne ere he is aware And let him soberly consider and without any humour of complying with our Adversaries out of a desire to charme them who will not be charmed to what end God doth finally permit some to persevere in sinne and can he find any other but this for the manifestation of the glory of his vindicative justice in their condemnation And without any desire to charme I have shewed plainly that God doth not permit any man to sinne and finally to persevere in sin to the end that he may damnethem But that he both permits them finally in sin and damnes them for their sinne for the declaration of his wrath and power on them and also that he may declare the riches of his glory upon the vessells of his mercy whom he hath prepared unto glory If he put a difference between permission of sinne and a will that they shall sinne I would entreate him not to stumble at this For what difference between God's will to permit man to sinne and to will that man shall sin by his permission And the tragicall acts committed on the holy Son of God by Herod and Pilate the Gentiles and people of Israel the Apostles say not they were permitted by God but that they were predetermined by the hand and counsell of God Mr. Moulin's care is to avoid harsh expressions it is a commendable care For why should we causlesly expose the truth of God to be the worse thought of and provoke men to stumble at it by unnecessary harshnesse Yet I find the Scripture it selfe delivered by the holy Prophets and Apostles is nothing so scrupulous Malim dicere saith Mr. Moulin I had rather say Deum non decrevisse dare alicui gratiam quâ convertatur credat that God hath decreed not to give some one grace whereby to be converted and believe quâm dicere eum decrevisse ut homo sit incredulus impoenitens then to say God hath decreed that man should be incredulous and impenitent And he gives his reason thus Vox enim decernendi aptior est ad ea designanda quae Deus statuit facere quà m ea quibus statuit non mederi For to decree is fitter to denote such things as God hath purposed to doe then such things as he hath purposed not to cure And indeed the Ancients in this sense take the word predestination to be only of such things as God himselfe purposed to worke as Grace and Glory and the damnation of impenitent sinners But if God decrees not to cure impenitency and infidelity in some judge whether upon this ground it may not well be said that God decrees that the impenitency and infidelitie of some shall continue uncured And Mr. Monlin confesseth that God decreed that the Jewes should put Christ to death His words are these Deus vetuit homicidium idem tamen decrevitut Iudaei Christum morte afficerent God forbad murther yet he decreed that the Iewes should kill Christ Yet by the way consider God hath no need of the sinne of man that he may put him to death justly For undoubtedly God could annihilate any creature that he hath made the most holy Angells without any blemish to his justice Yea by power absolute he could cast the most innocent creature into hell fire and continue yet just still as formerly hath been shewed and Raynaudus justifies and represents variety of testimonies for this not only of School-divines one of whom professeth that it is concors omnium Theologorum sententia the common opinion of Divines but of the Ancient Fathers also And therefore though to strangle Virgins was not lawfull for Tiberius yet a greater more severe worke then this is lawfull for God Neither doth God cōmand any impure course to any but under pain of eternall damnatiō forbids it But as he hardened Pharaoh's heart that he should not let I srael goe so can he harden any man's heart to doe as foule a work as this And St. Paul testifies that he gave up the heathens to their hearts lusts unto uncleanes to defile their own bodies between themselves which turned the truth of God into a lie worshipped served the creature forsaking the Creatour who is blessed for ever amen For this cause God gave them up to vile affections for even the women did change the naturall use into that which is against nature And likewise the men left the naturall use of the women and burned in their lusts one toward another and man with man wrought filthinesse And this is noted by the Apostle to have been a work of judgment For it followes they received in themselves such recompence of their errours as was meet I grant Tiberius was the principall Authour of deflowring those Maides For he commanded it and that as I have shewed makes a man the Authour of a crime both out of School-divines and out of Oratours but God gave no such cōmand to these heathens thus to defile themselves And this Authour doubts not but God cooperates to the substance of every act notwithstanding the absoute dominion of the will over her actions for which he pleades And it cannot be denied unlesse the word of God be therewithall denied that in him we move as well as in him we live and have our being And though God gave not commandement to Absalom to defile his Fathers Concubines yet he tells David saying I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them to thy neigbour and he shall lie with thy wives in the
shall burne what combustible matter soever it shall take hold of or that shall be cast into it that one sparke of it falling into a barrell of dried Gunpowder should suddainly fire it c. But it doth not follow from hence that therefore every thing that is combustible in the world shall be burnt with fire or that every barrell of dry Gun-powder shall be blown up with sparkes of fire falling into them So in the instance formerly mentioned God had decreed to permit the Lords of Keilah to deliver up David into Sauls hand in case he had stayed in their Citty till Sauls coming to demand him this is evident from the Text. But it did not follow from this permissive decree of God that therefore these Lords must necessarily deliuer up David into Sauls hand for we know they did it not So likewise God hath decreed to permit any man to destroy the life of another whom he meets with I meane in respect of a naturall power to doe the execution but it followeth not from hence that therefore every man must necessarily murther or destroy the life of his Brother that cometh in his way So that evident it is that no decree of God whatsoeuer which is simply and purely permissive doth import any necessity at all of the perpetration or coming to passe of the thing so decreed God permitted Adam to eate of every tree in the garden of Eden the tree of knowledge of good and evill only excepted therefore certainly had decreed or intended this permission yet was not Adam any waies necessitated by any vertue or influence of this decree upon him to eate of every of these trees nor is it in the least degree credible that ever he did eate of every of them nor yet of any one of them but only that which was prohibited unto him his ejection out of this garden following so suddainly after this patent or permission granted unto him The reason why no decree of God that is purely and barely permissive either induceth or supposeth any necessity of the coming to passe of what is only so decreed is this First because no such decree doth any waies interesse God to any manner of interposall either by his wisdome power or providence in what kind soever towards the effecting or bringing to passe of what is so decreed So that such events which are no otherwise decreed by God then thus are in the same posture of contingency in the same possibility of being or not being wherein they would have been had there been no such decree at all concerning them Secondly neither doth any such decree in God suppose a futurity of such a concurrence of causes simply requisite and necessary for the bringing of things so decreed to passe which will actually bring them to passe Though God hath decreed that a sparke or coale of fire falling i. e. in case it shall fall into a barrell of Gun-powder shall fire it yet it doth not follow from hence that he hath decreed that any such sparke or coale shall fall into it without which notwithstanding the effect decreed viz. the firing of this powder will not come to passe Or if he said that God hath decreed that such a sparke or coale shall fall into the said barrell of powder now is not the decree barely permissive but operative and assertive and such which engageth the decreer to interpose effectually for the bringing of the thing decreed to passe But such decrees as this in matters of that nature we deny to be in God IEANES DR Twisse doth grant that Gods permission in a complicate notion as it takes in other acts of Gods providence doth inferre the things permitted And what he saith of Gods actuall permission in time is applyable unto his permissive decrees before all time for as his workings are agreeable unto his effective so his permissions are suitable unto his permissive decrees But now that he any where affirmeth that the decrees of God which are simply purely and barely permissive or that the bare single and sole permission of God doe import any necessity at all of the perpetration or coming to passe of what is only so decreed and permitted I utterly deny And if you had been so well versed in D. Twisse as it was fit for him that undertakes a refutation of him you would never have charged him with that which he in a whole digression professedly impugneth for which you may see how he is taxed though very modestly by M. Rutherford in a Scholasticall disputation of his De Divinâ providentiâ cap. 8. D. Twisse in the third Digression of the second Book of his Vindiciae c. examineth that proposition of Perkins Quod Deus non impedit ideo evenit quia Deus non impedit That which God doth not hinder doth therefore come to passe because God doth not hinder it i. because he doth permit it where he not only professeth his dislike of it but also refutes it This Section then might very well have been spared for in it you fight but with your own shadow and doe not at all oppose the opinion of D. Twisse who fully accords with you in this particular That Gods simple and sole permissions and consequently his decrees that are simply purely and barely permissive are not illative of those things which are only so decreed and permitted To cleare this I shall give you an abstract of this Digression He examineth the truth of this proposition 1. In the matter or object of an act naturall 2. In the matter or object of an act morall good or bad 1. First as concerning naturall actions he hinteth a distinction between a proper permission of them and a permission of them improperly so called that is opposed unto a naturall reall or Physicall restraint this unto a morall restraint which is by way of disswasion First then if we take permission properly as it is opposed unto a naturall reall and Physicall restraint and denoteth a suspension thereof D. Twisse is so farre from affirming that they come to passe upon Gods single sole and bare permission as that he maketh Gods positive effection whether by way of predetermination or concurrence he leaves to be discussed in another place requisite unto the existence of them without which they never can exist for God is the principall and immediate cause of all beings and entities and therefore of all naturall actions And againe afterwards Secondly if we take permission as it is opposed unto and denoteth a suspension of a restraint improperly so called a morall restraint by way of disswasion so D. Twisse is expresse in deniall of any necessity to be inferred from such a permission of the comming to passe of what is so permitted Ad actiones naturales quod attinet quatenus permissio not at suspensionem actionis moralis in suadendo aut dissuadendo positae sic non sequitur quicquid permititur illud fit Neque enim quod