the naturall will of a regenerate man so much of Adam remaining and carnall concupiscence as may make him resist and rebell against the Law of God l We answer with Saint Augustine in his first booke De gratiâ libero arbit cap. 16. It is certaine that we will when we will but he makes vs to will that is good of whom it is said Pro. 8. The will is prepared by God and God worketh in vs to will Philip. 2. It is certaine that we work when we worke but he worketh in vs to worke by giuing most efficacious power to the will who saith I will make you to walke in my waies Ezek. 36. Faith and repentance are our workes because in vs though not of vs actions and passions denominate the subiect not the cause God is the efficient cause of faith and repentance but the subiect in which these vertues are wrought is man who therfore is said to beleeue and repent because these things are wrought in him but not by the power of his own will but by the effectuall worke of grace stirring the will and making it freely to assent vnto and beleeue the Gospell Bernard de lib. Arbit What doth free-will I answer in one word it is saued or cured this worke cannot bee done without two one by whom the other in whom it is wrought God is the Author of it the health or cure of the will free-will is only capable of it m Grace is two-fold Outward Inward Outward Offered in the ministery of the Word Inward Enlightning and inciting only Renewing and regenerating Men can and do resist outward and inward only enlightning grace but not renewing and regenerating grace so far as to hinder their conuersion or after they are cōuerted vtterly to cast away the spirit of sanctification and thereby fall away totally finally If God should giue no other grace but such as man at his pleasure might reiect or repell hee should haue no kingdome within vs and if he could not by his grace absolutely subdue and conquer the stubbornesse of mans will he should not be omnipotent If grace doth not determine mans will but mans will the influxe and effect of it the peace and grace of God should not rule in our hearts but euery man should be ruled to righteousnesse as well as to sinne by his owne free-will which was the expresse heresie of Pelagius and Caelestius as Prosper in precise termes sets it downe in his Chronicle in the yeare of our Lord 414. n To the place in the Acts I answer First That Saint Steuen speaketh of the Iewes resisting the Spirit of Prophecie not the Spirit of regeneration the Iewes gain-said withstood and opposed the Word of the holy Ghost vttered by the Prophets not the secret working of the holy Ghost by grace in the hearts of such whom he would and did conuert Secondly We confesse that men vncircumcised in heart such as were these Iewes whom Saint Steuen vpbraideth not only can resist but can doe no other then resist the holy Ghost but regenerating grace by circumcising the heart remoueth that hardnesse whereby it resisteth grace and then it cannot resist because that which makes it resist is taken away as Saint Augustine inferreth vpon that of Ezechiel the eleuenth I will take away your stony-hearts and giue you an heart of flesh His inference is Chap. 8. of Predestination of Saints This grace which is secretly conueighed into the hearts of men is not refused or repelled by any hard heart for it is therefore giuen that the hardnesse of the heart may first be taken away o Not to insist vpon the distinction of the double will of God well knowne to the learned by the notions of signi beneplaciti his commanding or declaratiue will which is not alwaies fulfilled and his powerfully working and absolute good will and pleasure which is alwaies fulfilled I further answer that this place of Scripture rightly interpreted as it is by Saint Augustine makes against and no way for the Arminians and Appealer for Christ saith not How often would I haue gathered you Scribes and Pharises and those Rulers and Gouernours of Ierusalem which killed my Prophets and you would not but how often would I haue gathered your Children that is the inhabitants of Ierusalem and I did also though you would not but did what you could to hinder their gathering vnder my wings that is their assembling to the true Church and sheltring themselues vnder the shade thereof Quos volui te nolente congregaui Whom I would gather I gathered though thou wouldst not So Saint Augustine vpon these words p If by operating grace hee meaneth that grace whereby God circumciseth the heart Deut. 30. openeth the heart Acts 16. conuerteth the heart Ierem. 31. taketh away a stony heart Ezek. 36. writeth his Law in the heart Ierem. 31. worketh faith in the heart by the mightinesse of his power Eph. 1. and 2 Thess. 1. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no man I suppose who is well catechised in the principles of Religion will maintaine that such grace may be resisted For this were to make the impotencie of mans will to preuaile against the omnipotencie of God and to disappoint his purpose and frustrate his worke Saint Augustine that Delian diuer into the depth of this mystery resolueth the contrary in many places in his booke of Predestination of Saints Chap. 8. Why doth he complaine sithence no man doth or can resist his will Doth the Apostle answer O man it is false that thou sayest No he saith no such thing But who art thou O man that answerest God And de Corrept Gratiâ cap. 12. The weaknesse of mans will is helped in such sort that it is led by diuine grace indeclinably and vnconquerably insuperabiliter ageretur and what is vnconquerably lesse then irresistibly if grace vnconquerably lead the will the will cannot conquer grace in striuing against it And Chap. 14. ibidem No will of man resisteth God when God will saue And hee confirmeth his Assertion with a reason prouing that the will of man neither doth nor can resist the will of God for saith he To will and to nill are so in the power of him that willeth or nilleth that it can neither hinder Gods will nor conquer his power And in his first booke of questions to Symplician 2. Quest. The effect of Gods mercy cannot be in mans power to frustrate it if he list or that God should haue mercy in vaine if man would not take hold of it because if God would haue mercy on those who are reluctant and withstand it he could so call them as it might befit them that is be effectuall vnto them Saint Bernard in his booke of Free-will followeth Saint Augustine close There is made a creation of the will by Christ into liberty and that without vs if into then not out of liberty or freedome of will if without vs then it is not in our Power to hinder
former therefore he that is once truly iustified may fall into an estate worse than the former Bert. pag. 36. Among the causes of Apostasie one is the feare of persecution He that receiued the seed in stony places the same is he that heareth the Word and anon with ioy receiueth it yet hath he not root in himselfe but dureth for a while for when tribulation ariseth because of the Word he is offended APPEALER APpeale pa. 159. Ezek. 18. 24 26. If the righteous t turne away from his righteousnesse and commit iniquitie and doe according vnto all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he liue All his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be remembred but in his transgression that he hath committed and in his sinne that he hath sinned in them shall he die Ibid. Ezek. 33. 13. If hee commit iniquity all his righteousnesse shal be no more remembred but for his iniquitie that he hath committed he shall die for the same Therefore the righteous may lose his righteousnesse abandon his faith die in his sinne c. Ibid. pag. 159. The vncleane spirit eiected returneth vnto his former residence entreth possedeth his former state and the case of that man is worse than the beginning Matth. 12. 44. u Satan is not eiected but where the partie is in the state of grace with God being regenerate by faith Reposseding is not but by relapse into sinne nor a worse state but where a man dieth in sinne Ibid. pag. 159. Luke 8. 13. * They on the rock are they who when they heare receiue the Word with ioy who for a while beleeue and in time of temptation fall away t Because this place of Ezekiel is set in the fore-front both by the Appealer and by Bertius as a testimony on which they most rely and are most confident of I will endeuour both fully to answer and retort it against them Besides those Answers by which others haue rebated the edge of this Obiection As * first that this speech is conditionall suppositiue and not positiue and therefore no more inferreth that a righteous man may fall from his righteousnesse then those words of Saint Paul If an Angell from heauen shall preach vnto you another Gospell than that you receiued let him be accursed conclude that an Angell from heauen can preach another Gospell Or the like of our Sauiour They shall doe signes and wonders to seduce if it were possible the Elect therefore it is possible to seduce the elect whereas indeed the contrary may be inferred euen from those words Secondly That the Prophet speaketh of him that is righteous in his owne opinion and before men but not in the sight of God such a man may fall away from his righteousnesse but the question is of a man regenerate and truly righteous and such a one cannot turne away from his righteousnesse Of this minde is Saint Gregory Moral in Iob. lib. 34. cap. 13. They who may be seduced in such sort that they neuer returne againe may seeme to lose the habit of sanctitie before the eyes of men sed eam ante oculos Dei nunquam habuerunt but indeed they neuer had any holinesse in the sight of God Thirdly that the Prophet speakes here of actuall righteousnesse which may be lost and is lost by the committing of any wilfull and grieuous sinne against conscience not of habituall which cannot be lost if he doe that which is lawfull and right Ezek. 18. 21. and 24. If he doth according to all the abominations the wicked man doth all the righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be remembred here is not a word that importeth habituall righteousnesse but meerely actuall which all sides confesse may be lost Besides these answers I say further that this Scripture no way tendeth to Bertius or the Appealers purpose For they should proue that a iustified man may lose Euangelicall righteousnesse or the righteousnesse of Faith not Legall righteousnesse Now it is euident that the Prophet speaketh of Legall righteousnesse First by the pronoune his if the righteous turne away from his righteousnesse that is the righteousnesse of his owne workes or his inherent righteousnesse not the imputed righteousnesse of Christ for that is not his owne Philip. 3. 9. That I may be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Secondly by the enumeration of particulars vers 6 7 8. 15 16 17. all which appertaine to Legall righteousnesse If he hath not eaten vpon the mountaines nor lift vp his eyes to the Idols of the house of Israel nor come neare to a menstruous woman and hath spoiled none by violence and hath not giuen his money vpon vsury c. Lastly this argument may be retorted against the Aduersaries two wayes First thus If the difference of the Couenant betweene the Law and the Gospell consisteth especially in this that the righteousnesse required by the one may be lost but the righteousnesse promised by the other cannot be lost then the argument from the losse of Legall righteousnesse to Euangelicall is of no force but to disproue our Aduersaries tenent for that which in this place of Ezekiel is affirmed of the one may not be affirmed of the other but the difference of the Couenant betweene the Law and the Gospel cōsisteth especially in this that the righteousnesse required by the one may be lost but the righteousnesse promised by the other cannot be lost Ierem. 31. 31. 33. 34. Heb. 8. 8. Behold the dayes come that I will make a new Couenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah not according to the Couenant that I made with their Fathers c. but this shall be my Couenant which I will make with the house of Israel I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts I will forgiue their iniquitie and remember their sinne no more And Ierem. 32. 40. I will make an euerlasting Couenant with them that I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Secondly thus If these words are spoken generally to the children of God and belong to the elect as well as others they cannot imply a totall and finall falling away from righteousnesse no not in the iudgement of the Arminians and Iesuites themselues with whose Heifer the Appealer plowes For as the Iesuites so Arminius himselfe teacheth that a man that is elect and predestinated to eternall life cannot fall finally nor perish for euer But the words of the Prophet Ezekiel are spoken generally vnto all and belong to the very Elect therefore I conclude in the words of the great Champion of Popery in generall and of this particular touching the Apostasie of Saints Card. Bellarm. lib. 3. de Iustif. cap. 12. It is true that the predestinated or elected are in no danger of losing
to the guidance of Gods Spirit not they who by an vnfained conuersion become perfectly and sincerely other men To the former as saith this Father God is a light to the latter he is a fire the former he enlightneth only the latter he heateth also melteth their heart purgeth them from all their drosse Or if that eloquent Father take light in the good sense and fire in the worse then his meaning is that as the word of God is a sauour of life vnto life in them that are saued and a sauour of death vnto death in them that perish so God himselfe is a Comfortable light to the true children of light but a consuming fire to Hypocrites and Apostatates and all such as haue fellowship with the vnfruitfull works of darknesse much more those who vtterly forsake God and consult with the Deuill as Saul did and others of that his desperat resolution Flectere si nequeo superos Acheronta mouebo I will make a league with Death and couenant with Hell n To the passages alledged out of Saint Augustine we answer most willingly we desire to heare none rather than Saint Augustine speake in this Cause Neuer had the Church of God since the Apostle Saint Paul a more valiant and resolute Champion of Grace than Saint Augustine As Tully spake of the ancient Rhetoritians Potius ex arte quà m de arte scripserunt They rather wrote out of art than of the art So may it be truly said of Saint Augustines workes against the Pelagians non tam de gratiâ quà m ex gratiâ scripsisse videtur That he wrote rather and spake from grace than of grace so full of grace are his lips and pen in this argument of Grace I could easily point to many places in the Workes of this holy Father especially those extant in his seuenth Tome Vbi noÌ„ seclusa aliqua aquula sed vniuersum flumen erumpit Where there runnes not a small riuelet but a maine streame of this water of the grace of perseuerance springing to euerlasting life Verily Saint Augustine so professedly and strongly opposeth both the Pelagian Demi-pelagian and now Arminian errors that as Pelagius himselfe in a Synod at Ierusalem being pressed with Saint Augustines Reasons and Authorities which he was not able to answer sought to vilifie and slighten his Person So Arnoldus Coru. Bertius rather goe about to discredit than satisfie the Authoritie of this Prime Father Non est standuÌ„ hâc in parte Authoritati Augustini We are not to stand to yâ— Authority of Austin in this point saith Arnoldê° Quid quod Augustinê° ipse alijs per AfricaÌ„ Ecclesijs viuê° vidensque sententiaÌ„ suam noÌ„ probauit Quid quod ipse à se dissentit Augustinê° vt AugustinuÌ„ citanti nihil sit promptius quà m AugustinuÌ„ ipsum opponere Austin saith Bertius by his life time made not good his opinion to the Churches of Africa He dissents froÌ„ himselfe in so much yâ— nothing is more easie than to oppose Augustine to Augustine This lesson they both learned froÌ„ Arminius their Master as Coruinus mali corui malum ouum acknowledgeth pag. 205. Puto Arminium non illibenter tibi concessurum fuisse hâc in parte Augustinum vobiscum facere ita tamen vt varium eum esse dixisset inconstantem in sententiâ suâ enuntiandâ But Plato Instar millium Saint Augustine is more worth than a thousand nay all the Arminians whose Workes as they haue already deuoured all the workes of the Pelagians and Semi-pelagians so I hope will in time deuoure also all the Arminians workes as Aarons Rod did the Magicians Durum telum necessitas ignoscite Meere necessitie droue Arminius and his Schollers to this desperate answer The Fox in the Greeke Epigrammatist when hee could not reach the grapes at which his mouth watered comforted himselfe saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is no great matter though I cannot reach them these grapes are but sowre fruit As sowre as they are Bertius and the Appealer snatch at one or two namely the two passages before alledged by them To the first we answer It toucheth not the state of the present question The state of Saints in Grace may be sure enough yet they not alwaies assured of it There is a certitude of the subiect and a certitude of the obiect that which now is in debate is not the certitude of the subiect whether the Regenerate are assured in themselues of their Perseuerance but the certitude of the obiect whether their perseuerance in it selfe be certaine This distinction is acknowledged generally by those Interpreters who comment on that of Saint Peter Make your election sure that is say they to your selues and your own hearts not in it selfe nor in respect of God For the foundation of God standeth sure hauing this Seale The Lord knoweth who are his neither can any thing done by man adde strength to Gods decree But because our assurance of Election and the state of Adoption and Grace and perseuerance in the same is partly from the testimony of the Spirit within vs and partly from the effects of Grace to wit the fruits of righteousnesse and because when we grieue the Spirit of God hee withdraweth his Spirit for a time and thereby both the testimony of the Spirit is silent for the time the effects of Grace cease Saint Augustine humbly and truly professeth that the Saints albeit they are certaine of the reward of their perseuerance yet are found vncertaine of their perseuerance it selfe Quis cum hominum se in actione profectuque iustitiae vsque in finem perseueraturum sciet They are certaine certitudine fidei by the assurance of faith but not certaine certitudine scientiae experientiae by the certainty of knowledge and experience as Bucer acutely distinguisheth they are certaine of perseuerance in it selfe yet they are found that is you may finde them in that state by reason of some fearfull temptation not certaine in themselues nay sometimes they in themselues receiue the sentence of death to humble them and make them pray with sighes and groanes which cannot be expressed Restore vnto me the ioy of saluation and vphold me with thy free Spirit Psal. 51. 12. Lastly there is a double perseuerance 1. A perseuerance in a course of sanctity vnto the end without any interruption or stop when a childe of God goeth still forward and neuer is cast backe but continueth as Saint Augustine speaketh In actione profectuque iustitiae Still in the action and progresse of righteousnesse and of such perseuerance the Saints are not certaine in this life 2. A perseuerance vnto the end yet not without some interruption and going back also for a time but without any totall or finall back-sliding and of such perseuerance a Saint of God may and ought to be assured o To the place alledged by Bertius out of the fifth Chapter of Saint Augustine de Corrept
seruants Though this point touching Euangelical Coūsels may seeme to bee of no great consequence yet to the Romanists it is a point fundamentall for vpon it they build their treasury of superaboundant satisfactions And Leech after hee had first suckt this thinner and purer blood afterwards greedily swallowed the most corrupt and ranke blood of Popery but I hope the Appealers manifold preferments and better hopes will be better councellors to him then to merit by a totall or supererogate to a finall Apostacie from vs to the Pope of Rome Of Reall presence Harmony Church of Rome Counc of Trent Sess. 13. cap. 1. Of the reall presence of our Lord in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist This holy Synode openly and simply professeth That in the Sacrament of the Eucharist after the consecration of Bread Wine That our L. Iesus Christ true God and man is truly really and substantially contained vnder the species or forme of those sensible things Gratian. de consecrat distinct 2. cap. Ego Berengarius is inioyned by Pope Nicholas to recāt in this form I Berengarius doe accurse that heresy wherewith I haue beene heretofore defamed in maintaining that the bread and wine after the consecration are onely a Sacrament and not the true body and blood of Christ. And that the true body and blood of Christ cannot be sensibly handled by the Priests or broken or chewed with the teeth of the faithfull but onely in the signe or sacrament thereof And I giue my consent to the holy Church of Rome and Aposto like See and I professe with my tongue and heart that I hold the same faith concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Table which our Lord and holy Father Nicholas and this holy Synod by Euangelicall and Apostolicall authority hath inioyned to be held and hath confirmed vnto me to wit that the bread and wine vpon the Altar after consecration are not onely the sacrament but also the true body and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ and that not onely the Sacrament but the body and blood of Christ is in truth sensibly handled and broken by the Priests and eaten with the teeth of the faithfull Bellarmine de Sacramento Eucharist lib. 1. c. 2. The Councell of Trent Sess. 13. teacheth That Christ is in the Sacrament truly and really against the fiction of the Calvinists who will haue Christ to be there so present that he may be apprehended by faith that hee is present to the contemplation of faith though corporally in heauen Bellarm. ibid. The Councell addeth substantially against the Calvinists who say that the body of Christ according to his substance is onely in heauen but according to I know not what virtue and power he floweth from thence to vs. Appealer ANsw. to Gag pag. 253. But that the Diuell bred you vp in a faction and sent you abroad to doe him seruice in maintaining a faction Otherwise acknowledge there is there need be no difference in the point of reall presence Appeal p. 289. Cōcerning this point there need be no difference the disagreement is onely de modo praesentiae Answer to Gagg pag. 253. There is there need bee no difference in the point of reall presence Ibid. pag. 252. We ingenuously confesse That by this Sacrament Christ giueth vs his very body and blood and really and truly performes in vs his promise as for the maner how this inexplicable that vnutterable trans or con wee skill not of Vide supra Appeal pag. 289. In these passages the Appealer differeth from the Church of England in these three things first that he saith There is no difference betweene vs about the reall presence wheras indeed there is a maine difference and most of our Martyrs dyed rather then they would acknowledge the Popish reall presence See the Acts and Monuments Secondly he saith that the manner is vnutterable whereas the Church of England defineth the manner Thirdly in that he saith we skill not of or make matter of transubstantiation or consubstantiatiō wheras the Church of England expresly condemneth transubstantiation as a grosse and dangerous error Discord Church of Engl. ARticle 28. The body of Christ is giuen taken and eaten in the Supper onely after a heauenly and spirituall manner And the meane wherby the body of Christ is eaten and receiued in the Supper is Faith Transubstantiation or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proued by holy Writ but is repugnant to the plaine word of Scripture ouerthroweth the nature of a Sacramēt and hath giuen occasion to many superstitions Iuel Artic. 5. of the reall presence pag. 238. We seeke Christ aboue in heauen and imagine not him to be bodily present vpon the earth The body of Christ is to be eaten by faith onely and no otherwise And in this last point appeareth a notable difference between vs and M. Harding for we place Christ in the heart according to the doctrine of Saint Paul Mr. Harding placeth him in the mouth We say Christ is eaten onely by faith Master Harding saith hee is eatē with the mouth and teeth Article 28. The body of Christ is giuen taken and eaten in the Supper onely after an heauenly and spirituall manner the meane wherby the body of Christ is receiued and eaten in the supper is faith Transubstantiation is repugnant to Scripture ouerthroweth the nature of a Sacrament The Appealer seemes to bee one of the Bonhommes who in a jejune Lent-discourse durst openly bid defiance to the Article of our Church saying I abhorre them that teach Christ to be in the Sacrament onely by faith for hee is not there because wee beleeue but wee beleeue because he is there present If this be a good beleefe and doctrine That Christ is otherwise present in the Sacrament then to the hearts of beleeuers and that by faith onely let the Appealers poore Woodcocke or Catholike Cockscombe pag. 251. tell vs what he taketh to be the meaning of S. Austin in those words qui credit edit or if he cannot do that yeeld a reason why Rats and Mice may not eate the very body of Christ. Of Images Harmony Church of Rome COunc. of Trent Sess. 25. p. 290 The Images of Christ the Virgin mother of God of other Saints are to be had retained in Tēples especially and due honour and veneration is to bee giuen vnto them Because the honour which is to be exhibited to them is referred to the prototype or sampler so that by the images which we kisse and before which we put off our hats and lye downe wee adore Christ and the Saints whose Images they beare Bellarmine of the Images of Saints lib. 2. c. 21. Images by themselues properly are to be worshipped Ibid. cap. 22. We must not say That the supreme worship called Latria is due to Images but on the contrary wee ought to say that they ought not so to be adored Bellarmin ibid. cap. 9. lib. 2.