for finally or totally and much lesse for both And that he doth so in the Gag I shall easily grant where he relateth only to the words of the Article which speaks only of a possibility of falling without relating to the measure or duration of it But he must needs be carried with a very strange confidence which can report so of him in his book called Appello Caesarem in which he both expressely saith and proveth the contrary He saith it first in these words after a repetition of that which he had formerly said against the Gagger ' I determine nothing in the question that is to say nor totally nor finally or totally not finally or totally finally but leave there all to their Authors and Abettors resolving upon this not to go beyond my bounds the consented resolved and subscribed Articles of the Church of England in which nor yet in the Book of Common Prayer and other divine offices is there any tye upon me to resolve in this much disputed question as these Novellers would have it not as these Novellers would have it there 's no doubt of that For if there be any it is for a possibility of total falling of which more anon ' He proves it next by several Arguments extracted from the Book of Homilies and the publike Liturgy Out of which last he observeth three passages the first out of the Forme of Baptisme in which it is declared that the baptized infant being born in original sin by the Laver of Regeneration in Baptism is received into the number of the children of God and Heirs of everlasting life the second out of the publick Catechism in which the child is taught to say that by his Baptism he was made a member of Christ the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of heaven The third out of the Rubrick before Confirmation in which it is affirmed for a truth that it is certain by Gods word that children being baptized have all things necessary for their salvation and be undoubtedly saved And thereupon he doth observe that it is to be acknowledged for a Doctrine of this Church that children duly baptized are put ' into a state of Grace and salvation and secondly that it is seen by common experience that many children so baptized when they come to age by a wicked and lewd life do fall away from God and from the state of Grace and salvation wherein he had set them to a worse state wherein they shall never be saved ' From which what else can be inferred but that the Church maintains a total and a final falling from the grace of God Adde hereunto that the Church teacheth men to pray to Almighty God not to take his holy Spirit from us And in another place that he suffer us not at our last hour for any pains of death to fall from him which certainly she had never done were it not possible for a man so far to grieve and vex the holy Spirit of God and so far to despair of his gracious mercie as to occasion him at the last to deprive us both of the one and the other 9. Next for the Homilies as they commend us unto Gods people a probable and stedfast hope of their salvation in Christ Jesus so they allow no such infallibility of persisting in grace as to secure them from a total and final falling In reference to the first they tell us in the second part of the Sermon against the fear of death ' that none of those their causes of the fear of death that is to say the sorrow of repenting from our worldly pleasures the terrible apprehension of the pangs of death and the more terrible apprehension of the pains of hell do make any trouble to good men because they stay themselves by true faith perfect charity and sure hope of the endlesse joy and blisse everlasting All therefore have great cause to be full of joy that be joyned to Christ with true faith stedfast hope and perfect charity and not to fear death nor everlasting damnation ' The like we finde not long after where it speaks of those ' when being truly penitent for their offences depart hence in perfect charity and in sure trust that God is merciful to them forgiving them their sins for the merits of Jesus Christ the only natural Son ' In the third part of which Sermon it is thus concluded ' He that conceiveth all these things and beleeveth them assuredly as they ought to be believed even from the bottom of his heart being established in God in his true faith having a quiet conscience in Christ a firm hope and assured trust in Gods mercy through the merits of Jesus Christ to obtain this rest quieâ—ness and everlasting joy shall not only be without fear of godly death when it cometh but greatly desire in his heart as S. Paul did to be rid from all these occasions of evil and live ever to Gods pleasure in perfect obedience of his Will with Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour to whose gracious presence c. ' By all which passages it is clear and evident that the Church teacheth us to entertain a probable and stedfast hope of our salvation in Christ Jesus but whether it teacheth also such an infallibility of persisting in grace such a certainty of perseverance as to exclude all possibility of a total or a final falling we are next to see 10. And see it we may without the help of Spectacles or any of the Optical instruments if we go no farther than the title of two of those Homilies the first wherof is thus inscribed viz. A Sermon shewing how dangerous a thing it is to fall from God And it had been ridiculous if not somewhat worse to write a Sermon de non ente to terrifie the people with the danger of that misfortune which they were well enough assured they should never suffer Out of which Homilies the Appellant makes no use but of these words only ' Whereas God hath shewed unto all them that truly do believe his Gospel his face of mercy in Christ Jesus which doth so enlighten their hearts that they be transformed into his image be made partakers of the heavenly light and of his holy Spirit be fashioned to him in all goodnesse requisite to the child of God so if they do afterwards neglect the same if they be unthankful unto him if they order not their lives according unto his Doctrine and Example and to the setting forth of his glory he will take from them his holy Word his kingdom whereby he should reign in them because they bring not forth fruit which he looked for ' Besides which there are many other passages to this effect where it is said that as by pride and sin we fall from God so shall God and all goodness go from us that sometimes men go from God by lack of faith mistrusting of God and somtimes
from thence to the See of Chichester from thence translated unto Norwitch and finally to the Archiepiscopal See of York For the Text or subject of his Sermon he made choice of those words in the Prophet Ezekiel viz. As I live saith the Lord I delight not in the death of the wicked chap. 33. v. 11. In his discourse upon which text he first dischargeth God from laying any necessity of sinning on the sons of men and then delighting in their punishment because they have sinned he thus breaks out against the absolute decree of reprobation which by that time had been made a part of the Zuinglian Gospel and generally spread abroad both from Presse and Pulpit ' There is a conceit in the world saith he speaks little better of our gracious God then this and that is that God should design many thousands of souls to hell before they were not in eye to their faults but to his own absolute will and power and to get him glory in their damnation This opinion is grown high and monstrous and like a Goliah and men do shake and tremble at it yet never a man reacheth to Davids sting to cast it down In the name of the Lord of Hosts we will encounter it for it hath reviled not the Host of the living God but the Lord of Hosts ' First that it is directly in opposition to this Text of holy Scripture and so turnes the truth of God into a lye For whereas God in this Text doth lay and sweare that he doth not delight in the death of man this opinion saith that not one or two but millions of men should frie in Hell and that he made them for no other purpose then to be the children of death and hell and that for no other cause but his meer pleasures sake and so say that God doth not onely say but will sweat to a lye For the oath should have runne thus as I live saith the Lord I do delight in the death of man ' Secondly it doth not by consequence but directly make God the Authour of sin For if God without eye to sin did designe men to hell then did he say and set down that he should sinne for without sinne he cannot come to hell And indeed doth not this opinion say that the Almighty God in the eye of his Councel did not only see but say that Adam should fall and so order and decree and set down his fall that it was no more possible for him not to fall then it was possible for him not to eat And of that when God doth order set down and decree I trust he is the Author unless they will say that when the Right honourable Lord Keeper doth say in open Court we order he means not to be the Author of that his Order ' Which said he tells us Thirdly that it takes away from Adam in his state of innocency all freedom of Will and Liberty not to sin For had he had freedom to have altered Gods designment Adams liberty had been above the designment of God And here I remember a little witty solution is made that is if we respect Adams Will he had power to sin but if God Decrees he could not sin This is a silly solution And indeed it is as much as if you should take a sound strong man that hath power to walk and to lye still and bind him hand and foot as they do in Bedlam and lay him down and then bid him rise up and walk or else you will stir him up with a whip and he tell you that there be chains upon him so that he is not able to stir and you tell him again that that is no excuse for if he look upon his health his strength his legs he hath power to walk or to stand still but if upon his Chains indeed in that respect he is not able to walk I trust he that should whip that man for not walking were well worthy to be whipt himself Fourthly As God do abhor a heart and a heart and his soul detesteth also a double minded man so himself cannot have a mind and a mind a face like Janus to look two wayes Yet this opinion maketh in God two Wills the one flat opposite to the other An Hidden Will by which he appointed and willed that Adam should sin and an open Will by which he forbad him to sin His open Will said to Adam in Paradise Adam thou shall not eat of the Tree of good and evil His Hidden Will said Thou shalt eat nay now I my self cannot keep thee from eating for my Decree from Eternity is passed Thou shalt eat that thou may drown all thy posterity into sin and that I may drench them as I have designed in the bottomless pit of Hell Fifthly Amongst all the Abominations of Queen Jezâ—bel that was the greatest 1 King 21. when as hunting after the life of innocent Naboth she set him up amongst the Princes of the Land that so he might have the greater fall God planted man in Paradise as in a pleasant Vineyard and mounted him to the world as on a stage and honoured him with all the Soveraignty over all the Creatures he put all things in subjection under his feet so that he could not pass a decree from all Eternity against him to throw him down head-long into hell for God is not a Jezabel Tollere in altum to lift up a man ut lapsu graviore ruat that he may make the greater noise with his fall ' 6. But he goes on ' and having illustrated this cruel Mockery by some further instances he telleth us that the Poet had a device of their old Saturn that he eat up his Children assoone as they were born for fear least some of them should dispossess him of Heaven Pharoah King of Egypt had almost the same plea for he made away all the young Hebrew Males least they should multiply too fast Herod for fear out Saviour Christ should supplant him in his Kingdom caused all the young Children to be slain those had all some colour for their barbarous cruelty But if any of those had made a Law designing young Children to torments before they had been born and for no other cause and purpose but his own absolute will the heavens in course would have called for revenge It is the Law of Nations that no man innocent shall be condemned of reason not to hate where we are not hurt of nature to like and love her own brood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the holy Ghost we are Gods Kindred he cannot hate us when we are innocent when we are nothing when we are not Now touching Gods Glory which is to us all as dear as our life this opinion hath told us a very inglorious and shamefull â—â—le for it saith the Almighty God would have many soulâ— go to â—ell and that they may come tâ—iâ—â—eâ— they must sin that so â—e may have â—ust
cause to condemn them Who doth not smile at the Grecians Conceit that gave their God a glorious title for killing of flyes Gods Glory in punishing ariseth from his Justice in revenging of sin and for that it tells us as I said a very sad and unpleasant tale for who could digest it to hear a Prince say after this manner I will beget me a son that I may kill him that I may so get me a name I will beget him without both his feet and when he is grown up having no feet I will command him to walk upon pain of death and when he breaketh my Commandment I will put him to death O beloved these glorious fancies imaginations and shews are far from the nature of our gracious mercifull and glorious God who hath proclaimed himself in his Titles Royal Jehovah the Lord the Lord strong and mighty and terrible slow to anger and of great Goodness And therefore let this conceit be far from Jacob and let it not come near the Tents of Joseph How much holyer and heavenlyer conceit had the holy Fathers of the Justice of God Non est ante punitor Deus quam peccator homo God put not on the person of a Revenger before man put on the person of an Offender saith St. Ambrose Neminem coronat antequam vincit neminem punit antequam peccat he crowns none before he overcomes and he punisheth no man before his offence Et qui facit miseros ut misereatur crudelem habet miserecordiam he that puts man into miseries that he may pity him hath no kind but a cruell pity ' 7. The absolute deâ—ree of Reprobation being thus discharged he shews in the next place that as God desireth not the death of man without relation to his sin so he desireth not the death of the sinfull man or of the wicked sinfull man but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and live And he observes it is said unto the Coats in Saint Mathews Gospel Ite melidicti in ignem paratum he doth not say Maledicti patris Go ye cursed of the Father as it is Benedicti patris when he speaks of the sheep God intituling himself to the blessing only and that the fire is prepared but for whom Non vobis sed Diabolo Angelis ejus not for you but for the Devil and his Angels So that God delighteth to prepare neither death nor hell for damned men The last branch of his discourse he resolves into six consequences as links depending on his chain 1. Gods absolute Will is not the cause of Reprobation but sin 2. No man is of an absolute necessity the child of Hell so as by Gods grace he may not avoid it 3. God simply willeth and wisheth every living soul to be saved and to come to the kingdom of Heaven 4. God sent his son to save every soul and to bring it to the kingdom of heaven 5. God offereth Grace effectually to save every one and to direct him to the Kingdom of heaven 6. The neglect and contempt of this Grace is the cause why every one doth not come to Heaven and not any privative Decree Councel and Determination of God ' The stating and canvasing of which points so plainly curtly to the Doctrines of the old Zuinglian Gospellers and the modern Calvinians as they take up the rest of the Sermon so to the Sermon I refer the Reader for his further satisfaction in them I note this only in the close that there is none of the five Arminian Articles as they commonly call them which is not contained in terms express or may not easily be found by way of Deduction in one or more of the six consequences before recited 8. Now in this Sermon there are sundry things to be consisidered as namely first That the Zuinglian or Calvinian Gospel in these points was grown so strong that the Preacher calls it their Goliah so huge and monstrous that many quaked and trembled at it but none that is to say but few or none vel dâ—o vel nâ—mo in the words of Persius durst take up Davids sling to throw it down Secondly That in canvasing the absolute Decree of Reprobation the Preacher spared none of those odious aggravations which have been charged upon the Doctrines of the modern Calvinists by the Remonstrants and their party in these latter times Thirdly That the Sermon was preached at St. Pauls Cross the greatest Auditory of the Kingdom consisting not only of the Lord Major the Aldermen and the rest of the chief men in the City but in those times of such Bishops and other learned men as lived occasionally in London and the City of Westminster as also of the Judges and most learned Lawyers some of the Lords of the Counsel being for the most part present also Fourthly That for all this we cannot find that any offence was taken at it or any Recantation enjoyned upon it either by the high Commission or Bishop of London or any other having authority in the Church of England nor any complaint made of it to the Queen or the Counsel-Table as certainly there would have been if the matter of the Sermon had been contrary to the Rules of the Church and the appointments of the same And finally we may observe that though he was made Arch-Bishop of Yorke in the Reign of King Charls 1628. when the times are thought to have been inclinable to those of the Arminian Doctrines yet he was made Master of Pembrook hall Bishop of Chichester and from thence translated unto Norwitch in the time of King James And thereupon we may conclude that King James neither thought this Doctrine to be against the Articles of Religion here by Law established nor was so great an enemy to them or the men that held them as some of our Calvinians have lately made him 9. But against this it is objected by Mr Prin in his book of Perpetuity c. printed at London in the year 1627. 1. That the said Mr. Harsnet was convented for this Sermon and forced to recant it as heretical 2. That upon this Sermon and the controversies that arose upon it in Cambridge between Baroe and Whitacres not only the Articles of Lambeth were composed of which more hereafter but Mr. Wotton was appointed by the University to confute the same 3. That the said Sermon was so far from being published or printed that it was injoyned by Authority to be recanted For Answer whereunto it would first be known where the said Sermon was recanted and by whose Authority Not in or by the University of Cambridge where Mr. Harsnet lived both then and a long time after for the Sermon was preached at St. Pauls Cross and so the University could take no cognisance of it nor proceed against him for the same And if the Recantation was made at St. Pauls Cross where the supposed offence was given if would be known by whose Authority it was enjoyned Not by the
mans disobedience many were made sinners By which words we are taught that as in Adam all men universally sinned so in Adam all men universally received the reward of sin that is to say became moâ—tâ—l and subject unto 〈…〉 themselves nothing 〈…〉 tion both of body and soul c. Had it been any marvel if mankinde had been utterly driven to desperation being thus fallen from life to death from salvation to destruction from Heaven to Hell But behold the great goodness and tender mercy of God in this behalf albeit mans wickedness and sinful behaviour was such that it deserved not in any part to be forgiven yet to the intent he might not be clean destitute of all hope and comfort in time to come he ordained a new Covenant and made a sure promise thereof namely that he would send a Mediator or Messias into the world which should make intercession and put himself as a stay between both parties to pacifie the wrath and indignation conceived against sin and to deliver man out of the miserable curse and cursed misery whereunto he was fallen head-long by disobeying the Will and Commandment of the onely Lord and Maker ' 4. Which ground thus laid we will proceed unto the Doctrine of Predestination according to the sense and meaning of the Church of England which teacheth us according to the general current of the ancient Authors before Augustines time that God from all Eternity intending to demonstrate his power and goodness designed the Creation of the World the making of man after his own image and leaving him so made in a perfect liberty to do or not to do what he was commanded and that fore-knowing from all Eternity the man abusing this liberty would plung himself and his posterity into a gulf of miseries he graciously resolved to provide them such a Saviour who should redeem them from their sins to elect all those to life eternal who laid hold upon him leaving the rest in the same state in which he found them for their incredulity And this I take to be the method of Election unto life Eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord according to the Doctrine of the Church of England For although there be neither prius nor posterius in the will of God who sees all things at once together and willeth at the first sight without more delay yet to apply his acts unto our capacitie as were the acts of God in their right production so were they primitively in his intention But Creation without p 〈…〉 did forego the fall and the disease or death which ensued upon it was of necessity to be before there could be a course taken to prescribe the care and the prescribing of the care must first be finished before it could be offered to particular persons Of which and of the whole Doctrine of Predestination as before declared we cannot have an happier illustration then that of Agilmond and Lamistus in the Longobardiaâ— story of Paul the Deacon In which it is reported That Agilmond the second King of Lombard riding by a fish-pond saw seven young children sprawling in it whom their unnatural mothers as the Author thinketh had thrown into it not long before Amazed whereat he put his hunting spear amongst them and stiâ—â—ed them gently up and down which one of them laying hold on was drawn to land called Lamistus from the word Lama which is the language of that people and signifies a fish-pond Trained up in that Kings Court and finally made his Successor in the Kingdom Granting that Agilmond being forewarned in a vision that he should finde such children sprawling for life in the midst of that pond might thereupon take a resolution within himself to put his hunting â—pear amongst them and the which of them soever should lay hold upon it should be gently drawn out of the water adopted for his son and made heir of his Kingdom no Humane story can afford us the like parallel case to Gods proceeding in the great work of Predestination to Eternal life according to the Doctrine of the ancient Fathers and the Church of Rome as also of the Lutheran Churches and those of the Arminian party in the Belgick Provinces 5. Now that this was the Doctrine also of the Church of England will easily appear upon a due search into the Monuments and Records thereof as they stand backed by those learned religious men who had a principal hand in carrying on the great work of the Reformation Among which those of the Calvinian party would fain hook in Wicklif together with Fryth Barns and Tyndal which can by no means be brought under that account though some of them deserved well of the Churches for the times they lived in They that desire to hook in Wicklif do first confess that he stands accused by those of the Church of Rome for bringing in Fatal Necessity and making God the Author of sin and then conclude that therefore it may be made a probable guess that there was no disagreement between him and Calvin The cause of which Argument stands thus That there being an agreement in these points betwixt Wicklif and Calvin and the Reformers of our Church embracing the Doctrines of Wicklif therefore they must embrace the Doctrines of Calvin also But first it cannot be made good that our Reformers embraced the Doctrines of Wicklif or had any eye upon the man who though he held many points against those of Rom yet had his field more tares then wheat his books more Hetrodoxies then sound Catholick Doctrine And secondly admitting this Argument to be of any force in the present case it will as warrantably serve for all the Sects and Heresies which now swarm amongst us as well as for that of Calvin Wicklif affording them the grounds of their several dotages though possibly they are not so well studied in their own concernments For they who consult the works of Thomas Waldensis or the Historia Wicklifiana writ by Hartsfield will tell us that Wicklif amongst many other errours maintained these that follow 1. That the Sacrament of the Altar is nothing else but a piece of Bread 2. That Priests have no more Authority to minister Sacraments then Lay-men havâ— 3. That all things ought to be common 4. That it is as lawful to Christen a childe in a Tub of water at home or in a Ditch by the way as in a Font-stone in the Churches 5. That it is as lawful at all times to confess unto a Lay-man as to a Priest 6. That it is not necessary or profitable to have any Church or Chappel to pray in or to do any Divine Service in 7. That burying in Church-yards is unprofitable and in vain 8. That Holy Days ordained and instituted by the Church and taking the Lords Day in for one are not to be observâ—d and kept in reverencâ— inasmuch as all days are alike 9. That it is sufficient and enough to believe though a man do no good works at all 10.
threatnings of God as well believe the Law as the Gospel as well that there is an hell and everlasting fire as there is an heaven and everlasting joy as well they should believe damnation to be threatned to the wicked and evil doers as salvation to be promised to the faithful in Word and Works as well they should believe God to be true in the one as the other ' And for sinners that continue in this wicked living they ought to think that the promises of Gods mercy and the Gospel pertain not unto them being in that state but only the Law and those Scriptures which contain the wrath and indignation of God and his threatnings which should certifie them that as they do over boldly presume of Gods mercy and live dissolutely so doth God still more and more withdraw his mercy from them as he is so provoked thereby to wrath at length that he destroyeth such presumers many times suddenly for of such Saint Paul said thus When they shall say it is peace there is no danger then shall sudden destruction come upon them let us beware therefore of such naughty boldness to sin for God which hath promised his mercy to them that be truly penitent although it be at the latter end hath not promised to the presumptuous sinner either that he shall have long life or that he shall have true Repentance at the last end But for that purpose hath he made every mans death uncertain that he should not put his hope in the end and in the mean season to Gods high displeasure live ungodlily Wherefore let us follow the counsel of the Wise man let us make no sarrying to turn unto the Lord let us not put off from day to day for suddenly his wrath comes and in time of vengeance he will destroy the wicked let us therefore turn betimes and when we turn let us pray to God as Hosea teached saying Forgive all our sins receive us graciously And if we turn to him with an humble and a very penitent heart he will receive us to his favour and grace for his holy Names sake for his Promise sake for his Truth and Mercies sake promised to all faithful believers in Jesus Christ his only natural Son To whom the only Saviour of the world with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour glory and power world without end Amen ' 3. These are the very words of the second Homily touching falling from God in which we have many evident proofs not only that there is a falling and a frequent falling but also a total yea a final falling from the grace of God according to the Doctrine of the Church of England And hereunto I must needs say that I never met with any satisfactory and sufficient Answer how much soever some have slighted the authority of it or the strength rather of the Argument which is taken from it for Mr. Yates of Ipswitch from whose candle most of them that followed borrow all their light in his book intituled Ibis ad Caesarem writ against Montagues Appeal can finde no better answers to it or evasions from it then they four that follow viz. 1. That the Homily speaks of the visible Church and therefore is not to be construed in the same sense of all whereas the Homily speaketh of Gods chosen people his chosen Vineyard are the words and consequently not only of the mixed multitude in a visible Church He answers secondly That it speaks with limitation and distinction some beholding the face of Gods mercy aright others not as they ought to do the one of which may fall quite away the other being transformed can never be wholly deformed by Satan But this is such a pitiful shift as could not save the man from the scorn of laughter had he been dealt with in his kind the Homily speaking largely of those men which having beheld Gods face of mercy in Jesus Christ as they ought to do do afterwards neglect the same prove unthankful to him and order not their lives according to his Example and Doctrine c. for which consult the place at large in the former Church He answers thirdly that the Homily speaks conditionally if they afterwards c. that is to say if afterwards they neglect the same prove unthankful to him and order not their lives according to his Example and Doctrine c. and so concludes nothing positively and determinately which is a sorrier shift than that which you had before for if such conditional Propositions conclude nothing positively what will become of all those Propositions in the Scriptures by which we are assured That if a sinner do repent him of his sins and wickednesses he shall find mercy from the Lord Do they conclude nothing positively neither most miserable were the state of man if these conditional Propositions should conclude nothing to the comfort of a troubled conscience And finally he answereth thus that the Homily speaks of Gods dreadful countenance appearing in plagues sword famine and such like temporal punishments wherewith the Elect may be chastened as well as others that they may not for ever be condemned with the wicked the first part of which Allegation I confess to be true Gods judgements falling promiscuously on all sotts of people but the addition is unknown and is not to be found in the words of the Homily And secondly the Homily speaks not only of Gods temporal judgements with which the Elect be chastened as well as others that they may not for ever be condemned with the wicked but positively and determinately of taking from them his Kingdom and holy word as in the former so that they shall be no longer of his Kingdom governed no longer by his holy Spirit put from the Grace and benefit which they had c. 4. But Master Yates intends not so to leave the matter we must first see that he is as good at raising an Objection as at the making of an Answer and he objecteth out of another of the Homilies that though the godly do fall yet they walk not on purposely in sinne they stand not still to continue and tarry in sinne they sit not down like carelesse men without all fear of Gods just punishment for sinne through Gods great grace and infinite mercy they rise again and fight against sinne c. But first it may be hoped that Master Yates could not be ignorant how great a difference there is betwixt such passages as fall occasionally and on the by from the pen of a Writer discoursing on another Argument and those which do occur in such Discourses Sermons and other Tractates as purposely are made and fitted to the point in hand And secondly though it be affirmed in the said Homily that the godly man which shall adde sinne to sinne by Gods great grace and infinite mercy may arise again and fight against sinne Yet can it not be gathered thence that it is so at all times
therefore by the light of the same instruction had they not shut their eyes against it they might have come unto a further knowledge of the will of God and by degrees to the performance of all moral duties required of them before Christ coming in the flesh And in the third part of the same Sermon there are some passages which do as plainly speak of falling from God the final alienation of the soul of a man once righteous from his love and favour Where it is said ' how much better it were that the arts of painting and we had never been found then one of them whose souls are so precious in the sight of God should by occasion of image or picture perish and be lost ' And what can here be understood by the souls which are so precious in the sight of God but the souls of the elect of justified and righteous persons the souls of wicked men being vile and odious in his sight hated by God as Esau was before all eternity as the Calvinians do informe us And what else can we understand by being perished and lost but a total or final alienation of those precious souls from his grace and favour more plainly speaks the Homily of the Resurrection in which the Church represents unto us what shame it should be for us ' being thus clearly and freely washed from our sinne to returne to the filthinesse thereof again What a folly it would be for us being thus endued with righteousnesse to loose it again What a madnesse it would be to to loose the inheritance we be now set in for the vile and transitory pleasure of sinnes And what an unkindnesse it would be where our Saviour Christ of his mercy is come unto us to dwell with us as our guest to drive him from us and to banish him violently out of our souls And instead of him in whom is all grace and vertue to receive the ungracious spirit of the devil the founder of all naughtinesse and mischiefe ' then which there can be nothing more direct and positive to the point in hand And as for the co-operation of mans will with the grace of God either in accepting or resisting it when once offered to him besides what may be gathered from the former passages it is to be presumed as a thing past question in the very nature of that book for what else are those Homilies but so many proofs and arguments to evince that point For to what purpose were they made but to stir up the mindes of all men to the works of piety And what hopes could the Authors of them give unto themselves of effecting that which they endeavoured had they not presupposed and taught that there was such a freedome in the will of man such an assistance of Gods grace as might enable them to performe these works of piety as in all and every one of the said Homilies are commended to them More for the proof of which points might be gathered from the said second Book of Homilies established by the Articles of Queen Elizabeth's time as before is said were not these sufficient 3. Proceed we therefore from the Homilies and the publick monuments of the Church to the judgement of particular persons men of renown and eminent in their several places amongst which we finde incomparable Jewell then Bishop of Sallsbury thus clearly speaking in behalf of universal redemption viz. Certo animis nostris persuademus c. ' We do assuredly perswade our mindes saith he that Christ is the obtainer of forgivenesse for our sins and that by his blood all our spots of sins be washed cleane that he hath pacified and set at one all things by the blood of his crosse that he by the same one onely sacrifice which he once offered upon the crosse hath brought to effect and fulfilled all things and that for the cause he said it is finished By which word saith he be plainly signified persolutum â—am esse pretium pro peccato humani generis that the price or ransome was now fully paid for the sin of man-kinde ' Now as Bishop ewell was a principal member of the House of Bishops so Mr. Powell was the Prolocutoâ— for the House of the Clergy in which the Articles were debated and agreed upon In which respect his favour is much sought by those of the Calvinian party as before was shown But finding no comfort for them in his larger Catechisme let us see what may be found in his Latine Catechisme authorized to be taught in Schools and published by his consent in the English tongue Anno 157â— And first he sheweth that as God is said to be our Father for some other reasons so most specially for this quod nos divine per spiritum sanctum generavit per fidem in verum suum aâ—que naturalem filium Iesum Christum nos el git sibique Filios regni â—oelestis atque sempiternae vitae heredes per eundem injâ—ituit that is to say because he hath divinely regenerated us or begotten us again by the Holy Ghost and hath elected us by faith in his true and natural son Christ Jesus and through the same Christ â—ath adopted us to be his children and heires of his heavenly Kingdom and of life everlasting And if election come by our faith in Christ as he saith it doth neither a Supra-bapsarian nor a Sub-â—apâ—arian can finde any comfort from this man in favour of that absolute and irrespective decree of Predestination which they would gladly father on him in his larger Catechisme And then as for the method of predestination he thus sets it forth viz. ' Deus Adamum illis honoris insignibus ornavit ut ea cum sibi tum suis id est toti humano generi aut servaret aut amitteret c. God saith he indued Adam with those ornaments that is to say those ornaments of grace and nature which before we speak of that he might have them or loose them for himself and his that is to say for all man-kinde And it could not otherwise be but that as of an evil tree evil fruits do spring so that Adam being corrupted with sinne all the issue that came of him must also be corrupted with that original sin For delivery from the which there remained no remedy in our selves and therefore God was pleased to promise that the seed of the woman which is Jesus Christ should break the head of the Serpent that is of the Devi who deceived our first parents and so should deliver them and their posterity that believed the same Where first we have mans fall Secondly Gods mercy in his restitution Thirdly this restitution to be made by Jesus Christ and fourthly to be made to all which believe the same ' 4. Proceed we next to a Sermon preached at St. Pauls crosse Octob. 27. 1584. by Samuel Hâ—rsâ—et then fellow of Pâ—mbrooke Hall in Cambridge and afterwards Master of the same preferred