was aeternall and his purpose aeternall as an action immanent within him for to whom should God pronounce it there should he tell the Angells of it and when I pray might that be at the first conversion of every one this were a very pretie fiction and fitt for such a Commaedian as this Author But if God pronounceth it no where but in the conscience of man where he hath erected his tribunal seate and that by the testimony of his Spirit which can be no other then to make the Spirit of man apprehende it by faith I say if Bellarmine had seriously considered this cecidissetÌ„ omnes de crinibus hydrae he woulde not have bene so forward to betray his shame by an argument plausible only through ignorance in not understanding what that is wherof he discourseth So much for Bellarmine whose argument this is which here is used by this Author but nothing at all to his present purpose we say not here that any thing becommeth true by the faith of him that believes it but only this that the benefite which is procured for all and every one upon a condition becomes his and peculiarly his alone who performeth the condition Christ dyed to procure pardon of sinne and salvation to be obteyned by faith so that if all and every one should believe all and every one should be saved which in effect is to say that Christ dyed in this respect only for believers and by the faith of man the benefite of Christs death is appropâ—iated unto him but till he believes it is not knowne eyther to himselfe or any other man that he shall have any benefite by the death of Christ Only God knowes from everlasting who shall have benefite by the death of Christ and who not for as much as he hath determined to give faith in Christ to some and not to others and accordingly hath sent Christ into the world for their sakes not only to merit pardon of sinne and salvation in case they believe but to merit faith and regeneration allso for them So that the love of God and of Christ to all goes no farther then this that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3. but Gods speciall love to his elect is to send Christ into the world to merit not that only for them which is to be conferd upon the condition of faith but to merit faith allso for them which is conferd upon them absolutely and upon no condition we doe not say that any man is bound to believe that which is false but as for believing in Christ wherunto all are bound that are called by the Gospell that is no such believing the object wherof is capable of truth or falshood as this Author according to his superficiary course is still in confounding thinges that differ The Apostle saith so indeede and of Gods judgments in this kinde we have plentifull experience at this day how God striketh such persons with the Spirit of giddines making them to erre in their counsayles and discourses as a drunken man erreth in his vomite yet they thinke themselves the only sober men of the world and glory in their illusions which are most pleasing unto them like unto the dreame of an hungry man who eateth and drinketh and maketh merry as he thinketh but when he awaketh his soule is emtye Surely the doctrine of Dort teacheth not that God would have a man first believe that which is false when he commandeth every one to believe that Christ dyed for him like enough it is false in the judgment of the Synod that Christ dyed for every one but where doe they say or acknowledge that God commandeth every one to believe that Christ dyed for him Can he shewe this if he can why doth he not but he came only upon the Stage to play some gamboles which done his discourse is at an ende They maynteyne like enough that not all and every one but all and every one that heares the Gospell is bounde to believe in Christ but it is incredible unto me that they should professe that every one is bound to believe that Christ dyed for him But it is nothing strange for this Author to confounde these as if there were no difference betweene believing in Christ and believing that Christ dyed for us And Arminians I willingly confesse doe usually confounde these The truth is we deny that Christ dyed for all in as much as he dyed not to procure the grace of faith and regeneration for all but only for Gods elect and consequently neyther shall any but Gods elect have any such interest in Christs death as to obteyne therby pardon of sinne and salvation for Arminians themselves confesse that this is the portion only of believers But seing pardon of sinne and salvation are benefits merited by Christ not to be conferd absolutely but conditionally to witt upon condition of faith we may be bold to say that Christ in some sense dyed for all and every one that is he dyed to procure remission of sinnes and salvation unto all and every one in case they believe and as this is true so way we well say and the Councell of Dort might well say that every one who heares the Gospell is bound to believe that Christ dyed for him in this sense namely to obtayne salvation for him in case he believe But what thinke Arminians are we bound to believe that Christ dyed for us in such a sense as to purchase faith and regeneration for us Surely not one of them will affirme this because they doe not beleeve this no not one of them that I know that Christ by his death merited faith and regeneration for all and every one Nay the Remonstrants professe that he merited faith and regeneration for none Exam. Cenâ—ura p 59. We acknowledge that Christ merited this for Gods elect and accordingly they are bound as soon as they doe beleeve and are regenerated to give God the glory of it as the bestower of these graces upon them for Christs sake For it is he who makes us perfect to every good worke working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ Hebr. 13.21 But before God hath bestowed faith and regeneration upon them it is utterly uncertaine by ordinary meanes both whether God hath determined to bestow any such grace upon them and whether Christ dyed for the procuring of any such benefite unto them As for the phrase this author useth of beleeving falshood There is a great difference betweene the beleeving of somewhat which is false and the believing of falshood When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac Piscator conceaving that Abraham was bound to beleeve that it was Gods good pleasure that Isaac should be sacrificed which yet notwithstanding was false as appeared by the event and yet I hope Abraham needed not feare any such punishment for beleeving this as to be given over to the Spirit of errour And I hope this
the libertie of mans will and not in the appetition of the ende it being naturall to a man to be caryed to the liking of his ende necessarily according to that of Aristotle Qualis quisque est ita finis apparet And doth it become these men to dictate unto us not only a new divinitie but also a new Philosophy at pleasure As for the reason here added fetched from the aeternall and efficatious decree of God this is so farre from confirming their premises as that it utterly overthrowes them and confirmeth ours For we say with Aquinas that the efficacions will of God is the cause why some things come to pasâ—e contingently and freely as well as it is the cause why other things come to passe necessarily Was the burning of the Prophets bones by Iosiah performed any whit lesse freely by him then any other action of his Oâ— the proclamation that Cyrus made for the returne of the Iewes out of the captivitie was not this as freely done by him as ought else Yet both these were praedetermined by God Nay I say more that every thing which cometh to passe in the revolution of times was decreed by God I proove by such an argument for answeare wherunto I chalenge the whole nations both of Arminians and Iesuits It cannot be denyed but God foresawe from every lastinge whatsoever in time should come to passe therfore every thinge was future froâ— everlasting otherwise God could not foresee it as future Now let us soberly inquire how these thinges which we call future came to be future being in their owne nature merely possible and indifferent as well not at all to be future as to be future Of this transmigration of things out of the condition of things merely possible such as they were of themselves into the condition of things future there must needes be some outward cause Now I demand what was the cause of this transmigration And seing nothing without the nature of God could be the cause hereof for this transmigration was from everlasting but nothing without God was everlasting therfore some thing within the nature of God must be founde fitt to be the cause herof And what may that be not the knowledge of God for that rather presupposeth things future and so knowable 〈◊〉 in the kinde of things future then makes them future Therefore it remaines that the meere decree will of God is that which makes them future If to shift off this it be said that the essence of God is the cause hereof I further demaunde whether the essence of God be the cause hereof as working necessarily or as working freely If as working necessarily then the most contingent thinges became future by necessitie of the divine nature and consequently he produceth whatsoever he produceth by necessitie of nature which is Atheisticall Therefore it remaines that the essence of God hath made them future by working freely and consequently the meere will and decree of God is the cause of the futurition of all things And why should we doubt hereof when the most foule sinnes that have beene committed in the World are in scripture phrase professed to have beene predetermined by God himself Vpon supposition of which will and decree divine we confesse it necessary that things determined by him shall come to passe but how not necessarily but either necessarily or contingently and freely to witt necessarie things necessarily contingent things and free things contingently and freely So that contingent things upon supposition of the will divine have a necessitie secundum quid but simply a contingencye and that the same thing may come to passe both necessarily secundum quid and simply in a contingent manner ought to be nothing strange to men of understanding considering that the very foreknowledge of God is sufficient to denominate the most contingent things as comming to passe necessarily secundum quid I come to the consideration of the fourth 4. As touching this Article here objected unto us we have no cause to decline the maintenance thereof but chearfully and resolutely to undergo the defense as of the truth of God clearly sett downe unto us in the word of God The illumination of the minde is compared to Gods causing light to shine out of darkenesse in the creatioÌ„ 1 Cor. 4.6 God that commanded the light to shine out of the darknes is he which hath shined in 〈◊〉 heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ And for God to say unto Sion thou art my people is made aequivalent to the planting of the Heavens and laying the foundation of the Earth Es. 51.16 I have putt my wordes in thy mouth and defended thee in the shadow of my hand that I may plant the Heavens and lay the foundation of the Earth and say unto Sion Thou art my people Ps. 51.10 Create in me a cleane heart saith David and renewe a right spirit within me Yet was David a regenerate childe of God but when he fell into foule sinnes and sought unto God to restore him he acknowledgeth this his spirituall restitution to be a creation giving thereby to understand that the very children of God have savage lusts wild affections in them the curing mastering wherof is no lesse work then was the work of creation or making of the world 2 Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Gal. 6 1â— In Christ Iesus neyther circumcision avayleth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature Now this new creature is all one with faith working by love Gal. 5.6 For there the Apostle expresseth the comparison antitheticall in this manner In Iesus Christ neither circumcision avayleth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith working by love And Eph. 2.10 We are said to be Gods workmanship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 created in Iesus Christ marke a new creation unto good workes which he hath ordeyned that we should walke in them God made the world with a word but the new making of man cost our Saviour Christ hot water the very blood of the Sonne of God agonies in the garden agonies upon the Crosse and he must rise out of his grave to worke this The Schoolemen doe acknowledge this namely that grace is wrought in man by way of creation Otherwise how could it be accoumpted supernaturall And as for the power whereby God raiseth the dead It is expressely said Col. 2.12 that faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who raised Christ from the dead whereupon Cornelius de Lapide acknowledgeth that faith is wrought by the same power wherby God raysed Christ from the dead And Eph. 1 19. the Apostle tells us of the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power towards us which beleeve adding that this is according to his mightie power which he wrought in Christ whom he raysed from the dead And therefore most congruously doth the Apostle take into consideration that worke
exercised in such sort that albeit God gives it yet they to whom he gives it doe reject it Now this may be understood two wayes as namely that after God hath given it and they receaved it they doe reject it or that they so reject it as not at all receaving it The first sense includes a sober notion though the truth of it may be questioned But in that sense it belongs to the next Article but in the latter sense only it belongs to this present Article Now say I in 〈◊〉 this sense there is no sobriety For it mainteynes some thing to be given which is not at all receaved which is clearly non sense and no merveyl if in opposing Gods grace they cary themselves as destitute of common sense A thing may be offered and rejected but that cannot with sobriety be said to be given which is not receaved Especially of gifts given to the soule For a gift given to the soule must eyther be a qualitie permanent or an act immanent both which are inhaerent in the soule and unlesse they are made inhaerent in it and the latter also produced by it cannot be said â—o be given unto the soule As for example the praesent quaestion is of producing faith in the soule of man Now this may be understood either of the habite qualitie of faith or of the act of faith but neither of these can be said to be given unlesse the one be made the qualitie of the soule and the other the act of the soule Which supposed they are not rejected nor can be rejected in such sort as not at all to be receaved And this inconvenience the Author seemes to have beene sensible of and accordingly desirous to avoyde and therefore observe in the third place he doth not say that they to whom God giveth faith are able to and accordingly some times doe reject it according to our opinion which would imply that in his opinion though God gives faith to men yet they to whom he gives it doe sometimes reject it But he makes our doctrine to be this that to whom God gives his grace they are able to and accordingly sometimes doe reject implying thereby that the grace which God gives man may be and is sometimes rejected And indeed this grace being not faith it selfe but an opeâ—ation tending thereunto and that no other then suasion this may in a good sense be said to be rejected though it be both given by God and receaved by man though the like cannot be said of faith which is not receaved but by beleeving and unles it be thus receaved by man it cannot be said to be given by God In like sort if God exhort a man to faith it cannot be said that that man is not exhorted thereunto and therefore to whom God gives exhortation it cannot be but that the exhortation given be receaved so farre forth as the man is justly said to have beene exhorted thereunto But besides the receaving of suasion and exhortation in this sense which cannot possibly be denyed wheresoever it is given there is another sense hereof namely of receaving it so as to obey it and yeelde unto it And in this sense we confesse that the grace of suasion and exhortation though it be made by God yet may it be rejected by man for though it cannot be denyed but he hath receaved it so farre foorth as wherby he hath heard it which is sufficient to denominate him a man exhorted unto faith yet he hath not receaved it in such sort as to embrace it and obey it And upon this ambiguitie of sense and aequivocation doe these impostors proceede first willingly cheating themselves their affections being possessed with a love of errour which will allwayes to use the judgment from the truth and afterwards labouring to cheate others as many as doe not discerne their juglinge Now we clearely professe that like as in case the Sunne doth inlighten the world it is not possible but that the world should be inlighteyed so if God inlighten mens mindes the minde cannot choose but be inlightened For the understanding is a power naturall not free And consequently if God make it appeare to a Christian soule that God is his summum bonum not only summum bonum but his summum bonum it is not possible but he shoulde be inlightned with this light of his loving countenance which is called in scripture the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. last and it is signified to be the glory of his grace appearing in Christ Ioh. 1.14 which we are sayde to behold in Christ with open face 2. Cor. 3. last Agayne this glory of Gods grace appearing unto us as our chiefest good it is not possible but we should love it For we love him because he loved us first 1. Ioh. 4.19 our wills should be fixed upoÌ„ him as on our supreame ende For the libertie of the will consistes not in appetitione finis but onely in electione mediorum which is a rule of Schooles acknowledged by Aristotle and receaved generally without controll sealed unto us by the light of nature And accordingly we are sayd by the very beholding of the glory of the Lord with open face to be transformed into the same image what is that but the image of Christ as by the Lord there Christ is meant in whom appeares the glory of Gods grace and of his love to man and that hath two parts the one Christ crucified the other Christ raysed from the dead and ascended into heaven and there sitting at the right hand of God to make requests for us And our transformation into this image is our regeneration consisting in mortification which is a conformity to Christs death and vivication which is a conformity to Christs resurrection thus we feele the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his passions Phil. 3.10 And in this worke of regeneration consisting in the illumination of our minde and renovation of our affections we are meerely passive and so changed as to discerne our chiefest good and to have our heart sett upon it as upon our ende all which is naturall not free Freedome having place onely in the election of meanes unto our ende wherein we faile often partly through weaknesse of judgemeÌ„t partly through perversnesse of our affections For we are regenerate but in part both darknes in part possesseth the understanding in our hearts and affections there is a principle of the flesh which inclines inordinately to the creature as well as a principle of the Spirit which inclines to God our creator And whereas in the last place it is said that the Reprobates cannot obtaine this grace of God although it be offered them in the Gospell this eyther hath no sobriety or being brought to a sober sense is utterly untrue And nothing but the ambiguous notion of grace serves their turne and gives them libertie to prate they knowe not what For as for faith it selfe that is not
understand not and in like sort whether the decree be irrevocable or of a revocable nature Now as for this latter distinction to justifie some decrees of God to be of a revokable nature he must be driven to coyne not onely a new Gospell but a new word of God throughout For if Gods decrees be revocable then is he also changeable which is contrary to the testimony both of the old Testament and of the new as before hath beene shewed In like sort Bradwardine hath long agoe demonstrated that no will of God is conditionall but absolute throughout which I understand quoad actum volentis or decernentis And his demonstration is this If there be any conditionall will in God he condition of that will of God is eyther willed by God or no. If not willed by him then that must be acknowledged to come to passe in the world without the will of God which he holdes for a great absurditie but if that condition be also in some sort willed by God then eyther absolutely or conditionally If absolutely then allso the thing conditionated shall be absolutely willed by God As for Example if God doth will that a man shall be saved in case he beleeve withall doth absolutely resolve to give him faith and make him beleeve this is in effect absolutely to resolve to save him But if it be said that the condition spoken of is willed by God not absolutely but conditionally then a way is open to a progresse in infinitum which all disclayme For as touching that second condition I will renew the former argument inquiring whether that be also willed at all by God or no and if it be whether it be willed absolutely or conditionally so that eyther we must subsist in some thing that is absolutely willed by God and consequently all that depend thereupon as conditionated shall in like manner be absolutely willed by God or a progresse from one condition to another and that without end cannot be avoyded Lastly if any will of God be not absolute but conditionall then surely the decrees of salvation and damnation are conditionall even as touching the very acts of Gods decrees but I will evidently demonstrate that in Christian reason this can not be For if any thing be the condition of the decree of salvation then eyther by necessitie of nature or by the constitution of God not by necessitie of nature as is evident of it self and all confesse but neyther by the constitution of God as I proove thus If by the constitution of God then God did constitute that is ordeyne that upon the position of such a condition to witt faith c. he would ordeyne men unto salvation Marke I pray the notorious absurditie hereof God did ordeyne that he would ordeyne or God did decree that he would decree Where the aeternall act 〈◊〉 of Gods decree and ordination is made the object of his decree or ordination whereas it is well knowne that the objects of Gods decrees are onely things temporall and not things aeternall The same argument may with the same evidence be applyed to the disprooving of the conditionall decree of condemnation As for this Authors reason wherein he rests namely that thus the things which God hates shall come to passe and the things he loves shall not com to passe Observe the vanitie of this argumentation plausible only to ignorants or such as shutt their eyes against truths evidence For the things here spoken of are not things considered in their kinde but onely in the particulars of certeyne kindes God will have obedience to every commandement of hâ—s come to passe but not every particular obedience possible For if God would prolong the lifes of his Children more particular acts of obedience should come to passe then now there doe In like sort if Saul had beene converted many yeares sooner which undoubtedly was not impossible unto God many gracious acts had beene performed by him more then were In like sort if God had cutt shorter the lifes of wicked men many evill actions of theirs had beene praevented But will any wise men hereupon chalenge God for suffering those things to come to passe which he hateth or for decreeing them to come to passe by his suffering or for hindering many good acts in particular which he loveth Especially considering that the evill actions he is able to make them fitt matter for the demonstration of his glory eyther in the way of mercy or in the way of justice And on the other side his glory is sufficiently manifested by that obedience which is performed by his children Lastly if God loves obedience doth he not most of all love perfect obedience Yet it is not his pleasure to give any of his children in this life such a measure of grace as to keep them from all sinne And if he gives them not longer life they cannot perform more though as long as they live they want not the meanes of grace no nor reprobates neyther living in the Church of God where the Gospell is preached and other meanes of performing obedience â—nto God I knowe none Now will any wise and sober man finde this any thing strange in the course of Gods providence But such like are the argumentations of this Arminian sect right like unto the fruite of Sodome faire to see to without but if you crushe them in cineres abeunt vagam fuliginem as Solinus writeth Yet this Author is so in love with this his Iuno of invention like as Ixion was with his cloude that he addes furthermore that if it were possible and why not possible for an Infidell to turne Manichee and an Arminian to turne Atheist if so be he be not one allready His Catechist will make him turne Manichee and thinke that this evill God or evill beginning that is the Author of all evill hath continuall warre with that good God which loveth righteousnesse This is like the cogging of a dye which he foysts in when substantiall matter fayles him to cheate his reader when he cannot informe him and to humour his proselyte when he wants all good meanes to strengthen his faith He supposeth an evill God as the Author of all evill mainteyned on our side and that he warreth with the good God that loveth righteousnesse whereas no mention was made of any such imputation before yet here he brings it in as though it had beene not onely mentioned before but prooved This is the frothe of his affection whereby he is in love with his former argumentation though as vile a one as ever sober man breathed Belike Austin was a Manichee when considering all things that come to passe throughout the world he was bolde to professe that Non aliquid fit nisi omnipotens fieri velit vel sinendo ut fiat vel ipse faciendo The Apostles were all Manichees when with one consent they professed that both Herod Pontius Pilate together with the Gentiles people of Israel were gathered together
for us that it extends so farre therfore without just cause we must not conceave otherwise of them then that they are in the state of grace and consequently that they are elect And no other kinde of certitude is required in the case we treate of so that this Author caryeth himselfe miserably extravagant in his very extravagancyes And as for an afflicted soule we have reason to conceave better of him then of civill Christians for as much as his state is not so obnoxious to hypocrisie as is the condition of Christians who are nothing exercised with the terrors of God and with the affrightments of a tender conscience Be it so that it hath course only betweene man and man this judgment of charitie such is the case we treate of For as for the afflicted soule we doe not say that in the judgment of charitie he is bound to conceave that he is an elect of God any farther then he hath cause to conceave that he is in the state of faith But we come to the application which he makes herof to divine promises Now we willingly professe that divine promises are to be believed by certentie of faith we doe not say nor I presume was ever any of our divines knowne to say that the truth of divine promises was to be believed by the judgment of charitie Whosoever believes shall be saved we apprehende this by certeintie of faith not out of any judgment of charitie what a wilde race doth this Author runne in his roaving discourse We will be bolde to affirm that every one is to believe that he is of the number of Gods elect so farre forth as he knowes himselfe to have faith in Christ which as it is a gift of God Philip. 1.29 Eph. 2.8 so God giveth us his Spirit by the hearing of faith that we may knowe those things that are given to us of God 1. Cor. 2.12 But this to witt whether a man hath true faith or no though it be knowne to him that hath it yet is it not knowne to others any otherwise then by the judgment of charitie Yet Paul was confident of the truth of the Thessalonians faith and consequently of their election 1. Thess. 1.3.4 and 2. Thess. 2.13 It is untrue that we must have a sufficient assurance that Christ dyed to procure pardon of sin and salvation of soule absolutely for him whom we goe about to comfort it is enough that Christ dyed to procure these benefites for him condiâ—ionally to witt in case he believe and repent and of this we have a most sufficient assurance But these disputers like owles fly abroade only in the night of darknes and confusion but let the light of distinction come and then t is time to hide themselves in their close harbours for shame But over and above we can treate with our Patiens about Christs dying not only to procure pardon of sinne and salvation of soule conditionally to witt in case they believe and repent but allso for procuring the gift of faith and repentance for them allso wherof we have the better hope when we consider their afflicted condition this being Gods usuall course to transforme them into the image of Christ crucyfyed first then rising from the dead by making them to feele the fellowshippe of Christs passions and the power of his resurrection Now this way of consolation is quite out of the Arminians element The third Section THe minister or Comforter will then aske the patient if he never felt the witnes of adoption which the Spirit of God beareth with the Spirit of the elect And if he be assured that he once had faith he may be certeyne that he hath it still notwithstanding the small fruit that it produceth Wherunto the Patient will reply that Calvin himself doth much trouble obscure this doctrine of certitude in his Institut lib. 3. cap. 2. parag 10. where saith he The heart of man hath so many secret corners of vanitie is so full of so many hiding holes of lying is covered with such guilefull hypocrisie that it dâ—ceaveth it selfe and persuadeth him that he hath true faith when he hath it not If the patient acknowledgeth that he never found this testimony in his heart his comforter will answere him in the same manner as he formerly did the profane when he tooke upon him the office of a censurer and corrector to witt how that all are not called at the same houre But if the patient doe then aske him some assurance that he shall be thus efficaciously called before his death the comforter will finde none for him eyther at Dort or Arles only he will tell him that assuredly Christ dyed for him if so be he believes in him wherin he will shewe himselfe eyther a praevaricator of his owne side and an overthrower of the doctrine of the Synods or else that he is deprived of common sense For if he give the selfe same consolation to all that are sicke to all that are afflicted yea even to those who for their greater offenses are ledde to execution and if this consolation be founded upon the truth doth it not then follow that Christ dyed for all and every one And if he so understandeth it that this becommeth true by the faith which the Patient addeth to the discâ—urse of the Minister he hath lost his sense in affirming that the object of faith or thing proposed to be believed receaveth its truth and dependeâ—h of the consent and beliefe of men who by his approbation and faith hath no more power to make that true which is false in it self then to make that false by his incredulitie which in it self is true The incredulitie of man may deprive him of the benefiâ—e of this death yet can it not make that Christ suffered not this death to testifie his love unto all mankind universally even as all are bound to believe in him and yet no man bound to believe that which is false The Apostle saith that God will sende the Spirit of errour upon them that have not receaved the love of the truth And yet according to the Doctrine of Dort he would have all men first to beleeve that Christ dyed for him which is false in the judgemen of the Synod and then afterward for believing this falshood he shall be punished with the Spirit of errour for giving credence to a lye Consid. That there is a Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father is as true as the word of God is true as also that his Spirit doth testifie together with our Spirit that we are the Sonnes of God And that there is no falling away from the state of sanctifying grace we are ready to mainteyne according unto Gods word whensoever we shall be called thereunto Of some Apostates S. Iohn writes plainely saying They went out from us but they were not of us for had they bene of us they had continued wih us By faith we are built on
thinkes good I will not spare to examine how judiciously he caryeth himselfe in elevating this feigned suggestion of ours Suppose we shoulde say that whosoever believes Christ dyed for him I am ready to make it good in spight of this Authors course taking upon him to represent the absurditie therof which imputation I nothing doubt shall light in full weight and measure upon his owne head to the discovery of his shamefull ignorance which he is well content to cherishe for the advantage of his cause by the confusion of thinges that differ He saith that herin we shall shewe our selves eyther as praevaricators of our owne side and overthrowers of the doctrine of the Synods or else that we are deprived of common sense all which is but the froth of his owne ignorance as I hope to make it appeare to all indifferent and unpartiall judges First he saâ—th that if we give the selfe same consolation to all that are sicke to all that are afflicted yea even to those who for their greater offenses are ledde to execution and if that this consolation be founded on the truth doth it not then followe that Christ dyed for all and every one I willingly professe I am not a litle recreated with confidence of our cause when I doe observe the desperate condition of the adversary cause that takes delight in so vile props as this Authors discourse and magnifie them as unanswerable and call in others to take notice of them as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if they were some notable atchievemens who seeth not that nowe we are upon the office of ministring consolation to an afflicted soule Now is this the condition of all and every one Alas how fewe are they that mourne in comparison to the Ioviall Neds of the world How few are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse in comparison to them that are full But suppose it were delivered of all namely that if they beleeve in Christ certainly Christ dyed for them Dare any Arminian deny this doe they holde it lesse sure that Christ dyed for them that beleeve in him then that he dyed for all Even for Turkes and Saracens for Tartars Canniballs not one of them excepted Lastly what doth it advantage their cause that Christ dyed for all and every one Surely this nothing at all advantageth them but the confused and indistinct consideration of the true meaning hereof that is it which bringeth water to their mill and that alone To dye for us is to dye for our benefite Now we love to speake plainly and distinctly and accordingly doe distinguish of those benefits which Christ hath procured for us Now some of these are such as God useth to conferre upon men of ripe yeares not absolutely but conditionally And these are the remission of sinnes the salvation of soules we say therefore that Christ merited for us the pardon of sinne salvation of soule to be conferred upon us onely conditionally to witt provided that we doe beleeve in him and thus we may well say that he dyed for all every one that is he dyed to procure pardon of sinne and salvation of soule for every one in case every one should beleeve in him which in effect is as much as to say that he dyed in this sense for none but such as sometimes or other are found to beleeve in him Yet whether we beleeve or no Gods word doth assure us that he dyed to procure remission of sinne salvation of soule to all that doe or shall beleeve in him Now besides these benefites there are other benefits which Christ hath procured for us merited for us these are faith repeÌ„tance which are not conferred by God upon man conditionally to witt upon the performance of some coÌ„dition by man for if it were so then these graces should be conferred according to meÌ„s works which is clearly undenyable stark Pelagianism And these we say Christ hath merited for us even to be absolutely bestowed upon us Now will Arminians assure any man who yet believes not that Christ hath merited for him not only pardon of sinne and salvation in case he believe but allso the very grace of faith and regeneration I trowe not one of our Englishe Arminians will undertake this but rather acknowledge that it cannot appeare who they are for whom Christ hath merited faith and regeneration untill they doe believe untill they are regenerate As for outlandishe Arminians they utterly deny that Christ merited faith regeneration for any Now wherin are wee found eyther pâ—evaricators of our owne cause or overthrowers of the doctrine of the Synods or voyde of coÌ„mon sense in all or any particular of this Nay doth not this Author betray miserable nakednes throughout emboldned made confident by his â—ich ignorance wherin he cherisheth himselfe and steepes sweetely as upon his Arminian pillowe by miserable confusion of the meaning of this phrase Christ dyed for us taking it hand over head and in the generall without any due consideration of the particular benefites signified herby which Christ is sayde to procure for us But let us proceede wiâ—h him who proceedeth â—hus But if he so understandeth it that this becommeth true by the faith which the patient addeth to the dâ—scours of the Minister he hath lost his sense in affirming that the object of faith or thing proposed to be believed receaveth its truth and dependeth of the consent and beliefe of man who by his approbation and faith hath no more power to make that true which is false in it selfe then to make that false by his incredulitie which in it selfe is true The incredulitie of man may deprive him of the benefite of his death yet can it not make that Christ suffered not this death to testifie his love to all mankind universally even as all are bound to believe in him and yet no man bound to believe that which is false Thus he doth expatiate in a large fielde nothing at all to the purpose This argument is Bellarmines argument long agoe but against what surely against the doctrine of our Protestant Churches concerning the object of faith speciall which we maynteyn to be the remission of our sins Yet absurd enough on Bellarmines part though very plausible I confesse upon a superficiary consideration of thinges For he supposeth that God doth first pardon sinne and afterwards we believe that God hath pardoned them But can Bellarmine tell what it is for God to pardon sinne or where it is that thus he pardons them Sure I am the nominalls are very much to seeke about the formalitie of pardoning of sinne And I verily believe Bellarmine did nothing trouble his braynes about eyther of them if he had and well considered that justification in scripture phrase especially where S. Paul disputes of it is a judiciary act and all one with absolution or pronouncing sentence for a man And that the pronouncing of this sentence is not in heaven though his love
divine operation to be resistible Is it in respect of the fleshe But if he be well content that it shoulde not be in the power of the worlds or the divill to resist Gods operation working us to good why should he affect to have it in the power of the flesh 1. Considering that if it be in the power of the flesh to resist divine operation it is therwithall in the power of Satan For in fulfilling the will of the flesh and the minde we are sayde to walke after the Prince that ruleth in the ayre Eph. 2. 2. Why should any man be so zealous for upholding the power of his flesh is it not a signe he is in love with it still 3. Or rather is it in zeale of the honour of his owne performances in doing good as it were in despight of such a potent adversary If so then let hell be loosed and the divill and the world both armed with the like power and that honour in withstanding them is likely to be greater and you shall have the greater cause to rejoyce but where is your respect to the glory of God in all this Or in fine would you have your regenerate part to be so strong and able that neyther flesh within nor world or divill without be able to resist its course in grace only you would have it free eyther to yeilde or to resist divine exhortations But consider I pray is not your unregenerate part your flesh free enough and forward enough yea most propâ—ne and propense to resist that and shoulde you not rather desire that your regenerate part should be as free and forward as propense and prone to resist them and to doe that which is good Otherwise in what a miserable case shall man be even in state of regeneration when his worse part is still prone to sinne and wants not the world and the divill to drive him headlong therinto and his best part to witt his regenerate part shall not be as prone to good but only indifferent to good or evill Beside doe you not consider how you debase the grace of regeneration making it inferior to morall goodnes For morall goodnes doth not leave a man indifferent to good or evill but inclines him naturally to that which is good and to that alone but the grace of regeneration is so shaped by you as to bring a man but to an indifferent constitution to doe eyther good or evill But perhaps you will say if regeneration and the grace thereof shall cary a man naturally unto that which is good only where is a mans freedome I answere as much as in a morally vertuous constitution For who was ever knowne to affirme that morall vertues take away a mans libertie Agayne why should any man be so eagerly sett upon libertie to doe evill were it not better for us to enioy such a libertie alone as of many good â—hings to choose which we thinke good but must we needes affect such a libertie as to choose evill allso if we thinke good and doe you not perceave what colour of contradiction steales upon you ere you are aware and shrewde evidence of the unreasonablenes of your affections Yet take one thingâ— more to acquaint you with that which perhaps may seeme a mystery unto you in morall philosophy for some may be so given to the stage and taken up with the obsequies therof that they may forget their philosophy Therfore I say that like as morall vertues tende only to the ordering of the reasonable soul aright as touching her right ende by light of nature so the grace of regeneration tendes to the ordering of the degenerate soule aright as touching her right end discovered by the light of grace Now Libertie of will consists not in appetitione finis the nature of man rightly ordered is naturally caryed on thereunto But freedome of will hath place in electione mediorum So that albeit my right end being once discovered and my nature so qualified as it ought to be in respect thereof albeit I am necessarily naturally caryed to the affecting of that end yet still I am free to choose amongst many what shall seeme most convenient to the obteyning of that end Whether in all this I have not spoken parables and mysteries in the judgement of this Author I know not yet this I know God can open his eyes and the eyes of those that are in love with these frivolous discourses of his and make them to discerne the vanity of their wayes in opposing the grace of God and withall Gods judgements upon them in striking them with such confusion as not onely to shutt their eyes against the light of grace but runne themselves on ground and cast themselves away as touching common sobriety while the courses they take are contradictious to the very light of nature What a sottish objection is that which followeth how dissolute a consequence is this which here he frames namely that because we say God doth worke in us both the will and the deed Ergo it is not Man that willeth but God not man that doth this or that good worke but God God doth repent in making us repent and God doth obey his owne commandements in making us obey them God hath given all creatures their naturall properties and on som he bestoweth supernaturall qualities and mooves them all that effectually to worke according to their properties whose operations though they are from him as the efficient cause thereof for in him we live and moove and have our beings and hitherto the Arminians themselves have pretended to concurre with us herein yet they are not formally to be attributed unto him but to the secoÌ„d causes whose proper operations they are as for a Lyon to roare for an horse to neigh an asse to bray an oxe to lowe a dogge to barke and the like The sixt last Section THe preaching of the word being thus made of none effect by the doctrine of these Synods there will remayne no use and profit of the Sacraments of baptisme the Lords Supper unlesse it be that the Ministers themselves in administring thereof doe destroy this unhappy doctrine For to every person whom they baptise they apply the promises of the covenant of grace cleane contrary to their owne doctrine which saith that they nothing belong to the Reprobates of the World The Eucharist is likewise given to all with assurance that Christ dyed for all those who do receave it although their doctrine doe affirme that he dyed not for those who receave him unworthily and to their owne condemnation the number of whom is very great in the Reformed Churches by their owne confession What then remaines Even their prayers themselves the exercise wherof is common both to the Pastor and the Flocke cannot be of any profit either to the one or to the other seeing that all are eyther elect or reprobate they for their parts obteyne nothing by this meanes if that God