optimum omnium qui uâ—quam extiterunt Estque hoc ipsâ—us peculiaâ—e eâ—coâ—â—â— quod ita prâ—dicetur citra exceptionem â—llam praedicatur Mer. Causabon Praef. in Vers Angl. ut citat per Gataker what is said But the question whether any or how many are actuaâ—â—y saved doth depend on the resolution of the question whether any of them are truly sanctified that is do truly love God and Holiness abâ—â—â— the Pleasures Profits and Honours of this world For nothing is moâ—â— certain in Gods Word than that all that do so shall be saved For a â—â—â— to live in Hell with the predominant love of God is as great a contradiction as for a man to be sick in health and both in the greater degree God cannot damn or forsake a Soul that loveth him and is holy in sensu composito 88. And whether any or how many without the Christian Church do truly love God is a question which dependeth as to probability upon the foresaid grounds but as to the certainty of the fact upon that heart-knowledge of other men which belongeth to God only 1. How can I that live in an obscure corner of England know whether any love God in Siam China Japon or Persia or at the Antipodes 2. If I were with them all and acquainted with every person in the world I could have but a probability of the affirmative of any one because I am not acquainted with the heart But when the Scripture assureth us that it is the Law of Grace and not only that of Innocency which all the world is governed by and shall be judged by and so that their Sanctification and Salvation is possible there is so great a probability that this Covenant and the mercies of it are not in vain to all of them that are under it alone and that the thing that is possible to so many millions doth come to pass with some that an impartial considerer of Gods Nature and Government may easily see what to think most probable 89. Those therefore that teach the Church that it is a certain truth that no one in the world Infant or Aged is saved from Hell fire but Christians only and that this is not only certain to such great understandings as their own but must be so to all true Christians do but discover that they over-value their own understandings and that siding hath contracted their thoughts and charity into a sinful narrowness and that the Opinions of men counted Orthodox prevaileth more with them than the evidence of truth and I think that they are to be numbred with those that by over-doing do dangerously undermine the Christian Faith 90. The Texts urged by them for this pretended certainty are all abused some of these ways 1. Either some one difficult Text is expounded contrary to the current of the whole Scripture 2. Or the words that are spoken only of privative Unbelievers who hear the Gospel are expounded of negative not-Believers who never heard it nor could do 3. Or that which is said against Unbelievers in general is exâ—pounded as against the non-Believers of the Articles of the Christian Faith which are superadded since Christ's Incarnation in special As if all the Apostles before they believed Christ's Sacrifice Resurrection Ascension c. were Infidels in a state of damnation 4. Or else they suppose without proof that the Spirit and Grace of Christ can extend it self to none that know him not as incarnate crucified risen glorified c. and so that the Apostles had no Grace till the Resurrection Some such fallacy is in all these particular textual arguments easily discernable 91. Were it not evident in Scripture that the world is under the Law of Grace as the norma officii judicii as it is yet could no man truly say that he is certain that no one of them should be saved For if they were all under the Law of Innocency yet there is this great difference between it and the Law of Grace that whereas the sentence of the latter is peremptory excluding all hope of Dispensation and Pardon to the final Rejecters of its Grace for ever yet the former was a Law whose penalty was remissible and it did not pass a peremptory sentence of dispair Though it gave no hope of Pardon yet it took not away the hopes of it that is It had a threatening-dispensable as Dr. Twisse and many other say Without a Saviour had God so pleased And as others say Through the virtue of Christ's Sacrifice even to them that know him not For the commination of that Law which threatened not the death of a Surety but of the Sinner was actually dispensed with in our Justification And what God can do they ought not to say that they are certain that he never will do it unless he had first said so himself 92. If in all Humane Judgments Nature dictateth that in doubtful cases the Judge should rather propend to the better interpretation and favourable Judgment why should it not be so in our judgment of God and man The Nature of God is infinitely good He hath proclaimed his Name as aforesaid even in the terrours of Mount Sinai to be a God gracious merciful long-suffering pardoning c. He hath protested or sworn that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked â—â—â—â— rather that he repent and live and so that he first seeketh the Glory of his Mercy and exerciseth justice in mans destruction but as his second work He that saved no man but Christ himself glorified upon the terms of Innocency but all by Grace and never else took one Soul to Heaven who had not first deserved Hell doth surely first seek the Glory of his Grace And we know that 1. All Judea was a small Country like England An inconsiderable point or spot of the Earth as to its magnitude 2. That most of the worlds duration in likelihood was over as Bishop Usher reckons 4000 years before Christ's death and the second Edition of the Covenant So that if none but Jews were ☞ saved all that while the number was comparatively next to none 3. That no man that I know of hath presumed to say that before Moses time none but the Seed of Abraham were saved 4. That the Covenant made by Moses at Mount Sinai and the inclosure of the Jews was no casting off the rest of the world into a worse condition than they were before 5. That none yet have presumed to say they are certain that all the Seed of Keturah of Ishmael of Esau were damned much less that Sem and all his Subjects Japheth and all his Subjects and Posterity till then or that Job and his Friends and Melchizedec and all his Subjects were certainly damned 6. That the Jews themselves were for the most part so wicked that seeing few even of that little Country were saved if you are sure that no others were saved they were but a few in the world indeed 7. That the Apostles
as is said were in a state of Salvation when under Christ's own teaching they believed not many great Articles now essential to the Christian Faith So that all set together will tell us that the conclusion of the certain damnation of all without the Jewish and the Christian Church seemeth not very desirable either as to the Glory of the good and gracious God nor as to the good of Mankind And therefore we should not propend that way in a case of doubtful arguing And I desire the Reader impartially to consider though Abraham knew not till God told him how bad Sodom was yet when he asketh of God to spare it if there were but fifty Righteous in it whether he do not imply that he thought most other Cities of that bigness had at least fifty righteous if not more For when God told him that he would destroy it for the cry of their sins he must needs judge it worse than ordinary And was Abraham more ignorant than we the Father of the Faithful a Prophet that saw Christ's day and rejoyâ—ed 93. It is a certain truth that as God the Creator so Christ the Redeemer doth extend his mercy farther than he himself is known And as the Sâ—â— sendeth some light to the world before it riseth and is seen it self so doth Christ send many excellent Gifts of his Grace to those that know him not as Incarnate And when all the world is delivered into his hand we have reason to believe that the mercies which Philosophers and all others in the world had were communicated by him as the second Person or Wisdom and Word undertaking mans Redemption first and as the Word Incarnate after 94. Those ancient Fathers of the Church who lived near the Apostles times as Clem Alex. c. who believed that some without the Church were saved were never condemned for it as Hereticks no not by the busie condemning Ages SECT VI. Of Universal Redemption 95. By what hath been said it appeareth how far Christ may be said to have died for all Certainly de re all that Christ giveth to all which is the fruits of his Death he procured for all by his death whatever we say of conditional Intentions he certainly intended to give all that he giveth But all these following particulars are given by Christ either to all or to more than the Elect. 1. The Humane Nature common to all is advanced and brought nigh to God in Christ's Incarnation 2. Christ's Sacrifice for Sin and his perfect Holiness are so far satisfactory and meritorious for all men as that they render Christ a meet Object for that Faith in him which is commanded men and no man shall be damned for want of the satisfactoriness of Christ's Sacrifice or for want of a Saviour to die for him and fulfil all Righteousness but only for the abusing or refusing of his Mercy 3. Christ's conquest of the Devil and the World hath made man's conquests of them the more easie or possible And his Victory over Death and his Resurrection hath procured a Resurrection to all the World 4. All men are his Subjects by Obligation as he is the Redeemer and so are under his healing saving kind of Government 5. A clearer revelation of Life and Immortality is made by him even to those that perish And they have far greater helps than else they would have had to set their hearts on a better World 6. Especially a Law of Grace is made by Christ for all the world In the last Edition to all Joh. 1. 11 12. 3. 16 17 18 19. 1 Joh. 5. 10 11. that hear the Gospel and in the first to all the rest By the Promise of which as by an Act of Oblivion or Instrument of Donation God hath Enacted and Given a full Pardon of all Sin to all Mankind with Reconciliation Adoption and Right to Christ and Heaven on condition of their acceptance of it as offered them So that men are pardoned and justified by that Instrument or Gift if they will believe and will not unthankfully reject their Mercies 7. Apostles and ordinary Ministers were appointed to preach this Gospel to all the World and make the Offer of Christ and Life to all men without exception 8. The Matth. 28. 19. Mark 16. 16. execution of the violated Law of Innocency is forborn to all men in the greatest part Judgments kept off and they kept out of Hell while they have time and means to prepare for their Salvation 9. Many and great Mercies which signifie Gods goodness and lead towards Repentance are given to all the world even mercies forfeited by sins against the Law of Innocency and given by the Grace of our Redeemer 10. It is made all mens duty to believe the Revelation made to theâ— to repent to accept more mercy and to seek their own Salvation And such duty is not the smallest mercy 11. He hath recorded his Word and Grace in the holy Scriptures which all are allowed to use for their good He hath filled his Doctrine or Gospel with such powerful convincing Reasons and Perswasions which have a tendency to convince men and convert them 12. He secondeth his Word by many such Providences in his Works his Mercies his Afflictions as greatly Act. 14. 17. 17. 27 28. Rom. 1. 19 21. Rom. 2. tend to win mens Souls 13. He hath left his excellent Example to the world which greatly tendeth to mens Conviction and Salvation 14. He hath appointed several Church-Ordinances which are mercies to more than the Elect as is the visible communion also which they have with the Upright and their examples prayers c. 15. To all these he addeth an obligation on all Christians to do their best to convert and save all others 16. And the Office of Magistrates under Christ is appointed for these saving uses to promote the Salvation of the people 17. Death it self is now turned into a medicinal means by the prospect of it to convert and save men 18. Usually Gods patitience alloweth men time of Repentance and taketh them not at the first denial that they may consider and correct their former error 19. Remedies are offered men fetcht from Satan and Sin it self The Tempter by the malice of his temptations oft detecteth his owâ— fraud and mens danger A natural enmity against Devils and all that is known to be of them is put into all Mankind And Sin hath a sting to the Flesh it self and is madâ— such a misery to Sinners even in this life as may much tend to alienate and deter them from it And the world it self is made such a palpable vanity and smart vexation as tendeth to drive men to look out for a better and not to love it above God 20. Lastly To all these means there are certain internal motions and strivings of the Spirit of Christ which he commonly vouchsafeth mâ—â— in some degree and which irritate Conscience to do its office and which if men will
never read that any mans damnation was any whit the more increased for not performing these acts And again page 170. It is true there is a Faith infused by the Spirit of God in regeneration But who ever said that any man was damned because he doth not believe with such a Faith As much as to say that non-regeneration is the meritorious cause of damnation C. I am amazed at this especially his supposing that no man ever said that which I thought no man of us had denied B. I would think that his meaning is that men are not condemned for want of Gods infusing act but their own believing act or for the privation of Infusion but for the privation of Faith or of Faith not quatenus infused but as they ought to have believed without infusion But he was not so wanting in accurateness but that he knew how to have exprest himself had that been his meaning And then I know not how his words will consist with this sense I never read that any mans damnation was the more increased for not performing these acts where changing their own hearts is one And whoever said that any man was damned because he did not believe with such a Faith Here it is the Faith as such which is supposed spoken of the privation whereof is not the meritorious cause of damnation And indeed though the power of this Faith would have been in us had there been no Sin or Saviour yet there would have been no obligation to believe in Christ as Mediator And therefore if the Law of Innocency had stood alone even the want of an acquired Faith in Christ would have been no sin But this is the unhappiness of such as must read Controversial Writings There is no end of searching after the Writers meaning But the thing it self I think is plain c. that only an effectual special Faith will save us and it is such a Faith of which Christ speaketh Mat. 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned though he believe with any other Faith whatsoever which he calleth acquired Perhaps this his opinion hath some dependance on what he saith before ibid. He punisheth the disobedient with eternal death True but according to what Covenant Not according to the Covenant of Grace that is only a Covenant for Salvation but according to the Covenant of the Law the Covenant of Works Woful error and confusion The Covenant of the Law is almost as bad a phrase as the Covenant of the Covenant 1. Gods Law of Innocency was a Law and Covenant in several respects 2. So was the Jewish Law which Paul meaneth by the Law of Works 3. So is the Christian Law of Christ and of Grace No man is now condemned by the Jewish Law of Works as such it being ceased and never did it bind the Gentile world The Law of Nature and of Innocency indeed condemneth the disobedient but the Law or Covenant of Christ or of Grace doth condemn them to much sorer punishment Luke 19. 27. Those mine enemies that would not I should reign c. Mark 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned Heb. 10. 29. Mat. 25. throughout But this confounding of the Covenants I must not here rectifie But yet I hope he meant only that men suffer not for want of Gods Regenerating Infusing Act but for want of their own act of Faith The fifth Crimination C. I find Dr. Twisse ibid. alibi saepe charging it on them as holding that Grace is given according to Works which is Pelagianism For they think that God looketh at some preparation in the Receiver and giveth it to some because they are prepared for it and denieth it to others because they are unprepared whereas it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in him that of his meer good pleasure sheweth mercy B. There is enough said of this after about differencing and effectual Grace But if we must say more I ask you Quest. 1. Do you by this phrase according to Works mean to urge the Scripture that speaketh in that phrase in its proper sense or do you Vulgatum illud facientâ— quod in se est Deus non denegat Gratiam intelligitur de faciente â—â— gratia auxilie Pet. â— S. Joseph Thes Univers de auxil pag. 83. Idem pag. 90. Nequidem ipsius Christi opera fuerunt actu meretoria citra promissiâ—nem Dei usi ex se essent valoris inâ—â—â—iti which needeth explication only use the phrase in some other sense of your own C. I use Scripture phrase in Scripture sense because I rest on its Authority B. Quest 2. Are we not also saved without Works in Scripture sense And would it be contrary to Paul to say we that we are saved by Works yea or according to them in that sense that he speaketh of them See James 2. 14 c. Tit. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 5 8 9. Gal. 3. 2. 5. 10. Acts 15. 11. c. and 16. 31. Rom. 5. 10 And yet saved according to Works in another sense James 2. 14 c. Phil. 2. 12. Gal. 6. 4. Rom. 20. 12 13. 2 Cor. 5. 10. C. In several senses of Works we deny it not B. Quest 3. At least you will grant that we are not justified by Works and yet that we are justified by Faith yea in another sense by Works Quest 4. Is not believing and repenting in order to Justification and all holy obedience in order to Salvation as truly opâ—â— a work and in a far nobler sense than preparation for Faith is C. That cannot be denied B. Then you cannot affirm that the phrase not according to Workâ— which excludeth not Faith Repentance holy Obedience to justification and salvation doth intend the exclusion of all preparation in order to Conversion or Faith in Christ when by Works excluded it meaneth the same thing or sort in all C. But saith Dr. Twisse ibid. page 154. Pardon and Salvation God doth confirm only on condition of Faith and Repentance But â—â— for Faith and Repentance doth God confer them conditionally also If so whatsoever be the condition let them look to it how they can avoid the making of Grace to wit the Grace of Faith and Repentance to be given according to Works B. I know he frequently saith the same But 1. I speak now only of the sense of that Scripture and say that this goeth upon a most false and dangerous supposition that Justification and Salvation are given according to Works though Faith and Repentance be not whereas in the sense of Works there meant by Paul no man can be justified by Works And though Christ saith This is the work of God that ye believe in him whom the Father hath sent yet it is not that which Paul meaneth Let not therefore Scripture words be abused to mislead mens understandings 2. But as to the matter of the Controversie I spoke to it enough
better than themselves Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Who made himself of no reputation 1 Cor. 1. 10 11 12 13 14. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement For it hath been declared to me of you brethren that there are contentions among you that every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized into the name of Paul I thank God that I baptized none of you c. 1 Cor. 3. 1 2 3 4. I could not speak to you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal as to babes in Christ For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men See Eph. 4. 1 c. after John 17. 20 21 22 23. I pray for them which shall believe on me that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in Thee that they also may be One in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Matth. 5. 9. Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God Rom. 12. 18. If it be possible as much as in you lyeth live peaceably with all men 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would lest there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults Lest God will humble me among you and I shall bewail many c. Gal. 5. 19 20. The works of the flesh are manifest hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings 1 Cor. 14. 33. God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace as in all Churches of the Saints Acts 20. 30. Of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Phil. 1. 15 16. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of good will The one preach Christ of contention not sincerely Rom. 16. 17 18. Now I beseech you brethren Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of The Angelical Gospel of the Ends of Christs Incarnation Luke 2. 19. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TO MEN or WELL-PLEASEDNESS IN MEN. John 20. 26. Peace be unto you Grace Mercy and Peace with all that are in Christ and Love Gal. 6. 16. Eph. 6. 23. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 5. 14. 2 Pet. 1. 2. 1 Thess 5. 13. 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally brethren farewell be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you Amen 1. Assert THe BAPTISMAL COVENANT expounded in the antient CREED is the summ and Symbol of Christianity by which Believers were to be distinguished from unbelievers and the outward Profession of it was mens Title to Church-communion and the Heart-consent was their Title-condition of Pardon and Salvation And to these ends it was made by Christ himself Matth. 28. 19 20. Mark 16. 16. 2. All that were baptized did profess to Believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and devoted themselves to him with profession of Repentance for former sins and renouncing the Lusts of the Flesh the World and the Devil professing to begin a new and holy life in hope of everlasting glory 3. This form of Baptismal Covenanting and Profession begun with Christianity and called our Christening or making us Christians hath been propagated and delivered down to us to this day by a full and certain tradition and testimony and less alterations than the holy Scriptures 4. The Apostles were never such formalists and friends to ignorance and hypocrisie as to encourage the baptized to take up with the saying I believe in the Father Son and Holy Ghost without teaching them to understand what they said Therefore undoubtedly they expounded those three Articles And that exposition could be no other in sense than the Creed is And when Paul reciteth the Articles of Christ 1 Cor. 15. and mentioneth the Form of sound words we may be sure that they all gave the people one unchanged exposition as to the sense Christianity was one unchanged thing 5. Though I am not of their mind that think the twelve Apostles each one made an Article of the Creed or that they formed and tyed men to just the very same syllables and every word that is now in the Creed yet that they still kept to the same sense and words so expressing it as by their variation might not endanger the corrupting of the faith by a new sense is certain from the nature of the case and from the Agreement of all the antient Creeds which were ever professed at baptism from their dayes that cited by me Append. to the Reformed Pastor out of Irenaeus two out of Tertullian that of Marcellus in Epiphanius that expounded by Cyril that in Ruffinus the Nicene and all mentioned by Usher and Vossius agreeing thus far in sense And no one was baptized without the Creed professed 6. As Christ himself was the Author of the Baptismal Creed and Covenant so the Apostles were the Authors of that Exposition which they then used and taught the Church to use And they did that by the Holy Ghost as much as their inditing of the Scripture 7. Therefore the Church had a Summary and Symbol of Christianity as I said before about twelve years before any Book of the New Testament was written and about sixty six years before the whole was written And this of Gods own making which was ever agreed on when many Books of the New Testament were not yet agreed on 8. Therefore men were then to prove the truth of the Christian Religion by its proper Evidences and Miracles long before they were to prove that every word or any Book of the New Testament was the infallible perfect Word of God 9. Therefore we must still follow the same Method and take Christs Miracles to be primarily the proof of the Christian Religion long before the New Testament Books were written 10. Therefore if a man should be
willing â—is at all And we have hitherto thought that Gods holy Wisdom and will is the Cause of his holy Law and much more against sin than mans is And that God willeth not and causeth not the sin of man And is it now come to â—his that sin is contrary indeed to our right reason but not to Gods because â—e is no subject You may next say that Holiness is meet for man but not â—or God 618. Pag. 197. Again he is at it Bonum esse ut sint mala Quia bonum est ut Deus finem sibi praefixum assequatur At hoc sine interventâ— mali peccati nullo modo potest Repl. 1. It is not per peccatum ut medium though not sine peccatâ— 2. Interventus therefore implyeth a falshood For in esse cognito sin is antecedent or presupposed to the way of glorifying Justice and Mercy upon sinners sinners are the object And consequently you must take it as before proved for antecedent to the Volition or simultaneous 619. He urgeth Oportet haereses esse ut qui probati sunt manifesti fiant Answ That neither meaneth that men ought to be Hereticks nor yet that God loveth willeth or approveth that there be heresies But only 1. God decreeth to manifest the difference between the sound Christians and the rest 2. And he foreseeth that there will be heresies 3. Therefore he decreeth to try them by the occasion of those heresies which he foreseeth and hateth The same is the case of all tryal by persecutions And God willeth not the sin of active perâ—ecution but only the effect or passive part So that the oportet by your own confession of it signifieth no more than a Logical necessitas consequentiae which â—ore-knowledge without Volition will inferr 620. He addeth Obj. It sufficeth that God permit sin and not will it Resp But either the existency of sin infallibly followeth the Permission of it or not If not Gods Intention may be frustrate If yea What matter is it whether God will that sin shall be he permitting or sâ— permit it as that infallibly it will be so we obtain either of these it 's all one to our cause of predestination Repl. 1. If it be all one take up with that agreement and make â—â— further difference with them that grant you enough 2. In case of veâ—â—ment Inclination to a sin it would follow upon Gods total permission but God never totally permitteth sin But in other cases it will not follow that is It is not a good consequence that This or that sin will be done because God doth no more to hinder it than that which sometime hindereth it not And yet Gods Intention is not frustrate For â—â— will infallibly come to pass from its proper cause which God foreknoweth And the consequence is good from his fore-knowledge And is not that all one as to the certainty of Gods intentions 3. You phrase it as if sin followed Gods permission as a deficient cause or as that which cannot be otherwise unless God do more to hinder it and so weâ—â— necessary thence necessitate consequentis or as others call it necessitate â—â—tecedente which is false and oft denyed by your self 4. The very truth is Permission is a word of so great ambiguity and laxity as relating to so many sorts of Impedition that it is but delusory withâ—â— much distinguishing to say sin will or will not follow it If you restraâ— it to a non efficaciter impedire as is usual it taketh not away the ambâ—guity much For still the question is What must make it effectual unless you call any impedition effectual meerly ab eventu whatsoever it be â—â— it self 621. He saith that the Universe would not be perfect if there werâ— perfect holiness and no sin and so no pardon or punishment But â—â— giveth us no proof but confident assertion at all I need not say thâ— It would be more perfect if there were no sin It sufficeth me to say thaâ— It would be as perfect And so that it is not Necessary to the World perfection that there be sin or Hell God could have freely willed the contrary And Gods Goodness could have been as fully manifested if iâ— had so pleased him and his Holiness too without sin or Hell It 's unpleasing to me that this good man pleadeth so hard against a necessity of Christs satisfaction for sin in another digression and yet pleadeth as hard for a necessity of sin As if it were more necessary to Gods Glory than Christ 622. It is very observable in all this controversie that he asserteth pag. 198. That it 's past all controversie that neither God nor the most sinful creature do will any thing but as Good And that no man can be instigated to malice or evil but only to the Act which is evil because he that is instigated is instigated to do something But to the evil of an act no efficiency is necessary but deficience only How far this is true or false I have opened before I here only note that he confesseth that he that causeth the Act of sin which he saith God doth more than man causeth all that is causable 623. Yet p. 199. he saith Sin is of man only as the cause when he professeth that man doth nothing but what God doth to cause it yea as the first total cause and that as to Deficiency man can do no more than he doth without predetermination which if God withhold man can no more help it than make a World So that all the mysterie of his language is this that because man is under a Law and God is not therefore man doing the same act as moved by God must be called the only cause of sin because it is no sin in God But if we spake as plain men ought to do should it not rather be thus exprest by you God is the chief cause of sin in man but not in himself 624. Pag. 200 201. he hath the same over and over again that Non abhorret à recta ratione Dei velle peccatum fieri ab hominibus Quod ex se habet quod conducibile est ad â—onum tanquam Materia scilicet non tantum idonea sed necessaria exercendae divinae justitiae misericordiae and that this manifestation conjunct with sin is Deo multò appetibilius than that Good which sin depriveth us of that is Holiness Because this Holiness is only the Creatures Good and the other is the Creators Good Answ But as the assertion is all false so the reason is vain For if he distinguish the Creator and Creature as subjects he is quite mistaken For both is the Creatures good and neither the Creators For to manifest Justice and Mercy is not Gods Essence as in it self but his Work of Punishment and Mercy And the glory of this is but the resplendent excellency of it as it is the appearance or Image of God And all this is in the Creatures
perfect edition of the Covenant of Grace to those that have the Gospel And it continueth to the rest of the world unrepealed as to the substance of the mercies of it further than men deprive themselves of them by forfeitures as wicked men here do as to the mercies of the Gospel But as it is a promise of Christ's future incarnation it ceased by his coming 3. The third is ceased by performance and by the Jews apostacy Though some think still that it is in force and that a national conversion shall perform that promise to the full But Mr. Calvert a Learned young man hath lately written to prove that no such national conversion is to be expected but only such additions of particular mens conversion to the Catholick Christian Church as are of that kind which hath been more fully done on the Jews already 4. As to the rest it hath troubled Divines how far Moses's Law is abrogated or ceased partly as to the Judicials and chiefly as to the Decalogue And that we may not be too forward to call one another Legatists or Antinomians for this difference those now called Antinomians being rather Libertine denyers of the Law of Christ I will notifie to those that know it not that it is as much a difference among the Papists greatest Doctors who yet bear with one another in it and the Pope decideth it not Some say that the Decalogue now obligeth not as the Law of Moses but only as the Law of Nature and of Christ So Soto de Instit li. 2. q. 5. ar 4. concl 2. Medina 1. 2. q. 103. ar 3. quem aliqui moderni sequntur saith Suarez de Leg. l. 9. c. 11. p. 761. and Tolet. in Rom. 3. Anot. 15. Salmer ad Rom. 7. disp 6. Victor Relict de Matrim 2. p. n. 3. Barrad To. 1. li. 2. c. 21. Valent. To. 2. disp 7. q. 7. punc 7. To whom Suarez joyneth himself confessing pag. 764 765. that if as some hold Moses Law had been only a Declaration of the Law of Nature and not de novo preceptive it could not be said to cease But he truly holdeth it to be constitutive or preceptive also to those that it was by Moses delivered to And of this opinion I profess my self notwithstanding all that on other points I have written against the Antinomians Believing that Christ now is the Universal Law-giver and that the very Law of nature as Nature it self is now His Law and that he hath taken it in to his Gospel administration and so the Decalogue is materially in force but not formally as part of the proper Mosaical Law save only that as Declarative and ex paritate rationis we may collect that God who for such reasons so bound them doth bind us to the same things by the same natural Reasons But there are other Papist Doctors that hold that as to the Morals Moses Law as preceptive is still in force even as then by him delivered and that to all Christians so Bellarm. de Justif li. 4. c. 6. Lorin in Act. 15. Vasquez who with Durandus Paludan Paul Burgens And Suarez saith that Alph. a Castro and most so speak And Vasquez denyeth the Law of Nature as such to have properly a Divine Obligation saith Suarez which he confuteth de Leg. l. 9. c. 11. p. 764 765. But this controversie when examined containeth not much more than verbal disagreement and so their mutual forbearance doth confess 34. The Jews instead of excelling in Holiness proportionably to their priviledges did grow carnal and proud and 1. Much neglected the Law of Nature 2. Much over-looked the spiritual Covenant of Grace made with them and all the world 3. And misunderstood the chief part of the special Promise made to Abraham not understanding commonly the high spiritual or universal Office and Kingdom of the Messiah but dreaming that he was but to be their Monarch to make them great and to subject the world to them 4. And they misunderstood the Law of Moses or Covenant on Mount Sinai as if the design of it had been but by its special holy excellency to justifie the doers of it by and for the doing and to pardon all the spiritual and perpetual punishment of Sin upon those terms which it appointed for a Political pardon and to give life spiritual and eternal upon those bare conditions on which their Law gave them Political benefits Over-looking the great causes of Justification and life in the Messiah and the common Covenant of Grace and Promise of the Messiah made to Abraham And this is the error which Christ and his Apostles found them in Yet proudly boasting of their Law and Political priviledges and despising all the rest of the world as out-casts in comparison of them 35. Though the behaviour of all the rest of the world till Christ's coming be little notifyed to us yet this much is sure that they were commonly more Ignorant and Idolatrous than the Jews that yet they retained the common notices of nature that they remembred by Tradition those intimations of the necessity of propitiatory Sacrifice so as to keep up the custom of Sacrificing among them That many of them with exceeding diligence sought to find God or know him in the works of Nature and Providence and attained to great and excellent understanding especially in Greece and Rome And many of them lived very strict austere and laborious lives in great Justice and Love and in the practice of many excellent Precepts towards God For the Heavens declared the Glory of God and the firmament shewed his handy-work Day unto day uttered speech and night unto night shewed knowledge There was no speech or language where their voice was not heard Their liâ—e went through the earth and their words to the worlds end Psal 19. 1 2 3 4. For all Gods works do praise him and the Lord is good to all his tender mercies are over all his works Psal 145. 9 10 17. He is King in all the earth He was not the God of the Jews only but of the Gentiles also Rom. 3. 29. Because that which may be known of God was manifest in or to them for God had shewed it to them For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made his Eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful Rom. 1. 19 20 21. God left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave men rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness Act. 14. 15 16. Seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things and hath made of one blood all Nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation that they should seek the Lord if happily they might feel
whether he be a true Christian and must judge of his sincerity and right to Christ Justification and Salvation as he is or is not a sincere consenter to it truly understood in the essential parts SECT V. Of the Gift and Works of the Holy Ghost 72. There are three sorts of Operations of the Holy Ghost one common and two proper to them that shall have or already have Justification 1. The first is preparing common Grace which maketh men fitter for special Grace which yet they may have that perish 2. The second is that Grace of the Spirit by which we perform the The Thomists make the act of contrition and chariâ—y to be the ultiâ—ate disposition to Justification which is with them the habit And yet they say that it floweth from that habit And if the distinction of Alvaâ—ez Disp de Aux 59. p. 264. possim be not contradiction I understand it not Eadem contritio quae est ultima dispositio ad gratiam in genere causae materialis antecedit illam in genere tamen causae formalis efficientis est effectus ejusdem gratiae Though that which is the effect of one act of Gods Love be the Object of another act first Act of special Faith and Repentance called commonly by Divineâ— Vocation which goeth before any special habit but not before any holy seed Because the very influx of the Spirit on the Soul is as a seed which exciteth the first act before a habit though not ordinarily before some preparations This Faith is commanded us as our duty first and made necessary to us as the Condition of the Covenant And when we know it to be thus required of us and hear in the Gospel the Reasons which should perfwade us then the Holy Spirit moveth us by his Influx to believe and consent where God and man are conjunct Agents but man subordinate to God 3. The third sort is the Spirits Operation of the habit of Divine Love and all other Graces in the Soul which is called his In-dwelling and Sanctification This is that Gift of the Spirit besides Miracles of old which is promised to Believers To this Faith is the Condition To this upon believing it is that we have Right given us by Gods Covenant and thus it is that by Baptism our right to the Spirit as an in-dwelling Sanctifier and Comforter is given us 73. This third Gift or Work of the Spirit eminently so called is in the same instant of time given us as the second but not of nature or at least immediately thereupon when we believe But yet they are not to be confounded on many accounts 74. But yet though some degree of the Spirit be presently given to every Believer it is usually but a spark at first And there are further means and conditions appointed us for the increase and actual helps from day to day And he that will not wait on the Spirit in the use of those means doth forfeit his help according to his neglect 75. Hence it is that most if not all Christians have lower measures of the Spirit than otherwise they might have and that judicially as a punishment for Sin However God is free herein and if he please may give more even to them that forfeit it 76. This Covenant of Grace being a conditional pardon of all the world The extent of the New Covenant is universal in the tenor or sense of it It is of all Mankind without exception that Christ saith If thou confess with thy mouth and believe iâ— thy heart thou shalt be saved No person antecedently is excluded in the world 77. And as to the promulgation of it Christ hath commissioned his Ministers to preach this Gospel to all the world and to every Creature So Matth. 28. 19 20. Mark 16. 15 16. that to the utmost of their power they are to offer and publish it to the whole world And Princes and people are all bound in their several places to assist them and to help to propagate the Gospel throughout all the Earth So that the restraint of it is not by the tenor of the Law 78. Those Nations which despise and refuse the Gospel are justly deprived of it penally for that rejection 79. Those Nations that live inhumaâ—ely and wickedly against the means and mercies which they have do forfeit their hopes of more 80. As God in all Ages hath visited the sins of the Fathers on the Children as the instances of Cain Cham Nimrod and others commonly shew and hath proclaimed it as his Name Exod. 34. and put it in Tables of Stone in the Second Commandment and not only of Adam's sin so may he justly deal by the Posterity of the Despisers of the Gosâ—el in denying it them Though he may freely give it the unworthy when he pleaseth 81. All the rest of the world who have not the Gospel and the Covenant The state of those that have not the Gospel of Grace in the last Edition are left by Christ in as good a state â—at least if not better than he found them at his Incarnation He took â—way no mercy from them which they had 82. Therefore as it is before proved that before Christ's time none Of Zuingliu's Opinion of the Salvation of Heathens by name Hercules Theseus Socrates Aristides Antigonus Numa Camilli Catonâ—s Scipiones c. Vid. Montaâ—ut exercit Eccles 1. Sect. 4. Twissum contra Corvinum pag. 371. col 1. Omnium temporum una est fides Deum esse eundemque Justum Bonum Remuneratorem sperantium in se omnium plene meritis respondentem ante legem sub lege sub gratia Nemini rectum sapienti venit istud in dubium sine ista nemo unquam ingressus est ad salutem Rob. Sarisberiens Polycrat de nugis curial Pol. Peucer Hist Carcerum against the Lutherans Concord saith p. 715. Etsi nec ad Ethnicos ante natum Christum nec ad Judaeos post natum Christum misit singulares ministros sonuit tamen vâ—x doctrinae de Deo patefactae utroque tempore Hoc modo adhuc sonat ut exaudiatur nunc etiam a Turcis Judaeis Nec fuerunt unquam exclusi prorsus a gratia miserecordia Dei ante Christum Ethnici E quibus innumeri ex omnibus gentibus fuerunt ad Deum conversi Post Christum natum Judaei Panciores ex his tamen of the world were left desperate under the meer violated Covenant of â—nnocency but that the tenor of that New Covenant as made to Adam â—nd Noah extended to them all so are they still under all the Grace of â—hat Edition of the Covenant further than they are penally deprived of â—â— for violating it The Law of Grace in that first Edition is still in force â—nd the Law by which the world shall be governed and judged They â—re all Possessors of Mercy which leadeth to Repentance and bound to use â—he means afforded them in order
that all mankind are now from under the meer Covenant of Innocency and that none perish but for the abuse of mercy which had a tendency to their recovery The case of Infants must be spoke to in its place once for all But all this belongeth to the Case of Grace and Free-will * How Augustine distinguished Election to Justification and to Glory See him lib. 1. ad simplic q. 2. Et quae de â—o habet Vasquez in 1. Thom. disp 89. cap. 6. And 2. As for Election we say that 1. The Object of Gods Will to glorifie men is man sanctifying and persevering in an immediate capacity for Glory in esse cognito 2. The Object of Gods Will to give the Grace of perseverance is a fore-seen sanctified person in the next capacity 3. The Object of Gods Will to justifie sanctifie and adopt is a fore-seen Believer 4. The Object of Gods Will to give special Grace which shall effectually cause men to repent and believe is ordinarily a fore-seen disposed Sinner prepared by his common Grace but sometimes an unprepared Sinner whom of his free will he will suddenly convert as it pleaseth him freely to distribute his benefits all being unworthy 5. The Object of Gods Will to give the highest degrees of common Grace external in the purest preaching of the Gospel and other mercies and internal in greater helps of the Spirit is sometimes a Sinner in esse cognito who hath not grosly rejected lower helps and sometimes freely the worser sort of Sinners who have abused former mercies 6. The Object of Gods Will to give the first common mercy which hath a tendency in its use to mens recovery and Salvation is all mankind fallen in Adam For all are under the New Covenant of Grace made with Adam Gen. 3. 15. in some degree and with Noah and all have much mercy tending to Repentance and none are left as the Devils in dispair without any offered remedy or help 7. The Object of Gods Will to give man the Covenant of Innocency was Adam fore-seen as meer man 8. The Object of Gods Will to create man was nothing in the sense that we now take an Object in that is for the materia circa quam But if you will call the intended effect the Object then the Object of Gods Will here and in the rest is the thing willed But if you will needs presume to seek one higher in the Mind of God * Man knoweth by Reception and so hath Ideas But God can be no Recipient you must say that it was man as conceived fit to be as well as possible For we can think no otherwise of the Divine Conceptions and Volitions but as we are led by the analogy of humane acts And so we must say that 1. Gods Power maketh it possible for all things to be 2. Next God knoweth them possible 3. He knoweth what is convenient or fit to be made to his unsearchable ends 4. He willeth that they shall be and man among the rest and so on If you will needs have the order of Decrees this is all that we can say of them A. All this pleaseth us well but it will not please your own Party or the Calvinists that you make so many acts of Election which they tell you is but one entire thing as mentioned in Scripture Nor yet that you lay every Decree or Will upon fore-sight B. You are mistaken No moderate considerate man of them will deny any thing that I have said For 1. As to the Scripture use of the word Election it is not the meer name that we are now opening but the matter in question Nor is it the expounding of particular Texts that I am upon And if I were no man will deny but that the word Election is variously used in the Scripture Sometime for Gods eternal Will to make us Christians of Infidels and to save us by Christ and sometime for actual choosing us by converting Grace in time and sometime for actual choosing men in time by Vocation to some office or special work c. 2. And as to the distinguishing of all these Volitions of God no man will deny the effects to be distinct undoubtedly these are various effects of God 1. To make man 2. To give him the Covenant of Innocency 3. To give him the Covenant of Grace with all the common mercies of it 4. To give some Persons and Nations the Gospel and other mercies above the greatest part of the World with answerable helps of the Spirit 5. To give men special Grace effectual for Faith and Repentance 6. To give men Pardon Adoption and Sanctification 7. To give men Perseverance 8. To give them Glory And if these are various works either you will distinguish of Gods Will by his various works or not * Sive secundum nostram rationem distinguamus illud decretum in plura five dicamus esse unicum non est multum curandum Certum enim est apud omnes Deum omnia singula volutsse unico simplicissimo acta suae voluntatis Est enim ipsius voluntas voluntatis operatio idem quod sua essentia simplex individua si aliquis contenderet esse etiam nostro modo intelligendi esse unicum actum simplicissimum voluntatis ego non cur abo Vasquez in 1. Tho q. 14. a. 13. disp 65. And is not this à short end of many Controversies If you do not our whole Controversie about the Order of the Decrees is quickly at an end and I am content with the abreviation For where there is no Distinction there is no Order And when I distinguish them never so much I say as well as any that they are all one in regard of the one Will or Essence of God that willeth them In God there is no real diversity but his Will is thus variously denominated extrinsecally from its respect to the various objects to which it doth transire and of the various effects which it produceth And thus do all men talk of God Else they could not distinguish his saving Will from his damning Will nor Election from Rejection in his Decree So that no man can tell how to differ here 3. And as to fore-sight you as much mistake For 1. I say not that God fore-seeth any good in any man but what he giveth him and willeth to give him But we speak of the Order of those Volitions in the way of execution * Alex. Ales is noted by Vasquez and others as singular for holding that Predestination to the first Grace was upon fore-sight of the future good use of that Grace as the cause But he denieth that the first Grace is actually given on the same Cause Therefore Vasquez thinks he changed his mind 2. And all men that ascribe Intentions Volitions or Purposes to God do and must make the Object of them as such to be Quid cognitum or something which some call an Idea in the Mind of God It
his own Will that this shall be the Order But as to Gods Acts or Volitions following mans 1. They no way follow mans but as Objects which Objects in their natures and qualifications relatively terminate or by connotation denominate Gods Volitions 2. And do you or any man deny that Doth not Gods Knowledge Praeteritorum Existentium suppose the preterition or existence of Objects Doth not Gods complacential Volition of the holiness and glory of his Creatures presuppose that holiness and glory Doth not Gods hatred of past or existent sin presuppose it C. But what can God fore see in man till he first decree to cause it or at least decree that it shall exist B. Sin He decreeth neither and yet fore-seeth it of which lib. 1. The seventh Crimination C. * Aliqui scholastici minus caute de gratia Dei loquuntur Patres negarent â—mne meritum causam occasionem ex nobis praedestinationis nostrae ut oftender ent gratiam in tempore omninâ— gratis sint aliquo horum nobis donari Vasq in 1. Tho. qu. 23 disp 91. c. 10. But some of them say that the Gospel it self yea and the first special Grace is given to men upon merit of congruity though not of condignity and so is decreed on that fore-seen B. 1. We mind not what some odd persons say but what the moderate and sober say whom we are reconciling 2. But I pray you wherein do you differ from these Is it in words or sense also C. In both I hold no such merit fore-sight or decree B. Do you hold that there is such a thing as common Grace distinct from special C. Yes so do all Protestants B. Is it not every mans Duty to make a good use of the common Grace or Mercies which he hath as in order to his Repentance and Salvation C. Yes He that had but one Talent should have improved it B. Is not a man that doth this as far as common Grace will go more disposed and prepared to receive special Grace than one that hath long abused it and derideth God and godliness C. Yes no doubt some such are not far from the Kingdom of God B. Have not * Doct. of Faith Mr. Jo. Rogers Mr. Tho Hooker Mr. Rob. Bolton †Instruct for Comfort Consc Read Vasq iâ— 1. Tho. qu. 23. a. 4. disp 9. throughout proving that Predestination to the first Grace is not upon foreseen Merit no nor upon any fore-seen Cause sine qua non no nor Condition sine qua non c. and against Cassianus and the Massilienses and the Greek Fathers that the initium primae gratiae praedestinationis is not from our free will Yea c. 10. opposing Scotus Grabriâ—l Cajet Richard Durand Pantus c. as coming too near the Massilienses Yea and all that hold that facienti quod in se est ex viribus naturae Deus non denegat gratiam and abundance of other Protestants written much of Preparation to Conversion And is it not our common Doctrine C. Yes but what 's that to Merit of Congruity B. What do you think they mean by it more than you by Preparation C. They mean such Merit as it is decent for God to reward B. The greater part I think by far of the School-men say That the first special Grace is not given upon any Merit at all And the learned and sober that thus talk of Merit of Congruity and Decency mean no more but this 1. That God who commandeth men such use of his common Grace as a means to special doth command no Duty and appoint no means in vain 2. That such prepared persons are fitter for special Grace than the unprepared and malignant Enemies of it 3. That it is Gods usual way to prepare men by common Grace before he give them special Grace 4. And many say that we cannot prove that God useth to deny special Grace where he giveth the highest degree of preparing common Grace And which of these are you against C. But doth not God give special Grace also without such preparation B. 1. Our foresaid practical Protestants seem to think not to men at age For they oft say that it cannot be conceived that a man can value Grace and come to Christ truly that hath no preparatory sense of sin and misery 2. But I find not that the Papists usually deny it but that God may give special Grace to the unprepared on a sudden 3. But Papist's and Protestants are agreed that this is not his ordinary way And where do we differ in all this C. But we say not that there is any Merit in all this B. Phy on that word Merit I thought it was but the name that we differed about 1. And many of themselves dislike the name and say It is unapt And I think so do the Lutherans and Arminians more commonly 2. And others say that by Morit they mean nothing but a moral aptitude for Reward And they say that they can find no one fitter name for that than this which all Christians without known opposition used for many hundred years after the Apostles And that the Scripture word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy is the same in sence 3. And they usually say that special Grace is called a Reward to the prepared if not unaptly as many or most say yet but in a lower Analogical sense and not as Heaven is the reward of Holiness Because of the latter there is a flat Promise and premiant Law or Covenant made by God but of the former they can say no more than as aforesaid that God appointeth no Duty and means in vain The eighth Crimination C. They make many Elections or Decrees where God maketh but one * These are but contentions de nomine as Vasquez truly saith about Durandus Opinion who 1. d. 41. q 2. n. 11. concurring with other School-men that the question de causa praedestinationis is meant only ex parte effectus de toto effectu an scilicet totius effectus detur aliqua causa opposeth Ockam Gabr. therein on the supposition that glorification is no effect of Predestination but the means to it And that because Predestination is as prudence in a man which is only circa media which saith Vasqueâ— dis 91. c. 4. non tam rei quam vocis quaestio est So also Bonaventure and Jave differ from others and say that Praedestinationis quoad effectum datur meritum congruum ex auxiliâ— gratiae But it s a meer strife about a word while they take Predestination as reaching only to Justification Perseverance and Glorification and others take it as extending also to preparatory Grace as Vasqu also noteth disp 91. cap. 5. As an Election to Glory and another to Justification and another to Faith and Conversion and another to have the Gospel and another to be redeemed by a sufficient satisfaction of Christ and another to be made men And so vary the Objects B.
diabolo voluntate se dedit a quo judicium voluntatis depravatum est non ablatum Non enim homo voluntate sed voluntatis sanitate privatus est cum a diabolo spoliaretur cum igitur homo ad pietatem redit non alia in co creatur substantia sed eadem quae fuerat labefactata reparâ—tur The answer to the former might serve to this But still I see that Names must be our quarrel Is the question of the Thing or of the Name whether it be to be called Good 1. As to the thing they deny not that there are first notices and common principles of morality in all mens understandings 2. Nor that the Intellect is inclined to truth as truth 3. Nor that the Will is inclined to good as good 4. Nor that natural Conscience doth somewhat for God and Duty and against Sin in bad men 5. Nor that a Heathen may have as much good as experience proveth some of them to have had as Antonine Alexander Severus Cato Cicero Seneca Epictetus Plutarch Socrates Plato c. 6. Nor that common Grace when the Gospel cometh may prepare them for special Grace and make them almost sanctified Believers In a word almost all agree that 1. Nature as now upheld by Mercy may have all the good aforesaid 2. That common Grace with the Gospel may go further 3. And that it prepareth for special saving Grace If you deny this you accuse them contrary to the fullest evidence that you could expect whilst our British Divines at Dort tell you so largely how far universal or common Grace goeth in this preparing work and when there are such a multitude of Treatises written by the strictest English Antiarminians on two Subjects 1. Of preparation to Conversion 2. How far an Hypocrite or unregenerate Person may go in Christianity the Title of one of Perkins's Books 2. But if it be de nomine whether this may be called good it is a question unfit to trouble the Church with All are agreed that is materially something commanded by God partly conformable to the Law of Nature or Scripture and that it tendeth towards the well-fare of him that hath it and of others and is better than its contrary But if we mâ—st set up a metaphysical Theater to dispute de ratione Boni by that time on as good reason we have prosecuted our disputes de ratione entis uniâ—s veri also we may fall out with all that agree not in Suarez his Metaphysicks or at least in Aquinas or Buridanes's Ethicks I pray you begin your self and tell me what is bonum goodness in your question A. You shall not tempt me into so difficult a metaphysical or moral dispute which I know the learned are so little agreed in For you would but make use of it to insult over me B. And yet is this one of your Accusations of your Brethren that they agree not with you in the sense of such a word as you dare not definitively tell your own sense of Moral good in man is his conformity to the holy regulating Will of God by resignation of our selves to him as our Owner subjection to him as our Ruler and love to him as our End or perfect Good with all the exercise of these Now 1. In the strictest sense men say Bonâ—mest ex causis integris and so where there is any sin there is not good in that sense that is unmixed perfect good And in that with a more transcendent sense Christ saith That none is good save God only I hope you will not quarrel with him for it And yet the Papists commonly reproach the Protestants as teaching that all that we do is sin and no good because we say that all is mixt with sin and imperfectly good I profess for my self that I never loved trusted feared obeyed God in all my life without imperfection And I take that imperfection of my love to God c. to be the great and grievous sin of my Soul so that I groan out all my days the last dying-words of Arch-bishop Usher Lord forgive my Sins of Omission And if the School-men almost agree that moral evil is privatio boni me-thinks a Papist should hardly dream that his greatest Faith and Love have no degree of such privation 2. But as the word Good signifieth that which is sincerely so though imperfectly being more predominant in heart and life than the contrary evil and proveth the persons acceptation with God and right to Salvation and is the imperfect Image of Gods holiness repaired so all and only the sanctified are good 3. But in the third sense as goodness signifieth such Inclinations and Actions as are good but in a low degree and bad predominantly so none deny but bad men have some good Inclinations and Actions And de nomine here Divines agree not either Protestants or Papists some and most commonly call all such Actions good in their degree Others say That quia finis deest none of it is to be called properly good It may end all to say that it is good analogically as accidens is ens or secundum quid though not simpliciter The fourth Crimination A. * So do the Jesuites as you may see in Vasqu in 1. Tho. q. 23. passive They damn multitudes of Infants for Original Sin which they could not avoid yea and the Adult too as necessitated by it to sin for the prevention or cure of which they have no remedy especially all the Heathen World in comparison of which from Adam's days till now the rest are very few so that they make the World to be made or born purposely for unavoidable damnation in Hell fire B. Here are several things which must be distinctly spoken to I. Of Infants II. Of the state of the Heathen World III. Of the necessity of sinning IV. Of the necessity of punishment for sin Of these in order 1. For the case of Infants there are three questions to be handled 1. Whether they have Original Sin 2. Whether they are worthy of punishment for it 3. Whether they are punished for it and how many and how 1. For the first I have proved in a peculiar Disputation that Infants have Original Sin that is moral Pravity in disposition with their participation in the guilt of Adam's sin as being seminally and virtually in him And I find you not yet denying it 2. For the second no Christian doubteth I think but that all sin deserveth punishment But the desert of Actual Sin and of Original Sin are as different as the nature of the sin Habitual or Dispositive Pravity is a Dispositive preparation or worthiness of punishment And actual Sin is an actual preparation for it but all deserve it that is are Subjects morally fit for it to demonstrate holy Justice 3. For the third Scripture and experience put it past controversie that Infants suffer For 1. They are deprived of the Spirit of Holiness as quickly appeareth by their early practice
and what do you hence infer B. 1. All degrees of the medela or recovery of Nature are so many degrees of Grace 2. Exparte Dei efficientis the operations of Grace and Nature really are all one and differ not That is God doth per essentiam operate in both and his operating Essence is the same But as the nature of a thing in its original or constitutive Principles are one thing and the recovery of it from its vitiated state another so relatively the same God and his Will and Operations are to be variously denominated even as he is the God and Fountain of Nature and as he is the God and Giver of Grace 3. I think it is past mans skill to prove that most Miracles themselves have no part of natural Operation in them It is sufficient of God interpose and over-rule the matter by any other immediate Operation of his own yea or that he put natural Operations themselves out of that course in which they would have gone if he had not so altered it 4. By this you may plainly see that though all natural Operations are not gracious All gracious Operations are also natural except the highest sort of Miracles that is they are the Actions of some natural Principles ordered by Gods gracious Will to a gracious end in a gracious manner I also except such Operations of God alone in which he useth no second Cause but himself immediately without any instrument produceth the effect But note 1. That this is only in the Reception of the Divine immediate influx it self on the Soul antecedent to our very first Acts For our first Act e. g. of Faith is from Gods Influx on our own natural faculties and so from those faculties themselves as suscitated by God 2. Note that this is no distinction between natural and gracious Operations to be so immediate For God doth as immediately operate in the natural As in the Creation he made all the World by such immediate efflux so he still operateth immediately on the first created Cause whatever that is and say almost all Divines even when he useth second Causes he himself is as near the Recipient and Effect immediatione suppositi virtutis as if he had used no second Cause at all The difference being not in his distance or proximity but in his using or not using a second Cause together with himself 5. Moreover it is utterly unknown to us how far God operateth without Vocatio ad communionum Christi beneficiorum ejus est gratiâ—sa â—ctio Dei qua homines peccatores reâ—s condemnationis sub dominâ—o peccati constitntos ex animalis vita conditione ex mundi hujus inquinamentis corruptelis â—â—â—â—t per verbum piritum suum ad vitam supernaturalem in Christâ— per poenitentiam fidem consequendam ut in illo tanquam capitâ— sâ—â— adâ—o destinato ordinato unirâ— beneficiorum ejus communionâ—â—rui queâ—nt ad gloriam Dei ipsorum salutem Armin. Dispur Privat Thes 42. Sect. 1. any second Cause even on the Soul it self As we know that Devils do much on the wicked so we know not how far he useth the Angels or superior Intelligences in operating on the Elect And yet we will not go so far as Aristotle did in ascribing to the primum mobile But as God is said to write with his own Finger the Law on the two Tables and yet that Law was delivered by Angels and as God is said to appear and speak to Adam and many others when yet it must needs be quid creatum which Humane senses could see and hear Even so we know not when God operateth on the Soul what spiritual Ministry he may use And now tell me again what it is that you accuse them of that you think turn Nature into Grace C. According to your explication I must mean nothing else but that the name of Grace is given by them to Nature alone with the natural operation is not gracious B. Wherein is it that they thus err Instance in particulars C. 1. When they make Gods common Providences to be Grace 2. When they make the preaching of the Gospel to be Grace 3. When they make Reason and Free-will to be Grace B. I. Do you not believe that all Gods merciful Providences are acts of Grace Are they not mercy contrary to merit which is the definition of Grace in the general And have they not an aptitude and tendency in medelam animarum to mans Recovery which is the specification of Evangelical Grace C. Yes I grant all this But we take Grace for the inward saving work of Gods sanctifying Spirit on the Soul B. 1. You do not only strive about words but perversly abuse words that you may have matter of strife Will you confine the general name of Grace not only to a Species but to one inferior Species and then accuse your Brethren for giving the name to other Species As if you would accuse them for calling any besides a Philosopher or a Souldier a man And 2. Do you know either Jesuite Lutherane or Arminian that holdeth that outward common Providences are inward Sanctification C. Let that pass and go to the second B. II. Do you doubt whether the preaching of the Gospel be Grace either as to the general or special definition C. I deny not that the definitions agree to it but I doubt whether it be a fit name when use hath appropriated it to the inward Sanctification B. 1. Here again you are convinced of striving about words 2. And till you are forced you confess it not but make it seem a material difference 3. You confess that your Adversaries name agreeth with the definition 4. When you have abused the name your selves by erroneous confinement of it to one species of Grace you then plead your own sinful use as a reason sufficient against Etymology Definition the custom of all the Christian Churches from the beginning to this day yea and against Scripture it self 5. For the Scripture so useth the word as you may see sometimes for merciful Providences sometimes for the Gospel sometimes for Church-Priviledges for Gifts sometimes for Favour and oft for recovering mercy in the general Ezra 9. 8. Zech. 4. 7. Joh. 1. 16 17. Act. 4. 33. 14. 3. 20. 24 32. Rom. 1. 5. 5. 2. 20. 6. 14. 15. 11. 5 7. 12. 3. 6. 15. 15. 1 Cor. 10. 30. 2 Cor. 8. 19. Gal. 1. 6. 15. 5. 4. Eph. 3. 8. 4. 8. 4. 7. Phil. 1. 7. Jud. 4. 1 Pet. 4. 10. 5. 12. Tit. 2. 11. Eph. 3. 2 7. Col. 1. 6. 2 Cor. 6. 1. C. Go on to the third instance B. 1. Who do you know that calleth Reason and natural Free-will in it self considered by the name of Grace I know not any such 2. But 1. Reason as reprieved in order to recovery and Reason as illuminated by common Grace and so Free-will are certainly a sort
life to conquer temptation and keep us in clear and sure obedience in a Holy fruitful life or else it will not be certainly discerned from dead opinion 4. It must not be clouded and blotted by great and powerful habits of sin within or acts of sin without For these will many ways hinder assurance And how few have all these Necessaries to make up an ascertaining evidence 4. And it must be one that knoweth how by self examination to discern all this to be certainly in themselves That frequently and skilfully thinketh on the matter 5. And it must be one that is not under the power either of Melancholy or other distracting passions or Temptations 6. And one that knoweth the true difference between a Mortal sin inconsistent with Justification and a meer infirmity 7. And one that knoweth the true nature of that Repentance which is necessary after sinning And alas how few be they that have all these qualifications C. The Spirit of God can give them certainty without all this ado B. What he can do is little to our case but what he will do If you once take that course to teach men to look for assurance of their Salvation or Sanctification without certain finding that Sanctification in themselves you will make sad work in the Church of God For nothing is more certain than that without Regeneration Conversion and Holiness none shall see God And that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ which must be known by his fruits he is none of his Joh. 3. 3. 5. Math. 18. 3. Heb. 12. 14. Rom. 8. 9 13. Gal. 5. 21. And that it is he that repenteth and believeth that shall be saved And to be sure that a man is sanctified and not to be sure that he hath the Graces of Sanctification is a contradiction to be sure and not sure of the same thing And to say you are sure of Heaven without Holiness is to say that you are sure that Gods Word is false C. But the witness of the Spirit certifieth us of all B. True And what is that As your Reason witnesseth or evidenceth that you are a man and your Life witnesseth that you are an Animal so the Spirit witnesseth that you are one of Christs that is the sanctifying illuminating quickening work of the Spirit For the Having of the Spirit is your witness And to have the Spirit is to have Holiness which is his work which also the Spirit to compleat his witness helpeth us both to Act increase discern and take comfort in Q. 5. And I next then ask you whether he that will have certainty of Salvation must not also have beyond a strong opinion a certainty that this Doctrine of certain perseverance is true C. Yes No doubt of it B. And are the generality of Professors certain of it when not only the Greeks and Romans but also all the Lutherans and Arminians and most Anabaptists utterly deny it I grant that men may be confident in the opinion which they are educated or faln into But are the unlearned certain when most of the Learned are confident of the contrary Following our Leaders eagerly is not certainty C. It 's granted you B. Q. 6. I ask then seeing so exceeding few of your own side are truly certain of their Salvation who never receive the Arminians opinion whether that be it that hindereth their certainty II. And now let us try in what Measure their Doctrine hindreth comfort Q. 1. Do you not think that many of those of your own side have much comfort though they attain not to assurance C. Yes Experience tells it us B. Q. 2. Do you not think that some yea many of the old Christians for a thousand years after Christ had comfort who yet were not of your opinion of Perseverance All the Martyrs and great Sufferers for Christ and the excellent Pastors were not comfortless C. That cannot be denyed B. Q. 3. Do you think that none of the Nations of Greeks Armineans Lutherans nor any of the Anabaptists of their mind do live in the comfortable hopes of Heaven C. Yes No doubt but many do B. Why then you see that comfort may be had without certainty of Salvation But I proceed to the Nature of the Case it self Q. 4. Would not your life be uncomfortable if you fore-knew that you should commit Murther Adultery Incest deny Christ c. kill your own Father Mother Wife or Child and lye as long as David did in your Sin much more to sin as Solomon did C. Yes I must needs be less comfortable in such a prospect B. Q. 5. Would it not much grieve you if you knew that you should fall from the Degree of Grace received to the very least that is consistent with sincerity C. It must needs be my grief but yet such as would consist with greater comfort because it consisteth with Salvation B. Q. 6. Are you certain that these two last Cases to commit such heinous sins and to fall so far from Grace may not be your Case C. No I cannot be sure of it because it may stand with Grace B. Q. 7. Tell me then what is it that now keepeth you from those sorrows which would befall you if such a thing should be C. The great hope that I have that it will never be B. What are the Reasons of those your hopes C. 1. Because I know that God is Good and merciful in himself 2. And he dealeth with man upon terms of Grace 3. And he hath given me experience of his mercy to my self 4. And I have his general promises that He will not fail me nor forsake me which though they assure me not that I shall not so fall yet they assure me that â—e will not so far forsake me without some heinous neglect of his Grace 5. And I feel in my self a present detestation of such heinous sins and a fixed Judgment and Resolution against them And though I have not power of my self to avoid mutation and back-sliding yet I have reason to trust him for the keeping of this Grace who freely gave it me And the truth is though man be mutable he is not apt to fear the change of his own mind when he is conscious that it is resolved on sound and unquestionable reason 6. And it is not nothing that I have been kept from all such sin till now 7. And that it is a rare thing for any faithful person so to fall And why should I fear that which not one of a multitude ever falleth into B. And why may not all these reasons comfort others that are uncertain of their Perseverance in a state of Grace Allowing but the difference of the degrees of the dangers Q. 8. Do you think that your Wife or Children are certain that you will not Murther them C. No they cannot be certain B. Q. 9. Would it not make their lives sorrowful if they knew that you would do it C. Yes no doubt B. Q. 10.
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which most properly signifieth wages which sounds as more than praemium a Reward yet we wholly grant you that this is figuratively used and that no man deserveth wages or any thing commutatively of God But every Scripture Metaphor hath its reason And the reason of this is evident Though God cannot be Profited he can be Pleased And his Will or Pleasure is the End of all his Government and Works And he is Pleased most in that which doth the World the Church and our selves the most good for in that he is most glorified Now he so maketh his Laws and Promises as if our own and other mens good were his and his Reward for our Pleasing by Order Justice and Goodness he calleth wages metaphorically being instead of profiting him XV. By all which it is most obvious that we are not at all the less but the more beholden to God for the Merit or Rewardableness of our actions For as all the Benefit is free Gift so it is of his Grace that we do any thing that is good and that he accepteth it as Rewardable And if it be any honour to a man to be good rather than bad and the Righteous be more excellent than his neighbour it is an addition of mercy that God will honour those that honour him and commandeth others so to do Psal 15. 4. XVI And now the case is very plain both that Reward and Rewardableness called Merit there is and why it is and must be so 1. How can God be a Governour and have a Law and be a Judge and Righteous in all this if faith and godliness be not Rewardable It is the second Article in our faith and next believing that There is a God that He is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. And when you would extirpate all faith and godliness on pretence of crying down Merit you may see what over-doing tends to 2. The very nature of all Gods Laws and Promises evidently inferr a Reward Without it there were no such thing as Faith Hope Desire Joy Content forsaking all Psal 19. 11. In keeping them there is great reward 58. 11. Verily there is a Reward for the righteous 3. There is notoriously a Reward even in this life Matth. 19. 29. Who would change the profit and pleasure of a holy life here for that of the unholy 4. Reward and Rewardableness are found in the very Law of Nature it self In that we are made for God as our end and it is God himself who is our Reward And holiness hath a natural tendency to happiness yea is the beginning of it it self And as God is said in Nature to make sin punishable in that he hath so formed Nature that sin shall bring suffering in and with it as poyson brings pain and death so in Nature he hath made our duty and holiness Rewardable in forming man so that health peace and happiness shall be in and after it Prov. 9. 12. If thou be wise thou art wise for thy self 5. The Light of Nature teacheth Parents Masters Princes and all Governours to take Goodness to be Rewardable and Crimes to be punishable And nothing is more universally approved by the common notices of humane nature than Justice or abhorred than Injustice Nature saith as 2 Sam. 23. 31. He that ruleth over men must be just And as Isa 10. 1. Wo to them that decree unrighteous decrees And as Prov. 17. 13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good evil shall not depart from his house Conscience will rebuke him that rewardeth evil to him that deserved it not Psal 7. 4. The better any man is the more he is for Justice and abhorreth the unjust and Alexander Severus and Antonine and such Just Princes and Judges are honoured by all Subjects and Historians And as all Power is of God and Rulers are but his Officers Rom. 13. 4 5 6. so their Righteous Government is but the inferiour part of Gods own Government as the King governeth by his Judges and Justices And therefore it is God that Rewardeth and Punisheth by them And indeed by the same reason that men deny a Reward to duty the faultiness being pardoned through Christ they would inferr that there is no Punishment for sin But God saith Isa 3. 10 11. Say to the Righteous It shall be well with him and say to the wicked It shall be ill with him He will plentifully reward the proud doers Psal 31. 23. Yea they reward evil to themselves Isa 3. 9. 6. Holiness is Gods Image and the product of the Holy Ghost and the Devil and Malignants labour to dishonour it And contrarily God honoureth it and by his Rewards will honour it openly before the world Matth. 6. 4 6. And Christ will come in glory to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe even because they have believed 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9 10 11. 7. God will Govern man according to mans nature and capacity else what need of Scripture Ministry c. And man is naturally a Lover of himself and God will make him know that he hath no need of him but it is himself that shall be the gainer if he obey and the loser if he sin even to Cain after his first sin God saith If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted but if thou do evil sin lyeth at the door Man is an Intellectual and free agent and therefore God will set before him life and death good and evil Deut. 30. 15. and whether they will hear or not hear he will send his word Ezek. 2. 5. and they shall be told of such Motives as should suffice to prevail with men of reason 8. Man hath many and great Temptations to overcome And as they work morally toward his deceit and ruine so God will suitably give him such Moral motives as are fittest to move him to resist them And therefore he will offer man so full and sure and glorious a Reward as is fit to disgrace all the offers of the Devil and will make men know that his Rewards are such as no pleasure or profit of sin should stand in any competition with Yea he himself who is God Allsufficient will be our exceeding great Reward Gen. 15. 1. No wonder if Moses like other believers despised the honours of Pharaoh's Court and chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season because he had respect to the recompence of reward Heb. 11. 25 26. And Paul went towards death rejoycing in these hopes that having fought a good fight and finished his course henceforth a Crown of Righteousness was laid up for him by God the Righteous Judge 2 Tim. 4. 8. who is not unrighteous to forget his servants work and labour of Love And all believers are therefore stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord as knowing that their labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor.
not L. I had rather they did differ less and if it be so I had rather know it than not But I would not hear that it is so when it is not R. Take heed that your heart deceive you not and that you be not averse to know the truth lest it should cross your own and other mens former censures Quest 2. If it prove true that the difference is less than most take it to be is he that falsly aggravateth it to the procuring of unjust odium or he that truly openeth and extenuateth it the more to be commended or approved L. If you have the Truth on your side no doubt but you do well because Love and Peace also are on your side and our fault is great that quarrel with you R. Quest 3. Do you think it is justice in any Papists to charge the crude unsound expressions of particular Writers on the Protestant party as their Doctrine as Mr. Parker Mr. Patrick Mr. Sherlock are blamed for doing by the Non-conformists or for us to do the same by them L. No but where their Doctors agree we may go further R. Quest 4. Do you think that the bare name of Merit is cause enough to accuâ—e any of false Doctrine who meaneth by it nothing that is unsound or that the name is reason enough for sharp accusations of such men L. I am willing to difference the controversie de nomine from that de re and not to make a greater matter of a name than there is cause But yet ill names do tend to introduce ill Doctrines R. Quest 5. Do you hold that well-doing hath any Reward from God L. It is not vain It hath that blessing freely given which is improperly called a Reward R. It is figuratively called Wages And yet this is the commonest Scripture title and cannot you bear with Gods Word But it is not improperly called Praemium a Reward that is A benefit given to one for well doing Indeed if with the new Atheistical Philosophers you take God but for a Physical Motor and his Government and Laws and Judgement to be all but Motion improperly and popularly so named then you may say the same of his Rewards and Punishments L. Well you know that Protestants deny not Reward R. Quest 6. Is not Reward formally Related to some well-doing as the moral aptitude of the Receiver L. Yes it is such a Relation formally R. Quest 7. Are not they then of your judgement as to the Matter who hold Merit in no other sense than as it is Rewardable well-doing or a Moral aptitude for Reward L. I deny not that with such I differ but in the Name R. Quest 8. Do not you know that it is the common usage of the word in Civil and Ecclesiastical Writers to take Meritum and Praemium so far for Relatives as that omne Praemium est meriti praemium though omne meritum be not Praemii meritum Reward and Rewardableness are thus meant as related It 's true that Meritum is sometime taken less properly for any Dueness â—s a man is said to Merit his Fathers Legacie that is hath right to it sometimes it is taken for any Moral Congruity sometimes in malam partem for Commerit of punishment and sometimes for a fault it self As Calvin noteth on the word But still every Reward is formally related to Merit or Rewardableness L. But not only our late Lectures against Popery but many Protestants say that It is not Merit unless there be an Equality of it in worth to the Reward And therefore their Arguments against Merit are as there 1. The Reward is meerly of Mercy and Grace therefore not of Merit 2. It is Gods Gift therefore not deserved 3. It is by Inheritance 4. We owe all to God and therefore cannot Merit 5. Our works are imperfect 6. We need pardon 7. Our works are not equal in Goodness and Value to eternal life 8. We cannot recompence God for what we have 9. We cannot profit God 10. Grace and debt are opposite 11. We may not Trust our works faith or love therefore they merit not So that the question is but of such a Merit as by equal worth maketh the Reward due in point of Justice R. All these reasons sufficiently confute Merit in point of Commutative Justice But they go upon a meer mistake as if this were the state of the controversie between us and the Roman Church or they took Merit in any such sense unless it be some rare ignorant fellow such as Romaeus seemeth by some words and some few others But do you grant that you differ but de nomine and not de re with those that take not Merit in any such sense but mean as you do de re ipsa L. That I must needs grant R. Before we proceed then let me briefly and plainly open the case 1. God standeth related to Man 1. As the Owner of us and all things 2. As our Rector by Laws 3. As our Benefactor 2. To Merit 1. Of a Proprietor or Owner must be giving him somewhat to his gain or pleasure for the worth of which he is bound by Commutative Justice to requite us 2. To Merit of a Ruler is to do that which he is bound to Reward in Distributive Justice to perform his Rewarding promises or at least for the Ends of Government 3. To merit of a meer Benefactor is no more than not to be uncapable of his Gift which is improperly called Merit 3. All our controversie is about the second God as our Governour ruleth us 1. At first by the Law of Innocency 2. By the Law of Grace and that 1. As delivered to the World in Adam and Noe 2. Or to the Jews with the addition of the Mosaical Law of Works 3. Or as delivered in the Gospel by Christ and his Spirit 4. To dream of that Merit from God as a proprietor in point of Commutative Justice which our Arguments militate against is tantum non madness and is not the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that I know of 5. To assert our Meriting of God as Rector by the Law of Innocency is dotage And I know none that hold that we do so by our selves though some hold that we do so per alium 6. Nor do any but Jews that I know of assert Merit after the Jewish Law of Works 7. But they that hold that Christ hath Merited and freely Given a Conditional pardon and right to life to all mankind even on condition of a penitent believing acceptance of the free gift and this by a Law of Grace which we must now be Ruled and Judged by do hold that this Law hath its Reward and mans acts accordingly their worth or Merit 8. This Merit in point of Distributive Justice is to be conceived of and defined according to the Regiment which it respecteth which is Gods Paternal Government of freely Redeemed sinners by a Law of Grace freely pardoning and saving them if they will
so his Glory is his End in the Material notion 389. That his Glory is not Formally his End is confessed by all Divines who say that nothing below God can be his End But by his Glory is meant something below himself some creature or action of the creature Ergo c. For if by his Glory be meant Himself there is no Means to such an end 390. Therefore by Gods Glory is meant the shining lustre of his Image or the Appearance of God in his Works And not only mans Praising and Glorifying thoughts and words of him which though they are our highest duty are unfit to be Gods End alone Yet are they part of that Glory which is materially his End though not the whole 391. This Glory or Appearance of God which is materially his End is 1. The perfection of the whole Creation 2. Next that the Glory of the Celestial Kingdom containing Christ and all the holy ones 3. Next that the Glory of Christs own person alone 4. Next that the Glory of the Holy ones alone c. 392. Because this perfection of the Universe is not yet accomplished but shall be improperly we may say that God hath not yet attained his End that is his Material End 393. 5. But properly and formally Gods End is never unattained Because his Will is never unfulfilled though the things willed be not yet perfected For when e. g. the first dayes work was made all was done which he then willed to be done and so for the second day c. And now all is done which he would have now done And his Will is ever perfectly pleased And he wanteth nothing So that an End not attained is not to be ascribed to God except materially 394. Thus God is said to have made all things for himself Prov. 16. 4. Because for His Pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4. 11. 395. For his Decreeing disposing Will is fulfilled by all even the wicked that are for the day of Evil Though his Commanding Will being not fulfilled by sinners according to that he is said to have no pleasure in them but to hate them Psal 5. 5. Heb. 10. 38. Mal. 1. 10. Ezek. 18. 32. 23. 33. 11. Jer. 22. 28. 48. 38. Eccles 5. 4. Psal 5. 4 c. 396. And lest any think that thus God misseth of his End let it be well noted 1. That this phrase of Gods taking no pleasure is objectively both Positive Privative and Oppositive that is It signifieth that God will deprive the wicked of felicity or the Communion of his Love and will load them with sorrows and will set himself against their Comforts But 2. As to Gods own Complacency of will it is but equal to a negative His felicity lyeth not in theirs And so as Gods will hath no actual Complacency in Nothings as in more Worlds or Creatures than ever will be and yet his Complacency is perfect so though he have no Complacency in the Holiness or Salvation of those that are never Holy or Saved Hence they dispute Whether Gods Providence alwayes attain his Ends and Ruiz citeth for the affirmative Cajet Naz. Alvar. and Scot. Marsil Okam Gabriel Hervaeus Driedo and for the negative Alex. Aquin. Durand Marsil Capreol Ferrar. communiter recentiores Molina Zumel Vasq Suarez Valent. Becanus Sirenus Pennottus Arrubal c. And all this difference is about names and words And Ruiz is for the Negative sect 3. pag. 56. quiâ— aliquos fines Deus intendit volitione conditionata non totaliter efficaci So that the question is An Volitio condiâ—ionate inefficax sit Deo ascribendae quando vâ—lt ea auxiliâ— quae consensum hominis reddunt possibilem vel hominem faciunt potentem Et an volitio haec dicenda sit Intentio finis For he concludeth as agreed on by all that Gods Providence is never frustrate hindred deceived or fluctuating nor any thing done against it absolutely or against its total adequate End yet his Complacency is perfect 397. There is no doubt but Man hath Ends and Means because God hath so appointed it and made him not in a state of perfection but in via Yea Angels have an End and every creature because defective dependent beings even in a formal sense 398. God is this Ultimate End of man as he is to be perfectly Loved and Pleased to which all are means And the means are ordered as Ends to one another 399. Usually where the Scriptures and Preachers do speak of God as the End and of Intention of Ends they mean Mans Intention and End prescribed him by God But if they speak of Gods they mean only formally the fulfilling of his will and materially his Glory or the perfecting of his works 400. The finis operis as distinct from the finis operantis is nothing but the aptitude and tendency of the work to the Authors Intended End or to some effect Not that the opus quà opus finem intendit 401. If all these difficulties lye in the way Whether and how far God intend an End at all judge how far it is fit to contend about the Mental Order of his Intentions and whether Judicious Davenant was not in the right 402. II. If it were granted that Quod prius est Intentione posterius est executione nothing would follow to gratifie either party in these Controversies For all would be but this that God Intended Himself and the Fulfilling or Complacency of his own Will before he willed any thing else that ever cometh to pass And what 's this to the business 403. But they say It is his Glory that he first intended I answered before His Glory is 1. Himself and then it 's the same which I asserted or 2. a Creature and then it is not formally his End 2. His Glory as it is his Compleat Image on the whole perfected World is his End indeed Materially But that is but to be the Compleat Means The perfected means may improperly be called his End But forma denominat 404. When they say that it is the Glory of his Mercy and Justice 1. They say but the same and need no other answer 2. They speak very defectively For it is to ascribe to God a defective Decree or Intention which is not for the glory of all his revealed perfections Doubtless whatever is materially the perfect means of glorifying God must glorifie his Greatness and Active Power or Life his Wisdom and his Goodness and therein his Veracity or fidelity his Justice and his Holiness his Benignity and mercy his Immutability Independency c. All this must be in the means it self 405. If Mr. Perkins Beza Gilbie and many other good men had well considered this they had never made the glorifying of Gods Mercy and Justice in the salvation of some and the damnation of others Gods ultimate end Thereby committing many palpable errours 1. Making quid Creatum vel Creaturae to be formally or properly Gods end which is but
blessing and felicity To predetermine the will physically is to end that Liberty to that particular act which consisted partly in being undertermined But that Liberty which consisteth in deliverance from all true evil is increased by such a Gracious predetermination And therefore Jansenius pleadeth only for the necessity of predetermination to Good by medicinal Grace and not to Evil or meer Natural actions Yet we say that even to Good God can procure the will to determine it self by moral means which infinite Wisdom can sufficiently improve But it is only 1. A natural power to act without predetermination from God or Others 2. And a Liberty of Condition from all predetermination ab extra to evil from God or Creatures which I here assert and plead for in this cause 564. 8. Much less do we take the Will from under the Power and Government of God For 1. It could have no self-determining Power but of God one moment 2. He giveth it this power to make us capable subjects of Moral Sapiential Government 3. He giveth us Governing Laws accordingly 4. And he attaineth all his Ends and fulfilleth all his Will as perfectly in consistency with our power and freedom as if we had none such at all so that God hath his proper Will whether men Will or not 565. But the turning point of difficulty here is Whether God is ever Causa partialis and if we so make him is it not injurious to his perfect operations All our Controversies turn upon the decision of this one question See the End For if we may conceive of God as Scotus speaketh like one that draweth at the same Ship with another and the act of both must concurr to the effect then all is easie and we may say when men Love not God repent not believe not c. that God did his part but the sinner did not his and so the effect failed As if a Father did resolve that he will help I remember one derideth John Goodwin for this similitude or the like Mr. Roborough his little Child to lift up a weight and will put to nine hundred ninety nine parts of the strength that is necessary but no more because the Child shall do something one part to shew his willingness and obedience Here if the thing be done it is the Father that deserves nine hundred ninety nine parts of the praise If it be undone the Child only doth deserve the blame But we have more to say 566. Note therefore 1. That here the Child hath in himself a Power independent on his Father and therefore the whole effect is not to be ascribed to the Father But man hath no Power but of God and what he holdeth yea and useth in dependence on him And therefore the praise of all his Power and his Acts as Acts are due to God 2. And all the good Inclinations of his will and all the Laws promises perswasions threatnings mercies afflictions examples convictions which tend morally to turn his will are from God so that in every good Volition or action man doth no more than God did both enable him command him perswade him and help him to do and so procure the actual determination of his will So that de re we see how much God doth alwayes besides that Grace may sometimes for ought I know otherwise predetermine And we see what man doth And all that you can desire more is that no man that doth any good act should be able at that instant not to do it or to do otherwise and then it must follow that no man that omitteth a good act or that sinneth could do otherwise which are false * * * Molina maketh God Causam partialem 1. p. q. 14. a. 3. disp 6. Sotus li. 2. Phys disput de causis denyeth it And Zumel disputeth against it in Disp in 1 2. Thom. p. 43. Concl. 2. And so do many others And great diversity here is among them while some affirm and some deny but none of us understand the mysterie of divine concurse So that here is only the lis de nomine left An Deus sit Causa partialis I think it fittest to say that he is Causa totalis of his own Act and of the effect as it is an Act and of all that is laudable in it too for the reasons aforesaid But yet he is not the Causa sola nor in that sense totalis of the Moral specification as if when he giveth his Creature a Power of choosing or refusing freely it could not be done without his further physical predetermination 567. And under favour I take the name Causa partialis to be improper and that it should properly be called Pars Causae For when divers concurr in efficiency all make but one proper efficient Cause †††So say Ockam and Gabriel Biel though Zumel call it a most improper mode of speaking because so no one Cause could be called Total And why should it if it be not except that God is above our order and so not a Part. Bonavent in 1. dis 38. q. 2. inquit Futurum triplex est Quoddam est cujus Deus est tota Causa ut Creata Quoddam cujus Creatura aut Voluntas est Tota Causa ut sunt defectus peccata Quoddam cujus Deus Creatura simul sunt Causa ut sunt opera naturalia moralia quia Deus cooperatur creaturae Respeâ—â—u primi futuri Divina praescientia est tota causa secundi non causa tertii est Causa sed non tota Gab. Biâ—l in 2. d. 37. bringeth in Scotus saying Licet Deus Volendo causat omnia quae causat non tamen ideo est Causa totalis quia vult etiam secum concurrere alias causas utrumque vult effectus esse secum concurrere Causas secundas non diversis sed una Volitione nec unum plus alio sed aeque utrumque simul Et nulla Creatura est Causa totalis Quia semper concurrit Deus ut Causa partialis Et ad dub 2. ex Greg. Arim. Nobiscum â—anquam Causa partialis producit actum malum Gregor Arim. his words are in 2. d. 34. a. 3. Actus mali quem efficit Peccator Deus est immediata Causa Partialis tamen co-efficiens actum eundem Of Greg. Arim. see more in the conclusion of this Chapter Now I suggest to the Learned Reader that is against me How he will decide the forementioned hard question Whether there be more Entity in God and the Creature than in God alone It is dangerous saying Yea or Nay and we know not well what to say But for my part as I said I will not say that God is Pars Entitatis nor yet that the Creature is not Ens nor yet that it is God But the solution must be either from the Equivocation of Entity or from the Creatures Inexistence in God or from somewhat rather which I know not And
case 661. I intreat the Reader that is inclining to any extreams but to read â—over first those short answers of Prosper ad Capitulâ— Gallorum and ad Objectiones Vincent And most of the Sententiae de Capit. I shall think it worthy my labour to recite to force them on the Readers observation and let him see the highest old Doctrine of Gods Decrees Sent. 1. Whoever saith that by Gods Predestination as by fatal necessity men compelled into sins are constrained to death is not a Catholick For Gods Predestination doth by no means make men bad nor is the cause of any mans sin Sent. sup 2. He that saith that the Grace of Baptism received doth not take away Original sin from them that are not predestinated to life is not a Catholick For the Sacrament of Baptism by which all sins He meaneth that those that sincerely covenanted with God in Baptism were truly pardoned though he thought some of them fell away and perished are blotted out is true even in them who will not remain in the truth and for them that are not predestinated unto life Sent. sup 3. He that saith that they that are not predestinated to life though they were in Christ regenerated by Baptism and have lived piously and justly it profitteth them nothing but they are so long reserved till they fall to ruine and they are not taken out of this life till this happen to them as if the ruine of such men were to be referred to Gods constitution is not a Catholick For God doth not therefore prolong the time of any mans age that by long living he should fall to ruine and in his long living fall from the right â—aith seeing long life is to be numbered with the gifts of God by which a man should be better and not worse Sent. sup 4. He that saith that all are not called to Grace if he speak of such as Christ is not declared to is not to be reprehended Sent. sup 5. He that saith that they that are called are not equally called but some that they might believe and some that they might not believe as if to any man the Vocation were the cause of his not believing saith not right For though faith be not but by Gods Gift and Mans Will yet Infidelity is by mans will alone Sent. 6. He that saith that Pree-will in Man is Nothing but it 's Gods predestination which worketh in men whether it be to good or to evil is not a Catholick For Gods Grace doth not abolish mans choice or free-will but perfecteth it and revoketh and reduceth it into the way from error that that which was bad by its own liberty may by the operation of Gods Spirit be made right And Gods predestination is alwayes in Good which knoweth how either to pardon with the praise of mercy or punish with the praise of Justice the sin which is committed by mans will alone Sent. 7. He that saith that God for this cause giveth not Perseverance to some of his Children whom he regenerated in Christ to whom he gave faith hope and Love because by Gods fore-knowledge and predestination they were not differenced from the mass of perdition If he mean that God endowed these men in Goodness but would not have them remain in it and that he was the cause of their tâ—rning away he judgeth contrary to the Justice of God For though Gods Omnipotence could have given the grace of standing to them that will fall yet his grace doth not first forsake them before they have forsaken it And because he foresaw that they would do this by a Voluntary desertion therefore he had them not in the Election of Predestination Sent. 8. He that saith that God would not have all men saved but a certain number that are predestinate speaketh hardlier of the altitude of Gods unsearchable grace than he should speak Who would have all men to be saved and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth and fulfilleth the purpose of his will on them whom being foreknown he predestinated and being predestinate he called being called he justified and being justified he glorified Losing nothing of the fulness of the Gentiles and of all the seed of Israel for whom the eternal Kingdom was prepared in Christ before the foundation of the World For all the World is chosen out of all the World And out of all men all men are adopted So that they that are saved are therefore saved because God would have them saved and they that perish do perish because they deserve to perish Sent. 9. He that saith that our Saviour was not Crucified for the Redemption of the whole World looketh not to the Virtue of the Sacrament that is Sacrifice but to the part or participation of the unbelievers When as the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Price of the whole World From which Price they are Aliens who being either delighted in their Captivity will not be redeemed or when they are redeemed return again to the same Captivity For the Word of the Lord falleth not nor is the redemption of the World evacuated For though the World in the vessels of wrath knew not God yet the World in the vessels of mercy knew him Which God without their preceding Merits took out of the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of the Son of his Love Sent. 10. He that saith that God substracteth from some the preaching of the Gospel lest perceiving the preaching of the Gospel they should be saved may decline the envy of the objection by the paâ—â—onage of our Saviour himself who would not work Miracles with some that he saith would have believed had they seen them And he forbad his Apostles to preach to some people and now suffereth some Nations to live without his Grace Sent. 11. He that saith that God by his Power compelleth men to sin is deservedly reprehended For God who is the Author of Justice and Goodness and all whose Statutes and Commands are against sin is not to be thought to compell any to sin and precipitate them from innocency into crimes But if there be any of so profound impiety as that they are reckoned to be beyond the remedy of correction they receive not an increase of their iniquity from God but are made â—â—â—â— by themselves because they deserved to be left of God and given up to themselves and to deceivers for their former sins that so their sin should be a punishment of their sin Sent. 12. He that saith that obedience is withdrawn from some that are called and live piously and righteously that they may cease to obey doth think ill of Gods Goodness and Justice as seeming to constrain the godly to ungodliness and to take away good mens innocency from them When as He is the Giver and Keeper of godliness and innocency He therefore that adhereth to God is acted by the Spirit of God but he that departeth from God doth fall from his obedience
or cease it by his own will Sent. 13. He that saith that some men are not made by God to this end that they might obtain eternal life but that they might be the ornaments of their times and for the good of others would speak better if he said that God who is the Creator of all men maketh not them in vain who he foreseeth will not be partakers of life eternal Because even in bad men nature is Gods good work and Justice in their damnation is laudable But he cannot well be blamed that saith that even by the condition of such the World is adorned * * * But not by their sin i◠self and that those that hurt themselves by their own iniquity are born for the good of others For the multitude of the ungodly though innumerable is not disgraceful or a deformity to the World or unprofitable to the Kingdom of God seeing that by their propagation cometh the generation that is to be regenerate and by tolerating and loving them Gods people become the more illustrious Sent. 14. He that saith that they that believe not the preaching of the Gospel are unbelievers by Gods predestination and that God so decreed that they that believe not be unbelievers by his appointment or decree is not a Catholick For as Faith which worketh by Love is Gods gift so unbelief is none of Gods constitution Because God knoweth how to ordain Punishment for sin but not sin it self And it followeth not that what he remitteth not he committeth The predestinate therefore liveth by the faith which is given him The non-predestinate perish by Voluntary and not constrained infidelity Sent. 15. He that saith that Foreknowledge is the same with predestination doubtless in our good works conjoyneth or mixeth those two For what we have of Gods gift and is said to be foreknown must needs be predestinate And what is said to be predestinate must needs be foreknown But in our evil works only the foreknowledge of God must be understood Because as he foreknew and predestinated the things which he doth himself and giveth us to do so he FOREKNEW ONLY and DID NOT PREDESTINATE the things which he neither doth himself nor requireth us to do SECT XXI Prosper 's answers ad Object Vincent 662. I Will crave the Readers patience while I add the summ of hi◠Answers also to some of the Objections of Vincentius Obj. 1. That Christ died not for all Resp His death is a remedy in it self sufficient to profit all but if it be not taken it will not heal Obj. 2. That God would not have all saved though they would Resp We must sincerely believe and profess that God would have all saved That many perish is by the merit of them that perish That many are saved is the gift of him that saved them For that the guilty are damned is Gods inculpable justice that the guilty are justified is Gods unspeakable grace Obj. 3. That God made most of mankind that they might perish for ever Resp God is the Creator of all men but No man is made by him that he might perish For the cause of being born is one and the cause of perishing is another That men are born is Gods gift that they perish is the sinners desert He maketh men that they may be men Obj. 4. That the most of men are made of God not to do Gods will but the Devils Resp It is madness and against reason to say that it is by Gods will that Gods will is not done and that the damner of the Devil and his servants would have the Devil served Obj. 5. That God is the author of our sin in that he maketh mens wills evil and maketh a substance which by natural motion cannot but sin Resp This objection they make because we hold original sin and misery But we hold that whatever is of Nature is of God and none of that which is contrary to Nature But sin is contrary to nature from whence cometh death and all that is of death God is the author of no mans sin but the Creator of his Nature which voluntarily sinned when it had Power not to sin and by his own will man subjected himself to the deceiver And it is not by Natural but by Captive Motion that he liveth in sin till he die to sin and live to God which without grace he cannot do Obj. 6. That God maketh in men such a will as is in Devils that of its own motion can and will do nothing but evil Resp The whole world lyeth in wickedness But even very bad men may be reconciled and Devils cannot And God put not evil affections in men Obj. 7. That it is Gods will that a great part of Christians neither will nor can be saved Resp If you speak of them who forsaking the Godliness of a Christian conversation and faith do irrevocably pass over into prophane errours and damnable manners it 's doubtless that having such a will they will not be saved and as long as they will not be saved they cannot be saved But it is by no means to be believed that such men fell into this desperate case by the will of God when rather God lifteth up all that fall For no man is raised or established but by his Grace It is therefore Gods will that they continue in a good will And he forsaketh no man before that man forsake him and converteth many that do forsake him Obj. 8. That God will not have all Catholicks to persevere in the Catholick faith but will have a great part of them to apostatize from it Resp The same answer serveth to this blasphemy as to the former Obj. 9. That God would have a great part of the Saints to fall from the purpose of holiness * * * The Reader must note that their common opinion then was that some true Saints do fall away and perish Resp This madness also needeth no other answer Obj. 10. That Adulteries and corrupting consecrate Virgins do come to pass because God predestinated them to fall Resp It is a detestable and abominable opinion which believeth God to be the author of any mans evil will or evil action whose predestination or decree is never without Goodness and Justice †††That is of nothing but good and just For all the wayes of God are mercy and truth Adulteries and Corruptions of Virgins God knoweth not how to institute but to damn not to dispose * * * That is ut sint but to punish Which evils when men commit they serve their own lusts Gods predestination neither exciteth perswadeth or impelleth the fall malignity or lusts of sinners but plainly predestinateth his own Judgement by which he will reward every one according to what he hath done whether good or evil which Judgement would never be if men sinned by the will of God But be it will And every man whom the discerning of Gods knowledge shall set
to Repentance and Salvation and it is â—heir sin that they do not For which it is ultimately that they are conâ—emned Though wickedness harden men against the Law of Grace â—hat changeth not Gods Law to them but brings them under the penalty Not that any are bound to expect a Christ to come but to perform the â—ommon Conditions of that Covenant before described 83. Therefore no man is now condemned for Original Sin alone Though it is pardoned to no man till he perform the condition of it in â—he pardoning Covenant For God having brought all men under terms â—f mercy tending to recovery they shall be judged as they use that recoâ—ering mercy according to that Law of Grace which they are under â—hether of the first or last Edition 84. The exception which some make of Infants is vain Because as â—ar as God hath revealed his mind about them to us he esteemeth them â—nd useth them as parts of their Parents and Owners and if he condemn â—hem it is not for Adam's sin only but also ultimately for their Parents â—ejection of recovering Grace and not devoting them to God in his Coveâ—ant And though God will not condemn the Children for the Parents â—in that is when they themselves repent and turn to God But the Scripâ—ure is most plain and frequent in expressing our guilt of our nearer Paâ—ents sins against Grace which is a part of our Original Sin and ought â—ot to be so slighted as usually it is However 1. It is an incredible â—pinion That God should rule and judge all the rest of the world by a â—aw of Grace and leave only poor Infants without any mercy under the â—eer Law of Innocency and judge them only by another Law than he â—oth all the world 2. And it is the trick of a Deceiver to argue ab â—gnotiore and carry his Cause into the dark And Infants Case is left to â—s in Scripture much darker than that of the adult 85. Therefore it seemeth plain to me that though Christ's Church be â—ow incomparably happier than the Jewish Church was in magnitude â—ight and grace and excellency of priviledges far above all the rest of the world and so excelleth the state of Heathens far more than the Jewish Church excelled them Yet the rest of the world stand now in much like relation to God and the Christian Church as before Christ's â—ncarnation they did to God and the Jewish Church who were his pecuâ—iar but not his only people the foedus peculiaritatis was theirs only but not foedus gratiae So are we much more as a holy Nation a royal Priestâ—ood to stand nearer God than the rest of the world But whether the Jews were all Gods people on Earth I have before discussed and proved â—he negative 85. But certainly in no Nation under Heaven there is no coming â—â— God or pleasing him without Faith nor seeing him without Holiness nor any Name given under Heaven by which men can be saved but by Christ Heb. 11. 5 6. Heb. 12. 14. Act. 4. 1â— Rom. 8. 9. Joh. 14. 6. 1 Joh. 5. 10 11 12. nor any Sanctification but by Christ's Spirit nor any coming to the Fathâ—â— but by the Son nor any Pardon and Life but by a Covenant of Grace â—â—â— by the Merits and Purchase of Christ. But how far he giveth this Sâ—â—â— and Grace where he is not known himself as Incarnate is all the difficulty As to Infants and Adult 86. Though God hath said less to us of their case that hear not the Gospel than of Believers and Unbelievers privative * * * I desire the Reader to peruse Gaâ—aker's Preface to Antoninus of the Stoicks that hear it because it less concerneth us to know it and to be busie in judging the Servants of another yet in this point are mens confideâ—â—â— and opposition most vehement On one side some say Before I would believe that God hath shut all the millions of the Earth froâ— Adam's days till now save a few Jews and Christians out of all possibility of Salvation so that they are left as the Devils without heâ—â— hope or means and perish Infants and all meerly because God wiâ—â— have it so and that in everlasting fire I will easilier believe that the Gospel is not true as having less of Natures light to condemn me thâ—â— for receiving such thoughts of the infinitely Good and merciâ—â—â— God On the other side if I do but open the undeniable Mercies of God to all which all the world hath experience that they possess and that Covenant of Grace which the whole current of Scripture proveth theâ— under some men that are so very wise in their own eyes as hardly to suspect any thing to be an error which they have long held and that build much of their Religion and Theological Reputation in adhering to the Opinions of those whose communion they think most honoureth them and out of a blind zeal for that which they account Orthodoâ— will presently without impartial consideration or friendly debate â—â—gisterially pass their judgment among those that reverence them and backbite those that they cannot confute and say Such a man holdeth dangerous Opinions that Infidels may be saved and it 's like falsly represent my words When yet the same men perhaps will maintain that all the Elect are justified before they believe and so that Infidels even privative are justified so they be but elect And this seemeth to them no injury to Christ so powerful is prejudice and pride aâ—â— partiality 87. The question whether any besides Christians are put into a possibâ—lity of Salvation is easily and certainly resolved in the affirmative from Subit me certe subinde ita ista dum lego affectum me sentio ingenue agnosco non stupor duntaxat sed horror etiam cum arcani Divini admiratione vâ—hementissima conjunctus serio apud me reputantem quam longe in multis ab â—o absim quod de se vir iste veri ad salutem perducâ—ntis tramitis ignarus de se profitetur nec quin vere ingenuem ambigi posse videtur ut proinde Marco Epictâ—â—â—â— tinâ— assurgens Hymnum illius vel maxiâ—o majorem prastantiorem decantare jugiter debeam Gataker Proloq â— Antoninum Read the multitude of Testimonies of the Virtues of Antonine collected by Gataker post opera Fuit Marcus Antoninus vir omnium â—irtutum sanctitate vitae praecipuus coelestisque ingenii Sâ— bast Munster Cosmogr li â— Bonitatis ac sapientiae numine ab omnibus dum viveret in ea aestimatione bonoreque habitus qua nemo unquam vel aâ—te ipsâ—â— â—â— quod nâ—viâ—us post iâ—sum fuerit Nunquam ita conspirarunt scriptores in tribuendo cuiquam quaecunque pâ—terant boâ—itatis inteâ—â—â—â— t is innocentiae cujusvis denâ—que tituli apud â—thnicos speciosissâ—mi testimonia Celebrant illum non tantum ut principeâ— optiâ—â—â— â—â— simpliciter absolute ut â—ominem optimum philosophum
c. and the latter they call the formal nature of Grace viz. quatenus Deo gratiosi seu amati sumus So Alvarez de Aux disp 60. p. 275. Gratiam augeri in esse gratiae similiter charitas in esse charitatis nihil aliud est quam quod per illam acceptetur justus ad majorem gloriam By which he decideth the question whether Grace or Charity be increased by remiss acts or only by intense acts saying that 1. Gratia in esse gratiae similiter Charitas in esse Charitatis statim augentur etiam per actus remissos that is We are made more acceptable to God for greater glory But augmentum gratiae charitatis in esse Habitûs quod homo meretur per actus remissos dabitur postea in primo instanti glorificationis And it seems that so they sometimes take Charitas too both for the Habit and Act of our Love and for our Amability or Dearness to God Now this is ill done For these equivocal words signifie these not as one but as two distinct things Amor Amabilitas or Dearness are two things Though Love be materially our Loveliness yet not formally the latter being an obâ—ective relation resulting from the former Wisdom and Goodness are Inadequate conceptions of One God so all together are a more perfect expression of him than one of them alone Now in all these the former is still implyed in the latter as to the very sense of the word but not contrarily Power doth not alway signifie Wisdom or Love but Wisdom signifieth the wisdom of one Potent including power for there is Potentia Intellectiva And Will or Love include Power and Act. So Action may be without ORDER or Rectitude and Perfection but the order and perfection of Acts include or suppose the Acts. § 8. It is therefore the glory of Gods SAPIENTIAL work of Government which eminently shineth forth in the communications of Grace by the Spirit of Christ But not that Government which was fitted to the state of Innocency but that which stands nearer to the End as more demonstrating Love and tending more effectually to it § 9. Therefore it is much to be noted that all this frame of Grace as tending to Glory is usually called in Scripture The Kingdom of God and The Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 13. 45 c. which containeth the whole frame of Political Order and Government § 10. This Kingdom is the state of Relation between God and the Mediator as the Head or Ruler and Man as the Subject as he is to be guided by Grace to Glory God who is Physically neither Pars nor Totum maketh himself here as it were a Relative Part being the supream Head and the Mediator the supream official Head or general Administrator who hath under him a course of Political means for the accomplishment of this his work § 11. As Christ himself is the Head Means or second Cause so under him are Prophets and Apostles eminently qualified to make them fit to do this work so as tendeth to success § 12. These Prophets and Apostles were endued with that special infallible Spirit by which they certainly delivered Christs doctrine and actions and faithfully discharged all their trust § 13. They had the power of working Miracles many wayes to confirm their doctrine as the Truth of God Besides Christs Mâ—racles § 14. The Scriptures are Gods Record which they left us to be the continual standing signifier of his will § 15. In these Scriptures are his Doctrine to teach his precepts to make duty and oblige and forbid sin by prohibition his own and servants examples to move his threatnings to drive his promises to draw formed into a Covenant strongly to engage the Records also of his Judgements and Mercies upon others that they might every way be fitted to their sanctifying use § 16. He hath also instituted his Sacraments by which the mutual Covenant might be celebrated the more obligingly for its effects § 17. He hath appointed his ordinary Ministers as his standing officers through all generations to preach this word And he endoweth them with special gifts thereto and chargeth them vehemently to preach in season and out of season with urgency and importunity even to all mankind 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. Mat. 28. 19 20. whatever it cost them and whatever they undergoe § 18. He hath appointed also Prayer as his Means to obtain Grace by preparing the heart to a due receptivity by the excitation of desires after it And Praise and Thanksgiving to sweeten it to us in the review when we have received it § 19. He hath commanded exercises of humiliation confession bringing down the body to fit us to receive it by a due sense of our sins unworthiness and wants § 20. He hath appointed the publick assembling of his servants that concurse might augment the Sacred flame in the performance of all this Sacred work § 21. He hath instituted the Lords day to be wholly employed in such works and helps that it be not neglected and lightly done § 22. He hath commanded every private Christian to be a helper to others by conference exhortation and good example § 23. He hath made Pastoral discipline a great ordinance to promote the due performance of all the rest § 24. He hath commanded us by secret Meditation Consideration Examination c. to preach to our selves and night and day to think on Scripture God Christ Glory c. and to stir up all Gods graces in our selves and to reprove our selves for all our sins § 25. He hath made it the duty of Parents to teach their Children diligently his word lying down and rising up at home and abroad Deut. 6. 11. and to educate them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord having bound them first in Covenant to God and the Mediator § 26. He hath made it the duty of husband and wife to help each other herein and of masters to help their servants and all relations to sanctifie their places and opportunities to this use § 27. He doth by multitudes of mercies and deliverances further all this work to make known the more his Love to win the hearts of men § 28. He greatly promoteth it also by seasonable afflictions to humble the proud and awake the sleepy § 29. He maketh it mens great duty to tame the body and mortifie concupiscence and make no provision for the flesh to satisfie the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 13 14. 8. 13. Gal. 5. 21 22. § 30. He commandeth us to avoid the company of the wicked and to joyn in the Communion of Saints and walk with such as will be our helpers toward Heaven § 31. He commandeth us to avoid all Temptations of Satan and the world and flesh and to live in a continual war against them § 32. He maketh all the world about us the book or glass in which we may see our maker and his will yea even our own natures and every
that have a mind to contend about names § 20. Though a meer Indifferent faculty be as Dr. Twisse saith rather to be called Nature than Grace yet it is Grace 1. Which giveth a gracious object to that faculty though thereby it be still but an undetermined Power 2. And it is more Grace which taketh off some vicious Ill-dispositions of the soul and giveth it some more Disposition to believe though but so much as common grace doth give § 21. It is not a meer Power that God giveth men to Repent and believe But a Power accompanied with many Gracious helpâ— and means to determine it aright of which before § 22. He that will not use such Power and means doth thereby forfeit further grace * * * Brianson in 4. q. 8. Cor. 3. fol. 152. maintaineth i. Quod ad obtinendam eratiam necessario ex parte homâ—nis praecedit aliqua dispositio 2. Quod talem dispositioâ—em homo per selpsum potest si vult in se inducere praesuppositâ influentiâ gâ—nâ—ali Dâ—i 3. Quo l talis dispositio ex parte hominis nullam inducit necessitatem introductionis gratiae ex parte Dei sed totum fit merâ gratuitâ Dei voluntate But the second must be done by common preparing Grace However God doth not alwayes take the forfeiture and will not of his elect to their destruction but doth pardon them § 23. By all this it appeareth 1. That all men have a natural power or faculties enabled to all that is necessary to salvation so far that it is not the want of a proper natural power that shall necessitate them to sin and perish 2. That this Power is by vice undisposed to believe c. 3. That it hath some Indisposition to all that virtue or moral good which tendeth to salvation 4. That it is not equally undisposed to all such Good 5. That it's Indisposition to some means of Recovery is no greater than what may be overcome by Gods commoner sort of Grace 6. That this commoner Grace is not herein ever so effectual as that all that receive it do all the good that they can do by it even in a moral sence nor all that some others do that have no more help But the wilful negligence of the receiver or his diversion or resistance frequently frustrateth it though not alwayes 7. That the right use of this commoner grace in the use of the foresaid means is a way appointed by God himself and not in vain by and in which men may be made fit to receive that special Grace which will call them savingly to believe 8. That no man is denyed that special grace that deserveth it not by the abuse of Common grace How the caâ—e of Infants dependeth on the Parents I must not instance as oft as the exceptions of wranglers require it 9. And therefore no man is condemned for want of natural Power as such but only for want of stirring up his natural power by those helps of grace by which he might have done it and for want of that further Good faith love obedience which by the helps rejected he might have been brought up to had he not wilfully neglected the power and helps which he had 10. Yea usually God long waiteth patiently on sinners with the tenders of mercy while they reject it before he utterly forsake them SECT XIV Whether the giving of faith be an Act of Omnipotency and a proper Creation and a Miracle § 1. THe Reader must pardon me for troubling him with such frivolous questions about names seeing unhappy Theologues have made it necessary An Act of Omnipotency hath several senses Creation is an ambiguous word Pet. de Alliaeo in 4. q. 1. G. telleth us of four Ordinary senses of the word 1. Facere aliquod esse post non esse 2. Facere aliquid esse post non esse ab illo agente quod potest hoc sine causali influxu materiae vel subjecti 3. Facere aliquid esse post non esse sire concursu causali seu influru materiae vel subjecti sine subjecto praesupposito ex quo illud fiat 4. Facere aliquid esse post noâ— esse absque agente se solo causante sine concursu alterius causae efficientâ— Malderus 1. 2. qu. 113. a. 9. p. 578. ex Tho. August Justificatio impii est maximum opus Dei. Secundum quantitatem tam magnum est Angelos justos câ—eare sed secundum quantitatem proportionis majus est impios justificare quia major est diâ—properti impii ad gratiam quam justi ad gloriam sicut ex plebeio creare ducem quam ex duce regem Aug. Tr. 72. in Joh. Justis create impios justificare aequalis potentiae hoc autem major is misericordiae est 1. If the meaning be Whether Omnipotency be the Agent Principle it is past dispute For it 's all one as to ask Whether it be an Act of God God hath no Power but Omnipotency that is perfect power 2. If the meaning be Whether the Giving of faith be an Adequate effect of Omnipotency it is also negatively past doubt Though those that take God to be but Anima Mundi say that Either the World is Infinite or that God is not Infinite as thinking the World to be his adequate effect yet Christians are commonly agreed that God hath no adequate effect Even the making of the universe the Giving of Christ and the Glorifying of the Church which are the highest effects of his Power Wisdom and Love are not adequate effects For nothing but another God can be an adequate effect of God And another God is a contradiction § 2. 3. But if the sense of the question be only comparative As 1. Whether Omnipotency be more eminent in the giving of faith than Wisdom and Love or Goodness 2. Or whether Omnipotency be more eminent in giving faith than other works of God they are both needless questions And to the first I say No To the second those other works of God must be named and compared by the presumptuous that have no safer work to do § 3. 4. If the question be Whether the giving of faith be so great a work that no Power below Omnipotency could suffice to do it I answer it is a presumptuous paltry question of rash men But yet if it must be answered it must be negatively Because as Omnipotence is more illustrious in the making of the world than in causing a man to believe so Christians agree that the world it self as I said is not an adequate effect of Omnipotency Which maketh so many of the subtilest Schoolmen conclude that God could not be proved to be Omnipotent by the whole Creation â—as such were it not further to be gathered from the notices of his perfection Which were false if by Omnipotence they meant only a Power that can do all that is done But they mean An Infinite Power which they say must be so seen in
think a good thought by any help that God can give him unless he physically predetermine him to it then the reason why man doth it not is as notoriously to be resolved into Gods not-predetermining him to it as the reason why he doth it into his predetermination and as it is night because the Sun shineth not XVII But at least we can say that God is not the cause of sin because he is under no prohibiting Law Though it be true 1. That his nature or perfection the root of all Laws is more than a Law 2. And we know indeed that this proveth him not at all to be no cause of the sin of man but only to be no sinner himself though he cause it which is none of the question XVIII And from this necessity of predetermination it followeth that all that part of our holiness and obedience which consisteth in not sinning is not at all caused by God e. g. that we hate him not nor his truth and wayes and servants that we murder not commit not adultery steal not lye not covet not blaspheme not wrong none do no evil c. we need no help of God for this Because if he will not move our wills by efficient predetermination to do them it is impossible for us to do them at all XIX And though we say that God willeth sin to be by his permission only and not by his efficience yet indeed predetermining by efficiency as the first cause is the principal efficiency And properly we must say that God permitteth no sin at all For we say that his permission proveth the consequence of the thing permitted And therefore we must say that he permitteth no sin but what is done And that which is done by commission positively he effecteth by effecting the fundamentum and therefore permitteth not And men sin by omission because God doth not make them sin and not because he meerly permitteth it For permission is not de impossibilibus XX. God willeth not sin because he willeth it not as sin in its formale which also we must confess that the wicked themselves do not XXI And whereas we hold that God cannot foreknow things future but as he willeth or decreeth them we must confess that the formale peccati as well as the materiale was such as it is quid futurum if it was but futura privatio And therefore this would inferr that God willed and decreed the formale peccati also XXII Gods Will is his Love and what he Willeth he Loveth XXIII God willeth the futurity and existence of sin not only of the materiale but the formale even of all the sin that ever is done XXIV The existence of sin is Good and Amiable not only by accident but per se as being very conducible to the Glory of Gods Justice and Mercy and therefore is per se Willed and Loved of God XXV It is incomparably much more sin than Holiness which God willeth and Loveth and by predetermination causeth in mankind on earth For it is much more sin than Holiness that existeth in man And all that existeth God causeth as aforesaid the circumstantiated act and so the resultancy of the relative form And he willeth and Loveth the existence of all and the thing existing so far as he causeth it XXVI God Willeth Loveth and Causeth sin incomparably more than wicked men do For they Will and Love it with a humane mutable dependent will but God with a Divine primary immutable will Man causeth the forbidden act whence the relation resulteth with a Will that is irresistibly moved so to do by God as the pen writeth only sâ—o modo with Volition But God causeth it as the first omnipotent unresistible cause of all that the Creature doth in sinning XXVII The same must be said of God and the Devil who can no more commit one sinful act till God unavoidably predetermine his will to it by his premotion than sinful man can XXVIII God by his Law doth strictly forbid all those sinful acts which he principally and unavoidably causeth And he strictly commandeth all those good acts whose contraries he thus causeth us to do XXIX Though there is nothing in sin which can have a cause of which God is not the Principal cause and though he Willeth and Loveth all that he causeth yet the Scripture saith that God hateth sin and cannot behold it and hateth all the workers of iniquity and that it is abomination to him that he is as one laden with it and wearied provoked and offended by it And that he Loveth the Acts of obedience and holiness when he will not cause them but doth cause and will the contrary XXX Pardon and salvation is promised and earnestly offered by God to the Reprobate themselves on condition that they will believe and repent when God doth unavoidably as the first cause determine their wills to the contrary acts even to disbelief and impenitent hatred of God and holiness XXXI The Law of God is that all the Reprobates shall be damned to hell fire if they will not believe and repent when his omnipotence doth unavoidably premove and determine them to unbelief and impenitence and if they will not give over those acts of sin to which God doth thus unavoidably move and determine them XXXII Gods executions are answerable to these Laws and all save Christians and all professed Christians saving the sanctified are to be punished in hell fire for ever only for not doing the acts of Faith Love and obedience when God as the first cause predetermined them to the contrary and for doing the acts of sin when God unavoidably moved them to it and made them do it so that consequently all that are damned suffer in hell for not being Gods even the first sufficient causes of their own acts and for not being above God or stronger than he that is for not overcoming or avoiding his invincible and unavoidable predetermining premotion unto evil acts XXXIII The same must be said of the Devils who sin and suffer on the same terms XXXIV Q. What kind of torment then will there be in Hell Can Conscience torment men for doing that which they were unavoidably made to do by Omnipotency and for not doing that which without Divine predetermination they could no more do than make a world or for not doing that whose contrary they were thus predetermined to that is for not overcoming God when they know the case Or must we not more congruously say that the state of Hell torments lyeth in a most vehement hatred of God for so using them and a justifying of themselves Or will every mouth be thus stopt in judgement XXXV Q. Is not Divine Justice the most perfect Justice and the exemplar of all humane Justice allowing for disparities And should Kings and Judges imitate this fore-described course And how then would they be esteemed XXXVI Q Is not that best which is most agreeable to Gods Will and Love And therefore sin better than
pleased or displeased in them yea I told you that these may oriri de novo without change in God And whether his judicial Will to condemn men as Judge have the same conditions we shall enquire further hereafter I have already manifested that the Objects of it have their proper qualifications The seventh Crimination A. At least you make Election absolute if not Rejection and say that God electeth men to Salvation without respect to any goodness in * To the question An electio ad beatitudinem praecesserit praedestinatiâ—nem meritorum The affirmative is held by Cajet and most Thomists by Scotus in 1. d. 41. q. 1. Durand q. 1. n. 8. Aegid ibid. q. 1. a. 2. Major 1. d. 4. q. 2. Sotuâ— in Roâ— â— Cordub li. 1. q. 56. â—pin â— inquit Vasquez in 1. Tho. q. 23. disp 89. c. 1. But Vasquez holdeth the contrary with Osâ—rius Turrian and many others maintaining that Augustine held Electionem ad gloriam esse eâ— meritis gratia prâ—visis And no doubt but God decreed Glory to be given per modum praemii if that be all them B. I have said enough to this already 1. Do you think that men are good before they are elected when they are not men You do not certainly 2. Do you think that God fore-seeth any good in men when he willeth to them their first good no doubt you do not 3. Do you think that God fore-seeth in men any second third or following degrees of goodness before he intend to give it them what need he purpose to give it them if he fore-see that they will have it without his Gift 4. Do you think that God fore-seeth any power to do good in men but what he intendeth to give them or any good act but what proceedeth from that power which he giveth them and from his concourse or co-operating influx I dare say that you do not 5. And do you think that we imagine that God giveth or purposeth to give any following mercy to him that hath not the necessary antecedent mercy As to glorifie any that is not justified or to justifie any that is not called 6. You see then that it 's necessary if you will quarrel that you distinguish of Election as before said Though Gods Will in it self as was now said have no proper suspending condition yet 1. The effects of Gods Will have 2. And the Objects of Gods Will have their necessary qualifications 3. And some of Gods Volitions are thence extrinsically denominated conditional Now 1. God giveth Salvation to no Unbeliever but on condition of Faith And God actually glorifieth none but penitent persevering Believers And both these he accordingly decreed or willeth And can you say then that Election hath no respect to the persons goodness It hath not only respect to the good intended him but to that good which is a necessary qualification found in him that is necessary to the benefit to which he is elected God decreeth to give glory to none but persevering Saints nor perseverance to none but the Holy nor justification to none but Believers But I will confess to you that we hold 1. That God absolutely willed to give Christ and the New Covenant to the World 2. That he absolutely willeth or decreeth to give the Gospel and common Grace in a greater degree to many a one that is no more worthy of it than others that are past by and to give it to none but the unworthy 3. That he absolutely decreeth to give Faith and Repentance to many that have long resisted him and are as great Sinners as those that have them not and to none but the unworthy in proper sense And dare you deny any of this your self The eighth Crimination A. Thus you bring presumption into the World and encourage men to Marlorate as from Calvin saith in Joh. 15. 2. Certum decretum Dei a nemine infirmari posse Stat igitur firma sententia Quemcunque Deus ante conditum orbem elegerit cum non posse perire Quem vero rejecerit cum non posse salvari etiamsi omnia sanctorum opera fecerit An ill supposition which Episcopius citeth with distast But Brentius ibid. cited by the same Marlorate saith Haec sententia occurrit câ—riositati carnis quae sâ—let argâ—te magis quam reverenâ—â—r de praedestinatione disserete pro suo ingenio colligere nullum a dominâ— ad vitam aâ—â—rnam electum posse damnari etiâ—â—si pessiâ—â— vivat nullum item a Dominâ— ad ignem aeternum deputatum posse salvari eti amsi optime vivat sâ— iâ—aque velle pro sua libidinâ— vivere sin If once they be elect let them do what they can they are sure to be saved for they are certain that Election will not change B. 1. You are leading us towards the question of Perseverance before the time 2. Do you think your self that Election changeth Is not this as much imputable to you as us or do we differ here Do not you say that God fore-knoweth who will be saved And can God be deceived or shall not all certainly be glorified that are so fore-known Nay do you not say that at least upon that fore-knowledge God decreeth each persons certain Salvation that shall be saved And can that Decree which is upon fore-knowledge be frustrate Do not you then as much encourage presumption by a certain unchangeable Election as we 3. It is factious perverseness reflecting on your selves as much as us which puts in that word Let them do what they will or live how they will or sin they never so much For it falsly intimateth that God electeth men to Glory that live impenitently in wickedness according to our Doctrine Whereas we say 1. That if the word Election be taken partially for the act of Gods Decree to glorifie them none but fore-seen persevering Saints are the Objects And a wicked Saint is a contradiction Or if it be taken for Gods Decree to convert a man we say that this is true that let the World live never so wickedly God doth decree to convert some of them from that wickedness but not all Do you question this 2. But if the word Election be taken comprehensively then mens Holiness Repentance and Faith is part of the Salvation But Brentius ibid. cited by the same Marlorate saith Haec sententia occurrit curiositati carnis quae solet argute magis quam reverenter de praedestinatione disserere pro suo ingenio colligere nullum a domino ad vitam aeternam electum posse damnari etiamsi pâ—ssimâ— vivat nullum item a Domino ad ignem aeternum deputatum posse salvari etiamsi optime vivat se itaque velle pro sua libidine vivere which they are elected to And to say that God absolutely electeth Peter to live and die a Saint let him after Conversion live and die never so wickedly this is a putid contradiction such paultry dealing faction causeth what do you differ from
The Jesuites themselves as well as the Dominicans deny as much as a possibility or power to unbaptized Infants of being saved And in their case are for as absolute arbitrary Reprobation as the highest not only Calvinist but Antinomian vid. Ruiz de praedes Tr. 3. disp 15. sect 1. p. 202 c. And this upon the irrational Doctrine that for want of baptism the Children of the holiest persons shall be condemned though the Parents did their best to procure it and so there is no will or sin the Cause And yet godly persons have Merits to spare for souls in Purgatory and none for their own Children Though you say that God decreeth to give men more power than they use yet you add that none of that power will ever be well used unless he fore-decree it For you say that God absolutely willeth or decreeth every good Act as well as the Power And so no such Act followeth any Power where God decreeth it not And what good doth that Power do them B. Still you anticipate those Controversies which belong to the point of Grace But I answer 1. You must answer this for your selves first for it as much concerneth you as us For you teach that what ever Power God giveth men it will never be exercised unless he fore-know that it will be so Yea unless upon fore-knowledge of mans due cooperation with God it be decreed For you say that God fore-knoweth all the Acts of Grace and Power that will be exercised yea and decreeth them on the said fore-sight as your Doctrine de scientia media inferreth 2. By this Objection there is no way to reconcile you to Gods Providence unless he will be ignorant of all mens future sinful Omissions or unless he will not be before-hand willing of all the good that is in the World or at least not decree it and be the Author of it Or else unless he will cause all men equally to use their powers and do good alike Now you dare not say that ever any of these shall come to pass You see and confess that all men do not use their power equally nor do good alike And you know God will not be before ignorant of it And you shall never abate Gods goodness so as to keep him from willing and working too all the good that is the world And will you therefore be unreconciled to him 3. And where you say what good then doth such power 1. I pray you mark that you confess that we hold that they had power And if they had power to do good they could have done it For what else is power but that by which I can do the Act. 2. The power given was a proportionable demonstration of Gods Power Wisdom and Mercy and therefore it did good 3. That it was not used to their own Salvation was their own fault for which they suffer And in all this we are agreed And now I appeal to your considering Reason whether there be any difference hitherto left in the point of Predestination between you and me And I again mind you that were it not for the importunity and prejudice of contenders all that I have said of this had been needless for it is obvious that while we are all agreed of these generals 1. That God decreeth to give all men just so much Grace or Mercy as in time he giveth them * Apud veteres ecclesiae patres eadem omnino suit controversia de causae gratiae Praedestinationis ex parte nostra Vasquez in 1. Tho. q. 23. a. 5. disp 9. pag. 658. 2. And that he absolutely decreeth not to give them any more but what he giveth them All this Controversie of Decrees or Predestination depends on the Controversie of Grace how much it is that God giveth unto men A. I confess that you have indeed proved your self reconciled to me But that is because you are an Arminian and do not know it For you grant me all that I can justly desire But the Calvinists will not be therefore reconciled to you or give you thanks B. Except the few Predeterminants afore-excepted and some odd words that drop from passionate or injudicious men I am past doubt that the generality of sober moderate Calvinists will stand to what I say or may do it I am sure in consistence with their main cause And I am confident that these are the healing-terms that must unite us And remember that you confess that thus far we differ not Had you but this following Doctrine from one of the greatest Jesuites Vâ—squez in 1. Tho. q. 23. disp 91. c. 11. p. 659. it might put you to your study to be able to disagree Catholica sententia est nullam causam nulâ—â—ve initium aut occasionem ex parte praedestinati excogitari posse ob quam Deâ—s aut in tempore gratiam ipsi donaverit aut in praescientia dare decreveâ—â— Doctrina haec non solum intelligenda est de initio fidei orationis aut See all this largely proved by him to the end of the 18th Chap. ibid. â—oluntatis consequendi salutem vel de aliis operibus quae circa Deum versanâ—ur qualia sunt religionis verum etiam de quovis opere moralis virtutis â—â—od in ipsum solum bonum honestum referatur Et non solum excludimus initium quod sit meritum condignunt sed etiam meritum congruum seu impetratorium aut dispositionem quamlibet causam occasionem ob quam Deus huic potius quam alteri gratiam donaverit aut donare praefinierit Ita â—â— totaratio praeparandi huic potius gratiam quam illi fuerit beneplacitum divinae voluntatis nihil autem vel minimum ex parte praedestinati Ita Thom. Marsil Gregor Armi. c. And yet must we disagree THE Second Days Conference OF PREDESTINATION Between C. a Calvinist and B. the Conciliator C. I hear of your undertaking to manifest the smallness of our Differences in the long controverted Articles of Predestination Redemption Grace and Free-will * Le Blank de dist Grat. Thes 80 81. Tanta varieâ—as sententiarum opinionum circa naturam essentiam gratiae efficacis rationem ac modum quo in animis hominum operatur quae a tot jam seculis scholas Christianas exercet arguit rem esse perplexam obsâ—uram quae undique multis difficultatibus scatet Nec spes est fore contentionum â—inem nisi curiositati modus aliquis statuatur omittantur quâ—stiones arduae nonnecessariae Ac profecto longe consultius foret paci ac pietati Christianae conducâ—bâ—lius in totum ab ejusmodi quaestionibus abstinere quam sine fine rixari de rebus quae difficultate sua ingâ—nium humanum obruunt in quibus vix quisquam sibi potest satisfacere Praesertim quaestionâ—s illae apud plebem Christianum in homiliis concionibus non tantum nullo cum fructu sed maximo saepe cum damno
pâ—â—supponit opus miserecordiâ— in ea â—undatur tanquam iâ— prima radice quia ne procedatur in infinitum deveniendum est ad aliquid quod ex sola bonitate divinae voluntatis dâ—pendeat B. I hope you have no malignant desire to extenuate Gods Grace but are willing to acknowledge it to be as great and large as indeed it is if you can discern the proof C. God best knoweth how to honour himself B. Quest. 1. Do you think that all the World or all that shall perish yea or any part of the World is under the meer Curse of the Law of Innocency as violated by Adam without any remedy or mercy C. I think they are without real Remedy though not without all Mercy for a delay of punishment is mercy B. Quest 2. Do you think that they are only under the Curse of that Law as the Devils are without any possibility or offers of a remedy or that they are also still under the Covenant-Offers of Life upon condition of Innocency C. I cannot suppose God now to offer a man Life on condition he be no Sinner whom he knoweth to be a Sinner For such an Offer is equivalent to a sentence of Death or denial of Life Nor can I say that they are as desperate as the Devils because they know not the desperateness of their case B. Quest. 3. Do you think all the difference between them and Devils lieth in delay and ignorance of their misery Then the most ignorant and presumptuous of them is the least miserable though the most sinful which cannot be Quest 4. But do you think that no Meâ—cy is to be offered â—o such C. Yes because we know not who are Elect and who not B. Quest. 5. Are we to offer men mercy only as Elect or rather as Sinners and miserable under a Law of Grace and as Subjects of God obliged by that Law to accept it C. We offer it to all Sinners that the Elect may receive it B. Quest. 6. Are none but the Elect under a Law of Grace as the rule of their Duty their expectation and of Judgment C. Others may be under the Obligations of it but not under the Gâ—aâ—e of it B. Remember then 1. That they are not lawless 2. That they are not under that meer violated Law of Innocency Be innocent and live 3. That they are under the Obligations of the Law of Grace Quest 7. Is there any of them that are not bound to use certain means appointed of God in order towards their own Salvation C. They are bound to intend their own Salvation and with that intention to use some means But God intends it not B. Quest. 8. Doth God command men on pain of damnation to any vain endeavours or use of means C. He commandeth it not in vain for it shall make them unexcuseable 2. They are not to judge their endeavours vain because they know it not 3. But in the issue all will be in vain to them B. Quest 9. Would it be in vain to them if they really did the utmost that common Grace enableth any men to do C. It is not properly Grace to them and so not common 2. It would be in vain to them B. Quest 10. Is that vain which bringeth a man into the nearest preparation for special Grace and nearest to the Kingdom of God C. To the Elect it is not vain Nor to others for their sakes Nor to others as to the lessening of their pains in Hell But as to their Salvation it is B. Quest 11. Who would it be long of or be reputed the Cause if it be in vain C. Of themselves who are born in sin from Adam and are Unbelievers B. You suppose it impossible for them to believe and impossible for them not to be the Children of Adam They made not themselves and you suppose that for want of Grace they cannot believe Quest 12. When Death shall acquaint them with the impossibility that they were under do you think 1. That it will be the way of glorifying the Justice of God in Judgment to have the World know that he condemneth Sinners meerly because he will condemn them for that which they never had any more true power to avoid than to make a World 2. Or will their Consciences in Hell accuse them or torment them for that which they then know was naturally impossible and caused by God C. We know not how God will glorifie his Justice or how their Consciences will torment them It may be they shall then be as ignorant of the necessitating cause as now B. 1. Do you know it now and shall not they know it then 2. God telleth us the contrary That all hidden things shall be brought to light and that God will justifie his own proceedings by proving that mens destruction is of themselves that every mouth may be stopped and all the World be guilty before God And he calleth it his Righteousness in judging to give to every man according to his Works and that mens Consciences shall then excuse them or accuse them when God shall judge the secrets of their hearâ—s and not when he shall torment them by deceiving them Rom. 2. 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9 10. Matth 25. 7. 23 24. 2 Tim. 4. 8 9. Rom. 14. 10. Gen. 18. 24 25. Quest 13. Do you believe that none but the Elect have now any real mercy besides a delay of their future misery and hopes of its abatement C. I do For all things are to be judged of by the end And that is really no mercy which is not intended to a mans happiness but his misery As Afflictions are no evils to the Elect because they are intended and work together for their good B. Is the offer of Christ and Life no mercy Is all Gods patience and forbearance as a means to lead them to repentance no mercy Is all the teaching perswading intreating condescension of Christ no mercy See what error here you run into and how contrary to Scripture and to nature it self 1. You contradict Gods Word which frequently calleth them mercies Psal 145. 9. 106. 7. 45. Neh. 9. 19 27 28 31. Jon. 4. 2. Rom. 2. 4. Matth. 18. 33. Isa 63. 9. Ezek. 16. 2. You deny the chiefest part of mens duty even to accept of mercy to improve mercy to be thankful for mercy to be led by Gods good-ness to Repentance to use mercies as Gods Talents to his Glory c. If you say They know not but they are mercies you feign God to bind men to duty but by deceit It is as mercies and not as that which for ought they know may be mercies that they are to be valued used c. 3. You excuse men from the greatest aggravation of their sin even sinning against Mercies How can they sin against them that have none 4. You feign Gods Justice to be stragely glorified by damning men in Hell for ever for sinning against mercy who never had any
nearer Salvation and do better than they do though not immediately to do all that is necessary to Salvation And he that can do it if he will and also hath power to will it is said to have sufficient Grace which if he use not the fault lieth in his wilfulness 2. The Act nor the just Disposition or Habit they have not But that is their own fault who had those Means those Objects and that Power by which they could and might have attained them C. Is any one ever converted by this sufficient Grace or not If not frustra fit potentia c. If yea then it is effectual Grace B. Now you have brought the Controversie to the parting point where the two Parties use to part As you may see in Dr. Sanderson and Dr. Hamond's Letters I will first answer your Consequences 1. Non frustra fit talis potentia though it never act For 1. It attaineth other good ends though it attain not their Salvation 2. If one of a thousand should not use their power or if a thousand to one do use it that varieth not the case For it is still as much vain to that one man as if no one used it But 2. So far as it is vain that is to their own Salvation they make it vain themselves and must blame themselves 3. I ask you whether you think not your self that 1. All wicked men by common Grace 2. And all godly men by special Grace have power to do more good and forbear more evil than they do If so Do you hold that all that power which they never use to any of those omitted acts is vain If not why should this in question be accounted vain But to the great difficulty it self I answer 1. You must not forestall the Truth by any of these false suppositions 1. That there is any man to whom God giveth a meer Power neither disposed nor provoked to the Act. For 1. Mans natural faculty it self besides natural power hath all these aptitudes to the Act. 1. Man hath self-love and a desire of felicity and an unwillingness and fear of Hell and Misery and of all that he knoweth doth tend to it as such He can seek for Glory Honour and Immortality Rom. 2. And therefore God thus argueth with men Ezek. 33. Turn ye why will ye die And 1 Pet. 3. 10. He that loveth life and would see good days c. as making use of a common principle 2. Man hath reason to understand what is told him of Good and Evil in some sort and Nature containeth a Law written in the heart Rom. 3. by which the Heathens did much of that which was written in the Scripture 3. Man hath a Conscience to accuse and excuse 4. He hath misery and necessity to move him which may be known to him by common light and experience 5. Sin as sin is in common disgrace in the World And Nature teacheth Mankind to distinguish moral Good and Evil so that the worst do not love and own sin as sin And did not Satan hide it with some vail of goodness he could not draw them to it Even those that murdered Christ did it on a false pretence that he was a Sinner 6. Mans nature hath an enmity to Devils and a fear of them And therefore will fly from evil so far as they perceive the Devil in it for the most part For he is their known Enemy 7. Lastly All do known that they must die and that this World will serve them but a little while And they have great experience of its vanity and vexation And Nature teacheth most and the Gospel much more that mans Soul is immortal and therefore that there is a Reward for the Good and Punishment for the Bad hereafter 2. And as depraved Nature it self hath certainly all these advantages for good so God addeth by his Works and Word many vehement Motives Perswasions and urgent Exhortations Examples Mercies and Corrections And all these may give the Soul much more than a bare power to many good acts For many such are really done by bad men And to others they are almost perswaded when they disobey 2. You must not suppose that just the same degree of means or help is necessary to one man as to another or to the same man ever at several times For one mans Soul may be more undisposed and ill disposed than anothers And the same mans more at one time than at another And temptations and impediments may be greater at one time and to one man than another Experience assureth us that less teaching will inform one mans understanding than anothers C. Have not all men the same degree of Original Sin What can be said more of any than is said of all that they are dead in sin B. 1. The same word Dead may be used of all if it were words only that you plead for But that word proveth not that all are equally either guilty or corrupted For though Adam's sin be the same to all yet I have before told you and shewed you besides Scripture Augustine's judgment for it that there is also a participation of Guilt of nearer Parents sins by Infants And consequently of Pravity Were it but the ill temper of body which many Drunkards and Adulterers convey to their Children experience telleth us that it doth much in hindering the Soul And all are not equal in this derivation of Original Sin 2. And Adam's sin with all other being pardoned to faithful Parents is in them pardoned to their Infants dedicated to God And we have reason to think that where the Guilt is pardoned the Vice is not equally transmitted as to others that are not pardoned in their infancy 3. And it is not only Original Sin but much additional Pravity and particular habits of sin contracted by practice which is the impediment of Conversion 4. Yea and actual sin it self which temptations stir up as well as those habits 5. And also the great guilt which all those acts and habits do contract by which Gods Grace is yet more forfeited All these are a great disparity and shew that more Grace is necessary to some than others C. Well! Go on with your Answer to the main Question B. My Answer is that if you will not turn Vorstians but will receive the common metaphysical School Divinity about God to deny which is commonly called Blasphemy by all Parties I do not yet see any place for a disagreement For the Question Whether the same measure of Grace which we call meerly sufficient is ever effectual is meant either 1. Of Gods Agency or Influx as it is Agentis 2. Or of the Means 3. Or of the Objects 4. Or of Effects in the Soul * Malderus in 1. 2. q. 111. a. 3. d. 8. Omnis gratia excitans est efficax rata respectu sui effectus formalis quo homo excitatur quem sine consensu libero in homine ponit non enim potest gratia
and not have spoken evil of what you understand not But it 's better now than not at all Our judgement is as followeth I. That God hath three Essential Attributes which he expresseth and glorifieth in his works His Vital Power or Activity his Wisdom and his Will or Love That all these are and operate conunctly but yet each appeareth in eminency in its special effects That Gods Power eminently appeareth in the Being and Motion of things and his Wisdom eminently in the ORDER of things and his LOVE in the Goodness and Perfection of things That accordingly he is 1. The first Efficient 2. The chief Dirigent 3. The ultimate Final Cause of all II. That as to man he is Related to us 1. As our Creator the Cause of our Being Nature and natural Motion as the Fountain of Nature where Power is most Eminent 2. As our Governour and the God of ORDER and the Dirigent Cause where all Attributes concurr but Wisdom is most Eminent 3. As our most Bounteous Benefactor and most Amiable Good and End where Goodness or Love is most eminent III. That accordingly God is the Author of Nature Grace and Glory and since the fall of Natura Medela Sanitas of our Nature our ORDER and Gracious Government and of our Holiness and Happiness and so is our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier IV. That neither Man Angel or any Creature can possibly have any good but by Gods gift any more than they can make themselves or a World And this Gift must needs be free seeing the Creature hath nothing that is good but what it hath of God and nothing to give him that can add to him or but what is absolutely his own V. God is to us 1. Our OWNER 2. Our RULER 3. Our BENEFACTOR antecedently And no man can Merit of God as he is an Owner or a meer Benefactor for so he freely disposeth as he pleaseth of his own But only of God as a Ruler as is after opened VI. Therefore it is blasphemy to hold that man or Angel can Merit of God in point of proper Commutative Justice which giveth in exchange one thing for another to the benefit of the receiver For as is said God cannot Receive any addition to his perfection nor have we any thing but his own to give him Luke 17. 10. we are thus unprofitable servants as to a Proprietor in point of Commutation though the unprofitable servant be daâ—â—ned Matâ—h 25. 30. in another sense that is who improveth not his Masters stock to the benefit of himself and others and the pleasing of his Ruler VII Mans Duty therefore meriteth only in point of Governing distributive Justice And not every way neither in respect of that For Governing Justice is distinguished according to the Law that governeth us which is either 1. The Law of Innocency or 2. The Law of Grace And no man since the fall can Merit of God according to the Justice of the Law of Innocency which exacteth personal perfection VIII The Law of Grace is in its first notion a free gift of Christ Pardon and Right to Life Eternal by Adoption to all that will Accept it believingly as it is offered that is according to the nature of the Gift And this Gift or Conditional promise and pardon no man can merit For Christs perfect Righteousness and Sacrifice hath already merited it for us and so hath left us no such work to do Nor is there the least place for any humane Merit or Rewardableness from God but on supposition of 1. Christs Merits and Meritorious Righteousness 2. And of this free gift or Act of Oblivion and Life already made to us without our desert IX But yet this is not a meer Gift but also a true Law God is still our God and Governour and Christ is Lord of all Rom. 14. 9. He that is a King and Ruler hath his Laws and Judgement That which is a Gift in the first respect hath 1. It s condition 2. Many commanded duties and so is a Law of Grace in other respects And it is only in respect to this Law of Grace that man is Rewardable or can Merit X. The Gift is from God as Benefactor considered as Good and in it self But it is from God as Sapiential Rector quoad ordinâ—m conferendi as to the Order and Reason why one man rather than another receiveth it So that we Merit not of God as Benefactor nor as Rector by the Law of Innocency or Works nor yet as to the Value or Goodness of the Benefit which is a free Gift But only of God as Rector by the Law of Grace which regulateth the Reception of his free gifts merited by the perfect Righteousness of Christ and so only as to the Order and Reason why one more than another receiveth that free gift As if a Father hath many Sons One living obediently Others playing the prodigals and upon his freely-offered pardon and grace one receiveth it thankfully and the other refuseth it scornfully Here both the obedient and the penitent son have all upon free gift as to Commutative Justice but on various terms And yet both merit in point of paternal Governing Justice but very differently One meriteth of strict Fatherly Justice The other only of a forgiving Father quite on other terms And it is a Comparative Merit by which he is fitter for pardon than the Sons that despise it and spit in the Fathers face XI God as a Benefactor and a Governour giveth some benefits Antecedently to any duty of man And these are never a Reward to us but of Christ perhaps in some instances As Legislation so the benefits of it and that attend it are before Reward and Judgement But other benefits are given by God both as Benefactor and Legislator upon condition of some duty of ours in the Antecedent gift and so in the Judicial sentence and execution that duty is rendered as the reason of our actual Right to them And these are a Reward XII Our first Grace is no Reward nor merited because it antecedeth all conditional duty of ours XIII Our first Reception of Right to Christ Pardon and Life being given on the condition of penitent Acceptance in faith may be called a Reward because they are consequent gifts on condition But because the condition is so slender a thing as the thankful Acceptance of a free gift Divines agree not of the fitness of the name Reward and Merit while they wholly agree about the thing But our after-after-mercies and final Glory being promised on the condition of such a faith as worketh by Love obedience and improvement of Gods mercies in good works and patience perseverance and conquest of the Flesh the World and the Devil therefore they have more unanimously agreed not only de re but that the names of Reward and Rewardableness or Merit and Worthiness are here fit but used only in the fore explained sense XIV And though the Scripture oftest use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
believe and accept the gift So that it is only Meriting under a Law made by a Governing Owner and Benefactor for the sapiential orderly disposal of a free Gift As a Father will teach a Child Obedience by telling him that he will give him Gold or Meat if he will thankfully accept it 9. It is not true therefore that it is only a free Gift For as it is a free Gift in regard of the Value and quoad rem so that Gift is a Reward in regard of the Order of Conveyance and tenour of the Donation and the moral capacity of the Receiver which men call Merit 10. That we cannot per impotentiam voluntariam moralem perform the Condition without Divine Grace is nothing against the Tenour of the Donation nor the nature of the Relation of a Reward 11. But Reward and Merit in this case are furthest from that of Commutation and leaveth least to man to boast of 12. Yet may he truly glory in the effects of Grace with thankfulness to God as Paul did 2 Cor. 1. 11 12. that in simplicity and godly sincerity c. and 2 Tim. 4. 8. that he had fought a good fight c. And he may justifie his sincerity with Job chap. 13. 15 16. And Christ will say Well done good and faithful servant c. Let him that glorieth glory in this that he knoweth me saith the Lord c. And Paul would rather dye than any should make his glorying void as to his free preaching the Gospel 13. And it is very false that in this sense a Christian is not bound to trust to his Faith Repentance Love Obedience only in their own place and office assigned them by God but no further As we may trust to the Bible Preacher Parents so to hearing reading praying c. for their proper part else we shall take them all to be in vain Are they Means or no Means If Means they must be judged and trusted as they are and no further And people are not to be frightned from necessary truth by putting an ill sense upon words 14. And though here be nothing of Commutative Justice yet there is that which Justifieth the name of Wages used analogically in the Scriptures Because Love in a Father maketh a Childs interest to be partly his own and the Pleasure of his Will is that to God who is Love it self and delighteth in his Childrens good which Profit is to a humane proprietor And now I will proceed with you in my Questions Quest 9. Do you think that Papists or Arminians do believe that either Man or Angel or Christ can merit of God by Profiting him in Commutative Justice Or that it is possible for any creature to have any Good which is not the free gift of God supposing man a free agent in his duty L. I have hitherto thought that they so judge Why else talk they of Merit of Congruity and Condignity and that say some ex dignitate yea and ex proportione operum R. It seemeth you think not that you hold all this your self Let us try 1. By Merit they still mean a subordinate Merit which supposeth the Benefit 1. To be Gods Gift 2. Merited by Christ L. How prove you that R. It is the express words of the Trent Council de Justif Can. 8 We are said to be Justified gratis because nothing that goeth before Justification whether it be Faith or Works doth merit the Grace it self of Justification For if it be Grace it is no more of Works else Grace is not Grace Can. 16. Though so much be given in Scripture to Good Works that Christ promiseth him that giveth but a Cup of cold Water to one of the least that he shall not lose his reward yet far be it from a Christian to trust or glory in himself and not in the Lord whose Goodness is so great to all men that he wills those things to be Their Merits which are His Gifts And Anath C. 26. they thus open their Doctrine of Merit If any say that the Righteous ought not to expect eternal retribution from God by his Mercy and Christs Merits for the good works done in God if by well doing and keeping God Commandments they persevere to the end let him be Anathema C. 31 32. If any say that a Justified mans good works are so Gods Gifts that they be not also the Justified mans good merits or that the Justified do not truly merit increase of grace and life eternal by the good works which are done by Gods Grace and Christs Merit of whom he is a living member c. Anath sit C. 16. To them therefore that do well to the end and hope in God Life eternal is to be proposed both as Grace mercifully promised to the Sons of God through Jesus Christ and as a Reward faithfully to be given by Gods own promise to their Works and Merits L. Yes this ridiculous Doctrine of our Meriting by Gods Grace and Christs Merits I have often read and heard of in them R. It is somewhat bold to deride that which Scripture Reason and all the antient Churches do accord in That Christ merited that we should subordinately merit that is be Rewardable as before explained hath no less consent And Contra Rationem nemo fobrius Contra Scripturam nemo Christianus Contra Ecclesiam nemo Catholicus L. But if the Council of Trent deny that Justification is at all merited what is meant by the Papists Merit of Congruity R. II. I think you hold not only as much of that as they but do you think it somewhat more 1. As much For 1. De nomine some of them deny that this is any merit at all as well as you And their Council asserteth it not that I see 2. De re They mean the same thing by Merit of Congruity which Mr. Rogers Bolton Hooker and the rest call Preparation for Christ or for Conversion And so the Council of Trent calls it Which maketh a man a more Congruous Receiver of Grace than the unprepared but doth not prove God obliged to give it him as a Reward And do not you hold all this de re 2. Yea and more For the Council of Trent taketh Justification for Remission of sin and sanctification together as after Faith And so hold that Faith it self doth not merit Justification But do not you hold more de re that Faith hath a flat promise of Justification which is true And so God hath as it were obliged his fidelity to give it which is it they mean by Merit L. But what is their Merit of Condignity then Is not that abominable R. III. 1. You know that the words Worthy and Worthiness are used in the Scripture Bear therefore with Scripture words 2. And de re they mean not all one thing or use not the same expressions at least Some and many with Scotâ—â— say that it is ex pacto from Gods Promise that the Merit and dueness do result or from Gods
Holiness The Holiness of Christs Humane Nature and of Angels and Saints in Heaven is as much the Creators as is his Works of Mercy and Justice And Gods glory shineth as much in them And it is the glory of his Goodness if not of Mercy which preventeth sin and misery yea and of Mercy too For though mercy relate to misery it is as well to possible misery prevented as to existeâ—â— misery removed And if he speak not of Subjects but Proprietors the Boâ—um Creaturae is also Creatoris SECT XIX The same doctrine in Rutherford de providentia confuted 625. I Have been too long in confuting this Digression of Dr. Twisse which is contrary to the commonest doctrine of Protestants and The summ of their opinion I think soundeth not well in Christians ears The summ of which is this Neither God nor Devil do will sin as it is evil but God is the first willer of its existence because it is in its own nature summe unice conducibile to the manifestation of his Justice and mercy And willing and Loving being all one in God he thus singularly Loveth the existence of sin above its contrary holiness for this end And by Predetermining premotion which he much more largely writeth for elsewhere he causeth as the first total Cause all that man Causeth But it is sin in man because forbidden him but not in God because not forbidden him And therefore God is not to be said to cause sin though he cause all that is caused but to permit it because he causeth it not in himself nor is he to be called a Deficient cause of our omissions because he is not bound to Actuate us but man is to be called the efficient and deficient cause because he is under an obliging Law Though God made that Law And though he can no more than a stone act without physical predetermination nor forbear acting when so acted yet he is to be called free because he is actually willing or his will doth act and because he is predetermined by none but God This is the true sence of their opinion as opened by themselves I shall now briefly consider what Rutherford saith to the same sence 626. Cap. 15. pag. 186. To Annatus charging Twisse as denying Gods permission of sin because he maketh him the * * * Nec omnino negari potest Voluntatem Dei esse Causam rerum omnium quas fieri velit Twiss recitante etiam Rutherf de Prov. c. 15. p. 186. See all their Reasons for Gods causing sin or willing its existence answered by Ruiz de Vol. Dei disp 26. p. 262 263 264 265. As also against Gods predetermining to the immediate materiale peccati disp 27. p. 270 c. disp 28 29 30 c. usque ad p. 580. As to the common saying that God willeth not sin as sin all men will confess Dr. Twiss often that neither doth a wicked man do so Peccans ut sic non intendit peccatum quoad illud quod est formale in peccato seu carentiam conformitatis sed intendit actum ut est in genere moris inquit Aureolus in 2. d. 42. a. 3. pag. 319. I will not conceal a more difficult argument than most of theirs which may occurr to others God caused e. g. in Nathanaâ—l Peter c. this act of saith before Christs coming the Messiah is to come hereafter When Christ was come this was false and so evil God still caused the faith which he gave them Therefore he caused an untrue belief and evil and that supernaturally But I answ 1. God caused the habit of their faith and the act The nature of the habit was in general A belief of all divine revelations and in special A belief in the promised Messiah The termination of the act on the Messiah as future rather than as Incarnate required nothing positive in the Habit The same Habit served to both acts unless the latter being for the nobler act had some addition but the former needed none 2. And that this Habit might bring forth the act in that circumstance no more was necessary but 1. Gods word Christus venturus est 2. And Gods influx on the habited faculty to cause it to act according to that habit So that when God had reversed that word Christus venturus est he was no longer the cause determining the mind to believe that word but only the cause that the habit of faith was still towards Christ But not at all sub ratione venturi For the determining word was called in and it was an imperfection not to know so much where it was not a sin Cause of the Act the Liberty and the Prohibition and to Cause is not to Permit he hath no better answer than to say that God doth not permit the Act nor the Evil of the Act but he permitteth the evil act and 2. To say that the Dominicans and Jesuits hold the same as he Which is to jest with holy things and not to argue As if he said God made neither the soul nor the body and yet he made the man What! is it as it 's said that non animased unio est vita so Doth God permit the Union of Actum and Malâ—m No that he pretendeth not 627. To prove that God willeth the existence of sin he bringeth the instance of Joseph's case Gen. 45. To which I say that the text saith not at all that God willed the Will or Act or Sin of Joseph's brethren but only the Venditio passiva or effect and the consequents Nay only the consequents are mentioned in the Texts His replyes to the answers prove no more than the five things which I before asserted about sin Nothing so much deceiveth them as not distinguishing between the sinful act and the effect or passion when they are called by the same name as Selling Killing c. 628. His next instance is of Christs death of which I said enough before But 1. He understandeth his adversaries as ascribing only the Consequents of Crucifixion to Gods will which is his mistake It is Crucifixion it self passivè sumpta which they ascribe to it some of them at least And let men too wise against God deride it as much as they will God can will and Love that Christ be Crucified and yet hate and not will the will and act of the Crucifiers but only foresee it as aforesaid And let them jeer God as Idle or asleep if he neither will nor effectually nill the sin we will believe it to be his perfection and liberty which they so deride 2. And whereas he addeth that Active Verbs are used as Gen. 45. Misit me Deus Isa 53. Deus voluit eum conterere Zech. 13. Ego percutiam Pastorem and God delivered Christ to death I answer It is too too gross to perswade us hence that any of these Texts say that God willeth the sinners will or Act. God sent me speaketh Gods act that is his disposal