light of thy Truth to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousnesse Grant unto all them that be admitted into the fellowship of Christs Religion that they may eschew those things that be contrary to their profession and follow all such things as be agreeable to the same through our Lord Jesus Christ Or of this LOrd from whom all good things do come grant us thy humble servants that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good and by thy mercifull guiding may perform the same through our Lord Jesus Christ Or of this O God forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee grant that the working of thy mercy may in all things direct and rule our hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Or of this KEep we beseech thee O Lord thy Church with thy continuall mercy and because the frailtie of man without thee cannot but fall keep us ever by thy help and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Or of this LOrd we beseech thee to grant thy people grace to avoid the infections of the Devill and with pure heart and mind to follow thee the onely God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Lastly what think you of this Prayer PRevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continuall help that in all our works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorifie thy holy Name and finally by thy mercy obtaine everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Is not this a Rationall Prayer Doctor Jackson saith That In the first part of this Godly Prayer B. 10. chap. 37. pag. 3131. we have the state of the Question concerning the concurrence of Grace and Freewill more pithily and more plainly set down than in any Controversie-writers whether in the Romish or reformed Churches The Summe is That without Gods Preventing Grace or peculiar disposition of his Favourable Providence we cannot do any good works at all though but Civilly or Morally Good nor any works Spiritually Good without Gods assistant Grace or gifts of the Spirit inherent in us To be a Helper is a Title which the Almighty frequently takes upon himself and the Church is wont to appeal to him under that Title when she addresseth her self to him to gain his succours in her distresses And as S. Austine hath observed that Title is as well a prescription of our duty as a support of our expectation Ipsum nomen Adjutoris praescribit tibi quia tu ipse aliquid agis Agnosce quid poscas Agnosce quid confitearis quando dicis Adjutor meus es ne derelinquas me Adjutorem utique invocas Deum Nemo adjuvatur si ab illo nihil agatur If we style God our Helper we suppose our selves to be in action and our Prayers design'd to solicit his assistance not to cut out work for him If we think those divine dispensations under whose influence we desire in our prayers to be conducted should determine all our good motions we might soon be tempted to throw off all care and leave all other duties to be wrought in us by God alone and betake our selves wholly unto prayer And having entertain'd this vain imagination how many are there in the world that when they suffer infirmitie or fall into fouler sins are ready to ascribe it not so much to their own neglect of duty for alas humble and modest wretches they can do nothing as to the suspension of that divine Omnipotent determination that should have accomplished the same in them And then they comfort themselves with such thoughts as these God did not determine me not bow my Will to do otherwise I cannot of my self change my disposition and this is that I received from God who suffered me to be led into this temptation though I have not failed to pray daily not to be led into it What shall I do I hope God will one day give me so to be determined that I shall not fall Thus they hope and pray and expect the return of their prayers but their sin remains because they will not be convinced that it is their own duty at least not that it is in their own Power and choice to determine against it Our torpor and lukewarmnesse is a disease that wants so great a remedy as our own prayers and God's quickening assistance But if the sword of Josua doth not second the elevation of Moses hands if our endeavours do not attend upon our Prayers those Amalekites that infest us will never be discomfited Hence Saint Peter is carefull that when we rise from off our knees we should take heed to our walk also 1 Pet. 1.17 If ye call on the Father who without respect of persons iudgeth according to every mans work passe the time of your so journing here in feare In a time of violent temptation I doubt not God may and many times doth vouchsafe so to fortifie and determine the will of his faithfull and devout servants at the importunity of their ardent prayers or when he sends them out upon some signall employment Rev. 3.10 Mar. 13.11 for the service of his Name and Church that they shall not be vanquisht or transported by it But when their will is thus necessarily determined by Almighty God their liberty ceaseth and they cannot properly be said at that very time to obey God as obedience presupposeth liberty and denoteth duty in overcoming that temptation because that Speciall Help which gaines the Conquest is given as a kind of reward of their former piety or as a present benefit returned unto their prayers But we are to consider not what God 's superabundant Goodnesse is pleased to conferre upon such as are excellent in virtue whether by way of reward for their former piety or of benefit upon the earnestnesse of present devotions to help them in their saddest exigencies But what his ordniary way of dispensation is in the Commencement and carrying on the work of Grace in mens hearts The best measures we can take for this are his own Revelations and these are discovered not onely by Commands establisht with promises and threatnings but by obtestations and complaints As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth Ezek. 18.23 Turn ye Turn ye why will ye die O house of Israel Psal 81.13 By Options and wishes O that my people had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes Deut. 32. v. 29. Chap. 5.29 O that they were wise that they understood this O that there were such a heart in them By Prayers and beseechings This is signified by the extension of hands Isa 65.2 which is often set forth as a posture of Prayer All the day long have I stretched out my hands to a gainsaying people and Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us
before Glory and to this purpose he tells his Reader flatly that without a grain of his own salt he cannot relish that saying of Saint Austin Bona opera non praecedunt justificandum sed sequuntur justificatum Good works doe not goe before justification but follow after it The Hassien Divines likewise do most expresly declare Act. Synod Dor. 2. par p. 92. pr. that holinesse and righteousnesse †And they do alleadge for it Hebr. 9.10 Hebr. 13 12. Eph. 5.25.26 27. were as true parts of Christs purchase by the sacrifice of himself and intercession of his bloud as were either Pardon reconciliation or eternall life Now if our delivery from sinne by sanctification be the very first Part of that Redemption which Christ hath wrought for the world is it not a very grosse and palpable absurdity to overlook or overleap these first fruits of our Redemption as I may call them and to affirm That Christ hath purchased the latter for some men for whom he hath in no wise procured the former i. e. Remission of sins and eternall salvation for those to whom he hath not so much as procured reconciliation or sanctifying Grace Yet this is generally the Doctrine of those Calvinists who seem most to advance the Merit and efficacy of Christs death by their proclaiming an Universall Redemption Christ say the Hassien Divines appears before his Father as the onely Mediator Ibid. p. 100. that by the Presentation of his merits and accomplisht satisfaction he may procure remission of sinnes and restitution of righteousnesse for us Then he undertakes with his Father for our obedience and gratitude the seal and earnest of which sponsion or undertaking which is his holy Spirit he conferres upon us by whom he stirs up in us a care and study both to avoid sin and to performe righteousnesse Lastly he makes intercession for us Quae tria intercessionis Christi momenta nullo modo ad hoedos sed tantum ad oves Christi pertinent These parts of Christs Mediation do belong to none but the Elect. But perhaps these are none of those Vniversalists of the Synod that Master Baxter will be tried by Well then to do him a kindnesse he shall have his own choice First he named Paraem and having examined him he acknowledgeth the sufficiency of the merit but the efficacy as to the procurement of power Ibid. par 1. p. 213. c. for the Non-elect to performe that Condition of Faith and Repentance upon which pardon of sin and eternall life are suspended he flatly denies it Ibid. par 2. pag. 79. Th. 3. in explic Here is but cold comfort from that stranger let us therefore come to those who sate warm in the Synod what say the British Divines It seemeth good to Almighty God they say even after his acceptation of Christs Sacrifice not to conferre remission of sins and eternall life actually upon any but by and through Faith in the Redeemer And here that eternall and secret decree of Election discovers it self when that Ransome which was paid for all and shall most certainly be beneficiall unto all the faithfull to life eternall yet notwithstanding it doth not profit all because it is not given to all to perform the condition of that gracious Covenant Christ therefore so died for all that by means of faith all and every one by vertue of this ransome may obtain remission of sins and life eternall He so died for the Elect that by the merits of his death especially destined for them according to Gods eternall Beneplaciture they might infallibly obtain both Faith and eternall life Here is very slender confirmation of Master Baxters Universall Redemption hitherto and now he hath but one reserve to trust to the Bremish Divines and alas they say so little to make his assertion good that I wonder as much why he should offer to intitle them to it as why he should so foully asperse Tilenus for declaring the Divines of the Synod c. to be of another judgement Ibid. p. 110. Thes 2. For Isel-Burg affirms roundly that the Decree of Reprobation hath shut out all the Non-elect from all the saving benefits of Christs death And Lud. Crocius tells us of no other universall Redemption Ibid. p. 117. Thes 3. but Reconciliation upon Condition if they will repent and believe Ibid. p. 106. Th. 21. with Pag. 107. Thes 2 3 4 5. but not a word of procuring Grace to inable all men to perform this Condition And Martinius whom it seems M. Baxter reposed most of his confidence in though he tels us of a like Conditionall Remission and Salvation if they will be regenerated repent and believe yet really and effectually Christ hath promerited purchased obtained and communicateth Faith Regeneration or effectuall Calling Justification and Glorification to none but the Elect according to Gods speciall Decree This is his judgement And now are not these Divines wonderfull Magnifiers of the merit of Christ in affirming that it hath procured this Common grace even for the worst that perish as Master Baxter Phraseth it that he shall be saved if he will believe This is just according to the Proverb If the skie fall we shall catch Larks You had as good and may do it as reasonably tell men of a certain inheritance designed for them in the world in the Moon provided they will make a Ladder to Climb up to take possession of it Happinesse propounded upon Condition but that Condition made impossible and that by a punishment inflicted by the Propounder and yet he to be the Father of Mercies who sent his own Son to seal a Covenant of Grace with his own bloud wherein he hath undertaken to give both Grace and Glory this as the end and that as the way How inconsistent But saith Master Baxter did God purpose to cause in men this condition or not Sure he did Otherwise it would follow 1. That God invites poore sinners to confederate with him in a covenant of Grace and yet is deficient in affording what is necessary to inable them to perform it And then 2. it would follow that God were the First Desertor in respect of this new Covenant which is against all sober Divinity 3. It will make the Covenant of Grace to be no lesse intolerable than that of workes for by this Doctrine it doth exact impossible commands and afford no strength at all to perform them It supposeth God to make new Lawes and lay new Impositions upon those bruised shoulders of Adams Posterity whiles he pretends to heal them It is a Rule in the Civill Law Quando quis aliquid concedit id etiam concedere videtur sine que res concessae esse non potest If God makes a grant of eternall life to any or a serious Promise sure he promiseth and granteth therewith whatever is necessary for the enjoyment of that life And in our case you heard provision is made for it by the very Article
considered of God in his Predestination not onely as faln but also before the fall Hereupon he drew up his opinion by himself and therein Predestination is said to be made out of Mankinde simply considered Ibid. part 3. p 21. m. 24. pr. and not as yet faln into sin and the Synod of South Holland were of the same judgement too Ib. p. 33. m. whose chiefe members Pestus Hommius Henricus Arnoldi Baltazar Lydius Gisbertus Voetius were chief enemies of the Remonstrants 6. If Master Baxter will not yet allow that the Synod may justly be taxed with these opinions Section 5. because as he pretends in his Preface the Calvinists do not Commonly hold them they are but the opinions of some few I desire him to examine his own Muster-roll how many he hath inlisted therein for the defence of the Synod Of all the Synod he could find but the British Divines which were but five and the Bremish which were but three to passe the Muster upon the Article of Vniversall Redemption and but one single forein Auxiliary Paraeus to beare Arms for it And yet these seven or eight men in Master Baxter's account shall justifie all the rest from the guilt of such opinions as they do peremptorily maintain though himself as well as the Remonstrants judge them most absurd If so small a number will serve Master Baxters turn to justifie in all reason a far greater should serve Tilenus's interest to condemn them 7. But what ever enormity Master Baxter will allow to be in those opinions the Synod hath drawn the guilt of it upon their own heads and deservedly ought to beare the blame For Persons Commissioned and impowered to suppresse errors if they do not forbid and check them the fairest interpretation we can give of their remisnesse herein is to say they afford them a toleration Non impedientes ad Genus causarum Moralium pertinent saith Scheibler And Metaph. l. 1. c. 22. n. 140. Qui tacet consentire videtur saith the Civil Law And Agentes consentientes pari poenâ plectuntur saith the Moralist Indeed I find there were some who had a mind to condemn the opinions of Piscator in the Synod Antidotum pa. 63. f. and some would have added to their Rejections a rejection of certain hard and incommodious expressions they might have called them blasphemous and horrible which are found in the writings of some of the Reformed Doctors Act. Syn. Nat. Dord sess 132. p. 239. part 1. ed. in fol. To this end reasons were alleaged on both sides by the British Hassien and Bremish Divines with some others But when the matter was put to the vote the major part of Suffrages were for the Negative forsooth lest by the rejection of such expressions and Phrases the Adversary should take advantage to alleage that the Orthodox Doctrine professed by those men who imprudently made use of such phrases to explain it were rejected also Especially seeing some of those modes of speech were the language of the holy Ghost others in a sound sense admitted by the Remonstrants themselves and farre the greatest part might admit of a charitable interpretation By this we may perceive what temper Master Baxter's Test †That more then a very few even the major part of the Synod favoured these opinions was of especially if to this we adde what was observed to be the generall practice after the Synod was dissolved in those Low-Countrey Churches The least suspicion a man could lye under for favouring the Remonstrants Doctrine was ground enough to remove him from his Ministery The imitation of which practice was forthwith taken up at Sedan Franciscus Auratus a most faithfull Minister of that Church being dismissed from the execution of his Function because upon occasion of that text Jam. 1.13 God tempteth no man c. he largely declared that God was not the Author of sin This they thought a sufficient indication that he did not sufficiently abhorre that Doctrine which the Synod of Dort had condemned But on the other side the most violent abettors and urgers of the most rigid Supralapsarian Predestination Clamosissimos tenebriones spurcissimae vitae mortales Antidotum pag. 33. were so far from the stroak of censure or rebuke that though of never so leud a conversation one might see them adorned with the happiest conditions and promoted to the chiefest chaires and Churches tanquam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fortissimos Lastly if we consider that the present Galvinists of all sorts Creabilitarians Supralapsarians Sublapsarians do all center in this Synod as the Test of their Anti-Arminianisme as Master Baxter calls it we must conclude that the design of that Synod was not to reduce all those severall Sects to one opinion that being impossible their differences are so high and irreconcileable but their elaborate Artifice in contriving and dawbing varnishing and trimming up the Decrees and Canons thereof was used on purpose to calculate them for the Meridian of every their judgements and make them serve indifferently the interest of their severall opinions So that this Synod is to men of that persuasion what Manna was to the Israelites as some affirme It affords them that relish to which every mans palate is most affected One man discovers enough therein to incourage him to be a Supralapsarian another man findes the contrary To this mans sense they maintain universall Redemption to anothers apprehension they deny it Hereupon we see our late and present Divines are no lesse divided in their judgements about these Questions then those which were before the Synod as we may observe in reference to each of Tilenus his five Articles The Orthodox Evangelist pa. 52. m. pa. 56. m. For 1 Master Norton of New England as a pure Creabilitarian saith The creature in its condition of possibility is the object of the Decree And a little after Not man considered as actually being whether in his pure or corrupt estate but as yet to be and in the Divine Essence namely as capable in respect of the sufficiency of God to be what he pleased is the object of the Decree And a little after The creation of man mutable the permission of sin the punishing him justly for sin make up one full and perfect medium conducing to this end God's glory as concerning the Reprobate The creation of man mutable the permission of sinne the effectuall Application of Free grace and Glory notwithstanding sin for the merit sake of Jesus Christ make up one full and perfect medium conducing to this end viz. Gods glory as concerning the Elect. And afterwards he concludes Pag. 66. f. That Reprobation is not an Act of justice and a little after Though condemnation of man for sinne be an Act of justice yet God's will not to have mercy his will to permit sin his will to leave a man in sinne his will to punish man for sin are Acts of his
Lordship not of his justice If the Assembly of Divines came any lower yet not so low as the Sublapsarian way For they say Confess of Faith ch 3. th 3. By the Decree of God for the manifestation of his Glory some men and Angels are Predestinated unto everlasting life and others fore-ordained to everlasting death By ranking Men and Angels in the same Decree it is evident they conclude men to be Elected and Reprobate antecedently to the fall of Adam which appears more fully by comparing the 6. and 7. Theses of that Chapter with this third The Calvinists that speak most warily doe yet maintain an Absolute and irrespective Decree not as to the end but as to the means Dr Kendal De Doct. Neopel oratio habita in Comit. Oxonii p. 36. Asserimus Decretum Absolutum quod nullum Motivum ut loquuntur admittat ex parte Dei We assert an absolute Decree because it admits of no Motive on Gods part Non negamus fidem conditionem esse salutis Asserimus vero fidem dari absque omni conditione Similiter de damnatione philosophari solemus Non negamus impoenitentiam finalem esse conditionem damnationis Asserimus vero Deum absolutè decrevisse reprobos omnes impoenitentiae suae permittendos fidem verò in Electis omnipotenti Gratia suo tempore creandam We do not deny faith to be the condition of salvation But we affirme that faith is given without any condition In like manner also we are wont to speak concerning damnation we do not deny finall impenitency to be the condition of damnation But we affirm God absolutely decreed to permit all Reprobates to their own impenitency but to create faith in his own time in the Elect by his omnipotent Grace And a little after Decretum illud irrespectivum non est de salute sed side nec de instigendis poenis sed non concedendâ Poenitentiâ That irrespective Decree 〈◊〉 not such as to salvation but as to faith nor as to the infliction of punishment but as to the non-concession of repentance As well Sublapsarians as Supralapsarians of both forts though they frame a Decree that suspends the benefit of salvation upon a condition yet it makes that condition absolutely irrepudiable and irresistible as to some persons and absolutely impossible unto others and so takes away the proper nature of sin and duty and by consequence saves and damns respectively without them 2. If we consider the Article of Redemption by Christ however M. Baxter finds an Universality of it in the decisions of that Synod yet Doctor Thomas Hill Master of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge and able sure to understand a piece of Latin as well as Master Baxter could find no such matter For to signifie his esteem of that Assembly he calls it a happy remedy against Arminianisme in his Epistle to the Christian Reader before Master Fenners Willfull Impenitency a. 3. yet two pages after he breaks out into this Lamentation But alas Arminius now appears amongst us not so much in the Schools and Pulpits as in popular meetings For as Zanchius complained with much regret of the Sulteran I suppose it should be Lutheran Ubiquitaries that he found them ubique every where to vex and molest him so may we grieve O that we could with brokennesse of heart bewaile it that our Universalists are almost universally spread amongst us It is gotten into our Netherlands much into the Fennish and Moorish parts of this Kingdome yea amongst many people that love Jesus Christ and therefore entertain it as conceiving it most for his Honour the more are they to be pitied c. Thus Doctor Hill who certainly did not think his happy Remedy to be infected with that he accounts disease and so much bewailes as if it were as mortall as he conceived it Epidemicall Good God! That mans eye should be so evil because God is so good and gracious That he should think it a matter of humiliation and that with brokennesse of heart that the Name of the Lord Jesus and the Merits of his Death and the emanations of his Grace should be so much magnified And yet we finde the whole Assembly of Divines if we may collect their Judgement out of their Publick Confession rather then take it from what a single member it seems hath whispered into M. Baxter's eare had so narrow a Faith they could not admit this Point to be an Article of their Belief For they speak restrictively of Christs Sacrifice Chap. 8. th 5. that it hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father and purchased not onely reconciliation but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdome of Heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto him And more fully thes 8. To all those for whom Christ hath purchased Redemption He doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same making intercession for them c. And this is very probably collected out of the third Chapter too comparing the 6. and 7. Theses together They who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ The rest of mankinde God was pleased according to the unsearchable counsil of his own will whereby he extendeth or with-holdeth mercy as he pleaseth for the glory of his not Justice but NB. Soveraign Power over his creatures to passe by and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice ˙ ˙ Besides Master Baxter hath had some contest as I remember with Adversaries who make the remission of sins the immediate effect of Christs death and maintain that it is granted unto the elect before they do Actually believe I suppose Master Baxter will not say these men are for universall Redemption though perhaps as great Admirers of the Synod as himself and I doubt these are not a very few 3. As touching the unavoidable necessity of all humane Actions in regard of the effectuall Decree that the Calvinists do commonly maintain it is evident That I may not tire the Reader with a multitude of testimonies I shall satisfie my self with one or two The first cause so concurreth as it determineth the second cause in its operation saith M. Norton This is readily granted in naturall Agents in free-rationall Agents it is proved thus If the futurition of the operation of the second Cause is determined by the Decree of God then the operation is self is determined by the efficiency of God The Orthodox Evangelist p. 110. m. And a little after If as often as the will doth not will it therefore doth not will because God hath not determined that it should will then as often as it willeth any thing it therefore willeth because God hath determined that it should will But as often as the Will doth not will it therefore doth not will because God hath not determined that it should will Therefore p. 126. f. Notwithstanding sin is wholly of man and subordinate efficiency in sinfull actions belongs formally unto the