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A17973 An examination of those things wherein the author of the late Appeale holdeth the doctrines of the Pelagians and Arminians, to be the doctrines of the Church of England written by George Carleton ... Carleton, George, 1559-1628. 1626 (1626) STC 4633; ESTC S1219 68,302 126

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AN EXAMINATION Of those things wherein the Author of the late Appeale holdeth the Doctrines of the Pelagians and Arminians to be the Doctrines of the Church of England Written by GEORGE CARLETON Dr. of Divinitie and Bishop of Chichester IOHN 10.2.4.5 He that entreth in by the doore is the Shepheard of the Sheep and the Sheepe follow him for they know his voyce and a stranger they will not follow but will flee from him for they know not the voyce of Strangers LONDON Printed for William Turner 1626. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE CHARLES BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT Brittaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. Most Gracious and Dread Soueraigne SVch Princes as are raysed by God for some great and good seruice are many times incubred with great troubles that they may be tried Of this your Mtie hath had experience For besides the great perils out of which God hath deliuered you and brought you home in safetie to the ioy of all your faithfull subiects two other great dangers haue assailed your kingdome of late the Plague and the Pelagian heresie the one destroying bodies the other soules This latter hath bene creeping in corners heretofore but of late hath come in more publique shew then euer before and dedicated to your Mtie in a booke intituled An Appeale to Caesar wherein the Author hath with confidence deliuered the doctrines of the Pelagians and Arminians for the doctrines of the Church of England By this our dangers grow great and come neere vs. When the Church is in danger to whō may we flie vnto for helpe next vnder God but only to your Mtie whom God hath set a nursing father of his Church here Of necessity these things must be brought to your Maties knowledge whose godly care is that this Church which hath thus long prospered and flourished by the blessing of the Almighty and the fauor of godly gracious princes may not loose that honor vnder so good gracious a king which it hath held vnder your noble predecessors I wil not say defende me gladio but defend the truth faith whereof God hath made you the Defender and God who only is able will not faile to defend you I end with that propheticall promise which I beseech the God of heauē to make good to your Mtie No weapōs that are made against thee shall prosper and euery tongue that shall rise against thee in iudgement thou shalt condemne this is the heritage of the Lords seruants and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. Your Mties most humble seruant and Chaplaine GEO. CICESTRIENSIS THE CONTENTS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Recapitulation of the chiefe passages in this Booke CHAPTER 1. AN Introduction to the whole worke ensuing Pag. 1. CHAP. 2. An Introduction for the better vnderstanding of the Controuersie following Pag. 4. CHAP. 3. An Examination of the respectiue pretended decree of Predestination Pag. 7. CHAP. 4. A preuention of such answers as may bee made against that which hath beene deliuered in the former Chapter Pag. 31. CHAP. 5. Of perseuerance in Grace and falling away from Grace Pag. 40. CHAP. 6. That perseuerance to the end is a gift of God giuen to true beleeuers flowing from Gods purpose and Predestination Pag. 43. CHAP. 7. Saint Augustines dostrine in the matter of the perseuerance of the Saints of God Pag. 50. CHAP. 8. The dostrine of Saint Ambrose and others of the Auncients touching perseuerance pag. 59. CHAP. 9. An examination of the Arminians definition of Grace pag. 65. CHAP. 10.11.12 13. A view of some particular escapes in the Appeale pag. 70. seqq AN ANSVVERE TO THE Author of the Appeale CHAPTER 1. THE Author of the Appeale hath troubled the Church of England with strange Doctrines in two things especially First in the Doctrine of Predestination he attempteth to bring in a decree Respectiue which he taketh for granted to bee the Doctrine of our Church But this will neuer bee granted by vs nor proued by him Secondly he taketh it likewise for granted that the Doctrine of our Church is that a man may fall away from grace totally and finally If his meaning be that such as are called and iustified according to Gods purpose may so fall away this was neuer a Doctrine of the Church of England If his meaning bee that others may fall away which are not called and iustified according to Gods purpose then hath he troubled the Church with an idle Discourse to no purpose For in this hee hath no Aduersary For it is necessary in the beginning to agree vppon the state of the question St. Augustine sets it in these tearmes They that are called and iustified according to Gods purpose cannot fall away Now against this question proposed in these tearmes the Author of the Appeale disputeth For pag. 37. scorning and reiecting this Doctrine he writeth against his informers as hee calleth them thus It is your owne Doctrine God hath appointed them to grace and glory God according to his purpose hath called and iustified them therefore it is certaine that they must and shall bee saued infallibly In the matter of Predestination I haue euer bin fearefull to meddle it is one of the greatest and deepest of Gods Mysteries We are with reuerence to wonder and with Faith and Humility to follow that which God in his Scriptures hath reuealed in this poynt and there to stay But it hath beene the vnbridled humour of some to be still prying into Gods secrets and to runne rashly and irreuerently into these Mysteries These things were neuer so irreuerently handled by any as they haue beene of late by the Arminians The Author of the Appeale doth complayne of some who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do conclude vpon Gods secrets I would to God he had beene as carefull to auoyde that fault in himselfe as hee was to reprooue it in others Tostatus Abulensis hath a remarkeable speech In nulla materia periculosius erratur quam in hac de praedestinatione Eligerem enim magis contra totius fidei veritatem peruerse sentire in hac non errare quam in omnibus rectè iudicanao in hac sola deuiare The speech is strange but hee intended to shewe that errour is more dangerous in this point then in all other His reason is Quia ex nulla speculatiua cognitione tantū finis noster statuitur operationes diriguntur And againe Scientiae de praedestinatione specialiori modo quam omnes aliae à Deo est ex hac enim perditio vel saluatio nostra exordium sumit Therefore his aduise is that men should bee very sparing in the handling of such a Mystery which aduise I am also desirous to follow yet here I am drawne into it against my will For when such men as seeme to haue little reuerence to so high a Mystery run rashly and boldly into it and as it may seeme without great praemeditation of the matter
is a difficulty where there was none indeede I will try if I can ●ight of the right keyes out of the Psalmes to open this locke that is to dissolue this difficulty which he maketh heere of a totall fall from grace Psalme 19. verses 12 13. Who can vnderstand his faultes cleanse mee from my secret sinnes and keepe thy seruant also from presumptuous sinnes and let them not reigne ouer mee so shall I bee vpright and made cleane from the great transgression Hee prayeth to bee cleansed from other sinnes but to bee preserued from presumptuous sinnes that they haue not the dominion ouer him Whereby wee may collect that the Saints are freed and still pray to bee freed from presumptuous sinnes such as reigne in the wicked but for other sinnes altogether they are not free Psalme 25. verse 5. Vnto thee O Lord I lift vp my soule my God I trust in thee Heere hee professeth his faith And yet verse 11. hee saith For thy names sake O Lord hee mercifull to mine iniquitie for it is great then in him there was a true faith and great iniquity dwelling together It followeth that not onely sinne but sometimes great sinnes may bee in a godly man but such as are not ioyned with presumption but with true and sincere repentance Psalme 37. verse 24. Though hee fall hee shall not bee cast downe for the Lord holdeth him vp with his hand In this Scripture there is another instance giuen of that which this Author called for when hee saide cedo tertium For the Prophet saith Though hee fall hee shall not bee cast downe To fall and yet not to bee cast downe is a tertium in respect of a totall and finall fall For hee that falleth so as yet hee is not cast downe falleth and yet neither totally nor finally the reason is giuen which is beyond all answering For the Lord putteth his hand vnder him to stay him Psalme 38. verses 3 4. There is nothing sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne for mine iniquities are gone ouer my head and as a weighty burthen too heauy for mee And yet verse 15. he saith On thee O Lord do I waite thou wilt heare mee my Lord my God Hee feeles the heauy burthen of his sinnes he doth not conceale the multitude of them they are so many that they are gone ouer his head hee confesseth hee complaineth hee cryeth to God What then where so great and so many sinnes were felt as a tender conscience must needes feele them shall we say that this man lost all grace No. If he had not beene much troubled with his sinnes hee would not thus haue spoken of them if hee had not had grace he would not thus confesse them and call to God for mercy Psalme 40 verse 12. My sinnes haue taken such hold vpon mee that I am not able to looke vp they are mee in number then the haires of head Yet verse 17. Though I bee poore and needy the Lord thinketh of mee Thou art my helper and my deliuerer my God Heere wee finde great and many sinnes and yet a great and a precious faith It were too long to rehearse all of this kinde This may suffice to prooue that grace in the regenerate is not totally lost by sinnes vnlesse they bee presumptuous sinnes which raigne But from these raigning sinnes they that are borne of God are preserued according to that of S. Iohn He that is borne of God sinneth not Hee that standeth vpon the top of the stayres may fall and slipp downe a steppe or two and yet not fall to the bottome There is danger I grant it And if we stood by our owne power and strength as the Pelagians and Arminians would haue it then might wee fall away altogether But in a regenerate man there is power and weaknesse the power is Gods the weaknesse is his owne When he falleth this is his weaknesse but God by his power doth so order that weaknesse and those fals that hee will haue his great power manifested in this great weakenesse Therefore the Apostle had this answer My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weaknes Wherefore the blessed Apostle maketh this vse Very gladly therefore will I reioyce rather in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me I say further that sinne is so farre from cutting off faith totally in the regenerate that it is rather ordained by the infinite mercy of God which is rather to bee adored and wondred at then disputed it is I say ordained for the better exercise of faith and repentance For if by falling into sinne faith were totally lost in the regenerate then a man so falling could neuer rise againe vnto repentance For hee that hath lost grace totally hath nothing left in him but flesh and his owne nature and free-will Which of it selfe can neuer raise a man to repentance though the Pelagians and Arminians striue for this and would haue all grace lost that they might inferre that nature and free-will may raise vp a man to repentance but this is the poyson of their heresie Saint Peter fell into sinne and rose againe by repentance because his faith remained and failed not which drew him to repentance But Iudas fell and neuer rose againe because he neuer had true faith Now why doe men striue for this or what doe they ayme at When they would haue faith vtterly lost against the Apostle who teacheth that the gifts and graces of God are without repentance what haue they gotten that thus striue or what would they haue forsooth they would make Praedestination hang vpon vncertainties vpon mans will that a man may predestinate himselfe when he will as often as he will For they haue no better ends then these Pag. 18. Speaking of Bellarmines words Petro dominus impetrauit vt ●on posset eadere quod ●d fidem attinet He addeth these words Iust your Puritane doctrine for finall perseuerance This is the first time that euer I heard of a Puritane doctrine in points dogmaticall and I haue liued longer in the Church then hee hath done I thought that Puritanes were onely such as were factious against the Bishops in the poynt of pretended Discipline and so I am sure it hath beene vnderstood hitherto in our Church A Puritane doctrine is a strange thing because it hath beene confessed on both sides that Protestants and Puritanes haue held the same doctrines without variance The discipline varied in England Scotland Geneua and other where Yet the doctrine hath beene hitherto held the same according to the Harmonie of the seuerall Confessions of these Churches Not one doctrine of the Church of England another of the Church of Scotland and so of others What is your end in this but to make diuisions where there were none and that a rent may bee made in the Church forsooth that place may bee giuen to the Pelagian and