God crept vpon them and that sometimes they felt some temptations of desparation But as soone as they shooke off that opinion of precise election they were healed of these diseases and their piety grew hot No doubt wee had bid piety and sanctitie of manners farewell if this sect had not rose vp which hath triumphed ouer vices and hath raised vp piety almost dead I doe not search into their manners thus much I say their writings relish of anger and are full of bitternesse But to the purpose I deny that by our doctrine iust occasion of sinning is taken and the raines let loose to intemperance But nothing hath euer beene said so holily nor so truely which may not be drawn to the worser part and be corrupted by a sinister interpretation Saint Paul suffered the same calumny who in the sixt Chapter to the Romanes doth with an opportune prolepsis and timely preuention remoue from himselfe this opinion speaking thus Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound XXX Wee deny therefore that these things which they imagine doe follow of our doctrine If God hath predestinated any one to faith and repentance he ought not therefore to be lesse carefull how he may please God and yeelde obedience to him For repentance is carefulnesse it selfe They therefore so speake as if they should say that the elect ought to want carefulnesse because God hath predestinated them to carefulnesse XXXI Neither doth the beneficence and bounty of God hinder the vigilancy and watchfulnesse of man So God giueth vs our daily bread and yet by this he doth not hinder our labour He doth in vaine expect from God succours for his life who doth sit idle with his armes a crosse The same God which giueth vs foode exhorts vs to labour for his blessing doth not come vpon sloath but vpon diligence XXXII Furthermore nothing letteth that a man should with lesse diligence follow that labour the euent whereof is determined by the certaine decree of God whether this decree be knowne to vs or whether it be not knowne Christ was not ignorant of the tearme of his life vpon earth and yet did hee auoide the dangers and escaped the hands of the Iewes more then once Ezechias being recouered from his disease knew that he had yet fifteene yeeres to liue in which time it is no doubt but he receiued foode and had care of his health God had reuealed to Paul that none of the passengers that were in the same ship should be drowned and yet for all that he exhorted the Saylors to labour and commanded them to be kept in the ship who hauing let downe the boate would haue fled The Arminians will not deny but that the euent of their warres was determined by the purpose of God yet they would not thence inferre that it was in vaine to sight couragiously The Scripture doth testifie in many places that God hath set to euery one the limits of his life and that the number of our daies is determined by the purpose of God and yet he is not to be dispraised who sends for the Phisitian in his sicknesse or hee who before the battell puts on armour For the industry of man must serue the decree of God neither is it right that the liberality of God should be a cause of negligence to vs. So the infant moueth it selfe in the wombe and doth it selfe helpe its owne natiuity although that power which it hath of mouing is from God Surely seeing faith and repentance are the meanes to saluation nothing is so contrary to reason as to vse the end for the abolishing of the meanes Wherefore Saint Paul Philip. 2. doth acknowledge that it is receiued from God both to will and to doe and yet in the same place he doth exhort to worke out our saluation with feare and trembling whom wee had rather beleeue then Arnoldus whose words are these Page 273. It seemes to me that the conscience of sinne is altogether extinguished in him who knoweth that he is deliuered from sinne by the absolute and immutable ordinance of God What Was the conscience of Dauid hardned to sinne or did he loose the sence of sinne after that God signified to him by the Prophet Nathan that he had taken away his sinne No he sorroweth and doth grieuously lament his sinne for griefe and repentance doth stick fast in the minde euer after pardon is obtained So Saint Paul 1. Tim. 1. saith that God had mercy on him and yet in the same place he doth detest his sinne XXXIII Wee are to thinke the same thing concerning prayer as concerning the labour and endeauour of good workes For we doe rightly and piously aske of God those things which are determined by his certaine purpose For God who hath determined to doe good to vs will giue that good to our prayers and not to sloathfulnesse and security Iosaphat did not in vaine pray before the fight 2. Chro. 20. although he was not ignorant that God had already decreed what should be the euent of the battell The Apostles knew well enough that their sinnes were forgiuen them by God and yet they did daily pray Forgiue vs our trespasses Christ did not doubt of his resurrection and of the obtaining of glory after the combat and yet he did pray by night and went aside into the mountaine to pray XXXIV I let passe that euery man euen the best is obnoxious and subiect to temptations which assailing him he is to flie for the helpe of God least his faith faile or sloathfulnesse and negligence creepe vpon him XXXV Doth not Saint Paul also witnesse Rom. 8. that the holy-Ghost prayeth in vs and doth suggest sighes and prayers whence hee is called by Zacharie the spirit of supplication Zach. 12.10 Which seeing it is the effect of the good pleasure of God and the fruit of election it were a maruaile if election it selfe should keepe vs back from prayer XXXVI And if any man that is elected doth yet doubt of his saluation he hath somewhat to aske of God to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full perswasion and the sustaining of his staggering faith and the increase of charity and zeale and the obtayning of glory and if he be certaine of his saluation hee must aske the increase of this confidence hee must aske perseuerance in faith and good works hee must pray to bee kept backe from sinne to which he feeleth himselfe prone he must pray for the fulfilling of the promises of God he must pray against the temptations of Sathan who although hee cannot ouerthrow the elect yet he doth prick their heele and doth dig into them with his goades XXXVII That is of the same lumpe wherewith Arnoldus from Arminius Pag. 304. doth vpbraide vs. Your doctrine saith he doth make the seruants and Ministers of God sloathfull in their ministery because from thence it followeth that their diligence can profit none but those whom God will absolutely saue and who cannot perish and
can be vnderstood those which first gaue themselues to Christ for this were not to giue themselues to the sonne but to be willing that the sonne should receiue them comming to him He indeede receiueth those that come but they therfore come because Christ draweth them as he himselfe saith verse 44. No man can come to me vnlesse the father that sent me draw him The Arminian conferrers at the Hage pag. 87. doe suspect that by those that are giuen to the sonne are to be vnderstood not the faithfull but those that are giuen to beleeue But seeing the Arminians are of opinion that the reprobates also are giuen to beleeue and that God doth seriously intend their faith and saluation they should be falsely said that they were to come to Christ that is that they wil beleeue as many as are giuen him to beleeue The very words of Christ doe affirme and common sense doe conuince this that by those that are giuen to Christ are vnderstood his flocke and therefore the elect for as much as those that are giuen to Christ are here seuered from those that are not giuen II. Iohn 8.47 Ye therefore heare not because ye are not of God They therefore which heare and beleeue doe therefore heare and beleeue because they are of God and to be of God what is it else then to belong to God As on the contrary part verse 44. they are said to be of the diuell who belong to the diuell Seeing then that Christ himselfe doth witnesse that therefore some men beleeue because they belong to God who doth not see that it must needes be that they first belong to God before they beleeue for as much as to belong to God is the cause why they beleeue III. Nor is there lesse force in the words of Christ Iohn 10.26 Yee beleeue not because yee are not of my sheepe They then who beleeue doe therefore beleeue because they are of the sheepe of Christ Not according to Arminius who would therefore haue them to be of the sheepe of Christ because they beleeue It pleaseth the Arminians to haue the faithfull vnderstood by the sheepe of Christ and I doe not deny but that the sheepe of Christ are they which beleeue but I deny that the word sheepe can be so taken in this place For so an vnsauory tantalogy and vaine repetition should be put vpon Christ ye beleeue not because ye beleeue not This is a declaration of it that a little before he called those also his sheepe which were not yet conuerted Other sheepe I haue which are not of this fould them also I must bring and they shall heare my voice IV. So Iohn 17.6 I haue manifested thy name vnto them which thou gauest me Therefore first they were giuen before Christ declared to them the name of God by which declaration they receiued faith The Arminian conferrers at the Hage pag. 87. thinke that it is here spoken of the Apostles who did already beleeue but they proue nothing by it for this being granted yet that stands which I maintaine that the Apostles were first giuen to Christ before he had declared himselfe to them But that it is not here spoke of the Apostles alone Christ himselfe doth expresly witnesse verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue on me through their word And seeing that ver 9. they are opposed to the world it appeares that these things are to be extended to all the faithfull Vnlesse perhaps the Schoole and followers of Arminius doe thinke that the Apostles alone are they that are not of the world and that they alone are exempted from the curse of the world Furthermore seeing there is no part of the Scripture which doth bring more comfort nor doth more vphold our faith striuing with temptations then this diuine and large prayer of Christ because the petitions of Christ making intercession for vs are so many secret promises and declarations of the good will of the father which doth alwaies agree with the petition of the sonne let the Arminians see with what spirit they are led and why with so great diligence they endeauour to defraud vs of that comfort which is certainely taken from vs if this Prayer of Christ doth intercede for the Apostles alone and if the Apostles onely be meant by those that are giuen vnto Christ CHAP. XXI The same is proued out of the eight and ninth and the eleuenth Chapter to the Romanes SAint Paul in the eight to the Romanes treating of Predestination doth easily driue away all the cloudes of errour His words are these Verse 28.29.30 We know that all things worke together for good to them that loue God to them that are called according to his purpose For whom he did fore-know them also he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Sonne that he might be first borne among many brethren Moreouer whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he iustified and whom he iustified them also he glorified I. First of all that speech offers it selfe that we are predestinated that we might be made conformable to the image of Christ And seeing this conformity in this life is by faith and charity it is plaine by the Apostle that wee are iustified to faith and not for faith I know indeede that Christ himselfe had not faith as faith is taken in the Gospell but seeing that the conformity of the faithfull with Christ is placed in charity righteousnesse and holinesse and these are the effects of faith which doth worke by charity he that saith we are predestinated to charity and righteousnesse doth also say that we are predestinated to faith which doth effect and worke all those things no otherwise then hee who is appointed to goe and to breath is appointed also to life II. What say the Arminians here Why they by conformity with Christ vnderstand the crosse and afflictions for Christ But the following words disproue that that he might be first borne among many brethren For Christ is the first begotten of the sonnes of God as for other causes so also because hee being more liberally furnished with the gifts of the holy Ghost is an example of righteousnesse and holinesse being annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue his fellowes Psal 45. euen as the first borne receiue more of their fathers goods But that he should be called the first borne for the crosse and for afflictions is a thing new and insolent and that which reason abhorreth Also it is certaine that that which Saint Paul speaketh of doth belong to all the faithfull For he addeth whom he did predestinate them also be called whom he called them also he iustified whom he iustified them also he glorified Glorification iustification calling predestination are the foure linkes of that chaine belonging to the conformity vnto the image of Christ and they are so interlaced enfolded that by no meanes they can be pulled
is spoken of the Antecedent will of God by which God will haue mercy vpon some for so they speake that is vpon such as beleeue and not of his Consequent will by which he hath determined precisely and absolutely to haue mercy on this or that man And yet they forgetting themselues say that this Antecedent will may be resisted when notwithstanding Saint Paul saith in the same place Who can resist his will Either therefore let Arminius deny that the Antecedent will of God is a will but rather call it a wish desire or affection or if he doth contend that it is a will let him confesse that it cannot be resisted To which purpose excellently Saint Austen Enchared Cap. 95. Our God in heauen doth whatsoeuer things hee will both in heauen and earth which is not true if hee hath willed some things and hath not done them And which is more vnworthy of him hath not therefore done them because the will of man hath hindred that the Almighty should not doe what hee willed XIV Arminius indeede doth confesse that God doth not want power to fulfill that Antecedent will whereby he doth earnestly desire all men to be saued But it is not true saith he that the thing which he doth wish seriously desire that he will effect the same by what meanes soeuer he is able but by those meanes by which it is decent and conuement that he should effect it The Father wisheth and doth earnestly desire that his Sonne would obey mâ—n but he doth not violently draw his Sonne to obedience and a little after The similitude of a Merchant who doth desire his wares should be safe and yet casteth them into thâ— sea doth very well square and agree to the purpose God doth earnestly desire that all men should be saued but compelled by the stubborne and incorrigible malice of some men will haue them make losse of their saluation For although God doth earnestly will and intend the saluation of all and singular men yet he will not then put forth his omnipotency least hee should force mans free-will I answere Nothing is effected by these similitudes for they are plaine dissimâ—litudes Arminius vseth examples of men which cannot be made partakers of their vowes but by meanes that are not conuenient and of them who are oftentimes disappointed of their intention But to God there are neuer wanting iust and conuenient meanes by which he should obtaine that which he intends neither can he be disappointed of his intent But you say if God should exercise his omnipotency in conuerting man he should force mans free-will and compell mans voluntary liberty But that I deny For he can without constraint so bend the will that it should follow of its owne accord Without constraint hee suddenly changed the minde of Esau Gen. 33. and the minde of Saul 1 Sam. 19.23 and the minde of the Aegyptians Psal 105.25 and of Kings Pro. 21.1 If God doth make this change of the will in wicked men the liberty of mans free-will vntouched how much more may hee doe it in good and faithfull men God without constraint did change the heart of the Theefe on the Crosse and so doth he of all from whom hee takes their stony heart and giues them an heart of flesh Ezek 36.26 and of those who when they were dead in sinne hee raised vp with a spirituall resurrection Ephes 2.5 We shall see Arminius is of opinion that the vnderstanding is vnresistably indued with light by God and that God doth vnresistably giue power of beleeuing the Gospell to all men to whom the Gospell shall be preached and that hee drawes their affections But when the minde hath fully receiued in this perswasion and the affections doe stir vp the will it is impossible but their will should moue it selfe whether the minde instructed by God doth appoint it and whether the appetite doth force it for these are the onely incitements of the will neither is it moued by any other impulsion The schoole and followers of Arminius are also of opinion that the Elect are drawne of God by effectuall and powerfull grace the effect whereof is most sure because God doth draw them in a congruent and fit time and manner in which he knoweth they will infallibly follow him calling them And yet the Arminians meane not hereby that any force is offred to the will of man but that it is so vehemently affected with a morall and sweet perswasion that it followeth of its owne accord The example of the Theefe doth seeme to mee to be notable aboue all the other whose heart so suddendly changed in a time of aduersity when the faith of the Apostles themselues did shake is an euident lesson how great the efficacie of the holy Spirit is on them who are called by the purpose of God Rom. 8.28 But of this efficacy of calling it shall be spoken more at large in his proper place XV. Hence appeares with how prepostrous diligence Arminius hath turned his wit to the defence of free-will For there lay open to him a most sure and plaine way whereby God might shew forth his power in the conuersion of man without the diminishing of our liberty Nor while hee doth patronize and defend free will ought he to strike against the wisedome and perfection of God whom hee would frustrate and disappoint of his owne end and naturall desire and wish those things which he knowes hee shall not obtaine and propound an end to himselfe which shall neuer be XVI In the meane while the prudent reader shall easily discerne whereto that similitude of the marchant making losse and casting his wares into the sea with his owne hands may belong For Arminius doth not onely expressely say that God is compelled to doe something which he had not intended for the marchant did not intend to doe this but doth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nolens volens betweene willing and nilling but also by these hee doth insinuate that God being driuen from that better end which he had propounded to himselfe turned himselfe to another end lesse to be wished which things whether they be spoken by prudent men to the reproach of God or by vnwise men through ignorance it doth strike horror into pious mindes XVII But in this distinction of the will of God into Antecedent and Consequent the first whereof doth goe before the other doth follow mans will this is farre the worst thing that by it the will of man is made to goe before the election of God For according to Arminius God by his antecedent will would saue all men and giue them power of beleeueing in Christ but by his consequent will doth elect or reprobate seuerall men according as hee fore-knowes their faith or infidelity A deadly doctrine by which the election of man doth depend vpon mans will and our faith is made the cause and not the fruite of our election and man chooseth God and applyeth himselfe to God before he is
vertue and not saluation it selfe Then also Paul expounds how wee are holy to wit in charity nor in the fruition and enioying of glory He vnderstands the dueties of charity which are exercised in this life vnto which to be exhorted after this life is needelesse Finally by their so various and diuers expositions which ouerthrow one another they doe sufficiently confesse that they haue nothing wherein they may be constant And because they cannot master vs by the weight of their expositions they endeauour to ouerwhelme vs by the multitude of them It is of small importance that from this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is blamelesse they gather that it is spoken of the perfection after this life For the Apostle will haue vs to be blamelesse euen in this life as Philippians 2.15 Where he commands vs to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blamelesse and harmelesse in the midst of a crooked and peruerse generation Certainly when the Apostle saith that we might be blamelesse in charity it is manifest that he doth not speake of the Saints enioying glory where there is no place for reprehension nor for exhortation to the duties of charitie There is no little force in the following verse He predestinated vs to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ Out of this place I thus reason Those whom God predestinated to adoption he hath predestinated also to the spirit of adoption to be giuen them and this is nothing else but to predestinate them to faith for the spirit of adoption is it that beareth witnesse in our hearts that we are the sonnes of God Rom. 8. and this testimony is faith it selfe It is true indeede that God appointeth no man to adoption but whom God considereth as one that by his gift will be faithfull but the same may also be said of those that are appointed to faith which is appointed to none but whom God considereth as one that will be faithfull And surely they are grosely deceiued who thinke that the faithfull are appointed to the adoption of children seeing in that they are faithfull they are already children This Saint Iohn teacheth chapter 1. To them that beleeued he gaue this prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God II. Agreeable to this place are also many other 1 Cor. 7.25 I haue obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithfull not because he considered me as already faithfull Iohn 15.16 I haue chosen you that you should bring forth fruit therefore he did not choose vs considered as already faithfull and therefore as already bearing fruit Should wee imagine that Christ speakes here onely of the election of the Apostles to their Apostleship I thinke there is none of so impudent a face who can deny that the same thing may be spoken of any of the elect whereof there is none whom God hath not elected that hee might be godly and good euen as also there is no man who is not of a shamelesse countenance who will deny that all the following documents and lessons doe belong to all the faithfull These things I commend you that you loue one another If the world hate you you know that it hath hated me firsh c. III. Not vnlike this is that which the Apostle saith 2 Thes 2.13 God hath chosen you to saluation by sanctification of the spirit and beleefe of the truth He saith that we are elected to obtaine saluation by faith not for faith and so faith is after election and a certaine medium or middle thing betweene election and saluation IV. The words of Ananias to S. Paul Act 22.14 are consonant to this God hath chosen thee that thou shouldst know his will by which knowledge faith and assent to the Gospell is vnderstood for Saint Paul was not elected more to know the Gospell then to beleeue the Gospell Paul therefore was elected to beieeue and so his election was before his faith V. The same Apostle 1 Thessa 1.3 praising the faith and charitie of the Thessalonians doth fetch the cause of these vertues from election it selfe Remembring without ceasing your worke of faith and labour of lone as knowing that you are elected of God Here the Arminians doe willingly stumble in a plaine way for by Election they will haue Calling to be vnderstood which if it be true the reprobates themselues will be elected as being also called Then also Saint Paul is deluded as if hee were not in his right minde For what neede Paul tell the Thessalonians that he knew they were called by the Gospell seeing Saint Paul himselfe preached the Gospell to them He were a ridiculous Grammarian who should tell his Schollers that he had taught I know you haue learned Grammer Arnoldus pag. 66. doth suspect that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowing is to be referred to the Thessalonians themselues But the good man hath dealt too negligently here for he doth not see that by this meanes the Greeke speech would be made incongruous and not agreeing for then it must haue beene read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it might agree with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in the former verse But distrusting this exposition he hath smelt out that by the word election excellency ought to be vnderstood which truely is an intollerable license seeing election differeth from excellency by the whole praedicament for election is an action excellency is a quality or a relation Surely if it be lawfull to bring such portents and monsters of interpretation what will there be in the holy Scripture which may not be deluded or depraued Let Arnoldus bring another place where Excellency is vnderstood by the word Election For although he that is elected may be taken for him that excelleth yet you shall neuer finde Election to be so taken for Excellency Neither ought it to seeme a maruaile that Paul saith he knew of the election of the Thessalonians for God might reueile that to him concerning the Tessalonians which he reuealed concerning the Corinthians Acts 18.10 I haue much people in this citie Or if that doth not please it may be said that Saint Paul when he saw the Gospell receiued by the Thessalonians with very great ioy and much fruite easily perswaded himselfe that many of that people belonged to the election of God VI. The same Apostle in the beginning of his Epistle to Titus calleth himselfe the Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect It is plaine that faith is said to be of the elect because it is peculiar to the elect or else it were not rightly adorned with this elogy commendation and that by the confession of Vorstius himselfe Collat. cum piscat Sect. 118. Faith saith hee is called the faith of the elect of God Titus 1. because faith is a proper marke of the elect c. But why is faith peculiar to the elect is it because as many as haue true faith are elected by God But the Arminians deny this for they write of the Apostasie of the Saints
Vorstius in his book intituled the Conference with Piscator Sect. 18. If we are adopted by faith we are also elected by faith But I deny that that will follow for Adoption is after Election as the Apostle teacheth Ephes 1.5 He predestinated vs to the adoption He which saith we are adopted by faith doth not therefore say that we are elected by faith or for faith but he saith that by faith we are affected with the sense of the fatherly loue of God to vs and that the beleeuers receiue the spirit of adoption VI. He doth defend himselfe by the words of the Apostle 2 Thes 2. He hath chosen vs from the beginning through faith But here Vorstius doth wickedly cut short the words of the Apostle and doth present them lame vnto vs. The words of Saint Paul are these God from the beginning hath chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the spirit and beliefe of the truth Hee doth not say that we are elected for faith fore seene but that we are elected to obtaine saluation by faith And if it may be gathered from this place that we are elected for faith fore-seene it will be proued by the same place that we are elected for sanctification or regeneration fore-seene which doth not please Arminius He doth vrge that place of Saint Iames chap. 2. Hath not God chosen the poore of the world rich in faith but in vaine for therefore they are rich in faith because God hath giuen them faith and he hath therefore giuen it them because they are elected If I say God hath elected the Saints which doe enioy glory doe I therefore thinke that God elected them for the fore-seeing of the glory to come And if it be lawfull for the Arminians to take these words of Christ I giue my life for my sheepe as being spoken by anticipation or preuention of those who were not yet his theepe but were to be why may it not be lawfull for vs also to take these words God chose the beleeuers as being spoken by an anticipation of those which doe not beleeue in act but are considered as those who are to beleeue VII Vorstius addeth that Mat. 22. few are said to be elected because few haue the wedding garment But I deny that this is to be found there Christ shuts vp with this sentence the parable of those that were called to the wedding wherof onely few obayed him calling them Many are called few chosen In which words the reason is not yeelded why he was cast forth that had not on the wedding garment but why of many that were called there came but a few Which thing that the Reader might not obserue Vorstius hath vsed a double deceit for hee hath omitted those words many are called and then also instead of Nam For he hath sâ—t downe Quia because that he might perswade that here the cause was rendred why he that was vndecently apparelled was call out For he knew that the particle Nam for doth often set downe the note or marke but not the cause as Mâ—t. 26.73 and in many other places but in this place it is no doubt but that here the cause is signified For the cause is noted why of so many that were called so few followed him calling to wit because although many are called yet few are chosen Whence it is manifest that this place if any other doth hurt Arminius VIII The other things which he doth heape vp that hee might proue that they that are elected are those that be ecue are nothing to the purpose For the elect are the beleeuers and the belecuers are the erect But they are not elected because they are belecuers but that they might bereeue IX There is no more force in the obiection which he bringeth out of the 2. Pet. Chap. 1. Make your calling and election sure Out of which words he doth inferre that calling is before election But Peter doth not here set calling before election but the certainty of our cailing before the certainty of our election I willingly acknowledge that that certainty is first in order But that election is before calling Saint Paul teacheth Rom. 8. Whom he predestinated hee called whom he called he iustified whom he iustified he glorified For as iustification is before glorification and calling before iustification so predestination is before calling X. Greuinchouius against Ames Pag. 171. Arnâ—ldus after Armun us vseth the samâ— argument P. 282. doth thus dispute I say that by your predestination the Gospell is inuerted For this is the sâ—ntence of the Gospell If thou beleeuest thou shalt liue but this your predestination saith if you are predestinated to life you shall beleeue I answere it is one thinâ— to inuert or turne the sentence another thing to ouerturne it For this sentence is conuertible whosoeuer is elected shall beleeue and whosoeuer doth beleeue is elected For we speake of that faith which Saint Paul Tit. 1.1 calleth the faith of the elect Doe not the Arminians rather inuert the Gospell which faith that faith is of the elect but they say that faith is not of the elect but that election is of the faithfull That which Greuinchouius in that place doth stuffe in concerning reprobation shall be examined in his owne place XI The same man pag. 130. doth thus argue Saluation is the reward of faith 1 Pet. 1.9 the crowne of righteousnesse the reward of labour the prize of our strife and finished course the inheritance of the sonnes of God that is of the faithfull Iohn 1.12 Gal. 4.30 And because it is hard to see how these things can be drawne to election for faith fore-seene seeing it is not there spoken of election nor of faith foree-seene he addeth these words Therefore Election to saluation is not the decree concerning the end of men as they are men simply but of the saluation of men as they are such sort of men to wit of them that are faithfull and of them that perseuere in the faith This also we confesse in that sense which we said before but it were better to say of them that were to perseuere because God electing doth not consider faith and perseuerance as a thing performed but as a thing to be performed and that by his bounty and gift XII He further addeth The will of bestowing the reward the wages c. doth necessarily presuppose the fore-seeing of faith and perseuerance in faith by the couenant of the Gospell if thou beleeuest and doest perseuere thou shalt be saued Here you digresse from the question For it was spoken of election for faith foreseene but you speake of saluation which is bestowed after faith God electing to saluation doth fore-see that faith will come before the obtaining of saluation but he doth so fore-see it that God foreseeth that which he himselfe is to worke which to speake properly is not to fore-see but to will Furthermore eternall life is called the reward of faith because it is not to be had but
the end that is saluation then also hee will equally suggest vnto them the meanes to the end to wit the word faith and the spirit But he doth not suggest these things equally to all neither can any thing be imagined more absurd then that God should equally will that all particular men should beleeue and be saued and yet suggest to some men the meanes that are congruent and fit and will certainely profit but to others meanes that are not congruent nor fit and that certainely will not profit which yet is the doctrine of Arminius XXVII And in setting downe the causes of the greater loue of God towards some one nation and his lesse loue towards some other it cannot be said how coldly they deale Sometimes they make the disposition of the one which is better then the other to be the cause which we deny For Rome or Corinth or Ephesus were not more prone to piety a little before the light of the Gospell was brought to them then they were some ages before Yea at that time prodigious lust riot pride and rapine had so immeasurably increased that they could goe no further At the same time there were many nations euen stupid with their barbarous lewdnesse and seemed more worthy of pitty if the heauenly calling were gouerned by mans reason and not by the secret purpose of God Surely before the comming of Saint Paul God had much people at Corinth as God himselfe saith Acts 18.10 and that among the most foule and common lusts of that most impure citie For which elects sake God in his appointed time sent to Corinth such an excellent Apostle so cleere a trumpet of the Gospell whose preaching and miracles he vsed to the conuersion of them who belonged to his election XXVIII Finally seeing that there is no man who by himselfe and of his owne nature is not vndisposed to faith and conuersion no man that is not dead in sinne no man that is not vnable to follow God calling He is ridiculous who in the worke of regeneration and spirituall resurrection doth seeke for dispositions and inclinations to life among the dead and who doth faigne that God hath a will of sauing vs which doth follow mans free-will and doth depend on it XXIX But to make the fault of their ancestors to be cause of this and to thinke that God therefore would not haue his Gospell to be preached to this nation because their ancestors a thousand or two thousand yeers before refused the grace of God is absurd and nothing to the purpose For the Romanes and Corinthians that liued in the time of the Apostle Paul were sprung of the same ancestors which the Romanes and Corinthians were which liued thirty or forty yeeres before the preaching of Saint Paul Nor is it equall that the ofspring should be punished for the sinnes of their ancestors The sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father Ezechiel 18. Nor doth the law extend the visitation of the fathers vpon the children beyond the third and fourth generation although also there it is spoken of children that shall walke in the steppes of their fathers and doe imitate their fathers wickednesse Further also by warres by colonies and companies by banishments and by marriages there is a maruailous permixtion and mingling together of mankinde and in one and the same nation there are some who haue proceeded from other ancestors whose manners were diuers Yea one and the same man hath proceeded from ancestors whereof some haue refused the grace of God and some haue not Of all which if regard is to be had if God will haue his Gospell preached or not preached to a nation according as their ancestors haue behaued themselues it will be impossible but that he must be distracted with diuers and contrary thoughts and that his wisedome must be bound with ridiculous bonds and contrary purposes XXX Yet the Arminians doe obstinately persist in their opinion and although they know that in all ages and see that in this our age the name of Christ is vnknowne to many nations yet they doe harden their minde and doe contend that God would haue the Gospell to be preached to all Arnoldus Page 97. doth deny that it may be said that God would not haue the Gospell to be preached to all And Page 397. It is true indeede saith he that the Gospell is not euery where preached to all yet it doth not thence follow that God will not bring all men to faith but this happeneth because by their owne affected malice and peruersity they make themselues vnworthy of that Grace Which words doe seeme to mee to imply a contradiction for if the cause why the Gospell is not preached to a nation is the wickednesse and prauity of it it is playne that God will not haue his Gospell preached to that nation because by this punishment he would reuenge the stubbornnesse and obstinacy of it And to think that any punishments are inflicted on any nations God being vnwilling especially in the worke of our saluation is to accuse God of cruell negligence and to desire to put out the eyes of his prouidence Also wee haue largely taught that all men are vnworthy and that God so dispensing the Gospell is preached to the most vnworthy and to the worst nations According to that Rom. 10.20 I was found of them that sought me not I was made manifest to them that asked not after me XXXI Being driuen therfore from hence they haue deuised another thing then which nothing is more weake They say that it cannot be said that God is vnwilling that the Gospell should be preached to all nations but that many nations sit in darkenesse because there are wanting those who wil preach to them and that this commeth to passe because the zeale of Christians doth grow cold and because of the sloathfulnesse of the pastors of the Church who will not goe thither to preach But if all Christians were affected as it is meete they should and were touched with a zeale of the house of God the preaching of the Gospell would be wanting to no people I answere that I am not hee who will affirme that Christians are altogether faultlesse in this thing Yet notwithstanding it cannot be doubted but that these things are gouerned by the counsell and prouidence of God For if God would haue brought the light of the Gospell to the people of America who haue lyen for many ages in the thicke night of ignorance be had not suffered them for so many ages to be vnknowne to the Christian world For how can they be accused for not preaching the Gospell to the Americans who did not know that there were any such people or that that prat of the earth was inhabited Neither is it credible that God can be disappointed of his intent and of his desire of sauing any Nation by the negligence of some Ministers Nor is it equall that enumerable people should for euer beare the punishment
to will and to doe of his good pleasure Phil 2. So although the infant in the mothers wombe doth moue it selfe and doth helpe forward his owne natiuity yet it hath that power of mouing from God Therefore euen as if any one doth ascribe the whole praise of the forming of the infant the generation and birth of it to God alone he doth not thereby hinder the birth of the infant or diminish the vigour of it So he that doth ascribe to God the whole praise of our regeneration and holy actions doth not thereby hinder the endeauour of good workes nor weaken the will of man or binde it with the bonds of naturall necessity XXI Here therefore a distinction is to be vsed For if it be spoken of the beginning of conuersion and of the first entrance of regeneration and faith that is of the procuring or forming of faith and repentance in our soules wee contend that free-will doth nothing here and that our soules in the very beginnings are not onely meerely passiue but also that they doe with their greatest endeauour resist the worke of God forming in vs the rudiments and draughts of the new man so that man in this case is not free vnlesse it be to resist God But after regeneration begunne and after God hath giuen to man a heart of flesh for his heart of stone then man doth freely moue himselfe to those workes which are acceptable to God And as there are secret but yet certaine increasings of regeneration so this liberty doth increase by little and little fainting euery day with the resistance of our lusts By this meanes mans will doth cooperate and worke together with God yet so that whatsoeuer good is done is due to God alone No otherwise then as when a scriuener doth guide the shaking hand of the childe and doth at the first frame it to make letters the childe indeede doth indeauour to forme the letters and doth striue with all his power yet the right forming of the letters is not to be ascribed to the childe but to the scriuener This example seemeth to me to be most fit because it teacheth that God doth not onely worke with our will as the Semipelagian Synergists or maintainers of our cooperation with God of this our age would haue it but also that God doth worke by our wills and doth bend them by an effectuall motion which motion after what manner and how farre man may resist shall hereafter be taught XXII Wee therefore say that the act of beleeuing and repenting is so farre the act of man in as much as man himselfe beleeueth and repenteth and not God and in as much as no man beleeueth and repenteth but he doth it willingly But we say that the grace of God alone doth create and giue the first being to faith in vs and that it is the gift of God and by the power of the regenerating spirit that wee doe willingly and freely beleeue and repent For the question is not who beleeueth whether man or God but what doth bring forth faith in man and whether it be in the power of free-will helped with grace to beleeue or not to beleeue and to vse grace or not to vse it XXIII From this doctrine the foundations and proofes whereof shall be brought out of the holy Scripture in the next chapter Arminius and his Sectaries doe infinitely and exceedingly differ For they are of opinion that an vnregenerate man hath power of beleeuing and repenting The Arminian conferrers at the Hage Page 272. doe affirme that conuersion doth goe before faith and that man doth helpe somewhat to his owne conuersion before hee hath faith And turning ouer the writings of these Sectaries I finde that they determine that by the corruption of nature mans vnderstanding is darkened and his affections are depraued but I no where finde in their writings that his will is of its owne nature deprâ—ued and prone to sinne But they attribute to it pronenesse eyther to good or euill and an equall inâ—anation to either part Wherefore in the regeneration of a man they will indeede haue his vnderstanding to be enlightned vnresistably and his affections to be drawn for so they speake but they say that the will keepes her owne liberty of beleeuing or not beleeuing of repenting or not repenting And they will not haue the viuification and reuiuing of the will in our regeneration to consist in this that of being naturally euill it is made good by the infusion of some vertue but that by the illumination of the vnderstanding the amendâ—ment of the affections the will is made able to put forth that faculty of willing or nilling which is ingrafied in it This the Arminians of the conferrence at the Hage teach Page 25. And also the same men a little after say these words In our spirituall death the spirituall gifts are not properly seperated from the will of man because they were neuer engrafted in it Surely those men are of opinion that the will of Adam before his fall was not furnished with righteousnesse and holinesse For it cannot be denyed but that these vertues are spirituall gifts which certainely is a prodigious and monstrous diuinity XXIV The same men doe affirme that sufficient grace is giuen to all men euen to vnregenerate and heathen men to whom the name of Christ hath not come whereby they may obtaine faith if they will And that an vnregenerate man is not altogether dead in sinne Arnold p 403. Home corruptus potestlumine natura recte vti et habet aliquas reliquias vite spiritualis but that there are in him reliques and remainds of spirituall life and power of fulfilling the law of nature for they thinke that God doth exact and require nothing from man to the performing whereof hee would not giue him sufficient power otherwise say they God should gather where hee hath not scattered They say therefore that God is bound to giue to all men the power of fulfilling that which he commandeth and of beleeuing in Christ XXV Notable are the words of Arminius pa. 244. against Perkins Doest thou saith he deny that free-will is flexible and pliant to either part I adde further and that also without grace for it is flexible of its owne nature and as it is addicted to euill in the state of sinne so it is capable of good which capablenesse grace doth not giue it for it is in it by nature Hee therefore doth differ from himselfe when hee addes that free will is not bowed to good without the grace of God For how doe these things stand together that free-will is flexible to good without grace and yet it is not bowed to good without grace In vaine is that power which is neuer brought into act For whence doth hee gather that that thing may be done which he himselfe knoweth neuer was done nor neuer shall be Hitherto pertaineth that which he saith pag. 257. To be able to beleeue is in nature to
speake of my selfe Hence they would proue that one may doe the will of God before he know Christ and his doctrine This is to delude the Scripture and to wrest it at their pleasure For they speake as if Christ had said Hee that doth fulfill the commandements of God shall afterward know of my doctrine whether it be of God c. Also by the words to doe the will of God they vnderstand to acknowledge their sinnes to feare God with a seruile and slauish feare seriously to wish the grace of God and remission of sinnes to doe those things which are of the law c. All false For to doe the will of God in this place is nothing else then to beleeue Christ speaking for this is that which Christ doth vrge that this is the will of the father that we should beleeue on the Sonne Whose words if any man beleeues hee thereby knoweth that his doctrine is heauenly and diuine wherefore we are not to thinke that we doe the will of God before we beleeue in his Sonne Thus although it be true that he who is moued doth liue yet it doth not thence follow that motion is before life So in that Christ saith Whosoeuer will doe the will of the father shall know that my doctrine is from God It doth not thence follow that the will of the father must be done before it can be knowne that his doctrine is from God But if there is any order of time here it must needes be that the doctrine of Christ be first knowne to be from God before he can be beleeued or obeyed when he speakes For no man doth beleeue that which hee doth not in some part know Christ followeth this order Iohn 17.8 They haue knowne that I came out from thee and they haue beleeued that thou didst send mee And Chap. 14.17 he saith that the spirit of truth is not receiued by the world because the world doth not know him To know therefore is before to receiue V. That is no better which Arnoldus doth adde Page 409. The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome Prou. 1. And The Lord reuealeth his secrets to them that feare him Psal 25. But I deny that the feare of the Lord of which it is spoken here can agree to vnbeleeuers and vnregenerate men Salomon saith that the feare of the Lord is the head of wisedome that is the chiefe part and that wherein wisedome doth chiefely consist for this the Hebrew word Reshith doth plainely signifie And those that feare God to whom he reuealeth his secrets are not vnregenerate persons but those which are truely godly to whom hee doth daily giue increase of wisedome and of the true knowledge of God VI. To the same end Arnoldus Page 397. doth bring the words of the 51. Psalme A contrite spirit is an acceptable sacrifice to God And Esay 66. God will dwell in a contrite spirit Arnoldus thinketh that these things are spoken of an vnregenerate man but yet such a one as doth confesse his sinnes doth grieue hath the beginning of feare c. But hee eyther deceiues or is deceiued For there Dauid lamenting his sinnes with a large confession doth comfort himselfe with this hope and doth promise to himselfe that his contrition will be an acceptable sacrifice to God Whosoeuer therefore doth say that Dauid there speaketh of the contrition of an vnregenerate man doth affirme that Dauid himselfe was vnregenerate And there is no man but seeth that Esay doth speake of them that are truely faithfull and of a filiall feare and contrition and not of that feare which may be in the vnregenerate and in the heathen who haue not heard the word of God For the Prophet saith To whom shall I looke To him that is afflicted and of a contrite heart and trembleth at my word Hee speaketh of the man who is instructed in the word of God and who with a holy feare is moued to the hearing of it VII Arnoldus a little before had reckoned vp the good workes which may be done by an vnregenerate man viz. To doe those things which are of the law to haue some sparkes of light and knowledge engrauen on his heart to grieue for his sinnes to implore the grace of remission of sinnes and of the new spirit But how many nations are there who doe not know what this new spirit is nor haue euer heard any thing of the grace of remission of sins Also I would know whether such things that are done by the vnregenerate without faith are truely good If they be truely good then we can doe that which is truely good without Christ without his spirit and without faith If they are not truely good how can that not be truely good and iust which God alone intendeth and which alone nothing more if Arminius be beleeued he doth require from the vnregenerate man as long as he is vnregenerate VIII A little after he saith that the same worke cannot be performed as perfect in its essence without the faith of Christ and he doth put this difference betweene workes which are done before regeneration and they which are done after regeneration to wit that they are imperfect these are perfect These are the two kindes of merits with which in the Schooles of the Papists make such a noyse merits of congruity and merits of condignity but new dressed and cloathed with other names The Reader therefore shall note that the Arminians place in a regenerate man perfect workes and a perfect loue of God For they thinke that the regenerate may by the spirit of Christ so conforme their life according to that law that they may come to that degree of obedience which God doth require of them These are the words of Arnoldus pag. 492. and pag. 399. according to Arminius he saith that there is a double spirit one that doth goe before regeneration and doth tend to it which is the spirit of bondage to feare the other which doth regenerate and doth perfect regeneration Arminius Resp ad 31. Art pa. 164. and 165. I doe not repugne that opinion of Austin whereby he determines that man may be without sinne in this life Truely it is boldly spoken The Arminians then are better then the Apostle Iames who speaketh thus Chap. 3. In many things we offend all In which speech he doth account himselfe among them who offend in many things Better then Saint Iohn whose confession is this If we say we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs Yea better then all the Apostles who did daily say Forgiue vs our trespasses Neither is it to be maruailed at if the Arminians thinke that the regenerate can fulfill the Law seeing they also say that the Law of nature may be fulfilled by the heathen and vnregenerate Now the Law of nature is that to which Adam before his fall stood bound which bond passed to his posteritie This Law forbids a man to lye but the
things the Arminians bring some arguments but so light that they are dispearsed onely with a breath Arminius against Perkins Page 57. doth say that Stephen Acts 7.51 doth vpbraide and reproach the Iewes that they did alwaies resist the Holy-Ghost Hence the accure man doth gather that these rebellious Iewes were inwardly affected with the Holy-Ghost But the following words doe declare what it is to resist the Holy-Ghost for Stephen addeth Which of the Prophets haue not your fathers persecuted to wit to persecute the Prophets speaking by the inspiration of the Holy-Ghost and to resist the spirit speaking by their mouths this was to resist the Holy-Ghost XI I confesse that there are some men who doe resist the spirit of grace of whom the Apostle speaketh Hebrewes 10.29 and who doe striue against the inward suggestion of the Holy-Ghost But there the Apostle speaketh of some few who hauing embraced the Gospell with ioy and hauing receiued some tast of the word of God doe a while after with an obstinate minde and on set purpose turne their back to God and doe cast out his grace with indignation and doe sinne wilfully after they haue receiued the knowledge of the truth as it is said verse 26. who that they are the same with them who sinne against the Holy-Ghost doth hence appeare in that the Apostle in the same place doth say that their sâ—luation was past hope and doth say that there remaineth no sacrifice for their sinnes and that there doth rest no hope of reconciliation for them But this doth agree but to some few and not to all to whom eyther the law alone or the Gospell with the law hath beene made knowne All which these Sectaries teach are moued inwardly by the Hoâ—y Ghost and haue a feeling of the true doctrine imprinted in them Neither doe I thinke that the gifts of the spirit which such men as these haue receiued are the gifts of regeneration or the spirit of adoption or the true proper and iustifying faith but onely some assayes of the spirit mouing the heart at whose suggestion the will being warmed with some slight heare rather then enflamed doth cleaue to the Gospell vntill the benummed appetites perceiuing warre to be intended against them haue raised themselues with greater force and hauing shaken out of the heart that superficiall piety haue turned it into hatred and by the very incitations of piety their hidden poyson hath more vehemently burst forth XII Arminius in the same place doth hold vp and as it were vnderproppe their tottering cause with that place of the Prophet Esay Chapter 55.11 where he hath these words So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne vnto me voide but shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I senâ—â— Surely this is to hit the nayle on the head The meaning of Esay is plaine for he saith that the promises and threats propounded in the word of God shall be executed and that nothing was saide in vaine and which should not be fulfilled Here is no mention of the quickning efficacy of the spirit affecting mens hearts nor if there were could it thence be proued that the spirit of God did worke in all but in them alone whom he decreed to saue XIII Arnoldus Page 443. doth poure out a showre of places of Scripture and yet hee doth not proue by them that which hee doth intend That place Matth. 23.37 doth not proue it How oft would I haue gathered thy children c. For we haue shewed in the fift Chapter that these children were gathered together Also if they were not gathered together it would not follow that they were called any otherwise then by an outward calling XIV That place Esay 65 2. doth not proue it I haue spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people Nor that Prou. 1.24 I haue called and ye refused For there it is spoken of the outward calling and not of the efficacy of the spirit working in mens hearts XV. Nor that place Psal 81.14 O that my people had hearkened that Israell had walked in my wates I would soone haue subdued their enemies For these words meane nothing else then what they plainely found forth to wit that God would haue laid flat the enemies of Israell if Israell had obeyed God Here is no mention at all of the inward efficacy of the spirit XVI Nor that of Ezechiel Chapter 18. v. 31. Make ye a new heart and a new spirit For it is not proued by this place that man doth make himselfe a new heart seeing God in the 36. Chapter of the same Prophecy saith I will giue you a new heart and a new spirit Much lesse is it hence proued that the Holy-Ghost doth worke in all men XVII Nor that of Saint Iohn Chapter 5.34 I seeke not the testimony of men but these things I say that ye might be saued And verse 40. Ye will not come to me that ye might haue life By which words how it can be proued that the quickning power of the Holy-Ghost doth worke in all men I confesse and it is my dulnesse I cannot conceiue XVIII It is not proued by those words of Saint Paul 1. Tim. 2.4 God would haue all men be saued Of which words wee haue at large proued Chapter 29. that this is the sence God doth inuite to saluation men of any sort and of euery condition XIX Nor by that place of Peter Epphes 2. Chap. 3. v. 9. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance For it cannot be drawne out of this place that the Holy-Ghost doth inwardly worke in all men euen in those to whom the Gospell is not preached but onely that God is not the cause of the ouerthrow of any one that he doth not reioyce in the destruction of man as he is man For otherwise as the same man is a sinner God doth loue the execution of his iustice XX. Nor is it proued by that place of Ezechiel Chapter 12.2 Sonne of man thou dwellest in the middest of a rebellious house which haue eyes to see and see not they haue eares to heare and heare not For there by eyes and eares is not to be vnderstood sufficient grace to saluation eyther mediately or immediately nor the operation of the Holy-Ghost working in the reprobates but a knowledge in the heart by which euen against their wills they did acknowledge that those things were right which were taught them by the Prophets for they were admonished by so cleere instructions and stirred vp with so seuere threates that they could not pretend ignorance This knowledge was giuen them not by supernaturall grace working inwardly nor by sufficient grace common to all men by which they might haue beleeued and beene conuerted if they would but by the instructions and documents of the Prophets and by the law of God knowne and perceiued in their minde
God indeede doth giue grace and sufficient power to conuersion but that man is conuerted or not conuerted in act is in the power of free-will Arnoldus doth teach this at large 447. We determine saith hee that the vse of grace is subiect to mans will so that man may vse it or not vse it according to his naturall liberty And a little after speaking of a man furnished with the power of grace hee saith that the effect of the mercy of God is in the power of man And pag. 448. he teacheth that if efficacy be taken for efficiency man maketh grace ineffectuall For Arnoldus was ashamed to adde the other member and to say that man made grace effectuall or ineffectuall and yet there are other places brought by vs out of their writings which are equipollent and of like force with this speech as also that which he saith pag. 449. Man if he be not wanting to himselfe may conuert himselfe The Reader therefore shall marke how pestilent this doctrine is which the ARminians restrained as it were with shame doe scarce at any time vtter without ambiguities That the grace of God is effectuall that is efficient and working it is to be attributed to free-will and the efficiency of the grace of God is subiected to the will of man By which speech they meane this that God doth saue man if man himselfe will for this it is to depend on mans will VI. The Orthodoxe Churches doe much differ from this doctrine For how can we be conuerted by the grace of God if wee will seeing that this very thing that we are willing is the grace of God yea it is conuersion it selfe For he that doth seriously desire to be conuerted to God is already in some part conuerted But of these things we haue already spoken much and more shall be spoken when wee treate of the manner by which the grace of God doth certainely worke conuersion in vs which manner the Arminians call by an odious and rude word irresistibilitie VII But in the tearme of sufficient grace they doe not onely differ one from another but euery one of them differeth from himselfe For they will haue sufficient grace to beleeue power of beleeuing to be giuen to all particular men * Arnal p 405. Licet sit generalis gratiae quod homines dons istis pessint recte vti tamen quod actu recte ijs vtantur à speciali gratia est Potentia eniminactum non producitur nisi per auxilium alterius gratiae subsiquentis quae specialis est quia non omnibus contingis And yet the same men say that no man can beleeue in act and vse well this vniuersall grace without speciall grace O your faithfull stability Can that be called sufficient grace which doth neuer bring forth that effect for which it is giuen vnlesse some other speciall grace come to it Is that a sufficient cause which doth neuer worke alone Or is any thing lesse agreeable to reason then with Arminius to make one kinde of grace which is sufficient by which the sinner may be conuerted but is not conuerted and another which is effectuall by which the sinner is conuerted Is it not of the same power and faculty to be able to doe and to doe to be able to see and to see Surely a giddinesse hath ceased on these men while they study for subtiltie VIII I am deceiued if Vorstius did not discerne this and therefore in the twentie and twentie one sections Collat. cum Piscat he doth make two kindes of grace one sufficient and altogether necessary which God doth giue to all them that are called the other extraordinary superabounding and singular by which men are indeede conuerted and hee doth reiect them that say none at all are conuetted by that former grace For he saith that God hath not promised to conuert all that are conuerted with this more then sufficient helpe and superabounding efficacy of grace IX But we taking the tearme of effectuall grace for that grace which is apt and fit to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed doe acknowledge no sufficient grace which is not effectuall that is apt to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed whether it doth effect and worke alone or with others which I do purposely adde because oftentimes to one effect and perfect action many causes doe concurre as to Learning Nature Art and exercise doe concurre to the ferâ—iâ—ity and fruitfulnesse of the field the goodnesse of the soile the sunne raine and conuenient manuring doe concurre X. And seeing that in the concourse of causes to the producing of one effect there are certaine causes that doe not onely worke with others but which doe also worke by others and doe giue efficacie and power to the adioyning causes So in the conuersion of man the holy Ghost and the preaching of the word doe concurre but the spirit doth giue efficacy to the word For in vaine are the eares beaten on vnlesse God open the heart and with the word doth inspire his secret power XI And we acknowledge that there is no grace absolutely sufficient eyther to conuersion or to faith or to saluation without the spirit of regeneration and knowledge of Christ And we condemne the schoole of Arminius teaching that all men euen the heathens to whom the name of Christ hath not come are indued with sufficient and sauing grace to come to faith and by it to saluation XII Yet the outward meanes to saluation that are largely administred without the inward efficacy of the holy Spirit may in some measure be called sufficient grace not onely because they suffice to make them inexcusable but also because these meanes ought to suffice to come to saluation if man were such as he ought to be For if any thing is wanting to that grace the defect is bred on his part who is called not on his part who calleth who by the rule of iustice is not bound to supply inward dispositions because man is bound to giue them of his owne and to bring them of himselfe Nor is God bound to restore them to man after man hath lost them by his owne fault Therefore God doth iustly say Esay 5. What ought I to haue done more to my vineyard that I haue not done to it For speaking after the manner of men God is said that he ought to doe that which his iustice doth require and which if he should not doe there would seeme to be cause of expostulating But that God doth there speake of the outward meanes doth hence appeare because he compareth the benefits bestowed vpon Israel to a planting in a fruitfull place to a digging to fencing with a hedg to gathering out stones and to the building of a Tower But there is no mention of the secret vegetation and growth of it of the fauourable fitnesse of the ayre of the seasonable raine which are things rather of an inward and secret power Furthermore
to that question whereby it is demanded whether God doth giue to seuerall men sufficient grace this place of the fift of Esay is not properly brought where it is not spoken of that sufficient grace which God doth offer or giue to seuerall men but of that which he giueth to a whole nation For the gift of the spirit and the power of beleeuing which Arminius will haue to be giuen to seuerall men is a gift which is giuen to particular men seuerally and not to a whole nation taken together But concerning this sufficient grace a particular Treatise is to be made CHAP. XXXVIII The opinion of the Arminians concerning vniuersall grace which is also called sufficient grace I. IN that Series and ranke of the foure decrees in which the Arminians doe comprehend their whole doctrine of Predestination the third decree was this whereby they say that God decreed to administer and supply the meanes necessary to faith and repentance sufficiently on all and seuerall men Arnoldus will haue these meanes to be effectually administred to all because by efficacy hee vnderstandeth aptitude and fitnesse to effect and worke II. Not that these Sectaries will haue the meanes to faith and saluation to be equally administred to all For they will haue them to be supplied to some more sparingly to some more liberally yet to all in that measure that may suffice to beleeue if they will and by which all men are disposed to viuification so that it is not hindred by God but that all men may haue faith and by beleeuing be saued III. And they thinke that God doth irresistably giue to all men the * Arnold page 407. power of beleeuing But not the act of beleeuing it selfe whereunto although God doth giue sufficient grace to all men yet they will haue it to be in the power of free-will to vse this grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue For God doth not * Arnold page 336. Diâ—at Arminius gratiam quia facultas credindi datur quam plurimis dicat omnibuâ— communâ—m esse an proinde negaâ— gratiam esse Arminius in Perkins p. 256. 257. Quanti refutatio tuâ— Quid enim si quis dicat omnes in vniuersum hominâ—s habere potentieâ— credendt saluâ—m consequâ—ndi sâ— velint Et hanc ipsam potentiam esse naturaeh minum dium â—as collatam quo tuo argumento confutabis illum supply these sufficient meanes by a precise intention of sauing any particular person but he doth minister to all and particular men those means which suffice to shew that God doth seriously from his heart desire the saluatioÌ„ of al men that it is not hindred by him but that all men shold be saued IV. They say moreouer that there are some men to whom this sufficient grace is administred more sparingly to whom notwithstanding God is prepared to giue more meanes if they will vse those well which they haue according to that speech To him that hath it shall be giuen These are the words of Arminius against Perkins Page 259. 260. The Gentiles while they were made destitute of the knowledge of God yet God hath not left them without a testimony but euen at that time he made knowne to them some truth concerning his power and goodnesse he also preserued the law engrauen in their mindes which good things if they had rightly vsed at least from their conscience hee would haue giuen them greater grace according to that saying to him that hath shall be giuen Neither doe they doubt to say that the Gentiles destitute of the knowledge of the Gospell may as well come to those good things which are offered in the Gospell as those to whom the Gospell is preached Heare the words of Arnoldus Pa. 105.106 which when I read I trembled at Although saith he many nations are destitute of the ordinary preaching of the Gospell yet they are not precisely excluded from the grace of the Gospell but alwaies the good things which are offered in the Gospell doe remaine equally propounded to them as to the rest who doe enioy the priuiledge of the preaching of it so that they performe the conditions of the couenant Oh * Arnold page 360. Deus indiscriminatiâ—â— statuit media ad finem administrare Et page 372. Etiam Ethnicis ante adnentum Christi media ad fidem in Christum sufficienter efficaciter administrata Et page 443. Deus nihil a nobis exigit ad qued vires sufficientes non det Ibid Si peteres ab homine aliquid nec daret ad obliquendum colligeret vbi non sparsit the faith of God and men Hath Satan so much liberty that in this light of the Gospell he should stirre vp men who should openly teach and write and that vnder a pretence of piety that an entrance into heauen doth lie open and that saluation is propounded as well to heathens and infidels to whom not so much as the name of Christ is knowne as to those to whom Christ is preached But of these things hereafter But by the way it is to be obserued how this man doth confute those things which himselfe hath laid downe and by the adding of an absurd and impossible clause doth destroy those things which he had builded vp For he saith that saluation is no lesse propounded to heathen men then to Christians so that they fulfill the conditions of the Couenant These conditions are Faith and Repentance but how should he beleeue in Christ who is ignorant of Christ how should he repent to whom God hath not giuen the spirit of regeneration Thus is the Reader openly deluded V. Nay what shall wee say to this that they doe not onely affirme that God doth giue sufficient grace and power of beleeuing to all men but that also they contend that God is bound and tied to giue this grace and they make lawes to God himselfe That there is danger lest an action of iniustice should be entred against God or that he had no reason of his iustice vnlesse some one of the Arminian sect had helped him with profitable counsell Arnoldus page 262. hath these words God when hee doth propound the new couenant of grace and doth promise remission of the fault committed vnder the condition of new obedience hee is most of all bound to giue power whereby man may fulfill that condition For otherwise it cannot be iudged that God doth seriously offer this grace Boldly and imperiously spoken His affinia habet Vorstius Collat cuÌ„ Piscat Sect. 19. Vuelferi verba hac sunt lib de officiâ— hominis Christiani F. 3. Causa huius erroris est quod creditum fuit nullum salutarem iustificantem fidem vnquam suisse nisi fidem in Christum Vide Bertium Discept Epist 73. 67. The cause of this assertion hee doth render page 443. God saith he doth shew that he will not be loaden with this vniust suspition that hee should require any
I. FIrst of all this opinion of sufficient grace doth manifestly delude God while it doth faigne that God seriously and from his heart doth desire to saue all men and to that end doth giue all men sufficient grace by which they may be conuerted and beleeue but hee doth so sparingly administer this grace to the greatest part of mankinde that no man can be named in the whole world who hath beene saued by this sufficient grace seeing that no man destitute of faith and of the knowledge of the redeemer hath euer rightly vsed those naturall gifts or hath worshipped God with a worship that is pleasing to him Neither could the Arminians yet bring any example nor if they could bring one or two examples they could not thereby wipe away that blot which they set vpon God For he thinketh but ill of God who teacheth that God doth seriously desire all men to be saued and to that end doth giue to all men sufficient grace whereby they may be conuerted and beleeue but hee doth so sparingly administer this grace that of infinite millions scarce one or two hath by this sufficient grace conuerted himselfe and come to faith II. Nay what That this doctrine with a rash boldnesse doth set lawes to God himselfe and doth prescribe to him the manner and measure whereby he ought to bestow his gifts and to giue the increases of grace For if any one by the helpe of sufficient grace hath righâ—ly vsed the gifts of nature the Arminians say that God is bound to giue to that man greater grace because he hath well vsed the light of nature he is bound to giue him supernaturall light the knowledg of the Gospel But I think that the creator is by no bond tied to the creature yea if he were bound yet it were not our part audaciously to tell him to his face what he ought to do nor to admonish him of his duty as if there were danger that he should not keepe his credit or should sin against those lawes by which he is bound Also by this meanes the benefits of God are lessened and made very small For if these sectaries be beleeued God gining to a man the power of beleeuing doth doe nothing but what hee ought to doe and doth giue nothing but what hee is bound to giue III. The same doctrine determining that sufficient grace is giuen to the Gentiles which haue not knowne Christ that according to the measure thereof they may worship God doth plainely say that there is a worship which may be acceptable to God without Christ and without faith Neither doth Arnoldus say this thing obscurely but Page 409 speaking of the heathens who followed an austere kinde of life that they might serue God Whence will yee proue saith he that such men doe eyther perish or remaine voide of Christ This man while he would haue vs hope well of the saluation of the he then who followed an austere kinde of life although they were altogether ignorant of Christ doth in the meane while vilifie and lightly esteeme of Christian faith as not necessary and doth secretly insinuate that one may be saued by Christ without the knowledge of Christ For although these Sectaries cry out that they are wronged as often as the corrupt matter is pressed out of their Vlcers yet hee shall easily perceiue whereto these thinges pertaine who will exactly reade that whole disputation of Arnoldus contained in some Pages IV. With a like error doe the Arminians thinke that the power of beleeuing and obtaining faith is giuen to man without the spirit of regeneration and adoption And seeing that by faith we are the sonnes of God if man without the spirit of regeneration hath power of beleeuing then without the same spirit he hath also power of effecting or causing that hee be the sonne of God V. Also it is absurd and deserues to be laughed at to say that the power of beleeuing in Christ is giuen to a man without the spirit of regeneration but that to beleeue it selfe is not giuen without the spirit of regeneration as if the powers of beleeuing were from one cause but the vsing and excution of those powers were from another cause and as if it were not of the same saculty to be able to doe and to doe to be able to runne and to runne For they say that another speciall grace is required to beleeue and therfore that sufficient grace is not sufficient to beleeue in act These things seeme to me to be like the dreams of sicke men VI. But how absurd and how contrary is it to the wisedome of God to say that God is prepared to giue greater grace and the light of his Gospell to those who haue well vsed the light of nature For so God is said to be ready to doe that which hee knoweth he shall not doe and to be prepared to bestow vpon man new and greater grace vnder a condition which no man hath fulfilled nor shall fulfill For no man that is destitute of faith of the knowledge of the redeemer and of the spirit of regeneration hath rightly vsed the light of nature nor hath worshipped God with a worship which hath beene pleasing to him because whatsoeuer is without faith is sinne and whosoeuer hath not the Sonne hath not the Father yea he is without God in the world as the Scripture teacheth VII Yea whosoeuer shall looke ouer the records of all histories shall finde that the most wisest amongst the heathen whose liues were more temperate whose appetites were lesse violent and who loued iustice and saide or writte many famous things concerning God were yet very farre from the kingdome of Heauen Experience hath proued this for when the Gospell beganne to be published through the nations Christian Religion endured no greater enemies then the Philosophers These turned the subtilty of their wit to defame the crosse of Christ and held out to others fierce firebrands to cruelty persecution For the more any one doth affect the praise of ciuill vertue and hath his wit practised with much learning so much the more base doth the simplicity of the Gospell seeme to him and he is the more offended with the scandall of the crosse of Christ VIII But it is a meruaile by what meanes any man can be prepared to saith and regeneration by naturall instructions and by the light of nature seeing that man by the instinct of his corrupt nature is stirred vp to idolatry For it is ingrafted in man to desire to haue some present and visible obiect on which he may setle his eyes while hee poureth forth his prayers and mans wisedome hath oftentimes troade Religion vnder foote XIX Arnold page 404. Deus primo hâ—â— agit vt home intelligat se in precatis mortuum Furthermore seeing that as Arnoldus confesseth the first effect of grace is for a man to know that he is dead in sinne and that naturally hee is subiect to the eternall
beene made partakers of that perseuerance that they could not but perseuere Thence it is that they will not admit of this that they should allow that the number of them that are predestinated and the number of them that are reiected is determined These are they whose authority was more to Arminius then the authority of Saint Austin yea then of Saint Paul himselfe For they haue liberally and manifestly borrowed all their opinions from the Semipelagians CHAP. XLIII The opinion of the Arminians of the manner of the operation of Grace and of that power which they call vnresistable Also of morall perswasion And of the power and act of beleeuing WHat the secret motions of the holy-Ghost are what the efficacy of it is by what degrees it doth further regeneration what impediments are cast in the way by man what is the conflict of the flesh with the spirit and the strife of the new man with the old who as another Esau doth at length shake off the yoake and doth hinder the worke of God as much as it can I thinke cannot be throughly knowne by any nor can that little which we know by experience be explained in fit words Surely Christ Iohn 3. doth rightly compare the spirit the author of regeneration to the winde which bloweth where it listeth and whose sound is heard but men know not whence it commeth nor whether it goeth It is a thing therefore whose experience is rather to be wished then the efficacy of it to be explained There are many who while they peere into the nature of the operation of the holy-Spirit are themselues led by a reprobate spirit And while they discourse concerning the efficacy of the spirit of peace they themselues being prone to discord and puft vp with pride doe sufficiently bewray that they are led by that spirit which doth effectually worke in the sonnes of rebellion Ephes 2. These things although they be thus and that it be safer to follow God calling then to enquire by what power he doth call and draw vs yet the obstinate rashnesse of those men with whom wee haue to doe compelleth vs to descend to these things For these innouators haue drawne out of the puddles of the spanish Iesuites I know not what words of resistability and vnresistability with which they entangle mens wits The scope whereof is to furnish the will of man with powers wherewith he may resist the Holy-Ghost with how great efficacy soeuer hee should worke in mens hearts that by this meanes man might owe his conuersion to his owne strength and power and the confidence of our saluation resting on a weake supporter might stagger and fall into desparation The words of Arnoldus against Tilenus are direct pag. 125. Collat Hag pag. 304. Negat propositum Deo decretumque esse absolute hunc vel â—lum conuertere Armin. in Perk. 199. Falsum est Deum simpliciter absolute velle vt alij credant perseuerent c Quâ—st Artiâ— Remâ—nst iâ— Collat. Hag. Modus operatiâ—nis graâ—â—â—â— non est resistibilis We deny that the difference of Grace calling is not placed as much in the free will of men as in the will of God And they all affirme with one mouth that God doth not absolutely will that this or that man should beleeue but that hee indeede doth giue sufficient grace and power of beleeuing which man may vse or not vse according to his owne free-will And that grace and the power of the holy Ghost working in the heart is resistable euen in the most holy men and in the elect and that the finall effect thereof may be hindred by man Whence they gather that those who are elected may be reprobated Indeede say they the power of beleeuing is giuen vnresistably and the vnderstanding is so instructed in knowledge and the affections stirred vp that it cannot be resisted but they contend that the act of beleeuing it selfe is giuen resistably and that it is in the power of free-will to vse grace or not to vse it to beleeue or not to beleeue For they doe not thinke that the liberty of free-will can stand vnlesse he that is elected may sinally resist grace and so be reprobated Arnoldus against Bogermannus pag. 263. and 274. All the operations of grace being granted which God doth vse to the working of conuersion in vs yet conuersion it selfe doth so remaine free in our power that we may not be conuerted that is we may conuert or not conuert our selues For they teach that the effect of grace doth depend on mans free-will and that free-will is a part-cause of our conuersion in so much that Greuinchouius against Ames Greuinch pag. 198. 204. 208 297. is bold to write these things You will say that in this manner of operation God doth on a sort depend on the will of man I grant it as concerning the act of free determination Truely this is to disgrace God and to make him subiect to mans free-will Nor doe they doubt to say that God seriously desiring that this or that man should be saued is disappointed of his wish and desire and that therefore hee doth grieue and beare it heauily and doth not doe that which hee had sworne he would doe as before we haue proued Euen with these shores doe these good men vnderproppe Christian faith being about to fall And the manner whereby the grace of God and his Spirit doth worke in vs they determine to be this They say that the vnderstanding of man is vnresistably enlightned Câ—â—lat Hag. p. 272. Illuminatâ—â—mint ellectus 〈…〉 p. â—6 and that his affections are vnresistably stirred vp but the assent of the will doth remaine free The same men thinke that God doth vnresistably giue to man the power of beleeuing of conuerting himselfe but the act it selfe of beleeuing and conuerting himselfe may be done or hindred by mans will and that the feeling is vnresistibly giuen but not the assent For they say that there is in the will an essentiall indifferency and indetermination to receiue or refuse grace and as being put in an equall ballance doth turne to neither part for it lost no spirituall gifts by the fall of Adam because it had not these gifts before the fall The conferrers at the Hage pag. 307. Although it is to be determined that the infusion of abilityes is done by an vnresistible power that the matter become not infinite yet it cannot come to passe that the act it selfe that is to beleeue and be conuerted should be wrought vnresistibly And they doe plainely deny that actuall faith and the act of beleeuing is the gift of God For although they doe sometimes make shew of this and doe thunder out with full mouthes that faith is from God yet in the whole thred of their disputation they doe openly bewray that they are verry farre from that opinion For they deny that faith is iufused by God into the hearts of men but that God
doth giue power and faculty of beleeuing Nor doth God otherwise giue the act of beleeuing then as the minde is indued with knowledge and the affections being raysed doe put forward the will which is not to giue faith but to incite to faith Yea by their opinion it is certaine that God doth not giue the power of beleeuing in Christ but doth onely enlighten the minde that it may know Christ and allure the appetites with a gentle perswasion For hee that doth onely shew the light and exhort the traueller to goe doth not giue him power of going These are the words of the Arminian conferrers at the Hage p. 275. We deny that faith is the gift of God in respect of the actuall infusing of it into our hearts but it is so called in respect of the power of comming to it This indeede is to vse no circumstance but to speake it plainely enough For they say that God doth not infuse faith into our hearts but that he doth giue the meanes to come to faith which meanes we may vse if we will for this is in the power of free-will The same men pag. 306. doe professe that they beleeue that the very act of beleeuing is from God and yet a little after they doe retract what they had granted for they doe ouerthrow all those places of Scripture by which wee endeauour to proue that faith and the act of beleeuing is from God The men of our party did proue this by the words of Christ Iohn 6.65 No man can come to me vnlesse it be giuen him by the father The Arminians answere that that place of Iohn speaketh of nothing but of that faculty whereby one may beleeue and therefore it doth not make to the purpose in as much as it is to be proued that the very act of beleeuing is the gift of God Would they haue it to be proued by vs and to be euinced by argument if they did beleeue it and did seriously professe it Surely that their confession was dissembled and therefore a little after they doe alter and reuoke it In the same place they doe peruersly corrupt that famous place of S. Paul Ephes 2. By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God In which place both saluation and faith are called the gift of God For they deny that faith is there called the gift of God but saluation O your fidelity ye Sectaries What doth this concerne you or why doe youso much feare lest faith should be called by the Apostle the gift of God This indeed is a very great malignity and an open confession whereby they disclose that they thinke that faith is not the gift of God With a like licentiousnesse doe they sport themselues in deprauing the words of the Apostle to Timothy Epist 2. Chap. 2. v. 25. If God will giue them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth The men of our party brought this place that they might proue conuersion and the act of repentance to be from God But these Sectaries as it were in a mockery doe reiect this place as that which speaketh of repentance as of a thing that is vncertaine and which may happen Doubtlesse it doth not please the Arminians that the act of conuersion is the gift of God And although they say in ambiguous and deceiptfull words that repentance is the gift of God yet they thinke that it can be proued by no place of Scripture when yet the Scripture saith It is God which doth worke in vs effectually to will and to doe Philip. 2. And that It is giuen to vs to beleeue in Christ Phil. 1. Surely these words to will to doe and to beleeue doe note out the very act of willing and beleeuing and not the power whereby we may be willing or not be willing beleeue or not beleeue But they doe in no other thing more open their meaning then while they deny that faith is infused into our hearts by God but that onely men are stirred vp to faith and allured with a gentle perswasion and invitation which they call morall and resistible after the same manner that a boy is drawne by an Apple offred him or a hog by bran laid before him If this be true and if the efficacy of the holy-holy-Spirit doth no otherwise imprint faith then by perswading it is plaine that faith is not the gift of God For hee that perswadeth to beleeue doth not giue faith but doth perswade Arminius against Perkins pag. 57. hath these words That faith and repentance cannot be had but by the gift of God is most plaine in the Scriptures But the same Scripture and the nature of the gift of eyther of them doth most cleerely teach that that gift is giuen by the manner of perswasion These are things that cannot stand together for nothing is giuen by the manner of perswasion He that stirreth mee vp to running doth thereby neither giue mee the running it selfe nor the power of running The same man pag. 211. saith God hath determined to saue them that beleeue by his grace that is by a milde and sweete perswasion conuenient and agreeable to their free-will not by an omnipotent action or motion which they neither will nor can resist nor can be willing to resist Vorstius Parasc ad Piscat pag. 4. saith What things God will haue vs to doe altogether freely and contingently hee cannot desire thâ—se more powerfully or effectually then by the manner of a wish or desire Indeede the Arminian conferrers at the Hage in the defence of their fourth Article doe professe that they will not define how God doth worke in vs and that they will not breake into these secrets yet the same men doe restraine all those places of Scripture which say that wee are drawne by God and that God doth effectually and mightily worke in vs to a meere perswasion and an allurement by the manner of an Obiect And Greuinchouius pag. 232. and 233. doth acknowledge no other then a morall motion This is also among the decrees of the Arminians Collat. Hag. pag. 283. that a man is quickned first by the ministery of the law and afterward by the ministery of the Gospell for they thinke that there is a kinde of quickning which is without faith in Christ they also peece vpon it this guard that no man is called outwardly who is not called in wardly and that there is free-will in man to open to God knocking or not to open And although they thinke that there is no grace of God which may not be resisted by man yet they confesse that God doth so certainely call some men that they must infallibly follow to wit them whom he doth call in such a congruent and agreeable time and manner and with such efficacy and measure of light that they are most certainely conuerted Arminius against Perkins pag. 67. doth say that the inward perswasion of the holy Ghost is in all them to
which are naturally engrafted the contrary habits of faith hope charity humility patience c. should succeede Which habits are not obtained by vse and by actions as the Arminians thinke pag. Per spiritus sancti operationem vires homini dantur ad eliciendos actus conuersioâ—â—s concomitante porro spiritu credit beâ—â—agit home crebris fidâ—â— charitatis patientiae actibus habitum spei fidei c. sibi comparaet 65. against the Walachrians but are imprinted and infused by the Spirit of God who doth stirre vp holy actions and motions which doe strengthen faith and charitie and increase it by exercise For man helped by the spirit of God doth not giue himselfe faith or charity or obtaine them by exercise and industry but they are giuen by God and are nourished and increased by voluntary and spontaneus actions inspired by God And that the will is rather the seate of vertues then the sensitiue appetites reason it selfe doth proue For it is more like that the reasonable appetite which is peculiar to man is adorned with vertues rather then the appetite which is common to vs with beasts which if it were the seate of the vertues of righteousnesse holinesse and charity the sensitiue faculty ceasing after death vertue also would cease and the will of the separated soule would be altogether voide of righteousnesse and holinesse And if any one doth suppose that the appetites may be called iust subiectiuely and that they are the subiect of righteousnesse and holinesse because they obey the minde enlightned by God there is no cause why the will freely subiecting it selfe to that perswasion ought not also after the same manner be called iust and holy and the subiect of righteousnesse and holinesse And seeing that the rectified will of a wise and pious man is wont to rule ouer the affections and to compell them into the compasse who doth not see that vertue is rather in that part which being rectified doth rule ouer the affections then in the affections which doe for the most part slackly obey this holy command I confesse indeed that Christian vertues doe in some part pertaine to the sensitiue appetities But after the same manner that the art of training vp a horse which doth properly reside in the horse-man doth in some part belong to the horse whom the industry of the rider hath broake to the circuits and compasse and hath taught to moue himselfe with an ordered motion Could there be none more commodious meanes inuented of maintaining the liberty of the will of man then by depriuing it of all vertue Surely the Arminians shew themselues stout patrons of the liberty of free-will if they spoyle the will of vertues that it might be free and doe shake off the bonds of holy habits from the will lest it should be too much bound For as they teach that the will before the fall was not indued with spirituall gifts lest it should be thought by the fall to be defiled with vices and lest contrary vices and a natural deprauation should be thought to haue succeded in the place of those spirituall gifts which were lost So they also deny that the habits of faith and charity c. are infused into the will by God lest the will being changed by that infusion should lose the power of finally resisting the holy-Ghost For they thinke that iniury is done to the will if the liberty of casting it selfe headlong into hell be taken away which surely is an vnhappy liberty and for the defence whereof these Sectaries ought not to apply themselues with all their strength as if it stood vs so much vpon so to be free that wee might resist God to the end and destroy our selues Neither was this a fit cause of making the will such a silly and single thing naturally indued neither with vices nor vertues but a thing that may be turned and winded euery way and like the prime and first matter capable of euery impression seeing that on the contrary the will of man is naturally euill and euen incorporated in vices as we haue abundantly proued Chap. 33. and men according to their will especially are eyther good or euill We determine therefore that Christian vertues are not obtained by vse and industry but are infused by God into the minde and into the will who doth not onely giue power of beleeuing but also to beleeue in Christ it selfe and doth worke in vs actuall faith As he who by his certaine and absolute purpose hath decreed to giue faith to them whom hee decreed to saue whereby they might be saued The effect of which grace we determine doth not depend on mans free-will and that it is not in our power to beleeue and to be conuerted if we will seeing that on the contrary God giueth to the elect that they might will to be conuerted to beleeue giuing them both to will and to doe according to his good pleasure CHAP. XLV The question of morall perswasion is sifted and discussed and whether euery perswasion may be resisted THE Arminians determine that the efficacy of the spirit of God working in our hearts is in a morall perswasion For they deny that those habits of Faith Hope and Charity are infused into mens hearts by God lest the liberty of free-will should be violated and lest conuersion should be made by an vnresistible and vnauoidable necessity but rather by a gentle invitation which man may eyther resist or obey This their opinion doth rest on this false principle that there is no perswasion which may not be so resisted that the effect thereof may at length be hindred We contend that this principle is false For there is a perswasion so effectuall that it doth necessarily draw a man to ascent which although thou maist resist if thou wouldst yet thou canst not be willing If one in a scorching drought should offer sweete wholesome drinke to him that is a thirst and should with a friendly perswasion invite him to drinke and should disswade and hinder nothing on the contrary I say that it cannot be but that hee who is thirsty should take the drinke offered him A man hath fallen into the hands of enemies who loade him with chaines and cast him into prison and bring him neere the punishment Now if one should enter the same prison who should loosen the chaines open the gate and shew him a sure way of escape and should exhort him that he should flie and free himselfe from the present danger I doe not thinke that such a man could obtain of himselfe that he should not obey such perswasion And if in humane things there are many such like perswasions which you cannot be willing to resist How much lesse can that perswasion be resisted when to the euidence and certainty of the perswasion and to the excellency of those heauenly good things which the Gospell doth offer to vs and to the knowledge of the present danger the diuine power hath also
come and that heart-turning might of the holy-Ghost whose efficacy cannot be explained Surely there is a certaine perswasiue necessity and a perswasion more mighty then any command which doth so bend those that are willing that they would rather endure any thing then not to will what they desire Reason it selfe doth adde credit to these things and the nature of mans will in which it is engrafted to moue it selfe to the prescript and perswasion of the minde vnlesse when the indocible affections doe resist reason But as often as reason doth conspire and agree with the affections it is impossible but the will should moue it selfe thither whether the minde doth perswade it and the appetites doe incite it for what should call it away seeing it can be moued with no other impulsion Nor is it any doubt that God who doth throughly know our soules and the most fit occasions by which the soule being apprehended cannot resist him calling and doth know in what part it is more flexible should not be able so to enlighten the minde and imprint on the fancy which hath the naturall command ouer the appetites so cleere an image so terrifie the conscience by the propounding of punishments so stirre it vp by laying before it the eternall rewards so gently inuite and so fitly perswade that presently all resistance should cease and all contrariety fall to the ground Wherefore Arnoldus against Tilenus pag. 251. spake inconsiderately when hee said that the liberty of the will consisted in this that all things which are required to an action being granted and being present the will might suspend and stoppe the action He ought to haue said that the liberty of the will consisteth in this that it doth with a free and spontaneus motion apply it selfe to those things which the vnderstanding and the appetites doe perswade or if the appetites doe disagree with reason and diuers obiects are propounded that the will may by a free election moue it selfe to what part it will Let the soules which doe enioy the sight of God in heauen be for an example to whom all things are fully supplied which are required to stirre vp the will to loue God yet their will cannot suspend that action nor forbid and auert that act of loue wherewith they loue God Neither can it be said although it maketh little to the present matter that the cause why they cannot hate God is because occasions of hatred and incitations to sinne are wanting For the Angels before the fall had no greater occasion The same occasions of sinning which ouerthrew the Angels were neuer wanting The too much admiration and too great loue of themselues and by it a more slacke contemplation and a more backward loue of God carried those most excellent creatures headlong and stirred them vp to rebellion The will indeede is affected to two or more things and betweene two propounded obiects doth freely choose vnlesse when the last and best end is desired But it doth often so strongly apply it selfe to some one thing that it cannot resist it selfe And if the efficacy of the holy-Ghost turning the heart working in the elect shal also come to it which doth so draw gouern the raines of the affections that it may bend and turne the will following of its owne accord what meruaile is it if such a rider cannot be finally shaken off although the appetites doe so much resist and doe hardly giue ouer that rule and command which besides right and equity they haue ceased on All these these things pertaine thither that we may teach that the euent of conuersion is not thereby vncertaine or as these innouators speake resistible although God should moue the heart by a morall perswasion and should allure the will by a congruent and meete invitation But yet whosoeuer shall heare the Scripture or shall descend to examples and to experience shall finde that the efficacy of the holy-Ghost working in mens hearts ought not to be restrained to morall perswasion For it is a hard thing to conceiue in ones minde what perswasion God vsed in the conuersion of Saint Paul who was cast downe as it were with lightning and whose stubbornnesse kicking against the pricks was broken The same may be said of the Theefe into whom in the midst of torments and in the very agony of death God did infuse faith after an vnvtterable manner For what Doe these Sectaries thinke that he obtained faith by vse and by the frequent actions of pietie Surely that cannot be said seeing that in one moment he came from the height of incredulitie and from most desperately wicked manners to a most strong faith Was he inuited by a gentle perswasion No surely For whatsoeuer things were present before him were so many disswasions and they so powerfull that the faith of the Apostles themselues did then faile The very torments which the miserable man did then suffer could easily haue taken away the sense of that allurement and perswasion vnlesse the secret power of the spirit of Christ had broken through all obstacles Would the Apostle Paul Ephes 1.19.20 and Coloss 2.12 say that that power of God whereby he doth effectually worke in the hearts of beleeuers is the same with that whereby hee raised Christ from the dead if hee should onely conuert mens hearts by a morall perswasion and by a gentle invitation Saul being fully determined to kill Dauid came to Naioth whither Dauid was fled 1 Sam. 19. but as soone as he came thither vnmindfull of Dauid he is catched with a propheticall inspiration Where is there here any morall perswasion or invitation If therefore God changeth the mindes of wicked men without any morall perswasion why shall hee not exercise the same power towards his elect And I doe not see how those speeches of creating a new heart of raising man from the dead and of giuing new life by which the Scripture doth expresse our conuersion may be applyed to note out morall perswasion The new man is not created by perswasion but by the infusion of new life and it must needes be that some supernaturall thing must come which cannot be explained by man And if God should allure men to beleeue by a meere perswasion and invitation God should not be the efficient cause of faith For hee that doth onely exhort and perswade that we may beleeue doth not giue beleeuing it selfe no nor he who doth suggest the powers of beleeuing as we haue said before but hee doth moue metaphorically and intentionally as wee are moued by Obiects and by a knowne end And that here is something else beside perswasion may hence be gathered in that you see some men are vehemently set on fire by a small perswasion some on the other side who know the truth are yet in the midst of some euident and most certaine perswasions cold and not at all affected Former times and our owne age hath brought forth many Martyrs who haue beene vnlearned and but lightly
grace that grace may be ouercome and finally extinguished This which is the thing to be proued and is the state of the question they leaue vntouched XIV Being driuen from the Scripture they flye to Reason and thus frame a Syllogisme That which is required of vs in the Gospell for due and filiall obedience that is not wronght in vs by an vnresistible power But faith and repentance are required of vs in the Gospell for due and filiall obedience Therefore they are not wrought in vs by an vnresistible power The Minor hath no neede of proofe The Maior they proue thus because that which is onely done in man by another so that he onely behaueth himselfe passiuely in it cannot be called obedience All these things are grounded on a double calumny The first is whereby they faigne that wee teach that conuersion is wrought in vs vnresistibly The other whereby they attribute to vs that we say conuersion and faith is wrought by God without vs and that men in conuersion behaue themselues onely passiuely Truely we acknowledge no such conuersion in which man should doe nothing but onely suffer we know that man is so drawne by a sweet and effectuall motion and that his will is so bent and turned that of vnwilling he is made willing and doth worke and is moued of his owne accord We know that it is man himselfe that doth beleeue and repent and not God But we say that God doth giue to man that he may be able to beleeue and repent No otherwise then the fruit doth moue it selfe in the wombe and yet the motion it selfe and the power of mouing it hath from God It is sufficient to obedience that man doth voluntarily obey God XV. And here we entreate the Reader that hee would stay a little and take notice how inconsiderately the Arminians deale here and how aduerse and contrary they are to themselues They deny that conuersion can be called obedience if man doe onely behaue himselfe passiuely in it But they themselues teach that man doth onely behaue himselfe passiuely in the beginning of his conuersion which yet all the Arminians acknowledge to be obedience Their words are these in their Epistle against the Walachrians pag. 69. and 70. Whether we say that the will is moued by the spirit onely by the fore-going operations of the vnderstanding or that there is a certaine new energeticall and operatiue quality infused to it we alwaies determine that the will is first moued that is behaueth it selfe passiuely before it doth actiuely moue it selfe to that which is good This they say but that is especially to be noted that the Arminians doe with one mouth teach that the vnderstanding is vnresistibly enlightned by God that is that knowledge is so giuen by God that it cannot be resisted when yet that knowledge is a kinde of obedience For the Scripture doth euery where command vs to know and vnderstand Psalme 2.10 Mat. 15.10 and 2 Tim. 2.7 Is not the earnest alacrity of the Angels to fulfill the commands of God obedience yet they cannot resist God commanding nor can they desire to resist XVI Lastly they heape together absurdities which they think may be drawn for that power which they call irresistible They say that it doth follow from thence that no other can be conuerted then they that are indeede conuerted And that no man can be conuerted before hee be conuerted indeede But this ought to be so farre from seeming absurd that on the contrary it is impious to beleeue that any one may be conuerted and regenerated but hee whom God doth conuert and regenerate and to whom he giueth faith and the spirit of adoption or that any one can be conuerted before God conuert him For if we be all by nature dead in sinne it is certaine that there are no other that can rise out of that spirituall death then they that doe indeede rise And if faith and the spirit of adoption is a gift of God proceeding from his meere grace it is plaine that they at length can be conuerted to whom God doth giue grace whereby they may be conuerted in act And seeing we are brought to that passe that there is no man who doth not resist God calling it appeareth that no man can be conuerted but he from whom God hath taken away this resistance and hath broke his hardnesse Let these new Semipelagians looke to it and consider with what face they dare maintaine that an vnregenerate man hath power of conuerting himselfe before God conuert him in act and how they can defend themselues against so many places of Scripture and so many reasons and proofes which we haue brought in the three and thirty Chapter Can they bring an example out of all records of Stories of any one who hath obtained faith and saluation by those gifts which doe happen to all men euen to Heathens and vnregenerate persons XVII That no man can conuert himselfe before he be conuerted and drawne by God the Scripture doth euery where witnesse Conuert vs and we shall be conuerted Ier. 31.18 Lament 5.21 Draw me and wee will runne after thee Cant. 1.4 Could the Thiefe conuert himselfe before Christ after a meruailous and vtterable manner changed his heart among so many occasions of doubting and in the flight and feare of the Apostles themselues Could Paul conuert himselfe before he was called from heauen by Christ Surely godly mens eares are vnacquainted with this opinion and it is of the Pelagian vaine By this meanes the decree of God is abolished by which he determined to vse the miraculous confession of the Thiefe to shew the efficacy of the death of Christ and his diuine power in the very height of griefes and reproaches and for a notable euidence of the election of grace God might haue beene disappointed of these ends if the Thiefe might haue conuerted himselfe some years before God indeede did not hinder that hee should not be conuerted but whereas all men of themselues and of their owne nature are vnable to conuert themselues concerning those whom he decreed to conuert he determined with himselfe in what time and manner he would conuert them XVIII But say they if no man can be conuerted but he whom God doth conuert in deede and in act it will thence follow that the rest who are called are called in vaine and that God should deale dissemblingly and vnwisely who should call them to saluation and yet withdraw the meanes necessary to obtaine saluation I answere that this word withdrawing doth sufficiently proue how vnfaithfully they deale For there is none of vs thinkes that God doth withdraw from them who are not conuerted the meanes necessary to saluation For if he should withdraw those meanes from them hee should take from them that which they had But no vnregenerate man euer had all the meanes necessary to saluation It is one thing to withdraw the meanes necessary to saluation and another thing not to giue them It
is one thing to pull out the eyes of the blinde and it is another thing not to cure him that is blinde It is sufficiently manifest that God doth not giue to all men all the meanes necessary to saluation For there are infinite people to whom he doth not send preachers of the Gospell And to very many to whom the Gospell is preached hee doth not giue faith and the spirit of Adoption But they alone beleeue who are fore-ordained to eternall life Act. 13. All which things are aboundantly proued in the former Chapters Neither yet can God therefore be accused of folly or dissembling who doth call those whom hee knoweth will not follow to whom he doth not giue the power of comming For hee doth not deale dissemblingly nor vnwisely who doth require from man that which hee is not able if he owe it and if man himselfe is the cause of his disability For God hath not lost his right by the wickednesse of man nor is he bound to supply to all men the meanes of paying what they owe and of performing what they are commanded Nor doth he vnwisely or dissemblingly call the virgins who wanted oyle although hee would not administer oyle to them of which they themselues ought in time to haue had a care Neither is it any doubt but that God doth require from euery man yea from the heathen themselues the perfect obedience of the law which notwithstanding that it can be perfectly fulfilled by them the Arminians themselues vnlesse it be fearefully and doubtfully dare not affirme God doth not in vaine call those whom he knoweth will not follow because he doth not deale vainely who doth exact that which iustice doth require Nor is it equall that although in a promiscuous and mingled multitude there are many reprobates the word of God should therefore not be preached to that multitude and the naughtinesse of wicked men should defraud the good and that thereby something should be taken away and detracted from the commodities of the elect Nor is the Gospell preached in vaine to those that are obstinate seeing that by their obstinacy and by the punishments that follow it the godly are brought to a wholesome feare and are turned and drawne to prayer and to the acknowledgement of the mercy of God to them God did not in vaine send Moses to Pharaoh â— Zâ—ch 3. and Ezechiel to the Iewes although God himselfe fore-warned that Pharaoh would not obey Moses nor the Iewes Ezechiel Therefore here is no absurdity how odiously soeuer they cry out vpon it These scoffing men that they might procure enuy to vs doe boastingly cast out these things among the vnskilfull common people and doe raise bubbles in a shell which are blowne away with the least breath XIX They also heape together reproachfull calumnies falsely attributing those things to vs which we doe not beleeue To wit that God calleth those who are not conuerted purposely and onely for this end that they might be inexcusable Which thing farre be it from vs that wee should say Wee say indeede that this doth happen but wee doe not say that this is the onely end propounded by God Wee doe not thinke that the reprobates are onely therefore called that they might be made inexcusable although by despising that calling they bring greater damnation vpon themselues God indeede doth offer his Gospell to those that will reiect it but not to that end that they might reiect it The end propounded to God in calling those whom hee knoweth will not obey is to require that which they owe and to declare what is acceptable to him Doth hee not also call warne and threaten them that at the least they might be so much constrained by feare that they might not hurt those that are good And that by the example of their stubbornenesse which goeth not vnpunished the godly might learne to feare and by comparing their condition with those to whom God hath not vouchsafed the like grace they might more earnestly loue God for the prerogatiue granted to them XX. These Sectaries obiect againe That by this meanes some men haue matter and cause of security ministred to them and of the contempt of those meanes which God is wont to vse to worke conuersion such as are the preaching of the word c. For if no man can conuert himselfe before this vnresistible drawing and as soone as he is vnresistibly drawne he must needes be altogether conuerted then all our care and diligence is voide and vnprofitable And to others there is matter of perpetuall doubtings ministred as long as they feele no such drawing We haue already aduertised that this opinion is falsely laid vpon vs. That God doth draw a man vnresistibly We onely say that the elect although they may resist a long time yet at length they obey God calling and their voluntary conuersion is wrought certainely and infallibly and that it cannot come to passe that they should neuer be conuerted or being conuerted that they should finally fall away and the grace of God should be at length extinguished and be finally ouercome by the resistance of the flesh XXI We deny that security or contempt of the word can follow from such drawing seeing that that grace it selfe doth create in vs care and diligence See I pray how ill these things square together and how vnfitly it is said that the grace of God doth hinder godly carefulnesse seeing that this carefulnesse it selfe is a part of grace For how should grace by which a man is regenerated corrupt him Or how should grace by which he is stirred vp and pricked forward giue him ouer to a languishing idlenesse Therefore they doe as if I should say that a man is killed by the resurrection or that hee is blacked ouer with a white colour For they say that negligence is brought by that grace which doth beget godly care XXII And there is no doubt but that the same absurdity may be drawne from the opinion of Arminius whereby he thinkes that some men are drawne of God by a congruent and agreeable manner and time by which they that are called doe most certainly follow For I may say that by this doctrine mens consciences are cast into a deep sleep for there wil be some men who will speake thus To what purpose is it to be carefull Our endeauor is in vaine if we are not drawn after a congruent manner And I doubt whether I am drawne after a congruent manner or no. Hence commeth negligence and a faith floating in vncertainty XXIII That is no better which they adde That to some men there is matter of perpetuall doubtings so long as they feele no such drawing This absurdity is very absurdly vrged by the Arminians who with all their power doe impugne the certainty of saluation whilest they command men to doubt of perseuerance For let vs imagine that doubtings of saluation are bred by this our doctrine Doe they condemne that in vs which they alow
in themselues Wee doe not deny that doubtings doe sometimes creepe on godly and good men but yet those doubtings must needes diminish little by little as they are more affected with the sence of the grace of God and as their faith is increased But it is not needefull that he who is already conuerted and doth beleeue should feele himselfe to be drawne vnresistibly that is to be so drawne as he cannot resist For wee place the infallible certainty of conuersion not in the sence of man who doth feele that hee cannot resist but in the decree of God by which it must needes be that they come to Christ whom hee hath elected to saluation So the cause that the bones of Christ could not be broken was not in the hardnesse of those bones but in the purpose of God who forbad they should be broke And therefore it may come to passe that they who shall certainely be saued by the decree of God doe not certainely know of their saluation and are often troubled with rising doubts There are some to whom after many yeeres of their life led soberly and godly the confidence of saluation is at last giuen them at their death Nor is it needefull that the faithfull man should trie himselfe whether hee be drawne with an vnresistible power but whether after serious and earnest repentance hee doth so wholy rest himselfe in the death of Christ and in the promise of God that thereby he might be stirred vp to piety and to the feare of God Whosoeuer doth feele himselfe to be thus affected ought not scrupulously to weigh and examine the poyses and drammes of the efficacy of the spirit of God and of vnconquerable grace but so to order himselfe that he may represse his rising doubts by prayer and by the remembrance of the promises of God and that hee may breake and bruise the serpentine power of his lusts resisting the Spirit XXIV And if any one doth otherwise we are not they who can preuent all euils or cure vices knowing that by the best documents and lessons the occasion of sinning may be taken and that the best things may be wrested to the worse part XXV I omit that these Sectaries ioyne those things which cannot be coupled together and doe make those things apposite and agreeing which are opposite and disagreeing For they faigne that hee that hath true faith may doubt whether he be seriously and indeede conuerted Which surely is impossible for true faith doth stirre vp in man serious and true repentance and the loue of God which cannot be in man but it must be felt XXVI Finally the discommodities which these Sectaries doe pick out of our doctrine may be auoided but the doctrine of the Arminians doth enwrap mens consciences in vnauoydable euills For hereby is man puffed vp with pride teaching that man can separate himselfe that he can conuert himself that he can conuert himself before he be conuerted in act by God that man hath wherof he may boast that God is bound to giue him sufficient grace that God doth giue to man what he is indebted to him that the grace of God is not the totall cause of faith that the grace of God is subiected to mans free-will And on the other side Arminianismâ— doth vexe mens consciences with a carefull doubting For who can be certaine of his saluation if our saluation is not certaine by the election and decree of God And if the number of the elect be not certaine by the will of God Or if God hath elected no man but being considered as already dead Or if the certainty of saluation doth rest on the strength of free-will in the power whereof it is to perseuere or not to perseuere to beleeue or not to beleeue to cause that God should be partaker of his desire or should faile of his propounded end Surely if there be place giuen to this deadly doctrine faith and Christian humilitie is lost For it must needs be that they must be most doubtfull who are most proud It must needes be that the expectation of those men must hang in suspence who make the will of man a floating and vnstable thing the foundation of their hope Surely Satan doth therefore puffe vp these men with pride that they might be burst in pieces and doth lift them vp on high that being cast downe from on high he might more grieuously break them and crush them to pieces XXVII But to that our obiection by which we said That if God doth worke in vs onely by the manner of perswasion he is not the efficient cause of faith but onely the stirrer vp thereof by the manner of an obiect as Satan himselfe doth make it manifest who is not the efficient cause of the sinne of man although he doth stirre vp and instigate and worke effectually in the sonnes of rebellion to this obiection the Arminians answere nothing But they obiect on the contrary side If God say they doth conuert those which are his which are farre the lesser part vnresistibly and Satan doth auert and turne away the greater part resistibly therin Satan is of more power then God who by lesse and inferiour helpes can execute his purpose in many more men These good men doe alwaies put that their word vnresistibly for certainely and infallibly But to the purpose I deny that they whom God doth draw and effectually conuert are fewer then they whom Satan doth auert and turne away Indeede it is not to be doubted but that some in the beginnings of their conuersion are remoued from that beginning by the subtlety of Satan But these are but few in comparison of them who neuer felt any assaults or pricks of repentance Satan doth not auert these seeing these are auerse by their owne nature And whatsoeuer Satan doth is but small in comparison of the efficacy of the spirit of God in the elect For Satan found men prone to sinne and thrust them foreward that were falling nor is it any doubt but that the reprobates are not carried so much by the impulsion of Satan as by their owne Certainly it is a greater thing to heale a few that are deadly wounded then to exacerbate and make more angry grieuous the wounds of many and to poure vinegar on the Vlcer It is farre more easie to thrust them forward that are falling then to raise them that are fallen to kill ten that are about to die then to restore one to life that is dead XXVIII And here they exclaime that mans nature is auerted and ouerthrowne while it is necessarily determined and limited to one thing I answere If by the word necessitie be vnderstood not constraint nor naturall necessitie such as is the poise and inclination of all heauy things to the center of the world but an infallible certainty and that voluntary and spontaneus by such a necessity nature is not ouerthrowne The nature of Angels is necessarily determined and limited to that which is good and yet
all men to be saued Which that it was truely spoken by Faustus and according to the Catholike faith the Arelaten Synode hath rightly iudged For the Synode beleeued that this was spoken by Faustus against Pelagius who seeing hee denied originall sinne and thought that a man might perfectly fulfill the law by his owne free-will it is no maruaile if hee said that Christ died not for all for why should Christ die for them that were not sinners Or what neede is there of Phisicke where there is no disease Or what neede of the Gospell to him who hath fulfilled the law But Faustus a crafty and subtle man imposed it vpon the Arelaten Synode with ambiguous and deceitfull words wherewith that Epistle was cloathed which hee offered to the Synode For afterward he explaned his meaning in the booke which hee writ De gratia qua saluamur where hee doth more incline to Pelagius which booke Gennadius Gennad lib de Scriptor Eccles cap. 85. Sydon Apol. lib 9. Epist 9. and Sydonius Apollinaris doe so mention that they seeme to thinke honorably of it But at the same time Caesarius Bishop of Arles and Auitus Bishop of Vienna writ against this Booke as Ado doth testifie in his Chronicle to whom Fulgentius Bishop of Ruspe in Africa ioyned himselfe Whereby we may see that the authority of Faustus is not so great that it ought to be of any estimation here Neither was this question euer handled in that sence that now it is for there was neuer question made as farre as I know before this age whether Christ by his death purchased saluation for all and seuerall men or whether by his death he obtained reconciliation as well for Pharaoh as for Peter CHAP. XXXI Whether God loue all men equally and doth alike desire the saluation of all I. THe question whereby it is demanded whether God doth equally loue all men and so desire their saluation is an addition to the former question and doth depend on it For if remission of sinnes and saluation are not purchased for all men by the death of Christ it is plaine that all men are not equally loued by God wherefore these innouators doe defend themselues in either question by the same places of Scripture These are the words of Arnoldus pag. 379 God in a generall will and affection doth equally desire the saluation of all men Greuinchouius pag. 335. doth consent to this The will of God and his affection of sauing men is equall towards all For in that series and order of the foure decrees in which they comprehend the whole doctrine of Predestination this is the third that God decreed to administer to all men sufficient meanes to faith and repentance But I suppose that these things are affirmed by them not because they beleeue and seriously thinke so but that they might maintaine their other opinions which cannot stand if this opinion fall for they doe openly repugne the Scripture experience yea and themselues II. Which before we demonstrate the reader is to be admonished that loue in God is not an affection nor passion nor inclination of the minde nor any desire for God is not touched by these passions as being impassible and not subiect to affections But as God is said then to be angry or to hate when he will punish or destroy so loue in God is a eertaine and sure will of doing good to the creature Whence it commeth to passe that hee may rightly be said to be loued by God to whom hee hath giuen or hath decreed to giue more and better good things III. This difference is manifestly seene not onely betweene the good and the euill but also betweene good men themselues to some one of whom God hath giuen more vnderstanding and doth measure out his spirit in a larger greater measure but to another more sparingly and as it were with a striked measure to one he giueth two talents to another fiue according to his owne good pleasure Not onely giuing many things to the best men but also making them better while hee giueth them many things IV. And here I cannot but meruaile with what face Greuinchouius pag. 335. dares to say that God gaue fiâ—e talents to one in the hope of receiuing more gaine from him then the other as if hope or feare or gaine could happen to God or as if he who so carefully encreased his estate by the fiue talents put out to vsury had not from God the will and power of imploying them so happily God is vnaptly said to hope for that which himselfe is to worke These subtill men are wont to say when they are vrged that these things are spoken by an Anthropopathy to mans capacity but in the meane while they abuse these improper words to bring in their owne speculations and to build vp their owne opinions In preaching and speaking to the people this impropriety of speech is to be borne with but not in disputing and when the importance of truth is to be considered and weighed V. Concerning this inequality of the gifts of God I would haue the Arminians shew me why God hath giuen more gifts to Paul then to Marke or Cleophas that were otherwise holy and good men Was it because Saint Paul before his conuersion was more inclined to the faith of Christ and better affected then they Or because Paul vsed that common and generall grace which happeneth euen to the reprobates better then Marke These are trifles for there was then none more deadly enemie to the name of Christ then Paul What then was the cause why because it so seemed good to God who doth with his owne what he will and who in distributing the gifts of the holy Ghost doth not follow an Arithmeticall or Geometricall proportion for he doth giue vnequall good things to them that are equally euill according to his owne pleasure as being a debtor to no man nor subiect to any Law VI. But the difference and inequality of the loue of God will more clearely appeare if those whom God doth call by his word and to whom he doth giue the spirit of adoption and faith and by them saluation be compared with other men Many saith Christ Mat. 22.4 are called few chosen Behold here three sorts of men some that are not called some that are called and not elected some that are called and elected all which that they are confusedly and equally loued and that God doth alike desire their saluation cannot be said or thought VII Christ Iohn 6.44 saith No man can come to me vnlesse my father which sent me draw him Where that it is spoken of the drawing to faith and by faith to saluation no man doth doubt Secing therefore by these words it is manifest that all are not so drawne it is certaine that they are most loued who are so drawne Faith is the gift of God but all men haue not faith and it is giuen but to few therefore these are more loued So the
spirit of Adoption is a prerogatiue of the sonnes of God therefore also these are more loued VIII Doth not God visite some people from on high and doth vouchsafe them the preaching of his word others being neglected as Saint Paul teacheth Acts 14.16 saying God in times past suffred the Gentiles to walke in their owne wayes At this time also there are very many nations drowned in deepe darkenesse to whom not so much as the report or name of Christ hath come IX Were the Corinthians and Philippians who liued before the time of the Apostles so much loued by God as their posteritie was who by the preaching of Saint Paul were conuerted to the faith Can it be said that God did alike wish the saluation of them as of these X. What should I speake of the men of Tyre and Sydon whose saluation if Christ had wished as well as he did the saluation of the Iewes it were a maruaile why he would not make knowne the Gospell to them especially seeing he giueth them this testimony that they were more prone to repentance then the men of Capernaum XI Acts 16.6.7 Paul endeauouring to preach the Gospell in Asia and Bythinia the spirit of God forbiddeth him and commandeth him to passe ouer into Macedonia Certainely it appeareth that God did not equally will the saluation of the Bythinians and the Macedonians seeing he would haue the Gospell rather to be preached to these then to them and presented the necessary meanes of saluation to these when he denied it to them I confesse indeede that after some yeares the Gospell came into Bythinia but in the meane time many dyed in Bythinia who had not the meanes of comming to the knowledge of Christ whose saluation that God did equally desire as hee did the saluation of the Macedonians to whom he commanded Paul to hasten there is no man will beleeue but he that doth willingly harden his minde to resist the truth No otherwise then if I should say that the Physition doth equally desire the recouery of two that are sicke of the same disease and yet doth prouide physicke for the one and will not prouide for the other XII When Christ saith Iohn 10.16 that he hath other sheep which he hath not yet gathered did he loue those sheepe which were not yet gathered but were to be gathered in his time no more then other men whom he hath not onely not drawne by his word but not so much as vouchsafed to call Surely if God did equally will the saluation of all and singular men he would equally supply to all men the meanes of saluation and he would not giue to many people onely a shadowed light and such meanes by which being alone the Arminians themselues haue not yet dared to affirme that any man hath come to saluation XIII Notable is that of Christ Mat. 11.25 where he giueth thanks to his father that he hath hidden the doctrine of saluation from the wise and had reuealed it to babes But why did he as much loue them from whom he had hid the doctrine of saluation Arnold pag 413 414. doth depraue and corrupt the words of Christ For he will haue Christ to giue thankes because his father had reuealed to babes those things which were hidden from men of vnderstanding But Christ doth not onely say that these things were hidden from the wise but doth expresly say that God hid these things from them XIV That place of Saint Paul Rom. 9. doth trouble the Sectaries where it is said that God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done good or euill We haue therefore God himselfe professing that he doth not equally loue men that are equall by nature and whereof neither is better then the other and that not because any one hath done any good or shall doe any good but of his meere good pleasure whereby he hath mercy on whom hee will For although Malachie saith that the dominion of Iacob ouer his brother was an effect of this loue and hatred yet the Apostle conscious and priuie of the minde and meaning of God will haue this to be an example or a type of Election according to his purpose and doth extend the words of God to the worke of our saluation Wee neede not be diligent in so cleâ—re a matter XV. The Arminians doe couer themselues against this shower of Arguments with that their distinction of the antecedent and consequent will of God They say that God doth loue some men more then other by his consequent will that is by that will which is after the faith and repentance of man For God doth loue them most whom he fore seeth will beleeue and by their owne free-will are to vse grace well But by his primary and antecedent will God doth alike loue all men and doth equally desire the saluation of all and therefore he doth giue to all men sufficient grace for faith and so for saluation And the cause why the Gospell is not preached to all they say is not the will of God but either the negligence of Christians or the indignity and vnworthinesse of the people or else the sinnes of their ancestors who haue reiected grace being offered XVI Certainely this is a deadly speech and is directly contrary not onely to the Scripture but also to it selfe For while they bring reasons why God doth not offer his Gospell to all vnawares they yeeld to our party for they lay downe the causes why God doth not equally loue all But the question is not why God loueth some men more then others but whether God doth loue all men equally therefore they entangle themselues And how absurd that distinction is of the will of God into antecedent and consequent how contumelious against God in that sence in which it is taken by the sectaries wee haue taught at large Chap. 5. XVII Moreouer they teach that God is often disappointed of his antecedent will and that the loue of God to vs is then mutable if he loue vs with his consequent will that is by his will which is after our loue and faith and our owne will It is a wicked thing to desire that the immutability of the loue of God towards vs should be after our loue and should depend on our will for the loue of God cannot be certaine if it be grounded on the loue wherewith we first loue him That therefore the loue of God to vs might be certaine and immutable it must needes goe before our loue as Saint Iohn teacheth 1. Epist 4.19 Ye loue him because he loued you first XVIII And if God by his consequent will loued one man more then another because hee foresaw hee would beleeue and vse grace well then God shall not sâ—perate man but man seperate himselfe contrary to that of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 4.7 Who seperateth thee c. And this man shall be loued more by God then another because he loued God more XIX Then also that speech of the