infirmities to an happy end is the worke of God which no power in the world can defeate CHAP. 9. An examination of the Arminians definition of grace FOr the better vnderstanding of these men that pleade against the grace of God We must obserue that one especiall ground of their errour is in this that they conceiue and vnderstand amisse of grace They take it for another thing then the Scriptures haue declared and the Church of God from the Scriptures haue taken it to be And therefore when they define grace they say it is a morall perswasion Arminius himselfe saith it is lenis suasio they admit no power of God here And are not these a strange kinde of men that will make vnto themselues their owne grounds and not take their grounds from the Scriptures If this ground which they so blindly begge were true then were it indeed easie for them to proue many of their conclusions that alike or generall grace is offered vnto all that quantum ad Deum pertinet for so much as is in God one man receiueth as much grace as an other that the difference is in mans free-will in accepting or reiecting of grace that grace may soone bee gotten and soone lost altogether But who gaue these men authority to make a definition contrary to that which the holy Scriptures haue deliuered These men acknowledge no other power in the Gospell preached but onely the power of the Minister that preacheth The Preacher hath not power to giue faith and repentance to infuse grace but only vseth morall perswasions to the people but together with the labour of the Preacher the spirit of God worketh And therefore we are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helpers with God in that great worke And because the spirit of God worketh with power in opening mens hearts humbling them leading them to an acknowledgement and confession of their sinnes conuerting their soules drawing them out of the power of darknesse out of the power of Sathan and sinne which worke cannot be done by a gentle perswasion onely it cannot be done but by the power of God therefore the Apostle declaring that grace which commeth to belieuers by the preaching of the Gospell calleth it the power of God to saluation And againe The preaching of the crosse is to them that perish foolishnesse but vnto vs that are saued it is the power of God And the Apostle speaking of faith which is the first and one of the greatest graces which we receiue saith your faith standeth not in the wisedome of man but in the power of God If our faith which is the first and the chiefest grace whereby we stand be in the power of God not in the wisedome of man then it is no morall perswasion For morall perswasion reacheth no further then mans wisedome But this is most perspicuously taught in the Epistle to the Ephesians where the Apostle saith I cease not to giue thankes vnto God making mention of you in my prayers that the eyes of your vnderstanding may be enlightned that you may know what the hope of his calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards vs which beleeue according to the working of his mighty power Then when wee are drawne vnto faith when we beleeue this is done by the power of God by the exceeding greatnesse of his power by the mighty working of his power And therefore they that say that grace is onely a morall perswasion and quantum ad deum that saluation is alike prepared for all and that the reason why one receiueth grace another receiueth it not is onely in mans free-will These men and their vaine and weake fancies are cleane ouerthrowne because grace is found to bee in the power of God For if quantum ad deum as they say it were prepared alike to all why then doth the Apostle say that preaching is foolishnesse to them that perish but the power of God to vs that are saued If it bee foolishnesse vnto some and the power of God to saluation to others then verily it is not alike vnto all God is able to make his powerfull grace appeare vnto them to whome it is foolishnesse but hee will not Heere wee may finde many things to admire and to wonder at and to cry out with the Apostle O the depth But still wee finde that the power of God is in his calling and declared in our faith which standeth not in mans wisedome but in the power of God This doth sufficiently prooue that the grace of God is not as these men affirme without and against all grounds of Scripture a morall perswasion For it is the power of God the exceeding greatnesse and the mightie working of his power They that would vnderstand this controuersie betweene the Church of God and thâ—se vngratefull and vngracious men that oppugne the grace of God may best vnderstand it if they seeke out with care and diligence the definition of grace It is of the greatest importance to know and being knowne will leade a man as by a thread vnto the particulars of this question We finde plainely that the loue of God and the power of God is in it And wee may be sure that they who deny the power of God to be in grace can neuer come to the true knowledge of it It is true that if that definition were once granted that grace is nothing but a morall perswasion then would all those strange conclusions follow of which I spake before and others more mad then they that the purpose of Praedestination is a thing vncertaine and of no power that Gods purpose of Praedestination must bee ruled by man and not by God It is much to bee wondred at that such men should bee found in the Church professing Christianitie that with such boldnesse take such a definition as granted and with such ignorance draw those conclusions from it Let vs but stoppe this principle and we stop their mouthes For if grace be the power of God to saluation if Faith and grace stand not in mans wisedome but in the power of God if wee bee drawne to beleeue by the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power by the mighty working of his power then it followeth that the grace whereby we are called whereby wee beleeue and repent and are iustified and in the end saued is the power of God It was his good will and purpose to praedestinate vs but it is his power to execute that good purpose to draw sinnefull men out of the power of darkenesse into the kingdome of light to worke in our hearts a loue of obedience by his holy Spirit To worke this farre surpassed the power al of creatures and therefore it is done by the power of God Vpon this ground thus laide the course of Arminians is stopped If they tell vs that grace is a gentle perswasion and goeth no further Wee answer that
come to that which I intend I would heere first remooue a scruple which the Pelagians stumble at in those words of the Apostle To them that loue God From these words they inferre that God respecteth them that loue him But the Apostle expoundeth himselfe in the words following To them that are called according to his purpose For these are they who loue God who vnderstand that Gods loue preuented them and called them according to his purpose He that hath the knowledge of this loue of God must needes loue God againe but this loue beginneth by Gods preuenting loue as St. Iohn sayth Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his son to be a reconciliation for our sinnes There be some that begin to loue but fall away and continue not to the end Of these St. Bede in his Expositions collected out of Saint Augustine expoundeth this place thus Apostolus cum dixisset scimus quoniam diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum sciens non nullos diligere Deum in eo bono vsque in finem non permanere mox addidit his qui secundum propositum vocati sunt Hi enim in eo quod diligunt Deum permanent vsque in finem Thus much to remooue this scruple that no occasion be left to the Pelagians Now to proceed The Apostle sayth All things fall out to the best to them that are called according to Gods purpose Then Gods calling is according to his purpose If any man should say that Gods purpose were according to his calling should hee not inuert the Wordes of the Apostle and falsifie his Doctrine Then his calling is according to his purpose but his purpose may not bee sayd to be according to his calling because the calling dependeth vppon his purpose but not the purpose vppon the calling The purpose is a cause of the calling but not the calling a cause of the purpose Now if wee proceede from Vocation to Iustification wee shall vnderstand the same For as Vocation dependeth vppon Gods purpose of Predestination so doth our Iustification depend vpon Vocation and as this was to peruert the Apostles words and to falsifie his doctrine as before I sayd to say that Gods purpose was according to his calling So if a man should say as this Author sayth that Gods calling is according to faith obedience and repentance this man should in like sort peruert the Apostle his words and falsifie his doctrine For iustification faith obedience and repentance depend vpon Gods calling but his calling dependeth not vpon them they are giuen according to his calling but his calling is not according to them And therefore they are giuen for and in considetation of his calling but that Gods calling should be for and in consideration or regard of these things which Gods calling draweth with it and after it is a thing absurde not onely in the iudgements of Orthodoxe Writers but euen in the iudgement of Pelagius himselfe and of Scotus and of the most learned of that side who thought it more probable and agreeing more with reason to say that the grace of God is giuen according to merits then to deuise this strange fancy that a subsequent grace should be the cause of a precedent grace This I say is not a priuate fancy of some particuler men but such a thing as was neuer vttered by any sober or learned writer And because heresie goeth not without absurdities it may be called either the Arminian heresie or the Arminian absurdity For besides Arminians no man writeth thus I may not omit to obserue in the last place that our Authors words crosse the words of the 17. Article which hee professeth to maintaine For the article speaking of Predestination sayth They which be indued with such an excellent benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his spirit working in due season they thorough grace obey their calling they are iustified freely they be made the sonnes of God by adoption they be made like the image of his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ they walke religiously in good workes and at length by Gods mercy they attaine to euerlasting felicity These words of the Article containe the true Apostolicall doctrine For the calling of God is here sayd to be according to Gods purpose and iustification obedience walking religiously in good workes these things are declared in the Article to follow the calling as effects thereof But this man the new maintainer of the articles and of the doctrines of our Church peruerteth this Apostolicall doctrine contained in the article For he sayth that the calling is according to faith obedience and repentance contrary to that which is contained in the article The article maketh faith obedience and repentance to be the effects of calling and to followe it and proueth consequently that the calling is not according to these effects or in consideration and regard of these effects but that these effects are according to the calling and in consideration and regard of the calling By this mans doctrine the calling dependeth vpon faith obedience and repentance by the doctrine contayned in the article these things depend vpon the calling Thus hath he cleane peruerted and crossed the doctrine contained in the article and yet this man is thought fit to expound the Articles and to declare the Doctrines of our Church Thus much concerning his errours touching the matter of Predestination CHAP. 5. Of perseuerance in Grace and falling away from Grace THe question as Saint Augustine proposeth it is of perseuerance of the Saints in grace As this man and the Pelagians propose it of falling away from grace or of the Apostasie of the Saints The question is the same though diuersly proposed so that if we proue the perseuerance of Saints to the ende then is that doctrine ouerthrowne that bringeth in the Apostasie of Saints If this question be moued thus Whether a man may fall away from grace The proposition by reason of the ambiguous acception and vse of this word grace may be both true and false For this is true a man may fall from grace both totally and finally And this likewise true a man cannot fall from grace neither totally nor finally They who haue a purpose to deceiue take the generality of termes and in vniuersalibus latet dolits Therefore before any true proofe can be made in any disputation the word that is ambiguous must be declared distinctly In the Scriptures and in those Writers that ground themselues vpon the Scriptures there is obserued a double acceptation and vse of this word grace I am not ignorant that many distinctions are vsed of this word and that Bellarmine confoundeth himselfe and his reader with the multitude of distinctions of this word but distinctions were inuented to cleare the poynt in question and not to confound things I rest therefore for our present purpose vpon one distinction which is playne and grounded in the Scriptures and this it
omnibus qui perseuerauerunt in agone certaminis Hunc splendorem nemo potest adipisci nisi qui perseuerauerit vsque in finem Abulensis followeth the same doctrine for he saith speaking of outward calling by preaching and of that conuersion which standeth in externall profession Dicuntur vocati quicunque per praedicationem conuersi sunt ad fidem et tamen non sunt omnes electi quia non perueniunt omnes ad vitam aeternam Nam licet quibusdam det deus gratiam conuersionis non dat eis gratiam perseuerandi in fide vel operibus fidei et ita pereunt Eligere autem est dare gratiam istam perseuerandi et perueniendi He saith many obtaine diuers graces by hearing the word preached amongst whom they that are elect receiue the grace of perseuering to the end but they that are not elect though they may attaine to many graces yet they may and doe fall away because this grace of perseuering to the end is proper and peculiar to the elect From the Schoolemen wee are to looke for no soundnesse in this point For it is a hard thing for them to speake of grace who haue it not Many of them speake of grace like meere naturall men They wanted neither wit nor learning but many of them wanted grace to speake of grace as the Iesuites for the most part doe at this day Therefore I passe them ouer and come to the time of Reformation In which time if I should produce the sentences of them that haue beene most learned and labourious in the reformed Churches it would bee a long worke and happily giue no great satisfaction to the Author of the Appeale and others whom I desire to satisfie For how can hee receiue satisfaction from the iudgement of late men that seemeth to scorne their verie names As for Caluin his name and doctrines are made odious but why I know not If hee hath written somethings amisse as who writing so much hath not slipped in many things yet a charitable construction would helpe in many things And admit hee hath some things which cannot bee excused yet if wee consider the ancient Fathers how often they haue slipped and erred wee might be more moderate in censuring of others In the Fathers we take that which they haue done well and the rest wee pardon for that which they haue done well And why may we not doe so with others And what greater pleasure can a man procure to the enemies of the truth then to speake euill and odiously of those men whose seruice God hath vsed and made them excellent instruments to make the truth knowne vnto vs Some take it for a signe of such as are looking towards Popery when they offer such a seruice to the Papists as to speake euill of them that haue beene the greatest enemies to Popery the greatest propagators of the truth but I censure none Then leauing other Churches wee come home to our owne Church We haue enough in the articles of Faith and Religion to confirme the same truth which hitherto wee have proued The Author of the Appeale hath gone wrong in two poynts First in the respectiue decree which either he hath deuised or taken from the Arminians Against this wee haue heretofore shewed that the 17. Article hath set forth the doctrine of Praedestination in a sound and wholesome manner that Gods calling followeth the purpose of God and dependeth vpon it that faith obedience and repentance follow the calling of God and depend vpon it but the calling of God doth not follow faith obedience and repentance nor dependeth vpon them So did the 17. Article teach against the new deuise of this man This I haue obserued before The second thing wherein this man wandreth is denying of perseuerance and scorning it as a Puritan doctrine I must heere againe recite the 17. Article And I would intreat any man that hath his eyes set right in his head to reade and consider the words the order and soundnesse of them and thâ—n let him iudge whether perseuerance vnto the end bee not soundly and roundly set downe and auerred in the Article The words are Predestination to life is the euerlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundation of the world he hath constantly decreed by his counsell secret to vs to deliuer from curse and damnation those whome hee hath chosen in Christ out of man-kinde to bring them by Christ to euerlasting saluation wherefore they which bee endued with such an excellent benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his spirit working in ane season They through grace obey the calling they be iustified freely they be made the sonnes of God by adoption they be made like to the image of his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ they walke religiously in good workes and at length by Gods mercy attaine euerlasting felicity Thus farre the words of the Article Can any man in any words declare perseuerance more fully or plainly froÌ„ the beginning by the meanes to the end then here is done For what is perseuerance but as S. Peter saith a preseruation or keeping of the Saints by the power of God to saluation And how can it be better proued then to draw it from the purpose of God by predestination by Gods calling by iustification by the worke of Gods spirit by adoption by being fashioned like to the image of Christ by walking religiously in good workes and by this meanes to come to life euerlasting This is done in the Article And this is the true doctrine of perseuerance They who are called according to Gods purpose and iustified and sanctifiâ—d made the sonnes of God by adoption walke religiously in good workes and so at last attaine to euerlasting life are they who haue receiued the grace of perseuerance to the end thus doth that Article set forth this doctrine But our Authour saith before they come to this end they sinne And what then Gods calling is powerfull indeed according to his purpose But it was not the purpose of God in calling vs to make vs Angels or to set vs in such an estate wherein we should neuer sinne any more but to teach vs humility he suffereth vs to striue with sinne and teacheth vs to fight against sinne And if in this battell wee take a blow yet hee sustaineth our weaknesse and will haue vs to glory in nothing that is in our selues but in our infirmities And still in his mercy preserueth vs from falling backe from the faith and keepeth vs from presumptuous sinnes and from that sinne that is vnto death This perseuerance you will say is with great weaknesse It is true wee cannot glory in our perfections which are none The Pelagians and Arminians who glorie in themselues in the power of their wills cannot taste this doctrine But wee glory in God that through many and manifold imperfections and infirmities of ours bringeth vs by this grace vnto the end This worke to bring vs through many
absolute irrespectiue necessitating and fatall decree of your new predestination In which words he plainely deliuereth his owne opinion and as hee taketh it the doctrine of our Church Thus much I say here to take him from that starting hole which he might thinke of to say that in this as in some other things hee deliuered not his owne opinion his opinion is plaine that he layeth these accusations against predestination as the Pelagians did Page 71. he saith That Deodate Minister and professor of the Church of Geneua professed to him his opinion in some points contrary to the conclusions of Dort All the English Diuines which were there do verily beleeue this to bee vntrue because they hold Deodate for an honest man And to put this matter out of doubt Deodate himselfe hath written to a learned and reuerend Bishop of our Church protesting that hee neuer spake any such thing as the Author of the Appeale imposeth vpon him touching the conclusions of that Synode Hee that durst deale so with Deodate must needes loose credit in other things Page 72. he saith At the conference of Hampton Court the Byshop of London Doctor Bancrofte called the doctrine of praedestination a desperate doctrine without any reproofe or taxation I answer as the Byshop of London did then vnderstand it a desperate doctrine so do I call it The Byshop of London had reason for speaking against a common abuse of that doctrine Our Author hath no reason to speake against the doctrine it selfe The Byshops words were these which he omitteth to wrong the Byshop Many in these times neglecting holynesse of life presume too much of persisting in grace laying all their religion vpon praedestination If I shall bee saued I shall bee saued which hee termeth a desperate doctrine and who will deny this as the Byshop deliuereth it It was not the Byshops meaning to call the doctrine of praedestination a desperate doctrine as Saint Paul preacheth it or as the 17. Article deliuereth it The Article affirmeth that the godly consideration of praedestination and our election in Christ is full of sweete pleasant and vnspeakable comfort to godly persons and such as feele in themselues the working of the spirit of Christ mortifying the workes of the flesh aswell because it doth greatly establish and confirme their faith of eternall saluation to bee enioyed by Christ as because it doth feruently kindle their loue towards God If the Author had beene but indifferently affected to the doctrine of Praedestination and to the Article that proueth such comfort to be contained in it and receiued by it Hee would haue said somewhat of this comfort which the godly receiue from this doctrine But hee is pleased to finde nothing in Praedestination but a desperate doctrine The Article saith also that for curious and carnall men lacking the spirit of God to haue continually before their eyes the sentence of Gods Praedestination is a most dangerous downefall The Bishop spake of these last words Our learned Authour the determiner of the doctrines of the Church of England alloweth that the doctrine Praedestination should bee called a desperate doctrine Hee cannot say here that hee onely relateth the Bishops words for therein hee hath wronged the Bishop that hee relateth not his words rightly But the doctrine of our Church in that Article saith that it is full of sweet pleasant and vnspeakable comfort to godly persons He hath handsomely maintained the doctrine of our Church saying that the doctrine of Praedestination is a desperate doctrine without any mention of the abuse of it which before him no Diuine of the Church of England euer vttered Pag. 73. He saith It is your owne doctrine God hath appointed them to grace and glory God according to his purpose hath called and iustified them therefore it is certaine that they must and shall bee saued infallibly Thus writeth the Authour of the Appeale against his accusers I know not these men against whom hee writeth but hee doth much honour them in saying that this is their doctrine Sir is not this your doctrine also I am sure it is the Apostles doctrine Quos insitificauit glorificauit Saint Augustine draweth out of these words that doctrine which this man condemneth Electi sunt de mundo ea vocatione quae Deus id quod praedestinauit implevit Quos enim praedestinavit ipsos vocauit illa scilicet vocatione secundum propositam Non ergo alios sed quos praedestinauit ipsos vocauit nec alios sed quos ita vocauit ipsos iustificauit nec alios sed quos praedestinauit vocauit iustificauit ipsos glorificauit He saith in the same place Haec est immobilis veritas praedestinationis gratiae Then according to these grounds which Saint Augustine calleth the immoueable truth of Praedestination and grace they whom God according to his purpose hath called and iustified must and shall be saued infallibly Sir doe you puffe at this doctrine Durum est contra stimulos calcitrate The words are short and plaine Quos iustificauit glorificauit They must and shall be glorified because the word of God must and shall be true These things are not as this man in scorne calleth them Scholasticall speculations they are the Grounds of our saluation The chiefe and corner stone elect and precious is vnto some a rocke of offence Men may dash themselues against this rocke but they cannot shake it they cannot hurt or remoue it Againe these short words Quos iustificauit glorificauit doth vtterly shake in peeces that new doctrine of his where hee laboureth but in vaine to proue that a man so iustified may fall away totally and finally Quos iustificauit glorificauit If they who are iustified according to Gods purpose shall infallibly be glorified then can they neuer fall away totally or finally Yes saith hee they may fall away totally though not finally It seemeth that this man maketh some account of this conceit for hee hath spoken of it at other times that a man may fall away totally but not finally If hee or any man could proue by euident Scripture that a man that is predestinated called and iustified according to Gods purpose may fall away totally then will I yeeld that hee may fall away finally It is a weake conceit to thinke that hee shall stand finally that falleth away totally For if all grace be gone totally lost then must the man come to another predestination another calling another iustification 〈…〉 cation another adoption But then must 〈…〉 man set vp another Schoole of Diuinit 〈…〉 by that knowledge of Diuinity 〈◊〉 receiued amongst vs and hitherto preserued these things cannot stand FINIS Errata Pag. 2. lin 5. for pag. 37. reade pag. 73. Pag. 85. lin 11. for may be lost reade may not be lost Esa 54.17 Tostat. in Genes cap. 19. Bellar. lib. 2. de grat lib. arb cap. 16. Brad. lib. 1. cap. 10. Enchir. cap. 96. De Genes contra Man lib. 1. c. 2. Lib. 1 contra Pelag Calest cap. 6. Ephes. 1.18 Lib. de corrept gratiae ca. 14. Lib. de Praedest Sanct. cap. 6. Act. 4.28 Lib. de donâ— perseu Cap. 12. Ad Bonif. lib. â— cap. 5. Ibid. Aduers calumniat August c. 1 De praedest sanct cap. 10. Râ—â—ect 1. de potest Zib 3. dist 23 Quest. 1. Iohn 3.6 1 Iohn 4.10 Bed in Rom. 8. Rom. 11.29 Matthew 13. 1 Iohn 3.9 1 Iohn 1.8 1 Peter 2.3 1 Peter 1.3 Iohn 5.24 Lib. de pradest Sanctor 1. Cor. 4.7 Lib. de dono perseuer Phil. 1.29 Ier. 32.40 Dicat mihi quisquis auder Psal. 80.17 1. Ioh. 2.19 Lib. de correp et gratia Liberâ—imaÌ„ fortissimam enuictiss maÌ„ perseuerantissimam in fide voluncatem Act. 13.48 si quando exorbitant Ioh. 15.16 Rom. 14.4 In Ephes. 1. Exhort ad virgin 2 Tim. 4 7 8. Prosper lib. de vocat gentium 1. 1 Cor. 1.8 Rom. 8.35 Greg. in 1 Reg. cap. 14. lib. 4. Beda in Rom. 8. Bern. de modo bene wuendi serm 20. Lib. de pass dom cap. 14. Tostat. in Mat. 22. q. 6 9. 1 Cor. 3.9 Rom. 1.16 1 Cor. 1.18 1 Cor. 2.3 Ephes. 1.18 1â— Math. 24.13 Ephes. 1 4.11 Esa. 46.10 Heb. 6.17 Lib de corrept gratia cap 7. ibid cap 9. Lib. de oper Monach. cap. 13. August in Psal. 77. Bern epist. 77. Mark 16.16 Cyprian de coena Domini Heb. 6. Lib de bapt contra Donatistas 5 ca. 24. Hos. 4.6 Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 24. Lib. de Fradest sanct cap. 17.