An examination of those things wherein the author of the late Appeale holdeth the doctrines of the Pelagians and Arminians, to be the doctrines of the Church of England written by George Carleton ...

CHAP. 8. (Book 8)

I Was willing to let S. Augustine bee heard the longer in that cause, wherein he was most exer∣cised against the Pelagians. The same doctrine as being the publique receiued doctrine of the Church, hath beene likewise taught by others.* 1.1 S. Ambrose saith, quos deus vocare dicitur, perseuerant in fide, hij sunt quos elegit ante mundi constitutionem. He maketh p••r∣seuerance a grace that dependeth vpon Gods calling: hee meaneth, as himselfe expoundeth it, that calling which is according to Gods purpose. And hee saith againe in the same place, hoc placuit deo, cuius consilium retractari non potest.* 1.2 This he proueth also from those words of the Apostle: I haue fought a good fight, I haue finished my course, I haue kept the faith; from henceforth is laid vp for mee the crowne of righteousnesse, which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue at that day: and not to me onely, but to all them also that loue his appearing. Then without perseuerance no man can expect glory. And this grace is giuen not onely to Saint Paul, and such ex∣cellent Saints as hee was, but vnto all that loue the Lords appearing.* 1.3 The same thing is taught by the Au∣thor of the booke de vocatione gentium, who citeth that place: Who shall confirme you to the end that you may bee blamelesse in the day of the Lord. And those words; Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ?* 1.4 shall tribu¦ation, or anguish &c. Charitas dei, saith hee, qua eos di∣ligit, quos inseparabiles facit, id est, vs{que} in finem perseue∣rantes: nam quid aliud est perseuerare, quam tentatione

non vinci?* 1.5 The same is taught by Saint Gregory Qui non praedestinati sunt, saith hee, siue audiant doctorum verba, siue non audiant, vocari in dei habitaculum ne∣queunt. And againe he saith: Ab eo qui defecit, venire spiritus dicitur, ire ad eum qui perseveraturus est: quia alios in tempore deserit, alios assumit, nec tamen deserit.— in reliquum dirigitur spiritus, qui à gratia quam percipit, nunquam discedit.—quid est ergo qu••d dicitur à die illa, et in reliquum? nisi quia spiritus gratia sic recipitur, vt in ea electi vs{que} in finem perseuerare doceantur? And our venerable Bede,* 1.6 vpon those words, scimus queniam di∣ligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum, saith thus. Sciens nonnullos diligere deum et in eo bono vs{que} in finem non perseuerare, mox addit, his qui serundum propositum vocati sunt: he enim in eo quod diligunt deum, permanent vs{que}, in finem: et quid ad tempus inde deuiant, reuertuntur, et vs{que} in finem per durant, quod in bono esse coeperaent. Saint Bernard holdeth the same course.* 1.7 Salus perseuerantibus promittitur praemium perseuerantibus datur. Non est bo∣nus, qui bonum facit, sed qui incessabiliter facit. And in another place,* 1.8 O sol iustitiae, benigne Iesu Christe, lucens in tua virtute, reddens temet ipsum in praemium sempiter∣num omnibus qui perseuerauerunt in agone certaminis. Hunc splendorem nemo potest adipisci, nisi qui perseueraue∣rit vs{que} 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.* 1.9 Dicuntur vocati quicun{que} 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 per∣seuering 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 iudge∣ment of late men, that seemeth to scorne their ve∣rie 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 cha∣ritable 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 Fa∣thers 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 propa∣gators of the truth: but I censure none. Then lea∣uing other Churches, wee come home to our owne Church.

We haue enough in the articles of Faith and Reli∣gion, 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 Armi∣nians. Against this, wee haue heretofore shewed that the 17. Article hath set forth the doctrine of Praedesti∣nation in a sound and wholesome manner: that Gods calling followeth the purpose of God, and de∣pendeth vpon it: that faith, obedience, and repen∣tance follow the calling of God, and depend vpon it: but the calling of God doth not follow faith, obedi∣ence, 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 do∣ctrine.

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 th••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 deli∣uer from curse and damnation those whome hee hath cho∣sen in Christ out of man-kinde, to bring them by Christ to euerlasting saluation: wherefore they which bee en∣dued with such an excellent benefit of God, be called accor∣ding 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 frō the beginning by the meanes to the end, then here is done? For what is perseue∣rance, 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 pur∣pose of God, by predestination, by Gods calling, by iu∣stification, 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 sanctifi••d, made the sonnes of God by adoption, walke religiously in good workes and so at last attaine to e∣uerlasting 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 humi∣lity 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 weak∣nesse. 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, can∣not taste this doctrine. But wee glory in God, that through many and manifold imperfections and infir∣mities of ours bringeth vs by this grace vnto the end. This worke to bring vs through many infirmities to an happy end, is the worke of God, which no power in the world can defeate.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In Ephes. 1.
• * 1.2

  Exhort. ad virgin. 2 Tim. 4, 7, 8.
• * 1.3

  Prosper. lib. de vocat. gen∣tium. 1. 1 Cor. 1.8.
• * 1.4

  Rom. 8.35.
• * 1.5

  Greg. in 1 Reg. cap. 14. lib. 4.
• * 1.6

  Beda in Rom. 8.
• * 1.7

  Bern. de modo bene wuendi. serm. 20.
• * 1.8

  Lib. de pass. dom. cap. 14.
• * 1.9

  Tostat. in Mat. 22. q. 6 9.