The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

Paragr. 2. Saint Augustine, concerning reprobation.

T. W. Our Minister, to proue his blasphemous doctrine of reprobation or damnation, doth shrowd himselfe vnder an abused testimony of Saint Augustine* 1.1, whom he thus citeth;

It is a manifest truth, that many cannot be saued, not be∣cause themselues will not, but because God will not, (which without all obscuritie, is manifested in Infants) These latter words Maister White hath fraudulently o∣mitted.

Answ. 1. Where you charge Doctor White with blas∣phemous doctrine, touching reprobation, it seemes you much regard not what you say, Psal. 12.4. Maister White holdeth no other doctrine touching reprobation, then your owne Thomas, Caietan, Capreolus, Ferrariensis, Bannes, and the learneder part of Aquinas his Schollers, haue alwaies taughta 1.2; and which is lately propugned a∣gainst Molina and Suarez, by Shumel, Rispolis, Martines, & other Papistsb 1.3, and which the Church of Rome it self, neuer condemned as erronious.

2. Saint Augustines testimony, Epist. 107. affirmeth verbally, that many people cannot be saued, not because they will not, but because God will not haue them saued: And he meaneth elder persons as well as Infants; as it appeareth by another placec 1.4, where handling the same Argument, he nameth elder persons, saying; Of two infants being a∣like corrupted with originall sinne, why one is chosen and ano∣ther forsaken, and of two elder persons, why one is effectually called, and the other not, must be referred to the vnsearchable iudgement of God.

Benius a learned Papist, affirmethd 1.5; That it is the constant doctrine of Saint Augustine, that sufficient grace is not giuen to all men by God: And the same Author saith; That this was the doctrine of many great Schoolemen, both before and since the Trident Councelle 1.6. Gregorie Ariminensef 1.7 hol∣deth

thus, and Vasquesg 1.8 the Iesuite acknowledg∣eth the same. And Saint Augustine himselfe both ex∣poundeth the place of Paul, 1. Tim. 2. God will haue all men to be saued, &c. of the electh 1.9; and also expresly tea∣cheth: That if men in a secret iudgement be not seuered from the masse of perdition, by the grace of predestination, neither words nor deeds, whereby they may be inabled to be∣leeue, are applyed vnto themi 1.10. From whence it followeth, that the doctrine which this Popish Priest calleth blas∣phemous, is Saint Augustines: and that according to this great Father, many men cannot be saued, not be∣cause they will not, but because God will not. And the naming of infants by Saint Augustine, Epist. 107. is not to restraine the speech onely to them; but by the ex∣ample of infants, to proue the assertion vnanswerably: for if infants being sinners in a lesse degree then elder persons, are yet many times by a secret iudgement of God, excluded from Baptisme the meanes of their salua∣tion; then may God more iustly depriue elder people being guilty of greater sinnes, of efficient grace.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Aug. tom. 2. ap. 107. ad Vital.
• a 1.2

  Thom Aq. 1. q. 23. Caietan. ib. Bannes ib. Chumel ib. Ferrar. contra gent l. 3 c. 161. Rispolis. de praefinit. l. 1. q. 1. c. 3.
• b 1.3

  Pererius com. Rom. 9. d. 5.
• c 1.4

  Aug. de bono perscu. c. 8. & de praedest. sanct. c. 6. Prosp. ad excerp genuens. d. 3. Greg. in euang. hom. 30. Bellar. de grat. & lib. arb. l. 2. c. 3. Sicut verum est non omnes sal∣uos fieri quia ipsi non volunt: sic etiam verum est, non omnes▪ saluos fieri, quia Deus non vult voluntate beneplaciti.
• d 1.5

  Benius de eff. gratiae, c. 16. Constante•• semper censuit, non omnibus offerri gratiam.
• e 1.6

  Ib. ca. 4.
• f 1.7

  Greg. Arim. 1. d 46.
• g 1.8

  Vasq. 1 d. 97: c 6. Necesse est fateri Augusti∣num eius fuisse sententiae. Et ib. •• 34. Au∣gustinus, Pros∣p••r. & Fulgen∣t••••s, Isius fuere sententiae.
• h 1.9

  Aug. de cor∣rept. & grat. c. 14 Ita dictum sit, omnes homines vult saluos esse, vt intelligantur omnes prae∣destinati. Benius de effic. grat. c. 16. Enixe semper atque constanter ad solos electos referri voluit.
• i 1.10

  Aug de bono perseu. c. 14. Isiodor. de sum. bon. siue sent l. 2 c. 15. Nonnulli ita despiciuntur à Deo, vt deplorare mala sua non possint. Aug de fid. ad Petr. c 35. cited by Espenceus, com. 2. Tim. pag. 59. Non magis irae vasa quae Deus non praedestinauit ad vi∣tam, vlla ratione saluari possunt quam misericordiae vasa perir••. Stapl. Antid. Apost. Rom. 9. v 11. &c. Ad hanc adoptionem filiorum Dei, ad hanc primam salutem, quae in baptismo credentibus consertur▪ quod attinet, cur hodie & per omnes a tates aliquae gentes vocantur, & aliquae non aut olim tam pauci Iudaei, tam multi Gentiles vocabantur, si quis velit eorum operibus causam dis∣criminis tribuere, propositum Dei secundum electionem, id est, gratuitam & fixam Dei electio∣nem subuerteret.