H. Zanchius his confession of Christian religion Which novve at length being 70. yeares of age, he caused to bee published in the name of himselfe & his family. Englished in sense agreeable, and in words as answerable to his ovvne latine copie, as in so graue a mans worke is requisite: for the profite of all the vnlearneder sort, of English christians, that desire to know his iudgement in matters of faith.

CHAP. VIII. Of mans free-will after his fall.

I. What we vnderstand by the name of free-will.

SIth all men after Adams fall and by his fall are conceiued in sinne, and are borne the children of vvrath, and proone not vnto goodnesse, but exceedingly vnto wickednes: this is our beleefe and confession concerning the freewill of a man not regenerate. By the name of freewill, wee doe so meane the free choise of a man, that we doe not yet separate from it, the facultie of the vnderstanding whereby we iudge & determine vpon things, as what is good and what is ill, or what is to be chosen and what to be refused.

II. That the question is two folde, one concerning the nature, the other concerning the power of freewill.

But wee distinguish the question concer∣ning the nature of the vvhole freewill, from the question concerning the nature of mans choice. Nature we call, that naturall & essen∣tiall proprietie, giuen of god, vnto the will or choice: whereby, whatsoeuer it willeth, whe∣ther good, or ill, the same it willeth freelie,

with meere accord and consent, euer voide of all manner of constraint. But by the name of power we vnderstand an abillitie or force gi∣uen vnto vs, whereby wee can both discerne in the minde, what is good, and what is ill: & also in the will, to make choise of the one, and refuse the other.

III. That freewill is alwaies free from constraint.

Euen as therefore the substance of freewill was not lost by sinne: (for the vnderstanding and the will, and the whole substance of the minde remained) so beleeue wee, that the na∣ture thereof was not lost, but whatsoeuer it willeth yet, as well ill, as good, that it willeth the same freelie, and without all constraint: as Augustine truelie saide, free-will is alwaies free (namely from constraint) but is not alwaies good.

IV. Three kindes of thinges and actions, vvherein the povver of mans freevvill is occupied.

But of the power to choose the good or re∣fuse the ill, thus wee thinke. Wee distinguish good and ill into three kindes, that is, in such things as pertain to the animal life, & in such things as pertaine to humane life, and in such as pertaine to the diuine, that is, a christian life. Of the first kinde, are such thinges as are in a manner common vnto vs with beastes, & doe belong vnto the vegetable and sensitiue

faculties. In the second kinde are reckened, such thinges as are proper vnto man, and per∣taine to a humaine minde, as are all the artes, aswell mechanicall as liberall, the morall and politick vertues, lastlie, all sciences, and al phi∣losophie. And the third kinde containeth, onelie those good thinges, and good actions, which are ordained onelie to the kingdome of god, & a christian life: as are the true know∣ledge of god, faith, and the effects therof, re∣generation, obedience, charitie, and other of the same sorte.

V. The povver in a man not regenerate is verie weake, in those things which pertaine to humaine life.

To speak nothing therfore, of mans power after his fall, in knowing, in desiring, yea (and if occasion be offred,) in choosing and follow∣ing those things, which pertaine to the sustai∣ning of this animall life, and the happie lea∣ding thereof, and to eschewe the contraries, because they belong not to religion and to manners (in which pointe notwithstanding, dailie experience teacheth vs howe great an infirmitie both of iudgement and appetite hath taken hold on man) wee beleeue, that al∣though by the mercie of God, there is some light remaining in mens mindes, partlie for the iudging of what is right and wrong, good and euill in humaine affaires, and partlie for the attaining to the knowledge of diuerse

thinges, of artes and instructions, and sundrie vertues: yet that smale light, what so it is, is left so little in mans minde, and his will so de∣praued, that vnlesse the minde bee helped by light from heauen, & his will inclined by spe∣ciall grace, to choose that which is good, and refuse the ill: men can neither learne the arts truelie and profit by anie instructions, nor at∣taine vnto anie vertues; although there may be in the vnregenerate neuer so manie: euen as Augustine not without cause did write, that all the learning, or vertues, or rather the images of vertues, which were in the Romaines, and other hea∣then people, were the singuler gifts of god.

VI. A confirmation of the former opinion.

For neither were, nor are, al the infidells in∣dued equallie with the same vertues & know∣ledge: so that therby it manifestlie appeareth, that these were not the giftes of nature, but gifts of god added to nature.

VII. In those thinges vvhich pertaine to god and to true piety, a man not regenerate, can do nothing.

But in things pertaining to God, godlines, religion, and christian life, we beleeue, that the minde of a man not regenerate is so darkned, and his heart so vnsounde, and all the powers in him so extinguished: that hee can neither know god, and the things belonging to god, nor loue him, and desire any thing acceptable

vnto him, much lesse bee obedient to his will, as he ought: sith the Apostle saith: The naturall man perceiueth not the thinges, that are of god, nei∣ther can he know them: how should he therefore will, and performe? and Christ saith, without me ye can do nothing.

VIII. A confirmation of the former opinion.

For as a man beeing dead vnto nature and to men, can do none of those things which be∣long to nature and to man: so neither can hee which is dead vnto god in sinne, truely know or doe those things which belong vnto god or true godlinesse, but shall altogether consume and putrifie in sinne, vnlesse he be deliuered out of the same with grace by Christ, and bee called to life againe. For all mē without Christ and not regenerate by Christs spirit are quite dead, so as they are said to bee truely reuiued, raised vp, and borne againe, which are deliue∣red from sinne by faith in Christ, and do serue him.

IX. Errors.

Wee therefore condemne all Pelagians, which teach the contrarie, and doe exroll the power of freewill against the grace of Christ: so do we detest and accurse the Manichęs & others, which make man to be but as a block, which hath no iudgement nor any free liber∣tie of will, no not in ciuill causes.

Notes

• Liberum arbitrium.
• Eph. 2.3 Gal. 6.5. & 8.21.
• Tom. 7. con Iul. Pel. lib. 4. cap. 3
• 1. Cor. 2.14
• Ioh. 15.5