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I SEeing that by one man, sinne entred in∣to the world, and death by sinne, and all men, without exception, are borne guilty of the curse; it is certaine, that
that no man can be freed from the curse, but by the meere grace and fauour of God: This grace he hath reuealed to vs in Christ, without whom there is no saluation: For he put on our nature, that by this meanes of his comming betweene, and as it were by this knot, man might be ioyned with God; and hee suffered death that hee might satisfie for our sinnes, and so, reconciliation being made, wee might be restored to the title and degree of the sonnes of God.
II. This benefit, and sauing grace, God doth de∣clare to vs by the Gospell, wherein that couenant of free grace, whereof Christ is the mediator and foun∣dation, is propounded.
III. By this Gospell, eternall life is promised to those that beleeue in Christ: For as there is no sal∣uation without Christ; so without faith, Christ can∣not be apprehended, nor can we come to the saluati∣on appointed onely for the faithfull: For as the A∣postle saith, Heb. 11, Without faith it is vnpossible to please God: I call faith, not that vaine trust whereby men sleepe in their vices, and their consciences are benumbed, while they haue a good hope of the mer∣cy of God; but a liuely faith, which doth worke by charitie, Gal. 5.6. which by that very meanes doth in∣crease loue, because it driues away feare.
IV. This faith man hath not of himselfe, neither is it a thing of mans free will, but the gift of God, and the effect of the holy-Ghost, who doth draw men by a powerfull calling, and doth seale in mens hearts, and deepely, impresse in their consciences the pro∣mises of God, propounded in the Gospell.
V. All men haue not this faith, as the Apostie saith, 2. Thes. 3. for then all men should be conuerted and saued, but onely they whom Paul saith, are called by the purpose of God. Rom. 8.28. and whom God of his meere * 1.1 good pleasure hath chosen to saluation.
VI. Faith is giuen by the meer good pleasure of God, neither is it giuen to the worthy, but it doth make them worthy when it is giuen: For God doth not find men good, but makes them so; neither doth he fore∣know any good in man but, that which hee himselfe shall doe: as hereafter shall more fully be taught.
VII. This eternall, and therefore immutable decree of God, is called Predestination; which is a part of the prouidence of God: For prouidence is called Predestination, when it doth apply it selfe to the sal∣uation or condemnation of the reasonable creature; and when it doth dispense and dispose the meanes, by which men come to saluation; for that these things are gouerned by the diuine will, and that God according to his good pleasure doth giue to some, that which he doth deny to others, cannot be doubt∣ed: For though the Scripture were here silent, yet reason would cry out, that it is not likely, that God, who doth extend his care to all things, is negligent in this thing alone, which is the chiefest.
VIII. Furthermore, although there be a Predesti∣nation among the Angels, as Saint Paul witnesseth, who 1. Tim. 5.21. calleth the Angels Flect: Here we are to deale onely with the predestination of men, as that which alone belongs to vs.
IX. Predestination is therefore the decree, by which in the worke of our saluation, God hath from
eternity determined what hee will doe with euery man. Or thus: Predestination is the decree of God, by which, of the corrupted masse of mankinde, hee hath decreed to saue certaine men by Christ, and iust∣ly to punish the rest for their sinnes.
X. Of this Predestination there are two parts; the one is election, the other is reprobation, whereof the first doth necessarily lay downe the second: For, as often as some are chosen out of many, the rest are necessarily reprobated: and of them that are chosen, some are preferred before others.
XI. Of election, and of the Elect, there is often mention in the Scripture. Many are called, but few are chosen. Math. 20.16. God hath chosen vs in Christ, be∣fore the foundations of the world were laid. Ephes. 1.4. The purpose of God according to election doth stand, not of workes, but of him that calleth. Rom. 9.11. There is a remnant according to the election of grace. Rom. 11.5. False Christs and false Prophets shall arise, and shall shew signes and wonders to seduce, if it were possible, euen the elect. Mark. 13.22.
XII. On the other side, that some are reprobates, the Scripture doth witnesse, 1. Pet. 2.8. Which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. And Iude, v. 4. Certaine men are crept in, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation. Hitherto belongs that which is said Reuel. 20.15. That there is cast into the lake of fire, whosoeuer is not sound written in the booke of life: Which booke is nothing else, but the Catalogue of the Elect, determined by the decree of God.
XIII. We haue Iacob and Esau for a notable exam∣ple of this difference, of whom whilest they were yet shut vp in the wombe, before they had done either good or euill, God doth pronounce, I haue loued la∣cob; I haue hated Esau, Rom. 9. Also the two Theeues crucified with Christ, Two shall be in a bed, the one shall be receiued, and the other left, Luk. 17.34. Not much vnlike that which happened to Pharaohs Butler, and his chiefe Baker, who being shut vp in the same prison, the one was brought forth to honour, the other to punishment.
XIV. An example of this difference God hath shewed, not onely in Abraham, but also in his stocke, which for no desert of theirs, hee preferred before o∣ther Nations, When the most high diuided to the Nations their inheritance, when he seperated the sonnes of Adam, the Londs portion was his people, Iacob was the lot of his inheritance, Deut. 32. And least any one should sup∣pose that that was done for the vertue of that people fore-seene; he thus speaketh to his people: Vnder∣stand therefore, that the Lord thy God giueth thee not this good Land to possesse it, for thy righteousnesse, for thou art a stiffe-necked people, Deut. 9.6.
XV. And although Predestination doth compre∣hend reprobation; seeing that it is certaine, that the wicked are appointed to a certaine end, and to their deserued punishments: yet the Apostle, by the word Predestination, doth vnderstand onely Election, as Rom. 8. Those that he predestinated, he called, &c. And Ephes. 1.5. Hauing predestinated vs to the adoption of chil∣dren. Thomas, imitating this manner of speaking, doth thus define Predestination. 1. Part. Sum. Quest. 23.
Art 2. Predestination is the preparation to grace in the present, and to glory in the world to come.
XVI. But when concerning this doctrine, diuers men thinke diuersly; yet Arminius alone hath attai∣ned the nature of Predestination lesse then any other, and doth greatly stumble in the very entrance. He in his Theologicall disputations. Disp. 13. The. 3. saith, that the genus and generall of Predestination is the decree, and that (saith hee) not the legall decree, according to which it is said, the man that doth them shall liue in them: but the Euangelicall decree, which speaketh thus: This is the will of God, that euery one that seeth the sonne and be∣leeueth in him, should haue life eternall And all the Ar∣minians following him, doe comprehend the whole doctrine of Predestination in foure decrees: The first they will haue to be that, whereby God decreed to send his sonne to redeeme mankinde: The second, that whereby he decreed to giue eternall life to them that beleeue: The third, that, whereby he decreed to giue all men grace, and sufficient power to beleeue: The fourth, that, whereby he decreed to giue saluation to these, and they particular men whom he fore-knew would beleeue, and would perseuere in the faith; and as the linkes of a Chaine, they so knit these that the lat∣ter decrees depend on the former, and by the former, the way is to the latter.
XVII. By these things it is plaine, that Arminius did not vnderstand what the decree of Predestination was: For the decree of Predestination is that, where∣by God hath appointed what he will doe with vs, and not what he would haue vs doe: Vntowardly there∣fore doth Arminius place, among the decrees of God,
that will of God, whereby he hath appointed those to be saued, who shall beleeue, seeing that in this will the commandement of God is included: Arminius him∣selfe in the same place doth comprehend Predestina∣tion vnder prouidence, and doth make predestina∣tion a species, or part of prouidence: If therefore that speech, hee that beleeueth, shall be saued, is not the decree of prouidence, certainely it will not be the de∣cree of predestination; seeing Predestination is no o∣ther thing then prouidence, restrained to the saluation or reprobation of men. This doth plainely appeare from thence, that Arminius doth oppose this decree, which hee cals Euangelicall, to the legall decree, by which it is said, He that shall doe these things, shall liue in them; which is manifestly, not the decree of proui∣dence, but the rule of iustice: And if not this, then certainely not the other, seeing the rules of the Gos∣pell doe no more belong to the prouidence of God, and therefore not to predestination, then the rules of the Law.
XVIII. Therefore of those foure decrees, the se∣cond is to be wiped out, and a place to be appointed for it in the doctrine of the Gospell, and not in the eternall decree and secret predestmation. And so of those foure linkes, the second being taken away, the whole chaine is broken, and as it were, one pin being drawne out, the whole ioyning together of that frame is loosed and dissolued.
XIX. Nay what? that Arminius doth altogether ouerthrow Election, and make it to be a thing onely of name? * 1.2 For he doth deny, that the number of the Elect is determined by the decree of God; whence it
comes to passe, that no man at all is elected: For if the saluation of seuerall men, were determined by the de∣cree of God, it would also be determined, that this or that man were of the number, and so of seuerall men, the whole summe would be certainely and determi∣nately finished: But if the number of the elect, be not fore-determined, by the certaine decree of God, the Booke of life containing the number of them that are to be saued, Reuel. 20. and the number of the brethren not yet fulfilled, Reuel. 6.11. and whatsoeuer the Scripture saith of the sheepe that were giuen to Christ, euen before their conu••rsion, must needes vanish away.
XX. And when Arminius will haue all men to be elected by a conditionall election; that is, so they will beleeue, and by their free will, rightly vse the grace which is offred them: he doth lay downe an election which is not an election, because it is equally extended to all: He doth not elect, that doth not preferre some before others. What? that by this generall election, Simon Magus and Simon Peter were equally elected? and the election is extended to Iudas and Pharaoh.
XXI. But that is the most dangerous that Armi∣nius doth make the election of seuerall men to come after faith, and so doth make the election of God to depend on mans free-will: Whence it comes to passe, that the saluation of man is a thing meerely contin∣gent & not necessary, because it depends vpon a thing that is contingent & mutable, to wit, vpon mans wil. For although God doth certainly fore-know those contin∣gent casuall things, which are to be after; yet is not therefore the election or saluation of man necessary,
for a thing is not therefore certaine, because it is cer∣tainely fore-knowne. And because election, is not an act of the fore-knowledge of God, but of his will; the execution whereof (if we may giue credit to Arminius) doth depend on the fulfilling of the condition, which may be hindred by man: For the Schoole and fol∣lowers of Arminius, are of opinion, that euery man hath power of beleeuing, and that God is bound to giue to all men power of fulfilling the condition of the second couenant, * 1.3 and that the grace of God is but the cause in part of faith, and that it is not begot in man by the grace of God alone.
XXII. So while the Arminians will haue euery particular person to be elected by God, for faith fore∣seene; that is, that they are certainely appointed to saluation whom God fore-seeth will come, when they shall be called, and will perseuere, they doe plainely deny them to be elected: For to receiue all that come, is not to elect or choose; for although the Armini∣ans will haue both precedent and concomitant grace to be giuen by God, yet they will haue it in the pow∣er of mans free will, to refuse grace, or not to refuse it. Surely Arminius would haue God to predestinate those to saluation, whom he from eternity fore-saw would by their owne free-will vse aright his grace. But I deny that this can be called Election, seeing it is rather a decree of admitting those that will come to Christ, when they might not come: who (if Ar∣minius doctrine get place) doe first choose God and apply themselues to him, before they be appointed to sa••uation by God.
XXIII. I let passe, that Arminius will haue parti∣cular
men so to be elected for faith fore-seene, that they belong to the election, not whom hee hath de∣creed, but whom he hath fore-seene will perseuere in the faith vntill death. Whence it comes, that God e∣lecteth none, vnlesse he be considered as dead, or else in the very point betweene life and death; which if it be true, Arminius doth say amisse, when he saith, that beleeuers are elected: for he should say, that they are elected, who cease to beleeue.
XXIV. Adde to this, that new and prodigious o∣pinion of the Arminians, whereby they thinke that re∣probates may be saued, and those which are elect may be damned, not as they are the reprobate or the elect, but as they are indued with power to beleeue, and to come to saluation. But if he which is a reprobate by the decree of God, may be saued, and hee which is e∣lected may be damned, it is plaine, that Predestinati∣on is not the decree of God, but a thing onely in title, and a floting will, or meere and bare fore-knowledge; the certainty whereof doth depend vpon the fore∣seeing of an vncertaine thing, to wit, mans free-will. Who, I pray, would endure a man speaking thus? I am indeede a reprobate, but I can effect that I should be saued; or, I am elected, but it is in my power to effect that I should be reprobated.
XXV. If therefore the certainty of election should be made to depend vpon mans will, it might come to passe, that no man should beleeue in Christ, and so Christ had died in vaine.
XXVI. * 1.4 But by that series and order of the foure decrees, whereby Christ is appointed to death, before God had determined who should be saued; Christ is
made the head of the Church, without any certaine members, which is meere dotage: For Christ is fained to be giuen to be the head of the Church, without the certaine will of God, what should afterward be his body. Yea, by the doctrine of the Arminians, it may come to passe, that Christ should be a head without a body, and the Church should be none at all, for they thinke that there is none of the elect which may not be damned.
XXVII. This also is not to be omitted, that the Armi∣nians, to the end they might maintain that concatena∣tion, or linking together of the foure decrees, doe af∣firme, that Christ died, not for the faithfull, but for all men indistinctly; not more for Peter, then for Iudas; and that Christ in his death, had not determined whom he would saue by his death; yea, that when Christ dyed, election had no place, because election is a thing after the death of Christ.
XXVIII. The example of Caiaphas and of Iudas, is here of speciall weight: For by the doctrine of Ar∣minius, God electeth all men vnder this condition, that they beleeue in the death of Christ. I demand there∣fore, whether God chose Caiaphas and Iudas to salua∣tion, vnder this condition, that they should beleeue in the death of Christ? This surely cannot be said; because God had decreed to vse the wickednesse of Caiaphas and Iudas to deliuer Christ to death. How could they be elected to saluation, vnder the cond ti∣on of beleeuing in the death of Christ, who were ap∣pointed to that very thing, that by their incredu••ity and wickednesse, Christ might be deliuered to death? But we onely touch these things coursarily and by the
way, they are to be expounded more exactly in their place.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Arnold. p. 17••. Dicitis Des soli motum esse qui nam & quot sint elects: sed nume∣rumtamenstatui∣tis certis esset & ex praecisa Dei ordinatione de∣terminatum qui nec angeriposs••t, nec m••nui idqu•• ex••••dem ordi∣natione Long•• vero aliter Enan∣gelium Idem ai•• Greuinchou••••s in prae••atione.
Arnold. p. 262. in Tilen.
See Sect. 16.