The anatomy of Arminianisme: or The opening of the controuersies lately handled in the Low-Countryes, concerning the doctrine of prouidence, of predestination, of the death of Christ, of nature and grace. By Peter Moulin, pastor of the church at Paris. Carefully translated out of the originall Latine copy

CHAP. XXII.

The same Election, in respect of Faith fore-seene, is confu∣ted by Reason.

I. REason it selfe doth agree to the Scrip∣ture: For if perseuerance in Faith, be considered in Election, as a thing al∣ready performed, no man is elected but he is considered as dead, and as hauing finished his course, for no man can be said to haue perseue∣red vntill the end, but hee which is come vnto the end.

II. Hence also it appeareth, that Arminius is contrary to himselfe; For hee saith, Election is of them that beleeue: But they that are dead cease to be∣leeue: Therefore, that Arminius might be con∣stant to himselfe, hee ought to say, that Election is

of them that cease to beleeue, and not of them that beleeue.

III. Also if election to glory, be made for some fore-seene vertue, Christ himselfe, as hee was man, was not predestinated to glory: for he was not car∣ried to such a height of glory, for the fore-seeing ey∣ther of faith, or workes, or any vertue; for whatsoeuer vertue or holinesse is in Christ, as he is man, doth flow from the personall vnion with the diuinity, and from the purity of his conception, by which he was free from originall sinne. Therefore this his holinesse can∣not be said to be fore-seene, but to be decreed. Nor was he predestinated for holinesse, but to holinesse. And that the election of the head, should be contrary to the election of the members, and that the head should be elected to vertue, the members for vertue, no reason doth admit.

IV. Adde to these, that while election is said to be for faith fore-seene, there is appointed an election, which doth not belong to infants that are taken away by an immature and vntimely death, because they want faith.

V. Yea, election for faith fore seene, cannot be called election, but it is an admission and receiuing of them who come to Christ by Faith, and of them, who by their free-will, vsing Grace well, doe first choose God, in whom they put their trust before they be chosen by God. Christ on the contary side saith, Iohn 15.16. Ye haue not chosen me; but I haue chosen you. The Arminians, while they contend that it is here spoken onely of election to their Apost••ship, doe not obscurely confesse that this place doth hurt them, if

it be there spoken of election to saluation: their will is therefore in the worke of saluation, that God be chosen by man, before man be chosen by God. Goe to then, let vs grant, that it is here spoken onely of election to their Apostleship, for that doth not a lit∣tle further our cause. For if the Apostles were elected to their Apostleship, not for any fore-seene vertue, but were elected to receiue those vertues and gifts, by which they might execute their Apostleship; it is much more likely, that man is not elected to saluation for any fore-seene vertue, seeing eternall saluation is a farre greater benefit then the Apostleship, and fur∣ther remoued from the power of man, and more exceeding our capacity, and therefore it is a thing whereunto we haue much more neede of the helpe of God, and which is lesse in the power of mans free∣will, then the obtaining of an Apostleship.

VI. By the same doctrine, faith in Christ, is made a thing of mans free-will, in the power whereof, it is to vse grace, or not to vse it, to beleeue, or not to beleeue, and to vse, or not to vse those powers to be∣leeue, which are giuen vnresistably. Surely Arminius, had neuer said that election had beene for saith fore∣seene, if he had thought that God had certainely de∣creed to giue faith to some certaine men, whom hee elected to saluation, for he acknowledgeth no precise and necessary decree of God of giuing to any one the very act of beleeuing: For this speech were vnapt, God elected Paul because he fore-saw that hee would giue him Faith: If in election faith be considered as already performed, and as that on which election doth rest, it must needes be, that God hath not wrought it:

Otherwise God should be said to be willing to saue a man, because he determined to giue him faith; when on the contrary side, he doth therefore giue faith to one, because he hath decreed by his certaine and im∣mutable will to saue him.

VII. What is to be thought of this doctrine, * 1.1 may be gathered by the consequents which they build on this foundation: such as are these; The election of God in this life is not certaine, nor irreuocable; the number of the elect is not certaine and determined by the will and election of God: the grace of God is not the totall cause of faith, which is a grieuous speech, and ouerthroweth the foundations of faith, as we haue already proued, and hereafter more shall be spoken of the same thing.

VIII. What a thing is it? that by this opinion, no man can beleeue that he is elected: For if any one did beleeue he were elected, hee would beleeue also that his faith was after his election. So he that belee∣ueth he is a man, was a man before he beleeued it: and if faith and perseuerance in faith, doth goe before e∣lection, he who beleeueth in Christ, may indeede pre∣sume or hope that he is elected, after he hath per∣seuered; but he cannot beleeue that hee is already elected, seeing according to Arminius, no man is elected, but after hee hath beleeued, and when he hath ceased to beleeue. Hath therefore this pernici∣ous doctrine torne the bowels of the Churches of the Low-Countries, that it might pull out of their mindes he confidence of Election, and that no man, vnlesse it were impudently and falsely, might beleeue that hee is elected by God to saluation?

Notes

• * 1.1

  Armin. in Perk. p 283 & 224. Causa totalis cur iste credat is••e non, est voluntas Dei & liberum arbitrium h••mi∣nis.