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. XXXVII.

Of the distinction of grace, into sufficient, and effectuall grace.

I. THe distinction of grace into sufficient and into effectuall grace, is an old & worne distinction in the Schooles: But effectuall grace is taken two wayes. For it doth either signifie, that grace which is apt and fit to effect and worke; as when we call that medicine effectuall, and that reme∣dy forcible, which although it be not taken by the sicke man yet is apt and fit to heale: Or we call that grace effectuall, which doth effect and worke in act; in which sence, effectuall is vsed for efficient, and the efficacy is vsed for the effect, or for the efficiency. The Philosophers say, that there is a double efficient cause, one in power, as the Architect and the Physiti∣an; another in act, as hee that buildeth, and hee that cureth: Hence proceedeth that double acceptation of the word, efficacy.

II. The Papists thinke, that there is sufficient aide to conuersion giuen to all men: with which aide, they may so cooperate with the helpe of their free-will, that they may be conuerted, although there come no other effectuall aide: And by effectuall grace, they vnder∣stand that grace which is efficient, and doth bring forth its effect.

III. The Arminians, who in the question of grace and free-will, doe so dresse and trimme vp Popery, as the Papists doe Pelagianisme, doe often vse that

distinction of sufficient and effectuall grace; but with such a floating speech, and affected ambiguity, that it is hard to know what is effectuall grace with them. Arminius against Perkins, pag. 245. doth say, that that is effectuall grace, which doth in very deede worke the effect; and hee doth bring these examples: God was able to make many worlds, but hee did it not effectu∣ally; Christ was able to saue all men, but he did it not effectually: Which speech is certainely absurd, and deserueth to be laughed at; for he speaketh, as if God did something not effectually, or as if hee had created many worlds ineffectually: For in stead of to doe effectually, hee ought to haue simply said, to doe, or to make.

IV. But Arnoldus being as Diomedes, melior patre, better then his father, doth forsake Arminius: For he, pag. 397. hath these words; That thing is said to be effectuall, not which doth effect any thing, but which is so powerfull to doe something, as is an effectuall remedy, and forcible meanes. Thus the Patrons of errour, are fal∣len out betweene themselues. But here I am bound to patronize and maintaine Arminius against his Scholler: For if effectuall grace be taken for that which doth effect and worke in act, then this distincti∣on of grace into sufficient and effectuall may be ad∣mitted; because there are many things of sufficient power to worke, which yet doe not worke in act; as the absent Physitian, and the sleeping Phyloso∣pher: But it cannot be said, that one grace is suffici∣ent to worke, and another is fit and apt to worke, for these two are both one; neither can any thing be spo∣ken more absurd••y, then that there is some grace

sufficient, which is not fit to worke: That can∣not be an efficient cause, which is not of sufficient power.

V. Therefore according to Arminius, the meanes to faith and saluation are administred to all sufficient∣ly, but not effectually and efficiently. But according to Arnoldus, God doth administer these meanes to all men, both sufficiently and effectually; for he had ra∣ther take efficacy for aptitude and fitnesse to worke, then for efficiency and the working it selfe; that he might say, that the efficacy of grace doth not depend on free-will: For if he had taken efficacy for efficien∣cy, then he must haue said, that the efficacy of grace doth depend on free-will: For the Schoole and fol∣lowers of Arminius, doe hold this by the teeth, and doe cry out with one mouth, that the effect or effici∣ency of grace, doth depend on free-will. God indeede doth giue grace and sufficient power to conuersion, but that man is conuerted, or not conuerted in act, is in the power of free-will. Arnoldus doth teach this at large, 447. We determine (saith hee) that the vse of grace is subiect to mans will, so that man may vse it, or not vse it, according to his naturall liberty: And a little after, speaking of a man furnished with the power of grace, hee saith, that the effect of the mercy of God, is in the power of man. And pag. 448. he teacheth, that if effi∣cacy be taken for efficiency, man maketh grace inef∣fectuall: For Arnoldus was ashamed to adde the o∣ther member, and to say that man made grace effectu∣all or ineffectuall; and yet there are other places brought by vs out of their writings, which are equi∣pollent and of like force with this speech: as also that

which he saith, pag. 449. Man, if he be not wanting to himselfe, may conuert himselfe. The Reader therefore shall marke how pestilent this doctrine is (which the ARminians, restrained as it were with shame, doe scarce at any time vtter without ambiguities;) That the grace of God is effectuall (that is, efficient and working,) it is to be attributed to free-will, and the efficiency of the grace of God is subiected to the will of man. By which speech they meane this; that God doth saue man, if man himselfe will, for this it is to depend on mans will.

VI. The Orthodoxe Churches doe much differ from this doctrine: For how can we be conuerted by the grace of God, if wee will, seeing that this very thing that we are willing, is the grace of God, yea, it is conuersion it selfe? For he that doth seriously desire to be conuerted to God, is already in some part con∣uerted. But of these things we haue already spoken much, and more shall be spoken, when wee treate of the manner by which the grace of God doth certaine∣ly worke conuersion in vs, which manner, the Armini∣ans call (by an odious and rude word) irresistibi∣litie.

VII. But in the tearme of sufficient grace, they doe not onely differ one from another, but euery one of them differeth from himselfe: For they will haue suffi∣cient grace to beleeue, & power of beleeuing to be gi∣uen to all particular men. * 1.1 And yet the same men say, that no man can beleeue in act, and vse well this vni∣uersall grace, without speciall grace. O your faithfull stability! Can that be called sufficient grace, which doth neuer bring forth that effect for which it is gi∣uen, vnlesse some other speciall grace come to it? Is

that a sufficient cause, which doth neuer worke alone? Or is any thing lesse agreeable to reason, then with Arminius, to make one kinde of grace, which is suffi∣cient, by which the sinner may be conuerted, but is not conuerted, and another which is effectuall, by which the sinner is conuerted? Is it not of the same power and faculty to be able to doe, and to doe? to be able to see, and to see? Surely, a giddinesse hath ceased on these men, while they study for subtiltie.

VIII. I am deceiued, if Vorstius did not discerne this; and therefore in the twentie and twentie one sections, Collat. cum Piscat. he doth make two kindes of grace, one sufficient and altogether necessary, which God doth giue to all them that are called: the other extraordinary, superabounding, and singular, by which men are indeede conuerted; and hee doth re∣iect them that say none at all are conuetted by that former grace: For (he saith) that God hath not pro∣mised to conuert all that are conuerted, with this more then sufficient helpe, and superabounding effi∣cacy of grace.

IX. But we taking the tearme of effectuall grace, for that grace which is apt and fit to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed, doe acknowledge no sufficient grace which is not effectuall, that is, apt to worke that for which it is giuen and appointed, whe∣ther it doth effect and worke alone, or with others; which I do purposely adde, because oftentimes to one effect and perfect action, many causes doe concurre; as to Learning, Nature Art, and exercise doe con∣curre; to the fer••i••ity and fruitfulnesse of the field, the

goodnesse of the soile the sunne, raine, and conuenient manuring doe concurre.

X. And seeing that in the concourse of causes, to the producing of one effect, there are certaine causes, that doe not onely worke with others, but which doe also worke by others, and doe giue efficacie and pow∣er to the adioyning causes: So in the conuersion of man, the holy Ghost, and the preaching of the word, doe concurre, but the spirit doth giue efficacy to the word: For in vaine are the eares beaten on, vnlesse God open the heart, and with the word, doth inspire his secret power.

XI. And we acknowledge that there is no grace absolutely sufficient, eyther to conuersion, or to faith, or to saluation, without the spirit of regeneration, and knowledge of Christ. And we condemne the schoole of Arminius, teaching that all men, euen the heathens, to whom the name of Christ hath not come, are in∣dued with sufficient and sauing grace, to come to faith, and by it to saluation.

XII. Yet the outward meanes to saluation, that are largely administred without the inward efficacy of the holy Spirit, may in some measure be called suf∣ficient grace, not onely because they suffice to make them inexcusable, but also because these meanes ought to suffice to come to saluation, if man were such as he ought to be. For if any thing is wanting to that grace, the defect is bred on his part who is called, not on his part who calleth, who, by the rule of iu∣stice, is not bound to supply inward dispositions, be∣cause man is bound to giue them of his owne, and to bring them of himselfe: Nor is God bound to restore

them to man, after man hath lost them by his owne fault: Therefore God doth iustly say, Esay 5. What ought I to haue done more to my vineyard, that I haue not done to it? For, speaking after the manner of men, God is said that he ought to doe that which his iustice doth require, and which if he should not doe, there would seeme to be cause of expostulating: But that God doth there speake of the outward meanes, doth hence appeare, because he compareth the bene∣fits bestowed vpon Israel, to a planting in a fruitfull place, to a digging, to fencing with a hedg, to gathe∣ring out stones, and to the building of a Tower: But there is no mention of the secret vegetation and growth of it, of the fauourable fitnesse of the ayre, of the seasonable raine, which are things rather of an in∣ward and secret power. Furthermore to that questi∣on whereby it is demanded, whether God doth giue to seuerall men sufficient grace, this place of the fift of Esay is not properly brought; where it is not spo∣ken of that sufficient grace which God doth offer or giue to seuerall men, but of that which he giueth to a whole nation: For the gift of the spirit and the po∣wer of beleeuing, which Arminius will haue to be gi∣uen to seuerall men, is a gift which is giuen to parti∣cular men seuerally, and not to a whole nation taken together. But concerning this sufficient grace, a par∣ticular Treatise is to be made.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Arnal p 405. Licet sit genera∣lis gratiae quod homines dons istis pessint recte vti. tamen quod actu recte ijs v∣tantur à speciali gratia est. Poten∣tia eniminactum non producitur nisi per auxili∣um alterius gra∣tiae subsiquentis, quae specialis est quia non omni∣bus contingis.