Appello evangelium for the true doctrine of the divine predestination concorded with the orthodox doctrine of Gods free-grace and mans free-will / by John Plaifere ... ; hereunto is added Dr. Chr. Potter his owne vindication in a letter to Mr. V. touching the same points.

There were five Articles controverted in Holland.

1. Of Gods Predestination. 2. Of Christs Death. 3. Of Freewill and Grace. 4. Of the manner of working of Gods Grace. 5. Of the Perseverance of Believers. Touching which the Remonstrants or Ar∣minians, and the Contra-remonstrants or Puritans, doe maintaine contrary Opinions; the middle way between which our Church (as I conceive) doth much more rightly hold.

Article 1. of Gods Predestination.

First, the Remonstrants make the generall and conditionall Decree of Predestination to be upon condition of believing accord∣ing

to the generall Gospell-promise of saving all men through Christ dying for them, if with a lively and persevering faith they shall believe in him by the Word and holy Ghost assisting it: Secondly, the speciall and absolute Decree to be out of the foreknowledge of Faith touching the saving all such particular men, whom God foresaw would believe through grace, and on the other side condemning of those whom hee foresaw would continue impe∣nitent in sinne, and unbelievers. And this is the Opinion of the antient Fathers be∣fore S. Augustine, and of many after him, and of many Papists, Lutherans, and many others.

Secondly, The Contra-Remonstrants, excluding the generall and conditionall Decree, make one onely particular and absolute Decree touching the saving, and enduing with Faith and preseverance, some certaine particular men chosen out of mankinde through Christ dying for them alone, by the effectuall, or irresistible grace of the Holy Ghost, peculiar onely to them; All others by an absolute Decree being rejected and condemn'd. And this is the Opinion of Zuinglius, Calvin and the Puritans; but is rejected by all Papists, Lu∣therans, and many others.

Thirdly, our Church taking the middle way, joynes the particular absolute Decree (not out of foreknowledge of mans Faith, or Free-wil, but out of the purpose of Gods Will and Grace) touching the freeing and saving those whom God hath elected in Christ, with the generall and conditionall Will, or the generall promise of the Gos∣pell; Teaching Gods Promises are so to be embraced as they are proposed to us in the holy Scriptures, and that Will of God is to be followed of us, which wee have expresly revealed in his Word; as namely, that God gave his Sonne for the World, or for all mankinde; That Christ offered him∣selfe a Sacrifice for all the sinnes of the whole World; That Christ redeemed all mankinde; That Christ commanded the Gospell to be preached unto all; that God Wils and Com∣mands all men to heare Christ, and to believe in him; and in him to offer grace and salva∣tion unto all men. That this is the infallible truth, in which there can be no falshood, otherwise the Apostles and other Ministers of the Gospell, preaching the same, should bee false witnesses of God, and should make him a Lyar; And this Opinion agrees with the judgement of St. Augustine, as he is expounded by Prosper and Fulgentius; It is the more common Doctrine of the

Church after St. Augustine: And these two things do well stand together; God in the first place, to offer salvation to all, if they will believe, and common grace and suf∣ficient in the means ordain'd by God, if men will not be wanting to the Word of God and his holy Spirit. And then in the second place God that he might be helpfull to humane frailty, and mans salvation might bee more certaine, would adde his speciall, more effectuall and abundant grace to be communicated to whom hee please, by which not onely they are able to beleeve, or obey, if they please, but also actually do will, believe, obey and per∣severe, according to the sentence of St. Augustine, Sic Deus ordinavit omnium Ange∣loru hominumque vitam, &c. So God ordain'd the life of all Angells and Men, that therein hee might first manifest how farre Freewill could goe; and then what the benefit of his grace, and the judgement of righteousnes could doe. De correp. & grat. cap. 10.

Article 2. Of Christs Death.

In like manner of the Death of Christ for all, there are three Opinions.

The first, that Christ dyed for all men, and by his Death did redeeme all mankind

in Gods generall and conditionall purpose of giving salvation for Christs sake that dyed, to all upon condition of Faith de∣pending on the free cooperation of men under Grace.

The Second contrary to the first, that Christ did not dye for all, &c. nor did redeeme all mankinde, &c. nor that God by any manner of meanes, or upon any condition, did will, or intend to give salva∣tion or Grace for Christs sake to any other save only the Elect, &c.

The Third, supposing Christs Death for all men, and Gods purpose conditioned with the generall grace of the Gospell-promises, addes the speciall intention of Faith, touching the applying the benefit of Christs death, by grace more abounding, and effectuall, absolutely, certainly and infallibly onely to the Elect, without any prejudice, or any diminution of the Will and Grace common and sufficient.

Article 3. Of Freewill and Grace.

All agree that Freewill is not able to do any thing that is good, without Grace preventing, present and subsequent, so as it holds the beginning, middle and end in conversion, and Faith, and every good

worke: yet they dissent in this, that the first Opinion makes exciting Grace so to bee joyn'd with the word heard, and under∣stood, and meditated upon, that in some degree it is common to all who are willing to obey it.

The Second strives to make grace proper and peculiar only to the Elect, and will not confesse it to bee in any manner of way common to all.

The Third conjoynes both sides, acknow∣ledging Grace so to bee common and sufficient being joyned with the word, as withall to professe 'tis speciall and effectuall to produce certainly salvation, being prop••r to those, whom God out of his good pleasure hath gratiously elected in Christ.

Article 4. Of the manner of working of Gods Grace.

The first Opinion makes Grace so to worke in man, that it takes not away the liberty of his Will, but preserves it; so that a man may by Grace so beleeve and obey, as that hee may also by his Freewill resist Grace. The second makes the workes of Grace to be irresistible, so as wherever it comes, it doth immutably incline and draw

the minde to assent and obey. The third Opinion teacheth, men may be so stirr'd up and mov'd by Grace, that they may both obey that Grace calling and moving, if they attend thereto, and also may through their Freewils resist Gods Call and Motion: but it addes further, that God, when hee will, and to whom hee will, doth give Grace so abundant, or powerfull, or con∣gruent, or some other way effectuall, so that although the Will in respect of its li∣berty may resist, yet it doth not resist, but certainly and infallibly obey: and thus God to deale with those whom hee hath elected in Christ, so far forth as is necessary to their salvation.

Article 5. Of the Perseverance of Believers.

The first Opinion makes all Believers to bee so furnish'd with Gods Grace, that they are able to persevere, if they will be as carefull as they should be; that the same men also may possibly fall away from Faith and Grace, through negligence and security.

The Second denyes Believers to be able so to fall away from Faith and Gods Grace, as to become in the state of dam∣nation,

or perish; but such as shall once truely believe, shall alwayes so persevere in Faith and Grace, that at length they may all attaine salvation.

The Third, with St. Augustine, makes Believers, through the infirmities of the flesh, and temptations, to be able to depart from Faith and Grace, or likewise to fall away; but it addes, those Believers who are call'd according to purpose, and who are firmly rooted in a lively Faith, cannot ei∣ther totally or finally fall away, or perish, but by speciall and effectuall grace, so to persevere in a true and lively Faith, that at length they may bee brought to eternall life.

By this we may understand what Doctor Overalds minde was in the Conference at Hampton Court, p. 41. 42. Richard Thompson hath the like cap. 4. De intercisione Justitiae. For after hee had spoken of Christ, given to redeeme and reconcile all unto God; and of aides and meanes given where∣by men may be actually reconciled, hee addes page 17. Sed miserum genus huma∣num si vel sic à Deo relictum fuisset, &c. But miserable had been Mankinde, if even so they had been left of God; for great is the wickednesse of Man, and every imagination of his heart is evil continually.

Therefore it must needs come to passe, that either all of themselves should despise those riches of Gods goodnesse, or if any should make use of them, yet a while after they would loath them againe, except the super∣abundant mercy of God had separated some to himselfe, to whom hee had decreed from all eternity, to afford an effectuall calling, and finall perseverance in Grace taken according to his purpose; others being passed by, and left to the counsels of common providence, whom in the end he would condemn for their impenitence and unbeliefe.

You know now this Opinion, and the Author is to be commended for his inte∣grity in opening the state of these questi∣ons, and for comming on thus far neerer to the Truth than the former did; in ac∣knowledging,

1. That Christ dyed for the sinnes of the whole World.

2. That the promise of the Gospell is Universall.

3. That a Grace sufficient is given, com∣mon to all that hear the Gospell, to believe and obey it.

4. That Gods foreknowledge is exten∣ded not onely to the fall of the first man, but the infirmity of all men in particular;

Whereupon for some men there was pre∣pared by God a more superabundant and effectuall grace than for others.

5. In that it endeavoreth to accord the first part of our 17 Article, concerning an absolute Predestination, with the latter part, concerning the Universall promises: The like good desire appeares in the Divines that were at Dort in their joynt Suffrage, de Articulo 20 Thes. 3. 4, 5.

But how congruous and happy this con∣junction can be, of two extremes into a third, or how possible it is to accord those two parts of the Article without some other supposition than hath yet beene mentioned here, I cannot hope ever to see it demonstrated. Nay I am perswaded that these manifest Truths sounding in every part of the new Testament; That Christ is given a Redeemer Universall; That the Promises of the Gospell are generall; That the Spirit of Truth and Power goes with them, in the Preaching of them; are able, being rightly weighed, utterly to over∣throw all manner of frames whatsoever may be imagined, of the order of the Di∣vine Predestination, which shall exclude the Divine Prescience, proper, prime and Universall, such as the fifth Opinion will discover: for since the Gospell presuppo∣seth,

and acknowledgeth the fall of man∣kinde, and all to be sinners, and taketh its occasion therefrom; since it calleth all men to reconciliation with God, commands Repentance and Faith to all, promiseth forgivenesse and life to all that believe in the Redeemer, threatneth wrath and death to abide upon all that beleeve not, Marc. 15. 15, 16. and declareth that God will judge the World by Jesus Christ, and by the Word of the Gospell, Acts 17. 31. Joh. 12. 48. And since God will judge in righteousnesse, man as a reasonable Creature of a Freewill; The Gospel, I say cannot admit a decree of pre∣destination to life or death, that shall be made upon contemplation of the fall and sinne of man antecedent to the Gospell, or before contemplation of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or issues of the Gospell preached to the World; which contemplation can be had before all time by no other power, but the Divine foreknowledge.

Notes

• Consule Articulos Lambetha∣nos boc Anno 1651 Editos.