Pelagius Raked out of the Ashes by Arminius and his Scholars, Title page – Translator to the reader
Pelagius redivivus. OR PELAGIVS RAKED OVT OF THE ASHES BY ARMINIVS and his Schollers.
LONDON, Printed for Robert Mylbourne. 1626.
THE TRANSLATOR to the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
THere fell lately into my hands, a Latine Copy, of the enſuing Parallell drawne, (as I am giuen to vnderſtand) by two Engliſh Diuines, at the requeſt, and for the ſatisfaction of a forraigne Miniſter of State. At the firſt view I laid it aſide, as an euidence whereof I conceiued the truthes aduocates, eſpecially in this Kingdome, had no preſent vſe. But afterwards reuiewing it more fully, and finding it very particular and punctuall in this kinde: and that on the by, it gaue much light to the Diſquiſition of ſome points now in agitation. I thought fit to tranſlate it, for more publique vſe. For as Zanchius complaineth with much regret of the Lutheran Vbiquitaries, that he found them vbi que , eueryevery where to vex and moleſt him: So it is to be feared, that the error of the Vniuerſaliſts is too vniuerſally diſpread. Many men hauehave too much free-will, and take to themſelues too free liberty now a dayes to aduance and maintaine free will. I would to God more had the power of grace to contend for ſpeciall and ſauing grace, and reſolutely to defend her Supremacie aboue corrupt Nature. The errors touching theſe points, of no leſſe conſequence then difference, are here briefly ſet in view in a two leafed Tablet, repreſenting on the one ſide the olde, and on the other the new Pelagianiſme varniſhed ouer with a faire gloſſe by the penſil of Arminius, and his Schollers. The occaſion of drawing this Tablet, as I finde in the Latine Preface, was this. Acacius Baron of Dona reſiding ſome moneths in England, to ſollicite the recouery of the Palatinate, was often ſet vponupon, and much laid at by a ſtranger there named Roergheſt, a man deepely engaged in the Arminian party, who, though he could not draw him from the trueth to that ſide, yet caſt ſuch miſts of doubts before him, that his Lordſhip for better clearing, deſired the conference of ſome Engliſh Diuines, verſed in controuerſie of this Nature. And opportunely meeting with two at once, after kinde and reſpectiue ſalutation, he demaunded of them why the Diuines of England ſo generally diſtaſted the doctrine broached by Arminius. Their anſwere was. That albeit thoſe tenets were plauſible to corrupt reaſon, and ſet out to the beſt aduantage, by the wit and Art of the patrons thereof, yet that the ſacred Scripture (to which Naturall reaſon muſt bow, and ſtrike ſayle) throughly ſearched, and impartially ſcanned, gaue no ſupport at all to this new modell of Gods counſels framed in mans brain, And that the prime Fathers of moſt eminent note in the Church aboue 1200. yeares agoe, at the firſt birth of thoſe miſhapen Brats, daſhed them againſt ſtones, and conſequently that by the ſame Orthodoxe ancient Church, the new reuiuers of thoſe errors at this day were then before hand condemned in lumbis parentum, in the loynes of their parents, the whole and halfe Pelagians. The Baron ſomewhat affected with this anſwer, as it ſhould ſeeme, taking it indignly that Roergheſt ſhould offer thus to delude him with falſe ſhewes.
What ſay you, quoth he? The Doctrine ſo much ſtrouen for, and ſo highly extolled by ſome, is it nothing but olde hereſie new furbiſhed ouer? Certè ſi Arminius Pelagium refodit, meritò vos Arminium defòditis. Verily if it be ſo, as you affirme, that Arminius diggeth Pelagius out of his graue, you hauehave all reaſon to bury Arminius deepe, that he riſe not againe. It was not long that this Honourable perſonage, was againe encountred by this ſollicitor Roergheſt, and further vrged vponupon his former motiues. Whereupon the Baron acquainted him with the Engliſh Diuines anſwer, which like ſtrong Phyſick wrought preſently with his queaſie ſtomack, and brought forth from him the Catalogue enſuing, with a challenge, Quid tandem Arminio cum Pelagio? What kindred or neighbourhood hath Arminius with Pelagius, or with the Demipelagians? This Catalogue being then ſent from him, and receiued by thoſe two Diuines, they iudged not complete enough to ſet out the bounds of the queſtion; but thought needfull thereunto to take in more ground out of the larger fields of thoſe Fathers that entred into the liſts of this combat. Accordingly partly out of that Catalogue, and partly out of the auncient Fathers, they make vp a kinde of liſt of the olde errors: and as for the new, they take them out of the Treatiſes of ſome principall Belgique Writers of that ſide: which, collected into a ſmall map, they exhibite to the Baron to be deliuered to the confident chalenger. Who vponupon the receipt thereof, vndertooke to returne forthwith a direct and punctuall anſwer. But this Dutch Champion quitting the field, tooke Sea, and returned into Holland, caſting his promiſe to the ſame windes, that filled his ſayles. So is his forthwith drawne forth now diuers yeares, and his anſwer in vaine expected.
So deuine and admirable is the courſe of grace, that it reacheth an helping hand euen to thoſe who through error ioyne hands and pennes againſt it, and enlightens the vnderſtandings euen of thoſe that caſt myſts to dimme the light thereof. There may therefore bee hope, that as Pighius endeuouring to euert Caluins writings in point of Iuſtification, was in that point conuerted himſelfe by them: ſo this Challenger conſidering of this anſwer, though with intent to refute the ſame, was himſelfe confuted by it, and rectified in his iudgement. For in this mirror of both groſſe and refined Pelagianiſme, any man that looketh not through a Ieſuites ſpectacle, may (though in ſmall modell) behold the true ſhape and temper of Pelagius his frenzie in Arminius his fancie, and reſolue, as St. Ierome did, in a like caſe, Aut Plato Philonizat, aut Philo Platonizat, Either the Pelagian predeſtination was ex praeniſa fide Arminij, out of the foreſeene faith of Arminius, or Arminius his deuiſe out of the fore-read faith of Pelagius.
If any, after hee hath viewed this table, caſt a ſcorne vponupon it, as compoſed by ſome gloating Puritane, and condemne Criminis inauditi, of a new found crime, namely of doctrinall Puritaniſme all thoſe that giuegive any credit to ſuch Parallells, or differ from him in thoſe points, I will giuegive no ſentence againſt him, but referre him to reade it in Tully, Cic. de Orat.Aut eſt ex ijs, qui illos non norunt, aut ex ijs, qui iudicare non poſſunt, Either hee knoweth not the parties whoſe tenets are here ſet one by the other, or hee wants iudgement to compare, & for defect thereof, Coſens himſelfe with Mountebanke wares. The prouerb is, Jnter caecos luſcum regnare poſſe, That among blinde men, a purblinde or blinkard may dominere, and put trickes vponupon them. But, God forbid, that any of the Seers of Iſrael ſhould miſtake old hereſie new coyned, for current truth. At the firſt ſetting of the Mint on work by Iames Harman at Leyden, when a peece new ſtamped was tranſported, and preſented to King JAMES, our late Soueraigne, of moſt bleſſed memory, vponupon the very firſt caſt of his eye, he diſcouered it to be no better then an halfe faced groat of the Semipelagian alloy. Et ſtatim perfodit ſtylo Regio, and forthwith ſtabbed it through with his Royall pen, and branded the Maſter of the Mint with the title of the enemie of God. And that the ſame iudicious King perſiſted in this his Iudgement, both of the Co ne and Coyners euen to the end, to mee it is a thing moſt euident, by a faithfull and allowed relation, which I hauehave ſeene of diuers remarkable directions and inſtructions giuen by his Maieſty to two Diuines, about a monethmonth before his death, queſtioned before him about a booke then publiſhed, touching the Doctrine of St. Auſten.
In that diſcourſe, his Maieſtie hauing occaſion to touch vponupon the Treatiſes of St. Auguſtine, that are extant in the ſeuenth Tome, (which hee might ſeeme prophetically to recommend as a ſoueraine antidote againſt an euill vpcreeping ſince his death) hee ſtiled them St. Auſtins Polemicall tracts againſt the heretickes that agree with our Arminians: and preſently calling to minde their proper name, termed thoſe hereticks (from the Author of that Sect) the Pelagians. Which Paraphraſe of his Maieſtie, becauſe it giueth much life to the enſuing Tablet, and this Tablet light to his Maieſties ſpeech, I hauehave made bold to borrow the Character of the Preſſe, to imprint both more deepely in thy memory: and to expreſſe to thee my deſire to ſerue as a voluntary, (as did that excellently learned and zealous Archbiſhop Bradwardin) In cauſa Dei contra Pelagianos, in Gods cauſe and quarrell againſt the Pelagians.