A Second Parallel, Part 1 · Comparison 6
Of Falling away from Grace.
ARMINIANS.
BERTIVS of the Apostasie of Saints, pag. 26. Apostasie is described by the phrase [to wax cold] Mat. 24. 12. And because iniquitie shall abound, the louelove of many shall x wax cold.
Bertius, pag. 34. The Apostle fore-seeing, that the conuerted Gentiles might be bewitched with that opinion, [That they could not be cut off from the Church] warneth them, that they wax not proud against the Iewes, but that they learne by their example, that it may come to passe, that they also may bee cast away, Rom. 11. 19. They were broken off, that I might be graft in; through infidelity they were broken off, and, thou standest by faith: be not high minded, but y feare.
Bert. pag. 33. I frame the fourth demonstration from the feare of the Saints, Iohn 15. 6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast z forth as a branch, and withereth, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire.
APPEALER.
ANswer to Gag. pag. 160. Matth. 24. 12. Because iniquitie shall abound, the charity of many shall grow cold. Surely it was hot, that groweth cold: and charitie enlarged, is not but the fruit of a liuing faith; which if it continued in statu quo, the charity of many could not x wax cold; therefore once had may bee lost.
Againe, Rom. 11. 20. 21. Thou standest by faith, bee not high minded, but y feare: and feare is not but where change may be. Here change may be: or why doth it follow? Take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Ibid. pag. 160. Ioh. 15.2. EueryEvery branch that beareth not fruit in me, he taketh z away.
x To the place of Matth. 24. 12. we answer; First, that the louelove of many may wax cold; yet will it not thereupon follow, that the louelove of the regenerate and true beleeuers waxeth cold: for the regenerate, and true beleeuers, are not meant by those Many. True charitie is a fruit of faith, and such as the faith is, such is the charitie. If it be a temporary faith, the charity proceeding from it, is but temporary, and being so, may not only wax cold, but also be vtterly extinguished. The root being rotten, the fruit falls of it selfe. But if the root of faith be sound, charitie will neuer decay; but abound more and more, till the childe of God be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse, Philip. 1. 9, 11. Secondly, the consequence is not good, from a remission of some degree of charitie, to the amission of the habit of it: The Apostles themselues, as they were not so strong in their faith, so neither so hot in their louelove toward our Sauiour at his Passion, as before. Their faith was shaken in that fearfull storme of temptation; their confidence was small, or none in appearance, in their owne sense: for in saying [we trusted, it had beene hee that should hauehave redeemed Israel, Luke 24.] they imply, that his death had loosned the Anker of their hope, and that both their heart and faith failed them for the time, their louelove also waxed cold, if not freezed, when they fled from him, and forsooke him. Yet no learned Diuine euer affirmed, that their louelove to our Sauiour was quite lost; for as he loued them, so they loued him to the end. Thirdly, this argument may be retorted against the Aduersaries thus:
If Christ doth here put a difference betweene those that are truly faithfull, and hypocrites, in this; that the one (Hypocrites to wit) should in the latter dayes and perillous times be offended, deceiued, wax cold in charity, but the other (the truly faithfull) should continue to the end, then this place maketh not for, but against the totall or finall falling away of true beleeuers.
But Christ in this place puts a difference between those that are truly faithfull, and hypocrites, in this; that the one (Hypocrites to wit) should in the latter daies and perillous times be offended, deceiued, and wax cold in charity, vers. 10, 11, 12. but the other (the truly faithfull) should continue to the end, vers. 13.
Therefore this place maketh not for, but against the total or finall falling away of true beleeuers.
y To the place alledged, Rom. 11. 19, 20. we answer: First, that it is not meant of particular beleeuers, and their danger of falling away from iustifying faith; but of the people of the Gentiles in generall, and their danger of being cut off from the true Oliue, into which they were ingrafted, that is, from the outward profession of faith, and communion of the Catholique Church, into which they were admitted vponupon the reiection of the Iewes. The Gentiles therefore ought not to be high-minded against the Iewes, but feare, lest God, who spared not the naturall branches, should not spare them, but cut them off also, as he did the naturall branches, if they should grow proud, and presumptuously secure. Now there is no question, but that a Visible Church, which at this time professeth the truth, and is a member of the Catholike Church, may fall away from the outward and publike profession of faith, and cease to be a part of the Catholike visible Church; as the most famous, & sometimes flourishing Churches of Greece and Asia, planted by the Apostles themselues, now ouer-run with Mahometanisme, Idolatry, and Heresie, proue by their lamentable Apostasie, and deplorate, if not desperate estate. But Bertius and the Appealer should hauehave had their eyes vponupon the marke, and point in question; which is not of the doctrine of faith, but the habit of faith; not de fide, quam credimus, but de fide, qua credimus; not of the publique profession of a Church, but of a particular affiance of eueryevery true beleeuer in Christ. A member of the visible Church may be cut off, but no member of the inuisible; for Christ cannot hauehave, damnata membra, any members, who shall not be saued, as the Approuer of the Appealers booke rightly gathereth out of Saint Augustine, in his Reply to Fisher. A Church, or Kingdome generally may depart from the Christian faith, or renounce the pure profession thereof in publique, and yet no true beleeuer, either totally or finally, lose his faith; but either secretly in that State or Kingdome, or else-where openly, he may retaine both faith it selfe, and the profession thereof. Secondly, Gods threatnings hauehave their vse, both in the Elect, and Reprobate; to make the one vnexcusable, or to keepe them within some bounds of moderation; and to keepe the other in an awfull reuerence, filiall feare, and spirituall watchfulnesse, which are meanes of Perseuerance, no arguments of Apostasie. Feare is not, but where a change may be; to wit, feare of a change; but there may be a feare of offending God through high-mindednesse, and presumption, as was in the Apostles, and is in all the Elect, & yet no change of their estate of grace could or can be, by the confession of Arminius himselfe, and the learned'st of all our Aduersaries. Thirdly, as the faithful ought to feare, so they also might, and de facto would fall away, not only totally, but finally, if they were left to themselues; and therefore, in regard of the frailtie of their nature, and mutabilitie of their owne will, they hauehave iust cause to feare, and doe still feare in themselues, yet are still confident in God, who is faithfull, and will establish them, and keepe them from euill, 2 Thess. 3. 3. and shall confirme them vntounto the end, that they may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ, 1 Cor. 1. 8. Lastly, this Obiection may be retorted against the Aduersarie thus:
That feare, which God promiseth to put into the hearts of true beleeuers, to this end, that they may not fall away from him, is a certaine meanes to preserue true beleeuers in the faith, (else God should faile in his end.)
But the feare here enioyned, is that feare, which God promiseth to put into the hearts of true beleeuers, to this end, that they may not fall away from him, Ierem. 22. 40.
Therefore the feare, here inioyned, is a certaine meanes to preserue true beleeuers in the faith: and consequently a strong argument for the perseuerance of Saints in faith and grace; as it is vrged by Saint Augustine in his booke de Perseuer. Sanctorum, cap. 2. [I will put my feare in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me) What is it else, then to say? the feare shall be such, and so great, that they shall for euer cleaue vntounto me.
z To the places alledged, Iohn 15. 2, 5. we answer: First, there is a double insition or ingraffing into Christ; externall, when a man is made a member of the visible Church by the hearing of the Word, and participation of the Sacraments; internall, when a man by sanctifying grace, and sauing faith, is made a member of the inuisible Church. They, who hauehave the outward insition only into the true Vine Christ Iesus, may be cut off: but they, which hauehave the inward as well as the outward insition, cannot be cut off, and wither as a branch; for Non est corpus Christi reuerâ, quod non er it in aeternum; That is not Christs true body, which shall not abide for euer, [neither, by the like reason, is that a true branch, which abideth not for euer in the Vine] August. de Doct. Chri. lib. 3. cap. 32. Which reason of S. Augustine is confirmed by Saint Gregory, in his description of the Church in his Comment on the Canticles, Christus sanctam Ecclesiam de sanctis in aeternum permansuris extruxit; Christ hath built his Church of Saints which shall for euer perseuere. Secondly, as there is a double insition into Christ, so there is a double profession of faith; a naked and bare profession without practise of a holy life, or fruit of good workes; or a profession ioyned with practise, a faith working through louelove, & bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit. By the barren branches cut off, and withered, Theophylact on these words alledged, vnderstandeth those, who make a naked and bare profession: Saint Cyril, in his tenth booke vponupon Iohn, Those who hauehave faith without louelove, and good works; such a faith S. Iames in his second Chap. calls a dead faith, but the faith by which the iust man liueth, is a liuing faith working by louelove, Galat. 5. 6. and bringing forth fruit with patience, Luke 8. 15. Thirdly, the words [in me] Iob. 15. 2. may be either referred to the word [Vine] and the meaning is, eueryevery branch existent or ingraffed in me, that beareth no fruit, but leaues only of a bare profession, shall be taken away; or the words [in me] may be referred to bearing of fruit, and the meaning is, eueryevery professour of Religion, or member of any Congregation that beleeueth not (in me, and beareth not fruit in me, to wit, the fruits of the Gospell by my grace, shall be cast forth as a dead branch, and wither) for, as it is in the fift verse, Hee that abideth in mee, and I in him, the same bringeth forth fruit: for without me yee can doe nothing. If the words be taken in the former sense, they are meant of Hypocrites within the Church; if in the latter, of Iewes, or Pagans, without the Church; who beare fruit, that is, doe morally good workes, or, doe by nature the things contained in the Law, Rom. 2. 14. but because they doe not these things in faith, their good workes are no better, than splendida peccata, sins hauing a luster, or shew of vertue, as Saint Augustine. Take the words in either sense, they belong not to regenerate persons, and true beleeuers, who are so ingraffed into Christ, that they abide in him by faith, and beare fruit in him through faith. Lastly, this Obiection may be retorted against the Aduersarie, thus:
No branch, that beareth fruit in Christ, shall be taken away, but purged, that it may bring forth more fruit (as it followeth in the second verse vrged by the Aduersarie.)
But eueryevery true beleeuer is a branch that beareth fruit in Christ, Matth. 13. 23. Rom 6. 22.
Therefore no true beleeuer shall be taken away, but purged, that he may bring forth more fruit.