Predestination, To the reader
Master Perkinses Epistle to the Reader.
THE doctrine of Predestination and Gods Grace is to be founded vponupon the Written Word of God, and not vponupon the iudgements of men. For as Hilarie sayth well, God cannot be vnderstood but by God: And De Tri…. lib. 5.againe, Wee must learne of God, what wee are to vnderstand of God, because he is the only author of our knowledge of him. It is also requisite that this Doctrine agree with the grounds of common reason, and of that knowledge of God which may be obtained by the light of nature; and such are these which follow.
1. GOD is alwayes iust, albeit men do not vnderstand how he …. must.
2. GOD is not gouerned of, much lesse doth he depend vponupon second causes, but doth …ustly order them, euen then when they worke ….
3. GOD work…th …ly, to wit, propounding vntounto himself is certaine end: he is ignorant of nothing: he doth not … or … that which he cannot effect: hee doth not …dly behold what …ll be, or what may be done, but hee dis…th all things vntounto his glory; and therefore he hath … to do so.
4. GOD is not changed: and those things which are changed, are not changed … his …changeable decree, all circumstances being certaine and sure.
5. The … and vnsearchable iudge…s of GOD are to be honoured and acknowledged. Augustine: It … me (thou sayest) that he per…sheth, and another De verb. Apost. …. 11.is baptized, it …oueth me, it mo…ueth me as as man. If thou wilt heare the truth, it also …th me, because i am a man, nut of thou b…st … man, I am also a man: let vsus both heare him that saith, O man! Verily, if we be therefore mooued because we are men, the Apostle speaketh to humane nature it self being weake and feeble, saying; O man! Who art thou which pleadest against GOD? Rom. 9. 20.Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? If a beast could speake and did say to God, Why hast thou made him a man, and me a beast? mightest thou not iustly be angry, and say, O beast, who art thou? and thou art a man, but in comparison of God, thou art a beast.
6. No good thing can be done, vnlesse GOD doth absolutely will and worke it: and we do that which is good, so farre-forth as God doth worke in vsus more or lesse.
7. No euill can be auoyded, vnlesse GOD do hinder it: and we auoyd euill, so farre-forth as God doth more or lesse hinder it.
8. The will of GOD is knowne, not only by the written word, or by reuelation, but also by the euent. For that, which commeth to passe, doth therefore come to passe, because God hath willed that it should come to passe.
9. A man doth not that good thing which by grace he is able to do, vnlesse God make him do it, as he hath made him able to do it if he will.
10. Not a part only, but the whole gouernment of the world, and the execution of iustice, is to be ascribed to God, as to the author.
I do now exhibit vntounto thee a view and picture of this Doctrine, composed of these principles, and do publish the same, that I might, to my power, help out *Theologia fludi…ses.those that stick in the difficulties of this doctrine of Predestination: and that I might cleere the truth, that is (as they call it) the Caluinists doctrine, of those reproches which are cast vponupon it: and that I might mitigate and appease the mindes of some of our Brethren, which hauehave beene more offended at it then was fit. For I do willingly acknowledge and teach vniuersall redemption and grace, so farre as it is possible by the word. My mind is to pursue after peace, which is departing from vsus: and I would hauehave all men so interpret my fact.
I alleadge the testimonies of the auncient eueryevery where, not but that euen one euident and perspicuous sentence of sacred Scripture, cōcerning any point of Doctrine and Faith, is of more value and force, then all the testimonies of the Doctours and Schoole-men: but because I hold it necessary, that there should be had an example of consent and concord in that doctrine, which is expounded in holy bookes, and is propagated to all posterity. And I hope, I shall sufficiently perswade an indifferent iudge, that these things hauehave not beene lately hatched at home, which wee deliuer in our Congregations and Schooles, but that we hauehave also deriued and fetched them from the Fathers themselues.
VVilliam Perkins.