Of Nature and Grace, Book 1
LIBER. I.
IN the diſcourſe of the qualities of humane nature corrupted,Mans creation. we can not but lay the falt in man, where we find it, and not in God where we finde it not. For aboue all thinges it is a trueth moſt certaine,Gen. 1 that in the beginning God created all things in their kinde good; but man he made the perfection of all his workes, and therfore moſt perfitly good: in dignity, litle inferiour to the Angels; in authoritie Lord of the world; by right the inheritour of life eternall; & in all reſemblances of diuine properties, in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe like himſelf. Thus he framed man at the firſt. For, only lo (ſayth the wiſeman) this hauehave I found out; Eccleſ. 7.31that God made man righteouſe, That is, ſound of bodie, ſincere in ſoule, and perfect in both. And yet anon after this his ſo excellent a condition by creation there enſued a maruelouſe alteration,Mans fall Pet. Lomb li. 2. diſt. 25 both in his body ſubiected to corruption, and alſo in his ſoule ſo ſtrangely blaſted, that the better qualities therof all, were quite raſed out, and cleane defaced.
The ſtory is plaine and knowen in all the world how Satan aſſaulted Eue,The propagatiō of ſin. Gen. 3 and Eue entiſed her husband to conſent to eate, who in diſobedience did eate of the forbidden frute, and thereby (he being no priuat man,Rom. 5.12 Concil. An raſic. & Mileuit. can. 2 but the roote and head, and firſt of all poſteritie ſucceeding) from race to race along in and from him, though not perſonally then, whē men yet were not, yet properly enough, in the guilte of ſinne we all became ſinners; and nowe eche man in his owne perſon is polluted with the ſtaine therof,Eph. 2 3 Iob. 25.4 by a naturall, and therefore by a moſt neceſſary propagation of ſinne one from another.
For nature can not but neceſſarily worke alwayes after one & the ſame faſhion, in all things naturally like cometh of like, in qualities many times worſe, in kind alwayes the ſame, inſomuch that the children of Adam well may they be worſe, better then their father from whom they came they can not be. Wherin for to view how bad we be, making as it were an anatomy of our ſelues, we may apart conſider eche parte of the whole man ſeuerallie by it ſelfe.
Concerning the bodie firſt in generall,Sin in the body and eueryevery part therof. Eſay. 1.6. may not the prophets words be auouched of the naturall man literally as they lie? From the ſole of the foot to the crown of the head, there is no ſound part? Totum eſt pro vulnere corpus, All is full of boyles and corruption.
In particular, fancie occupieth the head, and pride the heart, and impudency is ſeene in the eyes; the naturall mans eares are ſtopt to good, & itch after euill tidings, his throate is an open ſepulcher; the poyſon of Aſpes is vnderunder his deceiptfull lippes; ſtiffe necked is he and obſtinate in euerie wicked way; his feet are ſwift to ſlaughter, his hands embrued and bathed in bloud, and his right hande an apt inſtrument of all iniquitie.
Theſe enormities appeare not euer at all times, nor in all perſons.An eaſie anſwer to no hard obiection. For certaine men ſeeme to be and be leſſe vnruly then ſome, but thoſe that are ouerruled only by naturs conduction, without any ſecret diuine reſtraint,1. Ioh. 2.16. hauehave alwayes ranged out of order without end or ſtay in any one mēber. And what if ſome did kepe in, or rather hauehave bin kept in frō ſuch ſo manifeſt outragiouſnes? Neuertheleſſe God counteth the bodie, and the partes therof acceſſarie to, and guilty of all the faultes of the ſoule, as inferiours conſenting to their ſuperiours intent.Mat. 5.28 And becauſe of their neere coniunction in one perſon, albeit the external act doth not euer follow or outwardly appeare.
The reſidence and chiefe throne of ſinne in deede,The chiefe ſeat of ſinne is in the ſoule, whence it riſeth, & taketh head, where it remayneth & raigneth moſt: and therfore this part requireth more ſpeciall conſideration.
The chiefeſt parts of the ſoule moſt ſpoken of among diuines, & commonly known to Chriſtian people are of the mind and the will.The parts of the ſoule If the mind be wiſe, it is likely the will is better aduiſed, & will the rather endeuor to do the better. But if the minde be out of her turne, the will can neuer be wel in due order. Now let vsus ſee a little how it fareth with the naturall man in both theſe.
The blindneſſe of mans vnderstanding.
THe natural mā perceiueth not the things that ar of God,1. Cor. 2.14 becauſe they ar ſpirituall & he naturall: and therfore in Gods matters he is not onelyonly weake ſighted, but quite blind.Gen. 19.11 The caſe of the Sodomits that groped as men in the darke, and could not find Lots door is one with the cōditiō of the vnregene rat, who ſeeth not the way, verily ſeketh not, certainly findeth not the doore that leadeth & openeth vntounto heauē. For in our ſelues we are not only darkned, but darkneſſe:1. Pet. 2.9 Ioh. 1.5 & can darknes cōprehēd the light? If the blind lead the blind, the one falleth vnderunder, & the other vponupon, but both into the dike. If that which ſhold be thine eye to thine affectiōs be dark how peruerſe alſo is the wilfulnes of all thy luſts? But he that beleeueth not, but reſteth only in the imagined puritie of naturalls, as the Pelagians, or is in ſome good liking of natures habilitie, as is the Semipelagian the Papiſt, he ſeeth nothing, cōceiueth nothing, vnderſtandeth nothing as he ſhould,Stapl. de vniuer. iuſtif. doctr. lib. 2 cap. 10 neither is he capable of heauēly thoughts. For ſeme he neuer ſo mighty, potent, politik, wiſe, diſcrete, honeſt in all kinde of honeſtye, yet becauſe he hath not faith the true roote of godlineſſe, thoſe fruites that he can beare, things faire in ſhew, yet in truth they are but baſtard fruits, and vnpleaſant to a good taſt. For without faith and a ſure confidence that we do wel,Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6 which procedeth of a true faith in God,Philip. 1.29 it is impoſſible to pleaſe the Lord. And this faith is not of natur but of grace as ſhall be ſhewed afterwards. For natur being thoroughly poiſoned bringeth foorth nothing but poyſon; & who fedeth theron, fedeth on poyſon, eateth & drinketh fooliſhnes, and is nouriſhed with folly, crawleth vponupon his bellie, & groueleth vponupon the earth like the ſinfull ſerpent.
The wiſdom of the world is fooliſhnes in Gods iudgement, who knoweth beſt what is true wiſedome,1. Cor. 1.19 Eſay. 29.14 Ierem. 5.5. and hath pronounced, that the prudency of the prudent, & worldly wiſe men he will reproue, becauſe they and he agree not in any one part, neither in the entrance, end, or midway of any one action. Our wayes are not his wayes.Eſay. 55.8 Pſal. 99.8 Our inuentiōs prouoke him to wrath, our deuiſes are diuers and contrarie, and therfore not for him.
The peruerſnes & frowardnes of mans will.
NOw if the mind be ignorant & vnskilfull in that, that is to be wiſhed for, how can the wil, which taketh all her inſtructiō thēce rightly deſire ſhe can not tell what? Doth any man ame at the marke he neuer ſawe? or deſire the thing, he neuer heard of? Chriſt our Sauiour told the woman of Samaria,Ioh. 4.10 if ſhe knew with whom ſhe talked, ſhe would craue the waters of life of him, but therfore ſhe begged thē not, becauſe ſhe knew him not, and could not tell, neither what, nor of whō to aſk. The very philoſopher could tech his ſcholers, and common experience doth teſtifie the ſame,foreign. that no man loueth or longeth for the thing he neuer loked vponupon. And howe litle inſight, or rather how perfectlie blind by nature we are, is alreadie ſhewed.
Farther, no man naturally wiſheth for any thing, but he hath not only an inſight, but alſo a delight therin, and it is gratefull to his nature, & pleaſant in his eyes, or at the leaſt ſo ſuppoſed either in compariſon of ſomewhat elſe, or in ſom ſort or other ſo reputed.
Herupon I will ſuppoſe an impoſſibilitie, that man hath a cleare eye in that great miſterie of godlines,1. Tim. 3.16 which the Apoſtle deſcribeth and which is the ground of all knowledge. But I aske, how is he pleaſed, how is he delighted therwith?
Be wee Greekes reckoned the wiſeſt of the Gentils or Iewes once the people & peculiar choſen of God? The miſtery of Chriſt crucified to either of theſe, is either maruelous folly, or wonderfull offenſiue, & to both of them alike, if God in iuſtice leaue them to them ſelues, the preaching of the Goſpell,1. Cor. 1.23 which ſhold be the odor of life, if they could beleeue, louelove, and embrace it, is becom a ſauour that they cānot brook, a ſauor of death to death euerlaſting, & in fine they periſh in their ſinnes, wherin their faithles natur toke ſuch delight.
Wherfore if a naturall man, & an vnbeleuer, would beare good men in hand, that naturs caſe is not ſo hard:Orth. expl. lib. 3 if Andradius the cō mentator of the Coūcell of Trent, as being priuy to their ſecret meaning, herein ſpeake neuer ſo honourablie of the ſtate of heathen men to be ſaued without Chriſt: if Pigghius or the ſchole of Colen,Contro. Ratiſb. 1 Dial. 2 Sarc. in diſt. Schol. Doct or all the ſcholemen in the world, wold qualify or alay the ſtrēgth of ſinne, with vaine reaſoning, and fond but gay diſtinctions as they think of conueniency & congruity &c. What is to be done? touch theſe faire apples of Gomorrha with the finger of the holy Ghoſt,Aug. de Ciuit. Dei lib. 21. c. 5 & they wil fal ſtraight all to duſt. Or be it, that the wine that the harlot offreth be ſtrong, the ſpice of diſtinctiōs ſweet, the harlot ſubtil, her alluremēts many, fine, & forcible, yet the truth is ſtronger, and wholſomer,1. Eſd. 4.4 will and muſt preuaile.
In fleſh dwelleth no good, ſo ſaith the ſpirit of God.Rom. 7.18 Wherupon without contradictiō it followeth, if no good, no degree of good at al, ether ſpark of knowledg, or inclinatiō of will, or ability to reach out hand towards the receiuing of any good. For euē the good willingneſſe which is graunted by grace, is hindred by nature as much as in her lieth.
Therefore the old man muſt be quite put of, the old leuen cleane purged out, our luſts not proined, but digged vp by the rootes, & throwne away, our fleſh crucified, & of our ſelues altogeather denied. O Iſrael howe long wilt thou tarie in a ſtrange lande, woo woorth the man that delighteth in his naturall corruption: O ſinfull fleſh happie is he that taketh thy yong children, I meane the very beginnings, euen the concupiſcences and firſt motions to ſinne and daſheth them againſt the ſtones, or ſmothereth them in their cradle, or killeth them in their mothers wombe. For of fleſh can come no good, & happie is he that maketh away a rebellious euill.
Concupiſcens is verie ſinne in whom ſoeuer.
ANd euen theſe by name are full of euill naught and wicked, and very ſinnes, although they come not to age, and thou cō ſent not vntounto them, euen in the regenerate mā it is ſo, much more ſo in the naturall. So ſpeaketh S. Auguſtine in plaine tearmes in handling one of the Pſalmes,Non illis conſentis, &c. Aug. in Pſalm. 75. whom I the rather here mention becauſe he is much alleaged to the contrary very vnskilfully, and chiefly for that our late Cēſurer ſticketh not to vaunt and bragge of S. Auguſtine, and that Maiſter Charke hath neither ſhew nor ſyllable in this caſe out of him.
If thou be a ſcholler I referre thee to the place coted in the margent:Defen. of the cenſ. pag. 133. if thou art but onelyonly exerciſed in the worde of God, the ſcripture alone may content thine humble minde,M. Traue. in his aunſwer to the epiſt. ſuppl. p. 252. Rom. 5. and inſtructe thy conſcience moſt aboundantly.
It is forbidden in the Law, we being new borne in Chriſt are bidden to pray againſt it. S. Paul doth ſigh in reſpect of it, & calleth it ſinne, I trow, properlie enough when he ſaith it is the body of ſinne, and bonde of death: although men that followe their luſt,Conc. Trid. Seſs. 5. dec. 1. write neuer ſo hotly in defence of luſte, ſaying that S. Paul ſpake not properly, and curſing all them that ſay the contrarie.
S. Paul ſaw many things in heauen,2. Cor. 12.4. that he might not vtter on earth, but the ſinne he ſpake againſt, was an inhabitour in the tabernacle of his body, and within his boſome, he felt the ſting thereof ſharpe, and could not but complaine, how truely, how properly, and with how conuenient words, they that hauehave S. Paules ſpirit, ſence, and feeling, can ſay with teares and vtter with griefe.
S. Iames when he would cleare God of ſinne, he ſaith, God tempteth no man:Iam. 1.13. as who would ſay, if he did, then were the caſe altered.C oncupiſcence a mother ſinne. But eueryevery man (it is generally & in particuler true) euerie man is tempted of his owne luſts. This is the ſpring, the roote, the cauſe of ſinne, which iſſueth out into diuerſe ſtreames, & is deduced into ſundrie branches by conſent, & then it is called cō monly and named ſinne amongſt men, who otherwiſe iudge not but by the externall acte. And then alſo, (which in deede is S. Auguſtines meaning) God is more prouoked to wrath,Tom. 7. &c. & without repentance forepriſed counteth man quoad reatum crimen & regnum peccati, more guiltie, and blameable, and thrauld to ſinne then, when by cō ſenting to the ſway of his ſinnefull luſts, he is caried away wilfully with the ſtreame of them.
But S. Paul conſidering the waight of ſin, as before Gods exact iudgemēt in the merit thereof, ſheweth that whereas we ought to ſerue and louelove him with all our powers, the leaſt defect in the leaſt part whether habitually or actually in the nature of ſin is perfit ſinne,Rhem. notes: Rom. 7. verſ. 7. expreſſely againſt the commaundement of the Lawe. But we will goe on a litle, and reaſon with them.
Concupiſcence tempteth, haleth backe from good, and helpeth forward to euill. This is without queſtion. Nowe whether thou conſent or diſſent, that is ſomwhat to the will, it is nothing to the luſte, except to make it more manifeſt, if thou conſent, and if thou diſſent,Rhem. not. in Iam. cap. 1. verſ. 15. yet in the nature of ſinne it is neuertheleſſe ſinnefull, though it be ſtayed in the firſt degree.
But if I be not deceiued, concupiſcence of nature corrupted, whereof I principally ſpeake or in whom ſoeuer, ioyntly and indiuiſibly importeth always a cōſent withall immediatly enſuing.
To luſt, to deſire, to will, for doctrine and exhortions ſake well they may be diſtinguiſhed, I can not ſee how they may be ſeperated or ſtaied, if we had rather hew at ſome bowe of them, then ſtrike at the roote.
The children of darkeneſſe are wiſe in their generation,Matt. 16.2. in naturall cauſes or ſignes to foreſee a tempeſt, in pollicie to forecaſt the woorſt, to ſtop the beginnings, to giuegive no place, no not a litle to the raging ſea. Why do we not the like? why are not ſpirituall harmes diſcerned and preuented?
M. Harding in ſome ſort vſeth a vaine defence of an vnchaſt toleratiō of the ſteewes at Rome,Confut. of the Apol. pag. 16 2. Deiect. lib. 5. cap. 4. Cenſur. of M. Ch. artic. 3. and Defence p. 113. Diſt. 34. Fraternitatis. by reaſon of the hotnes of the coū trie, as if Italie were hotter then Iurie which is not ſo, or if it were, what then? and for concupiſcence he and his breathern hauehave ſince written much. But doth the Lawe of God melt away with the heat of either nations or nature, of places or men?
Me thinketh after ſo great light ſpread into the worlde, after ſo long debating though of ſundrie other ſorie quaeſtions for the Church againſt the ſcriptures, for works & merits againſt faith, and merciemercy for ignorance againſt knowledge,Stapel. lib. 3. Epiſt. to the LL. of the Conc. yet men ſhoulde not come to this point to be ſo badly affected, and to excuſe them, when they are oppugned. Verily if they had either conſcience or remorſe, their learning ſhould not be thus abuſed, ad proſtituted by open writing to maintaine ſinnefull luſt.
The midwiues in Aegypt preſerued the children of Iſraell,Exod. 1.17 it was well done: if the midwiues of Iſraell would deſtroy the children of Aegypt it were better: and if the bōd mother with her brats were quite caſt out and baniſhed, it were beſt of all, if God ſo would: but concupiſcence the mother, and the firſt motions, and peruerſe will to ſinne as twinnes that come of her, together with froward mindes, that foſter vp both mother & daughters can hardly or neuer be voyded in this vale of ſinners, & proctors for ſin: yea the perfiteſt men are imperfit, the cleaneſt vnclean vntil the euening,Iſych. lib. 5. in Leuit. cap. 15. which as Iſychiꝰ alludeth, is till men in repentance agnize & craue pardon for ther faults, which ſhall be accompliſhed to the full in the euening, that is, in the end of the world.
Yet if in the meane ſeaſon we ſuffer naturall corruptions & cōcupiſcences to hauehave their motions,Suddaine motions entangle a man before a man can deliberate vponupon them Rhem. not. 7. Rom. v. 15. motiōs naturally moue their foote forwarde, and cannot ſtand at a ſtaie, and will ſeeke incontinētly to prouoke cō ſent & wil, & theſe once ioyning all in one, the hole man is become bound, head and hart, hand and foote: his head can not deuiſe, his hart deſire to doe, or any member execute a good dutie.
And thus is man by theſe meanes ſubiected, made a ſeruaunt, captiued, and kept priſoner, and as a ſlaue ſolde vntounto and vnderunder ſinne.
The whole queſtion of free will handeled at large.
THis being thus,Oſor. de Iuſt. lib. 7. we can not but maruaile what our aduerſaries meane, when they crie out amaine, we are free, we are free. Are they mad, or do they dreame thus of a freedome in ſo great ſubiection of libertie, in the middeſt of captiuitie and extreame bondage? As if a man could or would looke for health in ſicknes, for life in death,Eph. 1.2. for the liuing amongſt the dead. For naturally we are not onelyonly ſicke, but alſo dead & buried in ſin. And I pray you, what ſenſe, what abilitie, what will is there in a dead man, to perceiue, deſire, or endeuour to be reuiued?
But ſtay: are men blocks ſay they and ſtones? yea a great deale worſe. For timber and ſtones lift not vppe themſelues againſt the carpenter, and maſon: but man though he be dead from righteouſnes, yet he liueth and is quicke, and full of agilitie in all euill, herein he hath a will free enough,Fulgent. de incar. Chr. 19. cap. as it were a ſtreame running downe an hill, and yet not properly free, being thrawled to ſinne, as Auguſtine vſing the word (free) ſeemeth to correct himſelfe by and by vppon it.Serm. 13. de verbis Ap. Male agimus libera volū tate, quanquam non libera, ſed ſerua ad peccatum. Conc. Auraſic. can. 7. For concerning godlines his will is wounded, & maimed▪ it can neither looke vp, lift vp hād, or ſtirre foote to goodnes, it was loſt long agoe and is not now to be found.
Yet when God giueth grace, and inſpireth from aboue, we are without compariſon farre better then the ſenſleſſe matter, but all this is elſe whence, that we are thus enabled but to receiue the printe of his ſpirite.
I will take away your ſtonie harte, ſaith the Lorde in his Prophetes,Ezech. 36.26. firſt he taketh away that which is ours, that he may giuegive that which is his. Before this, if a ſtone may boaſt of his ſoftnes, then may we, if not the ſtone, then neither we. For our hartes are all of ſtone and ragge, wherefore I will giuegive you a newe harte. This is more then to renew the olde, and this will he doe, and whē he hath done ſo, then he will write his awe in our hartes, and make vsus to walke in his wayes.
Create within me a new hart, Pſal. 51.11.The Prophet Dauid prayed, and if he prayed a better prayer then the ſonnes of Zebedy,Marc. 10.38. that is, he knew for what in truth and veritie, and for the thing he wanted, then is it plaine that our hart (for this is not Dauids caſe alone) muſt be created, as if it were not at all. And then obſerue that, that which is to be created is neither of counſell nor conſent in a freenes of good will to the creator, or in a willingneſſe towards his own creation. For how can it be, before it be framed firſt, and hauehave his being?
God often telleth vsus and we ought alwayes to agnize that he doth all, and we nothing in good things. He it is that preuenteth with his grace, prepareth by his word, enclyneth vsus by his ſpirite, & worketh both the beginning, & the ende, and the continuance of our good conuerſion at the firſt,Obiections of the aduerſaries aunſwered. and conuerſation in his lawes euer afterwards, notwithſtanding all quarelings to the contrarie.
In the beginning ſay they when God had made mā,Eccl. 15.14. Stapl. lib. 4. cap. 3. he left him in the hand of his counſell, gaue him his commaundements & precepts: if thou wilt, thou ſhalt obſerue the commandements, & teſtifie thy good will. Water and fire, good and euil I, life & death are ſet before him: he may ſtretch furth his hande to either, as he liſt, & liketh beſt. All this is true.
In the beginning the caſe was ſo. But this is not the queſtion, what man in the beginning by creation could, but what by nature now he can do. He is a fonde Phyſition that to comfort his paciente, can ſay nothing but this, this man once had a ſound body, and a perfit conſtitution: it was in him to hauehave liued long. The diſeaſed commeth to the art of Phiſicke, and ſeeketh helpe, not becauſe he was once whole, but for that he is nowe ſicke.
I will ſhew in a word or two by an eaſie ſimilitude, how ſillely they conclude out of that place: I hauehave this or that put into my hande, I may holde it faſt or let it go. Here is a choice, a free will, but when once I hauehave let go mine holdfaſt, or wilfully thrown away that which I held before, ſhall I ſtill ſay,August. de Natur. & Gra. contra Pelag. cap. 53. my hands are full, whē I hauehave emptied them? or when I hauehave woū ded mine owne armes and handes in ſuch ſort, ſo that they are not able to reach furth themſelues, & now being vnapt & vnfit to apprehend, or receiue any thing elſe but infirmities, becauſe theſe were otherwiſe, therefore ſhall I preſumptuouſly conclude they are ſo? In Paradiſe it was ſo with vsus: ergo, it is ſo alſo in other places. What Logicke doth reaſon after this faſhion? it was, ergo it is. It was in Paradiſe, ergo elſewhere. God caſt man out of Paradiſe,Gen. 3.24. and at the eaſt ſide of the garden of Eden, he ſet the Cherubines (his Angels) with a ſhaking naked ſword in terrible maner to keepe man frō entring to, & ſo frō eating of the tree of life. Where is now, reach furth thine hand to death, & vntounto life, &c. wheras he is barred frō the better which is life.
In cōſidering this place of Ieſus the ſon of Syrach,Cap. 15.14. & alſo beholding the canonical ſcriptures wherein the auncient blisfulnes of man is deſcribed, as his agilitie of body, his habilitie of minde, perfection in both. I know not howe, I cannot but recorde a prophane ſtorie or two. Milo Crotoniata when in his weake old age he beheld ſuch as himſelfe had bene,Cic. in Cat. Maio. yong men mightily contending at ſome exerciſe of ſtrength, he caſt his eye, and looked vponupon himſelfe, wept & ſaide: Theſe armes were armes once, but now they are drie and dead, & are not. Likewiſe Alexander the great at one time whē he had cut but his finger,Plutar. de diſcrimen. amici & aedulator. & at other times perceiuing his affectiōs ſubiect to choler, luſt, & the like faults, though his flatterets bore him ſtill in hand, that he was a gods ſon, & a god in deede, he tolde them, no: the gods were not wont to bleede with paine, & liue at pleaſure fancifully as himſelfe did.
Theſe ſtories neede litle application, if we conſider our weakeneſſe, and conceiue aright of our infirmities, theſe flattering colours, that want the oyle of Gods truth, wherewith they labour to paint out our deformednes to Godwarde, woulde ſoone be waſhed away and come to nothing.
The beſt and fayreſt ſhewe at the firſt ſight for free will is that of water and fire, life & death, good & bad, ſet before mankinde in Adam. But looke vponupon the place directlie, albeit it be not Canonicall ſcripture, and therefore not ſufficient to informe thy faith,Hiero. praefat. in libr. Solom. Idem ad Le tam. Ruff. in expoſitione in Symb. or to be alleadged in a doubtfull matter, looke vponupon it with a ſingle eye, and by way of compariſon conſider thereby thine owne power. In the place thou ſhalt finde the firſt worde foreign, in the beginning, to referre thee to an other time, as hath bene declared, and as Auguſtine doth ſhewe,Hyp. lib. 3. cap. 11. Stapl. lib. 2. cap. 15. Ioſu. 7.19. and the wiſer Papiſts ſee well enough, and of thyſelfe (O fraile and mortall man) ſpeake the truth, & ſhame the Diuel, and ſo conſequently glorifie God. And if thou haſt but a ſparke of humblenes, thou wilt franckely confeſſe that thou art farre from the libertie which theſe wordes importe.
And as for vsus what can it auaile vsus to debaſe mans corruption, if it were as good or better then they make it? hauehave we not equally our partes therein as well as they? If our fieldes had no blaſted corne, our gardens no weedes, our garmēts no ſpots, our trees no ſhriueled apples, if our fleſh were ſpirite, and not fleſh, our wiſedome right, and our will free, what harme can the proteſtant take for yeelding to theſe things, if they were true?
OnelyOnly we know, that the friends of nature are enemies to grace,2. Cor. 3.5. and that all our ſufficiencie or aptnes is of God: and therefore nothing, but inſufficiencie in man. And this being known, ſhall it not be acknowledged? or may we ioyne with them that are at variance with God in his word, which teacheth a quite contrary leſſon, ſhewing that the very frame of mās hart is only euill alwayes. only euill: Gen. 6.5.therfore perfitly naught & in no part good: alwayes euill: ergo neuer good, & therfore extreamly bad, whether we reſpect the nature of ſinne, or continuance in ſinning.
Moſes hath the like place in ſounde of words to that out of Eccleſiaſt.Deut. 30. much alleadged, & in euerie particular circumſtance vrged & driuen further then the Prophete meaneth, or in truthe can be maintained. where, of the commaundement, which in Deut. is cōmaunded, it is proteſted before heauen & earth, that it is not hid from the people, or far of in heauen or beyonde the ſea, but neare vntounto thē, in their mouth, & in their hart, life & death, bleſſing & curſing are ſet before the people, & they cō maunded, & exhorted to chuſe life.
Here, ſay free will men, here is an electiō or choice, a free wil. Chooſe life: neither is the matter hard to do, life & death, curſednes & bliſſe are ſet before vsus, it is in vsus to receaue either. & reaſon ſo: ſay they: for if we might not diſſent, or conſent, but were at a point, to what ende ſerueth the exhortation? or if we coulde not conſent to good (which is the harder thing) why are we commaūded to chooſe life, to embrace it, and to conſent thereunto, and to doe accordingly.
In all this. I note three thinges, that the aduerſary would inferre, firſt a knowledge of the Lawe, then a will to receiue it, and thirdly an abilitie to put it in practiſe. A knowledge he proueth by theſe wordes it is neere thee, not aboue thee, nor beyonde thy reach, not diſtant in place, thy mouth can talk thereof, thy harte meditate thereupon. A will he ſheweth becauſe of the worde chooſe. An abylity, for that theſe meanes are to the ende, the Law be done,Diſcou. of haer. tranſl. cap. 10. obeyed, executed, and put in vre: vt facias illud. M. Gregorie Martins great skill in grammer, can vrge this matter no farther.
All this being graunted, the preſumptuous Papiſt is neuer the neare his purpoſe, to proue a free will, or any other abilitie in the naturall man. For firſt God ſpeaketh to a people, whome he had choſen, and called, and whom he had culled out of all the reſt of the partes of the worlde.
A long time (who knoweth not this?) God was chieflie worſhipped amongſt a few, in the familie of Abraham & his race,4. Eſd. 5.23 that vinearde only was his, allother trees were the trees of a forſake foreſt. He toke and ſelected frō out of al the multituds of men, that only peculiar people, whō he loued & gaue a law, his ſtatutes & ordināces he made known vntounto them:Pſal. 147.20. Matth. 15.26. to other nations he did not ſo. The childrens bread was made for children, whō he had made his children, and not for dogges. No vncircumciſed perſon, no Cananitiſh foote might treade within his courts. But of this his people not only the heads, elders, and officers,Deut. 29.11 but alſo the drawer of water, and wood cleauer, were ſuch, as vntounto whō the Lord reueiled himſelfe in familier maner. And hence commeth the knowledge that is here ſpoken of, & hence alſo is the willingnes of a good choiſe, when God by the hande of his ſpirite did circumciſe ther hartes, paring away the obſtinacie of nature, & enduing them with faith,Deut. 30.6. embracing Chriſt, & ſo in him fulfilling all that is required.
And thus doth S. Paul expoūd this text (the word is neere thee, &c.) calling it the word of faith which was preached in the Goſpell. Rom. 10.8.And ſo we graunt,Ihon. 8.36. that whō God doth teach, they ar skilfull, whō the ſonne doth ſet at libertie, they ar free, and who hauehave Chriſt hauehave all that is Chriſts, the ſatisfaction of the father, the fulfilling of the law, & what euer elſe. Let vsus beare this yoke, Rhem. not. Mat. 11.30it is ſweete: take we vp this burden it is light, ſweete and light are they to them that are in Chriſt.
But why are theſe very things alſo exacted euen of all without difference,Stapl. 4. lib. cap. 3. as may appeare by other Scriptures, if yet ſome, & the moſt, and all whom nature ruleth, be ſo blind, ſo vnwilling, & vnable to do accordingly as is commaunded? or wherfore are there ſuch faire rewards, generallie to all propoſed, if in ſome certain it lye not, to go ſo far furth as to thinke a good thought, or to will well, much leſſe to runne out the raſe, & to winne the crowne of their ſaluation?
One aunſwere will ſerue for both theſe demaunds.The ſubſtāce of the Law was giuē to Adam though not written till Moſes time Mar. 12.30. & 31 Although the Lawe were not written, till Moſes time, yet was it giuen to Adam and to all in him at the firſt, as to louelove God aboue all thinges, and his neighbour as him ſelfe. Which is an abridgement of the decalogue. Then might the commaū dement hauehave bin obeyed, and the reward obtayned. Afterward when it was to be writtē, no reaſon it ſhould be leſſe perfite, then God made it, becauſe man became by his owne default more vnperfite then God made him, ſpeciallie whereas yet, there remaine moſt euident, and excellent endes, and frutes thereof, as to knowe our dutie,Gal. 3.24 though we can not do it, & therby to endeuour to finde that elſe where, that is not in our ſelues. And when we ſee that we are out of the way, which leadeth to the rewarde of life, we may by Chriſtes helpe compaſſe it an other way, and come to the ſame end in him.
They ſay a dronken man hath a deſire to ſeeme ſober, when his feete can not cary his bodie. There is no dronkenneſſe like to that, which commeth by the wine of pride in vaine men. Wherefore to repreſſe this naturall vanitie in all, & to keepe vsus in a ſober opiniō of our ſelues, God giueth vsus a perfit lawe to meaſure our imperfections by.
For otherwiſe wee preſume to touche heauen with our finger, till we ſee the diſtance. What burden can not our ſholders beare, till we fele the waight? Eagles eyes hauehave we till we looke into the ſonne: we ſeeme gould til the touchſtone reproue vsus, ſtraight, til the rule telleth vsus the contrarie: like ſores that ſeeme to be ſound till they be deepelie ſearched.
The younge man in the Goſpell though that the keeping of the Lawe was but a tricke of youth.Mat. 19.20 All this hauehave I done from my youth vpwarde: But our Sauiour as a ſkillefull Phiſition, touching the vaine that went directly to his heart,Aug. Serm. de Temp. 124 bade him to go and ſell all that he had, and to followe him, and the caſe was ſtraight altered, and his hypocriſie diſplayed.
And in deede theſe are ſinguler vſes of the law wel expounded, and fitly applied,Endes and good vſes wherunto the Lawe ſerueth. both to conuince infirmitie, to accurſe ſinne, and alſo to diſcouer diſſimulation, to root out ignorance, to bring a knowledge and a feeling that we hauehave offended, to breede in vsus humilitie, and to leade vsus to Chriſt, and being nowe in Chriſt, that it may be a rule of liuing well to vsus who euer we be: and if we be publike perſons, that wee make our Lawes all according to the Lords Law. And albeit we cannot attaine to perfection, yet the imitation thereof in his owne children he accepteth. Neither is it reaſon whether in the regenerate, or in the vnregenerate, that the Law ſhould be ſuch, as might be perfourmed of anie, either as it were a mark ſet vp, where eueryevery man may hit it. For the leuell of our actions muſt be ſtraight, though our deedes be croked, the balance euen, though our workes deceiptfull, and the glaſſe cleare, though the face that looketh into it, hauehave his naturall deformitie. And wheras they argue, that therefore man hath free will to good, becauſe it is commaunded, they may make the ſame reaſon alſo, that man naturally without grace may fulfill the whole Lawe, in worke as well as in will, if he will. For the one is commaunded as expreſſely as the other.
It is manifeſt, that our abilitie or inabilitie is nothing to or fro, to the commaundement of God. Neither is his commaundement any thing to our ableneſſe or inabilitie. VVhether I can or can not pay my detter, my dettes are due: whether they be required or not demaūded, they are equally ſtill in the ſame nature of dette. And though by negligence or other caſualtie, I become bankerout, yet my hand writing and promiſes ſtand in their full force and ſtrength.
In like manner our ſtrength by ſinne is leſſe then it was, but our duetie is the ſame that it was euer. For Adams fall, and mens faultes, rather binde ſtraighter, then ſet either him or vsus at greater libertie. As it is commonly ſeene in men, that grow in det further and further, when they begin once to breake but a litle.
Among diuerſe preſentes,Dion. Nicae in vita Auguſti. that were brought to Auguſtus by the ambaſſadours of India, there was preſented vntounto him a man without ſhoulders. How that ſhould be, the hiſtoriographer ſaith he can not ſee onelyonly he reporteth a report. Verilye I ſee thus much in the viewe of our a duerſaries arguments, that their reaſons hauehave neither ſhoulders to hold vp their head, nor feete to go or ſtand vpō, albeit they would ſeme to preſent them to the Church of God, as perfit and preciouſe iewels.
We are commaunded to pay our detts:Stapl. lib. 4 cap. 3. therfore we can pay them: we are exhorted therunto, and promiſed our generall acquittance, if we ſo do, and are threatned if we do not,Mat. 18.26. ergo we are able to diſcharge the tenne thouſand talents! the reaſon will not holde. The parable of the detter teacheth vsus a better way to craue forgiuenes: and a man of common ſenſe, can ſee and ſay that this reaſoning wanteth reaſon.
The partridge gathereth an hoord of other birds eggs, ſitteth vponupon thē,Ier. 17.11 & hatcheth them: but when they are fluſhe they fly a way frō her: for they know that of right they belong not to the partridge: ſemblably the Papiſt, gleaneth arguments ſometimes out of the Canonicall Scripture though ſeldome, ſometimes by drift of his owne wit, when they are hatched, & come to light, they fly away from him, or ſtand him in litle ſtead, or rather make againſt, then for him. In the Lordes commaundements we learne our duetie, in his puniſhments we feel the correction of our ſinnefull demerits, and in his rewards propoſed we record wherunto we were created, and agnize from whence we fell: And becauſe we finde an impoſſibilitie in the Law,Rom. 8.3 Iob. 14 4 and no remedie in nature, we do not as men redie to be drowned, catch at eueryevery ſtraw, that cannot help, but appeale to the throne of grace, and lay handfaſt only vppon his endleſſe fauour, and euerlaſting merciemercy, that exceedeth all his works.
I dwell vponupon their chiefe places and reaſons of theirs, longer then the intent of a briefe treatiſe may ſeeme to permit. The rather, becauſe one of our late writers dareth auouche,Alen. apol. of E…ngl. Semi. c. 5. p. 59 (with what face, let the world iudge) that in our ſhew of aunſwer we further their cauſe rather then our own: we only looke backward a little, and barke, and fly from the light, and bay at them. As if this were all, that might be done in a mater of truth. And ſuch are their crakes of victorie, in diſputing &c. But I geſſe few of thē can ſpeake better, then the moſt & beſt of them hauehave written. Neither is it likely they canne do more in the valleyes, then in the mountaines, I mean they can not do more with their tongs & diſputes now, thē their betters hauehave hertofore done with their pen & writing.By the byſh of Sarū. M. Nowell. D. Calfild & others. Wherin they hauehave receaued ful & iuſt anſwer. VVherfore no cauſe of fe are for all their in finit and intolerable vauntes.
For mine owne part (I ſpeake the truth & ly not euē before Chriſt, that witneſſed a good witneſſe vnderunder Pontius Pilate) as in few I hauehave declared mans vndoubted imperfection out of the word of God,Hoſius contra Brent. prolo. Mart Eiſen. de Eccl. vind. Pigg. Hierarch. Sand Monar. viſ. Stapl. de doct. pr. &c. ſo in reading the aduerſaries bookes & namely touching this matter of mans corruption, I finde that as all their labour elſwhere tē deth only to the aduancing of human pōp vnderunder the name of the church, ſo vnderunder the title of nature they contend chiefly for the ſetting vp of man & fleſh, in extenuating original ſinne, in excuſing concupiſcēce, in praiſing the works of infidels, in vpholding the wiſedom and will of corruption.
To ſpeake of all that hath bene latelie written,Stapl. de vniuerſ. Iuſti ficationis doctr. 1582 were to generall. The laſ that I hauehave ſeene, and the largeſt is Maiſter Stapleton, whom I quote often in the margēt. The man I remember to hauehave bene of the Colledge, wherof my ſelfe am now. In reſpect whereof, and in Chriſtian charitie I wiſh him the beſt. And if Samuell may awake Elie,1. Sam. 2.23 if the younger may warne the elder, to that end I hauehave thus called vppon him, and pulled him by the ſleeue, that he go not away in a ſleepe.
He knoweth Elie ſuffred his children to breake his owne necke. Verily the fancies and affections, that are bred in & of man, if he cocker them vp, they will bring him to a worſe end then Elies was, or if he correct & beat them lightly but with a fether, this will not amend the children of Belial, or the ſonnes of Adam.
Elie demaunded of his ſonnes, why did they ſuch & ſuch things? Do no more my ſonnes, it is no good report, that I heare of you, which is, that you make the Lordes people to treſpaſſe: yet more thē ſpeaking roughly, he did not: but let them hauehave their ful fourth in ſinne: as if he had chidde them with his toung, and ſtroked them fayrely on the head with his hand. Wherfore God denounceth that he loued his children aboue him, and therefore he woulde do a thing in Iſraell wherof whoſoeuer ſhould heare, his two eares ſhould tingle at it. So the Papiſt can not but confeſſe & ſay: The iſſue & ofſpring of nature corrupt, can not be but corrupt. As the mother ſinne is, ſo are the daughters of ſinne. Of a thiſtle a prick, of a bramble commeth a bryer. And namely as concupiſcence in the vnregenerat man for ſome cauſes muſt needes be ſinne:Stapl. lib. 3 cap. 3 ſo in the regenerate no good report there goeth of it, neither yet of mans wiſedome nor of his will.
The Papiſt can chide a little on this faſhion, but yet the naturall man will honor his children, and make of him ſelfe more thē of his maker. For he telleth eueryevery man (to ſpeake a word of that,Suprae pa. 9. which in order was touched before) albeit concupiſcence be euill and ſinne, yet is it not ſo properly, and in preciſe maner of ſpeaking, but only becauſe ſhe leadeth the way to ſinne, & as it were cauſeth the Lordes people to tranſgreſſe.Stap. l. 4. c. 5 Likewiſe mans wiſedome is darkneſſe for ſooth in the Gentils, and his will ſtonie and obſtinate, that is, ſay they, onelyonly depraued.
Fie vponupon ſuch fondneſſe, fie maiſter Stapleton. If our willes were onelyonly depraued, and but ſome way prone to euill, and not perfitly imperfit, and paſt all good, had the holy Ghoſt no ſofter wordes to ſhewe the imbecillity therof, but by ſtone and braſſe, and yron &c. And S. Paul when he telleth the Epheſians, that they were once darkneſſe, in deed they were Gentils, what thē? what doth that diſtinction help? The vnregenerat mans father is an Amorite,Ezech. 16.3 and his mother an Hittit, & all men are Gentils, or in as bad caſe as any man may be, if they be reſpected in them ſelues, not lightned by his ſpirit, & inſtructed by grace. And as for concupiſcēce is it ſin only, becauſe ſhe tē pteth, & not in proper termes of ſpeaking?
A fooliſh woman & a ſinneful is deſcribed in Solomon to be troublefom.Prou. 9.13 She is ignorant, and knoweth nothing, ſitteth at the dore of her houſe, & entiſeth them that paſſe by out of the right way. Theſe properties proue the ſinnefulnes of the womā ſufficiently & properly. All which appeare to be in the concupiſcēce of man. The one is as ignorāt, & as buſie as the other. Only the one prouoketh openly, & ſitteth at her dore & allureth to her, the other lurketh in thy boſom, and therfore is the more dangerouſe, and neuer the leſſe ſinnefull, but to all purpoſes to be taken as a natural ſinner. But hereof before more at large.
Theſe figg leaues then, fetcht out of the orchard of mans braine, will not couer betweene God & vsus.Lib. 1. cap. 4 Your ſelfe M. Stapleton and others begin to miſlike, both certaine ſchoolmen, and certaine late writers, for falſly maintayning naturs ability in preparing her ſelfe meritoriouſly toward God, & ingeniouſly you confeſſe the hiſſing out of the opinion of merits de congruo, of deſerts of conueniency. God graūt that as he hath begunne that good work, ſo he vouchſafe to make it perfit in you more & more in great meaſure, that you may ſee and deteſt the length & breadth & infinit deepeneſſe of mans naturall tranſgreſſions: and likewiſe with ioy of heart embrace the Lordes vnſpeakeable mercy reuealed & giuen in the onelyonly and ſole Sauiour of the world Ieſus Chriſt the righteouſe. Amen.
Dauid was better,1. Sa. 17.47 2. Sam. 11.2 when he kept his fathers ſheepe, then when he got the Kingdom. If the ſinne of Adam were leſſe, and namely if the powers of mā were more, & his will of greater abilitie, & more orderly, then I hauehave proued it to be, yet I geſſe it were good that an horſe ſhould not know his ſtrength. What need we flatter a wanton & a way ward thing, which is thē beſt, when it is moſt kept ſhort, and naturally it is neuer good, but alwayes naught?
When God intended to take iuſt reuēgment of vnthākful men,Rom. 1.24. that became vaine in their imaginations, and their fooliſh hearts were full of darkneſſe, what did he? He gaue them ouer to their own luſts, that is to ſay, to their own will and wilfulneſſe.
This grieuous puniſhment had not bin great,Auguſt. 6 Tract. in Epiſh. Ioh. if the flexibleneſſe & towardneſſe of their wills had bin ſo good, or but ſo indifferently il, or els inclinable, & ready or free to receiue, either good or euill, or able to conſent, when grace is offred, which is the verie hinge in deede,Stap. l. 4. c. 1. wheron the queſtion of free will moſt dependeth.
Nowe but to conſent to good is a good thing, haſt thou this cōſent? what haſt thou that thou haſt not receaued,1. Cor. 4.7. & if thou haſt receaued of an other, then is it not in thy ſelfe. Againe no goodneſſe groweth out of the earth, but deſcendeth from aboue. And againe fleſh & bloud,Mat. 16.17 doth neither reueale nor receaue any good, but is enimity to all good, & therfore cannot cōſent (which is a point of frindſhip therunto) Nay in the regenerat,Cic. de amic the fleſh ſtill luſteth againſt the ſpirit, which we hauehave receaued, and therefore doubtleſſe in the vnregenerat it much more doubtleſſe in the vnregenerat it much more diſſenteth before grace be receaued, & leſſe embraceth it when it is offred.
When his graces are generallie offred, man is recuſant by natur, ſhutteth his eyes, claſpeth his hands, & is altogether auerſe in heart, but yet whom God taketh & choſeth effectually, he turneth their hearts, as he did the Purple ſellers heart in the Acts,Act. 16.14 Act. 9.18 haleth and ſmiteth Paule downe from his horſe, doth away the ſcales from his eyes, & worketh mightely the conuerſiō of thē, that ſhalbe ſaued, and this he maketh men willing to receaue that, which before they wilfully refuſed: & herupō to imagin this willingnes to be of man, becauſe at length by Gods gift it is in man, is a vain imaginatiō to giuegive that to man which is Gods gift, as M. Stapletō doth, ſaying,Stap. l. 4. c. 4 that capacity of good things is of natur, and actiuity of Grace. No. bothe the beginning & the end, both capablenes & agilitie, to will & to work is of him.
Fulgentius was troubled with the like fancifull men,Fulg. de incar. Chriſt. cap. 24 that thought, that becauſe we were enabled by God to good, therfor we ar alſo able of our ſelues. The cōſequēt is naught. For as the fleſh of mā hath no feling and ſenſe of it ſelfe, but the ſoule doth giuegive it life & ſenſe, & ſo it may hauehave both: ſo man may (God ſo working in him) be wel willing, but the life & ſoule of this willingnes, is the mere & ſole mercy of God.
The wiſdom of the Lord,Prouer. 9.1 in the book of prouerbs whō he poſſeſſed from all beginninges hath built here an houſe & hewed out her pillers &c. This bilding & houſe is his Church & choſen. Now euē as an hous can not rere vp it ſelf, ſo is it with man, nether the firſt ſtone, nor any part, of it ſelfe cā it ſelfe lay or ſet in the frame. And as the carpēter choſeth his timber, the maſon his ſtone, the potter his clay, and not contrariwiſe, the clay his potter, the ſtone his maſon, the timber his workman, the houſe her bilder, ſo God choſeth the Church, not the Church him. That is a true word. I hauehave choſen you & not you me. Ioh. 15.16in any kind of choice.
A wrāgler may ſtretch a ſimilitude farther then may ſtand with chriſtian humilitie. As the carpenter in deed chooſeth out … tree out of the wood, & worketh it alone, yet he chooſeth the fayreſt, the fitteſt, and the ſtraighteſt, becauſe theſe qualities ar in the timber: So God chooſeth of men, the beſt qualified by nature, becauſe of naturalles, that were in them firſt. No not ſo. He knoweth (who foreknoweth al things) no doubt what perſons will beſt ſerue his building, who ar fitteſt, who vnfit. But ther for ar ſōe fit, becauſe he maketh thē fit? For otherwiſe by natur we are vtterly vnfit all.
And to demonſtrate that all ſtandeth vponupon mere choiſe, he chooſeth the weak to cō found the ſtrong, the ſimple to confute the wiſe, 1 Cor. 1.23 Iohoſ. 6.20as it were the blaſt of hornes to ouerthrow the mighty walled city Iericho. He chooſeth the leaſt likely, & the moſt vnwilling to ſhew that neither in mans will or any part of his corrupt natur elſe, is ought to this purpoſe.
But of this his exceding mercy, fauor, & free grace more in ſpeciall in the proceſſe following.
Hetherto in the plenarie view of man both within & without, in body & ſoule, in whole and in part, appeareth nothing ſince his fal, but miſery, bondage, pollutiō, vncleannes, darknes, confuſiō, frowardnes, obſtinacy, rebellion, and (in a worde) perfit ſinne & corruption. God looketh down frō heauen vponupon all the children of men in earth, & findeth not any one, cōſidered as he is in his own nature,Pſalm. 14.2 with whome it fareth better then hath bene declared.