The Perpetuity of a Regenerate Mans Estate, Part · Section 24
Councells.
To these authorities & sayings of the Fathers I may adde that of the Councell of Miliuitan: can: 3: 4. Where in these 2. Cannons with diuers others were concluded vponupon against Pelagius and his followers. Item placuit vt quicunque dixerit, gratiam D… in qua iustificamur per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum, ad solum remissionē peccatorum valere quae iam commissa sunt, non etiam ad adiutorium vt non committantur, anathema sit. Item quisque dixerit eandem gratiam Dei per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum, propter, hoc tantum nos adiuuare ad non peccandum quia per ipsam nobis reuelatur et aperitur intelligentia mandatorum, vt sciamus quid appetere, quid vitare debeamus, non autem per illam nobis praestari, vt quod faciendum cognouerimus etiā facere diligamus atque valeamus, anathema sit. Cum enim dicat Apostolus scientia inflat, charitas verò aedificat: valde impium est vt credamus adeam quae inflat nos habere gratiā Christi, adeam quae aedificat non habere, cum sit vtrumque donum Dei, et scire quid facere debeamus, et diligere vt faciamus, vt aedificante charitate scientia non posset inflare. Sicut autem de Deo scriptum est: qui docet hominem scientiam: ita etiam scriptum est. Charitas ex Deo est. Which two Canons affirming that true grace is a great helpe and preseruatiue against sinne, inabling those that hauehave it, not onelyonly to know, but likewise for to doe and louelove the things which God commaunds them, make much for my conclusion: for he that is able through the speciall assistance of God and grace to resist sinne, and to do and louelove the things which God commandes him, how can he chuse but perseuere in grace? Grace giues him power, louelove giues him will to perseuere, what is here then that can hinder him from perseuering? To conclude, let but any indifferent and iudicious reader peruse that generall and famous Councell of Africke, held in the yeare of our Lord: 418: against Pelugius the Hereticke, and the second Councell of Aransica, or Oreng…, held in the yeare of our Lord: 529: and if his eyes and judgment are not praeiudicated and infected with Arminianisme, or phrase-transformed Pelagianisme, hee must needes acknowledge, that these two Councells do corroberate and confirme our present assertion. For in both these Councels it is positiuely resolued. That grace is the only worke of Gods Spirit, and the gift of God, and not a morrall perswasion, nor the strength of nature. That regeneration and the state of grace, is wrought only by the Spirit of God, and not by any freewill, strength or power of our owne. That the beginning, the continuance, and the end of the worke of grace in vsus, is from God alone, & not from our selues, and that by the grace of God only we are what wee are. That when we doe inioy any good at all, it is not from our owne power and strength, but from the assistance of God himselfe, who worketh in vsus and with vsus. That God loues vsus not because we doe deserue his louelove, but because that he intends to make vsus louely. That the perseuerance of the Saints is from God alone, and not from themselues, that soe they might ascribe the glory of their graces and their perseuerance not vntounto themselues but vntounto God alone. If then grace and regeneration bee the onelyonly worke of the Spirit of God, if the continuance, the beginning and the end of Grace, and perseuerance in the state of grace, bee from God alone and not from man, as these two Councels hauehave determined it, then by the determination of these two Councels, the true regenerate Saints of God can neuer fall finally nor totally from grace. For if perseuerance bee the onelyonlyEzech. 36. 27. worke and gift of God alone: the Saints of God can neuer chuse but perseuere, because that God hath promised andIer. 32. 40. couenanted, to giuegive them perseuerance; to cause them to walke i… his statutes, and to keepe his iudgments and to doe them, and to put his feare in their hearts, that they shall not depart from him: if God will cause them for to perseuere, there is nothing then that is able for to hinder them: for no man can resist his worke and will: Rom: 9: 19. and Isai: 43: 13. If you will but compare the Canons and Decrees of the generall Councell of Africke with Saint Augustines bookes de Bono Perseuerantiae, and de Corrept: et Gratia: who was then present at this famous Councell, then you may ascertaine your selues, that this famous, Councell and likewise the Councell of Orange, who tooke their patterne and grounds from it, did suffragate to this our assertion, That those who are once truly regenerated and ingrafted into Christ by a iustifying and liuely faith, can neither finally nor totally fall from grace.
You see now how we hauehave an whole Grand-Iury, of ancient and learned Fathers and Councells, who hauehave giuen vp their verdict for vsus, so that you need not for to doubt of the truth and goodnesse of our cause. And here (good Reader) I would intreate thee to take notice of the truth, the honestie, and modestie of one Mr. Mountague, who in his Gagge and his Appello Cesarem doth confidently affirme,Gagge, p. 158. That it hath beene the common Tenet of all Antiquitie, That Appeale 27.the true regenerate Saints of God may fall finally and totally from the state of grace. O the matchlesse impudency, mallice, and falsitie of the man, who against his owne knowledge and conscience durst to affirme so grosse and palpable an vntruth, and that to such a wicked and pernicious end, as to deceiue his readers, and to thrust a dangerous and condemned error on them, for an ancient and approued truth. What Mr. Mountague, did you thinke that none had read the Fathers but your selfe? or that your fame and credite was so great among vsus, as that we would beleeue your false quotations, before the authenticall Records themselues? Or did you thinke (as you hauehave attempted for to doe) to stop the labours of all such, and to crush them in the shell, as should disclose your partiall and disloyall dealing to the world, that so yout virulent Appeale, and your forged and new coyned doctrines therein recorded, might passe without controll? It is well you thought so, but (thankes be to God) you are deceiued in your expectation; and truth though it hath found some difficultie and opposition at the presse by your meanes, yet it hath come forth at last to display your basenesse, your impudencie, your malice, and your disloyalty vntounto the world. But say you had had your will Mr. Mountague and all things had succeeded according to your hopes: yet me thinkes Mr Mountague, if you had had any conscience or feare of God within you, if you had had any louelove and respect vntounto antiquitie and truth (as you pretend you hauehave, how truly let others iudge) you might hauehave beene ashamed and affraid to hauehave traduced, slandered, and sophisticated; to hauehave outfaced, and belyed all Antiquitie as now you hauehave, for feare lest the worthy workes of so many Fathers should hauehave cryed out against you here, and these very Fathers themselues should hauehave risen vp against you to condemne you in the day of judgement, for wronging, and traducing of them to that end as you hauehave done. Nay, if you had had any louelove vntounto your Mother Church, or to the soules of so many thousands of your Country-men which you should hauehave wronged and seduced by these false quotations and confident assertions of your owne, you could not hauehave beene so gracelesse, so false, so trecherous, and so shamelesse, as to hauehave fathered this your damnable & pernicious error on the ancient Fathers, who hauehave so much opposed it. But it may be the good learned man did all this out of ignorance and simplicity. For being destitute of the Fathers workes, or wanting time for to suruey them, or hauing an higher conceite of other mens learning then his owne, he trusted vntounto their quotations, and thence he was deceiued. And this is not vnlikly. For I finde all M. Mountagues quotations, one only excepted, (to wit that of Clement in his constitutions) recorded verbatim by that famous Arminian Bertius, in his booke de Apostatia sanctorum, neither are they to be found in any mans works but his. Indeed Mr. Mountague in his Gagge, cap. 20 would make the world beleeue, that he did quote his Fathers not out of their owne workes, but out of Bucer and other Protestant Diuines; but to tell you the…. 159. 165. truth, these quotations are not to be found in Bucer or in any other Protestant Diuine, but only in that infamous and arch Arminian Peter Bertius out of whom Mr. Mountague, hath transcribed them verbatim. Only herein is the difference: Bertius hath recorded these quotations in Latine, Mr. Mountague hath translated some of them verbatim into English: Bertius he cites many sentences, and more Fathers then Mr. Mountague doth, who hath culled out the eminentest and choycest of them. And because all the world shall know that I wrong not Mr. Mountague I will compare his quotations and Bertius his quotations together. Mr. Mountague in his Gagge pag. 165. 166. quotes Ignatius the ancientest Father this day extant: the selfe-same quotation you shall finde in Bertius, in his Apostatia Sanctorum, pag. 90. Mr. Mountague quotes Tertullian de Prescript: cap. 3. Gagge pag. 166. 167. So doth Bertius in the selfe-same words, pa 96. So he quotes Cyprian, Epist. 7. Gagge, 167. So doth Bertius pag. 98. So hee quotes Nazianzen, Gagge 168. So doth Bertius in the same words, pag. 99. 100. So hee quotes Hierome lib. 2. advers. Pelagianos, Gagge 168, the selfe-same quotation you shall finde in Bertius, pag. 100. So he quotes St. Gregory, lib. 6. in 1 Regum: you shall finde the same in Bertius pag. 103. So hee quotes St. Augustine de corrept: & Gratia cap. 13. Gagge 168. Apeale 27. for the booke de bono Persue. and lib. 11. de Ciu. Dei, cap. 12. Appeale 27. the selfe-same quotations are in Bertius, pag. 102. and in Bellarmine, lib. 3. de Iustif. cap, 14. So hee quotes Prosper, resp: 7. ad cap. Gallorum Appeale 2…. you shall finde the selfe-same words and quotation in Bertius, pag. 102. so he quotes Cyprian de vnitate Ecclesiae: Athanasius, lib. 4. cont: Arrian. Basil epist ad Chilonem in the margent. Appeale 36. The selfe-same quotations are in Bertius, pag. 97. 98. 99. Thus hath our lëarned Mr. Mountague who vaunts so much of his skill and knowledge in the Fathers, transcribed them verbatim out of Bertius. Nay, I will say more, he hath transcribed all he hath touching this point of falling from grace, either in his Gagge or in his Appeale, yea, his very argument from our 16. Article out of Bertius: let him disproue it if he can; and therefore it is no meruaile that Mr. Mountague avoucheth the totall and finall Apostacy of the Saints, to bee the Tenet of Antiquitie, of the Protestants in Germany, and of the Church of England, because that Bertius saith so to; out of whom he did transcribe it. But whether Mr. Mountague bee an honest innocent and harmelesse man, and one that seekes only the peace of the Church in dealing thus, I leaue it vntounto others for to judge. I come now to giuegive a short answer to these Fathers which Mr. Mountague hath cited out of Bertius: As for Clement and Ignatius, there is a great question whether they are spurious and abortiue yea or no, and most Protestant Diuines not without good cause, thinke them to be meere forgeries; and so their authorities are but little worth. But admit them to bee true, yet they proue nothing against vsus. For that of Ignatius, that one and the same man is sometimes the childe of God, and againe the childe of the diuell: is no more but this in substanee, that the childe of God doth sometimes fall into sinne, and so in the judgement and repute of men is sometimes the childe of God, and at other times the childe of the diuell, but not in Gods esteeme; if you reade the place, you shall finde this to bee the meaning: as for the other places, they are impertinent and need no answer: As for that of Clement, it is nothing to the purpose: for hee saith not that the holy Spirit is wholly deuided from any man that euer had it: but if hee bee diuided hee leaueth them destitute, &c. That of Tertullian if you reade all the chapter is expresse for vsus, for it is no more in briefe then this: that hypocrites fall away from God, but such as are truly regenerated doe still continue with him. That of Cyprian is no more then this, that men must vse the meanes to preserue their graces. That of Nazianzen is no more then this: the ordinary and common gifts of Gods Spirit as prophecie, and a royall minde may bee lost. That of Hierome and Gregorie, is only this in substance; that wee cannot know whether other men shall perseuere, because we know not their estates, and therefore wee cannot call them happy before their death. The Epistle of Basil, ad Chilonem, is but a meere exhortation to perseuerance, there is not one word in it that a regenerate man may fall from grace. That of Prosper is spoken only of such as were regenerated in shew and not in truth: and so is that of Augustine de bono Perseu: cap. 13. That of Augustine de Ciui: dei. Is nothing to purpose, for he saith not, that all the Saints of God doe not perseuere, but, that all of them know not certainly whether they shall perseuere; that is, they are not certaine of their perseuerance with the certainty of knowledge, but yet they are sure of it with the certainty of faith, as the Protestants in the Disputation of Ratishon, pag. 511. hauehave expounded it; So that all which these Fathers say, proues nothing at all against mee, if it be well examined: and if Bertius or Mr. Mountague had dealt ingeniously and not cited the Fathers by peece-meale, the very places which they alledge, would either not make for them, or else make against them. Well then to end this controuersie, I dare defend it against any man, that either all, or at least most of the Fathers are expresse and strongly for vsus; let these their testimonies which I hauehave cited out of their owne records, and not at the second hand, determine it: and this I will say withall, that there is neuer a Father, which being rightly vnderstood, doth make any jot against vsus. Wherefore seeing that this totall and finall Apostacie of the Saints, is but an vpstart doctrine among vsus, quite contrary to the whole streame and current of the Fathers, I will conclude with that golden rule and saying of an ancient Father, Vincentius Lerinensis by name, who flourished about the yeare of our Lord, 430. (which saying I would to God Mr. Mountague had well considered before hee had put his Penne to paper) Cum primum mali cuiuscunque erroris is putredo Cont. Hera… cap. 39. Edit. Cost…ri.erumpere caeperit, & ad defensionem sui quaedam sacrae legis verba furari atque fallaciter & fraudulenter exponere: statim interpraetando Canoni maiorum sententiae congregandae sunt: quibus illud quoque exurget nouitium, ideo que prophanum, & abs que vlla ambage prodatur, & …ine vlla retractatione damnetur. Sedeorum duntaxat patrum sententiae congregandae sunt quae in fide & Communione Catholica sanctè, sapienter constanter viuentes, docentes & permanentes, vel mori in Christ… fideliter, vel occidi pro Christi feliciter meruerunt. Quibus tamen hac lege credendum est: vt quicquid vel omnes, plures vno eodem que sensu, manifestè, frequenter, perseueranter, velut quodā sibi consentiente magistrorū concilio, accipiendo, tenendo tradendo firmauerint, id pro indubitato, certo, ratoque habeatur. Quicquid verò quamvis ille sanctus & doctus, quamvis Episcopus, quamvis Confessor & Martyr, praeter omnes, aut etiam contra omnes senserit: id inter proprias, & occultas & priuatas opiniunculas, à communis publicae & generalis sententiae autoritate secretum sit, ne cum summo aeternae salutis periculo iux… sacrilegam haereticornm & scismaticorum consuetudinem vniversalis dogmatis veritate dimissa vnius hominis nouitium sectemur errorem. Follow now this safe and golden rule in our particular case; wee hauehave the vnanimous consent of most if not of all the ancient Fathers for vsus, which they hauehave manifestly, frequently, and constantly recorded and commended to vsus: and therefore let not Bertius or Mr. Mountague his ape, nor any other vpstarts whatsoeuer, who defend their errors, seduce and leade you from this ancient, resolued, and approued truth, to the wrecke, the perill, at least the great d…comfort of your soules.