The Doctrine of King James, Notice
AN ADVERTISEMENT CONcerning the Allegations.
I thinke it fit to cleare the pertinencie of the Allegations, which perchance by some may be misconceived.
First in the point of praedestination; I thinke those since Austen are most of them without exception, and speake to the poynt it selfe; which is a free choice of some, from the whole corrupted Masse, they being like the rest when they were chosen, but made to differ by choosing.
Those before Austen, if they bee not so full and punctuall, Austen himselfe (there alledged) doth excuse them, yet I doubt not but they do shew a difference of men, made by the meere grace and pleasure of God.
Secondly in the point of Freewill: I thinke the maine point of supposed freedome is this. An indifferency or aequilibriousnes of the will no way partially inclined, but aequally able to incline it selfe any way. In this freedome the will is imagined of some, to bee set by a generall sufficient grace, whereby it is freely able to bleeue or not to beleeue, to receiue the grace of saluation or to resist it. And in this opinion, the will it selfe is the fountaine of receiuing saluation; and grace doth not phisically and effectually moue the will to an assured receiuing of it, but the will freely moues it selfe, yea moues grace toward the receiuing of it. Yet further some do not only put freewill where there is a state grace, but even there where is onelyonly the state of nature, and vnregeneration, and to this end they, peruert the place of Paul; To will is ready with mee; but there wantes power to effect it, by reason of the loade and chaynes of sinne which hinder the affecting. For here they say St. Paul spake of himselfe as hee was vnregenerate: though it cannot bee denyed but Saint Paul was regenerate when hee spake it, yea, hee sayes in the same place that hee serued with his mind the Law of God, which no vnregenerate man doth! Rom: 8. 7.
Now these places which shew the power and efficacy of Grace on the will, not leauing it in an aequilibriousnesse and indifferency to all wayes, but inclining it certainly and effectually one way, these I thinke are pertinent to disproue the supposed freedome of will, which rather moueth grace, then is moued by grace. They disproue the kingdome of the will ouer grace, and do proue the Kingdome of God in grace on the will.
Againe those places which shew the power, dominion, and tyranny of Lust and the Law of sinne on the will, they are also pertinent to disproue the same supposed freedome of will. For they shew the mighty and effectuall power of sinne on the wil, in the Captiuity of the will vnderunder the Law of sinne. For where there is a Captiuity, there cannot bee this imaginary Freedome, Againe this very Captiuity of the will vnderunder Concupiscence, necessarily inferreth, a subiection of the will in Regeneration vnderunder effectuall and raigning Grace, as profound Bradwarden excellently gathers in the place alledged vponupon this point of Freewill. For the strength of Concupiscence must be connterpoysed in the will at least by an aequall strength of grace: wherefore if Concupiscence hauehave so much power to incline the will from God to the Creature, surely Grace in the conuersion of a sinner must hauehave so much power as to incline the will to the Creator from the Creature.
If it bee sayd, That some of the Fathers, do speake somwhat more largely for freewill in other places, that moues mee litle. The one may bee the sayinges of preiudice, the other of Iudgment, the one may proceede from an opposition to the Manichees, the other from a single, and irrespectiue consideration. And it is acknowledged generally that before pelagins, there was an inconvenient largenesse in many speaches, concerning Freewill Sure I am that seemes most to come from the Spirit, that attribute (especially in first motions vntounto God) lest glory to man, and most to God▪ And the Dictates of the Spirit should onelyonly bee of Authority in points of Diuinity.
Lastly, for the point of Certainty of Saluation; I know there is a two fold Certainty. Thinges are certaine in themselues, or they are certaine to vsus; And places that affirme either of these concerning the Salvation of Saints, do also affirme a finall▪ Perseuerance of Saints. For if our saluation bee certaine in it selfe, our perseuerance without which there is no saluation, is also certaine. And if our saluation bee certaine to vsus, our perseuerance without which there can bee no saluation, is also certaine to vsus.
And howsoeuer some may perchance obiect other places of the Fathers▪ that from temporall desertions, great falls of the Saints, and finall Apostalyes of temporary beleeuers (Matt. 4. 16. 17.) do seeme to intimate a generall possibility of falling from grace, yet it is worthy to be noted, that among and amid these doubts which humane frailty suggesteth, the voice and testimony of the Spirit breatheth forth, that layes hold on heauen, as an vndoubted inheritance, inferring now in these Saints, as before in St. Paul, If sons, then heyres▪ and he y… …exed with Christ. And one tesstimony of this Spirit of Truth, is of more worth then all the doubts of humane frailty.
True it is and wee acknowledge it, that the best Saints are sometimes terrified with their owne great infirmityes, Gods temporall desertions, and the fearfull falls of others: And in these agonyes they say; Is Psal. 77. 8 &c.his mercy cleane gone for euer, doth his promise faile for euermore: But withall being receiued by the Spirit, they acknowledge, This is mine Infirmity: Gods way is (high & spirituall) in the sanctuary, & with his strength hee redeemeth his people. And euen this very terror of the Saints, from which some would make an obiection against Certainty of saluation, is an answere to another obiection made against the same Certainty. For these terrors serue for a remedy against that carnall security, which they doe vsually obiect against Spirituall Certaintie.
To summe vp all these Doctrines into a chaine and connexion of blessednesse: while God of his free mercy chuseth some to saluation, from others aequally wrapped in one masse of corruption; while by effectuall Grace hee rules in their hartes and wills, and lastly while hee dwelles & continues his kingdome in them by an immortall seed, keeping and leading them infallibly1. Pet. 1. …. Rom. 11. 36. Luk. 2. 13. to saluation: Man is safe being kept by the power of God vntounto saluation; and all the glory of Mans saluation is giuen to God. And then let all the world listen to the musicke of heauen resounding in this Doctrine: Glory be to God on high, and peace on earth▪ And let all the people say,
Amen▪
End of the text · Francis Rous, The Doctrine of King James (1626)