Vindication of the Faithful Rebuke to a False Report, Letter 5
LETTER V. The most Horrible, and Uncharitable Censure, which the Defence passes upon the Distressed French Churches.
SIR, you will forbear to wonder that the Defence, p. 78. has past so severe a Censure upon the distressed, and almost extirpated Protestant Churches of France, when he has usurped upon God's Throne, and dared to give a Judgment upon God himself, and his Tremendous Providences: What the Psalmist complains of his Implacable Enemies, the same may our poor afflicted Brethren complain of theirs, Psal. 69. 26. They persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and talk to the Grief of those whom God has wounded. They that are at ease in Zion, are ready to insult over the Ruines of the desolated Temples, and triumph over the dead Bodies of the Saints that lie in the open Fields, and there are none to bury them: And as if this were a little matter in his Eyes, he pretends to have got the Key of the Divine Secrets, and to pry into the Awful Judgments of the Glorious and Holy Iehovah: And whereas we all see and bewail their calamitous Estate, he can assign the very sin, for which the Lord has thus severely tho Righteously dealt with them: so easie a step is it from the Seat of the Scornful, to the Iudgment-Seat of God.
But you shall hear him in his own Language. I cannot but reflect upon the Calamitous Condition into which our Brethren in France are fallen, since they omitted to Witness so fully as they should have done, against Amyraldian Encroachments made on the common Faith of Protestants; wherein you may observe some notable things.
1. He could not but reflect—No doubt of that, where the Feaver of Uncharitableness burns in the Heart, it will break out at the Lips; and commonly it leaves a Blister upon the Tongue. A Soul full of fermenting Passions, must have vent, or it will break: Thus when he was full of his own Self-Admirings, he could not forbear, but must be a Blab of his Tongue, and proclaim them to all the World, Preface, &c.
2. He will still call 'em Brethren, whence you may interpret his frequent Complement to his Rebuker, Brother, Brother, all along, and yet 'tis but the Prologue to the Tragedy, or the Prefatory Kiss to the Assassinating his good Name.
3. You may please to inquire at your leisure by what Warrant he dares to annex this particular Judgment to this particular Sin: It becomes all the Sons of Men to stand upon the Shoar of this Infinite Abyss, and adore his unsearchable Judgments; but we have got one that dares to leap into the Gulph with a strong Conceit: Si ego non capio te; tu capies me: The Psalmist would teach us all more becoming Modesty, Psal. 36. 6. He doth great things past finding out: His Ways are in the Sea, his Paths in the great Waters, and his Footsteps are not known: But as deep as God's Counsels are, we have a Gentleman, whose Line and Lead will fathom them.
4. 'Tis most certain, the Hand of God has been stretcht out against, and laid heavliy upon his precious Servants in that Kingdom; but so it has been in former Times, when in the Parisian Shambles thirty thousand were butchered in a few Days, and in the rest of France near a hundred thousand; and yet they then kept Religiously close to the Confession of their Faith; and God had secret Reasons why he permitted that Massacre, which he has not acquainted our Author with, notwithstanding his pretended great familiarity with his Creator.
5. Nor does it appear that the French Churches did now decline in their Zeal for their Professed Principles, but in every Synod avowed their firm Adherence to their Confession, and if I mistake not, solemnly ratified it with an Oath by all the Elders and Pastors.
6. And when Information was given in, that some of their Articles had been contravened by some Passages in Monsieur Amyrault, the Synod of Alanson charg'd him home with the Matters gathered out of his Writings, which he interpreted into a more Commodious Meaning; and yet the Synod severely decreed against his plausible Palliations, and gave him a strict Charge to forbear them, which he promis'd to do.
7. And yet this Amyraldus seems not so great a Heretick, that he and a few more should be able to draw down such dreadful Judgments upon the whole Protestant Churches there; for I perceive Dr. Owen lookt upon him as one holding the Foundation, upon which he and others had erected the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction: See his Epistle to the Reader to his Declaration of the Doctrine of the Trinity; upon the same Foundation does proceed, Paraeus, Piscator, Lubbertus, Lucius, Camero, Voetius, Amyraldus, Placeus, Rivetus, Walaeus, Thysius, Altingius, Maresius, Esenius, Arnoldus, Turretinus, and—Baxter, with many others. If this Amyraldus was such a desperate Heretick, that he could corrupt a whole Nation, Dr. Owen has placed him in very good Company.
8. And I pray what could the National Synod have done more to prevent the growth and spreading of his Error? And to render themselves clear in this matter, they censur'd him, brought him to Repentance, &c. and what more than this do the Protestant Principles allow of? Should they have deliver'd him up to the Secular Power; or erected a Holy House of Inquisition among the Reformed Churches?
9. Supposing they had been guilty of some Connivance, yet it's a presumption, none but such a High Flyer would be guilty of, to tack this Judgment to that sin, and be positive that it was inflicted on them for this sin of Omission: It becomes us all, who are so purblind, even in common Providences to Adore, and not to search into the Mysterious Labyrinths, of the Divine Dispensations, where we may sooner loose our selves, than find out God; and forfeit our Eyes by a curious prying into God's Ark, than to satisfie our own Curiosity by such inquisitiveness.
10. And why could not this Gentleman be as favourable to God, as he was to Mr. M. and Mr. C? Who when they declined Subscription to the first Paper, yet he brings 'em off cleaver with some reserved Reasons, not to us, but themselves best known; and might he not have been as tender of his Creator, and allowed him his Sovereign Reasons to justifie his own Acts? Seeing he does not always, nor is he bound to give an Account of any of his Matters, Job 33. 13. we acknowledge and bewail our Brethren had their Provocations, and we yet hope our Gracious God will, and do pray that he would at last look on their Distresses, and not leave them to be a Scorn to Fools. But to affirm that this Punishment was the Produce of that Sin, is more than he can prove, and therefore should have been more than he had asserted.
11. And surely we have reason to look at home, and advise whether we have not more scandalously omitted to bear our Testimony against Socinian, and Antinomian Heresies; when this censorious Person has publisht a System of the Gospel, which has neither Regeneration, Conversion, Iustifying Faith, Repentance, nor good Works in't: Now if their Sin of Omission brought destruction upon them, what must we expect for these Commissions? and if the green Tree was hewn down, and cast into the fire, what will become of the dry? and if they be punisht because they gave not so full a Testimony against Amyrault, what must become of them who have given so full a Testimony to Antinomianism?
But, Sir, you shall not rely on my word in this matter. I will give you a full and faithful Account as it stands on Record, from the National Synod of Alanson, Anno 1637. Synodic. in Gal…ia Peformata.
1. Monsieur Amyrault appear'd, and presented himself in the Synod, to give an Account of his Doctrine; offering to submit to its Iudgment, yet professing he was perswaded in his Conscience that he had neither taught by word or writing any Doctrine repugnant to the Word of God, or the Confession of Faith, Catechism, Liturgy, or Canons of the National Synods of Alez and Charenton, which had ratified those of Dort, and which he had Sign'd with his Hand, and was ready to Seal with his Hearts Blood.
2. The Sieur de la Place, (our Defender's Great Placaeus) gave an Account of the Reasons that induced him to approve and license the Writings of Amyrault; which he did according to the Priviledge granted by the Discipline of the University; where the said Amyrault, and de la Place, were Pastors and Professors: But hence it may be infer'd that this great Placaeus was of Amyrault's Judgment; for the University could not give him a Priviledge to License a Book against his Judgment and Conscience.
3. The Synod having read the Papers, and heard Amyrault divers times, and considering the difficulty of the Questions, did constitute a Committee of divers Learned Pastors and Professors, to digest Matters, and to reduce into order the Explications given by the said Amyrault of his Doctrines, and when finisht to make their Report to the Synod.
4. After the Committee had made their Report, Amyrault being call'd in, professeth with the deepest seriousness before God, that it was never in his Thoughts to Propound, or Teach any Doctrine, but what was agreeable to the known▪ and common Expositions of the Creed contained in the Confession of the Faith, and in the Decisions of the National Synod held at Charenton, 1623. all which he was ready to sign with his best Blood.
5. Hereupon he explains his Opinion ahout the Universality of Christ's Death, Conditional Decrees, and about distinct Decrees in the Counsel of God, &c. of all which Points he gave the most Plausible Interpretations he could.
6. The Synod not satisfied with those Interpretations of dangerous and dubious Expressions; enjoyn'd him and all others to refrain from those Terms of Conditional frustratory Decrees: and further enjoyns him not to use the Terms of Velleity, strong Affections and Desires which he ascribed to God, of those Things which he hath not, nor ever will effectuate, with that Sobriety and Prudence, that they might not give the least occasion of Offence to any Person, or cause them to conceive of God in a way unsuitable to his Nature: And the said Amyrault professed his Acquiescence in all as aforesaid; and having Sworn, and Subscribed it, they gave him the right Hand of Fellowship.
Upon the whole Matter, what justifiable Grounds our Author had to justifie his Censure and Sentence upon the French Churches, for their not bearing so full a Testimony against Amyraldus his Incroachments, I cannot discern; much less can I see upon what Reasons he could ascribe their Miseries to this Provocation. But nothing is more common with bold and rash Men, than to ingage God in their little Quarrels, and intitle God and his Gospel to their petty Notions; and could they but borrow the Thunderbolt for a Day, O how would they avenge themselves upon those saucy Wretches who have dared to controul them in their Pretensions: Thus have they carv'd out for God, a Remunerative and Vindicative Iustice; the former of which shall Reward them and all their Friends; the latter, Avenge them of all their Enemies.
But, Sir, I shall not need to desire you not to grieve those afflicted ones whom God has wounded; not to trample upon the dead Bodies of the Saints, whom the Antichristian Enemy has slain; nor to insult on the Ashes of their Habitations burnt, or the Ruines of their Temples demolished; nor joyn with the Bloody Papists in crying out, Aha! Thus would we have it! But of this matter, thus much.
I am Yours, &c.