Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Section 21
SECT. XXI. Proſper's anſwers ad Object. Vincent.
662. I Will crave the Readers patience while I add the ſumm of hi… Anſwers alſo to ſome of the Objections of Vincentius.
Obj. 1. That Chriſt died not for all—
Reſp. His death is a remedy in it ſelf ſufficient to profit all; but if it be not taken it will not heal.
Obj. 2. That God would not have all ſaved, though they would.
Reſp. We muſt ſincerely believe and profeſs that God would have all ſaved:—That many periſh, is by the merit of them that periſh: That many are ſaved, is the gift of him that ſaved them. For that the guilty are damned is Gods inculpable juſtice; that the guilty are juſtified is Gods unſpeakable grace.
Obj. 3. That God made moſt of mankind that they might periſh for ever.
Reſp. God is the Creator of all men; but No man is made by him that he might periſh: For the cauſe of being born is one, and the cauſe of periſhing is another. That men are born is Gods gift; that they periſh, is the ſinners deſert: He maketh men, that they may be men—
Obj. 4. That the moſt of men are made of God, not to do Gods will, but the Devils.
Reſp. It is madneſs, and againſt reaſon to ſay that it is by Gods will that Gods will is not done: and that the damner of the Devil and his ſervants would have the Devil ſerved.—
Obj. 5. That God is the author of our ſin, in that he maketh mens wills evil, and maketh a ſubſtance which by natural motion cannot but ſin.
Reſp. This objection they make becauſe we hold original ſin and miſery—But we hold that whatever is of Nature is of God, and none of that which is contrary to Nature. But ſin is contrary to nature, from whence cometh death, and all that is of death:—God is the author of no mans ſin, but the Creator of his Nature, which voluntarily ſinned, when it had Power not to ſin; and by his own will man ſubjected himſelf to the deceiver. And it is not by Natural but by Captive Motion that he liveth in ſin, till he die to ſin, and live to God; which without grace he cannot do.
Obj. 6. That God maketh in men ſuch a will as is in Devils, that of its own motion can and will do nothing but evil.
Reſp. The whole world lyeth in wickedneſs—But even very bad men may be reconciled, and Devils cannot.—And God put not evil affections in men.
Obj. 7. That it is Gods will that a great part of Chriſtians neither will nor can be ſaved.
Reſp. If you ſpeak of them who forſaking the Godlineſs of a Chriſtian converſation and faith, do irrevocably paſs over into prophane errours and damnable manners, it's doubtleſs that having ſuch a will, they will not be ſaved; and as long as they will not be ſaved, they cannot be ſaved. But it is by no means to be believed that ſuch men fell into this deſperate caſe by the will of God, when rather God lifteth up all that fall—For no man is raiſed or eſtabliſhed but by his Grace. It is therefore Gods will that they continue in a good will; And he forſaketh no man before that man forſake him, and converteth many that do forſake him.
Obj. 8. That God will not have all Catholicks to perſevere in the Catholick faith, but will have a great part of them to apoſtatize from it.
Reſp. The ſame anſwer ſerveth to this blaſphemy as to the former.
Obj. 9. That God would have a great part of the Saints to fall from the purpoſe of holineſs.*The Reader muſt note that their common opinion then was that ſome true Saints do fall away▪ and periſh.
Reſp. This madneſs alſo needeth no other anſwer.
Obj. 10. That Adulteries and corrupting conſecrate Virgins do come to paſs becauſe God predeſtinated them to fall.
Reſp. It is a deteſtable and abominable opinion, which believeth God to be the author of any mans evil will or evil action: whoſe predeſtination (or decree) is never without Goodneſs and Juſtice †That is, [of nothing but good and juſt.]. For all the wayes of God are mercy and truth: Adulteries and Corruptions of Virgins God knoweth not how to inſtitute, but to damn; not to diſpoſe *That is, ut ſint▪, but to puniſh. Which evils when men commit, they ſerve their own luſts—Gods predeſtination neither exciteth, perſwadeth or impelleth the fall, malignity, or luſts of ſinners; but plainly predeſtinateth his own Judgement, by which he will reward every one according to what he hath done, whether good or evil: which Judgement would never be, if men ſinned by the will of God. But be it will: And every man whom the diſcerning of Gods knowledge ſhall ſet at his left hand, ſhall be damned, becauſe he executed not Gods will, but his own.
Obj. 11. When inceſt is committed between Fathers and their Daughters, Mothers and their Sons, it is therefore done, becauſe ſo God fore-decreed that it ſhould be done (or come to paſs.)
Reſp. †Let the Dominicans not… ▪ this.If it were objected to the Devil himſelf, that he is the author and incenter of ſuch villanies, I think that with ſome reaſon he might diſcharge himſelf of the envy, and overcome the committer of ſuch wickedneſs by his own willing of them. Becauſe though he be delighted with the madneſs of ſinners, he can yet prove that he forced them not to ſin. With what folly and madneſs then is that aſcribed to God, which may not be wholly aſcribed to the Devil, who is but the adjutor of the baits of ſin, and not the Cauſer (Generater) of the Will? God then fore-decreed not that any ſuch buſineſſes ſhould be done, nor prepared that ſoul to any ſuch end, who will live wickedly and filthily. But he was not ignorant that it would be ſuch, and he fore-knew that he would juſtly judge of ſuch. So that to his foredecree nothing elſe can be referred, but either 1. That which belongeth to the due retribution of Juſtice, 2. Or to the not due beſtowing of grace.
Obj. 12. That by Gods fore-decree men are made of Children of God to be Children of the Devil; and of Temples of the Holy Ghoſt, the Temples of Devils; and of members of Chriſt, members of a Harlot.
Reſp. Gods Predeſtination, though to us while we are in the perils of this life it be uncertain, with him is unchangeable—But thoſe of whom it is ſaid, They went out from us becauſe they were not of us—did willingly go out, and willingly fall away. And becauſe they were foreknown to be ſuch as would fall away, they were not predeſtinate. But they had been Predeſtinated, if they had been ſuch as would have returned, and remained in holineſs and truth, So that Gods fore-decree is to many a cauſe of ſtanding, and to none a cauſe of falling.
Obj. 13. That all thoſe faithful and Saints who are fore-decreed to eternal death, when they return to their vomit, ſeem indeed to do it by their own vice: but the cauſe of that vice is the fore-decree of God; which ſecretly withdraweth from them good wills.
Reſp.—Indeed to all that relapſe from faith to infidelity, from Holineſs to filthineſs, and are not purged by emendation before the end of their lives, nothing but eternal death is due: But it is wickedneſs to aſcribe the cauſe of ſuch ruines to God: who though he foreknow by his eternal knowledge, what reward he will give to every mans deſerts, yet this his Impoſſibility of being deceived, doth not bring into any man either a neceſſity or a will *Note this you that are for his firſt predetermining all forbidden Volitions and acts.of ſinning. If therefore any man fall from Godlineſs, he is carryed headlong by his own will; he is drawn by his own concupiſcence; he is deceived by his own perſwaſion. There the Father doth nothing; the Son doth nothing; the Holy Ghoſt doth nothing: nor doth any thing of the will of God intervene in ſuch a buſineſs; by whoſe help we know many are kept from falling, but none impelled to fall.
Obj. 14. That this great part of Chriſtian faithful Catholicks and Saints who are fore-decreed to ruine and perdition, if they beg of God perſeverance in Holineſs, ſhall not obtain it, Becauſe Gods decree cannot be changed, by which he fore-ordained, prepared and fitted them to fall away,
Reſp. To the breach of the Law, to the neglect of Religion, to the corrupting of diſcipline, to the forſaking of the faith, to the perpetrating of any ſin whatever, there is no predeſtination (or fore-decree) of God at all. Nor can it be that men ſhould fall into ſuch evils by him, by whom men riſe out of ſuch. If therefore men live in holineſs, if they profit in virtue, if they remain in good ſtudies, it is the manifeſt gift of God, without whom the fruit of no good work is acquired. But if men fall away from theſe, and paſs over to vice and ſin, God there ſendeth them no evil temptation, nor doth he forſake him that will fall away, before he be forſaken by him. And for the moſt part he keepeth men from forſaking him, or if they depart doth cauſe them to return. But why he upholdeth one and not another, it is neither poſſible to comprehend, †N. B.nor lawful to ſearch; ſeeing it may ſuffice to know, both that it is of him that men ſtand, and it is not of him that they fall away.
Obj. 15. That all the faithful and Saints who are predeſtinated to eternal death; when they fall are ſo diſpoſed of by God, that they neither can nor will be delivered by repentance.
Reſp. Falſly ſaid and fooliſhly: For they that fall away from faith and holineſs, as they fell by their Wills, ſo by their Wills they riſe not▪—But God taketh the way of amendment from none; not depriveth any of the poſſibility of good: For he that turneth himſelf from God, taketh from himſelf both the will and the power of good. It's no good conſequence, as the Objecters think, that God taketh away repentance from men, becauſe he giveth it them not; and that he caſteth down thoſe that he taketh not up. For it is one thing to act the innocent into a crime (which God cannot do;) and another not to pardon the Criminal, which is the deſert of ſin.
Obj. 16. That this great part of the faithful and holy, which is foredecreed to eternal death, when they pray to God in the Lords prayer, Let thy will be done, do only pray againſt themſelves, viz. that they may fall and be ruined; becauſe it is the will of God that they periſh by eternal death.
Reſp. The Truth ſaith not this, that it is the will of God that the faithful and Saints do fall from faith and innocency and periſh. But Truth ſaith, This is the will of the Father that ſent me, that of all that he hath given me I ſhould loſe none—But if by the generality of Vocation, and the abundance of Gods goodneſs, even thoſe that will not perſevere are mixt with the perſevering, when theſe fall away from Godlineſs, they fall not (or are not forſaken) of Gods help, but of their own wills: nor are impelled to fall, nor caſt off that they may forſake; but yet are fore-known to fall away by Him that cannot be deceived: And when they pray, Thy will be done, they pray not that they may fall—Which God will not do (or Cauſe) any way, by any means: For this by their own naughtineſs, their own liberty will do: But this they pray againſt themſelves, (which doubtleſs is Gods will) that when the Son of man ſhall come in his Majeſty, &c. they that will not do Gods will, and yet pray, Let thy will be done, are heard in that which is Gods will, that the imitaters of the Devil be judged with the Devil. For they that have deſpiſed Gods inviting will, ſhall feel his revenging will.