Animadversions on Doctor Heylins Quinquarticular History, Part 27
Dr. H. pag. 44.
All God's passionate wishes, all his terrible threatnings, the whole course of the Ministry, are by this Doctrine made to be but so many acts of deep hypocrisie in Almighty God: though none of the maintainers of it have the ingenuity to confess the same, but Piscator only, in his Necesse est ut sanctam aliquam si mutationem (lege simulationem) in Deo statuamus; which is plain and home.
Ans. Some maintainers of absolute Reprobation do not deny this, but ascribe unto God Sanctam simulationem, duplicem personam, duplicem voluntatem, saith Mr. Hoard. But Dr. Heylin, taking this to be a piece of commendable ingenuity, will not allow any but Piscator alone to have any portion of it: all others are disingenuous, and do indeed make God a dissembler, but will not say so much. Surely did the Sublapsarians conceive that so …orrid a consequence did follow upon absolute Reprobation, they would acknowledge it, and withal renounce and disclaim their opinion. Till they be thus convinced, it is no great charity to fasten disingenuity upon men so renowned for Learning and Piety, as are the Sublapsarians. But let us look once more on this scoffing passage; All God's wishes, &c. must be but so many acts of deep hypocrisie; though none of the maintainers of this Opinion be so ingenuous as to confess the same but Piscator. The Opinion he is speaking of, is the Sublapsarian Opinion; and so the sense is, None of the Sublapsarian Opinion, save only Piscator who was no Sublapsarian, but a Supralapsarian: Is not this fine sense? Besides, sanctam quandam simulationem, cannot well be rendred by deep hypocrisie. Lastly, how shall I be assured that any such words as these here quoted, are to be found in Piscator? Neither Page nor Book is quoted, yet I have met with the place; and by reading it can easily gather, that Dr. Heylin either never read it, or had not ingenuity enough to quote it aright: For whereas Vorstius had objected to Piscator, that he fastned simulation on God in the case of the Ninevites, and the message sent to Hezekiah ▪ he replieth, Tu hic pugnas sine adversario; nam neque ego affirmavi facile aliquam simulationis speciem Deo tribuendam esse, neque exempla illa Ezekiae & Ninivitarum huc retuli: interim non puto ab illis exemplis alienum esse, ut sancta Dei simulatio in illis statuatur. Here is no necesse est; nothing like an affirmation, that the maintainers of absolute Reprobation must necessarily ascribe a simulation unto God. Honest Piscator never dreamed that the message sent to Hezekiah by Isaiah, or to the Ninevites by Ionah, was the Decree of Reprobation: All he seems to intend, is but this, that God seemed in those messages to be peremptorily resolved of that, which he never resolved should come to pass: And if his expression were not so accurate, Dr. Heylin, who almost in every period lieth at the Readers mercy, should not have cavilled at it.
By the way let it be noted, that how slightly soever our present Arminians do think or speak of Piscator, yet Arminius himself either had honourable thoughts of him, or else was a most notorious dissembler: For writing to Utengobard concerning one to succeed Iunius, then la…ely dead; after mention of some other, he saith, Si Piscatoris aetas non obstet, illum unum omnium commodissimum existimo, quem etiam fors non admodum erit difficile a Comite Nassovio impetrare, si Comes Mauritius & D. Ordines intercedere non dedignabuntur. Doctus est, diligens est, facilis, planus, & perspicuus. Nominis celebritatem sibi editis scriptis comparavit apud multos. Hoc potissimum videtur hoc Academiae statu requiri, ut succedat qui possit locum pro dignitate tueri, unde tantus vir excessit; & quem posse, publice innotuit. The Letter beareth date 3. Cal. Nov. 1602, and is recorded Epistol. Eccles. pag. 134.
One Arrow more the Doctor hath to shoot at the absolute Decree, and then his Quiver is quite emptied.