Animadversions on Doctor Heylins Quinquarticular History, Part 18 – Part 19
Dr. H Ibid.
A Doctrine so injurious to God, so destructive of Piety, of such reproach amongst the Papists, and so offensive to the Lutherans of what sort soever, that they profess a greater readiness to fall back to Popery, than to give way to this Predestinarian pestilence (by which name they call it) to come in amongst them▪
Answ. Whether the Doctrine of Reprobation or Rejection, as stated by Calvin and his Followers, be injurious to God and destructive to Piety, shall be tried in the examination of what the Doctor hath compiled out of God's love to mankind. Now, we shall be content to enquire, 1. Whether this Doctrine be of such reproach as is here intimated among Papists? 2. Whether it be so offensive to Lutherans?
1. If it be of reproach among the Papists, it is so without any cause: because, men of the highest esteem and renown amongst them say as much in this matter, as ever did Calvin or any of his Followers. This I would the rather prove, because it will wipe off the aspersion of singularity, which was in some former words most unjustly cast upon Calvin. Who are of greater esteem among the Papists than Lombard, Thomas Aquinas Bonaventure, Scotus?
1. Peter Lombard, the Father of School-men, named (as every Fresh-man knows) the Master of the Sentences, who lived about the year 1140, thus determines, Lib. 1. dis. 41. A. Cum gratiae, quae apponitur homini ad justificationem, nulia sint merita, multo minus & ipsius praedestinationis (qua ab aeterno Deus elegit quos voluit) aliqua possint existere merita, ita nec reprobationis, qua ab aeterno p…aese…vit quosdam futuros malos & damnandos: sicut elegit Jacob, & reprobavit Esau, quod non f…it pro meritis eorum quae tunc hab…bant, quoniam nec ipsi existebant; nec propter futura merita quae praevideret, vel illum …legit, vel illum reprobavit.
2. Thomas Aquinas ▪ the Angelical Doctor, Canonized by Pope Iohn XXII, said to have got his Knowledge more by Prayer than Labour and Industry, upon whose Scholastical Labours are publ…shed as many Commentaries as on the holy Scripture, is rather an Hypercalvinian than not a Calvinist in this matter of the absolute Decree. The Supralapsarian way is, by Arminius in his Conference with Iunius, imputed to him. Least Arminius should be thought so kind-hearted, as to grant more than was needful, let us hear Matthaeus Rispo…is: Divus Thomas, ubicunqu… de ea re loquitur, semper docet, nullam esse causam reprobationis; sed sicut praedestinatio, ita & reprobatio, voluntatem Dei ut causam habet. Quam opinionem sequuntur omnes Thomistae, & praecipue, &c. Lib. de Praefia▪ qu…st. conclu. 3. But, it may be, Reprobation is not the same thing with Thomas and Calvin. Let Aquinas speak for himself, part. 1. q. 23. art. 3. Reprobatio non nominat praescientiam tantum, sed aliquid addit secundum rationem, sicut & providentia: sicut enim praedestinatio includit voluntatem conferendi gratiam, ita reprobatio includit voluntatem permittendi aliquem cadere in culpam, & inferendi damnationis poenam propter culpam.
3. Bonaventure, Reader among Dr. Heylin's Franciscan Friers much about the same time that Aquinas was Reader among the Dominick-Friers, canonized by Pope Sixtus IV, called generally the Seraphical Doctor, of so much sanctity of life and integrity of manners and profound knowledge, that his Master, Alexander Ales, was wont to say, In hoc uno Adam non peccavit, thus declares himself, Lib. 1. disp. 40. q. 1. Simpliciter loquendo, quantum ad principale significatum, neutra (i. e. neque electio, neque reprobatio) cadit sub-merito; quantum autem ad connotatum, reprobatio cadit sub merito simpliciter, praedestina…io vero secundum quid. By the principale significatum, he means the Act or Decree of Reprobation; by the connotatum, he intendeth the effect of Reprobation, viz. Damnation.
4, Finally Iohannes Duns, a man of stupendious subtlety, called by the admirable Scaliger lima veritatis, is very express and punctual for absolute Election and Reprobation. Places twice ten might be produced, but it is needless to produce testimonies in a matter confessed by the Adversaries of the Absolute Decree. Let Micraelius speak, Heterodox. Cal. disp. 40. parag. 49. Scotus, alias Iohannes Duns, Doctor ille foreign, seculo 14, contra Thomam defendit illam rigidam sententiam, quod, Quicquid Deus operatur circa creaturas operetur beneplacito voluntatis suae, ut s…per hoc non sit ratio vel causa petenda (lib. 1. dist. 41.) quodqu…, Deus sola beneplaciti voluntate de tota massa perdita voluerit quosdam homines misericorditer liberare, quosdam non, ut bonitatem manif…staret, in electis quidem per misericordiam, in reprobis p… justitiam. Et cum alii Scholastici, ut Henricus, istam propositionem graviter arguerent, dicendo, 1. Defectum culp… non requiri per se ad manifestationem bonitatis. 2. Malitiam in mundo & miseriam non esse de perfectione universi, & propterea non placuisse Deo simpliciter ut aliqui in malitia & miseria permanerent. 3. Dei intentionem non fuisse dum peccata permittit, ut habeat quod puniat sed ut bonum inde eliciat. 4. Malitiam praevisam esse rationem motivam ob quam damnare reprobum Deus constituerit. Scotus hic sese opposuit, & defendit illam certam praevisionem futurorum contingentium esse ex determinatione voluntatis divinae; & si offerantur duo aequales in naturalibus, & ex iis unus praeordinetur ad gratiam & vitam aeternam, alter non, non esse aliam rationem assignandam nisi voluntatem divinam: quae quidem est ipsissima sententia Calviniana.
Is that a Doctrine of reproach among the Papists, that hath been defended by so many learned Doctors of the Papal Church? Perhaps though the Doctor will not account the Puritan Protestant, worthy the name of a Protestant, yet he thinks the Puritan Papist or Jesuit, the onelyonly Papist: If so, I cannot deny but that the Doctrine of absolute Reprobation is to them odious enough. Molina in his 23. Quest. Art. 4, 5, having granted, that his Schoolmen do commonly maintain absolute Reprobation, and not daring to deny but that Austin maintained it too, concludes that Its too hard and unworthy of the Divine goodness and clemency, more meet for a fierce and cruel than for a most clement Prince, the Author of all consolation, goodness, piety.
But yet I am sure Bellarmine and Benedictus Pererius were both Jesuits, and (if we may believe the judgement of learned men concerning them) as learned as any two that ever were of that Order; yet either I understand not their Latine (which is easie enough,) or they do not speak with reproach concerning the absolute Decree. Bellarm. de grat. & lib. arbit. lib. 2. cap. 16, Dicimus reprobationem duos actus comprehendere, alterum negativum, alterum positivum; siquidem reprobi opponuntur electis contradictorie, & contrarie. Primum enim non habet Deus voluntatem illos salvandi, deinde habet voluntatem eos damnandi: Quod attinet ad priorem actum, nulla datur ejus causa ex parte hominum, sicut neque praedestinationis. Benedictus Pererius, in his Comment. on the ninth to the Romans, roundly takes up Ambresius Catharinus, for reproaching the opinion of the absolute Decree with those ugly names of cruel, impious, desperate.
2. The Doctor tells us that this Calvinistical Doctrine is offensive to the Lutherans of what sort soever. Which whether he ever intended that we should believe, I know not; but I cannot in the least imagine that he himself believed it. For, pag. 34, he told us of some Rigid Lutherans, who having separated themselves from Melancthon and the rest of the Divines of Wittenberg, did gladly entertain those Doctrines, in which they were sure to find as good assistance as the Dominicans and their party could afford them. What Doctrines were these in which they might promise themselves as good assistance as the Dominicans and their party could afford them, unless the Doctrine about the absolute Decrees, and some other points annexed to them? Not many lines after, it is acknowledged, that The Calvinian Faction's (so the Doctor will miscal) Doctrines, though condemned by the Councel of Trent, yet found countenance, not only from the whole Sect of Dominicans but the Rigid Lutherans. What! are the Calvinian Tenents countenanced by a sort of Lutherans, and yet offensive to Lutherans of what sort soever? This I'le undertake to prove, that unless the present Lutherans will reject the Opinion of Luther, Brentius, Heshusius, men whom they pretend highly to reverence, the Calvinian opinion cannot be offensive to them. If therefore any of them have said or written, that they would sooner fall back to Popery, than give way to this Predestinarian Pestilence, they were sure in some high fit of passion; such as they are in when they speak of the Sacramentarian Pestilence, such as that Arminian was in who professed, he would sooner turn Atheist than Calvinist.
Dr. H. Pag. 36, 37.
Having so great a Founder as Calvin was, it came to be generally entertained in all Churches of his plat-form, strongly opposed by Sebastian Castalio in Geneva it self: but the poor man so despightfully handled both by him and Beza, that they never left pursuing him with complaints and clamors, till they had cast him out of the City, and at last brought him to his grave. The terror of which example, and the great name which Calvin had attained unto, as it confirmed his power at home, so did it make his Doctrines the more acceptable and esteemed abroad.
Ans. Was ever more dirt cast into the face of Calvin, Beza, Geneva and other Reformed Churches in so few lines? What! Were they, who had suffered so many things from the blood-thirsty Papists, so startled with Castali… 's banishment, as not to dare to enquire into an opinion before they embraced it? Had all the Reformed pinned their faith on the sleeve of one man, who never made any pretence or laid any claim to infallibility?
Be it so: that, of what account the Master of the Sentences was in the Church of Rome, the same had Calvin amongst the Preachers of the Reformed Churches purchased; yet we know that the Papists themselves have their Points, in which they say that Hic Magister non tenetur: so the Preachers of the Reformed Churches would undoubtedly have rejected Calvin in the Point of the absolute Decree, had they apprehended it to be either disconsonant to Scripture, or injurious to God, or destructive to the power of godliness.
I cannot also but take notice of another Calumny, viz. that the cause of the removal of Castalio, was his contradicting of Calvin and Beza in the Doctrine of God's Decrees: whereas upon examination it will be found, that he was commanded to depart Geneva for his notorious Calumnies against those that had deserved better of the Church than himself. Indeed the man was grown to that impiety, that he feared not to call the Divinely inspired Song of Solomon, an impure and obscene Ballad, and to rail and reproach all those, who would not consent to have it expunged the Canon. How great a Saint soever he may seem to some, the Histories of those times tell us, that he was perj…red.