Animadversions on Doctor Heylins Quinquarticular History, Part 22
Dr. H. pag. 42.
1. Repugnant to plain Texts of Scripture, Ezekiel 33.11. Rom. 11.32. 2 Joh. 3.16. 2 Tim. 2.4. 2 Pet. 3.9. Gen. 4.7. 1 Chron. 28.9. 2 Chron. 15.2.
Ans. Now if it should prove contrary to any one of these Scriptures, it were meet to be abandoned by all good Christians: But many Opinions are confidently affirmed to be contrary to Scripture, which are not; Such perhaps is this. I needed not to have said perhaps; for let it be remembred, that the Opinion of the Sublapsarians is but this, That God hath decreed the infallible Conversion and Salvation of certain singular Persons, and also the permission of some mens Impenitence and Perdition, and it will soon be seen, that the Scriptures produced, have not so much as as a seeming contrariety to it.
1. Ezek. 33.11, God saith, yea sweareth, that He hath no pleasure in the death of a Sinner; Therefore God never decreed to let sinful Creatures finally run on in their wicked wayes.
What a wild conclusion is this? Hence indeed it might be inferred, that neither spiritual nor Eternal Death do fall under that Will of God which is called his Voluntas simplicis complacentiae: But Sublapsarians do not say, that they do fall under that Will. If they did, they must also necessarily maintain, that they be things in themselves good and lovely; which none of them (that I ever met with) do.
2. It is said, Rom. 11.32, God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. What can hence be collected? Why, The two Alls are of equal extent; How many Unbelievers there be, on so many God hath a Will of shewing Mercy; and if every Man be under Mercy, then there is no precise Will of shutting out any from possibility of Mercy.
Well, 1. Let it be remembred, that here it is granted, that God hath shut up all under unbelief: Which is as high an expression concerning God's providence about, and concurrence unto evil, as any used by Mr. Calvin.
2. When it is said, that God hath a Will of shewing Mercy on all Unbelievers: If by Mercy be understood a general Mercy, we can grant it; All Men are not only under a possibility of this Mercy, but also have some actual participations of it.
But 3. It is plain, that the Mercy intended in the Text is not a general Mercy common to all Mankind, but such a Mercy as was never vouchsafed to some whole Nations, much less to every individual Member of those Nations; V. 30, For as ye (i. e. the Gentiles) in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. Doubtless the mercy that the Gentiles obtained by the unbelief and hardness of the Jews, was the hearing of the word, and that which comes by hearing, even Faith: The mercy also that the Jews obtained through the mercy of the Gentiles, was the being provoked to jealousie; the seeing of him whom they had crucified, and being in bitterness; the turning of them away from iniquity, and the turning of iniquity from them. Now, doth Dr. Heylin indeed think, that God did shut up every Jew and Gentile in unbelief with a design and purpose to have the Gospel preached to the singula generum? If so, he must unavoidably grant, that the Almighty is marvelously frustrated in his design and purpose; for he is too good a Geographer and Historian to think, that the Gospel was ever preached, or entertained by all men that have lived, or do now live in the World.
3. Iohn 3.16, God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
From hence it undeniably follows, that God will not damn any man meerly for not coming up to the terms of the old Covenant of Works; and that none shall perish, whose heart is brought to believe in Christ. Nor have the Contra-remonstrants denied this; and more than this cannot hence be inferred: For whereas Mr. Hoard argueth, God loveth the whole lump of mankind, and loved it fallen into a gulf of sin and misery: He did not therefore hate the most of them lying in the fall; for love and hatred are contrary acts in God, and cannot be exercised about the same objects. He sure could not but think, that we would reply, that God doth not love the whole lump of mankind with the same degree, measure, and kind of love; and that a less degree of love is sometimes in Scriptures called by the name of hatred. God had not such a love for the whole lump of mankind, as to decree to bestow upon every particular person that special grace which shall infallibly bring him to eternal life and glory. Any love less than this, many consist with absolute eternal Non-election or Preterition. Nay, God did never so love the World, as to purpose to bestow on all the parts of it the very means of knowledge: How many, notwithstanding the love this Text speaks of, are everlastingly punished, who never heard of the way to Salvation!
4. 1 Tim. 2.4, Who would have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. In these words the Apostle delivers two things: 1. That it is God's will that all men should obtain an happy end. 2. That it is his will also that they should use and enjoy the means, which is the knowledge of his truth, that they might attain the end: There is no let in God, but that all men may believe and be saved; and therefore there is no absolute will, that many thousands of men shall never believe nor be saved.
The thing that should be proved, is, That there is a will in God to save all men and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth; and we have here a Scripture brought to prove, that God would have all men to be saved, as if there were no difference betwixt these two Propositions, Deus vult omnes salvos fieri; Deus vult omnes salvos facere. If a man should lay down this assertion, that Dr. Heylin hath a mind or purpose to bestow an hundred pounds per annum on Abingdon, and when he is called to make good that assertion, should only prove, that Dr. Heylin could be well pleased that an 100 per annum were given to the Town, and that there is no let in him why it hath not been given, would he not become ridiculous? Never did sober Sublapsarian say, that there is any let in God, but that all men may believe and be saved; but they do not think, that a man must presently believe and be saved, if God do not hinder his faith and salvation. 'Tis required that God should remove all the le…s and hindrances of faith, cure us of our unbelief, and put his fear into our inward parts, else we shall never believe, or be saved. Let any Arminian prove, that God hath willed and purposed to do all this for every one.
5. 2 Pet. 3.9, Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This is a negative Proposition, and must be taken distributively; and therefore it flatly contradicteth absolute Reprobation.
Here is Logick that may well make younger men than Dr. Heylin and I to smile. 1. The Scripture produced is not one Proposition, but two; and if the first be negative, the second is affirmative.
2. What if it be taken distributively? Is there no distribution, but only into the singula generum? I thought that there might be a distribution into genera singulorum.
3. I could (notwithstanding any thing brought by Mr. Hoard to the contrary) hold, that the words are to be restrained to the Elect.
4. But because I can be not only honest but also liberal, I will grant, that God is not willing that any one should perish, that he is willing that every one should repent: But then I deny, that either of these two Propositions do contradict Gods decree of Reprobation; which, as hath been often said, is his decree to permit, that many shall perish in their impenitence. Mens being under this decree doth not hinder, but that God may, voluntate complacentiae, will their conversion, and patiently expect it, and afford them such means as will leave them without excuse, though such as he foreknew they would frustrate and receive in vain.
The conditional Texts of Scripture that follow, are so apparently impertinent, that I will trust any Reader with them.