Animadversions on Doctor Heylins Quinquarticular History, Part 31
Dr. H. Pag. 49, 50.
The Remonstrants gained exceedingly upon their Adversaries: for the whole Controversie being reduced to these five Points; the Method and Order of Predestination; the Efficacy of Christ's Death; the Operations of Grace, both before and after Conversion; and Perseverance in the same; the Parties were admitted to a publick Conference at the Hague, Anno 1611, in which the Remonstrants were conceived to have much the better of the day.
Answ. But if a man may be so bold, Who were they that conceived the Remonstrants had much the better of the day? The Remonstrants themselves? Proprio laus sordet in ore. The Contra-remonstrants? They never so conceived, but rather reported themselves Victors. When were the Differences reduced to five Heads? Not before the Hague Conference, I am sure; for the Deputies of the Churches charged the Followers of Arminius with Heterodoxies, in more Points than the five now mentioned, as appears by all the complaints exhibited against them. And there fell out something, which might justly give the World occasion to think, that the Remonstrants were leavened with Socinianism, as well as with Pelagianism. For care being taken to chose one who might succeed Arminius in his Professors place, the Remonstrants thought none so meet as Vorstius; a man strongly suspected to be a great favourer of Socinus, and who had then newly Printed a Book, in the which he ascribed unto God, Quantity, Composition, Mutability, Passive Power, and such other imperfections, as are altogether repugnant to his perfect Essence: yet at the Conference, the Remonstrants professed unanimously, that they had found nothing in the Writings of Vorstius, contrary either to Truth or Piety. At the Conference also the Contra-remonstrants urged, that there were more things controverted betwixt them and the Remonstrants, than were contained in the five Articles.
I shall make a few Annotations on the five Articles of the Remonstrants,
1. That Almighty God ordained to save all those, in Christ, for Christ, through Christ, who being faln, and under the command of sin, by the assistance of the Holy Ghost, do pers…vere in Faith and Obedience to the very end.
This Article is such, as no Christian would deny; yet the Remonstrants do lay down such Assertions, as do by most necessary consequence quite overthrow this Decree. For Poppius, a man of note and renown among them, seems much to doubt, Whether a late, though never so serious Repentance, do avail a man to Salvation? Nay, he expresly affirms, (in praxi Consolationis aegrotantium.) that he is destitute of any Promise so universal, as that by it any one who dies with but a death-bed serious Repentance, can be assured that he shall go to Heaven; and that it is uncertain whether such late serious Penitents, go with the Thief into Paradise, or with those that die in their Sins to Hell. Nor is this the singular opinion of Poppius, I can shew the same in Episcopius; not to mention some of our own here in England. The Sublapsarians make the object of Reprobation, man fallen into Sin; the Remonstrants say, that man recovered out of Sin by true Repentance, may be the object of Reprobation and Damnation. How easily might I, if I took pleasure in recriminations, tell them of ascribing Tyranny, Hypocrisie, Respect of Persons unto God? But I only desire my Reader to consider, whether the Remonstrant do not Preach another Gospel, than what hath been hitherto taught in the Churches of Christ? Nothing was thought more undoubted, than that he who believes shall be saved: The Remonstrant saith, this is not necessarily true; and that thousands and millions of true Believers may go to Hell. How will such as these deal with an Unbeliever that is but twenty years old? Will they perswade him to believe in Christ? He will ask them, what encouragement they can give him to believe? Will they reply, Salvation is promised to Believers in Christ? He will rejoyn; Can you give me any Promise, that I shall live long enough to shew sorth my Faith by my Works? If you cannot, there's but small encouragement to believe; for, to a late, though serious Believer, you say, there is no certain promise of Salvation. But let us leave the Remonstrants to reconcile themselves to their own Decree, and take notice, that at the Conference the Remonstrants were further asked, 1. Whether they made this Article to contain the whole and entire Decree of Predestination? 2. Whether they made Faith and Perseverance in Faith, causes or conditions which did antecede Election unto Salvation, or fruits which grow out of Election and so follow it? After some tergiversation, they said, 1. That they acknowledged no other Predestination, than that which they had in their first Article expressed. 2. That Faith did, in the consideration of God▪ precede Election to Salvation, and was not a fruit of it. This is their opinion about the Decree, which, now that it is opened, appears to be as repugnant to Scripture, as before, when it was wrapped up, it seemed agreeable. Were this Opinion true, it should not be said, that we are elected that we may be holy, but because we were holy: nor would the Holy Ghost have said, as many as were ordained to eternal life believed; but, as many as believed were ordained to eternal life.
The second Article, as translated by the Doctor, pag. 50 is, That Iesus Christ suffered death for all men, and in every man; that by his death upon the Cross… he might obtain for all mankind forgiveness of sins, &c. with this condition notwithstanding, that none but true Believers should enjoy the benefit of the reconciliation, and forgiveness of sins.
I have, if I forget not, in the Pamphlets of some Quakers, read this phrase of Christ's suffering death in every man, and looked upon it as non-sense; so I do still, and therefore will hope it never dropped from the Doctor's Pen, but is to be put among the Errata's of the Printer. As to the Article it self, I can easily grant it to be a truth, (though all Contra-remonstrants do not); but it is not all the truth. Christ died not with an intent onelyonly to make man reconcileable and salvable, but also to purchase for some, whom the Scriptures call Elect, the very graces of Faith and Repentance. Here therefore is the Question betwixt us, Whether Christ died with the same intention for all? Remonstrants affirm, Contra-remonstrants deny. Christ hath procured, that whoever comes to the Father through him, shall be saved; but there are also some, for whom he hath procured that they shall come to the Father.
The third and fourth Articles are so worded, as to contain nothing but the truth, though not all the truth; save that in the end of the fourth it is said, that
As for the manner of the co-operation of Grace, it is not to be thought irresistible, in regard that it is said of many in the holy Scriptures, that they did resist the Holy Ghost, Act. 7, and in other places.
Which is a very rude Assertion, either impertinent or false. If the meaning be, that some operations of the Holy Spirit are resisted, some of his motions quenched, who ever denied this? If the meaning be, that the converting work of the Spirit may be resisted in some degree and measure, that will not be gainsaid neither: But this we say, that converting Grace doth determine the Will: that Grace effectual, doth not leave the Will at liberty utterly to resist it, or not; but taketh away that which would resist or make head against the Spirit.
As for the fifth Article, it seems they did not know their own minds: They profess that such as are ingrafted into Christ by a lively Faith, may be Conquerours; Christ is ready to assist them, if for the… parts they prepare themselves to the encounter, and beseech his help, and are not wanting to themselves in performing duties: But they say, it is first to be well weighed and proved by the holy Scripture, Whether they may not by their own negligence, forsake those Principles of saving Grace, by which they are sustained in Christ? before they can publickly teach these Doctrines with any sufficient tranquility or assurance of mind.
All which is no more than may be said of that fundamental Doctrine concerning the Trinity: for it must first be well weighed, Whether the Scriptures do hold forth a Trinity of Persons? before a man ventures publickly to Preach that Mystery. I think that if we search the Scriptures, it will soon be found, that though the Regenerate may lose the Spirit of God, and would soon lose him if they were left to themselves; yet there is a promise by which God hath engaged himself, not to let sin so far prevail in them as quite to extinguish the Spirit, totally to destroy the new Creature and workmanship of God.
One would think that the Remonstrants, who thus poorly sought to hide their Opinions, should not have much reason to brag of the success of the Conference; yet Dr. Heylin is resolved to tell us, that