Inquiry into the Nature of the Present Controversy About Justification Part 1, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
The Improvement to be made of former Diviſions. An Enquiry into the Preſent Controverſie, whether about the Subſtance of Truth, or the Manner only of Declaring it. That Great Diviſions have been among ſuch as have agreed in the ſame Principles. This the preſent Caſe among our Brethren Proved.
THE Excellency of Peace, the Miſchief of Diviſions, and what hindereth the one, and cheriſheth the other being well conſidered, we may ſee good Reaſon to Advance this Concluſion, viz. That a Temperate weighing the Points at this time Controverted, and the Manner of Handling them with an Impartial Enquiry after Truth, variouſly and in Different ways Delivered is abſolutely Neceſſary.
As 'tis our Advantage to come into the World in a time, wherein we have an Opportunity of Underſtanding How Diviſions have Ariſen, how Carried on, and Maintain'd, Age after Age; ſo it's our Duty and Intereſt to do our Part, that we ſplit not on the ſame Rocks our Fathers have done. Have too ſtrict Adherences to a Peculiar way of Delivering a Doctrine, Undue Suſpitions and Jealouſies, and Inordinate Paſſions, been a great Occaſion of the Riſe and Progreſs of Contentions heretofore? Let us then take heed we fall not into the like Evils now. Have many Orthodox Divines, and Chriſtians, ſuch as the Meletians, Audaeani, and the like; faln under the Unjuſt, as well as Raſh Cenſure of being Hereticks, merely through the Extravagant Heats of ſome Leading Men? Let us beware leſt it be ſo again.
The Preſent Controverſie being about the Great and Important Doctrines of the Goſpel, and managed as it hath been; Not only many Weak, but ſome Wiſe and Judicious Chriſtians have been tempted to think our Differences to be Fundamental; and, that it's not eaſie to arrive to a Certainty about the Truths moſt Neceſſary to Salvation. I will therefore lay by all Prejudices, and in my Search obſerve the Chriſtian Rules but now mentioned, if poſſible to Underſtand, whether the Differences be ſo Momentous as by ſome Apprehended? whether they be about the Subſtance of the Doctrines in Controverſie, or only about the Way and Manner of their Declaration?
It's very clear to me, as well as to Men of Great Learning and Judgment. That tho' it hath Pleaſed God very Plainly to Reveal unto us, thoſe Doctrines, that are neceſſary to Salvation; yet ſuch hath been the Induſtry, and Craft of the Tempter, and ſuch the Darkneſs and Infirmity of our Minds, that they who Conſent unto their Truth, have faln into Divers Miſtakes about the moſt Proper, and Exact way of Stating them. Thus it hath been amongſt Proteſtants, touching Juſtification it ſelf, who therefore have been Repreſented by Bellarmine out of Oſiander, to hold no leſs than Fourteen, or Twenty Diſtinct Opinions about it, as if the many Different ways of Declaring the ſame Doctrine had been as many Different Doctrines.Dr. O. Of Juſtiſ. p. 77, 78, 79. But it hath been ſome time ago obſerv'd by a late Reverend and Leading Divine, That as to the Way, and Manner of the Declaration of this Doctrine, [viz. Of Juſtification] among Proteſtants themſelves, there Ever was ſome Variety, and Difference in Expreſſions. Nor will it otherwiſe be, whilſt the Abilities and Capacities of Men, whether in the Conceiving of things of this Nature, or in the Expreſſion of their Conceptions, are ſo various, as they are And it is acknowledged, That theſe Differences of late have had as much Weight, laid upon them as the very Subſtance of the Doctrine generally agreed in hath had;P. 293, 294. ſuch is the humour of ſome. In another Page, the ſame Author very judiciouſly gives this Suffrage, That tho' Proteſtants have Differ'd in the Way, Manner, and Methods of the Declaration of this Doctrine, and too many Private Men were Addicted unto Definitions and Deſcriptions of their own, under Pretence of Logical Accuracy in Teaching, which gave an Appearance of ſome Contradiction among them, yet they generally agreed in the Subſtance of the Doctrine. So far this Good Dr. unto which I add, That there hath not been ſo much Variety among us in the Terms and Expreſſions uſed in the Stating our Doctrine, but there is much greater among the Papiſts themſelves about the ſame Points, and their Greateſt Doctors miſ-repreſented by one or another of themſelves.
Vaſquez is Poſitive that Merit in a ſtrict ſenſe is not, held by the moſt Learned of the Roman Church, but Arriaga, in Expreſs Oppoſition to him will have it,Arriag Diſp Th…ol. in 1. Tho. Tract. de Juſt. Diſp. 1, 31. Sect. 2, &c. that the moſt Learned of their Communion, are for the Meritoriouſneſs of Good Works by the Rules of Commutative Juſtice. Alfonſus à Caſtro, who calls the Doctrine of the Reformed about Juſtifying Faith, a Peſtiferous, and moſt Peſtilential Haereſie, affirms,A Caſt, adverſ. Haeriſ. lib. 7. Verb. Gratia. Haereſ. 3. & lib. 12. Verb. Preadeſtinatio. Haereſ. 2. Caſſand. Conſult. Artic. IV. that 'twas embraced only by Claudius Guilliandus, and One, or Two more in the Council of Trent: On the other hand George Caſſander Proves, that the ſame Notion Proteſtants have of Faith, was generally owned by Men of the Greateſt Learning in their Church. That 'twas approv'd of by a Provincial Council at Colon, as appears by their Publiſhing the Enchiridion of Christian Religion, in which this Doctrine is aſſerted, with the Decrees of that Council, and highly applauded by their moſt Learned Divines throughout Italy, and France.
Differences about Religious Matters have not been Confin'd to any one Party of Chriſtians, but have ſtretch'd themſelves to the utmoſt Bounds of Chriſtendom, ſo that no one Party can Upbraid the other with their Diviſions. We are ſo much in the Dark, that wherein we are Agreed de Re, we can't always Perceive it, ſo that many a time, when a Controverſie, only de nomine, ariſes, we Purſue it as vehemently as if it had been Real. Men of the ſame Particular Denomination, are ſo Unreaſonably ſuſpitious of one another, as to take it for granted, That every Obſcure or Unpleaſing Phraſe is Heterodox; whereas were we more Exact in our Diſquiſitions, more mindful of Humane Frailty, and more Compaſſionate and Charitable, we ſhould with Greater Temper, and more Juſtice Judge both of Perſons and Things, and find an Agreement much Greater than now we can Imagine it to be.
To come more cloſe to the Controverſie before us, I am very ſenſible, that our Contending Brethren, and ſome others, eſteem the Differences among us, being about the weightieſt Matters indeed of the Goſpel, to be ſuch that the Two Poles may as ſoon meet, as their Doctrines be found in Subſtance the ſame. The Noiſe, I confeſs, is, That the moſt Important Doctrines of the Chriſtian Faith, have receiv'd a Wound almoſt, if not altogether Incurable; But I muſt humbly crave leave to whiſper to the Reader, that I think otherwiſe, and do hold my ſelf in Charity oblig'd to believe they mean the ſame thing for the Subſtance of it. In my cloſeſt Converſes with each Brother, He who ſeems to be moſt for the Exaltation of Free Grace, abhors nothing more than to give the Leaſt Encouragement to an Elect Perſon's Living in Sin, or Expecting an Enjoyment of the Future Glory, tho' he die under the Reigning Power of his Luſts, Unregenerate and finally Impenitent: And the other Brother, who ſo much preſſes the Neceſſity of Faith, Repentance and a Holy Life, deteſts nothing ſo much as in any one Inſtance to Diminiſh the Glory of Free Grace, or to add any thing of our own to Chriſt's Righteouſneſs in our Juſtification.
Beſides, They have both Subſcrib'd the ſame Propoſitions, which do not only contain in them the Truths, about which the Conteſt hath been, but are ſo framed, as to Provide fully againſt the Errors, they have been ſuppoſed to Embrace. The Errors about which many have been Apprehenſive are the Antinomian, Arminian, Popiſh, and Socinian Errors; all which, with the greateſt Caution Imaginable, are Really Renounced by the Subſcribers. Their Renunciation is ſo full, that there is no Room left them for coming off with that Diſtinction of Subſcribing them as Articles of Peace, and not of Faith.
The words of the Agreement are theſe, namely,P. 2, 3. That in order to the more effectual Compoſing of Matters in Controverſie, we all of us, having Referr'd our ſelves to the Holy Scriptures, and the Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England, the Weſtminſter, and Savoy Confeſſions, the Larger, and Shorter Catechiſms, do Subſcribe Theſe following Propoſitions, as what do moſt fully Provide againſt the Arminian, Antinomian, Socinian and Popiſh Errors; and ſhall always be Content, that any Sermons, or Books of ours be Interpreted by the ſaid Articles and Confeſſions; Deſiring all others, if they meet with any Expreſſions that are to them of Doubtful Signification, they would Iudge of them, and Interpret them by the Holy Scriptures, the ſaid Articles, and Confeſſions. It is further Declared, That they Subſcribe to all the main Parts of Doctrine contain'd in the fore-mention'd Articles, Confeſſions and Catechiſms, as Iudging them Agreeable to the Word of God.
The Import therefore of the Subſcription to this Agreement can't be leſs than to the Doctrines contained in theſe Propoſitions as exactly true, according to the Word of God; and ſo Providing moſt fully againſt Antinomian, Arminian, Socinian and Popiſh Errors; and that even as a Rule, by which Our Sermons and Books are to be Iudged, and Interpreted, which is enough to Evince, that whatever Doctrines may be found in any of our Writings or Sermons Contrary unto, or Diſſonant from the main Doctrines contain'd in theſe Propoſitions, are really Diſown'd, Renounc'd and Exploded.
For this Reaſon, altho' it cannot be Denied but that many in their Oppoſition to Antinomianiſm, have faln in with the Arminian, &c. and that Divers in running from Arminianiſm, &c. have plung'd themſelves into the Antinomian Gulph, and that they who bend their Strength againſt the one Error, are in danger of being accuſed for Inclining too much towards the other; yet in the Caſe before us, we are bound in Juſtice, according to the Deſire of our Brethren, to Judge and Interpret their Writings by the Subſcribed Propoſitions. Tho' it may be Difficult to Conciliat ſome Expreſſions with theſe Articles, yet we muſt not charge them for holding Doctrines Contradictory unto them. The Allowance, that is to be made for the Different Abilities, Educations, and Peculiar ways of Expreſſion, which ſome Men Uſe, will ſufficiently Vindicate our Charity from being too Extenſive in this Matter.
It is undoubtedly our Duty to forbear ſevere Reflections, and hard Charges; to Lament our many weakneſſes, which make it very near an Impoſſibility for us to underſtand one another, and at the ſame time Adore the Wiſdom and Grace of God, that our Worthy Brethren, who have not been able to Agree, about the ſenſe of one anothers Writings, can Joyn in Subſcribing the ſame Doctrines, as Deliver'd by others.