Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 2 · Section 33
33. Clauſes deleted and altered againſt Ʋniverſall grace, Ʋniverſall Redemption and Election, and reſisting Grace.
IN Doctor Clarks ſecond Sermon of the Nativity, page 6. after halfe of one world, inſtead of this parentheſis (for the Elect are few compared with the Reprobate) the Licenſer hath put in the parentheſis (nay not halfe, for how ſmall an handfull is man compared with other creatures?) &c.
Ibidem page 17. after to men onelyonly, inſtead of theſe words, but not all, the Licenſer hath altered the Authors mind, and made him to ſay, to men onelyonly, and to all; then ſhould follow this excellent paſſage which the Licenſer hath expunged: Pelagius the old Heretick, and all that are Minions to Pelagius, hold Chriſt was both natus & datus both borne, ſlame and ſuffered for all men, even for the reprobate, a reprobate, hereſie; Paul's place ſeems pat for them, 1 Tim. 4. 10. God's ſaid to be the Saviour of all men, not of beleevers onelyonly: but all orthodox expoſitors conſter a Saviour there, to meane but a preſerver: No it is Chriſt there that is called ſo, but Gods preſerving providence looks indifferently … all: And Saint Ambroſe expounds it of Gods gracious goodneſſe not of his ſaving health,: God is good to all his creatures: will Grand a petty Papist he ſo ſenſeleſſe as to ſay, Chriſt is the Saviour of the bruit creatures? yet David ſaith in the Pſalmes, that the Lord ſaveth both man and beaſt; firſt, preſerveth them; but the main pillar of this Papiſt paradox is another place of Pauls, who wil have Pantas Authopus All men to be ſaved, 1 Tim. 2. That's their Acchibilleom, they ſayunan ſwerable; but theres no poynt of popery more curiouſly and ſoundly anſwered then that; yet to mans comfort, and Gods glory: we ſay too in ſome ſenſe, that the Nobis here meanes emnibus, the child was borne for all men: but then we meane all men, as the ſchoole it ſelfe diſtinguiſheth, not fingulos genetum, but genera ſingulorum, not every ſeverall man, but ſome of every ſort, &c.
Ibidem page 17. in ſtead of, to ſome of all Nations, the Licenſer ſayes, admini…um to men of all Nations, &c.
Ibidem page 69. l. 1. after theſe words, but to men of grace, the Licenſer hath blotted out as followeth: Nor let the Lutheran hold univerſall grace, this phraſe confounds him too: As fides is not omnium, all men have not faith, ſo all men have not peace, God ſendeth it onelyonly unto men, benae voluncotis, ſuch as he ſpecially hath called out in Chriſt; peace is confirmed to faith; many other graces are conferred on all promiſcuouſly, but peace, Gods pardon is but ſent to ſome; they are beleevers: Gods reconciliation is their appropriation, whom God hath vouchſafe to be men of his good will. This ſubject I have handled ſometime heretofore; to conclude it and my Text. God doth not prostitute his peace to all, as the Harlot doth her body, who (as the Prophet ſpeaks) openeth her feet to every ſtranger: Peace it a ſaving grace, and therefore ſent onelyonly to them that ſhall be ſaved; ſalvation is proper to the elect alone, and God elected none but whom he loved; Gods love and his good will I cannot ſever them, for himſelfe couples them, Matth. 3. This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleaſed, &c.
Ibid. page 91. l. 6. after theſe words, no man damned, the Licenſer hath expunged theſe following words: Not all, that is, every; it is not ſingulis, but omnibus not every ſeverall perſon, but all ſorts of men, the terme ſo taken in many other Texts; too tedious to cite: grace hath decreed ſalvation to all men, that is, as Divines doe commonly diſtinguiſh, not ſingulis generum, but generibus ſingulorum, not to all perſons, but to all kinds; the terme is to be taken, not individuatly, but generally; theſe words, but to all men, the Licenſer added, &c.
In Maſter Wards Comentary on Matthew, chap. 20. v. 11. They murmured againſt the good man of the houſe: this ſentence is expunged.
Queſt. To whom may theſe words be fitly applied, or who are like to theſe murmurers?
Anſw. It may aptly be applyed to thoſe who accuſe the election and reprobation of God, of injuſtice, becauſe he gives unequall rewards to equall deſervers: they argue thus; he who gives aqual…bus inaqualia, unequall rewards to equall deſervers, is unjuſt; but if all men be equall and alike in Adam, and yet of them God chooſeth ſome, and refuſeth others, he thereby giveth unequall rewards to equall deſervers; and therefore in ſo doing is unjuſt: But the Major propoſition here is true onelyonly of him who gives unequall rewards to equall deſervers of debt, or contrary to his bargaine; and therefore it is moſt falſe of God, who gives nothing either of debtor againſt his covenant; we muſt not ſay that God is unjuſt; becauſe he gives freely unto ſome, riches, honour, power, health, learning, wiſdome, and the like, and not unto others, or becauſe he pittieth ſome and paſſeth by others, ſeeing that he is debter to none: ye… from this Parable it may evidently be proved, that although the Lordelect ſome unto life, and not others; yet he is injurious unto none: for firſt, he is not bound to elect any, and ſecondly, unto thoſe whom he doth elect, he doth more then he needeth, or, is bound to doe; and thirdly, becauſe he gives election and life eternall to whom he will; and fourthly, becauſe he is the abſolute Lord over all creatures, and therefore he may diſpoſe of men as he pleaſeth; and fifthly, becauſe thoſe who jarre at the Lords bounty and mercy, ſhew themſelves to be envious, and are indeed injurious both againſt God and their neighbours, Parens ſ. fol. 797. a. &c.
Ibidem on Matth. 25. 24. page 331. To him that hath ſhall be given: this clauſe is purged out; Some object theſe words to prove, that God will give greater grace unto him, or beſtow greater upon him who hath well uſed the light of nature. Anſw. By theſe Talents, are here underſtood the gifts of God, and eſpecially the knowledge of God by the Goſpell; which knowledge he is ſaid to hide, who doth detaine the truth in unrighteouſneſſe, and doth keep in the knowne truth: that Talent therefore cannot be that ſufficient grace which they ſay doth happen to Inſidels and unregenerate perſons, but that grace which God doth beſtow upon his domeſticall ſervants: neither by him that hath, is underſtood a man in his meere naturals, or ſome heathen man furniſhed with ſufficient grace, but a man furniſhed with the knowledge of the Goſpell, which is given to one for that end that by edifying his Neighbour he might ſpread that knowledge ſo farre abroad, and like mony put out to uſe, it might be encreaſed with many additions.
And Ibidem on Matth. 23. 37. O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, how gladly would I! &c. Bellarmine obiects this place to prove, that God gives to every man ſufficient grace to be ſaved if he will; arguing thus; how often (ſaith our Savoiur) would I have gathered thy children together, but ye would not? how would God gather the children of Jeruſalem? yea ſo would doe it, that he complaines of them who would not, if thoſe whom he knew could not will it, he did not ſo help that they could will it, and therefore they wanted not ſufficient grace: A. Our Saviour in this place ſpeaks of all the Jews who oppoſe themſelves againſt him and his Prophets, and there were ſome amongſt them who were not free from blaſphemy againſt the holy Ghoſt, as Chriſt himſelfe witneſſeth, Matth. 12. 31. which ſhall never be forgotton: Now none will ſay that ſuch ſinners as thoſe were endued with ſufficient grace, except thoſe onelyonly who with Pelagius call grace nature: and I will not charge Bellarmine with this, becauſe (Bel… de Grat. primi hom. cap. 6.) diſtinguiſhes thus between grace and nature, Peccatis graviſſimis amittitur donum gratiae ſupernaturalis; ſed non corrumpitur donum aliquod naturale: i. e. By hainous offences and crimes, a man may loſe the gift of ſupernaturall grace, but not any naturall endowment or gift; now if there be any ſinne or ſtate of ſinne which doth exclude grace, then there were many in Ieruſalem who had not ſufficient grace: But concerning the true meaning of this verſe, I ſhall ſpeak more by and by.
Obj. 2. This place is further objected to prove, that a man may reſiſt his effectuall calling if he will; Hemingius (de Grat. univerſali page 117.) argues to this end thus; Our Saviour faith, O Ieruſalem, how often would I have gathered thy children, &c. and thou wouldſt not? wherefore if they would, they might have been ſaved; it is therefore in mans power to reſiſt his vocation.
Anſw. Firſt, if men might enjoy Heaven if they would, and wittingly and willingly runne unto Hell, they are neither worthy of mercy from God, nor pitty from men: But ſecondly, it is true, that it is not for any defect or want of grace on Gods behalfe, that many being called beleeve not, but the defect is in themſelves; there is no defect properly in God, for his calling is ſufficient unto all,; but that it is effectuall to ſome and not to others, commeth of their owne corruption and evilneſſe of nature, which God taketh away and healeth in whom he pleaſes, and ſuffereth the reſt to remaine in their hardneſſe of heart: Thirdly, there is a ſufficient calling for all, when God offereth the externall meanes of ſalvation, whereby all might come thereunto if they had grace; Now this calling may be reſiſted by men whom God juſtly leaveth unto themſelves: There is alſo an effectuall calling, when as God worketh inwardly by the efficacy of his ſpirit, drawing his elect, and of unwilling, maketh them willing to obey their calling: and thus onelyonly the elect are called, and this calling cannot be reſiſted, as appeares by theſe words of our Saviours, Many are called; namely, ſufficiently on Gods behalfe; but few are choſen; that is, effectually called, as the elect onelyonly are: Now the firſt of theſe callings was offered to Jeruſalem: Fourthly, that Gods effectuall and gracious calling of election cannot be reſiſted, is cleer from Scripture; No man (ſaith the Apoſtle) hath reſisted God's will: but as the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Whatſoever pleaſed him, that did he in heaven and earth: whom it pleaſed God therefore to ſave and call by his grace they ſhall be ſaved and called, &c.
In Doctor Jones his Comentary on the Hebrewes, this clauſe is raced out, in the copy, page 283. But whoſe ſinnes did Chriſt remit in his offering? The ſinnes of many, not of all; Some deliver this peremptory doctrine, that he dyed as well for Caine as Abel, for Saul as David, for Judas as Peter: Indeed the diſtinction of the School-men is not wholly to be rejected, that Chriſt dyed, quoad efficaciam, only for the elect, quoad ſufficientiam, for all; yet properly to ſpeak, he dyed properly for the ſinnes of the elect, for the Scripture is evident, that the benefit of Chriſts death reacheth to the faithfull alone; to as many as beleeved in him, he gave this power to be called the ſonnes of God; that whoſoever beleeveth in him ſhould not periſh; the cup of the new Testament, ſhed for many; I pray for them, I pray not for the world; and doe you think that he would ſhed his blood for the wicked of the world? If we will have any comfort by the paſſion of Chriſt let us examine our ſelves whether we have any fruit of it or not; canſt thou ſay with Job, I know that my Redeemer liveth; with Paul, I live, yet not I but Chriſt in me? then Chriſt was offered for thy ſinnes, then all thy ſinnes were nailed to his croſſe, and not one of them ſhall be laid to thy charge at the day of judgement. This may be a ſingular comfort to Gods choſen children: in many things we ſinne all, The juſt man falleth ſeven times a day; but here is our comfort, Chriſt hath taken away our ſinnes; Caine cryed out, my ſinne is greater then I can beare; we need not take up that lamentable cry, for Chriſt hath taken away our ſinnes: O death where is thy ſting? thanks he to God that giveth us victory through Jeſus Chriſt, &c.
Ibidem page 269. Many are called by the Word preached, but are not called by the Spirit, &c.