The Lightless Star, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
We have done with his Motives to read his Book: Now follows the third part of his Preface, viz. A prevention of Objections against the reading thereof; In this and the next which is likewise the last part, we shall not need to spend much time, there being little but impertenencies, beside what hath been answered before, we shall therefore touch upon such things as are observable, and as the Case shall require, insist sometimes more largely.
Object. 1. That he teacheth the possibility of the Saints finall Apostacy, he teacheth more then the possibility thereof, so that it many times comes to passe; for answer hereto he refers to the ninth Chapter of his Book; but the judicious Reader will finde there as every where else nothing but Errours.
Object. 2. That he exalts nature to the prejudice of free grace, he answers hereto as followeth, which we shall set downe in his owne words, as formerly we have done (because this is a passage that requires distinct Examination,) and then accordingly examine it.
Goodwin.
Concerning the Grace of God and the freenesse thereof, I hold and teach nothing but what fayrely and fully accords with these positions.
1. That the originall or first spring of the salvation of the world, and so of every particular person, that comes to be saved, was in and from the Grace, the free Grace and good pleasure of God.
2. That the whole method or systeme of the Councels by which and according to which God effecteth and bringeth to passe the salvation of all that are saved, did proceed wholly and entirely from the same grace and good pleasure.
3. And more particularly, That the gift of Jesus Christ for a Mediatour and Saviour unto the world, and so the Grant or Promise of Iustification and salvation unto men, by or upon beleeving, issued solely and wholly from the same grace.
4. That men by nature and of themselves, i. e. Considered in and under such a condition, as they were brought into by Adam, and wherein they should have subsisted (in Case they had ever been borne, and lived in the world.) Had not the free grace of God in Christ interposed to relieve them and better their Condition, have no strength or power, not the least inclination or propension of wil, to doe any thing, little or much acceptable unto God or of a saving import.
5. That notwithstanding this restauration or healing of the naturall condition of man by the free grace of God, yet there is not one of a thousand, possibly not one throughout the whole world but so farre corrupts himselfe with the lusts of the flesh and wayes of the world, that without a second reliefe from the free grace of God, as, viz. in his patience and long suffering towards him, ever comes to repent or beleeve, or to persevere beleeving and so to be saved.
6. That it is from the free and undeserved grace of God, that any person of man-kind, is so much as put into a Capacity of beleeving or hath power and meanes vouchsafed unto him sufficient to enable him to beleeve.
7. That a man is put into this capacity of beleeving by an irresistable acting or working of the free grace of God.
8. That when any man by vertue of the power and meanes vouchsafed unto him by the free grace of God comes actually to beleeve, the exercise and acting of this power proceeds also from the free grace and good pleasure of God, so that no man ever beleeveth without a present and actuall assistance from the free grace of God, in order to this his beleeving, over and above his ability or power to beleeve.
9. (And lastly) That the Act of beleeving whensoever it is performed by any man, is so inconsiderably and at so low a rate of efficiency from a mans selfe, that (to helpe apprehension a little in the case) suppose the Act of beleeving, could be divided into a thousand parts or degrees, nine hundred ninety and nine of them are to be ascribed unto the free grace of God, and onelyonly the one remaining unto man; yea this one degree of the Action is no otherwise neither to be ascribed unto man then as gratiously supported, strengthened and assisted by the free grace of God.
The Reader will finde none of these Positions contradicted by any thing affirmed or denyed in the di course: I attribute as much as possible can be attributed to the free grace of God, in and about the Act of beleeving, salving the attributablenesse of the action unto man himselfe, in the lowest and most diminutive sence that can well be conceived. It is man that beleeves, not God; therefore so much efficiency about it must be left to man, as may give it denomination of being his.
Resbury.
Reader, one word in generall; doth not he seeme to speake fairely for grace here? but never did any man play more fast and loose with sound and sense of his doctrin, then this Author doth; how Orthodox soever any of these positions may be in their sound, not any one of them is so in the sense by him intended.
Read over his-first Position and his second, which are very generall, & the third where thou hast some explication of the former; then add the sixt, and thou hast a further explication; they all together come to this. That God of his meer good pleasure appointed that all beleevers should be saved by Jesus Christ; that of the same good pleasure or grace, he gave Jesus Christ for the world; that by him all men are in their naturall generation put into a Capacity of beleeving, and have means sufficient afforded them for salvation: that in all this God hath an equall respect of grace to all men. By this time then thou mayst discerne, how different this grace which he teacheth, is from that Grace which the Scriptures teach, viz.
1. That God chose from all eternity by a speciall Decree of peculiar grace, the persons of those unto salvation, who in the end are saved▪ this Decree (wherein the grace of it appeares) not founded upon Faith or Workes, or any thing in Man foreseen, but meerly upon his owne good will and pleasure, that according to this Decree, he gave them to Christ, and Christ for them, by his Redemption to bring them certainly to salvation; that of the same meere grace he doth in his owne time effectually call them, thereby discriminating them in their actuall state and condition, as formerly he had in his Councel, from the rest of men; in their Call uniting them to Christ, blessing them with all spirituall blessings in him to the effectuall obtainment of salvation.
2. It is such grace as which notwithstanding the greatest number of persons by farre to whom it belongs, perish everlastingly; for he makes it equally belong to all the world, the greatest part whereof by far (I thinke he will not deny) perisheth.
For the fourth Position; The sinne and misery of Mans condition in Adam, is meerly notionall: He doth not allow, that one man living is in that condition by his naturall conception and birth; whereas the Scriptures teach and with them the Fathers against the Pelagian heresie, that all men are borne in that condition, and remaine therein till they be regenerate by the peculiar grace of God, as we have formerly seen at large.
For the fifth: 1. He teacheth the Pelagian power of the naturall and unregenerate man, casting a false glosse over it of restauration and healing, as we discours'd above.
2. He teacheth the Pelagian method of Regeneration, that Grace is given according to Mans merit. This second reliefe from the free grace of God, being nothing but his patience and longsuffering, through which man being spared, mak… such use of his naturall endowments and common principles, as thereupon the Grace of Rege…ration (whatsoever it is to which he vouchsafes that name) is given, as we saw lately in his explication of the Parable of the Talents.
For the sixth and seventh: What is here affirmed, we must understand of all Men at their birth or conception rather, according to his explication of 1 Iohn 9. formerly. And so Originall sin, at least that which he himselfe granted by Adam in his fourth Position here is prevented to all men, never takes hold of any; the very thing by Pelagius maintained, and in him condemned; onelyonly a new fetch for it.
For the eighth: As in his Preface hitherto and in his following Booke, whensoever he hath occasion to speak to the influx of God for the operation of grace in man; he hovers in the Clouds and keeps in Generals (well acquainted with that rule Dolus in Universalibus.) So here he tels us of a present and actuall assistance; but if the Reader here conceive that he grants an effiicacious impression upon the will of man, by the spirit of God, determining it to the Act of beleeving and working in man to beleeve, he deceives himselfe; for against such a doctrine he raiseth bitter Tragedies.
For the ninth: He denyes the whole act of beleeving to be from God, and he renders his reason, because then it could be Mans act. The falshood of this position, and the vanity of the reason annex'd may thus appear.
1. For the position: God is the Author of all being, he being the onelyonly Creator; but every part or degree of the act of beleeving (supposing it divided into whatsoever parts) is something, a being Contra-distinguisht to nothing: If Man be the Author of any part, whereof God is foreign Man creates.
2. God is the Author of all good, he being the one unchangeable and necessary Good. He good of himselfe, all other things by participation; but every part of the act of beleeving is good; therefore from God the onelyonly foundation of all good.
3. The Act of believing is specially good; all parts of that act are uniforme in nature; therefore if Man be the Author of any part, whereof God is not, Man apart from God is the Author of something specially good.
4. If Man may be the Author of one part of being, of good, of speciall good; why not of more? Why not of the whole? and so Man shall be the Creator of the noblest operations; why should we then have inferiour operations for God to be the Author of, and not deny him the Author of all or any?
2. For the Reason: That God is the Author of the whole, doth no way deny Mans efficiency, or take the denomination of the act from him: Where causes are subordinate, the whole effect is produced by both; thus when in writing the teacher guides the learners hand, they both write the whole, every letter, and every part of every letter. In the motion of higher and lower wheeles, the lesse within the greater, the whole motion is performed by both; In causes thus subordinate, but of different kindes, the denomination is from the dependent cause. Thus when the Plummet moves the wheele of the clock round, we say the wheele, not the Plummet turnes round; but the Plummet is the first mover. Thus when the Earth springs forth her fruits, God is the Author of them, of all and every part of them; yet the Earth springs them, though he produce them; he springs them not, but makes her to spring them. The denomination of the action ever belonging to the inferior cause, because in it is the principle whence the action Emergeth: In the production of Faith then, God works, and man works, and Man not one part onelyonly, but the whole, but this in subordination to God who works the whole likewise; yet Man beleeves, not God, because in Man is the principle whence the act of beleeving issues: His will, but his will by grace renewed; His wil the principle which beleeves: Grace renewing the will the principle by which he beleeves: He beleeves in whom is the act of beleeving produced; It is not produced by God in himselfe, but by influx from himselfe in Man.
It is no immanent action in God, but in Man, in him produced by a transient action of God upon him. Therefore I say with Austin; It is certaine that when we will, we will, but it is he that makes us to will that which is good, who works in us both to will and to doe. So that it is certain that when we beleeve, we beleeve; but it is he that makes us to beleeve, and that not in part, but in whole. Appositely Bernard, ascribing all that is good in man to the grace of God; Not partly grace (saith he) and partly free will, but each of them by an undivided work, performes the whole.This, the whole; and that, the whole; but as the whole is in this, so the whole is from that: Excellently Austine, proving not only the whole of Faith to be from God, but the denyall of it to be Pelagianisme. Having first proved Faith to be of God, he adds (as formerly we have quoted him) Furthermore if God work our Faith, acting in our hearts in a wonderfull manner, that we may beleeve, shall we feare least he be not able to do the whole? Now follows the Pelagian…sme of the denyall. And therefore Man challengeth to himselfe the first part of it, that he may deserve from him to receive the last. S e if any thing be done by this meanes, but that the grace of God, one way or other may be given according to our merits; and so grace shall not be grace.
Then in the prosecution of this discourse, he blames the pride of Man, that he will (as it were) Compound with God, so as to challenge part of his Faith to himselfe, and leave part thereof to God; and which is yet more arrogant, he will take the first part to himselfe, (and pray say Mr. Goodwin if this be not your part) leave the following part to God: and in that which he saith belongs to them both, he makes himselfe to goe before, and God to behinde.
Thus have we seen the vanity, fraud, and Error of your positions; as for the close of this Section, it may well passe for Smoak, and so may indeed all that follows, in the rem…ining objections and answers I shall therfore briefly touch upon them, for there is nothing materiall in them.
3. Obj. That your doctrines are ro…ten Errors.
You answer for the two doctrines more largly handled in the following book. 1. That you prove they were never cast out of the Church by any Councell reputed Orthodox, till the Synod of Dort.
An. 1. It seems you have so much modesty & conscience as to grant, some other of your doctrins, such as these here in your Preface that have been cast out by Councels, reput…d Orthodox, which indeed is true; to set aside that at Carthage, and that at Ierusalem, where Pelagius was condemned, we have seen the Milevi…ane, and second Arausican formerly rej…cting them.
2. For those two doctrins you are forced t… confesse that by the Synod of Dort they were rej…cted, which was the greatest Protestant Synod that hath been held since the time… of Reformation.
3. What if they were not by any other, nor had been by that? Can you name no great Errors by your selfe confest so to be, but what have been by some or other Councill reputed Orthodox by Orthodox men, cast out?
2. For those two doctrines, you say they were taught by all O…thodox antiquity, and Calvin himselfe and who not? this is the true spirit of your fore Fathers; thus Iulian the Pelagian would have Iohn of Constantinople a teacher of the same doctrine with himselfe; but doe you not read the detection of his falshood, by Austin, with all bringing upon him the whole streame of the Orthodox to refute him? and do you not sadly resent your own danger, least in time you may heare; Haec verba tua quò proficiunt, nisi ut appareat, vel quomodo de hac causa scire neglexeris Catholicorum sententias, Sermonesque doctorum, vel si eos nosse curasti, qu… fraude coneris circumvenire nescientes? Si nesciens, hoc fecisti, cur non miseram re…uis imperitiam? si sciens duplicate page duplicate page cur non sacrilegam deponis audaciam? Contr… Julian. Pelagi. lib. 1. Thus the Massylians or Semipelagians, alleadged that what Austin taught about the call of the Elect according to the purpose of God, in his writings against Pelagius, was contrary to the doctrine of those most famous teachers in the Church which had been before him. Prosp. in Epist. ad Augustinum; but Augustines answer thereto quoting Cyprian, Ambrose & Nazianzine teaching the same doctrine with him, and concluding the like of the rest generally, you are not ignorant of. lib de bono persev. C. 19.
4. Object. These discourses are ful of niceties, &c.
One of your Answers, is, that for your selfe, you go no further then you feel the ground firme under you: but your firme ground we have sound bogs and quagmires more then once; when you come to a soft place (you say,) you tread lightly; indeed you have your Reserves somtimes when you come to a knot; I beeleeve this doctrine of divine influx, or concourse, is one of your …oft places, you are wont to Skin it over so fairely.
Another of your Answers, is, that your adversaries have occasioned these subtilties, forsaking the grounds of reason, &c. whereas the truth is, Men of corrupt judgements, your friends, have by opposing their reasonings to clear Scripture occasiond them.
5. Object. Some plead a Non-necessity of enquiring farther about this argument.
You answer to this purpose; 1. That the treasure of divine wisedome is not exhausted, but that we may make further discourses. But I answer, the truths by you opposed are so fully cleard long since, that should an Angel from beaven teach your doctrines, those that are taught of God, would see ground enough to reject him. 2. You boast of something done by you above all that went before you; I know it not: pray point us to your foreign. Then you proclaim the trophies of your party; whereas indeed, the church hath in divers ages triumphed in the ruine of your Errors, and so she will doe to the end.
6. Object. That these opinions have been held by a lesse religious generation of Men.
You answer that in such and such Chapters you have disproved the Objections. Take the last word here for mee, till those chapters be disproved.
7. Object. Armianisme, Pelagianisme, Socinianisme.
In answer whereto, you are upon your old false string, and would make us beleeve, that Calvin himself, the Synod of Dort, and I know not who, had sore fitts of Arminianisme. I returne you here to my answer to your third Objection.
Now follows the fourth and last part of your Preface, which is your Apology, I had almost said for your Apostacy; but let it passe in your owne words concerning your change of judgement; but forasmuch as your Arguments are onelyonly generall, and upon a false supposition, that you have changed from Error to truth, and no other then what any Desertor of the faith might use, I spare the fruitlesse paines of answering any thing at all to them.
FINIS.