The Lightless Star, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
ANd now, Reader, thou mayest tax me for my prolixity in this Argument, let me plead my excuse in a word or two. 1. We shal be shorter in many other things hereafter, which, we may the better be, because we have been so long here. 2. Thou hast by this discourse something to recompence the length of it; as 1. The severall states of the Pelagian heresie declared: 2. The doctrine of naturall corruption, how utterly impotent unto all saving good man is thereby, dead in sin, under the power of the devill, altogether in the dark about, averse from, adverse to the things that according to the mystery of godlinesse accompany salvation. 3. The doctrine of saving grace, if thou beest any thing attentive thou mayst observe that,
1 For the nature of it, It is by the supernaturall operation of the spirit, plainly of divine originall, and extraction, in opposition to what is naturall to fallen man.
2 For the Subject of it, that the Understanding is the subject of internall illumination by the holy ghost; that the Will is the subject of renewing, of regenerating, of quickening, of so…ing, of subduing, of healing, of rescuing, of effectuall, of determining, of transforming, of clean…ing, of infranchising Grace.
3 For the Distinctions of Grace.
First, Prevenient, and Subsequent; that prevenient grace, findes many unwilling, and resisting; makes him of unwilling, willing; of resisting, obeying: that subsequent Grace carries on, what by prevenient Grace was begun in man; that subsequent grace, though in reference to that first grace, whereby conversion was wrought, it be subsequent, yet in reference to all after gracious operations by man, it is prevenient all along.
Secondly, Operating, and Co-operating, operating the same with prevenient, and cooperating the same with subsequent; so that co-operation is on Gods part all along, in reference to all gracious operations by man, pre-operation, and on mans part it is sub-operation; Man all along depending upon the grace of God, upon the inspiration of the holy Ghost; so as the whole of every gracious operation, and worke in, and by man, is of God; and by man moving under the power and efficacy of the divine motion, upon his understanding and will, as the lower wheele, under and by the motion of the higher, the whole motion by both performed.
Thirdly, Sufficient and effectuall, not only sufficient or habituall grace is from God… but Effectuall or acting grace, upon the Will of man; the Lord giving not onelyonly a power to will, but to will it selfe, and to doe; certainly and infallibly determining the will of man, without all impeachment of its freedome, nay, raising it thereby to its greatest freedome, being delivered from the bondage of sin and Satan, by the son made free: nay, where ever there is sufficient grace, to wit, a power for saving operation, there is likewise effectuall grace, thence the operation it selfe certainly and infallibly.
Fourthly, Common and peculiar grace. Saving grace, or grace of saving kind is common to all the regenerate, and peculiar to them only, this is evident from the last.
Adde hereto, those celebrated doctrines against the Pelagians, belonging to the doctrine of prevenient, and subsequent, operating and cooperating, sufficient and effectuall grace. 1. That the grace of God is not given according to mans merits; That is, takes no rise from any thing in man, but is altogether free, preventing all good, and is the author of all good in man. 2. That grace is given to every act, a new inspiration of the holy Ghost upon the will of man, for producing every holy operation in Man.
Adde further, for perseveting grace, that it depends upon election, is a fruit of it, and that the election of God and Grace thereon depending, is meerly arbitrary, no other account to be given thereof then meerly his will. And herein thou mayst behold those remarkable doctrines of the Schools, in the hands of the best Schoolmen.
1 Concerning originall sinne, that man by the fall, was in the first man, wholly dispoiled of supernaturals, stript of the garments of grace (which they have from Ambrose) and sorely wounded in his naturals, and then distinguishing the soule into a double region; the higher, that of the Understanding and Wil, the lower that of the Sence and Appetite, and distributing the sensuall Appetite, into two Faculties, the concupiscible, we may call it, the desiring faculty; and the Irascible, we may call it the attempting faculty. They have found foure sore wounds in the soule of man by originall sin: In the Understanding, ignorance; in the Will, wickednesse; in the Desiring Faculty (whose proper vertue it is to be rightly affected towards things pleasing to sense) Concupiscence, viz. Inordinate desires after such things; in the Attempting Faculty, (whose proper vertue it is to contend against evill, and for good, with wrastling against difficulties) weaknesse.
2 Concerning the Grace of God. 1. That grace is the fruit of election. 2. That the acceptation of grace is the fruit of election. 3. That grace is the leader of the Will. 4. That not onelyonly exciting, but aiding grace, that is renewing, and acting grace must be acknowledged. 5. That the beginning of every good work. 6. That the progresse of every good work. 7. That the consummation of every good worke. 8. That the whole of every good work is from God. 9. That faith, and every Theologicall or Christian vertue is by divine infusion and inspiration. 10. That man cannot without the ayde of grace, resist temptation one moment, with many others of the like kind, wholely agreeing with the doctrines of the Fathers formerly all edged.
Hence likewise, we may observe the doctrine of the merit of congruity, and that so highly extold by the Iesuites, and Arminians, that he that doth what lyes in him by the strength of nature, towards eternal life (Mr. Goodwins owne doctrine in that paragraph we have been upon all this while) shall thereby obtaine grace at the hands of God; are one and the same, and both of them one with that of Pelagius, and for which he hath past for an Heretick this one thousand two hundred yeares; that grace is given according to merits, and thus by the best of the School-men is this Doctrine censured.
Reader, these things and much more, if thou beest any thing attentive, thou mayest in this Discourse observe excellently cleared, and strongly proved by Austin, Prosper, and the Fathers in the fore-mentioned councells. I have now done with this Paragraph; as for that saying of Chrysostome, with which hee concludes here, it is true, but impertinent. It is the property of a soule unreasonable and unworthy not to beleeve, but such are the soules of all natural men.