The Lightless Star, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
2. SUppose it acknowledge no habitual grace upon the will renewing it, nor effectuall acting, and determining it, but all the assistance of grace acknowledged (be it naturall or supernaturall) is onelyonly for inlightening the understanding, and exciting the will to determine it selfe; whence it may come to passe, that the will may, as to the event, obey, or not obey the call of God. This is partly no more then what Pelagius acknowledged, partly opposite to that grace, which the Orthodox Fathers maintained against him.
1 Observe here, that he puts all upon the Understanding, as if all the assistance of grace necessary, was onelyonly for enlightening it.
2 That Pelagius himselfe was driven to acknowledge thus much, and withall, exciting grace, whatsoever he meant thereby.
3 That the Fathers opposing his Heresie, required and maintained that grace, which by supernaturall efficacy, did not onelyonly inlighten the understanding, and excite the will; but likewise did, by an efficacious impression, give both a new and spirituall power to the will, as likewise the acting of that power; and the same grace that gave the power, gave likewise the acting of that power, and was both preventing and effectuall, and peculiar, and of infallible issue for conversion, and therefore not common to those who were converted, with those who were not, but peculiar to the converted. But let us see the truth of what is here asserted.
And first, What Pelagius acknowledged (as much for ought I can discern as Mr. Goodwin,) August. lib: de gratiâ Christi contra Pelag. & Caelest. chap, 10. Thus reports him, When he had a long time affirmed, that not by the aide of God, but of our selves in our selves, the will is made good; he objected against himselfe, out of the Epistle to the Philippians chap. 2. and how (saith he) shall that of the Apostle stand, It is God that workes in us, both to will and to doe; Then, that he might, as it were, answer this objection, which he saw so vehemently against his opinion; going on he addes, He works in us to will what is good, to wil what is holy, whilst he inflames us, who are addicted to earthly things, after the manner of the dumb beasts, loving only the things present, with the greatnesse of the glory to come, and with promise of rewards; whilst by the revelation of wisdom hee stirs up the listlesse Will to desire after God, whilst he exhorts us to all that is good. To the same purpose, c. 7. and c. 41.
2 What Austine requires in his answer hereto, when he had first discovered his subtlety, that all that he intends here, by revelation of wisdome, and exhortation may be nothing else but (according to his former doctrine) Effectuall and determining grace upon the Will.the law of God and doctrine of his word; (as all that Mr. Goodwin means by his concession of grace is nothing but what is natural) He addes, But no such grace will we owne: Let him at length acknowledge that grace, whereby the greatnesse of the glory to come, is not onelyonly promised, but is withall beleeved, and hoped for; nor only is wisdom revealed, but withall it is beloved; nor onelyonly is all that is good exhorted to, but perswaded; for all have not faith, who by the Scriptures hear the Lord promising the Kingdome of heaven; neither are all perswaded, who are exhorted that they would come to him, who saith, Come unto me all yee that labour. No potential grace but what is effectuall, that grace which gives to be able to obey the cal of God, gives effectually to obey. The grace of Christ not common, but peculiar to all those and onelyonly those, who are converted by it. The power of conversion from God.But who they are that have faith, and who are perswaded to come to him, hee hath showne clearly enough, where he saith, No man can come unto me, except the father draw him; and a little after, where he speakes of unbeleevers, I have said unto you (saith he) that no man can come to me except it be given him of the father, Iohn 6. 44. and 65. This grace Pelagius must confesse, if hee will not only be called, but likewise be a Christian. Hearken to this Mr. Goodwin, least your Christianity be called into question. And chap. 12. speaking of the same grace; by this grace, saith he, we not only know what to do, but we do what we know; nor only doe we beleeve what we should love, but we love what we beleeve. Then he goes on chap. 13. If this grace must be called doctrine, let it be so called, but so, as that we beleeve, that God poures it into the soul more deeply and inwardly by an unspeakable sweetnesse, not only by those who plant and water outwardly, but also by himselfe, who gives the increase in secret, so as not only to shew the truth but to bestow love. For so doth God teach those who are called according to his purpose, giving at once both to know The teaching of divine grace, effectuall upon the wil.what they should doe, and to doe what they know; whence the Apostle to the Thessalonians 1 Epistle 4. 9. But concerning brotherly love, yee neede not that I write unto you, for yee are taught of God to love one another: And that hee might prove that they were taught of God, he addes presently, And indeed yee doe it towards all the brethren, which are in Macedonia; Shewing this to be a most certaine evidence, that they are taught of God, if they d…e what they are taught. After this manner, Are all taught, who are called according … purpose, as it is written in the Prophets, They shall all be taught of God.
But hee that knowes what he ought to doe, and doth it not, hath not yet learned of God according to Grace, but according to the Law; not according to the Spirit, but according to the Letter. Then chap. 14. speaking of the same effectuall teaching of grace, Of this manner of teaching, saith he, the Lord sayes, Every one who hath heard and learned of the father, comes to me; whosoever therefore hath not come, it is not rightly said of him, he hath heard indeed, and learned that he should come; but he will not doe what hee hath learned: In no wise is it The efficacy of grace determining the wi… in its motion, & operation takes not away the liberty of the wilrightly said of that manner of teaching, whereby God teaches through grace; For (if as the truth speakes) every one, who hath learned, comes; whosoever comes not, hee hath not learned; but who sees not, that each one comes and comes not, by the liberty of the will? but this liberty may be alone, if it comes not; but if it come; assisted it must be; and so assisted, as not onelyonly that it may know what is to bee done, but that likewise it may doe what it knowes. And hence, when God teacheth not by the letter of the Law, but by the grace of the spirit; he so teacheth, that what any one hath learned, he doth not onelyonly see by knowing, but also desire by willing, and performe by doing; and by that divine manner of teaching, even the Will it selfe, and the operation it selfe, not onelyonly the naturall possibility of willing, and working is assisted. For if onelyonly our power was helped by grace, the Lord would have said thus, Every one who hath heard, and learned of the father, may or can come to me: but hee saith not so, but d…th come to me: A power of coming Pelagius places in Nature, or even as he hath now begun to speake, in Grace, of what kind soever he accounts it, by which, as he saith, the possibility it self is helped, That aide of grace which gives the power of coming to Christ, gives the act likewise.but to come is now in the will, and the worke; But it followes not, that hee that can come doth come, except he will it, and doe it.
But every one who hath learned of the father not onelyonly can come, but doth come, where there is now both the advance of possibility, and the affection of the will, and the effect of the action.
Reader, It is easie for thee to observe from these testimonies out of this most learned and pious Father, how powerfull upon the will, how effectuall in the worke, how infallible, how peculiar, the grace of God is, according to what I affirmed before, and all with cleare evidence, and much strength of Scripture made good: But indeed this great assertion of Grace doth so abound in this doctrine, which he doth most strenuously maintain, that it is very hard to make an end of quotations out of him, not so much for his authority, as for his demonstration by Scripture, and his singular excellency in discussing it. Wee shall adde a little more, and but a little. In his booke de grati… & lib. arbitr. c. 16. It is certain, that when we Effectuall grace upon the wil determining it in its motion.will, we will, but it is he who makes us to will what is good; of whom it is said, that the will is prepared of the Lord: of whom it is said, It is God who worketh in us both to will and to do. It is certaine, that when we doe, we doe, but he makes us to doe, affording most effectuall strength to the will; who hath said, I will make you to walke in my Statutes, and yee shall keep my Iudgements and doe them: When he saith I will make you to doe, what saith he else, but that Habitual and renewing grace upon the wil together with effectual.I will take from you the heart of stone, whence yee did not; and will give you an heart of flesh, that you may doe. And what is this, but I will take away your hard heart, whence ye did not, and I will give you an obedient heart, whence you may doe? here we have both the renewing, and acting of the will; and this certainly and infallibly. To the same purpose, cap. 17. Speaking of Peter, that he had no strong love, when he denyed his Lord, and yet he had a small and imperfect love, when he said to the Preventing and subsequent grace, operating and co-operating grace, preventing and operating; whence the first act of grace subsequent, and co-operating; whence the following act, to which following acts, this grace is preventing, and operating, subsequent, and co-operating, onelyonly in respect of the first preventing and habituall grace all along.Lord, I will lay downe my life for thee, for hee thought he could doe what hee felt himselfe to will. Hee addes, And who had begun to give that, though small love? but he, who prepares the will, and perfects by working with us, what he begins by working in us: Because he, as the authour, works in us to will, who, as the finisher, works with us, when we will. Whence saith the Apostle, I am confident that he, that hath begun a good worke in you, will perfect it to the day of Iesus Christ. Phil. 1. 6. Therefore that wee may wil, he works without us; but when we will, and so will, as that we doe, he works with us: But without him, either working that we may will, or working with us, when we will, wee have no strength to the good workes of pietie. Chap. 18. upon that text of Scripture, Let us love one another, for love is of God, 1 Joh. 4. 7. Why is it said, Let us love one another, for love is of God, but because by the Command free will is admonished to seeke the gift of God; When it is said, Let us love one another, there is the Law; when it is said, for love is of God, there is Grace: Grace makes us lovers of the Law, but the Law it selfe without Grace makes us only offenders. Yee have not chosen me, but I have chosen you; If yee have not chosen, doubtlesse yee have not loved, for how should they chuse him whom they loved not?
And Chap. 19. In Iohn, the light saith, Behold what great love the Father hath given us? In the Pelagians, darknesse saith, We have love of our selves; which if they had true, that is, Christian love, they would know whence they had it, as the Apostle knew, who said, We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us of God; Iohn saith, God is love; and the Pelagians say, that they even have God himselfe, n… of God, but of themselves. And when they confesse, that we have the knowledge of the Law from God, they will have love to be of our selves; neither doe they heare the Apostle saying, Knowledge puffesh up, but charity (or love) edifies. But I must take off my hand, he is so abundant in all his Polemique Writings against Pelagius, and his followers, that the Quotations would be Voluminous which might be taken out of them; I shall therefore conclude with the determination of the Milevitane Councell, at which Austine himselfe was President, and subscribed, Can. 4. Whosoever shall say, that the Grace of God by Jesus Christ our Lord, helps against sinning in this regard only, because by it the meaning of the Commands is revealed, and opened to us, that we might know what we ought to desire, and what to eschew, but that by it is not performed, that what we know ought to be done, we also love to doe, and are enabled thereunto, Let him be Anathema; for when the Apostle saith, Knowledge puffes up, but charity edifies, it is very wicked to beleeve, that we have the grace of Christ for that which puffeth up, but that we have it not for that which edifies, when both is the gift of God; both to know what we ought to doe, and to love that we may doe it, that charity edifying, knowledge may not be able to puffe us up; but as it is written of God, That be teacheth man knowledge, so is it written likewise, that Love is of God. Here we have the Doctrin of the Church in that age against the Hereticks in this point.