The Riches of Gods Love, Part 2 · Section 4
Sect: 4.
If we could find out a King that ſhould ſo carry himſelfe in procuring the ruine and the offences of any Subjects, as (by this opinion) God doth in the affecting of the damnation and tranſgreſſions of Reprobates, M. Maſon's Addit. 2. p. 29. 30.we would all charge him with the ruine and ſinnes of thoſe his Subjects. Who would not abhorre, ſaith Moulin, a King ſpeaking thus. I will have this man hang…d, and that I may hang him juſtly, I will have him murder or ſteale. This King ſaith he ſhould not only make an innocent man miſerable, ſed & ſceleratum, but wicked too, and ſhould puniſh him for that offence (cujus ipſe cauſa eſſet) of which himſelfe was the cauſe. It is a cleare caſe, Tiberius, as Suetonius reports, having a purpoſe to put ſome Virgins to death, becauſe it was not Molin. Anat. c. 12. de praedeſt. pag. 37.lawfull among the Romans to ſtrangle Virgins, cauſed them all to be deflouered by the hang-man, that ſo they might be ſtrangled. Who will not ſay that Tiberius was the principall Authour of the deflouring of thoſe Maides? In like manner (ſay the Supralapſarians) God hath a purpoſe of putting great ſtore of men to the ſecond death; but becauſe it is not lawfull for him by reaſon of his juſtice, to put to death men innocent Sueton. vit. Tib. cap. 61.and without blame, he hath decreed that the Devill ſhall defloure them, that afterwards he may damne them It followeth therefore that God is the maine cauſe of thoſe their ſinnes.
If a King ſhould carry himſelfe as God did in hardning Pharaoh's heart that he ſhould not let Iſrael goe; and when he had let Iſrael goe, to harden his heart that he ſhould follow after them; we would acknowledge ſuch a one, not to be man but God. And then ſurely Anſwer.whatſoever our Arminians would thinke of ſuch a one, we would thinke noe otherwiſe then Solomon did of him of whom he profeſſed, that, he made all things for himſelfe, even the wicked againſt the day of evill. If God doth but permit a man to will this or that, neceſſe eſt, ſaith Arminius, it muſt needs be, ut nullo argumentorum genere perſuadeatur ad nolendum, that noe kind of argument ſhall perſwade ſuch one to abſtaine from willing it. And I hope Arminius hath as great auhority with this Authour, as Mr. Moulin deſerves to have with us. Noe King hath power to diſpenſe any ſuch providence as this. St. Paul tells us plainly, that, God hath ordained ſome unto wrath; and as he hath made of the ſame lumpe ſome veſſells unto honour, ſo hath he made other veſſells unto diſhonour. The Lord profeſſeth that he kept Abimelech from ſinning againſt him. Thus the Lord could deale with all if it pleaſed him; Why doth he not? is it not for the manifeſtation of his own glory? For to this purpoſe he hath made all things. And that, he ſuffers with long patience veſſells Gen: 20. 6.of wrath prepared to deſtruction. And what to doe doth he ſuffer them? But to continue and perſevere in their ſinfull courſes without repentance; the Apoſtle plainly tells us that it is, to declare his wrath and make his power known. This is not the voice of any Doctor of ours now a dayes, but of St. Paul. And ſhall Mr. Moulin be brought in to affront St. Paul? For recompence let the Jeſuits be heard to whom the nation of the Arminians are beholden for their principall grounds; Wherefore doth God give effectuall grace unto one and not unto another, but becauſe he hath elected the one and rejected the other? And I appeale to every ſober Chriſtian, whether the abſoluteneſſe of reprobation doth not as invincibly follow herehence as the abſoluteneſſe of Election. But touching Mr. Moulin, I have heard that Doctor Ames ſomtimes wiſhed that he had never medled in this argument. I am not of Doctor Ames his mind in this; though it were I thinke moſt fit every one ſhould exerciſe himſelfe in thoſe queſtions, wherein by the courſe of his ſtudies he hath been moſt converſant; ſo ſhould the Church of God enjoy, plus dapis & rixae multo minus, invidiae que . I doe admire Mr. Moulin in his conference with Cayer as alſo upon the Euchariſt, and on Purgatory, he hath my heart when I read his conſolalations to his Breathren of the Church of France; as alſo intreating of the love of God. I would willingly learne French to underſtand him only, and have along time deſired, & ſtill to get any thing that he hath written. I highly eſteem him in his Anatomie though I doe not like all and every paſſage; yet but few are the paſſages wherein I differ from his opinion. I have been very ſory to obſerve how by his doctrine in the point of reprobation he overthrowes his own Orthodox Doctrine in the point of Election. I would he would anſwer Sylveſter who hath replied to his admirable letters written to Monſieur Balzak. I could be well content, were I once free, to ſupply what is wanting to Waleus his Apologie for him againſt Corvinus. But to the point, the paſſage here propoſed by him is I willingly confeſſe ſomewhat harſh. I will have this man hang'd, and that I may hang him juſtly I will have him murther or ſteale. But compare it with that of St. Paul formerly mentioned, God ſuffers the veſſells of wrath prepared to deſtruction, that he may declare his wrath, and make his power known. And that of Eli's children, They obeyed not the 1 Sam: 2. 25. 2 Chron: 25. 20. Ier: 52. 3.voice of their Father, becauſe the Lord would ſlay them. And that Amaziah would not heare: For it was of the Lord that he might deliver them into his hands, becauſe they ſought the Gods of Edom. And that of Ieremiah Doubtleſſe becauſe the wrath of the Lord was againſt Ieruſalem and Iuda, till he had caſt them out of his preſence, therefore Zedekiah rebelled againſt the King of Babel. And obſerve how neare Mr. Moulin is to expoſe theſe holy paſſages of Scripture and the doctrine contained in them in like manner unto ſcorne, ere he is aware. And let him ſoberly conſider, and without any humour of complying with our Adverſaries out of a deſire to charme them who will not be charmed, to what end God doth finally permit ſome to perſevere in ſinne, and can he find any other but this, for the manifeſtation of the glory of his vindicative juſtice in their condemnation? And without any deſire to charme, I have ſhewed plainly, that God doth not permit any man to ſinne, and finally to perſevere in ſin to the end that he may damnethem: But that he both permits them finally in ſin, and damnes them for their ſinne, for the declaration of his wrath and power on them; and alſo that he may declare the riches of his glory, upon the veſſells of his mercy, whom he hath prepared unto glory: If he put a difference between permiſſion of ſinne, and a will that they ſhall ſinne; I would entreate him not to ſtumble at this. For what difference between God's will to permit man to ſinne, and to will that man ſhall ſin by his permiſſion: And the tragicall acts committed on the holy Son of God by Herod and Pilate, the Gentiles and people of Iſrael, the Apoſtles ſay not they were permitted by God, but that they were predetermined by the hand and counſell of God. Mr. Moulin's Act: 4. 28.care is to avoid harſh expreſſions; & it is a commendable care. For why ſhould we cauſleſly expoſe the truth of God to be the worſe thought of, and provoke men to ſtumble at it by unneceſſary harſhneſſe? Yet I find the Scripture it ſelfe delivered by the holy Prophets and Apoſtles is nothing ſo ſcrupulous. Malim dicere, ſaith Mr. Moulin, I had rather ſay, Deum non decreviſſe dare alicui gratiam, quâ convertatur & credat; that God hath Anat: p. 23.decreed not to give ſome one grace whereby to be converted and believe; quâm dicere eum decreviſſe ut homo ſit incredulus & impoenitens, then to ſay God hath decreed that man ſhould be incredulous and impenitent. And he gives his reaſon thus. Vox enim decernendi aptior eſt ad ea deſignanda, quae Deus ſtatuit facere, quàm ea quibus ſtatuit non mederi. For to decree is fitter to denote ſuch things as God hath purpoſed to doe, then ſuch things as he hath purpoſed not to cure. And indeed the Ancients in this ſenſe take the word predeſtination, to be only of ſuch things as God himſelfe purpoſed to worke; as Grace and Glory, and the damnation of impenitent ſinners. But if God decrees not to cure impenitency and infidelity in ſome; judge whether upon this ground. it may not well be ſaid, that God decrees that the impenitency and infidelitie of ſome ſhall continue uncured And Mr. Monlin confeſſeth that God decreed that the Jewes ſhould put Chriſt to death. His words are theſe, Deus vetuit homicidium, idem tamen decrevitut Iudaei Chriſtum morte afficerent. God forbad murther yet Anat: p. 16.he decreed that the Iewes ſhould kill Chriſt. Yet by the way conſider, God hath no need of the ſinne of man, that he may put him to death juſtly. For undoubtedly God could annihilate any creature that he hath made, the moſt holy Angells without any blemiſh to his juſtice. Yea by power abſolute he could caſt the moſt innocent creature into hell fire, and continue yet juſt ſtill, as formerly hath been ſhewed, and Raynaudus juſtifies, and repreſents variety of teſtimonies for this, not only of School-divines, one of whom profeſſeth that it is concors omnium Theologorum ſententia, the common opinion of Divines; but of the Ancient Fathers alſo. And therefore though to ſtrangle Virgins was not lawfull for Tiberius; yet a greater & more ſevere worke then this is lawfull for God. Neither doth God cōmand any impure courſe to any, but under pain of eternall damnatiō forbids it. But as he hardened Pharaoh's heart that he ſhould not let I ſrael goe; ſo can he harden any man's heart to doe as foule a work as this. And St. Paul teſtifies that he gave up the heathens to their hearts luſts, unto uncleanes, to defile their own bodies between themſelves, which turned the Rom: 1. 24.truth of God into a lie, & worſhipped & ſerved the creature forſaking the Creatour, who is bleſſed for ever amen For this cauſe God gave them up to vile affections; for even the women, did change v. 26.the naturall uſe into that which is againſt nature. And likewiſe the men left the naturall uſe of the women, and burned in their luſts one toward another, and man with man wrought filthineſſe. v. 27.And this is noted by the Apoſtle to have been a work of judgment. For it followes, they received in themſelves ſuch recompence of their errours as was meet. I grant Tiberius was the principall Authour of deflowring thoſe Maides. For he commanded it, and that, as I have ſhewed, makes a man the Authour of a crime, both out of School-divines, and out of Oratours; but God gave no ſuch cōmand to theſe heathens thus to defile themſelves. And this Authour doubts not, but God cooperates to the ſubſtance of every act; notwithſtanding the abſoute dominion of the will over her actions, for which he pleades. And it cannot be denied unleſſe the word of God be therewithall denied, that, in him we move, as well as in him we live and have our being. And though God gave not commandement to Abſalom. to defile his Fathers Concubines, yet he tells David ſaying; I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them to thy neigbour, and he ſhall lie with thy wives in the ſight of this Sun. For 2 Sam, 12, 11thou did'ſt it ſecretly, but I will doe this thing before all Iſrael, and before the Sun. It is utterly untrue which this Authour obtrudes upon us, as if we thought it unlawfull, for God by verſ. 12.reaſon of his juſtice to put to death men innocent and without blame. Was any more innocent then the Son of God? yet he gave him to ſuffer ſomewhat more then the death for the ſins of men. Neither muſt we be gull'd with his phraſes of the Devills deflouring of men, when by him they are carried away into abominable courſes, ſo as to oppoſe Scripture & blaſpheme God, the language of the holy Ghoſt being this that all the outrages committed upon the holy Son of God by Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and people of Iſrael, were ſuch as, God's hand and counſell had before determined to be done. And the like cruelties or worſe were executed upon the Saints of God by their Kings, who imploied their ſoveraigne power in executiō of the beaſt's beheſts; yet this is called the will of God. God hath put into their hearts to fullfill his will, and to agree to give their kingdomes to the beaſt untill the word of God be fulfilled. And the truth is if God permit ſuch abominable courſes and hardens men's hearts, occaſion being offered they will commit them, according to the common proverbe. He muſt needs goe whom the Devill drives. And the very definition of the permiſſion of ſinne given by Arminius doth convince this, though he carrieth himſelfe very ſuperficiarily explicating God's providence in this, and the nature of obduration; which I have proſecuted at large in my Vindiciae, in anſwer to Bellarmine, eſpecially where I treat of the abduration of Pharaoh chap: 11. Neither doe we make damnation Lib. 2, Digr: 2.the end whereunto God permits ſinne; but both permiſſon for ſinne and damnation for ſinne, we make the meanes tending to another end, namely, the manifeſtation of God's glory in the way of juſtice vindicative, which in Scripture phraſe is called the declaration of his wrath. And to make God the Authour of ſinne by theſe courſes, is clearely Rom: 9. 22.to charge the holy Ghoſt with blaſphemie, ſeing the holy Ghoſt gives cleare teſtimony to all this in the word of God.