The Anatomy of Arminianism, Chapter 45
CHAP. XLV.
The queſtion of morall perſwaſion is ſifted and diſcuſſed, and whether eueryevery perſwaſion may be reſiſted.
THE Arminians determine that the efficacy of the ſpirit of God, working in our hearts, is in a morall perſwaſion: For they deny that thoſe habits of Faith, Hope and Charity, are infuſed into mens hearts by God, leſt the liberty of free-will ſhould be violated, and leſt conuerſion ſhould be made by an vnreſiſtible and vnauoidable neceſſity, but rather by a gentle invitation, which man may eyther reſiſt or obey.
This their opinion doth reſt on this falſe principle, that there is no perſwaſion which may not be ſo reſiſted that the effect thereof may at length be hindred. We contend, that this principle is falſe: For there is a perſwaſion ſo effectuall that it doth neceſſarily draw a man to aſcent; which although thou maiſt reſiſt, if thou wouldſt, yet thou canſt not be willing. If one, in a ſcorching drought, ſhould offer ſweete & wholeſome drinke to him that is a thirſt, and ſhould, with a friendly perſwaſion invite him to drinke, and ſhould diſſwade and hinder nothing on the contrary, I ſay that it cannot be, but that hee who is thirſty ſhould take the drinke offered him. A man hath fallen into the hands of enemies, who loade him with chaines, and caſt him into priſon, and bring him neere the puniſhment: Now, if one ſhould enter the ſame priſon, who ſhould looſen the chaines, open the gate, and ſhew him a ſure way of eſcape, and ſhould exhort him that he ſhould flie, and free himſelfe from the preſent danger, I doe not thinke that ſuch a man could obtain of himſelfe, that he ſhould not obey ſuch perſwaſion: And if in humane things there are many ſuch like perſwaſions, which you cannot be willing to reſiſt: How much leſſe can that perſwaſion be reſiſted, when to the euidence and certainty of the perſwaſion, and to the excellency of thoſe heauenly good things which the Goſpell doth offer to vsus, and to the knowledge of the preſent danger, the diuine power hath alſo come, and that heart-turning might of the holy-Ghoſt, whoſe efficacy cannot be explained. Surely there is a certaine perſwaſiue neceſſity, and a perſwaſion more mighty then any command, which doth ſo bend thoſe that are willing, that they would rather endure any thing then not to will what they deſire.
Reaſon it ſelfe doth adde credit to theſe things, and the nature of mans will, in which it is engrafted to moue it ſelfe to the preſcript and perſwaſion of the minde, vnleſſe when the indocible affections doe reſiſt reaſon. But as often as reaſon doth conſpire and agree with the affections, it is impoſſible but the will ſhould moue it ſelfe thither whether the minde doth perſwade it, and the appetites doe incite it; for what ſhould call it away, ſeeing it can be moued with no other impulſion?
Nor is it any doubt that God, who doth throughly know our ſoules, and the moſt fit occaſions by which the ſoule being apprehended cannot reſiſt him calling, and doth know in what part it is more flexible; ſhould not be able ſo to enlighten the minde, and imprint on the fancy (which hath the naturall command ouer the appetites) ſo cleere an image, ſo terrifie the conſcience, by the propounding of puniſhments, ſo ſtirre it vp, by laying before it the eternall rewards, ſo gently inuite, and ſo fitly perſwade, that preſently all reſiſtance ſhould ceaſe, and all contrariety fall to the ground.
Wherefore Arnoldus againſt Tilenus, pag. 251. ſpake inconſiderately, when hee ſaid that the liberty of the will conſiſted in this, that all things which are required to an action being granted, and being preſent, the will might ſuſpend and ſtoppe the action. He ought to hauehave ſaid, that the liberty of the will conſiſteth in this, that it doth with a free and ſpontaneus motion, apply it ſelfe to thoſe things which the vnderſtanding and the appetites doe perſwade, or if the appetites doe diſagree with reaſon, and diuers obiects are propounded, that the will may, by a free election, moue it ſelfe to what part it will. Let the ſoules which doe enioy the ſight of God in heauen be for an example; to whom all things are fully ſupplied, which are required to ſtirre vp the will to louelove God, yet their will cannot ſuſpend that action, nor forbid and auert that act of louelove, wherewith they louelove God: Neither can it be ſaid (although it maketh little to the preſent matter) that the cauſe why they cannot hate God is, becauſe occaſions of hatred, and incitations to ſinne are wanting: For the Angels before the fall had no greater occaſion. The ſame occaſions of ſinning which ouerthrew the Angels, were neuer wanting. The too much admiration, and too great louelove of themſelues, and by it a more ſlacke contemplation, and a more backward louelove of God, carried thoſe moſt excellent creatures headlong, and ſtirred them vp to rebellion.
The will indeede is affected to two or more things, and betweene two propounded obiects doth freely chooſe, vnleſſe when the laſt and beſt end is deſired: But it doth often ſo ſtrongly apply it ſelfe to ſome one thing, that it cannot reſiſt it ſelfe. And if the efficacy of the holy-Ghoſt, turning the heart, working in the elect, ſhal alſo come to it, which doth ſo draw & gouern the raines of the affections, that it may bend and turne the will following of its owne accord; what meruaile is it, if ſuch a rider cannot be finally ſhaken off, although the appetites doe ſo much reſiſt, and doe hardly giuegive ouer that rule and command which beſides right and equity they hauehave ceaſed on?
All theſe theſe things pertaine thither, that we may teach, that the euent of conuerſion is not thereby vncertaine, or (as theſe innouators ſpeake) reſiſtible, although God ſhould moue the heart by a morall perſwaſion, and ſhould allure the will by a congruent and meete invitation.
But yet whoſoeuer ſhall heare the Scripture, or ſhall deſcend to examples and to experience, ſhall finde that the efficacy of the holy-Ghoſt, working in mens hearts, ought not to be reſtrained to morall perſwaſion: For it is a hard thing to conceiue in ones minde, what perſwaſion God vſed in the conuerſion of Saint Paul, who was caſt downe, as it were with lightning, and whoſe ſtubbornneſſe kicking againſt the pricks was broken.
The ſame may be ſaid of the Theefe, into whom in the midſt of torments, and in the very agony of death, God did infuſe faith after an vnvtterable manner: For what? Doe theſe Sectaries thinke, that he obtained faith by vſe, and by the frequent actions of pietie? Surely that cannot be ſaid, ſeeing that in one moment he came from the height of incredulitie, and from moſt deſperately wicked manners, to a moſt ſtrong faith. Was he inuited by a gentle perſwaſion? No ſurely: For whatſoeuer things were preſent before him, were ſo many diſſwaſions, and they ſo powerfull, that the faith of the Apoſtles themſelues did then faile: The very torments which the miſerable man did then ſuffer could eaſily hauehave taken away the ſenſe of that allurement and perſwaſion, vnleſſe the ſecret power of the ſpirit of Chriſt had broken through all obſtacles.
Would the Apoſtle Paul, Epheſ. 1.19.20. and Coloſſ. 2.12. ſay, that that power of God, whereby he doth effectually worke in the hearts of beleeuers, is the ſame with that whereby hee raiſed Chriſt from the dead, if hee ſhould onelyonly conuert mens hearts by a morall perſwaſion, and by a gentle invitation?
Saul being fully determined to kill Dauid, came to Naioth, whither Dauid was fled, 1 Sam. 19. but as ſoone as he came thither, vnmindfull of Dauid, he is catched with a propheticall inſpiration: Where is there here any morall perſwaſion or invitation? If therefore God changeth the mindes of wicked men, without any morall perſwaſion, why ſhall hee not exerciſe the ſame power towards his elect.
And I doe not ſee how thoſe ſpeeches, of creating a new heart, of raiſing man from the dead, and of giuing new life, by which the Scripture doth expreſſe our conuerſion, may be applyed to note out morall perſwaſion. The new man is not created by perſwaſion, but by the infuſion of new life; and it muſt needes be, that ſome ſupernaturall thing muſt come, which cannot be explained by man.
And if God ſhould allure men to beleeue by a meere perſwaſion and invitation, God ſhould not be the efficient cauſe of faith: For hee that doth onelyonly exhort and perſwade that we may beleeue, doth not giuegive beleeuing it ſelfe; no, nor he who doth ſuggeſt the powers of beleeuing, as we hauehave ſaid before; but hee doth moue metaphorically and intentionally, as wee are moued by Obiects, and by a knowne end.
And that here is ſomething elſe beſide perſwaſion, may hence be gathered, in that you ſee ſome men are vehemently ſet on fire by a ſmall perſwaſion, ſome on the other ſide, who know the truth, are yet in the midſt of ſome euident and moſt certaine perſwaſions cold, and not at all affected. Former times, and our owne age, hath brought forth many Martyrs, who hauehave beene vnlearned, and but lightly inſtructed in the doctrine of the Goſpell; but that ſtrong natured and laborious Origen, who had the Scripture at his fingers ends, being vnable to endure Martyrdome, choſe rather to burne incenſe to the Diuell. Many among miracles, and in the midſt of the light of the Goſpell, are incredulous, as the men of Capernaum; or elſe are giuen to their belly and gluttony, as daily experience doth witneſſe. Neither doth this therefore come to paſſe, becauſe ſome of the vnregenerate are more capable of morall perſwaſion then others, ſeeing all men are altogether auerſe from God, and dead in ſinnes: Alſo you may ſee the moſt wicked men and worſt affected, to be conuerted to the faith of Chriſt, as the Romanes, the Corinthians, &c. that God hath choſen the fooliſh things of the world, and where ſin hath abounded, there grace hath abounded. On the other ſide, you may ſee many not ſo euilly diſpoſed, as the men of Tyre and Sydon, that are not called by the preaching of the Goſpell, then which, there is no other perſwaſion more wholeſome. There are ſome ages, in which the gate of the Church is wide open, and there is a great concourſe of people in it, as the Apoſtle teacheth, 1 Cor. 16.19. A great doore and effectuall, is opened to me. And 2 Cor. 2. When I came to Troas to preach the Goſpell, a doore was opened to me of the Lord. On the contrary, there are ſome times, in which the paſſage to the Church is as it were ſtopped vp, and the efficacy of the Goſpell doth ſeeme to be diminiſhed; when the Paſtors of the Church doe finde much ſtubborneneſſe in the people, & a brawnie skin drawn ouer their conſciences, the hardneſſe whereof doth turne and blunt the edge of preaching. This doth not happen, becauſe in ſome ages men are borne better, or becauſe God doth vſe other meanes and inſtructions to the teaching of them, then of others; but becauſe it ſeemed good to God to ſoften the hearts of theſe, and to reueale to them his arme and his power of ſaluation, and to faſten the ſword of the word of God with greater force into their mindes, and that according to his good pleaſure and election of grace, E…y …3. Rom. 1.by which as many as are appointed to eternall life, doe beleeue, Acts 13. By this motiue, God himſelfe did ſtirre vp the minde of Saint Paul, being at Corinth, and did exhort him to ſpeake freely: Feare not, (ſaith he) but ſpeake, and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee, and no man ſhall ſet vponupon thee to hurt thee; for I hauehave much people in this Citie.