The Anatomy of Arminianism, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
What the prouidence of God is. How farre it extends. That God is not the author of ſinne. What permiſsion is. And what blinding and hardening is.
I. PRouidence is a diuine vertue, the gouerneſſe of all things, by which God hath fore-knowne and fore-ordained from eternity, both the ends of all things, and the meanes tending to thoſe ends.
II. All things being preſent to God, there is nothing which from eternity he hath not foreſeene: But whether hee hath made a peculiar decree for all ſeuerall euents, it may be doubted. For it doth not ſeeme likely that God, from eternity, hath decreed, how many eares of Corne ſhall grow in the Neapolitan or any other field; or how many ſhreds hang on the torne beggars coate, or couering: Becauſe theſe things hauehave no reſpect of good or euill, neither doe they adde to the glory of God, or protection of the world: Summ: Theol. 2 part. Qu. 23 Art. 7.And therefore Thomas is of opinion, That by the decree of God the number of men is determined, but not the number of Gnats or Wormes. Not that thoſe little things doe eſcape rhe knowledge of God, or that God cannot extend his prouidence to them, but becauſe it doth not ſeem conuenient to his ſo great wiſdome, to decree any thing which doth adde nothing to his glory, or to the protection of the vniuerſe. Surely God hath, from eternity, fore-knowne all things, euen thoſe that are leaſt: But hee hath onelyonly pre-ordained and decreed thoſe things which hauehave in them ſome matter of good, and whereby the glory of God is made more illuſtrious, or the world more perfect.
III. The will of God cannot bee reſiſted. Rom. 9.20. God ſpeaketh of himſelfe. Eſay. 46.10. My Counſell ſhall ſtand, and I will doe all my pleaſure. And Saint Paul. Epheſ. 1. God hath made all things according to the purpoſe of his Will. This doth not pleaſe Arminius: For he in his booke againſt Perkins, the 60. page, is of opinion, that God may make fruſtrate that particular end which hee hath propounded to himſe fe; and page 198. doth thinke that the antecedent will of God may be reſiſted: But how truely, we ſhall hereafter ſee.
IV. God is in no wiſe the author, or inſtigator of ſin. Pſal. 5.5. Pſ. 45.8. For God is not onelyonly iuſt, but alſo iuſtice it ſelfe: And it is as impoſſible that hee who is iuſtice it ſelfe ſhould ſinne, or be the author of ſinne, as that whiteneſſe ſhould blacke the wall, or heate make one cold. Neither doth God onelyonly doe the thing that is iuſt, but therefore the thing is iuſt, becauſe God doeth it. And ſurely that idle deuiſe of ſome, is to be hiſſed out, who ſay, that God, though he doth enforce men to ſinne, yet himſelfe doth not ſin; becauſe there is no ſin where there is no law, and God is bound by no laws. I confeſſe indeed that God is obnoxious to no Law: And yet it is certaine, that hee can doe nothing that is contrary to his owne Nature. God cannot lie, becauſe hee is truth it ſelfe. God cannot ſinne, becauſe he is perfect righteouſneſſe it ſelfe. Theſe ſpeeches, that ſinne is committed eyther by Gods procuring or furthering, are altogether to be rooted out of diuinity.
V. Man by his owne fault hath brought deſtruction to himſelfe, neither can the fall of man be imputed to God. Thy deſtruction, O Iſraell, is from thy ſelfe; but in mee is thy helpe. Hoſea 12.9.10. As in the generation of the Infant, the ſunne and man doe worke together; yet if a monſter be generated, it is not aſcribed to the ſunne, but to man: For therefore is the monſter bred, becauſe through the defect of the organs, or the euill affection of the matter, the vniuerſall agent cauſe is withdrawne from the accuſtomed courſe. Euen ſo to humane actions, God and mans will doe concurre, yet if any euill bee in the action, it ought not to be aſcribed to God, but to the diſpoſition of mans will.
VI. And yet the Scripture doth ſometimes vſe thoſe phraſes of ſpeech, which doe yeeld occaſion to the prophane, of imputing their ſinnes to God, as being committed by his will and incitation. It is well knowne with how great wickedneſſe, the ſonnes of Iacob, moued with enuy, ſold their brother Ioſeph: Of this fact Ioſeph himſelfe thus ſpeaketh. Geneſ. …0. Yee indeede thought euill againſt mee, but God meant it vntounto good, that hee might ſaue much people aliue. As if GOD had beene the authour of this fact. The Scripture ſaith of the ſonnes of Samuel, that they did not obey their fathers admonitions, becauſe God would ſlay them. 1. Samuel 2.25. And 1. King. 2. the malignant ſpirit ſets himſelfe before the tribunall of God, and offers to God his ſeruice, to deceiue the Prophets: To whom God ſaid, Thou ſhalt deceiue, and thou ſhalt preuaile: Goe forth, and doe ſo. Shemei curſeth Dauid with foule imprecations. 2. Samuel 26. which Dauid receiues as done by the incitation of God. Let him curſe (ſaith hee) for God hath ſaid vntounto him; Curſe Dauid. Very grieuous calamities followed Dauids adultery with Bathſheba, and his murther of Vrias, by the rebellion of his ſonne Abſalon, who droue his father from his kingdome, and openly abuſed his wiues. Nathan, ſent to Dauid from God, doth declare how theſe things came to paſſe, in theſe wordes: Thou didſt this ſecretly, but I will doe theſe things before all Iſraell. 2. Sam. 12. Satan afflicted Iob, the Chaldees ſteale away his goods; what ſaith this ſeruant of God to theſe things? The Lord (ſaith hee) hath giuen, and the Lord hath taken away, Bleſſed be the name of the Lord. In the fourth Chapter of the Acts, Saint Peter ſaith thus: Againſt thy holy childe Ieſus, whom thou haſt annointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles, and the people of Iſraell, are aſſembled together, to doe whatſoeuer thy hand and thy counſell hauehave determined before to bee done. Saint Paule, in his firſt chapter of the Epiſtle of the Romans, ſpeaking of the people that were worſhippers of Idols, and were giuen ouer to all wickedneſſe, ſaith, that God gaue them vp to vile and wicked affections, that they might doe theſe enormious things. God himſelfe doth witneſſe, Exod. 10. & Rom. 9. That he hardned Pharaohs hart. Finally who doth not tremble at theſe words of God which are ſet downe in the ſixt Chap. of Eſay. Make the hart of this people fat, and make their eares heauy, and ſhut their eyes: Leaſt they ſee with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and vnderſtand with their hearts, and ſo conuert and be healed.
Leaſt any prophane perſon ſhould abuſe theſe things, to the vnlooſing of the claſpe of intemperancy; and leaſt any whoſe heart is hardned againſt the word of God, ſhould impute the hardneſſe of it to God, who cannot be reſiſted. As that yong man in Plautus, In …ulularia.thus excuſing himſelfe; Deus mihi impulſor fuit: God was an incitor to me, it was he drew mee to her: therefore ſome things are to be ſet downe wherby this queſtion may be cleered, and the truth may be brought out of this darkeneſſe.
VII. Before all other things wee admoniſh, that the middle way be kept betweene the two extreames. One whereof is, to make God the authour of ſinne; the other is to aſſigne any thing to be done, God being vnwilling, ignorant, or not regarding, as if ſitting in a watch-tower he did expect caſuall euents depending vponupon chance, or vponupon mans pleaſure. Let him runne into neither of theſe, who would acknowledge the prouidence of God without damage of his iuſtice, not fathering his ſinnes vponupon him, and would not call in ignorance or neglect of things in God, for the defence of his iuſtice.
VIII. Firſt therefore, it muſt be graunted that ſinne is not committed without Gods permiſſion: Neither ought this word of permitting offend any one as if it derogated from the care and prouidence of God, ſeeing Saint Paul himſelfe in the 14. chapter of the Acts doth vſe this word; where he ſaith to the men of Lycaonia, God in times paſt *foreign.ſuffered all nations to walke in their owne wayes; therefore God ſuffered ſinne. To permit ſinne is, not to hinder it when thou canſt: thence it comes to paſſe that there are ſo many meanes of permitting ſinne, as of hindring it. God doth hinder ſinne two manner of wayes; either by his Iuſtice, or by his Power. By his Iuſtice he hindereth ſinne, by commanding, by forbidding, by admoniſhing, by threatning, and by promiſing. By his power he doth hinder it, when he doth take away ability, or remoue the occaſion of ſinning, or by the efficacy of his ſpirit, doth change and encline to piety our wils that are prone to ſin. The former is a morall impediment, the latter a naturall, or euen a ſupernaturall. According to theſe meanes of hindering ſinne, the meanes of permitting it are alſo diuers: For God doth permit ſinne either by vnlooſing the Law, and giuing liberty of ſinning; or by not drawing away the ability of ſinning, which might hinder men from ſinning in act. After the former manner God doth neuer permit ſinne: after the latter manner he doth permit it; which he doth in not hindring that man ſhould aſſay it; and in not giuing a certaine ſuccour and meaſure of his grace, which if it were preſent, the ſinne might be preuented.
IX. This permiſſion is a certaine act of the diuine will, ſeeing it is voluntary; for God doth nothing vnwitting or vnwilling: God therefore permits ſinne, becauſe he will permit it; neither had he permitted it, if it had not beene good that it ſhould be permitted: for if there were not euill, it would not be known what is good: euen as we ſhould not know what light were, vnleſſe there were a night; neither had his iuſtice (whereby he puniſheth, nor his mercy whereby he pardoneth) beene made knowne, nor his wiſedome, whereby he can draw good out of euill; nor his infinite louelove, whereby hee ſent his ſonne into the world that he might die for vsus; not that God doth ſtand in neede of our wickedneſſe to illuſtrate his glory, but becauſe, otherwiſe, man could not come to that full felicity to which hee was created. For God cannot be perfectly knowne, and therefore not perfectly loued, ſo long as his iuſtice and mercy is vnknowne: So that by the very fall of man, God hath framed to man, a ſtep to a more perfect condition; and although in the reſpect of many particular perſons which periſh, it might hauehave beene wiſhed that man had not ſinned, yet in reſpect of the vniuerſall good, whereof regard is rather to be had, God ought not to hauehave vſed his power to hauehave hindred ſinne, that it might not hauehave beene committed.
X. Furthermore, although God doth permit the Diuels and men to ſinne, yet doth hee not ſo let looſe the reynes to them, but that they are held faſt bound by the bonds of his prouidence, and whileſt they wander out of the path of righteouſneſſe, they are yet included within the limits of his prouidence, that they ſhould not hurt them whom God loues: For although mans will hath corrupted it ſelfe; yet is not therefore the gouernment of God diminiſhed, to which the willes of men are ſubiect, how much ſoeuer they are aduerſe to his commandement, and driuen with the ſpirit of rebellion doe gnaſh their teeth againſt his gouernment.
XI. The principall faculties of the ſoule are two, the Vnderſtanding, and the Will; the one by which man knoweth, and the other by which hee moues himſelfe. By the vnderſtanding, we are learned or vnlearned, by the will, we are eyther good or euill. That which in the vnderſtanding is to affirme or deny, that in the will, is to deſire or to refuſe. God doth not put wicked deſires into the minde: but he doth often caſt darknes into the mind, and in his iuſt iudgement doth blinde the vnderſtanding, ſtriking the rebells with a giddineſſe, and making them drunke with the ſpirit of ſleepe; yea truely, no otherwiſe then the maſter doth iuſtly blow out his ſeruants candle, which by night he doth abuſe at dice: So God doth take away the light of his knowledge, when man doth abuſe it to the contempt of God, and to the liberty of ſinning. Howbeit, God hauing taken away this light, the erring will doth ſtumble, and grieuouſly offend; but hardneſſe of heart doth, of it ſelfe, follow this blindneſſe of minde. For Saint Iohn ioyneth theſe together as hanging one vponupon another. Chap. 12.40. God hath blinded their eyes, and hardned their hearts. By this meanes latter ſinnes, are made the puniſhment of former ſinnes; as Saint Auſtin teacheth at large in his fift booke againſt Iulian. Chap. 3. For by the very ſame thing, whereby man by his latter ſinnes is made more wicked, by the ſame he is alſo made more miſerable: Not that ſinne is ſent from God as a puniſhment, but becauſe God doth vſe for a puniſhment that ſinne which is not from him. And hence doth that doctrine of a bare and careleſſe permiſſion vaniſh; becauſe a iudge doth not puniſh by a careleſſe permiſſion; but by decreeing or iudging according to iuſtice.
XII. The ſubminiſtration, and furniſhing of the outward meanes of ſaluation, ſuch as are the word and ſacraments doe alſo worke to this obduration, and hardneſſe of heart. For vnleſſe God moue the heart by the powerfull grace of his ſpirit, mans wickedneſſe is more ſtirred vp by thoſe outward helpes, and hauing caſt off this troubleſome yoake, he is carried through by-waies, and doth violently throw down himſelfe with greater ruine: And then is fulfilled that which is ſaid in the 81. Pſalme. I gaue them vp to their owne hearts luſts, that they might walke in their owne counſells. But yet, that you might know that this hardneſſe of heart doth proceede from man himſelfe; the Scripture doth not onelyonly ſay, that God hardned Pharaohs heart: but Pharaoh himſelfe is ſaid to hauehave harden…d his owne heart. Exod, 8.15. Neyther is that of Saint Paule, Rom. 1. any otherwiſe to be vnderſtood; That God deliuereth ouer the wicked foreign, to a reprobate minde and vile affections: For this reprobate minde, theſe vile affections are not put into the wicked by God, but they being in the vngodly, God hauing put out his light, doth ſuffer theſe vile affections to exerciſe their authority ouer them; as Thomas teacheth. Lib. 2. Queſt. 79. Art. 1.
XIII. Furthermore, they are two ſorts of them whoſe hearts are hardned; for beſides that hardneſſe of heart which is common to all the reprobates, whereby a man is left to himſelfe, whence it commeth that hee doth alwaies grow worſe, there are ſome that are foreign men of a high ranke of wickedneſſe, whom God doth deliuer to Sathan with a peculiar and extraordinary vengeance; ſuch as were Pharaoh, Saul and Iudas.
XIV. EueryEvery poſitiue being doth depend vponupon God as vponupon the firſt and principall entity, neither can the creature moue it ſelfe without the aſſiſtance and ſuſtentation of God: For by him we liue, and moue, and hauehave our bring, Acts 17. Neither doth he onelyonly worke by influence into the creatures, or aſſiſt them by a generall power and influence, but alſo by his peculiar aſſiſtance, by which he doth ſuſtaine and direct ſeuerall actions. The euents which follow of ſeuerall actions doe declare this, which he doth witneſſe, doe not happen by chance, but of his purpoſe, God ſo willing: Deut. 19.5. Exod. 21.13.If an Axe falling out of the hand of him that cutteth wood, doth kill one that paſſeth by, God doth affirme that it was done by him. The Lot is caſt into the lap, but the whole diſpoſing thereof is of the Lord, Pro. 16.33.
XV. Furthermore, although God by his concurrence, doth giuegive his influence into humane actions, ſuſtayning the agent, and directing the actions, ſetting bounds to them, ordering the euents, and drawing good out of euill; yet muſt it not therefore be thought that God doth inſtigate to euill actions, or to hauehave forced Eue to the eating of the forbidden tree. To the clearing of which aſſertion, we ſay that God doth not onelyonly worke by the creature, but alſo worke with the creature; both God and the creature are concurrent cauſes to one foreign, to the bringing forth of one effect; and theſe two taken together, are the totall cauſe of any action: which creature, if it doth worke voluntary, may by his concurrence pollute the action wherein there is the concurrence of God, and determinate it to euill: By this meanes the whole fault doth remaine with the creature. For God effectually infuſing into the creature, doth not take away from it the free contribution of its owne power. If man ſinneth any thing in an humane action, the concurrence of God is naturall, but the concurrence of the creature is morall: whatſoeuer was naturall in the eating of the forbidden Apple was from God; whatſoeuer was morall and ſtraying from the path of iuſtice, was from man. As God doth giuegive to a lame liuing creature the power of going, yet is not his lameneſſe from God; ſo though God doth giuegive to man the faculty of willing, and doth ſuſtaine the naturall motion of the will, and the act of willing; yet if any euill come which doth defile that act, it muſt not be ſaid to be from God: Man is the effector of ſinne, God the permitter. That act in which there is deformity, is naturally good, in as much as it is from God: but morally euill, in as much as it is from man. The action in which the ſinne is, is one thing, the deformity of the action in which formally the ſinne is, is another thing. To the action it ſelfe God doth concurre with man, but not to the ſinne.
XVI. Neither is God to be blamed that he doth concurre with the creature, which hee knoweth will abuſe his concurrence and aſſiſtance to ſinning: For mans vice cannot ſtraighten the limits of Gods power, nor diſſolue that eternall law, by which the whole frame of nature doth ſtand, nor pull away that naturall neceſſity, whereby the creature cannot moue it ſelfe…, without the aſſiſtance of God. So the Soule although it knowes that the body will abuſe her mouing power to halting, doth not keep back her mouing force, or abſtaine from the motion of the body. Neither will therefore the power of God be diminiſhed in naturall things, or his influence ceaſe, becauſe in morall things, the will of man is diſobedient to the law of God: Yea, God cannot require obedience from the creature, vnleſſe he ſhould ſuſtaine it, and giuegive to it power of mouing it ſelfe.
XVII. As the Sunne is not the cauſe of darkeneſſe, although darkeneſſe doth neceſſarily follow the abſence of it: So God ſeeing he is the moſt exact iuſtice, is not the cauſe of ſinne, although inordinate affections, blindeneſſe of minde, & the prauity of the will, doe neceſſarily follow the deniall of the grace of God. This is their meaning, which ſay, that God is not the efficient, but the deficient cauſe of ſin: Yet I could wiſh men would abſtaine from this kinde of ſpeaking.
XVIII. Although wicked men doe worke freely, and of their owne motion are carried to ſinne, God not alluring nor forcing them: yet it is certaine, that the euents which doe follow thence are directed and gouerned by Gods prouidence. For as the downefall of the running water, inclining to the lower parts, may be turned, the channell being guided by the diligence of the conueyor: ſo although wicked men of their owne diſpoſition are prone to ſinne, yet by the prouidence of God and his ſecret counſell, they are inclined to commit this ſinne rather then that, that they may ſerue the execution of the iudgements of God, when he will vſe them either to puniſh any ones wickedneſſe, or to try the faith of the godly, or to ſtirre vp their ſloathfulneſſe. This ſimilitude Salomon doth vſe, Prou. 21. The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord, as the riuers of waters, and hee turnes it whether he will. By this meanes as Saint Peter ſaith, Act. 4. The wicked doe whatſoeuer things the hand of God and his purpoſe had determined to be done. Hence it is that God ſaith, Eſay 5. that hee will whiſtle for the remote nations, to ſay waſte Iudea. And Chap. 10. hee cals Aſhur the rod of his wrath. Ieroboam ſeekes after nouelties, and doth practiſe a reuolting from Salomon; Ahias the Prophet ſent from God, doth declare to him the euent of this attempt: God did not inſtill this rebellion into his heart, which was before conceiued; but hardned his minde, which was already euill, to the daring this wicked attempt, that he might vſe the wicked man to puniſh the ſinnes of Salomon and Rehoboam.
As therefore Horſe-leaches applyed to the parts of a ſicke man, while they ſatisfie their owne gorge, doe performe the intent of the Phyſitian: ſo wicked men, whileſt they rage againſt good men, beſides their owne intention, they further the purpoſe of God: as Eſay teacheth in his tenth Chapter; where God ſaith that hee had decreed to vſe the King of Aſsiria to puniſh the hypocriſie of Iſrael, but that this minde was not in the King, being led onelyonly by ambition and deſire of prey: Thus God vſed the wickedneſſe of the brethren of Ioſeph to keepe famine from his people: and the treaſon of Iudas, for the death of Chriſt, and by it, for our redemption; and the ambition of Auguſtus Caeſar taxing the whole Empire, for the bringing of Mary out of Galile to Bethlehem, that there ſhee might be deliuered, and ſo the propheſie of Michai be fulfilled. Euen they which reſiſt the commandement of God, helpe forward his prouidence, and like Rowers which ſet their backes that way which they goe. God by the folly of men, doth worke the purpoſes of his wiſedome; he doth vſe vniuſt men to the exerciſing of his iuſtice: as if one with a crooked ſtaffe ſhould ſtrike a ſtraight blow.
XIX. Whenſoeuer God letting looſe the reines to Sathan, doth permit him to tempt any man, Sathan truely may allure the appetite by propounding Obiects, or trouble the phantaſie by the alteration of the humours of the body, but he cannot compell the will; otherwiſe the man ſhould not ſinne but Sathan: Neither could God iuſtly puniſh a man for ſinne, to which hee had beene compelled by an outward cauſe, without his owne inclination.
XX. But becauſe God, when hee would auenge the contumacy of his enemies, or puniſh the ſinnes of his owne, doth ſometimes vſe Sathan as his miniſter; the holy Scripture doth attribute one and the ſame euent both to God and to Sathan. So 1 Sam. 16. the euill ſpirit troubling Saul, is ſaid to be from God. and 1 Chro. 21. Sathan is ſaid to hauehave roſe vp againſt Iſrael, and to hauehave ſtirred vp Dauid to number the people; and 2 Sam. 24. it is attributed to God. There God is to be conſidered as a iuſt iudge, and Sathan as an incitour of the wickedneſſe.
By theſe inſtructions well conceiued, the way of ex…uſing Saint Austen will eaſily be found, from whom ſometimes there fall ſome ſpeeches which trouble tender eares, if they be not moderated with a fit interpretation; ſuch is that which he ſaith of Shemei curſing Dauid, in his Booke de Gratia & libero arbitrio. Cap. 20. What wiſe man doth vnderſtand how the Lord ſaid to this man, Curſe Dauid? For he did not bid him by commanding him, that his obedience ſhould be praiſed; bu becauſe God inclined his will, which by his owne proper vice was euill, to this ſinne, by his iuſt and ſecret iudgement, and therefore is it ſaid, the Lord bid him. And Cap. 22. God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wils whitherſoeuer he will, either to good things of his own mercy, or to euill things according to their deſerts. And againſt Iulian the Pelagian, lib. 5. cap. 3. Many other things we might rehearſe, in which it would plainely appeare, that the heart is made peruerſe by the ſecret iudgement of God, that the truth which is ſaid might not be heard, and ſo man might ſinne, that ſinne might be the puniſhment of a former ſinne: Yea, in the ſame place, he doth contend againſt Iulian, that thoſe which are deliuered vp to their owne deſires, are driuen into ſinnes by the diuine power. Neither doth Thomas teach things vnlike theſe, in his Commentary vponupon the Epiſtle to the Romanes, and the ninth Chapter.