The Anatomy of Arminianism, Chapter 42
CHAP. XLII.
The conſent of the Arminians with the Semipelagians, is declared.
SAint Auſtin writ bookes againſt Pelagius, Coeleſtius, and Iulian, wherein he maintained the ſound faith, concerning Originall ſinne, Predeſtination, Grace, Freewill, and Election, according to the purpoſe of God. Pelagianiſme being ſhaken by his Arguments, taken out of the holy Scripture, as it were with moſt ſtrong battering Rammes, and at length being ouerthrowne, neuer after lifted vp the head: Therefore next to God, we are indebted to the induſtry and wit of ſo great a man, that this deadly plague was driuen from the bowels of the Church.
But Sathan being ſhaken off by his labour and diligence, deuiſed other practiſes, by which hee doth ſo fight for grace, that he doth ſecretly fight againſt it: For there were not wanting men in diuers places, eſpecially in Aquitania, & in the region of Maſsilia, who although they profeſſed themſelues to differ from Pelagius, yet they carped at the writings of Saint Auſtin, and doe thus inveigh againſt his doctrine of abſolute Election: That by it mens conſciences are made ſluggiſh, that they might ſleep in vices; by it the raines are loſened to al wickednes; by it men are driuen headlong to deſperation. That Precepts, Exhortations, & threats, are needeleſſe, if the number of the elect be determined by the purpoſe of God, or if by the immutable decree of God ſome men are elected to faith and ſaluation, and ſome are appointed to damnation. Finally, free-will is tyed by the bands of neceſſitie, in as much as they who are ſo elected, cannot but perſeuere. They thought therefore that the middle way betweene Pelagius and Saint Auſtin, was to be gone in. For they taught that the ſinne of Adam flowed into his poſteritie: That mans nature was corrupt, and that by the powers of nature he could not come to ſaluation: But they taught that the grace which ſhould cure nature, is preſent with all men; and that all men, either by the naturall law, or by the written law, or by the Goſpell, are ſo called, that it is free for eueryevery man to embrace or refuſe the offered grace, to beleeue, or not to beleeue: For (they ſay) that Chriſt obtained reconciliation for all men; and that God from eternity elected thoſe whom he fore-ſaw would beleeue in Chriſt, and perſeuere in the faith: And therefore that the number of the elect is not determined by the decree of God; but that our election is then certaine, when the courſe of our life is meaſured out.
Theſe are they who are commonly called Semipelagians: Differing from Pelagius in this, that they acknowledge nature to be depraued with Originall ſinne, and that they diſtinguiſh nature from grace; but yet by a ſecret agreement, they doe fauour Pelagius; becauſe they will hauehave nature ſo to be a diuerſe thing from grace, that yet they will hauehave grace equally to extend it ſelfe as farre as nature: Alſo they make ſuch a grace, the vſe whereof doth depend vponupon free-will.
Hee that would throughly know the meaning of theſe men, let him reade the Epiſtle of Proſper to Saint Auſtin, inſerted into the Seauenth Tome of the workes of Saint Auſtin, moſt worthy to be read with care: For he being a very great admirer of Saint Auſtin, and being for this cauſe accuſed by theſe Semipelagians, he requireth the helpe of Saint Auſtin, and doth deſire to be furniſhed with arguments, whereby hee might defend himſelfe againſt them. Surely, there you ſhall plainely know the Arminian vaine, and you ſhall ſee Arminianiſme graphically and liuely painted out: And but that the title of the Epiſtle, and the Epiſtle it ſelfe, did teſtifie, both the Author and the age, you would ſweare, it were the Epiſtle of one, who being prouoked by the Arminians, and being ill entreated, doth implore the helpe of one more learned. That now it cannot be a doubt, out of what puddles they hauehave drawne their opinions, and which of the ancient Heretiques they hauehave propounded to themſelues to imitate; I ſhall not much ſtay the haſtening Reader if I lay downe the words of the Semipelagians themſelues, as they are recited by Proſper himſelfe. This is (ſaith Proſper) their declaration and profeſsion, that eueryevery man ſinned when Adam ſinned, and that no man is ſaued, in regeneration, by his owne workes, but by the grace of God, and yet that the propitiation which is in the Sacrament of the bloud of Chriſt, is propounded to all men without exception, that whoſoeuer will come to faith and baptiſme may be ſaued: And that God fore-knew before the making of the world, who were to beleeue, and who would continue in that faith, which afterwards ſhould be helped by the grace of God: And that hee Predeſtinated thoſe to his kingdome, whom he hauing freely called, he fore-ſaw would be worthy of Election, and would depart out of this life with a good end: And therefore that eueryevery man is admoniſhed by the ordinances of God to beleeue, & to worke that no man might deſpaire of obtaining eternall life; ſeeing that the reward is prepared for voluntary deuotion. But this purpoſe of the calling of God by which the difference of them that are to be elected, and of them that are to be reiected, is ſaid to hauehave beene made, eyther before the beginning of the world, or in the very creation of mankinde, that according to the pleaſure of the creator, ſome ſhould be created veſſels of honour, others veſſels of diſhonour, this (they ſay) doth both take away from them that are fallen the care of riſing againe, and alſo doth yeeld occaſion of ſluggiſh drowſineſſe to the Saints, becauſe on eyther ſide labour is ſuperfluous, if neither he that is reiected, can by any induſtry and diligence enter, nor he that is elected can by any negligence fall away: For after whatſoeuer manner they ſhall behaue themſelues, nothing can happen to them, but what God hath determined; and vnderunder an vncertaine hope, the courſe cannot be constant, ſeeing that the intention of him that doth endeauour, is vaine, if the Election of him that predeſtinateth hath appointed anther thing: Therefore all induſtry is remoued, and all vertues are taken away, if the appointment of God doe preuent the will of man; and a kinde of fatall neceſsitie is brought in, vnderunder this name of predeſtination. Theſe were the words of the Semipelagians, altogether like Arminianiſme, and of the ſame ſtampe.
Let thoſe things alſo which follow be pondered and conſidered of: They determine, that to this gift of ſaluation, all men vniuerſally are called, either by the naturall law, or by the written law, or by the preaching of the Goſpell, that both they that will, might be made the ſonnes of God, and that they might be inexcuſable, who will not be faithfull; becauſe herein is the iuſtice of God, that they who will not beleeue ſhould periſh; and his goodneſſe appeareth herein, that he will put backe no man from life, but indifferently would all men to be ſaued, and to come to the knowledge of the truth: And that our Lord Ieſus Chriſt dyed for all mankinde; and that no man at all is excepted from the redemption of his bloud, although he paſſe through his whole life in a farre other opinion. And a little after; They doe not conſent, that the predeſtinated number of the elect, can neither be encreaſed nor diminiſhed, leaſt the incitations of them that exhort men, ſhould hauehave no place with infidels, and thoſe that neglect predeſtination, &c. They hauehave receiued the election of God, according to fore-knowledge, to wit, that therefore God hath made ſome men veſſels of honour, and ſome veſſels of diſhonour, becauſe he fore-ſaw the faith of eueryevery one. Truely this is meere Arminianiſme, but that the Arminians doe clothe their opinions more gloriouſly, and doe paint them with exquiſite colours, and doe more ſparingly vſe the word Merit, which not onelyonly the Semipelagians, but alſo the Orthodoxe writers (but in another ſence then the Papiſts at this day doe) did often vſe. Finally they doe, as they doe who ſet before their gueſts old and reiected dainties, by putting to them new ſauce.
To this Epiſtle is added another of the ſame argument, of Hilareus Biſhop of Areles, to Saint Auſtin, where he doth attribute theſe things to the Semip…lagians: God in his fore-knowledge doth elect faith, that whom he fore-knew would beleeue, him he elected, to whom he would giuegive the holy Ghoſt, that by working good, they might obtaine eternall life. This fore-knowledge they thus vnderſtand, to wit, that men are ſaid to be fore-knowne for faith which is to follow, and that ſuch a perſeuerance is giuen to no man, from which hee is not ſuffered to ſwerue, but that he may fall from it, and be weakened by his owne will. Whatſoeuer is giuen to thoſe that are predeſtinated, they contend, that they may looſe it, or keepe it, according to their owne will. Which then were falſe if they did thinke it true that ſome men hauehave beene made partakers of that perſeuerance that they could not but perſeuere: Thence it is that they will not admit of this, that they ſhould allow, that the number of them that are predeſtinated, and the number of them that are reiected is determined. Theſe are they whoſe authority was more to Arminius, then the authority of Saint Auſtin, yea, then of Saint Paul himſelfe: For they hauehave liberally and manifeſtly borrowed all their opinions from the Semipelagians.