An Antidote Against Popery, Appendix · Chapter 4
CHAPT. IV. Of FREE-WILL, Which the Romanistes would establish, by these places following.
GENES. 4.7. If thou doe well, thou shalt bee accepted: and if thou doe not well, sinne lyeth at the doore, and vntounto thee the appetite (or concupiscence) there-of shall bee subject, and thou shalt rule over it. That is, (say they) If thou wilt, thou mayst resist the concupiscence of sinne, thorow the power of Free-will: so that this Text (saye the Rhemistes) showeth Free-will in man, also after his fall.
Answere. First, if thou doe well, or not well, showeth not what was in the power of Cains will, as equally indifferent to good or ill a-lyke, but what should bee the consequence of doing well or evill; to wit, acceptation or rejection.Aug. tom. 7. l. 3. contra duas Epistolas Pelag. anor. c. 8. For as sayeth Augustine, Mans free-will beeing now captivated, is able vntounto nothing, but to sinne; but vntounto righteousnesse it is altogether vnable, except it bee made free, and ayded by GOD.
Next, the wordes following, (Also his desire shall bee to thee, and thou shalt rule over him,) are vnderstood of Abell, and not of Sinne. Therefore sayeth Chrysostome, See the merciemercy of the Lord, how Hee preasseth to mittigate his furie and madnesse, &c. by subjecting his brother to him, and nowyse impairing his power over him. So lykewyse doeth Procopius and Gennadius expone, as also their owne Ferus telleth, that sundrie others doe so in lyke-manner, from whence also hee raiseth this observation, That pietie overthroweth not superioritie of the power of others. Where also note a shamelesse lie made by the Rhemistes in their Notes on this Text: to wit, That in our last English Translation, the place is translated thus, VntoUnto thee shall bee the desire thereof, and thou shalt hauehave rule of it.
DEVT. 30.19. I call Heaven and Earth to record this day agaynst you, that I hauehave set before you lyfe and death, blessing and cursing: there-fore choose lyfe, that thou and thy seede may liue. Heere (say they) lyfe and death put in mans choyse, which were in vaine, if hee had not free-will to doe eyther.
Answere. The option of eyther indeede is set before man, but the choosing of lyfe which is commanded, is showne else-where in Scripture,1 Cor. 3.5. Philip 2.13. whence man hath the same; to wit, from no naturall abilitie of free-will, but from grace onlie. These three thinges beeing ever to bee considered in mans free-will. 1. The libertie or indifferencie it had to good or evill at first in mans first creation. 2. The pravitie therof, now after the fall, arysing from our corruption: and 3. The inclyning thereof to good, or the performance of spirituall dueties appertayning to Salvatiō, this being onlie by GOD'S grace, and from regeneration.Aug. de bono per sen. c. 6. Bern. de gra et lib. arbit. prope finem. Therefore sayeth Augustine, Wee liue more safe, to ascrybe the whole to Him, and not to giuegive part to Him, and part to our selues. Which Bernard showeth to hauehave beene Paul's practise, saying. The Apostle ascrybeth all to GOD, and no wayes ought to his owne free-will.
And how much most part of the Schoole-men hauehave attributed to divyne grace, heerein (sayeth their owne Cassander) in place of all, Bonaventure doth witnesse:Cassand. cōsult. art. 18. For this is the duetie of godlie myndes (sayeth hee) to attribute nothing to themselues, but all to the grace of GOD.
To the same purpose they produce a lyke seeming place out of ECCLESIASTICVS, 15.15.16. where it is sayde, If thou wilt, thou shalt obserue the Commaundementes, and testifie thy good-will: Hee hath set Water and Fire before thee, stretch foorth thy hand vntounto which thou wilt, &c.
Answere. Rupertus in Gen. l. 3. c. 31.(As sayeth Rupertus speaking of this same Booke, and with him Ierome, pref. in lib. Salom.) This Scripture is not Canonicke, therefore, neyther is this sentence taken out of the same of Canonicke Authoritie; so that, this which is brought out of the same, more easilie is to bee contemned, nor acknowledged, (sayth hee.)
Next: This Text maketh no wayes for the indifferencie of man's will, by nature, to good, as well as to evill, in the state of corruption: For the Text sayeth, If thou wilt, thou shalt obserue the Commaundementes: And I hope no Romanist, (except hee were worse than a Pelagiane) dare bee so bolde, as to saye, that this can bee done onelie by the abilitie of Nature: Therefore hee speaketh of Man, as hee was first created, as is mentionate Verse 14. and Bellarmine acknowledgeth, Lib. 4. de Libr. Arb. Cap. 7. §. postremo. On which wordes, Iansenius also commenting, sayeth, That Man had a fuller power vntounto good before his fall, than after. But yet, that the Scripture speaketh often tymes of his will, as if it were in the power thereof, to will and doe good; both because it looketh to that power of the will which it had from GOD in the creation, dissembling that which is done since by sinne; as also, because by his creation, as yet, hee hath power to will and doe good, but not by himselfe: that is, by that power which hee hath now, as hee had then.
ROM. 9.16. It is neyther in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth; but in GOD, that showeth merciemercy. Heere wee see, (saye they) that a willing is attributed to Man; and an endevour vntounto which being joyned, GODS merciemercy, by exciting Grace, a man's conversion is wrought.
Aunswere. The Apostle speaketh not of the will of man by nature, but as it is renewed by grace, and maketh a man to runne (with DAVID) in the waye of GOD'S obedience:Psal. 119.32. both which the Apostle ascrybeth to meere merciemercy;Aug. Enchirid c. 32. and so this Text maketh close agaynst them. This is AVGVSTINE'S exposition; from whom (sayeth Estius) Nazianzen, Chrysostome, and Ierome, dissent not: who having disputed out of this Text, agaynst the natural power of man's will, to that which is truelie good, concludeth thus; It resteth, then, (sayeth hee) that it bee vnderstoode rightlie to bee spoken, It is neyther in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in GOD, that showeth merciemercy; that all bee ascrybed to GOD, who prepareth the will of man to bee good, and helpeth it, beeing prepared: For wee reade both this in holie Scripture, His merciemercy shall prevent mee: and His merciemercy also spall followe mee. HEE preventeth one, beeing vnwilling, and maketh him willing: and Hee followeth him who is willing, that hee will not in vayne.
Moste excellentlie also doeth Aquinas, commenting on this place, showe this to bee the true meaning thereof; as lykewyse Lyra, who citeth the foresayd words of Augustine. And their late Estiu… in lyke manner, setteth downe this to bee the Apostle's meaning: as if hee would saye, No man hath eyther power to will, or worke, of himselfe; but hee receaveth all from GOD, mercifullie preventing him by His Grace. And this contayneth (sayeth hee) moste fullie Catholicke Veritie.
LVKE 10.30. At last they bring an Argument, from the parable of him who came downe from Hierusalem to Jericho, and was wounded by the Robbers, and left halfe dead. Which man, (say they) representeth fallen Man-kynde; in whome there is some lyfe left, and a desire to bee cured: and this is by his Free-will.
Aunswere. First,Bell. lib. 2. de grat. & libr. arb. c. 11. Bellarmine himselfe graunteth, That from a mysticall sense, a solide argument can never bee taken, for probation of doctrines of Fayth. Next: This is flatte contrary to the mynd or scope of our Saviour, which was to showe onelie by this parable, who was the true Neyghbour, as Cajetane, Stella, Maldonate, and others, declare. And last:Ephes 2.5. This contradicteth the Apostle foulie, who showeth vsus, That Man, by nature, is altogether, (and not allmoste) dead in his sinnes.