A Brief Answer to Objections Against the Treatise of Faith, Text
A BRIEFE ANSVVERE TO CERTAINE Objections againſt the Treatiſe of Faith, made by EZ. CVLVERVVELL. Clearing him from the errors of Arminius, vnjuſtly layd to his charge.
LONDON, Printed by I. D. for William Sheffard, and are to be ſold at his Shop at the entrance in out of Lumbard ſtreete into Popes-head Alley. 1626.
Chriſtian Reader,
Although my great care in ſetting forth A Treatiſe of Faith, was to deliver that truth which I gathered out of the holy Scriptures, and, keeping in mine eye, the marke I aimed at, To ſtrengthen the weake in faith, I purpoſely avoyded all controverſies which might entangle weake Iudgements: Yet now of late I perceiue, that, as my Labours hauehave had good approbation of the Learned, and hauehave beene profitable vntounto weake Chriſtians, ſo ſom few hauehave by ſpeech and writing manifeſted their differing judgements from me, and an hard cenſure of me; which I had purpoſed to paſſe by in ſilence: but meeting of late with a briefe confutation in print, of ſome cheife points in my Booke, which might ſtumble many weake ones, I hold my ſelfe bound in Conſcience to maintaine the truth by me delivered, and to cleare my ſelfe from many vniuſt imputations. Wherein paſſing by the Author, and all his intentions, I will touch the principall points gainſayed. This formerly I had done, and ſent to the Author before he publiſhed his Confutation. Therefore he had no juſt cauſe to make my defect of anſwer a cauſe of putting his Confutation to the preſſe, as he alledgeth in his Epiſtle to the Reader.
HISapag. 4. firſt exception is againſt theſe words, Many of Gods children doe not enioy that ſweete life and bleſſed eſtate in this world, which God their Father hath provided for them. Any indifferent Reader may ſee his groſſe miſtaking herein. For what I ſpeake of Gods bountie in providing meanes, whereby his children might liue more comfortably, if the fault were not in thēſelues, he vnderſtāds of Gods Decree, which is vnchangeable, and cannot be fruſtrated. So that all his Diſcourſe hereof, as many others, might well hauehave beene ſpared.
Thebpag. 7. 8. &c. ſecond, and indeed the onelyonly point in queſtion is, Whether Salvation in Chriſt, be in the Goſp…ll proclaimed and offered in generall to all that heare it, or onelyonly to the El…ct. The former I hold & proue by moſt evident Scriptures, as, I doubt not, the Learned will approue.
Herein I hauehave, beſide many other Orthodox defenders of the truth, both ancient and modern, the conſent of that famous Synod at Dort, wherein were aſſembled a great number of leared Divines, out of the Reformed Churches. Their own words I will ſet downe, that all may ſee how I agree with them.
Chap. 2. Art. 5.It is the promiſe of the Goſpell, that whoſoeuer beleeveth in Chriſt crucified, ſhould not periſh, but hauehave life everlaſting: which promiſe, together with the iniunction of Repentance and faith, ought promiſcuouſly and without diſtinction to be declared and publiſhed to all men, and people, to whom God in his good pleaſure ſends the Goſpell.
But for as much as many being called by the Goſpell, Art. 6.doe not repent nor beleeue in Chriſt, but periſh in their Infidelitie, this comes not to paſſe for want of, or by any inſufficiency of the ſacrifice of Chriſt offered vponupon the Croſſe, but by their owne default.
This ſhall ſuffice for my defēce in this point. As for further Confutation of his arguments to the contrary, it is not my purpoſe to charge the Preſſe with more Controverſies among our ſelues. OnelyOnly this I will ſay (which may be a ſufficient anſwere to all his Allegations) that all the Scriptures which reſtraine the merits of Chriſt to ſome onelyonly, are to be vnderſtood of thoſe that ſhall enioy them: but thoſe Scriptures which enlarge Chriſts Merits to all, are to be meant of the Offer onelyonly, or proclaiming them to all, though many of them never partake of Chriſt. So then the Generall offer doth not make all partakers of Chriſt: nor the Speciall Partaking of Chriſt, hinder the generall offer.
By Offer I meane onelyonly the outward Calling by the Goſpell, Math. 22.14.which none can deny to belong to many that are not choſen. This I affirme to be the onelyonly ordinary ſeed to beget ſaving Faith. My Adverſary taketh this Offer for a Promiſe to hauehave Chriſt (which I confeſſe that none ſhall hauehave but the Elect) and ſo he ſpends much labour in vaine.
Whereascpag. 16. &c. he chalengeth all the Scriptures by me alleaged, to proue the generall Offer, to be miſapplied, for that he would hauehave them to be vnderſtood of the Elect onelyonly, I muſt referre this alſo to the judgement of the Learned: with ſubmiſſion to their cenſure, I profeſſe, I cannot find any one clear place where the VVORLD muſt of neceſſitie be taken for the ELECT onelyonly. For the wicked in the world it is oft vſed; and more generally, for all Mankinde, as Mr Calvin, with ſundry other great Divines vnderſtand it, evendIo. 3.16. in the place where he miſalledgeth him to the contrary. In this Scipture (God ſo loved the World, that he gaue his onelyonly begotten Sonne, that whoſoever beleeveth in him ſhould not periſh, but hauehave everlaſting life) I deſire may be conſidered, if the World be not divided into beleevers, who ſhall be ſaved, and vnbeleevers who ſhall not be ſaved: which cannot be vnderſtood of the Elect onelyonly. As foreMar. 16.15. this moſt manifeſt ſcripture preach the Goſpell to every creature) to vnderſtand the Elect, is vnreaſonable. Therefore I profeſſe that his Accuſation is vniuſt.
He commethfpag. 20. &c. in the next place to my maine argument, wherein he fowly miſtaketh my meaning, not well conſidering my words. For what I ſpeake of the knowledg of a pardon proclaimed, he vnderſtands of the knowledge of a pardon embraced, which belongs onelyonly to a beleever: but the proclamation of a pardon, muſt be knowne to an vnbeleever before he can beleeue; which is that that I maintaine.
After thisgpag. 26. he obiecteth, that there be many other ſtrange paſſage; wherin he doth much miſ…ake my plaine meaning. One of the ſuppoſed ſtrange paſſages is, that I ſay, By divers conſiderations in a man voyde of faith, faith may be gotten, as if I meant that this might be effected without the helpe of the Spirit: whereas to ſhew my ſelfe an enemy to vniverſall grace, and ſo to cleare me from Arminius his errors, I plainly ſay, that None can attaine vntounto faith without the ſpeciall grace of Gods Spirit (pag. 42.82.) to which purpoſe I cite ſundry Scriptures prooving the ſame.
hpag. 27.Another of the objected ſtrange paſſages is, that I make ſorrow for ſinne, and deſire of remedy, cauſes of faith. But thoſe words are none of mine, they are his collection from theſe words of mine, (pag. 44.) VnderUnder the cauſes I comprehend all that work of God, whereby he worketh faith in any. VnderUnder that worke of God, among other things, I mention ſound ſorrow for mans miſery, and fervent deſire after Chriſt the remedy. Let any indifferent Reader now judge if I make not Gods worke the cauſe of faith: and theſe, with other particulars, ſuch gifts as God worketh in vsus before faith.
In the next placeipag. 29. charging me with Arminianiſme moſt vnjuſtly; he taketh in hand to confute Vniverſall Redemption by many Arguments. But ſeeing I hauehave purpoſely avoyded that queſtion, and doe from my heart deny, that every man is actually reconciled by Chriſt, and affirme, that none hauehave any benefit by Chriſt, but Beleevers and their ſeede: I leaue the ſcanning of his arguments to his adverſary whoſoever he be: and I doe here teſtifie vnderunder my hand, to all poſteritie, that I renounce all Arminius his errors: and giuegive my full conſent to the Synod of Dort.
As for theſe phraſes, (God hath made a deed of gift, and grant of Chriſt to mankinde, yea to all ſinners excepting none,) and other like to them, which he preſſeth againſt mee, they are to be taken of Gods diſpenſatiō of his mind in and by the Goſpell: and ſo much is expreſſed by me (pag 36.) in theſe words; Making ſo free a grant thereof, in the Goſpell, to all ſinners excepting none.
Any indifferent Reader may ſee, that my maine ſcope is, to draw every one that heareth the Goſpell, to beleeue, by this, that Chriſt and his benefits be proclaimed to him, and ſhall never be beſtowed on him, vnleſſe he beleeue; which is far from Arminius his errors.
Laſtly, where he conceiveth ſome contradictions in my Booke, it is cleare they be his cō ceipts, as will evidently appeare by the particulars.
Concerning the firſt pretended contradiction, his words are theſe,kpag. 39. You ſay, that all Gods promiſes made to the Elect, are abſolute, (pag. 141.) And againe, Moſt of the free promiſes of the Goſpell be propounded with ſome condition. What contradiction is in theſe words? Are theſe termes (abſolute & vponupon ſome condition contradictory)? Are not the conditions required in the Goſpel, abſolutely promiſed to the Elect? The diſtinction which I make of promiſes abſolute and conditionall, ſheweth, that there is no contradiction in thoſe words. Theſe well agree, that The Elect cannot faile of that which God promiſeth to them, and all others to whom God offers ſalvation, ſhall not obtaine it, becauſe they beleeue not.
Another pretended contradiction he thus expreſſeth, I take it that the manifeſtation of GODS counſell to the heires of promiſe (pag. 209.) croſſeth the generall offer. Who would ſo take it but he? it being Gods eternall counſell to ſaue none but the Elect, which he manifeſteth to Abraham and his ſeed according to the Faith; this nothing hindereth the generall offer, and proclamation of pardon to the Reprobate, to make them inexcuſable for refuſing merciemercy offered.
A third pretended contradiction is, that I ſay, God out of his faithfulneſſe freely beſtows that which he offereth and ſealeth (pag. 357.) and that Many doe not receiue that which is promiſed and ſealed (pag. 358.) What contradiction is it to ſay, that Many for want of faith receiue not that which is promiſed? God faithfully performeth what he offereth in the Word, and ſealeth by the Sacraments, but onelyonly to ſuch as by faith receiue both.
FINIS
End of the text · Ezekiel Culverwell, A Brief Answer to Objections Against the Treatise of Faith (1626)