1 Eph. iv. 18 ; Jolin i. 5 ; 1 Cor. ii. 14.
2 John vi. 42, vii. 52. " Natura sic apparet vitiata ut hoc majoris vitii sit, non videre." — Aug. ^ Pelag. Semipelag. Scliolastic.
♦ " In hac causa non judicant secundiun eequitatem, sed secundum aifectum commodi sui." — Luth. de Arbit. Serv.
12 A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
First, To exempt themselves from God's jurisdiction, — to free them- selves from the supreme dominion of his all-ruling providence; not to live and move in him, but to have an absolute independent power in all their actions, so that the event of all things wherein they have any interest might have a considerable relation to nothing but chance, contingency, and their own wills ; — a most nefarious, sacri- legious attempt ! To this end, —
First, They deny the eternity and unchangeableness of God's de- crees; for these being established, they fear they should be kept within bounds from doing any thing but what his counsel hath de- termined should be done. If the purposes of the Strength of Israel be eternal and immutable, their idol free-will must be limited, their in- dependency prejudiced; wherefore they choose rather to affirm that his decrees are temporary and changeable, yea, that he doth really chancre them according to the several mutations he sees in us: which, how wild a conceit it is, how contrary to the pure nature of God, how destructive to his attributes, I shall show in the second chapter.
Secondly, They question the prescience or foreknowledge of God; for if known unto God are all his works from the beginning, if he certainly foreknevv' all things that shall hereafter come to pass, it seems to cast an infallibility of event upon all their actions, which encroaches upon the large territory of their new goddess, contingency ; nay, it would quite dethrone the queen of heaven, and induce a kind of necessity of our doing all, and nothing but what God foreknows. Now, that to deny this prescience is destructive to the ver}' essence of the Deity, and plain atheism, shall be declared, chajDter the third.
Thirdly, They depose the all-governing providence of this King of nations, denying its energetical, effectual power, in turning the hearts, ruling the thoughts, determining the wills, and disposing the actions of men, by granting nothing unto it but a general power and in- fluence, to be limited and used according to the inclination and will of every particular agent ; so making Almighty God a desirer that many things were otherwise than they are, and an idle spectator of most things that are done in the world: the falseness of which asser- tions shall be proved, chapter the fourth.
Fourthly, They deny the irresistibility and uncontrollable power of God's will, affirming that oftentimes he seriously -snlleth and in- tendeth what he cannot accomplish, and so is deceived of his aim; nay, whereas he desireth, and really intendeth, to save every man, it is wholly in their own power whether he shall save any one or no ; otherwise their idol free-will should have but a poor deity, if God could, how and when he would, cross and resist him in his dominion. Concerning tliis see chapter the fiftli. " His gradibus itur in co-lum." Corrupted nature is still ready, either nefariously, with Adam, to at-
THE MAIN ENDS OF THE ARMINIANS. 13
tempt to be like God, or to think foolislily tliat lie is altogether like unto us, Ps. 1. ; one of which inconveniences all men run into, who have not learned to submit their frail wills to the almighty will of God, and captivate their understandings to the obedience of faith. [See chapter fifth.]
Secondly, The second end at which the new doctrine of the Arminians aimeth is, to clear human nature from the heavy imputa- tion of being sinful, corrupted, wise to do evil but unable to do good ; and so to vindicate unto themselves a power and ability of doing all that good which God can justly require to be done by them in the state wherein they are, — of making themselves differ from others who will not make so good use of the endowments of their natures ; that so the first and chiefest part in the work of their salvation may be ascribed unto themselves; — a proud Luciferian endeavour! To this end, —
First, They deny that doctrine of predestination whereby God is affirmed to have chosen certain men before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy, and obtain everlasting life by the merit of Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace, — any such pre- destination which may be the fountain and cause of grace or glory, determining the persons, according to God's good pleasure, on whom they shall be bestowed: for this doctrine would make the special grace of God to be the sole cause of all the good that is in the elect more than [in] the reprobates; would make faith the work and gift of God, with divers other things, which would show their idol to be nothing, of no value. Wherefore, what a corrupt heresy they have substituted into the place hereof see chapter the sixth.
Secondly, They deny original sin and its demerit ; which being rightly understood, would easily demonstrate that, notwithstanding all the labour of the smith, the carpenter, and the painter, yet their idol is of its own nature but an unprofitable block ; it will discover not only the impotency of doing good which is in our nature, but show also whence we have it: see chapter the seventh.