' " Ea sententia non continet apostoli verba, sed Judaeorum objectionem ab apostolo rejectam." — Corv. ad Molin., cap. iii. per. 19.
2 " Multa non fieri quse Dens fieri vult, vel non dubitamns." — Ibid, cap. v. p. 5.
3 " Multa fiunt quie Deus fieri non vult : nee semper fiunt quce ipse tiere vult." — Vorst. de Deo, p. 64.
VOL. X. 4
50 A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
our transgressing of his law, but God's failing in his purpose, as Corvinus clears it, acknowledging that the execution of God's will is suspended or hindered by man ; to whom Episcopius subscribes.^ As, for example, God purposeth and intendeth the conversion of a sinner, — suppose it were Mary Magdalene ; — can this intention of his be crossed and his will resisted? " Yea," say the Anninians, "for God converts sinners by his grace." " But we can resist God when he would convert us by his grace,"^ say six of them jointly in their meeting at the Hague. " But some one may here object," say they, " that thus God faileth of his intention, doth not attain the end at which he aims. We answer, This we grant." Or be it the salvation of men, they say, ^" they are certain that God intendeth that for many which never obtain it;" that end he cannot compass.
And here, methinks, they place God in a most unhappy condition, by affirming that they are often damned whom he would have to be saved, though he desires their salvation with a most vehement desire and natural affection/ — such, I think, as crows have to the good of their young ones : for that there are in him such desires as are never fulfilled,' because not regulated by wisdom and justice, they plainly affirm ; for although by his infinite power, perhaps, he might accom- plish them, yet it would not become him so to do.
Now, let any good-natured man, who hath been a little troubled for poor Jupiter in Homer, mourning for the death of his son Sar- pedon, which he could not prevent, or hath been grieved for the sorrow of a distressed father, not able to remove the wickedness and inevitable ruin of an only son, drop one tear for the restrained con- dition of the God of heaven, who, when he would have all and every man in the world to come to heaven, to escape the torments of hell, and that with a serious purpose and intention that it shall be so, a vehement affection and fervent natural desire that it should be so, yet, being not in himself alone able to save one, must be forced to lose his desire, lay down his affection, change his purpose, and see the greatest part of them to perish everlastingly,^ yea, notwith-
' " Ab homine esse agnoscimus, quod voluntatis (divinte) executio SE^pe suspenda- tur." — Corv., ubi sup. parag. 12 ; Episcop. Disput. I'ri. de Volun. Dei, corol. 5.
2 " Possumus Deo resistere, cum nos vult per gratiam suam convertere.'' — Rem. Coll. Hag., p. 198. " Objieic't quis, ergo ilium suun\ fincm Deus non est assecutus, respon- demus, nos hoc concedcre." — Hem. Dcfens. Sent, in Synod., p. 250.
^ " Nobis cevtum est, Deum raultorum salutem iutendere, in quibus earn non asse- quitur." — Grevinch. ad Ames., p. 271.
* " Veliemens est inDeoattcctiisad bominibencfaciendum." — Corv. ad Molin., cap. v. sect. 8.
* "Esse in Deo desideria quce non inq^lcntur conccdimus." — Idem, sect. 9. " Non decet ut Deus iiifinita sua potentia utatur ad id efficicnduni, quo dcsiderio suo naturali fertur." — Armin. Antip., p. 584.
* " Deus CO fine et iutentione remcdium praparavit, ut omnes ejus actu ficrent par- ticipes, quamvis id non actu evenit." — Rem. A pel., cap. vii. Ibl. 8G.
WHETHER THE WILL OF GOD MAY BE RESISTED, 51
standing that he had provided a sufficient means for them all to escape, with a purpose and intention that they shoidd so do.
In brief, their whole doctrine on this point is laid down by Cor- vinus, chap, iii., against Moulin, and the third section ; where, first, he alloweth of the distinction of the will of God into that whereby he will have us do something, and that whereby he will do any thing himself. The first is nothing but his law and precepts ; which we with him affirm may be said to be resisted, inasmuch as it is trans- gressed. The latter, he saith, if it respect any act of man's, may be considered as preceding that act, or following it ; if preceding it, then it may be resisted, if man will not co-operate. Now. this is the will of God, whereby himself intendeth to do any thing; the sum of which distinction is this, " The^will of God concerning the future being of any thing may be considered as it goeth before the actual existence of the thing itself, and in this regard it may be hindered or resisted ; but as it is considered to follow any act of man, it is always fulfilled :" by which latter member, striving to mollify the harshness of the for- mer, he runs himself into inexplicable nonsense, affirming that that act of the will of God whereby he intendeth men shall do any thing cannot be hindered after they have done it, — that is, God hath irre- sistibly purposed they shall do it, provided they do it ! In his fol- lowing discourse, also, he plainly grants that there is no act of God's will about the salvation of men that may not be made void and of none effect, but only that general decree whereby he hath establish- ed an inseparable connection between faith and salvation, or whereby he hath appointed faith in Christ to be the means of attaining bless- edness, which is only an immanent act of God's will, producing no outward effect; so that every act thereof that hath an external issue by human co-operation is frustrable and may fall to the ground : which in what direct opposition it stands to the word of God, let these following instances declare: —