ART. plaining the joint production of every thing by God XVII. as the firft, and by the creature as the fecond cause, he thought, at leaft as his followers have understood him, that by a phyfical influence the will was predetermined by God to all things, whether good or bad; fo that the will could not be faid to be free in that particular inftance in fenfu compofito, though it was in general ftill free in all its actions in fenfu divifo: a diftinction fo facred, and fo much ufed among them, that I choose to give it in their own terms, rather than tranflate them. To avoid the confequence of making God the author of fin, a diftinction was made between the positive act of fin, which was faid not to be evil, and the want of its conformity to the law of God, which being a negation was no pofitive being, fo that it was not produced. And thus, though the action was produced jointly by God as the firft caufe, and by the creature as the fecond, yet God was not guilty of the fin, but only the creature. This doctrine paffed down among the Dominicans, and continues to do fo to this day. Scotus, who was a Francifcan, denied this predetermination, and afferted the freedom of the will. Durandus denied this immediate concourfe; in which he has not had many followers, except Adola, and fome few more. When Luther began to form his opinions into a body, he clearly faw, that nothing did fo plainly deftroy the doctrine of merit and juftification by works, as St. Auftin's opinions he found also in his works very exprefs authorities against most of the corruptions of the Roman Church: and being of an order that carried his name, and by confequence was accustomed to read and reverence his works, it was no wonder if he, without a ftrict examining of the matter, efpoufed all his opinions. Moft of. thofe of the Church of Rome who wrote against him, being of the other perfuafions, any one reading the books of that age would have thought that St. Auftin's doctrine was abandoned by the Church of Rome: fo that when Michael Baius, and fome others at Louvain, began to revive it, that became a matter of fcandal, and they were condemned at Rome: yet at the Council of Trent the Dominicans had fo much credit, that great care was taken, in the penning their decrees, to avoid all reflections upon that doctrine. It was at firft received by the whole Jefuit order, fo that Bellarmine formed himfelf upon it, and ftill adhered to it: but foon after, that order changed their mind, and left their whole body to a full liberty in thofe points, and went all quickly over to the other hypothefis, that differed from XVII. from the Semipelagians only in this, that they allowed a ART. preventing-grace, but fuch as was fubject to the freedom of the will. Molina and Fonfeca invented a new way of explaining God's forefeeing future contingents, which they called a middle, or mean fcience; by which they taught, that as God fees all things as poffible in his knowledge of fimple apprehenfion, and all things that are certainly future, as prefent in his knowledge of vifion; fo by this knowledge he alfo fees the chain of all conditionate futurities, and all the connections of them, that is, whatsoever would follow upon fuch or fuch conditions. Great jealoufies arifing upon the progrefs that the order of the Jefuits was mak ing, thefe opinions were laid hold on to mortify them; fo they were complained of at Rome for departing from St. Auftin's doctrine, which in thefe points was generally received as the doctrine of the Latin Church: and many conferences were held before Pope Clement the Eighth, and the Cardinals; where the point in debate was chiefly, What was the doctrine and tradition of the Church? The advantages that St. Auftin's followers had were fuch, that before fair judges they must have triumphed over the other: Pope Clement had fo refolved; but he dying, though Pope Paul the Fifth had the fame intentions, yet he happening then to be engaged in a quarrel with the Venetians about the ecclefiaftical immunities, and having put that republic under an interdict, the Jefuits who were there chofe to be banished, rather than to break the interdict: and their adhering fo firmly to the Papal authority, when most of the other orders forfook it, was thought fo meritorious at Rome, that it faved them the cenfure: fo, inftead of a decifion, all fides were commanded to be filent, and to quarrel no more upon thofe heads. About forty years after that, Janfenius, a doctor of Louvain, being a zealous difciple of St. Auftin's, and feeing the progress that the contrary doctrines were making, did with great induftry, and an equal fidelity, publish a voluminous fyftem of St. Auftin's doctrine in all the feveral branches of the controverfy: and he fet forth the Pelagians and the Semipelagians in that work under very black characters; and, not content with that, he compared the doctrines of the modern innovators with theirs. This book was received by the whole party with great applaufe, as a work that had decided the controverfy. But the Author having writ with an extraordinary force against the French pretenfions on Flanders, which recommended P ART. commended him fo much to the Spanish Court, that he XVII. was made a Bifhop upon it: all thofe in France who followed St. Auftin's doctrine, and applauded this book, were represented by their enemies as being in the fame interefts with him, and by confequence as enemies to the French greatnefs; fo that the Court of France profecuted the whole party. This book was at firft only prohibited at Rome, as a violation of that filence that the Pope had enjoined; afterwards articles were picked out of it, and condemned, and all the Clergy of France were required to fign the condemnation of them. These articles were certainly in his book, and were manifeft confequences of St. Auftin's doctrine, which was chiefly driven at; though it was ftill declared at Rome, that nothing was intended to be done in prejudice of St. Auftin's doctrine. Upon this pretence his party have faid, that thofe articles being capable of two fenfes, the one of which was ftrained, and was heretical, the other of which was clear, and according to St. Auftin's doctrine, it must be presumed it was not in that fecond, but in the other sense, that they were condemned at Rome, and fo they figned the condemnation of them but then they faid, that they were not in Janfenius's book in the fenfe in which they condemned them. Upon that followed a moft extravagant queftion concerning the Pope's infallibility in matters of fact: it being faid on the one fide, that the Pope having condemned them as Janfenius's opinions, the belief of his infallibility obliged them to conclude that they must be in his book: whereas the others with great truth affirmed, that it had never been thought that in matters of fact either Popes or Councils were infallible. At laft a new ceffation of hoftilities upon thefe points was refolved on; yet the hatred continues, and the war goes on, though more covertly and more indirectly than before. Nor are the Reformed more of a piece than the Church of Rome upon these points. Luther went on long, as he at firft fet out, with fo little disguise, that whereas all parties had always pretended that they afferted the freedom of the will, he plainly spoke out, and faid the will was not free, but enslaved: yet before he died, he is reported to have changed his mind; for though he never owned that, yet Melan&thon, who had been of the fame opinion, did freely retract it; for which he was never blamed by Luther. Since that time all the Lutherans have gone into the Semipelagian opinions fo entirely and fo eagerly, that they will neither tolerate nor hold com munion with any of the other perfuafion. Calvin not ART. only taught St. Auftin's doctrine, but feemed to go on to XVII. the Supralapfarian way; which was more openly taught by Beza, and was generally followed by the Reformed; only the difference between the Supralapfarians and the Sublapfarians was never brought to a decifion; divines being in all the Calvinists' Churches left to their freedom as to that point. In England the firft Reformers were generally in the Sublapfarian hypothefis: but Perkins and others having afferted the Supralapfarian way, Arminius, a profeffor in Leyden, writ againft him: upon this Gomarus and he had many difputes; and thefe opinions bred a great distraction over all the United Provinces. At the fame time another political matter occafioning a divifion of opinion, whether the war fhould be carried on with Spain, or if propofitions for a peace or truce fhould be entertained? it happened that Arminius's followers were all for a peace, and the others were generally for carrying on the war; which being promoted by the Prince of Orange, he joined to them and the Arminians were reprefented as men, whofe opinions and affections leaned to Popery: fo that this, from being a doctrinal point, became the diftinction of a party, and by that means the differences were inflamed. A great fynod met at Dort; to which the divines were fent from hence, as well as from other Churches. The Arminian tenets were condemned; but the difference between the Supralapfarians and Sublapfarians was not meddled with. The divines of this Church, though very moderate in the way of propofing their opinions, yet upon the main adhered to St. Auftin's doctrine. So the breach was formed in Holland: but when the point of state was no more mixed with it, these queftions were handled with lefs heat. Thofe difputes quickly croffed the feas, and divided us: the Abbots adhered to St. Auftin's doctrine; while Bishop Overal, but chiefly Archbishop Laud, efpoufed the Arminian tenets. All divines were by proclamation required not to preach upon thofe heads: but those that favoured the new opinions were encouraged, and the others were depreffed. And unhappy difputes falling in at that time concerning the extent of the royal prerogative beyond law, the Arminians having declared themfelves highly for that, they were as much favoured at Court, as they were cenfured in the Parliament: which brought that doctrine under a very hard character over all the nation. ART. XVII. Twiffe carried it high to the Supralapfarian hypothefis, which grew to be generally followed by thofe of that fide: but that founded harthly; and Hobbes grafting afterwards a fate and abfolute neceffity upon it, the other opinions were again revived; and no political interests falling in with them, as all prejudices against them went off, fo they were more calmly debated, and became more generally acceptable than they were before. Men are now left to their liberty in them, and all anger upon those heads is now fo happily extinguished, that diversity of opinions about them begets no alienation nor animofity. So far have I profecuted a fhort view of the hiftory of this controverfy. I come now to open the chief grounds of the different parties: and firft, for the Supralapfarians. They lay this down for a foundation, that God is effentially perfect and independent in all his acts: fo that he can confider nothing but himself and his own glory: that therefore he defigned every thing in and for himself: that to make him ftay his decrees till he fees what free creatures will do, is to make him decree dependently upon them; which feems to fall fhort of infinite perfection: that he himself can be the only end of his counfels; and that therefore he could only confider the manifeftation of his own attributes and perfection; that infinite wisdom muft begin its defigns at that which is to come laft in the execution of them; and fince the conclufion of all things at the last day will be the manifestation of the wisdom, goodness, and juftice of God, we ought to fuppose, that God in the order of things defigned that first, though in the order of time there is no firft nor fecond in God, this being fuppofed to be from all eternity. After this great defign was laid, all the means in order to the end were next to be defigned. Creatures in the fight of God are as nothing, and by a ftrong figure are faid to be lefs than nothing, and vanity. Now if we in our defigns do not confider ants or infects, not to fay ftraws, or grains of fand and duft, then what lofty thoughts foever our pride may fuggeft to us, we must be confeffed to be very poor and inconfiderable creatures before God; therefore he himfelf and his own glory can only be his own end in all that he defigns or does. This is the chief bafis of their doctrine, and fo ought to be well confidered. They add to this, that there can be no certain prefcience of future contingents. They say it involves a contradiction, that things which are not cer tainly to be, thould be certainly forefeen; for if they are certainly |