from the Semipelagians only in this, that they allowed a ART. preventing-grace, but fuch as was fubject to the freedom XVII. of the will. Molina and Fonfeca invented a new way of explaining God's foreseeing 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 also 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 making, 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 those 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 industry, 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 controversy. 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 still 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 prefumed it was not in that fecond, but in the other fenfe, 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 most 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 last a new cessation of hostilities 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 thefe points. Luther went on long, as he at first fet out, with fo little difguife, that whereas all parties had always pretended that they afferted the freedom of the will, he plainly fpoke out, and faid the will was not free, but enflaved: yet before he died, he is reported to have changed his mind; for though he never owned that, yet Melancthon, 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 seemed 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 dicifion; 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 ftate 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 those 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. Twiffe carried it high to the Supralapfarian hypothefis, XVII. which grew to be generally followed by thofe of that fide: but that founded harfhly; and Hobbes grafting afterwards a fate and abfolute neceffity upon it, the other opinions were again revived; and no political interefts 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 diverfity 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 first, for the Supralapfarians. They lay this down for a foundation, that God is ef fentially 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 wifdom must 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 manifeftation of the wifdom, goodness, and juftice of God, we ought to fuppofe, that God in the order of things defigned that firft, though in the order of time there is no first 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 strong figure are faid to be less 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 himself 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 fay it involves a contradiction, that things which are not certainly to be, should be certainly forefeen; for if they are certainly certainly foreseen, they muft certainly be: fo while they ART. are fuppofed to be contingent, they are yet affirmed to be XVII. certain, by saying that they are certainly forefeen. When God decrees that any thing fhall be, it has from that a certainly futurition, and as fuch it is certainly foreseen by him: an uncertain forefight is an act of its nature imperfect, because it may be a mistake, and fo is inconfiftent with the divine perfection. And it feems to imply a contradiction to say that a thing happens freely, that is, may be, or may not be, and yet that it is certainly forefeen by God. God cannot forefee things, but as he decrees them, and fo gives them a futurition, and therefore this prescience antecedent to his decree, must be rejected as a thing impoffible. They fay farther, that conditionate decrees are imperfect in their nature, and that they subject the will and acts of God to a creature: that a conditionate decree is an act in fufpenfe, whether it shall be or not; which is inconfiftent with infinite perfection. A general will, or rather a willing that all men fhould be faved, has alfo plain characters of imperfection in it as if God wifhed fomewhat that he could not accomplish, so that his goodness should feem to be more extended than his power. Infinite perfection can with nothing but what it can execute; and if it is fit to wifh it, it is fit alfo to execute it. Therefore all that ftyle, that afcribes paffions or affections to God, must be understood in a figure; fo that when his providence exerts itself in fuch acts as among us men would be the effects of thofe paffions, then the paffions themselves are in the phrase of the Scripture afcribed to God. They fay we ought not to meafure the punishments of fin by our notions of juftice: God afflicts many good men very severely, and for many years in this life, and this only for the manifestation of his own glory, for making their faith and patience to fhine; and yet none think that this is unjuft. It is a method in which God will be glorified in them: fome fins are punifhed with other fins, and likewife with a course of fevere miferies: if we transfer this from time to eternity, the whole will be then more conceivable; for if God may do for a little time that which is inconfiftent with our notions, and with our rules of juftice, he may do it for a longer duration; fince it is as impoffible that he can be unjuft for a day, as for all eternity. As God does every thing for himself and his own glory, fo the Scriptures teach us every where to offer up all praife and glory to God; to acknowledge that all is of him, and to humble ourselves as being nothing before |