55 / 504
A
Preface
to the Reader.
But to
fpare
the Reader,
I
(hail give
you this mans judgment, together with one
of
his
Followers;
who
bath had the
happinefs
to
cleare his
Mailers minde,above
any
that
have
undertaken the mainte-
nance
of
his
Doarine,in that
part now controverted
in
the Church
of
Rome ;
&
therein
i
/hall manifeft
(
what
I
formerly
propofed
)what
Reamings, and Irradiations
of
this
Truth
do yet
glide
through that
grofs darknefs
,
which
is
fpread upon
the
face
of
the
Romifb
Synagogue
(
referring
what
I
have
further
to
adde
on
this head
,
to the
account which
God affifling
I Thal
l
ere long
give
of
the prefent
f
anfenian
L
ântroverfies,in my Confederations
on
Mr.Biddles
Catechifines,a taske by
authority
lately impofed
on
me.)
This
is
Didacut
Alvarez
whofe
loth
Book deAuxiliia
treats peculiarly
of
this Subjeéi ofPerfeve-
rance.
In
the
entrance
of
his
difputation he
layes
down the
fame Principles
with the Former,concerning
the
neceffity
of
the PeculiarGrace
of
Perfeverance
to
this end
that
any one may
perfevere.T
ifp
e:
i
o3.
Then Difp:
to8
He
further manifefts
that
this
gift
,
or
Grace
of
Perfeverance ,
does
not de-
pend on
any
Conditions
in
us
,
or
any
Cooperation
of
our
wills.
His potation
he
layes
down
in
thefe
words:
Donum
perfeverantie
,
in
ratioze
Desti
perfeverantie,&
efficacia fillies
nullomodo
de=
pendet
effeflivé
ex
libera Cooperation
no
fari
e,frbitrii
,
fed
à
folo
Deo
,
arg,
ab
of
icaci,
fr
ab/oluto Decreta
re/antacid
ejuw,qui pro
fuâ
mifericsrdiâ
tribuit
Wad
Doneam
cut
wilt.
In the further
proof
of
this
propo-
fition
,
he manifefts by clear Tetlimonies
that
the Contrary
Doarine
hereunto
, was
that
ofthe
Pete
-
gians,and
Semi-
pelagians,which
eilufline
oppofed in fundry
Treatifes.And
in all
the Argumentswhere-
by
he
further
confirmes
it
,
he
1E11
preffes
the abfurdity
of
making
the
Promife
of
God
concerning
Perfeverance Conditional
,
and
fo
fufpending
it
on
any
thing
in
and
by
us
to
be
performed. And in-
deed
all
the
Ai1s
whereby
weperfevere,
flowing
according
to him
from the Grace
of
perfeverance
,
it
cannot
but
be
abfurd
to
make the Efficient Caufe
in
it's Efficiency,andaperation,to
depend upon
its
own
effafl:
This alto
is
with
him
Ridiculous
,
that the
Grace
of
perfeverance
fhould
be given
to
any,and he
not
perfevere;
or
be
promi(ed,and yet
not
given:
yet
withal
he
grants in
his
following
Conclu/ions
,
that
our
wills
fecundarily,and in
dependency,do
cooperate
in
our
Perfeverance.
The
fecond Principle this learned
School
-man infifts
on,
is
that
this gift
of
perfeverance
is
peculiar-
ro
the
Elefl,or
pradeflinate
:Difput:
t o4.r.
Con:
Donuw
perfeverantie
eft
proprium Prasieflinetorum ,
ut
nul-
l;
alteri
conveniat:And
what
he intends by
Pradeflinati;he informes you according
to the
Judgment
of
Auflin,
and Thomas: 3(aminepradiflinetionie adGloriam
,
Mims
eam
pradeflinationcm
intelligunt (
Au-
guflinuu
tr
Thomas
)
quâ Elate;
ordinantur
efficaciter
,
tr
tranfmittuntur ad vitam aternam;
cujee
cf
eflui
funs vacatio,tutificatio
(r
perfeverantia in
grata
ufg,
ad
Finem;
not
that
(
or
fuch a
)
Conditional preáe-
ffination,as
is
pendent
in
the
ayre and
expeílantofmet;
s
good
final
Deportment; but that
which
is
the
eternal , free
f
ountaine
of
all
that
grace
,
whereofin timeby
Wets
Chrifl
We
are
made
Partakers.
And
in
the purfuit
of
this
propofition
, he
further
proves
at
large
,
that
the
perfverance given
to the
Saints in
Chrift
,is
not
a
fupplement
c
f
Helps, and advantages,
whereby they
may
preferve
it
if
they
*ill;
but
fuch as caufes
them,on
whom it
is
bellowed
certainly
,
&
stPually fo
to do:
and
that
in
it's
efficacy,
and operation
,
it cannot
depend on any free
cooperation
of
our wills,
all
the
Good
Ads
tending to
our
perfeverance
,
being
fruits
of
that
Grace which
is
bellowed on
us ,
according to the abfolute una
changeableDecree
of
the will
of
God.
This
indeed
is
common with this
Authour
and
the
Reu1of
his
affociates ( the
Dominicans
and
prep
tent
7
snrenians) in thefe
controverfies,together with the
refidue
of
theRomanifis,that having
their Judg-
ments wreffed
by
the
abominable figments
of
implicite
Faith
and
the
affececr
ofthe
Sacraments
of
the-
new Teftament,conveying
&
really exhibiting
the
grace
lignified,ot
feaied
by
them;
that
they
are
infor-
ced
togrant,thar
many may
be,
&are
Regenera:e,
&made
True
Believers,who are
not predeftinate,
&that
thefe
cannot perfevere,nor
Thal!
eventually be fared. Certaine it
is,
that there
is
not
any
Truth,whiclt
that
Generation
of
men
do
receive, &
admit,
but more
or
lefs
it fuffersin
their
Hands,from
that grofs
ignorance
of
the free Grate
of
God in yefus
Crhifl, the
power
whereof
they are
pracuically
under
:
what
thepoor
Vafailet,
and Slaves will
do,
upon
the
late
Bull
of
their
Holy
Father
rafting
them
in
fundry
maine Concernements
of
their Quarrel with their Adverfaries,
is
uncertain;
otherwife fettling
aide
fome
fuch
deviations
,
as
the
above
mentioned,
(
whereunto they are enforced
,
by
their
Ignorance
of
the
Grace
,
and
74i
fication
.rich
is
in jefus
Chrifl
,
)
there
is
fo
much
of
Antient CandidTruth
in
op-
pofition to the Peics
isins,
and
Semi-
Felaglans,
preferred, and alferted in
the
writings
of
the
`Dominican
Fryers,
aswill rife up
(as
I
fayd
before) in
Judgment agstofttleofe
of
our Dayes, who enjoying greater
Light,
&
Advantages,do yet
dole
in
with rhofe and arelonglince
Curfed
Enemies
ofthe
grace
of God.
To
this
Dominican,
I
thall only
adde
the Teflimony
of
two famous ?finites, upon whole
underftan
dings the light
of
this
glorious Truth
prevailed
,
for
an
Acknowledgment
of
it
:
The
firft
ofthefe is
Bellarmine,whofe difputetoo
thispurpofe,
being
full, and
large,
and the
Authour
in
allmens hands,
I
(hall not tranfcribe
his
aflertions,&argumenes;but only
referee
the Reader to
his
l.z.deGrat.&LAY,
Cap.12.Deni,
sit
multa
afin
Teflimonia,crc:
The
other
is
Suarez, who
delivers
his
thoughts
fuccinily
upon the whole of
this
Matter,Lib.
s
e. de
perpetnirat:
vet
Ami
/:
JCrar:Cap.2.Sefl:6.faithhe: depradefli-
natis verum
eft
lnfallibìliter,gts
d
gratiam firafitcr
fen
in perpetuam
non
amittunt;
undepof quam
lane)
gratiam