they were the only men that knew to extend the worth of it; but it
comes home to this:—Christ layes doune his blood, and buyes no waires
bot a possibilitie of some mans salvation—that is to say, they extend
his death in drawing on of a bargane betwixt God and man, to put man
in the termes that Adam fell into, that man may take a new essay of
himselfe, by the force of universall grace, to hold his feet where Adam
fell.
(3) There is concerning mans conversion, wherein they would seeme to
plead for themselves, that they are seeking no more but to make man to
be no stock nor block, and if they had no further, we should easillie
grant that he were not a stock in his conversion; but he is a quick
divell, and when it comes to the upwith, heir doe they schoot to put
all the matters in mans awne hand, that God shall be the giver of
abilitie to convert by giving the man a power of frie will, but the man
shall have the glorie to turne himselfe to God or receave grace.
(4) For the last and fourth poynt; they sever poor simple man, and
setts him alone with the staff of his frie will tottering in his hand,
and the Divell, the world, and sin tempting him; and then they dispute
with him, saying, that there is no assurance of perseverence, and that
the saints may fall away and all the rest of it, while, as they should
joyne all his helpes with all his hinderances, and should put him in
the hand of ane cautioner and guyd to teach him and correct him, and
raise him up when he is fallen.
These being their four errors, I oppose to them the doctrine of the
Kirk of Scotland, whereof we may all thinke good the day, and thank
God most heartilie for it; and seeing I have gotten leeve to speake,
I blesse God in Jesus Christ our Lord, that evir looked upon the Kirk
of Scotland, to give us a doctrine that will not suffer itselff to be
disgraced by errors or false doctrine, but will take the place of it in
the hands of weake Ministers who will not boast of their learning, but
whose glorie is simple trueth; and in that we will glorie more nor in
all the learning in the world, finding ourselves guarded against all
the Scribes and disputers of the world, since they have the trueth of
Christ in simplicitie according to the word.
1. We give this for our doctrine out of the word of God—That there
is a number severed out, in Gods speceall purpose, from the race of
mankind, and advanced above the state of nature, to the estate of Grace
and Glorie, by a speceall designation, and that for no foirseene good
workes in the man, but for his free Grace and good purpose who helped
to make the man, then to put the saule in him, and then to put such and
such graces in his saule, and restoir what was fallen in him, and so
make him doe good workes. This ground is clear from Scripture. Ye know
he will have mercie on whom he will, and whom he will he hardnes; for
he is a Soveraigne Lord, and, of his owne workmanship, he can advance
ane pairt higher of it then ane uther, and doe no wrang to the rest.
2. For the matter of Christs purchase by his death, we teatch that our
Lord made no blind blocke, but wist weill what he bought, as the Father
wist what he sold; and had his scheepe before his eyes and was content
to lay doune his lyfe for them; all thinges that belonges to lyfe and
Salvation he layd doune such a pryce to the Father, and declaired, by
a Voice from Heaven, that he was pleased with it—“This is my beloved
Sone.”
3. For conversion we say, that how quicke, how reasonable soever a
man is in the houre of his conversion, considering him as he is, a
naturall man and so wicked in himselff, that there is so much power
in the Gospell of Grace, the Spirit of God concurring therewith, that
he is able, not onlie morallie to perswade and convince the man, but
effectuallie to induce the mynd of him—keeping himselfe still in a
freedome of will, that most willinglie and frielie makes the man turne
unto God, and to take his Mediator and God in his armes, who before was
in the armes of Sathan.
4. For the fourth we say, that, albeit it is true there is nothing
vainer nor man—nothing lighter than he—he being laid in the balance,
and nothing fickler nor he, for at his best estate he is altogether
vanitie—yet He that hes bought him deare will never leave him nor
forsake him. That man that he hes begun to take be the heart, and to
speake to as he uses to doe to these quhom he setts his mynd upon
and calls according to his purpose, he so admonishes him, reproves
him, corrects him, and causes him to eat the fruit of his owne wayes
in cace he deborred, that he causes him cast all consolations from
himselfe—from men—from the world—from sin—and makes him faine to creipe
in under his Lords winges, and bringes him through all doubts, and
rubbs difficulties and temptations, and never leaves him till he sett
him before his Master and Lord.
Now, their cullours are chieflie thrie—first, from Scriptures, rent
ane of them from ane uther, as if there were no Scripture but that
text quhilk they would seeme to prove their errours by, quhich text of
theirs being compaired with uthers, is our doctrine; and by soe doeing
they deale lyke sophists rather then telling the mynd of the Spirit of
God, who tells not all his mynd in ane sentence, but must be waited on
till he tell his last word; and reason it be so—as, for example, when
the matter of mans salvation and conversion is spoken of, to say the
Lord sweares he loves not the death of a sinner, and we oppose to them
ane uther Scripture, that he laughed at the destruction of the wicked;
where they take the ane place and not the uther, and takes not that
quhilk agries with—but he rejoyces at their destruction—not as it is
a destructione of the creature: but when man wilfullie rejects grace
and mercie and scornes God, it is righteous wᵗ God to rejoyce in his
destruction when the man will not rejoyce in his mercie.
Ane other of their cullours is a number of calumnies of our doctrine,
where before the ignorant and unlearned, that understands not what we
teache, they seeme to speake to them with some face, as if our doctrine
did open a doore to sin; whereas howsoever as in other professions
there are too many prophane among them, if all of them be not so, yet
amongst us, the doctrine is not such that if any man be prophane or
abuse the trueth that is spocken, he beares the blame himselfe and not
the Lord.
Their third cullour is plausable humane reasones and discourse, drawen
from the corrupt judgement of unsanctified men—as if men wer to sitt
downe and lay the platforme of his owne Salvation, and not to leave it
to the Word and to the Lord; but humane reasone shall prove a foole
when it comes to the contrare of these two.
The grounds of their mistaking are thir—I. That they confound the
decreet of God concerning the last end of man with the maner of the
executiones of the decrie of the meanes: as, for example, they draw
all their objections from the matter of Gods treating with the Visible
Church, wherein God takes up the ridle and seif and fyne of his promise
and commandments, threatenings, and conditionall offices, and sifts out
the man that is his owne, and leaves the rest unexcusable. They draw
out a decreit of this, as if God had been unresolved when he began to
speake conditionallie to man—as if there had beine no more determinat
concerning the man he had a purpose unto, nor the preacher that must
speake to every ane of his auditours; and this error drawes verie
deepe, for they make Gods decreit, reducit according to his frie will,
layes Gods decreit by, whill man falles in his lappe, and so makes God
resigne his Soverainitie, whill the end of the world they make man goe
and God to stand by: for man will guyde the matter of his salvation
by his frie will, and so they make God a spectator or a furnisher of
directions only as he is called by the mans frie will. God comes in at
frie-wills back and furnishes directions, and frie-will determines;
and so they give a Godhead to frie-will, and makes God resigne his
Soveraignitie quhill doomsday, and only now coming in at the back of
free-will, following the designations of man.
Ane uther reason of theirs is this—that they extend the death of
Christ only to a possibilitie of the salvation of all men, and to the
possibilitie of the salvation of no man—making Christs death to have
the oune operation sufficientlie, if Christ facilitat the way betwixt
God and man; howbeit, Christ never got a man saved nor ever eat the
fruit of his laboures, whereas our Lord was never so evill a Merchand
as to lay downe his lyfe, and never will therefore, nor sick a foole as
to make a bargane whilk might be suspended by mans fickle frie-will,
who hes that much prudence that he forsee a losse or danger he will
governe it.
A third errour is this—That they think Gods effectuall working in the
conversion of man cannot subsist with the reservation of the nature
of his owne frie-will, even as if the saints in Heaven, and the
spirits that are perfyted, and Jesus Christ our Lord, in his manhead,
had never done, nor could never doe, a turne but of necessitie, and
nothing of frie-will; for, except they got this soveraignitie to mans
frie-will, if the will of God overrule him, and determine him to doe
good, presentlie they cry out, he’s destroyed the mans frie-will; as
when a man preaches morallie to ane auditour, leaving nothing undone to
persuad them by his word, he hes left their freedome never a straw the
less.
According to the Popish and Arminian grounds, the man being left
standing his alone, he must fall away from Grace; for sure Christ hes
done all that can be done by a Mediatour, and then only stand besyde
as a spectator (as they say.) I wonder nothing that they speake of
perseverance as they doe; for if the world were left to us our alone,
we would fall in the myre; whereas, in the perseverance of the Saints,
the man and the master goes togither—the debtor and the cautioner goes
togither—the captaine and the souldiour goes togither—Christ and the
man never sheds; and howsoever we grant that without Christ we can doe
nothing, and that if there were no more nor our strength, all would goe
wrong; yet, with Christ, we are able to doe all things, and bring any
thing about that he is to imploy us in.
Thair maine errour is this, (let me speake it with reverence towards
your learning)—not knowing the Scriptures, and the power of God in the
matter of the Covenant of redemption betwixt God and Christ; yet there
is enough of it in the Scripture. They pointed at it themselves, which,
if they should have followed, they might sein all their matter in the
midst; for the Covenant of Salvation betwixt God and man is ane thing,
and the Covenant of Redemption betwixt God and Christ is ane uther
thing. The Covenant betwixt God and Christ was done and endit before
ever there was a word of it in the world; but the Covenant betwixt God
and man is by the meanes of the Mediator, which makes all sufficient,
and he is our strenth and bulwarke; and when all their objections are
made, we steppe to our Magna Charta, and where we can get any gripping
we hold it fast, to wit—the Articles of a Superior Covenant made by
Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Advocat, in which there are articles
contradictorie to all Arminians, that so there shall be no more
possibilitie of the breaking of these Articles, nor of garring God and
Christ faill. When an end of a bridge falles, the uther must fall with
it; so when our frie-will is the ane end, and Christ the uther, then
must it stand; and heir, I say, is our bulwarke.
Their generall objections are three. The first is, that our doctrine is
not good, for we terrifie them, telling them that God has a speciall
election and speciall reprobation; and our doctrine, say they, is not
good for tender consciences that are converted. We desyre no better
answer for the tyme, nor retort their objections back againe upon them;
and we say that their doctrine is not good for Conversion, becaus they
keepe the man unhumble and unpenetent. They never gar a man say, “I
have no strenth nor abilitie to doe any good to my selfe—Lord amend
me!” But they keepe a man from denying himselfe, and how shall follow
Christ? But our doctrine layes man in the dust, and garres him peepe
of it: and so our doctrine for conversion is very fitt; and if our
doctrine prevaile that farr with any man as to garr him grant that he
hes nothing, then presentlie our Lord keepes him, and gives Grace to
that unworthie bodie. Every man that takes with his sinfulness, our
doctrine pulles that man in the armes of it. I say more: our doctrine
drawes any man fra that—“I will not be saved albeit God bid me,” but
garres him either come to a note, or professe himselfe to be hypocrite;
and for these that are tender and weake, he caries the matter so, that
he will not breake the bruised reid, if he grant he hes inlaiked and
would be helped of yow, but if (a would be helped) he keepes him, and
proppes him up on all hands. Upon the uther hand, our doctrine will not
let a man lay his platt upon Heaven; that is, not in the way to it. It
will not let him say he is a believer, except he be labouring to worke
by love, and expres his faith be his obedience; and we retort this upon
them, for they say it is in the mans power, when, how, and in what
measure he will determine what he pleases; and so a man may say, “I am
young, and I may delay till death comes, for it will come not so soone
but I will get halfe an houres advertisement;” and so their doctrine
opens a doore to sinning rather then ours.
Now for the grounds. Looke what the Scripture sayes for us, and that
will settle the bussines. The last pairt of the 52 Chap. Esai—“Behold
my servand shall deale prudentlie; he shall be exalted and extolled,
and be very high.” There Christ is called the Fathers servand, becaus
he was designed to take on our nature, and to bring in the Elect
Children. It is said of him, that he shall deale prudentlie—he shall
keepe up the doctrine of electione and reprobation, so that never man
shall get the doore dung in his schafts that would be in, but does good
to all, to the kind and to the unkynd, and layes no stumbling blocke
before them that perisches. No man shall ken the reprobation of any;
but election shall have many markes, whereby the man may climb up to
the Palace, and by tyme read his name in the Booke of Lyfe. How will
this matter be brought about, his visage was so marred more nor any
man? They say that indeed Christ will get a blecked face by the gate;
and he get this done, he must waide the glarre myre of our sins and
the punishment thereof. Our Lord got his visage marred; but what will
be uncertaine of recompence? This it was told him 5000 yeares agoe,
that he should be exalted, extolled, and be very high, and that kings
should speir for him. Take yow all good heart. The caus that we are
about the day, Kings shall speir for it, and shall be forced to heare
it in due tyme, by Christs wise bringing about the matter; and becaus
men would thinke this universall, he tells in the beginning of the
next chapter that it was for none but these to whom the Lords arme is
reveilled. The reasons wherefore the reprobates would not believe:—he
tells us there are some wicked persons, who, tho all the miseries were
before them, and wer dealt with by never so many arguments to turne
from their former wickednes, yet they will not leave their owne wayes,
but wilfullie choyse the wayes of death of their owne accord. And (John
6) our Master telles—“All that the Father hes given to me shall come
to me; and they that comes to me I will not cast out, but will raise
them up at the last day.” He must keepe not only your soules but your
bodies, yea, and your very dust, and shall never be tane aff the hand
of the Sone of God till he render up the Kingdome to the Father.
Now I will close my Speache. By all meanes lett Christs parte in the
Scripture, and the thinges that concernes his kingdome and persone
be better studied by us; lett this Covenant, made betwixt God and
Christ, and betwixt God and us through Christ, be better studied; for
since the whole Byble takes the denomination from this Covenant, it is
recommended to us to studie it better, where ye see our Lord hes tane
course to make all thinges fast, and hes so wiselie expressed in the
Scripture, that no man shall have leave to presume to despair, to be
profane or abuse the doctrine of Grace upon any just ground.
Now for the theses. They shall be given in write ryplie at a convenient
tyme.
1. There is a Covenant of redemption betwixt God and the Mediatour
Christ, preceiding the Covenant of Grace and Salvation made betwixt God
and the faithfull Man through Christ, which is the ground of all this
treating that God hes with Man in the preaching of the Gospell.
2. In this Covenant of redemption betwixt God and the second persone,
designed Mediatour betwixt God and Man, the elect wer designed and
condescendit particularlie upon their number and names, with their
gifts and graces of grace and glorie to be bestowed upon them, and the
tyme and meanes to bestow it, was all condescendit and agried upon.
3. The pryce of the redemption, what and how much should be payit by
the Redeemer for the purchase of all these gifts, how lang he should be
holden captive of death, &c., all was determined.
4. The Mediatour was made sure of succes before he pat hand to the
making of the world; and all the elect were given to him and their
salvation put in his hand, with all power in heaven and earth given
to him to bring it to passe; and so he is sure to find out the man to
pursuade and convert, to lead him through toutches and temptations,
through fears and falls, till he bring him to peace; and this refuge of
the soule is a sufficient post against all Arminians doubts.
5. He manadges this matter in the dispensation of the Gospell so
wiselie, as it gives no man any reasonable ground either to presume
of Gods mercie or to despair of Gods grace; he tempers it so that the
holiest man shall have no matter of comfort except he walke in the way
of holinesse, and the wickedest man shall not be put out of hopes but
to be receaved whensoever he will turne in to seeke Grace, and lyfe,
and holiness in Jesus.
Then Mr Androw Ramsay was desyred by the Moderatour to speake somewhat
of that subject.
Mr Androw said—I have nothing premeditat; but this shortlie, _ex
tempore_. The question betwixt us and the Arminians are thir—1.
Whether our salvation runs upon the hingers of our owne will or upon
Gods grace? Our salvation is considered in five respects—1. As it is
ordained; 2. As it is purchased; 3. As it is offered; 4. As it is
applyed; 5. As it is perfyted.
First, as it is ordained, it depends on God, according as he forsaw
mans warkes, (as they say,) and swa to depend on mans will. Some, he
saw their warkes would be good, and he choosed them; some he saw their
warkes to be evill, and he rejected them; and so they make the first
originall chartour to depend on mans will, salvation being ordained.
2. Then it is considered as purchased, either actuallie or
potentiallie; potentiallie, as Christ died for all; effectuallie, as it
depends on our will; actuallie, he died for all. Who would receave his
grace should be receaved, and who rejected should be damned.
3. As it is offered by God or accepted by us, it depends on mans will.
4. As it perseaveirs, it depends on mans will; and so they make his
whole salvation to depend on his will. He elected us becaus he saw our
will that we would accept grace, and died effectuallie for these whom
he saw would accept grace, and that he would offer grace to such as he
saw would perseveare.
(1) We say it depends upon Gods grace, and that he elected such and
such to salvation when he might have condemned all.
(2) We say that Christs sacrifice was not offered for all, nor for one
of the reprobats.
(3) That the effectual calling of man, when the Lord offers grace, the
man may potentiallie reject, but not effectuallie; for he writts the
law in his heart that he can reject it.
(4) It stands not by mans will, but by Gods grace; so the Arminians
question our salvation in these poyntes, and says it depends on mans
will. We say it depends on Gods grace. Our reasons are these—1. If it
depend on mans will, and not on Gods grace, then Christ had not said,
“I thank thee, O Father, that hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent, and reveiled them to babes; even so, Father, because it was
thy pleasure.” 2. If our salvation dependit on our will, then grace
should depend upon nature, and should be a subservient caus to nature.
3. God, who is a independent being, should become a dependent being;
for, if his will dependit on man, then Gods will, who is independent,
should become independent. 4. Last, it is against that action in the
schooles: for _actus secundus_ should be _prestantior primo_; and so
they give all the glorie to man, and we give it to God; and we have the
consent of all the antients, and the whole Roman Kirk, (till of new
some Jesuits has risen up,) that our election depends on Gods grace.
Then the Moderatour said—We have reason to blesse the Lord for his
graceous providence, that, before this errour spread very far, it hes
pleased him to nippe it in the bud; and God be thanked, who hes raised
up some spirits in our tyme to acquaint themselves with this errour,
that they are able to refute it. I have some tymes hard that there
be two very small poynts, as would seem, wherein this great errour
does consist. They are like two grammarians: the ane is, whether the
word Elect, or, in Latine, _Electi_, is _nomen_ or _participium_. The
question is, whether we doe believe, becaus we are chosen to faith?
They say God chooses men because they believe. We say this—That we are
elected comes from Gods free grace. There is ane uther word about the
signification of _ante_ and _pro_. They take _pro_, that Christ hes
died, _pro omnibus_, for the behove and benefite of all. We say that it
hes ane uther signification, _vice omnium_—I meane as Scripture takes
it—that is, for all sortes, and if it be tane _vice electorum_ they
must be saved in whose place Christ hath died.
[_Bishop of Orkney’s Submission._]
After that there was ane Letter from the Bishop of Orkney, and produced
by his sone, wherein he submitted himselfe in all respects to the
Assembly.
After that, Sir Archbald Stewart of Blackhall, as Counsellour,
declaired, by Mr John Hamiltoun, his Minister, that he subscryved the
Confession of Faith, as it was first subscryved in the year 1581.
After that, a young Gentleman, of excellent pairtes, called Mr Joⁿ
Forbes, brother-German to Craigievar, who had bein in forraigne
countries, and in ane Universitie in England long, and drank in the
love of the customes of these Churches, and, after he came to Scotland,
was confirmed in the lyke opinions in Aberdeene, by the Doctors there,
and came onlie occasionallie of purpose to have stayed but ane night,
and then retired to Ireland; and, seeing the progres of this Assembly,
it pleased God so to worke with him that he was enamoured with it, and,
contrare to his former resolution, came in before the Assembly and
subscryved the Covenant.
* * * * *
_Mr David Mitchells deprivation._
Then was Mr David Mitchells proces red, and the Acts of the Kirk was
red in the caces of deprivation.
The Moderatour said—There is a difference betwixt the censures of the
Kirk of England and ours. They make a difference betwixt deprivation,
deposition, and degradation. They say, deprivation takes away his
benefice, deposition his office, and degradation, according to the
Priests of old in the Bookes of Martyres, were degradat when they
made apostacie from the Roman Religion; and they mentained, with the
Papists, that, notwithstanding of all their Censures, there remaines
something which they call _character indelibellis_, which is a certain
impression put upon the saule of a man when he receives ordination;
but they themselves cannot tell what it is. But censures usit in our
Ministers, beside admonition, ar suspension, deprivation, deposition:
Suspension for a tyme from exercising the function of the Ministerie;
deprivation and deposition we take to be ane, becaus, when he is
depryved of his benefice, so of his office. There is ane of thir
censures alreadie put on Mr David Mitchell, Minister in Edinburgh. Now
ye have to consider what ye have to doe further. Ye have heard the
proces, and he has declyned the Assembly, contrare to the Act of the
Generall Assembly at Sanct Androwes, the year 1595.