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PART

III.

[Concerning the Re

Rome and us concerning free will, in this disputation'. Just as the blind senator in Juvenal made a large encomium of the goodly turbot which lay before Cæsar, but (as ill luck would have it) turned himself the quite contrary way:

"... At illi dextra jacebat"
"Bellua. . . ."

The controversy lies on the other side; not about the freedom of the will in natural or civil actions, which is our question, but (if it be not a logomachy) about the power of free will in moral and supernatural actions without the assistance of grace.

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10. In the tenth place, he misinforms his readers, that formed "this opinion" (of freedom from necessitation and deterChurches.] mination to one) was cast out by the Reformed Churches instructed by Luther, Calvin, and others." Where have the Reformed Churches, or any of them, in their public confessions, cast out this freedom from necessitation whereof we write? Indeed Luther" was once against it, and so was Melancthon; but they grew wiser, and retracted whatsoever they had written against it. And so would Mr. Hobbes do likewise, if he were well advised. Either he did know of Luther's retraction, and then it was not ingenuously done to conceal it; or (which I rather believe) he did not know of it, and then he is but meanly versed in the doctrine and affairs of the Protestants.

[Concerning Arminius.]

11. Lastly, he accuseth "Arminius" to have been a restorer or "reducer" of the Romish doctrine of free will by a postliminium. I do not think that ever he read one word of Arminius in his life, or knoweth distinctly one opinion that Arminius held. It was such deep controvertists as him

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r [Qu., Occ. of Controv., pp. 1, 2.]
[Juv., iv. 120, 121.]

t[Qu., Occ. of Controv., p. 2.]

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[See the Assert. Omn. Art. D. M. Lutheri a Leone X. Damnat., art. 36; inter Opera M. Lutheri, tom. ii. pp. 310. b, &c. fol. Jenæ, 1564;- and the Quæstio de Viribus et Voluntate Hominis sine gratiâ, disputata Wirtembergæ Anno 1516, Conclus. ii. Coroll. 1; ibid. tom. i. p. 1, a ;—and the celebrated tract De Servo Arbitrio, 8vo. Witemb. 1526.]

[See his Annot. on the Epist. to the Romans, c. viii. (p. 50. 8vo. 1523); and his Loci Communes, art. de Lib.

Arb., as it stands in the first edition of the book, 12mo. 1521: and Bellarm., De Grat. et Lib. Arb., lib. iv. c. 5, Op. tom. iii. pp. 718, 719.]

[By Luther, in his Liber de] Visitat. Saxon., [viz. his Apolog. pro Confess. Aug., A.D. 1538, Artic. de Lib. Arb.; Op. tom. iv. p. 248]-[By Melanchthon, in his] Loci Commun., [artt. De Lib. Arbit. et de Caussâ Peccati,] edit. poster. [scil. 12mo. 1546.-The book was first published in 1521, and the first article of those just referred to was almost wholly rewritten for the later edition.]

[Qu. Occ. of Controv., p. 2.]

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II.

self that accused the Church of England of Arminianism, for DISCOURSE holding those truths which they ever professed before Arminius was born. If Arminius were alive, Mr. Hobbes, out of conscience, ought to ask him forgiveness. Let him speak for himself:-" De libero hominis arbitrio ita sentio," &c.; "in statu vero lapsus," &c.-"This is my sentence of free 737 will, that man fallen can neither think, nor will, nor do that which is truly good, of himself and from himself; but that it is needful that he be regenerated and renewed in his understanding, will, affections, and all his powers, from God, in Christ, by the Holy Ghost, to understand, esteem, consider, will, and do aright, that which is truly good a." It was not the speculative doctrine of Arminius, but the seditious tenets of Mr. Hobbes, and such like, which opened a large window to our troubles.

How is it possible to pack up more errors together in so narrow a compass? If I were worthy to advise Mr. Hobbes, he should never have more to do with these old philosophers (except it were to weed them for some obsolete opinions,Chrysippus used to say, 'he sometimes wanted opinions but never wanted arguments b'), but to stand upon his own bottom, and make himself both party, juror, and judge in his own cause.

CONCERNING THE STATING OF THE QUESTION.

version

The right stating of the question is commonly the midway The conto the determination of the difference; and he himself con- of a wilful fesseth, that I have done that more than once; saving that he sinner conthinketh I have done it over cautiously,-"with as much this quescaution as" I would draw up "a lease." Abundant caution

a Declar. Sententiæ Arminii ad Ord. Hollandiæ, [pp. 121, 122. inter Op. Jac. Arminii, Lugd. Bat. 4to. 1629."De libero arbitrio hominis ita sentio; hominem in primo statu creationis suæ ejuscemodi notitiâ, sanctitate, iisque viribus instructum fuisse, ut verum bonum intelligere, æstimare, considerare, velle, et perficere valuerit, prout quidem ei mandatum erat; sed hoc tamen non nisi cum auxilio gratiæ Dei : in statu vero lapsus et peccati, ex seipso

et a seipso, quod quidem vere bonum est,
neque cogitare, neque velle, aut facere
posse; sed necesse esse ut a Deo in
Christo per Spiritum Sanctum Ipsius re-
generetur et renovetur in intellectu, affec-
tionibus sive voluntate, omnibusque viri-
bus, ad id quod vere bonum est recte
intelligendum, æstimandum, consideran-
dum, volendum, et faciendum."]

b [Diog. Laert., vii. 179.]
[Qu., State of Quest., p. 3.]

с

cerneth not

tion.

PART
III.

A wilful cavil.

Difference between

natural and

cacy.

was never thought hurtful until now. Doth not the truth
require as much regard as "a lease?"
a lease?" On the other side, I
accuse him to have stated it too carelessly, loosely, and con-
fusedly. He saith, he understands not these words, "the
conversion of a sinner concerns not the questione." I do
really believe him. But in concluding, that whatsoever he
doth not understand is unintelligible, he doth but abuse
himself and his readers. Let him study better what is the
different power of the will in natural or civil actions, which is
the subject of our discourse, and moral or supernatural acts,
which concerns not this question; and the necessity of add-
ing these words will clearly appear to him.

Such another pitiful piece is his other exception, against these words, "without their own concurrence';" which, he saith, are "unsignificant, unless" I "mean that the events themselves should concur to their own productions." Either these words were "unsignificant," or he was blind, or worse than blind, when he transcribed them. My words were these, “whether all agents and all events be predetermined":" he fraudulently leaves out these words, "all agents," and makes me to state the question thus,-" whether all events be predetermined without their own concurrence;" whereas those words-" without their own concurrence"-had no reference at all to "all events" but to "all agents;" which words he hath omitted.

The state of the question being agreed upon, it were vanity and mere beating of the air in me, to weary myself and the moral effi- reader with the serious examination of all his extravagant and impertinent fancies: as this," whether there be a moral efficacy which is not natural;"—which is so far from being the question between us, that no man makes any question of it, except one, who hath got a blow upon his head with a millsail. Natural causes produce their effects by a true real influence, which implies an absolute determination to one: as a father begets a son, or fire produceth fire. Moral causes have no natural influence into the effect, but move or induce

[Qu., State of Quest., p. 3.-" Not
intelligible, is, first, that the conver-
sion,'
,""&c.-from the Defence, Numb.
iii. above p. 32, Disc. i. Pt. iii.]
f [Ibid., from the Defence, ibid.]

g [Ibid.]

[Defence,] Numb. iii. [above, p.32.] i [Qu., State of Quest., p. 2.] [Ibid., p. 3.]

k

738

II.

some other cause without themselves to produce it: as when DISCOURSE a preacher persuadeth his hearers to give alms; here is no absolute necessitation of hearers, nor anything that is opposite to true liberty.

Such another question is that which follows,-" whether the object of the sight be the cause of seeing';"—meaning (if he mean aright) the subjective cause: or,-how "the understanding" doth "propose the object to the willm;"”—which though it be blind, as philosophers agree, yet not so blind as he that will not see, but is ready to follow the good advice of the intellect. I may not desert that which is generally approved, to satisfy the fantastic humour of a single conceited person. No man would take exceptions at these phrases, "the will willeth," "the understanding understandeth"," the former term expressing the faculty, the latter the elicit act, but one who is resolved to pick quarrels with the whole world. "To permit a thing willingly to be done" by another, that Not to will is evil, not for the evil's sake which is permitted, but for that of abnegagood's sake which is to be drawn out of it, is not to will it tion bepositively, nor to determine it to evil by a natural influence; ing and which whosoever do maintain, do undeniably make God the author of sin. Between positive willing, and nilling, there is a mean of abnegation, that is, not to will.

That "the will" doth "determine itself P," is a truth not to be doubted of. What different degrees of aid or assistance the will doth stand in need of in different acts, natural, moral, supernatural; where a general assistance is sufficient, and where a special assistance is necessary; is altogether impertinent to this present controversy, or to the right stating of this question.

is a mean

tween will

nilling.

tion between free

free to do,

In the last place, he repeateth his old distinction, between His distinca man's freedom "to do" those things which are "in his power," if he "will," and the freedom "to will" what he to will and will; which he illustrateth (for similitudes prove nothing) confuted. by a comparison drawn from the natural appetite to the rational appetite;-" will is appetite," but "it is one question, whether he be free to eat that hath an appetite; and

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PART

III.

another" question, "whether he be free to have an appetite"." "In the former," he saith, he "agreeth with" me, that a man is "free to do what he willt." "In the latter," he saith, he "dissents" from me, that a man is not "free to will"." And (as if he had uttered some profound mystery) he addeth in a triumphing manner, that "if" I "have not been able to distinguish between those two questions," I "have not done well to meddle with either ;" and "if" I "have understood them, to bring arguments to prove that a man is free to do if he will, is to deal uningenuously and fraudulently with" my "readers *."

Yet let us have good words. "Homini homo quid præstatŸ” "what difference is there between man and man?" That so many wits before Mr. Hobbes in all ages should beat their brains about this question all their lives long, and never meet with this distinction, which strikes the question dead. What should hinder him from crying out “ εὕρηκα, εὕρηκα”—“ Ι have found it, I have found itz?" But stay a little; the second thoughts are wiser; and the more I look upon this distinction, the less I like it. It seemeth like the log in the fable, which terrified the poor frogs with the noise it made at the first falling of it into the water, but afterwards they insulted over it, and took their turns to leap upon it. Some take it to be pure nonsense;-"whether a man be free in such things as be within his power;" that is, whether he be free wherein he is free, or that be within his power which is in his power.

I have formerly shewed", and shall demonstrate further as there is occasion, that this distinction is contradictory and destructive to his own grounds; according to which all the other powers and faculties of a man are determined to one by an extrinsecal flux of natural causes, equally with the will; and therefore a man is no more necessitated to will or choose what he will do, than to do what he wills. Secondly, I have shewed, that this distinction is vain and unuseful, and doth not hold off so much as one blow from Mr. Hobbes and his

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