Two Dissertations · §286 · John Davenant

Cap. III Sol. Rat. 3: efficacious end-intention before victory; God more than agonothetes

Second, Vasquez’s claim that a prince cannot efficaciously intend someone’s prize except from foresight of merits is not as settled as he thinks. Efficacious intention of an end moves the agent to apply every means in his power toward obtaining it — even when he cannot certainly foresee the event or infallibly secure the end. So a prince from special goodwill can seriously and efficaciously intend the prize for his friend before seeing the victory, and from that intention not only wish but, as far as he can, prepare and give all that helps toward victory — though as judge and agonothetes he cannot actually crown him except upon the victory won. God much more (for whom to will and to do are ready alike) can efficaciously intend for Peter or Paul the crown of eternal glory, and by that intention’s force prepare and give all that are called merits of the crown; and in this predestination from eternity foresee their merits, and at last, upon the fight nobly fought, set the destined crown on their heads.

Latin

Secundo, quod assumit Vasques, non posse Principem intendere efficaciter ut aliquis consequatur premium, nisi ex praeviso intuitu meritorum, non est tam exploratae veritatis, atque ille opinatur. Est enim efficax intentio finis, quae movet agentem ut efficaciter adhibeat quaecunque potest media ad eiusdem consecutionem: licet non sit in eius potestate certo praevidere eventum, aut infallibiliter ipsum finem consequi. Potest igitur Princeps ex speciali benevolentia serio & efficaciter intendere praemium amico suo ante intuitum victoriae; atque ex hac intentione non modo optare, sed quantum in illo est, parare & dare illi omnia quae conducunt ad victoriam; quamvis ut judex & agonothetes non possit illum actu coronare, nisi intuitu victoriae obtentae. Deus ergo multo magis (cui velle & facere aeque in promptu sunt) potest efficaciter intendere Petro aut Paulo coronam aeternae gloriae, atque ex vi hujus intentionis praeparate & dare illis ea omnia quae merita coronae dicuntur; atque in hac sua praedestinatione ab aeterno praevidere illorum merita, atque tandem intuitu pugnae praeclare depugnatae coronam destinatam illorum capitibus imponere.

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John Davenant argues from Scripture that Christ's death is a remedy offered to every person, so that anyone who hears the Gospel may be called to believe, and then opens a second dissertation on predestination.

John Davenant (1572–1641) was Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, bishop of Salisbury from 1621, and England's leading delegate to the Synod of Dort. A Reformed theologian of the moderate school, he defended universal atonement language within a Calvinist frame.

The Two Dissertations (1650) press two theses: that Christ died sufficiently for all, and that God sincerely calls all who hear the gospel — against the novel claim that Christ died only for the elect in every sense. They are Davenant's mature statement of the hypothetical-universalist position that divided English Calvinists.

This volume covers the opening of the first dissertation through the close of chapter 3, with the theses on the extent of Christ's death.

Date1572–1641 AD (Bishop of Salisbury; 1650 Cambridge imprint)

The 1683 reprint was not used as base text. No modern English was copied.

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