God in electing a certain number of men to life and salvation did not doe it upon the foresight of any good works he saw would be in them whether Faith Repentance Sanctification or any other grace Indeed it is true the Papists many of them doe not grosly say that it was foresight of good works in general but the foresight of faith only and so the Arminians But now to overthrow this ungrounded opinion First I shall lay down Scriptures to confirm this that God in electing of men to salvation doth noâ— doe it upon foresight of good works and then lay down reasons and after that take off those objections which seem to darken this truth First for the Scriptures that confirm this we have Rom. 11.5 He hath saved a remnant according to the election of grace Intimating that the remnant that are saved it is onely of grace not of foreseen works So Eph. 1.5 11. He hath elected us according to the good pleasure of his will Gods meer good will was the impulsive cause of mans eâ—ection and nothing in man So likewise Rom. 2.11 That Gods election might stand not according to our works but according to the good pleasure of him that called us So 2 Tim. 1.9 Not of works but according to his owne purpose and grace Upon his good pleasure and his good will to mankinde upon that ground election stands But now to adde some reasons why it cannot be that God should determine in his own councel to save man upon the foresight of his works I shall name four or five Aâ— First because the inferiour priviledges that God bestowes upon his peoples as vocation and justification are not for their good works though they are in actual being therefore much lesse is election for good works onely foreseen First for Vocation 2 Tim. 1.19 We are called not according to our owne works but according to the purpose of his own grace And then for Justification we are not justified for works neither Rom. 3.24 We are justified freely by his grace for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Now if vocation and justification be not for works much lesse is election for works and for works foreseen not being actually in us Secondly because then it would follow that children dying in infancy could not be elected for the childe being in the mothers wombe if it hath life it hath a soule and so must either be saved or damned But a childe while it is in the wombe neither acts good or evil Now if God did elect persons to life upon foresight of works then children dying in the wombe could not be elected because there are no works God could foresee in them And then this would be a very uncomfortable doctrine for parents that have children dying young Thirdly then would man have somewhat whereof to boast before his God as if he could lay claim to salvation from him If God were bound to chuse men to salvation upon foresight of good works then man might say I thank not God but I thank my believing and thank my good works for these were the motives for which he chose me to glory and â—hus would poor man boast against his Maker Fourthly Because God hath elected the worst of men when others that have more natural worth and goodnesse are passed by 1 Cor. 1.27 28. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world c. and base things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen c. And Matth. 11.25 I thank thee O Father that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Those that had the greatest worldly wisedome and natural abilities that most excelled in outward strictnesse and moral vertues are rejected when those that are but babes in understanding who many times are the worst for their moralities are elected which is a clear demonstration that election is not grounded upon faith or works foreseen for then the best had been chosen before the rest Fifthly Our works carry no proportion to what God hath elected us unto we are elected to eterâ—al glory but our works are finite imperfect no more then our duty yea not done by our own strength but by the power of Gods grace and therefore cannot be that which moveth God to elect us Sixthly because God doth not chuse men to life for the sake of Jesus Christ therfore much less for their works sake It is true and mistake me not I confesse and so all Divines that are confesse this that God saves a man for Christs sake but God elects not a man for Christs sake but meerly for his own good pleasureâ— sake God in chusing a man to life hath no reference to Christ as if Christ were the motive Christ was predestinated himselfe therefore could not be the cause of our predestination 1 Pet. 1.20 We are chosen in him its true Eph. 1.4 as the common person God elected Christ first in order and all believers in him but it is not for Christs sake but according to his own will As suppose a Kingdome to be newly set up a King is chosen and his suecessors to follow after why then all the succeeding Kings are chosen in him that was first elected so are we chosen in Christ God doth chuse a man as freely as if Christ did never die and yet God saves none but for Christs sake and this makes election on Gods part most free God doth not consider Christ nor the good works we have but t is only his own good will engages him to save some and neglect others And thus much for proving this point There are some objections now that lie in the way which must be removed God say they doth elect men upon the foresight of their good works and they alledge four Scriptures to prove this James 2.2 Hath not God châ—sed the poor of this world to be rich in faith now say they their laying out their estates for good uses and so becoming poor that is the reason why God chuseth thâ—m and neglects richer men To which I answer That poor here is onely spoken of as the quality of the persons that are chosen not as the cause wherefore they are chosen And this answer Mr. Perkins gives that poverty is not the cause why but the description of the persons that are chosen that Gods decree of election doth commonly run among the poorer sort of men the more to advance his own grace that man shall not say election is intailed upon works for if poverty should be the cause of their election then all that are poor should be elected which is false Again further they object 2 Thes 2.13 God from the beginning hath chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth Now say they sanctification and faith is made as the channel through which elâ—ction
thorouâ—h â— Nâ—edles eye aâ— for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of God As easie for a Camel It is not meant in this sense as some expound it That there was a gate in Hierusalem called the Needles eye a little and low gate which their Camels being ladâ—â— could not go through and therefore they must unload the burden and the Camel stoop before they could enter Some â—hink Christs speech had relation to that Beza saith that instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Camel they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cable which if untwisted may be put through the eye of a Needle but the knot is not untied but cut by this Exposition But the words were a proverbial speech among the Jewes who had this proverb amongst them that when any one spake things either unlikely or unprobable they would say This can be as easily done as a Camel can goe through a Needles eye And Christ alluding to this Proverb saith that rich men that doâ—e upon their riches and cleave to their wealth and rather part with heaven and Christ and soule and all then part with their riches Christ makes it an unpossible thing for such rich men to come into heaven As I once told what Buchanan said lying upon his death-bed in a message to King James I am going to that place where few Kings come And Beloved the speech is true for not many wise not many mighty not many noble hath the Lord chosen Secondly few civil honâ—st men doe fall within the compasse of Gods choice to save Moral men that trust upon their civility and moral honesty and plain dealing few or none of these come to heaven Publicans and Harlots shall come to Heaven before you Matth. 21.32 Whores and Harlots believe in me when you do not saith Christ Thirdly That though God in his own counced hath determined or made choice but of the fewest number of men women men to life and salvation yet this doth no way intrench upon the mercy of God this doth no way lessen or impeach the mercy of God Men may think as if surely God had cast off all bowels and cast off all mercy What God make such a world of men as he hath done and save but a few of these Man might think as if God were a hard Master that delighted in the destruction of man that had forgotten to be gracious such a hard charge will they be apt to lay upon God But now Beloved that God hath elected so few a number to life this doth no way impeach the mercy of God And this I make appear thus because God was bound to save none at all therefore you cannot challenge God either with unmercifulnesse or unfaithfulnesse if he should save none It was a meer act of his bounty and good will that he would save any Nay secondly there is that in man in the best of men that might justly provoke God not to save any And therefore if God save any it is of grace And this is a certain rule that God doth shew more mercy in saving of one then he would have done rigour of Justice had he damned all As may be made plaine by this comparison Suppose forty men guilty of Rebellion were arraigned for their lives and were condemned to die by the Law if the Prince pardon foure of these forty he shewes more mercy in pardoning the foure then he doth rigour of Justice in condemning the forty Why because the Fact deserved death in all alike So it is with God Every man upon earth deserves death and damnation and if God cull out any of the mass of mankind to save them he shewes more mercy then he had done rigorous Justice should he have destroyed all because he is bound to save none at all Fourthly God in electing a certain number to life doth it without foresight of any good works which he saw would be in them Indeed the Papists and Arminians joyn their strength to maintain this God say they foresaw men would believe in Christ and would be holy in their lives and therefore God did chuse them to life This you may remember I spent some time in overthowing formerly and therefore pass it over now viz. That God did not chuse men to life with reference to any good works he foresaw in them This indead is an undoubted truth All men whom God did elect to life he foresaw they would have good works in them but Gods foreseeing of this was no the cause for which he did elect them No the motive was his own will according to the pleasure of his own grace Rom. 9.11 and Rom. 11.5 A remnant are saved according to the election of grace for if it were of works grace is no more grace Were election upon foresight of good works then it would follow that infants dying in infancy were not within the compasse of Gods election because an infant so dying could not perform any good works and so their case would be most miserable Besides we are not justified by actual works therefore not elected upon works foreseen Rom. 3.24 for there is the like reason of these two Fifthly That Gods election is so free that in chusing and electing men to life and salvation he doth not do it for the sake of Jesus Christ himself Understand this well that therein you might both give Christ his due and God the father his due for mistake me not God doth save none but by Christ but God did elect men without reference to Jesus Christ as the motive of election meerly according to the purpose of his own will All modern and latter Divines lay down this for a truth that it was the meer pleasure and good will of God to man that was the motive of Gods electing us and not Christ Christ could not be the cause because he was the effect Now what is the effect cannot be the cause Gods love in electing mankind did produce Jesus Christ to be the means of our salvation and of bringing about Gods election therefore he being the effect of election cannot be the cause The cause of election was eternal but the merits of Christ were not so Again Christ was elected himself 1 Pet. 1.20 He was preordained of God before the world was Now he that was elected himself could not be the cause of our election Besides the elect are said to be given to Christ to be saved John 17.2 therefore he was not the cause of our election It is true the Scripture tells us Eph. 1.4 We are elected in Christ i. we are elected in Christ as a common person God first chose Christ and then believers in Christ as members of his body But God elects no man for Christs sake but man is chosen meerly of Gods bounty without reference to Jesus Christ And here Divines say Gods love in electing man to life was as free as if Christ had never died and it was so free that man was not beholding to
while you keep going you keep clear but doe but once flag in your diligence and stand still and O what a puddle of filth and sin will thy heart be The Keys that you keep in your pocket and use every day are bright but keys seldom used the very rust eats them out So it is with your graces not used with diligence they will soon grow rustie and decay the lesse diligent you are the more will sin and Satan fasten upon you Heb. 6.12 We desire you saith the Apostle every one of you to shew the same diligence to what that you be not slothful As if he should say if once you slack in diligence the sin of slothfulnesse will soon grow upon you Whereas now the more deligent you are the lesse busie and operative will the suggestions of Satan and the operations of sin be in thy soul While men sleep the enemy came and sowed tears Matth. 13.25 As you know it is with the body A man that is given to live a Sedentarie life a life of sitting those bodies are more exposed to ill humors And therefore the life of Schollars is a life exposed most to diseases but those whose livelihoods are in handycraft trades alwaies in motion and stirring the motion expels the ill humors that they cannot seize upon the body It is so in the soul the lesse you Act in matters of soul concernment the more spiritual diseases and spiritual infirmities will grow upon you Whereas the more active and industrious you are the lesse power will ill distempers and humors have to seize upon the soul 7. Because the more diligent you are in matters pertaining to the soul the nearer resemblance and conformitie you carry to Jesus Christ you read of Christ that he went about alwaies doing good And when his father and mother mist him and went three daies sorrowing to seek him and having found him askt him where hast thou been Wot ye notâ— saith Christ I was about my fathers business As if he should say I waâ— not about any evil work but to glorifie my God and promote the honour of my father this was my work And elsewhere he tels us it was his meat and drink to do the will of his father Here was a diligent person indeed Why the more industrious you are and the more diligent you are in matters of the soul the more like you are to Jesus Christ And where can there be a better pattern for you to resemble or a better Coppy for you to write by 8. Because the more diligent you are in this imployment the more peace and the more profit wil accrue to your own souls The more peace wil accrue the more industrious you are 2 Pet. 3.14 Be you diligent saith the Apostle for what that yâ—u may be found of Christ in peace without spot and blamelesse So Isa 32.17 The work of righteousness is peace and the effect thereof quietnesse for ever It is not the bare habit or having of grace that is peace but it is the working of it and being industrious in it and the acting of it in your lives that brings peace to your souls And then it wil not only bring peace but it brings profit also I may say as Solomon saith Prov. 10.4 The hand of the diligent maketh rich I am sure the hand of a diligent Christian that is industrious in Gods wayes wil make him rich in grace when those who are spiritual sluggards wil come to spiritual poverty So 1 Cor. 15. last Be stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord. If then you are industrious in the work of grace it shal not be in vain but you shal get by all that you do in the Lord. 9. Because you have lost more grace in a little time then you can ever regain by all the diligence you can put forth should you live never so long You had all graces once in Adam but Adam by one morsel of forbidden fruit lost all that grace which you cannot now regain by never so much diligence Should you pray til you can speak no more and should you sigh to the breaking of your loyns should every word be a sigh and every sigh a tear and every tear a drop of blood you would never be able to recover that grace which you lost in Adam You obliterated the beautiful image of God You lost that knowledge by the commission of one sin which you cannot regain by ten thousand Sermons or doing ten thousand Duties Have not you therefore need of diligence seeing you have lost so much in so little time which by all your diligence you wil never fully recover 10. Because the best of you have lived a long time either using diligence to damn your selves or else taking no care to save your selves one or both therefore you had need now to set about the work Beloved I may say Seneca did of the heathen That a great part of mans life doth passe away in doing evil the greatest part in doing nothing the whole of a mans life in doing other things then he should do And truly so I may say to you a great of your lives hath past in sinning away your salvation in taking pains to damn your own souls and if not so grosse I believe a great part hath past away in doing nothing for your sâ—lvation in not praying for salvation in not hearing for salvation in not reading for salvation in not mourning for salvation in doing nothing for heaven and if it be so that you have thus spent your time you have great cause now to put your hand to the work and to use all diligence in matters pertaining to your salvation A man going a journey that hath gone the greatest part of his time out of his way he had need mend his pace when he comes into the right way again so if we have spent the most part of our time in vain we had need give the more diligence for the â—ime to come SERMON II. 1 Pet. 2.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure HAving in the morning finished the doctrinal part of this general point I shal now only make a short Use and then pass to the particulars wherein you should be diligent 1. Now is it true that in all matters of soul Concernment you must put forth a great deal of diligence Then first in applying this Doctrine I must proceed by way of Caution and I shal lay down four Cautions that you may not run into any mistakes about this point First That though God calls for a great deal of diligence at your hands in the matters of your souls yet this doth no way presuppose as if you could draw out or put forth this diligâ—nce by your own native power but that God that commands your strength that God
So that though God gives us not heaven for our growth in grace yet ordinarily God intails a greater measure and increase of gifts upon the well using of them while we are in this world Open your mouthes wide and God will fill them The more wide we are in our desires and expectations the more we shall be filled 2. For Reprehension Is it so that in all matters of soul concernment we should put forth a great deal of diligence then this should be a great scourge to that sluggishnesse of spirit that most men in the world are guilty of What benummednesse and what sluggishnesse of spirit do most men lie under Many men are as David was 1 King 1.1 who when he grew old he was so cold no clothes could warm him There are many men that haply have been hot and zealous in profession yet in processe of time they grow so cold that all Ordinances cannot warm them And though ordinarily the words of the wise saith Solomon are as nails and goads they are as nails to fasten us in a course of profession they are as goads to put us on every Ordinance is as a goad in our side still putting us on in a course of holinesse yet O that sluggishnesse and O that deadnesse of spirit that lies upon mens hearts they go but a snails pace in the way to heaven whereas they can run as fast as a Dromedarie in the waies of sin It is the Observation of a Rabbi That the Snail above all other creatures was by God pronounced unclean because of its slow and easie pace God looks upon thee as an unclean man and an unclean woman that hast a sluggish and a slow spirit in matters of Christianity There are many men that like no life like an idle life they are never weary so much as they are weary of doing good and weary of duties an hour at a Sermon a day at a Fast a little time at a prayer quite tires them whereas waies of vanitie and waies of pleasure they are never weary of It was the speech of that Epicure Marcus Lepidus who lying under a shady tree upon a Sunshine day stretching himself cries out O would to God this were to take pains to live at ease There are many men as sottish as he they could wish I would to God to sit in a Tavern were the way to go to heaven I would to God to walk in the fields to sit at the door on the Sabbath day that this were the way to heaven many men would be saved more easily Why how should this condemn that great sluggishnesse and idlenesse of mens spirits that they do so little in the matters of soul concernments Beloved you have cause to labour because you finde many that have taken pains for heaven that never came to heaven Many shall strive to enter but shal not be able Luke 13 Had not you therefore need to take heed Nay Beloved suppose it is a supposition Aegydius hath though not true yet I say suppose it that all the world should be saved but one man yet saith he you have cause to take pains to be happy lest you should be that one man should perish If all the world should be saved but one man only if one man should be damned I have cause to labour with all my might that I be not that one man Here then great cause you have not to lye under sluggishnesse in all matters pertaining to the soul You have a great deal of do and haply but a little time if you knew the greatnesse of your work and sâ—ortnesse of your time haply you would now set about the businesse of your salvation It was the speech of young King Charles of Sicily lying upon his death bed I have scarce yet begun to live and now woe is me I am compelled to dye Beloved Many of you may have cause to say thus you have scarce yet done one good action that may give you any evidence to be happy with Christ another day Happily you have not yet begun to be Christians and you may be soon called to dye and what an affliction would this be to you that you have hardly begun to live a life of grace and yet you must dye the life of nature This Diligence is conversant about many things 1. In getting grace Here you have a great work to do to get grace Above all gettings get understanding And the difficulty of getting grace doth shew the goodnesse of grace As we say in nature the most vile things are most obvious to the eye and most common to be found you have stones and dirt every where but things of a more excellent nature are more hard to come by if you would have Gold you must dig into the earth if you would have Pearle you must dive into the â—ea things that are excellent nature hath made them hard to come by This shewes the goodnesse of those matters which concern the soul that they are very hard to be got Prov. 2.2 4. Seek fâ—r wisdome as for silver and dig for it as for hidden Treasure And then 2. Diligence is required not onely to get grace but to keep it and it is no lesse skill to keep grace then to get it there are so many temptations lie in your way And then 3. To watch the heart that doth conspire against your grace and against your soul Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life 4. In examining the heart Psal 64.6 The heart is deep and Psal 77.6 All these considered you have cause to take pains in all the matters of the soul Thus having finish'd this Doctrine I now pass to the Particulars to which this diligence is applied Give diligence to what Why To make your Calling and Election sure From whence the second Observation I shal draw is this That Christians that profess the Gospel ought to put forth a great deal of industry and diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called and eternally elected Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now I cannot handle this Doctrine in the bulk of it but must of necessity take it into parts and handle it piece by piece that so I may give you the strength of the whole Observation in the Application of it And seeing Calling lies in the front I shal in a few Sermons treat of that And the Point from thence wil be this That That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually Called Beloved This is a very material Point I am now upon especially in this deceitful age wherein men plunge themselves into a gulfe of presumption wherein many times men take faith upon trust and Christ upon trust It is meet that you that live under the Gospel should trie your Calling by the Gospel whether
it be true or no there may be an external Call when there is no inward calling by the operation of the Spirit upon your hearts In the managing of this Point I shal shew you these three things First What effectual Calling is Secondly Why you are required to put forth a great deal of diligence to make your Calling sure to your souls Thirdly By what Characters or Discoveries you â—ay be assured in your own hearts that you are effectually callâ—â— First What Effectual Calling is You say we must make it sure therefore what is the nature of it For answer you may take this description of it Effectual Calling is the fruit of Gods Election whereby God of his free grace works a wonderful change in the heart of an Elect person by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word by vertue of which the soul is brought from under the dominion of sin and Satan into a state of grace and so made meet for the enjoyment of God in glory Now I shal not take this apart but commit it to your memory and judgment to apprehend Onely in this description there are laid down foure differences to distinguish effectual Calling from that ordinary or outward Calling that wicked men have by the Ministry of the word As 1. Effectual Calling in the description is said to be a fruit of Gods Election but outward or general Calling is a fruit only of common providence God by an over-ruling providence sends the Gospel among a people and thereby calls them to an outward compliance and conformity but effectual Calling is a fruit of Gods Election 2. It is said in the description that Effectual Calling it changes the heart whereby God works a wonderfull change in the heart but an external Calling no way reacheth the heart onely worketh some kind of civil or common alteration in the life 3. It 's said Effâ—ctual Calling is wrought by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word whereas an External Call is onely by the word but no inward saving worke of the Spirit at all 4. It 's said of Effâ—ctual Calling that it is from the Dominion of sin but External Calling is onely from the external acts of sin Indeed by an external calling the word may have that power over a man as to restrain and keep in the visâ—ble and external actings of sin but it no way works upon the inclination to take off the affection from sin whereas the effectual Calling works upon the heart and works to the subduing and destroying of the power of sin as well as the actings of it Secondly Why doth God require that we should put forth such great diligence in making sure that we are effectually called by the Spirit of Jesus Christ in the Gospel There are three Reasons why this should be First Because there are many professing the Gospel that do harbour ungrounded perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not Now if any men be deceived why may not you And if any are apt to be deceived about this matter have not you great cause to be diligent lest you are deceived also The Jewes of old they boasted of their Calling and said We have Abraham to our father but Christ confuts that If you were Abrahams children saith he you would do the works of Abraham but you seek to kill me which Abraham did not But then they go higher John 8.46 they were effectually called For God is our Father No saith Christ You are of your father the Devil Thus many men run into these grosse mistakes to beleive they are effectually called when they are not Many are called outwardly that are not called effectually Matth. 22.14 And therefore it concerns you not to be deceived in this great businesse Secondly Because there is this natural aptnesse in all of us in things that are of any value concerning the body you will be sure to make sure of them It may be if you have Brasse and Pewter or baser Mettals your Kitchin shall serve for that but things of greater value as Pearls and Diamonds they must be in the Closet and in a Cabinet in that Closet you will be sure to ensure them Why how much more should you ensure this great and precious Jewel of Effectual Calling that so much concerns your immortal souls When you buy Land you will be sure your Title is good to draw up your evidences so as to be firm in Law You know Merchants if they venture a great or most part of their estate at sea where happily there may be hazard in the Voyage they will run speedily to ensure a great part of their Commodities Beloved this should you do this body of yours is the Ship and the Merchandize and Freight in this Ship is your souls and this Ship is going a great Voyage to Glory Glory is the Port whither this Ship is to come you shall meet with many dangers in your way haply with storms and tempests of temptation yea haply you may run upon the rocks of presumption or quick-sands of despair O now run to the ensuring Office what 's that why run to seek the Testimony of Christs Spirit in your own spirit by the word to evidence unto you upon good ground that the Ship shall be safe and the Commodities brought secure to the Haven that Ship Body Soul and all shall come safe to Heaven Beloved if men will thus ensure their Estates you have much more reason to ensure your souls For believe it if you make not sure your souls if you suffer shipwrack ye are â—urned Bankrupts presently Bankrupt to God you lose him for ever It is said of an old Usurer That when any man came to borrow money of him he would hardly trust one in twenty and being ask'd the reason Why he would do so O saith he it is good to be sure Why Beloved shall a Usurer in all his wayes be so secure and so heedful in all his disbursments that he could say It is good to be sure and may not I much more say to you It is good to be sure of Heaven it is good to be sure you are effectually called by Jesus Christ it is good to be sure that you are Christians in truth not in name onely that you are Christians in Deed not in Profession onely O it is good to make your Calling and Election sure Thirdly Christians should labour to assure this because the more assured you are of your Effectual Calling the more it will heighten and increase your inward peace and Comfort 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory It is very observable that in all the Epistles of the new Testament where the Apostle speaks of their effectual calling to be Saints in the very next verse he salutes them with these words Grace and Peace be towards you 1 Cor. 1.2 You are called to be Saints