judgement he will come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made marvelous and wonderful in all that believe He will invest his Saints then with heavenly glory and manifest his rich grace and abundant mercy upon them and that to the admiration and astonishment of all the world that shall looke upon him and be eye-witnesse of it in 1 John 3.2 Dearly beloved saith the Apostle We are now the Sonnes of God yet it doth not appear what we shall be is not now apparant nor evident to the eye of the world but the time shall come when it shall be apparant and manifest and that shall be when Christ shall come in glory unto judgement then the Saints of God then the true believers and the Chosen of God shall be made like unto him in fulnesse of grace and in fulnesse of glory not equal unto him but like unto him a plain Text evidencing and confirming this Truth That God will one day manifest his exceeding greatnesse and mercy to his chosen and make it appear to all the world to men and Angels that he is a merciful God to the confusion of the wicked and the admiration of the Angels Now beloved if so be we desire to be further enformed touching this what shall make men and Angels to admire the wonderful mercy of God to his Chosen Beloved it shall be not onely in respect of the abundant greatnesse of Gods mercy to his Chosen but also in respect of the freeness of Gods grace and of Gods glory that God bestoweth abundance of grace and of mercy and that freely for when as the wicked and reprobates shall at that day have justly according as they have deserved inflicted upon them even everlasting wrath and vengeance so on the other side God hath revealed the greatnesse of his mercy upon his chosen not for any merits or deserts of theirs and herein appeareth the wonderful admiration of Gods mercie in that he giveth it not in respect of any merit or desert of theirs for they have deserved the same wrath with the Reprobates but onely of his free mercy this shall make men and Angels to wonder at it that God vouchsafeth such a weight of glorie which they have not deserved freely out of his own mercie and it must needs be so for these Reasons Because the glorie of his mercie is as dear unto him as the glorie of his Reason 1 Justice and he will no more loose the glorie of his mercie then the glorie of his Justice Because God having promised grace unto his Chosen yea fulness of Reason 2 grace and fulness of mercy according to their measure The Lord will be justified in his Word and in his sayings and in his promise he will make it good yea the most wicked in the world shall one day justifie the goodness and the mercie of God to his Chosen and he will make them one day will they nill they to confess his goodness and this is not done in this world but in the world to come then he will wring a confession from them howsoever now they will not confess it yet then they shall manifest the riches of Gods grace to his Chosen The due consideration of this yieldeth matter of sweet and excellent comfort to Gods Children two waies First in respect of the cause and estate of Gods Children as it standeth with them when they are under some great and grievous affliction or under some strong temptation and violent assaults by Sathan in that he feels such a weight of sinne and such a burthen of corruptions lying and pressing down his heart and soul as for the present he hath no apprehension of the special love of God unto him nay he concludeth the Contrarie even against himself as that God hath forgotten him and left him though there be no such matter but God is pleased to exercise his Faith and to trie the soundness of his grace and he will have him to know that his faith and grace is even as pure gold tried in the furnace 1 Peter 1.7 That the trrial of your Faith is much more precious then gold Now in this case a Child of God may call to minde in this miserable estate he thinketh himselfe may call to minde what comfort and what mercie the Lord hath vouchsafed upon me and what pledges of his saving goodness the Lord hath vouchsafed and then he may consider that though the saving mercy of God be now hid from him for a time and that he can finde no comfort yet he having had experience of his saving grace formerly he may resolve that he will again return and manifest his mercie unto him for consider to reason thus Will God one day make it apparant to all the world that he is a merciful and gracious God to his Children and will not the same God make it manifest and apparant to thy soul here in this life at one time or other it cannot possibly be thou having had love tokens of his favour though they seem to be lost yet the Lord will come with abundance of grace and goodness Romans 15.13 Yea the Lord one day so exprest his grace as that the Child of God shall himselfe wonder and magnifie the grace of God unto his own soul yea he shall be ravished with the wonderful mercie of God unto his Chosen in general and to himselfe in particular For though when the Devil opposeth the godly by temptations they feele not the mercie of God to them yet the time shall come when it shall be manifest to all the world much more then to themselvess and to their own souls Again will God one day manifest his abundant mercie unto his Chosen Vse 2 making it to appear to the view of men and Angels it yieldeth a matter of comfort to Gods Children in respect of the censure and judgement that they pass upon Gods Children The men of the world seeing Gods Children walk humbly before the Lord and looking upon their humble and low carriage and behaviour which they account baseness they presently shoote out their fools bolt that they are the Reprobates they look upon the outside and see not what is within they are not able to see what mercy the Lord vouchsafeth unto his Children even in this world in that he giveth them assurance of his love unto them in Jesus Christ and a feeling of the sweetness of his grace and of mercie and the pardon of their sinnes this they are not able to see through the darkness of affliction and the cloud of their miserie Now this is to be remembred and to be thought upon for our comfort that are Gods Children in respect of this censure that howsoever the grace and the mercie of God be obscured and they cannot see it yet comfort thy self the time shall come that God-wil make it appear to men and Angels that he is a gracious God and that he is rich in mercy unto them and that the love of God is
man are far greater then the evils on the body though it be Famine and Pestilence because the evils that be upon the souls of men they are simply evil things and such as in themselues do make men subject to the wrath of God and power of the Devil which no other outward misery can do of it self indeed a mans behaviour therein may make him lye open to the wrath of God and power of the devil but the evils on the soul of man do make him lye wide open unto it And I may safely say that the hardnesse of Pharaohs heart was a heavier and a greater Plague unto him then all the plagues of Egypt besides for these are the most fearful evils and make a man lyable to the wrath of God and power of the devil and therefore doubtlesse this we may resolve upon that the evils that be upon the hearts and souls of men are especially to be grieved for Vse This concerneth every one of us to take notice of and we are to labour to put this duty in practice and I must tell you withal it is a duty wherein many of us are defective and wanting and come far short of and the most may justly be reproved and taxed in this particular that we have not grieved for the evils that be upon the souls of men and women we can grieve for the miseries that be upon the bodies of men and outward estates and we can bemoan and bewail them and shew forth a greater measure of sorrow and grief for those and sometimes weeping especially if they be our friends and near and dear unto us as we are bound unto by speciall bonds as our Father Mother wife brother or sister or friends or such like we can shew forth a great deal of sorrow for them but the miseries that lye upon the souls of others though they be never so near or dear unto us few there be that are touched and moved with this evil to draw yet a little nearer thou canst grieve if so be thou hearest thy son thy brother or thy friend near unto thee prove a bankrupt or an unthrift and decay in worldly things or if thy child or servant or any other be suddenly overtaken by some accident and some hand of God as strucken blind lame or the like thy heart is full of sorrow for this and indeed so thou oughtest to be But let thy brother thy friend thy own child thy husband or wife that lyeth in thy bosome be one that is given to sin to live in ignorance drunkennesse swearing and the like thou art touched nothing at all with this thou art grieved for their bodies but let thy husband be an ignorant person or an hard-hearted person thou art not touched with it at all we grieve not for the miseries that lye upon their souls and this sheweth the cursednesse of thy heart that thou art an hard-hearted person and according to the cursednesse of thine own heart thou respectest not the hardnesse of the hearts of others and it is a plain evidence and demonstration of thy heart that it is not right in thee it is an argument that thou art but a carnal person and enlightened onely by the light of nature and that thou hast not in thee the life of true grace that ought to be in a Child of God therefore in the fear of God take notice of this duty and learn we to find this in our selves that we be grieved for the miseries that be upon the soul especially those that we are bound unto by special bond as for the ignorance of thy father or mother thy wife thy child or servant that they will not be reformed and for the evils that lye upon their hearts and soules we must showr down tears for them that have the means of salvation and yet will not turn unto God yea thy heart and soul must be pierced through with grief for thy neighbours even such as live in thy own Land and Kingdom with thee as the miseries that lye upon the souls of poor men and women that have not one that is able to teach them the Word of God we should cry to heaven and send up sighes and tears for them and intreat the Lord to send forth Labourers into his harvest they want it they live in darknesse and blindnesse and never touched in Conscience for the same but go on with an high hand in sin and this should grieve our soules We should mourn in secret and seek unto the Lord by prayer with sighes and groans that the Lord would be pleased to send forth such as would labour amongst them and bring them out of the darknesse they are in thus we are to mourn for the known evils that lye upon the souls of others Haply the Lord may threaten us with Judgment and Dearth and Famine which we may justly look for yea the Famine of the Word of God For men that live in their sins without touch of Conscience this should grieve us exceedingly Now then to stirre us up to the practise of this Duty first of all consider Motive 1 If so be we be grieved for the evils that lye upon the souls of others it is a plain evidence that we have our soules enlightened and our eyes opened and are not ignorant and blind persons but have a true sight and discerning of evils and of the nature of evil things we are able to see and discern what is the cause of evil namely sin Secondly it will be an evidence unto us that we are truly sorrowfull Motive 2 and that we are truly humbled for our own sins if we can mourn for the sins of others And hence it is that you shall find that such as have been the most notorious sinners if once they come to be wrought upon and to be converted they come to be the most pitiful and compassionate persons in the world to others they see the uglinesse of sin and have felt the weight and burthen of it and they have the greatest grief in their hearts for the sins of others Motive 3 And thirdly it will be an evidence that we have true grace and true faith in our hearts and souls not a counterfeit but a true faith and that we are truly zealous for the glory of God and especially grieved for the sins of others that cannot grieve themselves even for those that live in the farthermost part of the world that have not the preaching of the Word that live in ignorance and blindnesse And to shut up all in one word of Exhortation If then we would have a good evidence that we are not such that have our eyes shut up like Balaam but that we have a true sight and discerning of the nature of evils and if we would have good evidence that we are truly touched and humbled for our own sins and have true faith and grace in our soules and are truly zealous of the glory of God this will yeeld us true
whatsoever they be Doctrine no not the good works of men have any hand or stroke in Gods election of some to life and glory in heaven and his effectual calling of some in time these two things they are merely and onely of the free grace of God and not of the works of man whatsoever their works be be they never so good or excellent works in themselves And this being the proposition that it may rightly be conceived and that we erre not in the beginning we must know that Gods grace in Scripture hath a threefold acception First it is taken for Gods free favour which is of the nature of God and essential unto him the places of Scripture are obvious and plain unto us Secondly The grace of God in Scripture it is taken for the working of grace so some Divines take it for the operation extending and reaching out that free favour unto others Thirdly it is taken for the gifts of grace whether those gifts be habitual or actual as faith love joy hope peace patience and the like these are stiled by the name of grace now the proposition that we deliver is That Gods election is of his free grace my meaning is it is not the gifts of grace but by grace we are to understand the free grace and favour of God and the reaching and extending of that grace in time so that this being premised the point is to be thus conceived That Gods eternal election of some to life and glory in heaven it is of the free grace and favour of God being extended and reached out to his chosen and not of the works of man be they never so good or excellent though they be the works of grace and for the proof of this it is manifest in Rom. 11.5 The Apostle saith that at this very day there is a certain remnant of the Jews under the election of grace then he subjoyneth in the sixth verse Now if it be of grace then not of works for then were grace no grace and if of works then not of grace for then were works no more works so that the Apostle maketh a flat opposition and a contrariety between works and grace that the one of these being admitted and granted the other cannot stand but must fall grace and works cannot stand together in the same case Ephes 2.8 9. saith the Apostle by grace you are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God and then he subjoyneth not of works lest any man should boast 2 Tim. 1.9 The Apostle speaking of God saith he hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own eternal purpose and grace and Titus 3.4 5. VVhen the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by the righteousnesse that we had done but of his own mere mercy he saved us These and many others do sufficiently evidence unto us the truth of the point That Gods free grace and favour is the cause of eternal election and not the works of men which are but splendida peccatam glittering sins Because God will have all the glory of all the good that cometh to his Reason 1 chosen or is done to them he will not impart his glory unto any other he will have the beginning the increase and consummation of it to come of his free grace and not of the works of man lest any man should take any part of the glory to himself Ephes 2.9 no not of the best works lest they should pride presume and magnifie themselves in their own good works and so detract from the glory of God and so mans mouth might be stopped Reason 2 The Lord will have his chosen to have sound and solid comfort in the certainty of their election and of their effectual calling not a comfort upon a rotten ground but sound comfort when Gods chosen come to be assured of it that they are in the number of Gods elect and have evidence that they are effectually called God will have that evidence and assurance of theirs to be built upon a sure ground namely upon his own free grace which is indeed unchangeable as his own blessed Majestie and essential in him and so a ground immoveable not built upon any works of theirs because they are variable and changeable in their own Nature it is true indeed Faith shall never fall away not by any immutability in faith it self but because grace doth continually support and uphold it but faith and good works of men in their own nature are variable and changeable weak and imperfect corruption cleaving unto them and unchangeablenesse belongeth neither to Saint nor Angel nor any thing but God himself it is his Attribute so that upon these two grounds we may resolve that Gods election and effectual calling is onely of his free grace and not of mans works Vse 1 First of all this truth is of great force and beareth strongly against the merit of good works which is held and taught by the enemies of Gods grace those of the Antichristian Synagogue of Rome whether it be merits of congruity or merits of condignity for this is their tenent the good things done by men before their conversion those do merit ex congruo but such as are done after calling those they magnifie and say they merit ex condigno by a kind of dignity equal to the works of glory that it is just with the Lord to give them salvation for it yea the point now delivered meeteth directly with that Popish conceit that grace and works do concur say they and so make a mingle mangle and hotch-potch grace and works do concur and meet together in the justification and salvation of a sinner they are good friends and at amity in flat opposition to the words of God which do teach that in the matter of justification and salvation these two are at odds in matter of good life faith and good works must be but not in matter of justification or salvation as they teach Again we find that justification and salvation they are by the Apostle derived and fetched from the very same beginning and cause namely the free grace and eternal love of God as well as election and vocation Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified whom he justified them he also glorified so that election vocation justification and glorification come all from the same grounds Object 1 But yet further the Papists do seek to elude and to put out the clear light by many shifts as first of all say they the places alledged in Rom. 11. Ephes 2. and others where the Scripture maketh an Antithesis and opposition between grace and works you must know the meaning of the Holy Ghost his meaning is Ceremonial works not Moral works Ceremonial works have no hand in Justification Answ To this I answer The Apostle speaketh indefinitely shutting out all works whatsoever they
Oh take heed thou use not thy wealth as they do but the more bountiful the Lord is in pouring his blessings upon thee the more humble thou art the more holy thou art the more thy heart is inlarged with righteousnesse and in walking before God and in all thankfulnesse yea thereby thou art made ready and fit for every good work thy heart is not lock't up to choak the seed of the Word in thy heart but they open thy heart and thy hand and make thee ready to every good work to reflect upon the poor members of Christ the more thou hast the more abundant thou art in good works then certainly thou mayest conclude that God hath blessed thee with thy wealth and they are testimonies of Gods love to thee and God hath manifested his love unto thee which he bare before the world was and thou mayest certainly conclude God loveth thee indeed As it is written I have loved Iacob and hated Esau LEt us now proceed unto farther matter offered unto us from this testimony of the Prophet I have loved Jacob and hated Esau here cited by the Apostle and here we see that God did not onely love Jacob for the time present but also loved him from everlasting hence I observe thus much briefly Doctrine That Gods chosen they were alwaies beloved of God there can be no time given wherein Gods chosen were not beloved of God God loved his chosen before they had a being in the world yea before the world was and we cannot possibly prescribe a time when God loved not his chosen or when he began to love his chosen no his love was from everlasting Reason For as all other things were ever present unto God things past things present things to come they were all present unto him from everlasting he did look upon them uno intuitu with one full sight so were his chosen as many as belonged to his election he loved them before the foundations of the world was so that no time can be given wherein God began to love his chosen Object I but some may say doth not the Scriptures point out that though Gods children be now beloved of God yet there was a time when they were enemies of God as in Rom. 5.10 yea doth not the Apostle say in the Ephes 2.3 that they were children of wrath how can it be then that no time can be pointed out when they were hated of God It is true indeed the Scripture doth note out this unto us Answ that they are by nature children of wrath as well as others and we are to believe it to be a truth That Gods chosen before their effectual calling and conversion are enemies to God and God is an enemy unto them before their effectual calling and conversion in respect of sin and because of sin which is opposite and contrary to good and to God himself which is good yet even then Gods chosen are beloved of God in regard of election and even then God loveth his elect before their effectual calling as his elect uncalled and with that degree of his love which he beareth to his elect uncalled yea God maketh it appear manifestly that he loveth them as his elect uncalled in that he giveth unto them in time true repentance for if he did not love them he would not give them repentance and therefore they were then beloved of God as his elect in time to be called and he doth work upon them in time saving grace true conversion true faith and sanctification which are things tending to life and salvation and doth he give these to reprobates as testimonies of his love to them he loveth not no certainly he doth not and therefore certainly we may resolve upon this That God loveth his elect from everlasting and no time can be given when he loved them not Upon this ground it followeth that the Anabaptists and other such Vse 1 erring spirits are deceived in that they hold this as their tenent that God doth purpose and decree the salvation of some before the world was but God doth onely then actually choose them when he seeth faith and repentance in them For if this were true surely then God loveth not any sinner to life and salvation till he seeth repentance in them which is clean contrary to the truth of God now delivered That no time can be given wherein God loved not his chosen This being so that no time can be given wherein God loved not his chosen Vse 2 surely then upon this ground we may conclude to our comfort we being such that belong to Gods election that Gods love shall be continued unto us for ever as Gods love unto us unto life and salvation hath no beginning but is eternal so also it shall be without end as we cannot point out the time of beginning no more can we of the continuance but as God hath loved us from everlasting so doubtlesse he goeth on not only within his own blessed Majestie but in his love to us he goeth on continually without alteration or shadow of changing Joh. 13.1 whom he loveth he loveth unto the end so that this may be a ground of sweet and excellent comfort to as many as find themselves wrought upon by the Spirit of God and find Gods love shed abroad in their hearts that Gods love is everlasting for the beginning and continuance of it Now proceed we further I have loved Jacob and hated Esau here we see that as Gods love to Jacob was the cause of Jacobs advancement and preheminence so Gods hatred to Esau was the cause of Esau's servitude and subordination hence I might stand to shew that Gods hatred is the soveraign and chief cause of all evils of punishments that befall the wicked in this life and hereafter though sin be the next and subordinate cause yet the soveraign the main the chief the grand and Mother cause is Gods hatred but this I will not stand upon but rather note out the particular application of Gods hatred against Esau and observe we to that purpose it is here said God hated Esau that particular person Esau which being understood as before expounded affordeth unto us this conclusion That God hath from everlasting certainly decreed the rejection of some particular persons among men even of Esau and of such as Esau was Doct as God from everlasting decreed the election of some to life and salvation so hath he also decreed certainly the rejection and refusing of others for even as he loved the one so he hateth the other And this ground of truth hath evidence and proof of it in other places of Scripture in the 1 Thess 5.9 saith the Apostle he hath not appointed us to wrath but that we should obtain salvation by the means of Jesus Christ thereby implying that some are appointed of God to wrath and in his eternal counsel God hath appointed that some shall never come to life and salvation and in 1 Pet. 2.8 the Apostle
affirmeth that some there are that stumble at the Word of God which is indeed a common stumbling block Gods children walk evenly with an even foot in the waies of God according to the will of God but some there be that stumble being disobedient unto which before the world was they were appointed and ordained so in Jude 4. verse The Apostle speaketh of some that were of old before the world was ordained to condemnation denying the Lord Jesus the Lord of life and glory Indeed the Scripture is not so plentiful in this matter of reprobation as it is in the matter of election and why so surely because the purpose of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture is principally to make known unto Gods chosen Gods eternal good will and his eternal love to manifest and to signifie Gods good will and good pleasure to his chosen and the main and chief drift of the Holy Ghost in the written Word of God is to bring Gods chosen to certain hope of life and salvation 1 Pet. 1.3 that they may be begotten to a lively hope yet though this be sparingly set down in the matter of rejection and reprobation yet it is set down plainly and sufficiently that God hath certainly refused some and cast them off for ever And beloved this being a high mystery that we may not misconceive or misunderstand it we must know that there is a difference to be put and a distinction to be made between Gods decree of rejecting of some and the execution of his decree God hath decreed absolutely from everlasting and before the world was without respect to any thing in them or any thing he did foresee would be in them their rejection Now the execution of his Decree is with the respect of sin the decree is absolute but the execution is with respect had to sinne and for sin doth God execute his wrath in time upon those that were rejected before time for their infidelity and their sin foregoing which is the proper cause of damnation and no man is damned but for sin Object I but some will say if God hath thus decreed the rejection and casting off of some for ever surely such persons cannot possibly be saved they can never come to heaven and so consequently they must needs sin that they may be damned and therefore they sin of necessity Answ To this I answer Such as are rejected of God they do indeed sin necessarily but how by necessity of consequent not of antecedent by necessity of certainty and infallibility not by necessity of constraint or compulsion they being rejected of God God leaveth them to themselves and to the cursed corruption of their hearts and so they sin willingly and freely by the necessity of infallibility yet Gods decree doth not compell them to sin but it cometh from their own cursed corruption as the proper cause of it And so we are still to clear God that we do not make him the author of sin as the Anabaptists say we do now this being cleared come we to the use of it Vse 1 This being so that God hath from everlasting decreed the rejection of some and casting off for ever In the first place learn we to know this as a holy divine and eternal truth of God and we must be stirred up upon this ground to a holy reverence and holy admiration of the wonderful and unspeakable power of God over his creatures and take heed we cavil and reason not against it and labour not to bring this high mystery and point of divinity within our shallow brains and consider that we are but creatures and we may not presume to prescribe a law of Justice to the Creator we are creatures silly worms we must not take upon us to say Oh it is unjust cruel and hard for God so to do for he is Justice it self and whatsoever we imagine or think to the contrary yet Gods will maketh the thing willed to be good just and holy because it is willed of him who cannot will amisse though it be hard and harsh to our corrupt reason God hath willed the rejection of some and this thing willed by God is good for God cannot will amisse This being a truth Oh then it concerneth us to look unto it and to Vse 2 take heed that we see to our selves whether we stand in the mercy of God or no and have hope of Gods mercy vouchsafed to us Oh labour we to find our selves not in the number of those whom God hath rejected and cast off for ever for some such there are but labour to find that we be in the number of those whom God hath received to mercy And consider howsoever Gods mercy is infinite and endlesse yet Gods mercy admitteth of a limitation and a restraint in respect of man for it shall not be reached out and extended to all men in the world without exception no nor to many that make full account of it in their own imagination and flatter themselves that Gods mercy belongeth unto them And therefore in the fear of God take heed we do not in this case deceive our selves labour we to find our selves to outstrip and go beyond a reprobate and to find in our selves that that cannot possibly be found in a reprobate this is that we should chiefly aym at and intend to reach to and never rest untill you come to find such things in your selves that cannot possibly be in one whom God hath cast off But you will say Quest. What are those things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate a needful question Beloved they are many Answ yet I will onely commend unto you two special things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate What are those The first is a thorow and true change both of the heart and life Two things which are never found in any Reprobate from evil to good as you heard not long since Gods eternal election bringeth forth an alteration so the first thing must be this a sound thorough and true change wrought in the whole man not in the memory the understanding or the tongue onely but in the rest and throughout not as many that have onely left some sins as the beastly adulterer for want of ability to follow it but they are changed throughout and have the power of grace wrought in them by the means of grace the Word Prayer and the Sacraments they have true grace wrought in every part of their body and power of the soul by the use of the means for howsoever God is not tyed to means he can work without means yet God doth ordinarily work where he vouchsafeth means And they that live under the meanes and have not grace they are in a fearful case The second thing that cannot be found in a Reprobate Psal 38.3 Rom. 7.24 is a groaning under sin and that because it is sin not for fear or shame or by-respects and especially under such sins as no eye of man
and sin and this being so then what can carnal reason say against it the prophanest wretch hearing this that God did decree to reject some out of fore-sight they would continue obstinate and rebellious in their wilful sins and then to harden them surely the prophanest wretch in the world must needs be silent and glorifie the Justice of God in leaving of such persons to themselves and so to harden them even mans reason can go thus far that then there was just cause why God should complain and no cause of this Objection even in the sense reason and understanding of man because if man will be wilful in sin it is just with God to harden them And so they put aside the absolute decree of God and make it to depend upon the obstinacy of man so that we see they quite cut away this Cavil and leave no place for it and so they pervert and quite overthrow the purpose of this text but this which they alledge is false for this is that which reason doth stumble at and cannot conceive that God should harden mens hearts and then complain of their hardening that God out of his own mere will and pleasure hardeneth them and then punisheth them for hardening this cannot possibly but be unjust this is the stumbling block of the carnal reasoning of man this is that which maketh carnal reason to rise up and insult against God why doth God complain when he doth of purpose harden men so that the Arminians reasoning and this Objection cannot stand together Come we now to stand upon this carnal Objection more particularly why doth he yet complain That is as I shewed you in the opening of the Text doth God harden whom he will why doth God then blame threaten and punish them what reason hath the Lord so to do seeing they are hardened according to his will and so the fault and blame lyeth upon the will of God Here we see how ready mans carnal reason is to put off the blame from themselves and to lay it where it ought not to lye and so consequently we may hence note thus much Doctrine That men naturally use to put off the blame of their sinnes from themselves and they commonly seek to lay the blame and fault thereof upon something out of themselves yea sometimes upon God himself and say that he is in the fault of them This we find was the practice of our first parents so ancient is it as from the beginning of the world for when Adam had sinned and God cometh to call him to account for his sin we see Adam putteth off the blame of his sin from himself to his wife and in her to God himself for he saith Gen. 3.12 The woman which thou gavest me gave it me and when he came to the woman she put it on the Serpent so that here is a putting and posting off of the blame from one to another Adam to his wife yea to God himself and she to the Serpent and we beloved have sucked the same milk and drawn out the same poyson and this corruption we have naturally every one by nature will seek to shift off the blame of their sins from themselves As to appeal to our own experience common experience sheweth it Do not some when they are convinced of sin lay the blame upon the times which they live in saying Oh we live in a hard time and we must do according to the time some again on their callings and conditions of life Oh they are of such and such a calling and vocation that they cannot keep a good conscience they must lye and swear and deceive as others do or else they cannot possibly keep open shop some upon the provocation of others they were provoked to it and some upon the Command and example of others such and such a one did the like and his example led me to it or such a one commanded me as if a Master comand his servant to lye he is excusable because his Master commanded him And some lay the fault upon their destiny it was my chance my lot my evil fortune I was ordained to such a sinne And some lay the blame upon the Devil and say they had not become guilty of Whoredome Adultery Murther and the like but that the devil owed them a spite and now he hath paid them home and thus they seem to post off their sin upon others either upon the time their callings the provocation example and command of others or upon their evil fortune and the devil himself they care not where so they may draw their own neck out of the collar yea sometimes Gods own children are hardly brought to this to lay the fault of their sin where it ought to lye they will say Oh I was too blame wretch that I was I was drawn unto it by such and such a mans company and so they seek to extenuate and to lessen their sins and to put off the blame from themselves But beloved take we notice of it Vse and learn we to lay the blame of our sins where the blame ought to lye Do not belye the devil It is true indeed that the age and the time wherein we live the callings and conditions of life the provocation example and command of others and the devil may be occasions of sin unto us but causes they are not for the cause and the root of sin is from our selves the cursed corruptions of our hearts and the vile lusts of it that is the very ground cause and root of sin and were it not for the vile corruptions in our selves neither could the devil nor the world nor any thing draw us to the practise of our sin if we were freed from that vile cursed inmate our own corruption that lodgeth and abideth in our hearts we could never be drawn to any sin therefore let this teach every one of us to learn to lay the fault and blame of our sins upon our selves and not upon any thing else Again further this Cavil and this reasoning of the flesh it is farther to be considered together with the proof of it in the words following for who hath resisted his will As if the carnal Reasoner should say thus That men are hardened it is the will of God it should be so God hardeneth whom he will and Gods will cannot be resisted none can stand against his will and so men that are hardened they are hardened unavoidably out of necessity for they must be hardened whom God will harden and therefore they cannot justly be blamed or taxed Now then from hence ariseth this Question to be discussed Whether men are excusable and free from blame Quest and not to be taxed for their hardnesse and for the sins they commit and fall into by reason of their hardnesse because Gods will is that they are hardened and Gods will is irresistible and cannot be withstood and so they are hardened unavoidably and of necessity are they then to be
him He appointeth the drops of rain to fall in this place and not in that so he doth cause the dew of his Word to fall upon the clay the Gentiles in Matth. 10.6 into the Cities of the Samaritans enter not and in Acts 16.6 7 we find that Paul and Timothy they were forbidden of the holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia Yea when they had a mind to goe to Bythinia the Spirit of God would not suffer them but sent them to Macedonia Acts 16.9 Come over into Macedonia and help us so that the outward preaching of the Word it is vouchsafed to some and not to others as when Christ lived upon the face of the earth the bodily eyes of all men were not opened but onely some and others remaine blind some blind persons were left in their blindness And the dead bodies of all were not raised though some were at the death of Christ so dealeth the Lord with the minds and souls of men he onely out of his gracious pleasure doth open the minds of some men and make them to see know and understand and believe by the preaching of the Word according to his gracious pleasure therefore we may resolve upon it as a certain truth that God doth call men out of the estate of nature into the estate of grace effectually out of his free grace and mercy Vse 1 If this be so it is not then upon foreseen merit that God doth call men effectually and doth work upon them powerfully by his Spirit that is the error of the Papists they hold indeed that the election of God and consequently the revelation of the truth of God it is upon their merit foreseen because God doth foresee some worthiness in them we are to renounce this as a gross Popish errour yea the truth now made known unto us being duely considered and thought upon it beareth strongly against that position that is held by some that redemption wrought by Christ is universal that Christ died for all men universally without any exception of any Now not to stand upon this erroneous position which is a dangerous errour in the ground of it it making the sin of men the sins of the world death and hell to be stronger then Christ that Christ should die for all men and yet some of those men goe to hell a fowl and a gross errour besides this it cannot stand with the truth now delivered that Christ died effectually for all men without exception of any for if so be Christ did die for all men generally and universally then doubtless all are acquainted with it savingly as a benefit belonging to themselves such as are redeemed assuredly God doth bring them to the saving knowledge of their redemption Now this is not so the preaching of the Word and plain experience doth tell the contrarie for God out of his mere good will and pleasure doth call none effectually but such as are redeemed by Christ and so all men are not for then they should savingly be brought to the knowledge of their redemption but all are not so for as in the time of Christ all men that were blinde had not their eyes opened so all have not their minds enlightned and therefore universal redemption wrought by Christ is a meer fancie of the brain of man forged in hell and there is no truth in it to say that Christ died for all and if we rest upon this we shall finde a deceiving ground of comfort Howsoever some will say how shall we comfort a poor soul a prisoner that is to be executed but by telling him Christ died for all upon what ground No Christ died not for all Again is it so that God worketh freely upon the minds and souls of men out of his free grace and mercy Oh then such as find themselves to be in Vse 2 the number of the called of God and throughly wrought upon by the power of the preaching of the Word that are brought to the saving knowledge of God in Christ they are bound to acknowledge the riches of his free grace and mercy and be thankful unto God for the same Consider it thou that hast good evidence of thy effectual calling that art transformed and changed and brought into a new mold and fashion consider with thy self that many are left in their natural ignorance and unbelief yea many are given over to Popish superstitions many living in the same place frequenting the same means hearing the same sermons sitting in the same seat with thee they remain ignorant in their blindnesse of minde and hardnesse of heart but God hath given thee not onely his Word and Gospel preached but a heart enlightned to receive it therefore thou hast cause to magnifie the mercy of God for this blessing of all blessings And learn thou to break out and say Lord what am I that thou shouldest vouchsafe unto me such a mercie I see thousands in their natural estate and ignorance I was born and brought forth in sinne like other men and have increased and multiplied my sinnes exceedingly my unthankefulnesse is great and my unworthinesse greater and yet thou hast vouchsafed mercy unto me above many thousands Lord thou art gracious and merciful unto me Thus we ought to be stirred up our selves to magnifie the mercie of God in that many thousands are given to Popish superstition and God hath given thee a flexible heart to his Word Oh thou canst not be sufficiently thankful for so great a favour As he saith also in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved COme we now to the very words of the text to enter into the bowels of it In these words as I have shewed you we have a double description of the Gentiles First of their estate before their calling when they were not the people of God by nature Secondly of their condition after their Calling that they were now become the people of God and beloved of the Lord hence then first of all appeareth the estate of man by nature as yet unconverted and not wrought upon by the Spirit of God through the preaching of the Word and Gospel hence the Doctrine is this Doctrine That men who are in their natural estate as yet not effectually called and as yet not wrought upon by the Spirit of grace by the preaching of the Word and Gospel are in a miserable estate and condition they are not the people of God nor beloved of God so saith the Text and we find that that the Scripture setteth out the miserable estate and condition of men in their natural estate by many notable speeches in Rom. 5.6.8 it is said that they were sinners in a high degree ungodly yea enemies unto God and unto Christ such as are in their natural estate they are enemies unto God and there is open defiance between God and them and they may look that the Lord shall deal with them as a professed
sticketh in the rine barke and outside of Spiritual and divine Truths it cannot find out the pith and marrow of it carnal reason sticketh in the very letter of the truth and never looketh to the Divine mysterie of it so that it is no marvel that carnal reason is sticking in the rine and outside of truths because it is blind Hence then take we notice of it whence it is that erring spirits do commonly Vse 1 fasten foul and false conclusions upon the Holy and Divine truths of God because they look upon them with a carnal eye As from that sound and Holy Doctrine of God touching his absolute Decree to life and salvation of some and his rejection to damnation of others hereupon some erring spirits do conclude and they think it followeth necessarily that therefoe God is a Tirant and dealeth tirannically with his people So again some hearing this Holy Truth of God that God hath a hand in every act of man that cometh to passe and in the act of every creature that Gods providence is in every thing that cometh to passe in the world then the carnal reasoner bringeth in this false conclusion that then God is the authour of sinne and he thinketh in his judgement it followeth necessarily that God is the authour of sinne because sin is an act And beloved do not the Papists deal thus in the matter of Justification of a sinner in the sight of God They hearing that a sinner is justified in the sight of God onely by faith then say the Papists this Doctrine hath a foule taile coming after it for it doth dispossesse mans heart from all care and indevour of good works and hereupon slanderously they give out this false report of us that in this Doctrine that men are justified onely by Faith they say we are utter enemies to God utter enemies to Gods Law and utter enemies to all good works this they think they may lawfully charge upon us Thus these and many others doe wrest false conclusions from the Holy Truth of God and why Because they look upon them by the rule of natural reason which is the ground of all Atheistical conclusions there catching and snatching and carping against the Divine Truths and mysteries of God because they stick in the rinde and dive not into the depth of them Again beloved is this so that carnal reason doth wrest false conclusions Vse 2 from the holy and Divine truths of God Then this must teach every one of us our dutie to take heed that we measure not divine Truths by the meatyard and rule of our own carnal reason especially such holy Truths of God as are of a high nature and strain such as are transcendent such as goe beyond and extend the compasse of natural reason such truths as are matters of Faith and above reason Oh take heed of measuring these by the rule of natural reason For if we seek to bring these Truths within the model scantling and rule of our natural reason we shall run into many by-paths and erroneous conceits and opinions as he must needs lose his way that knoweth not the way and followeth blinde guides So Fides est oculus animi Faith is the eye of the soul and if we in matters of Divinitie and high points of God follow your own blind reason we shall assuredly run into many gross errours yea beloved let me tell you it is a dangerous thing to hear or read the Word of God with a carnal understanding and an unsanctified wit for if we so doe we shall abuse the holy word of God and wrest from it such conclusions as are not there to be found doth yet experience shew it to be true Are there not some who looking upon that place of the Apostle in 1 Timothy 5.8 where he saith He that provideth not for his own and namely for them of his Family is worse then an Infidel doe not some I say looking upon this with a shut eye and carnal understanding gather and conclude that therefore they may pinch and spare and scrape together by all means and live a base and sordid life and not part with a farthing token to the poore or to any good use but niggardly utter these words they must provide for themselves and they may come to live by the almes of the Parish themselves and will not spare a pennie more then by the Law they are enforced and compelled and so pervert the Scripture Again some others looking upon that place in Ezekiel 16.11 12 13. verses where the Lord saith He decked Hierusalem with Ornaments with Bracelets with goodly Jewels with golden Crowns and with Gold and silver and Imbroydered works Doe not some hereupon gather that therefore they may be vain in their Apparel and may follow every new fashion and may goe like ruffians in their long haire and foretop and think this is their warrant whereas they are deceived for the Lord there speaketh by way of similitude tropically that the Lord had blessed them with all good things and so expresseth it after that manner figuratively and they would have him speak properly and so they draw a false conclusion from the holy word of God Thus I might instance in many particulars that it is a dangerous thing to hear or read the Word of God with a carnal eye yea I dare boldly affirm that we shall never rightly conclude from any part of the Word of God whether touching manners or touching heavenly things if we consult with flesh and bloud unlesse our eyes be annointed with the eye salve of the spirit of God Therefore to conclude learn we in reading the word of God to lay aside our own reasons to come with the eyes of the minde shut and to look with the eye of Faith and of the Spirit of God lay aside thy owne reason yea thy owne wisedome for the wisedome of man is enmitie to God Romans 8.7 Yea the best act and exercise of the mind of man not sanctified it is enmitie to the will of God therefore let us yeeld our selves to be guided onely by the will of God and then we shall certainly tread the paths that lead to true happinesse and salvation Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet complain Who hath resisted his Will IN these words Why doth he yet complain is something to be observed generally For they being considered as an Objection of carnal persons they make directly against that opinion of the Arminians who hold that God did decree to reject some amongst men upon a foresight of their wilful obstinacy in sin and their wilful rebellion against him Now beloved if this were a true Position and a truth of God then God justly complaineth of such as were hardened and that in the Reason of man for though God did decree their rejection and consequently their hardening yet the reason and the cause of Gods decree was his foresight of their wilful obstinacy and rebellion in a course of evil