Creatures of a better kinde All the lineaments of the Persons presented in these Tables before the mention of their falling away become the best and fairest faces of the Saints as hath been proved and are not to be found in any other Yea the greatest and most intelligent Believer under Heaven hath no reason but to desire part and fellowship with the Hypocrites here described in all those Characters and Properties which are attributed unto them before their falling away or sinning wilfully 2. True Believers are in an estate of honour and are lifted up on high towards the Heavens in which respect they have from whence to fall But Hypocrites are as neere Hell already as lightly they can be till they be actually fallen into it From whence then are they capable of falling Men of estates may faile and break but beggers are in no such danger If Hypocrites fall away it must be from their Hypocrisie but this is rather a rising then a Fall A Begger cannot be said to break but onely when he gets an estate When he doth this the begger is broke 3. It is no punishment at all to Hypocrites to be under no Possibility of being renewed againe by Repentance Nay in case they should Fall away it would be a benefit and blessing unto them to be under an impossibility of being renewed againe For if this were their case it would be unpossible for them to be ever Hypocrites again and doubtlesse it is no great judgement upon any Man to be made uncapable of such a preferment 4. And lastly it stands off forty foot at least from all probability that the Apostle writing onely unto those whom he judged true and sound Believers as appears from severall places in the Epistle as Cap. 3. 14. 6. 9. c. should in the most serious emphaticall and weighty passages hereof admonish them of such evills or dangers which only concern'd other Men and wherunto themselves were not at all obnoxious yea and whereunto if they had been obnoxious all the Cautions Admonitions Warnings Threatnings in the World would not according to their Principles with whom we have now to doe have relieved or delivered them To say that such admonitions are a means to preserve those from apostasie who are by other means as suppose the absolute Decree of God or the interposall of his irresistible Power for their Perseverance or the like are in no possibility of apostatizing is to say that washing is a means to make Snow white or the rearing up of a Pillar in the Aire a means to keepe the Heavens from falling But more of this in the Chapter following Thus then we cleerly see by the unpartiall discussion of the two Scriptures §. 29. lately insisted upon that there is a possibility that true Believers yea the greatest in this rank or order of Men may fall away and that to an impossibility of a returne to their former standing by Repentance Whither the Apostle speakes of a distriâ—â— and absolute impossibility in this place or of such an impossibility only which our Saviour expoundeth by a difficulty a Mat. 19. 23. 26. doth no wayes alter the state of that conclusion â—hich we have wrought from it Pâ—reâ—s from Nazianzen mentioneth six severall significations of the word impossible and preferreth two of them with equall approbation to the Apostle service in this place Neither of them imports that rigid or district impossibility we speak of but the one such an impossibility which is caused through want of strength in Him that should performe a thing the other such whâ—â—h exceedeth the course of nature and efficiency of second causes So that he supposeth a liberty or Power remaining in God to renew againe by Repentance the Persons here spoken of after their falling away notwithstanding that impossibility whicâ— is here asserted of their recovery Whicâ—â—nterpretation of his I willingly subscribe unto and could plead the cause of such a subscription if it were pertinent to the proâ—â—sse of the businesse in hand That which is commonly alledged in opposition to what hath been argued §. 30. concerning the two last Scriptures is of little consideration excepting onely those Scriptures and Arguments by which the Doctrine of Persevevance in the generall is wont to be maintained both which we have answered at large in the two next preceding Chapters To say with Pareus that the Apostasie and event prove the persons spoken of to have been Hypocrites b Hypocritas fuisse apostasiâ— eventus declarat is to cause a Mans opinion to rise up early to praise it self His refuge of an Hypotheticall forme in the words is but a sanctuary built in the Aire as we shewed formerly There is nothing Hypotheticall in either of the passages if there were his greatest friends and abettors have polluted that Sanctuary and made it uncleane for his use as hath once and againe been declared And with how little truth he or any Man can affirme that all things here attributed to the Apostates spoken of illumination gifts of Tongues and Miracles the tasting of the good Word of God and Faith c. amount to nothing more then to what Hypocrites may have a Apostolus autem non dicit categorice semel illuminatos prolabi sed Hypotheticè si prolabantur Ab Hypotheticâ autem non valet consequentia nisi conditione positâ hath been our chiefe designe in the traverse of the places to shew and prove The next Scripture testimony we shall produce and briefly urge in the §. 31. cause now under maintenance is in the same Epistle with the former and speaketh these words Now the Just shall live by Faith but if any Man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him b Heb. 10. 38. Our English Translators out of good will doubtlesse to a bad cause have almost defaced this Testimony by substituting any Man for the just Man For whereas they â—ranslate but if any Man draw back the originall readeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. and if or but if Hâ— i. e. the just Man who should live by his Faith viz. if he continues in it shall draw back Beza Himself likewise before them had stained the honour of his faithfulnesse with the same blot in his Translation But the minde of the Holy Ghost in the words is plaine and without Parable viz. that if the just Man who lives i. e. who at present injoyes the favour of God and thereby is supported in all his trialls and should live alwayes by his Faith if he continues in it as Pareus well glosseth shall draw back or shall be withdrawn viz. through feare or sloath as the word properly signifieth see Acts 20. 27. from his believing my Soul shall have no pleasure in him i. e. according to the import of the Hebraisme my Soul shall hate or abhor him to the Death as it is Apud Hebrâ—os adverbia negandi contrarium ejuâ— cui adhibentur significant Med.
ἈπολÏτφωσις Ἀπολυτφώσεως OR Redemption Redeemed Wherein the Most Glorious Work of the REDEMPTION OF THE World by Jesus Christ is by Expressness of Scripture clearness of Argument countenance of the best Authority as well Ancient as Modern Vindicated and Asserted in the Just Latitude and Extent of it according to the Counsel and most Gracious Intentions of God against the incroachments of later times made upon it whereby the unsearchable Riches and Glory of the Grace of GOD therein have been and yet are much obscured and hid from the eyes of many Together with a sober plain and through Discussion of the great Questions relating hereunto as viz. concerning ELECTION REPROBATION THE Sufficiency and Efficacy of the Means vouchsafed unto Men by GOD to Repent and Beleeve concerning the Perseverance of the Saints and those who do Beleeve concerning the Nature of GOD his manner of Acting his Intentions Purposes Decrees c. the Dependency of all Creatures or second Causes upon Him as well in their Operations as simple Existencies or Beings c. The Decision of all these Questions founded upon the good Word of GOD interpreted according to the generally-received Doctrine concerning the Nature and Attributes of GOD the manifest Exigency of the Words Phrases coherencies in the respective passages hereof relating to the said Questions as also for the most part according to the Judgment and Sence of the best Expositors as well Modern as Ancient With three Tables annexed for the Readers accommodation By JOHN GOODVVIN A servant of God in the Gospel of his dear Son The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite My wrath is kindled against thee and thy two Friends for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath Job 42. 7. Aegrotat humanum genus non morbis corporis sed peccatis Jacet toto orbe terrarum ab Oriente usque ad Occidentem Grandis aegrotus Ad sanandum grandem aegrotum descendit Omnipotens Medicus c. Aug. de verbis Domini Serm. 59. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. It becomes a man to sacrifice even his own opinions and sayings upon the service of the Truth Arist LONDON Printed by John Macock for Lodowick Lloyd and Henry Cripps and are to be sold at their shop in Popes head Alley neer Lumbard street M. DC LI. TO THE Reverend Doctor Benjamin Whichcote Provost of KINGS Colledg and Vicechancellor of the University of CAMBRIDG together with the rest of the Heads of Colledges and Students in Divinity in that famous VNIVERSITY REverend and Right worthy Gentlemen Friends and Brethren in Christ How either your selves or others will interpret this Dedication I am I confess no such Seer as to be able to foresee and were the foresight hereof to be bought I should strain my self very little to make the Purchase I have that Witness within me whose Prerogative it is to laugh all Jealousies and Suggestions of Men to scorn which rise up in opposition to his Testimony clearly assuring me that the Oracles consulted by me about this Dedication were neither any undervaluing of you nor over-valuing of my self or of the Piece here presented unto you nor any desire of drawing respects from you either to my person or any thing that is mine much less any malignity of desire to cause you to drink of my cup or to bring you under the same cloud of disparagement with me which the World hath spread round about me Praise unto his Grace who hath taught me some weak rudiments of his Heavenly Art of drawing Light out of Darkness for mine own use I have not been for so many years together trampled upon to so little purpose as to remain yet either ignorant or insensible of mine own vileness and what Element I am neerest allied unto or so tender and querulous as either to complain of the weight of those who still go over me as the stones in the street or to project the sufferings of others in order to my own solace and relief My long deprivation and want of respects from men is now turned to an athletique habit somewhat after the manner of those who by long fasting lose their appetites and withall either contract or finde an ability or contentedness of Nature to live with little or no meat afterwards I can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Philip. 4. 13 Non est arrogantia sed fides praedicare ea quae accepisti Aug. from the dunghil whereon I sit with much contentment and sufficient enjoyment of my self behold my Brethren on Thrones round about me The Prize then that I run for in my Dedicatory Applications unto You is by the opportunity and advantage hereof to excite provoke and engage and this if it may be beyond and above all reasonableness of pretence to decline the service those whom I judged the most able and not the least willing among their Brethren to bless the World laboring and turmoyling it self under its own vanity and folly by bringing forth the Glorious Creator and ever-blessed Redeemer of it out of their Pavilions of Darkness into a clear and perfect Light to be beheld reverenced and adored in all their glory to be possessed enjoyed delighted in in all their beauty sweetness and desirableness by the Inhabitants of the Earth I know you have no need to be taught but possibly you may have some need to consider that your Gifts Parts Learning Knowledg Wisdom Books Studies Opportunities pleasant Mansions will all suddenly make Company for that which is not and never turn to any account of true greatness unto you nor of any Interest worthy the lightest thoughts of truly prudent and considering men unless they shall by a serious and solemn Act of Consecration be consigned over unto and interessed in that great Service of God and Men whereby that blessed Union between them shall be promoted and advanced the Foundations whereof have been by so high an Hand of Grace layd in the Blood of Jesus Christ You know the Saying of the great Prophet of the World He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad b Mat. 12. 30 Whatsoever shall not suffer yea and offer it self to be taken and carryed along by and with Jesus Christ in that grand and sublime Motion wherein he moveth dayly according to the Counsel of his Father in a streight course for the saving of the World will most certainly be dissipated and shattred all to nothing by the irresistible dint and force thereof how much more that which shall stand in his way obstruct and oppose him in this his Motion Especially Gifts Parts Reason Understanding in Men improved and raised or under means and opportunities of being improved and raised by Study Learning Knowledg if these do not make one shoulder with Jesus Christ in lifting up the World from the gates of Death much more in case they shall disadvantage and indispose the World to a receiving of those impressions from Christ by which it should or
might otherwise be thus lifted up by him will undoubtedly above the rate of all other things abound to the Shame Judgment Confusion and Condemnation of Men. When Men of rich endowments and worthy abilities of Learning and Knowledg shall give their strength in this kinde to other Studies Contemplations and Enquiries suffering in the mean time the Mindes and Consciences of Men to corrupt putrifie and perish in their sad Pollutions through that Ignorance or which is worse those disloyal and profane Notions and Conceptions of God and of Christ which reign or rather indeed rage in the midst of them without taking any compassion on them by searching out and discovering unto them those most excellent and worthy things of God and Christ the knowledg whereof would be unto them as a Resurrection from Death unto Life they do but write their Names in the dust and buy Vanity with that worthy Price which was put into their hand for a far more honorable Purchase And yet of the two they are sons of the greater folly and prevaricate far more sadly with the dearest and deepest Interest both of themselves and other men who by suffering their Reasons and Judgments to be abused either by sloth and supine oscitancy or else by sinister and carnal respects otherwise for there is a far different consideration of those who miscarry at this point through a meer Nescience or humane infirmity bring forth a strange God and a strange Christ unto the World such as neither the Scriptures noâ— Reason unbewitched know or own and this under the Name of the true God indeed and of the true Christ yea and most importunely and imperiously burthen and charge the Consciences of Men with the dread of Divine Displeasure and the Vengeance of Hell fire if they refuse to fall down and bow the knee of their Judgments before those Images and Representations which they set up as if in all their lineaments and parts they exhibited the true God and the true Christ according to the Truth The Apostle Paul relates a sad story of a great fire of Indignation kindled in the Brest of God and breaking out in a very formidable manner upon the Heathen who as he saith knew God c Rom. 1 21 i. e. had means sufficient to bring them to the knowledg of God d Men under means opportunities of knowledg are sâ—il estimated this justly in their Delinquencies as having Knowledg whether they be actually knowing or no. Compare Mat. 25 44 4â— with Luke 12 47 48 c. and withall professed themselves wise men e Rom. 1 22 Whether by such men he means the Philosophers in particular and learned men amongst them which is the more probable and the more received sence of Interprecers or whether the generality of them as Calvin rather supposeth varyeth not the story in any point of difference much material to my purpose The Misery which these men brought upon themselves through the just Displeasure of God is first in general drawn up by the Apostle in these words that Professing themselves wise they became Fool * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justâ Dei ultione fuerunt infatuati or rather were infatuated or made Fools as Calvin well expoundeth i. e. whilest they assumed unto themselves the honor and repute of much wisdom and understanding God as it were insensibly and by degrees withdrew that lively presence of his Spirit from them by which they had been formerly raised and enlarged as well to conceive and apprehend as to act and do like wise and prudent men but now the wonted presence of this Spirit of God failing them the savor and vigor of their wisdom and understandings proportionably abated and declined as Sampsons strength upon the cutting of his hair sank and fell to the line of the weakness of other men Secondly The Misery which these men drew upon their own head by breaking as they did with God is termed by the Apostle a delivering up or giving over to a reprobate minde f Rom. 1 28 which seems to import somewhat more sad and deeply penal then a simple infatuation or at least the height and consummation hereof A reprobate or injudicious minde implies such a constitution or condition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that soveraign and supreme Faculty in Man his Understanding whose proper office and work it is to order umpire and command in chief all his motions and actions as well internal as outward that light and darkness things comely and things uncomely actionâ— and ways pregnantly comporting with and actions and ways palpably destructive unto the dear Interest of his eternal Peace shall especially upon a practical account be of one and the same consideration to him neither shall he be capable of any difference of impression from things that differ in the highest The delivering up of a man by God to such a Reprobate Minde as this clearly supposeth the frame and constitution of the Minde and Understanding of Man to be naturally Reprobate I mean considered as the sin of Adam hath defaced and distempered it and as it would have been in all men in case the Great Advocate and Mediator of Mankinde had not interposed to procure the gracious conjunction of the illuminating Spirit of God with it yea and as it will be whensoever this Spirit of God shall be so far offended and provoked by a man as wholly to depart and desert it So that this Judiciary Act of God in giving men over to a Reprobate Minde imports nothing but the total withdrawing of all communion and converse by his Spirit with them hereby leaving them in the hand and under the inspection of such a minde or understanding which is naturally properly and entirely their own In which case the minde and understanding of a man suffers after some such manner as a quantity of good wholesom and spiritful wine would do in case it should be bereft of all the subtil and spirituous parts of it by a Chymical Extraction made by fire that which should remain after such a separation would be but as water without strength or taste Now the cause of this fire of displeasure kindled in the Brest of God against the persons mentioned burning so neer to the bottom of Hell as we heard our Apostle recordeth first in these words Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful g Rom. 1. 21 Afterwards in these And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledg h Verse 28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. c. Or as the Original I humbly conceive would rather bear as they did not make tryal i. e. put themselves to it engage their abilities to have God in acknowledgment i. e. so to discover him to the World that he might be acknowledged in his soveraign Greatness and transcendent Excellencies by men From which passages layd together it clearly appears 1. That for men
rather importeth he implyeth not only that all our vitall actions and motions are exercised and performed by the gracious concurrence and compliance of God with us as well as our lives themselves and Principles of action preserved but further that there is a further and appropriate concurrence of God required and by him accordingly exhibited to enable men to act those very Principles of action and motion that are in them distinct from that by which their lives and Principles of action in every kind are preserved Insomuch that though men be never so well appointed or provided for action in one kind or other in respect of suitable proper and sufficiently-disposed Principles thereunto yet upon a suspension of that particular influence or concurrence by God which is appropriate and necessary both for the leading forth unto and for the supporting of these Principles in and under their proper actions there is none of them will go forth into action nor is able to maintain or support it selfe in acting But whether such a concurrence of God supposed and actually granted as is sufficient both for the leading forth unto and for the support of the Principles we speak of in their proper actings these Principles notwithstanding at least such of them whose actions lie under the command of the will may not refuse or forbear to act is another Question wherein more may be said hereafter In the mean time that God may at any time separate between Principles §. 7. and their actings even those that are most proper and connaturall to them only by with-holding that compliance of his with them which is appropriate and necessary for their conducting unto action is evident from severall passages in the Scriptures Doubtlesse the heat of the fire in Nebuchadnezzars furnace being het seven times hotter then ordinary was as proper as likely a means to have consumed Shadrach Meshach and Abednego being cast into the midst of this furnace as those who were imployed by the King only to cast them into it Nor can it reasonably be said That God separated the heat or burning property from the fire or annihilated it all the time that these three men were in the furnace For 1. unlesse we shall suppose the subject it self I mean the fire to have been destroyed or annihilated we cannot suppose that heat or a burning property being â— property inseparable from such a subject should be taken from it 2. It appears by the story that those who cast the three Servants of God mentioned into the furnace were consumed by the fire of it whilst the Servants of God remained in the furnace Therefore certainly there was true fire and true heat in the furnace whilest the three men continued in it 3. And lastly The story saith That the Princes Governors and Captains c. being gathered together saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power * Dan. 3. 27. So that there is not the least question but that there was reall fire and reall heat and that in abundance in the furnace which notwithstanding had no power no not so much as over the hair of their heads or the garments they wore What now was the Reason why this fire and this heat prevailed not over those that were cast into the midst of them as they did over those who cast them in Was it any other then this The Lord of hoasts his withdrawing the wonted conjunction of himselfe from the heat of the fire and refusing to comply with it in that expedition or attempt which it naturally inclined to make upon these men as well as upon any others to destroy them whereas he kept his naturall and accustomed union with this heat in that attempt which it made upon those other men who cast these into the furnace by means whereof it suddenly prevail'd upon them and consumed them There was the same Reason why the Bush which Moses saw burning with fire was not consumed by it The Reason likewise in all likelihood why the men of Sodom could not find the door of Lots house was because God withdrew his usuall concurrence from their visive faculty in order to the discerning of that object For that other things were all this while visible enough to them appears from their continued endevours even unto weariness in seeking this door If they had bin wholy blind so that they could have seen nothing at all it is no ways credible but that they would have desisted their enterprize at the very first This withdrawing or suspension of the wonted Presence of God with the Seeing faculty of men is called the holding of their eyes Luk. Luke 24 16. 24. 16. But their eyes were holden that they could not know him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were mightily or powerfully held they could not act or perform that which otherwise was most naturall and proper for them to do in receiving and representing to the Sensus Communis or adjudging faculty of the Soul the true species and shape of a Person standing visibly before them and neer to them through the want of that accustomed co-operative Presence of God with them in order to this act which untill now it is like had never failed them upon the like occasion Other instances we have in Scripture of such like impotencies and deficiences as these in naturall faculties through the suspension of that soveraign presence with them upon which all their motions and actions depend See Ioh. 20. 14 15. 2 Kings 6. 17 18 c. When God threatned his People of old That the wisdome of their wise men §. 8. Esa 29. 14 should perish and the understanding of their prudent men he hid Isai 29. 14. he doth not I suppose threaten an utter annihilation of those Principles or habits of wisdome and understanding in these men but only an intercision or failing of such interposals and actings from and by these Principles in order to the safety and preservatioâ—â—oth of themselves and their state which might reasonably and accordinâ— to the common course of second Causes be expected from them which wonder as he calls it was I conceive to be effected only by the hiding of his face from them without the beholding whereof no second Cause whatsoever is able to move no not in those ways of acting which are most appropriate to them This manner of execution of the judgment here threatened seems to be implyed in those latter words And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid i. e. shall not be conspicuous or discernable in any fruits or effects worthy of it not that the Principle it self should be absolutely destroyed or devested of Being This Liberty or great Interest of God which we speak of I mean to suspend the proper and most accustomed effects of second Causes by refusing to joyn in action with them causeth that time and chance as the wise man calleth them which happen now and then in those occurrences of humane affairs as
viz. when the race is not to the swift nor the battell to the strong c. Eccles 9. 11. Eccles 9. 11. §. 9. If it be here demanded In as much as second Causes and created Principles especially in men act notwithstanding such a substraction of the Divine Presence from them as hath been declared though not according to the perfection of their natures but in a troubled and miscarrying manner the eyes of the two Disciples we spake of though they were so held that they knew not Christ viz. to be the person which he was yet they represented him unto them as a man c. Whether do such actings as these proceed from their Principles without any such presence of the first Cause with them as that which we have asserted to be simply necessary for and with second Causes whensoever they go forth into action Or what manner of presence of this first Cause or how differing from that which is constant and more agreeable to their natures shall we suppose they have with them when they act irregularly or deficiently To this I answer 1. Whensoever second Causes move into action whether they act congruously to their respective natures and kinds or whether defectively they still have and must have a presence of the first Cause with them as hath beene already argued But 2. When they faile or faulter in their motions or actings if their motions be such which are not morall or commanded by the will of which kind the mis representation of the person of Christ by the eyes or visive faculty of the two Apostles was I conceive that the presence or concourse of the first cause with them is attempered and proportioned in order to the deficiency of the action I mean as well to the degree as kind of this deficiency and is not the same with it selfe in the ordinary and proper actings of these faculties The reason hereof is because faculties meerly naturall act determinately and uniformly after one and the same manner unlesse they be troubled and put out of their way by a superior power But in morall actions and such whose deficiency proceedeth from the wills of men or other creatures indued with the Whether or how the concurrence of God with the wils of men in good actions dister from that which is afforded unto them in evill actions shall God willing be taken into consideration in the second part of this work same faculty the presence and concourse of the first Cause with the Principles producing them is not at least ordinarily different from that which is naturall and proper to them and by vertue whereof at other times they act regularly or at least may The Reason hereof is because the nature and intrinsecall frame and constitution of the will importeth a liberty or freedom of chusing its own motions or acts this being the essentiall and characteristicall property of it whereby it is distinguished from causes meerly naturall Now then if this faculty when it moves or acts inordinately should be so influenced by the first Cause as hereby to be determined or necessitated to the inordinacy of its actings 1. That distinguishing property we speak of should be dissolved or destroyed and the will it selfe hereby reduced to the Order and Laws of Causes meerly naturall 2. The inordinatenesse or sinfulnesse of the motions and actings of it could not be resolved into it selfe or its own corruption but into that over ruling and necessitating influence of the first Cause upon it which it was not able to withstand nor to act besides or contrary unto the determinating exigency thereof And thus God shall be made the Author of Sin which is the first born of abominations even in the eye of Reason and Nature it selfe But of these things more hereafter Though all the motions and actings of the creature and created Principles §. 10. or faculties are absolutely suspended upon the association of the first Cause with them in their actings yet do they very seldom suffer any detriment or actuall suspension of their motions or actings hereby God never denying suspending or withdrawing that concurrence or conjunction of himself with them without which they cannot act but only upon some speciall design as for example now and then to be a Remembrancer unto the world that Nature and Second Causes are not autocratoricall i. e. do not perform what ordinarily they do perform independently and of themselves but that he is the soveraign Lord of them and hath all the strength and operations of them in his hand The battell commonly is to the strong and the race ordinarily to the swift and bread most frequently to men of understanding c. But more of this also in the following Chapter The Apostle affirming That in God we live and move in the sence declared §. 11. passeth the sentence of condemnation against two opinions which yet condemn one the other also being two extreams leaving the Truth between them in the middle The former denies all co-operation of the first Cause with the second affirming That God only communicateth that operating virtue unto them which they respectively exert and put forth and preserveth it but doth not at all co-operate with it The latter affirmeth That it is God only who acteth or worketh at the presence of Second Causes and that these do nothing but stand by act not at all The former of these opinions wâ—â— held by Durandus the Schoolman and by some others far more ancient then he against whom Augustin disputeth Lib. 5. dâ— Geâ— ad lit c. 20. The latteâ— by Gabriel Biel a School man also and some others of that Learning The Apostles assertion That we move in God in the sence asserted is visibly attended with these two consequentiall Truths 1. That God doth associate himselfe and communicate with Second Causes and all created Principles in their respective motions and operations and consequently contributes more towards their motions and operations then only by a collation and conservation of a sufficient strength or virtue in their respective causes to produce them 2. That the ordinary effects acts and operations produced in these sublunary parts are not so or upon any such terms attributable unto God but that they have their Second Causes also respectively producing them whereunto they may as truly and perhaps more properly be ascribed as unto God CHAP. II. Though there be as absolute and essential a Dependance of Second Causes upon the first in point of motion action and operation as of simple Existence or Being yet are not the motions actions or operations of Second Causes at least ordinarily so immediately or precisely determined by that Dependance which they have upon the first Cause as their respective Beings are THe simple Existences or Beings of things may be said to be determined §. 1. by God the first Cause three ways 1. In respect of their Natures or constituting Principles of their respective Beings 2. In respect of their
perish but on the contrary that whosoever of them should not believe should perish Which according to their Principles against whom we now argue is as if a man should say which soever of my sheep is no sheep but a goate shall have no pasture with his fellowes 3. They who by the World here understand the Elect must if they will §. 14. not baulk with their Principles suppose that Christ speaks at no better Rate of Wisdom or Sence in this Scripture then thus So God loved the World that He gave His only begotten Sonne that whosoever did that which was not possible for them to decline or not to do should not perish but c. Who ever being serious and in his wits required that in the nature of a condition from any Man especially in order to the obtaining of some great and important thing which he of whom it was required upon such terms was necessitated or had no Liberty or Power but to performe what Father ever promised his Son his Estate either in whole or in part upon condition that whilest he rode upon an Horse he should not go on foote or upon condition that he would do that which a force greater he was able to resist should necessitate him to do So that the whole tenor and carriage of the verse renders the interpretation of the word World hitherto encountred a meer nullity in Sence Reason and Truth 5. The Context and words immediately preceding will at no hand endure §. 15. that sence of the word World against which we have declared hitherto This little word for FOR God so loved c. being causall importeth not only a connexion of these words with what went before but such a connexion or Relation as that which intercedes between the cause and the effect So that the words in hand must be looked upon as assigning or exhibiting the Cause or Reason of that effect which was immediately before mentioned This being granted as without breach of conscience it can hardly be denied it will appear as cleer as the light of the Sun that by the word World in the place under Contest cannot be meant the Elect only The tenor of the two next foregoing Verses for together they make but one intire sentence is this And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse even so must the Sonne of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him or every one believing in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life So that the effect here mentioned and expressed is the Salvation and everlasting happinesse of what Person or Persons soever of Men or of Man-kinde that shall believe in Christ The Reason or Cause hereof our Saviour discovers and asserts in the words in hand For God so loved the World that He gave c. If now by the World we shall understand only the Elect the Reason or Cause here assigned of the pre-mentioned effect will be found inadequate to it and insufficient to produce it For Gods Love to the Elect and his giving his Son for their Salvation only is no sufficient cause to procure or produce the Salvation of WHOSOEVER shall or should believe on him For certaine it is that there is Salvation in Christ for no more then for whom God intended there should be Salvation in him If there be Salvation in him for none but for the Elect only then is it not true that whosoever believes in him shall be saved For certaine it is that no Mans believing puts any Salvation into Christ for him therefore if it were not there for him before he believed yea or whether he beleeved or not neither would it be there for him though or in case he should believe 6. And lastly that by the word World in the Scripture in hand is not meant the Elect nor any thing equivalent hereunto is evident also from the Context in the Verse and words immediately following where our Saviour goeth forward in his Doctrine Thus. For God sent not His Sonne into the World to condemne the World but that the World through him might be saved a Ioh. 3. 17. This Particle for being as we lately noted Causall or Raciocinative plainly sheweth that he useth the word World or speaks of the World in this Verse where he speaks of the condemnation of it in the same sence wherein he spake of it in the former and the meanes of the Salvation of it otherwise he should not argue ad idem i. e. to the point in hand Now then to make him here to say that God sent not his Sonne into the World i. e. to take the nature or to live in the condition of the Elest to condemne the Elect but that the Elect c. is to make him speak as never man I suppose spake but not for excellency of Wisdom or gracefulnesse of expression but for weaknesse in both To say that God sent not his Sonne into the World to condemne his Elect were but to beate the Aire or to fight against a shadow I mean solemnly to deny that which no man was ever likely to imagine or affirm For â—ow or by what way of apprehension should it ever enter into any mans thoughts that God should send his Sonne into the World to condemne those whom out of his infinite love he had from eternity decreed to save with a strong Hand out-stretched Arme and Power omnipotent and invincible Or are not these the Elect in their notion of Election with whom we have now to do Therefore certainly the World in the Scripture before us doth not signifie the Elect. A second interpretation of this word asserted by some is that by the §. 16. World is meant genus humanum or Mankinde indefinitely considered i. e. if I rightly understand the minde of those who thus interpret as neither importing all nor any of the individiuums or persons contained in or under this species or kinde but only the specificall nature of Man common to them all as when the Jewes said of the Centurion that he loved their nation * Luke 7. 5. their meaning was not either that he loved all that were Jewes without exception of any nor yet that he loved any particular person of them more then another but only that he was lovingly disposed towards them as they were such a particular Nation as viz. Jewes But that this Interpretation either falls in in substance with the former and so is already condemn'd with the condemnation thereof or else with the third and last which as we shall hear presently findeth in this Scripture a Love in God towards all the individuall Persons of Man-kinde without exception of any or else that it vanisheth into nothing and hath no substance at all in it may be thus demonstrated If by Man-kinde indefinitely considered be neither meant a speciall or determinate number of the persons of Men which the former interpretation asserteth nor yet the universality or intire body of Men consisting
wherein he was capable of dying as well as other men yet did not suffer death simply through the malice or power of his enemies but upon an account far superior unto these the Apostle attributes his death to the Grace of God i. e. The love and gracious affections of God not towards some or a few no nor yet towards all men collectively taken or in the lump but towards all men distributively taken i. e. towards every particular and inviduall man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Holy Ghost for every man i. e. to procure eternall Redemption and Salvation for every man without the exclusion of any I cannot apprehend what can reasonably be said to alienate the minde or import of this Scripture from our present cause Evident it is and you shall finde our best interpreters of the place affirming the same that the Apostle in these words that through the Grace of God he might taste death c. assignes a Reason or two rather of what he had said a little before concerning the Incarnation and Humiliation of Jesus Christ whom he had in the former Chapter asserted to be the Son of God to prevent or heal any scandall or offence that either had already or might afterwards arise in the minds of these Hebrewes through the unlikelyhood strangenesse ot incrediblenesse of such a thing It is a saying among Philosophers and all men have experience in part of truth in it that a knowledge of the Reasons or Causes of things causeth admiration and so all troublesomenesse of thoughts about them to cease So then the Apostles drift and intent in the words mentioned being to satisfie the Hebrewes concerning such a strange wonderfull and unheard of a thing as 1. That the Son of God should be made Man and 2. That being made Man he should suffer death it is no wayes credible but that he should 1. Assigne such a cause as would carry the greatest weight of satisfaction in it and 2. expresse himself in such Perspicuity and Plainnesse of words that they might not lightly mistake his meaning lest if by occasion of his words they should first apprehend the Reason or Cause assign'd by him to be more weighty or considerable then he intended it and afterwards should come to understand that it was far lighter and lesse considerable their scandall and offence in stead of being healed or prevented would be more strengthened and increased as usually it comes to passe in such cases Now evident it is 1. That the Apostles words in this place that he through the Grace of God should taste death for every Man in the plainest the most obvious and direct sence and signification of them hold forth the Doctrine which we maintaine for Truth here being no restraint at all nor the least whispering of any limitation to be put upon that terme of universality 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every Man and 2. As evident it is that the Death of Christ for all Men without the exception of any which is the Doctrine we assert and the Grace of God so intending it amount to a far more weighty consideration and satisfaction touching those great dispensations spoken of the Incarnation and Humiliation of the Son of God then his dying only for a few or for a select number of men and the Grace of God commensureable hereunto Therefore there is not the least question to be made but that the large and not the limited sence was the Apostles sence in the words now under debate And when the Holy Ghost expresseth himself as we have heard that he through the Grace of God should taste death FOR EVERY MAN for any man to come and interpret thus for every Man i. e. for some men or for a few Men which if not for forme yet for matter and substance must be their interpretation who oppose the exposition given is not to interpret but to correct and to exercise a magisteriall authority over the Scriptures Nor had Pareus himself the heart to decline the interpretation asserted §. 9. though he seemes somewhat desirous by some expressions to hide this his ingenuity from his fellowes to avoide their offence Whereas saith he the Apostle saith for every Man it respects the amplification or extent of the Death of Christ HE DIED NOT FOR SOME FAVV the efficacy or vertue of it appertaines unto ALL. Therefore there is life prepared or made ready in the Death of Christ for ALL afflicted consciences a Quod dicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad fructum mortis Christi amplificandum pertinet Non pro paucis aliquibus mortuns est sed ad omnes efficacia ejus pertinet Omnibus igitur afflictis conscientiis in morte Christi vita parata est c. c. The truth is that there can be no solid ground of Peace or Comfort to any afflicted conscience whatsoever without the supposall of Christs Death for every Man without exception as hath been argued in part Sect. 38. of the former Chapter and might be further evicted above all contradiction Amongst the Orthodox Fathers Chrysostome who as we heard avouched the exposition given of the former Scripture stands by his own judgement and mine in his explication of this That he through the Grace of God should taste Death for every man not only saith he for the faithfull or those that believe but for ALL THE WORLD He indeed died for ALL Men. For what if all Men doe not believe yet He hath done His part b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fully performed that which was proper for Him to do The Scripture next advancing in the forementioned troope was Who will §. 10. have ALL MEN to be saved speaking of God and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth b 1 Tim. 2. 4. Whereunto for conformity in import we shall joyn the last there specified which is this The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some Men count slacknesse but is long suffering to us-ward NOT WILLING THAT ANY should perish but that ALL should come to Repentance c 2 Pet. 3. 9. Concerning the former of these places we cleerly evinced in the first Section of this Chapter from the unquestionable tenor and carriage of the whole Context that by ALL Men cannot possibly be understood either some of all sorts of Men or Jewes and Gentiles or all the Elect or the like but of necessity All of All sorts of Men simply and universally without the exemption of any whether Jewes or Gentiles Any other interpretation or sence of the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Men but this renders the Apostle palpably impertinent and weake that I say not ridiculous in his arguing in this place This I plainly demonstrate in the said Section I now add that if it may be said that God will have All Me◠to be saved because he will have some of All sorts of Men to be saved it may more properly and truly be said of him that he
that Christ Died not equally for all and every Man because all and every Man have not the same â—eanes of Salvation granted unto them Yet in what sence it is at least very probable that all and every Man have the same means of Salvation vouchsafed unto them shall be taken into consideration in due place Thirdly whereas the same Author saith that it is one thing to die for §. 29. the Reprobaâ—â— in some sence and another I suppose he meanes to die for them with an intention and purpose to save them I verily believe that neither he nor â—ny of his perswasion in the present controversie are able to credit such a distinction unlesse captiously and altogether irrelatively to the businesse in hand understood either by the Scriptures or any solid Reason For I confesse I am yet to learne where in the Scriptures Christ is said to die for any for whose Salvation he Died not It is true Christ Died not so Precisely or Adequately for the Salvation of any Man as not to die for the obtaining of many other good things also for them which are not comprehended in Salvation formally taken and in this sence the distinction may be admitted in as much as upon this account it amounts to no more but this It is one thing to say that Christ Died for the Reprobate in some sence i. e. for the obtaining of lesser mercies for them and another to say that He died for their Salvation I confesse that these two Assertions are not formally and every wayes the same as lesser things and greater things compared only between themselves are not the same But such a sence as this no wayes accommodates the Authors Discourse Therefore His meaning to make him speake like a Man must be that to say that Christ Died for the obtaining of some good things for Reprobates may according to Scripture Principles and Grounds stand and be justified but to say that He Died for the Salvation of such Men cannot by these Principles and Grounds be evinced But in this sence the said distinction hath not yet been nor I believe ever will be in the latter member of it made Orthodox or sound upon such termes The said Author in Processe of the same Discourse to save his Bottle of §. 30. Hay or Stubble from being burnt in the fire of the Scripture in hand advanceth another distinction every whit as helplesse that way as the former We confesse saith he speaking of the false Teachers in the Text before us who bring swift destruction upon themselves that they were bought by the Blood of Christ because all these were fruits of Christs Death whereof they were made partakers But a few lines after he retracts upon the matter the substance of this his confession by mincing it thus To these Men their sinnes were remitted IN A SORT in this World and IN A SORT they were boâ—ght with the Blood of Christ but INCHOATELY only and as they tasted the Word of Life a Mr. I. Ball Covenant of Grace p. 240. Such shifting intricate and winding expressions as these falling from the Pens of Grave and Learned Men are the constant symptomes of a judgement distempered with some error labouring and toyling in the service of it But 1. who ever heard of sinnes remitted in a sort or who is able to notion such an expression what is that remission which is in a sort If by Remission of sins in a sort he meanes Remission of sins to a degree or with some imperfection this contradicts the generally received opinion of Protestant Divines who admit no degrees no magis and minus in Justification still assigning this for one difference between Justification sanctification If by Remission in a sort he meanes a conditionall Remission which seems to be his meaning by an expression used a few lines before I know no other sence can be made of the expression but only this or of this import viz. that God forgiveth some Men their sins upon such terms as to reserve a liberty unto himself of Reversing or Recalling that grant in case of such or such an unworthinesse in them afterwards This I judge to be most Orthodox and true though not in relation to some Men only but with Reference unto all without exception to whom God at any time granteth Remission of sins in this World of which more before the close of this Chapter yet this sence I presume no wayes Befriends the Authors judgement in the controversie depending so that the truth is I know not what sence to make of his Remission of sins upon condition and in a sort Secondly every whit as mysterious and uncoutâ— to me as the former is §. 31. that expression also of these Men being bought with the Blood of Christ in a sort I wish that either some of the publishers of the Discourse or some other Friend either of the Person or Cause or both would explaine it For as for his own explication so intended I suppose in the words following but inchoately only and as they tasted the Word of Life it is to me rather a further Obscuration then Explication Were they bought with the Blood of Christ inchoately only and not perfectly How then can this Author say in the passage next following that by promise he God assured them of Salvation if they did believe and again that if they had unfeignedly believed in him without question they should have been saved Would their believing have altered the Intentions of God concerning them in the Death of Christ or cause them to have been bought by the Blood of Christ though they were not bought before Or did God assure them of such a Salvation which never was nor ever so much as intended to be purchased or procured for them Doubtlesse if so be they should without question have been saved in case they had unfeignedly believed they were bought as perfectly and compleatly with the Blood of Christ as any the Elect themselves their unbelief notwithstanding because their Believing could not have procured or Brought any other Salvation to them but only that which was fully and compleatly purchased and bought for them with the Blood of Christ without any dependance at all upon their Faith Therefore unlesse we suppose that Salvation was compleatly purchased for them by Christ in His Death we cannot say or suppose with truth that in case they had believed they should without question have been saved a See more of this cap. 7. Sect. 2. 3. c. That which is behind and as they tasted of the Word of Life is yet more inaccessible §. 32. to my understanding then any thing that went before For how in what sence or with what congruity to a rationall apprehension can Men be said to have been bought with the Blood of Christ as they tasted of the Word of Life Surely the meaning is not that when or whilest they tasted of the Word of Life they were so bought
suspensions and interruptions Therefore there is nothing in the last Objection against that exposition of the Scripture in hand which hath been asserted both the feet upon which it stands being weak and lame There is yet another Objection colourable I suppose in some Mens §. 47. eyes against the said interpretation The substance of it this If the links of that chaine of Divine acts described in this passage of Scripture may be severed or broken by the miscarriages or unworthinesse of the Saints in any kinde then had the Apostle no sufficient reason to build the Saints so high upon it in Confidence Exultations and Triumphs as He doth in the Verses immediately following What shall we say to these things If God be on our side who can be against us And the reason is because the Saints are children of many infirmities and of much unworthinesse apt to sin against God every moment Therefore if their Peace and Salvation depend upon their own regular and worthy walkings with God they are in a condition of no good security to be saved and what ground then have they to rejoyce and triumph at any such rate as the Apostle seemes here to invite and incourage them unto To this I answer that the Heart of this Objection was broken in the last preceding Chapter where we shewed upon severall considerations and grounds that the Saints have cause in abundance to rejoyce yea and to triumph under the hope and expectation of Salvation notwithstanding any possibility they are subject unto of declining or perishing The Reader I presume will be satisfied in this Point upon a serious perusall of what is there Written from Section 21. to the end of the Chapter I here add 1. That the friends and favourers themselves of the common interpretation §. 48. of the place in hand and which contradicteth the exposition given generally grant and teach that the Saints themselves cannot have any Peace or Comfort in their Faith or assurance of Salvation whilest they walk prophanely loosely or unfaithfully with God So that these Men themselves doe suspend the Peace and Comfort and much more the Joy and Triumph of the Faith of the Saints upon their Christian behaviour and Regular walkings with God Therefore judging the Exposition given upon such an account as this they condemne themselves and their owne Doctrines 2. The assureance of the continuance of Gods Love to them and of His care over them whilest they in any measure walke worthy of it is a Regular and due foundation unto the Saints of every whit as great a confidence Exultation and Triumph as the Apostle in the words mentioned intitles them unto Yea 3. The very particular and expresse ground upon which He buildeth up Himself and the Saints with Him in such a Triumphant Confidence as we heard is this the sence or assureance of Gods Love towards them meaning whilest they walk with Him as becommeth Saints because being out of this posture they can neither have sence nor assureance of His Love as our adversaries themselves acknowledge and teach as we lately heard not any assureance of the continuance of His Love to them how profane wicked or abominable soever they can or shall be What shall we say then to these things if God BE with us who can be against us Therefore 4. And lastly such a supposition or Doctrine as this that they that are at present justified may possibly sin themselves out of the Grace of Justification and so never come to be glorified is upon due consideration no bridle at all to check the holy and humble confidence or boastings of the Saints in God or in the Lord Jesus Christ they may in the face and presence of such a Doctrine though acknowledged and admitted for truth lift up themselves upon the wings of a blessed security unto Heaven and rejoyce that joy which is unspeakeable and glorious But of these things we spake liberally in the last Chapter Some may yet possibly imagine that they discover a ground of confutation §. 49. of all that hath been said upon the Context of Scripture yet in hand Verse 29. in those words That he might be the first-borne amongst many Brethren For from hence they may reason thus If this be Gods End or Designe in Predestinating those whom he knew before or pre-approved to be conformed to the Image of His Son in glory that He might be the first borne amongst many Brethren i. e. might have the honour of bringing many into part and fellowship with Himself in His own blessednesse and glory then must all they who are thus Predestinated of necessity attaine or come to injoy such a conformity with Him otherwise God shall be frustrated in His Designe and Jesus Christ be defeated and disappointed of that excellent honour which His Father projected for Him For if one or some thus predestinated may miscarry and never come to enjoy an actuall conformity unto Him in His glory why may not others of them miscarry likewise and consequently all and so the Great Counsell or Project of God for the honor of His Son Iesus Christ be laid in the dust To this I answer 1. Suppose that Iesus Christ should have no Brethren conformable unto Him in glory yet would it not follow from hence that the Counsell or Designe of God to make Him the first borne among many Brethren should be made void or miscarry For the Counsell or Designe of God in this behalf stood Mainely and Principally in this viz. in casting this honour upon Iesus Christ that He should be a Person every wayes fitted and accomplished should act and doe or be ready and willing to act and do every such thing whereby many of his Brethren i. e. of the children of Men if they were not most shamefully and grossely neglective of themselves and their own greatest concernments might come to partake with him in His great Blessednesse and glory And in case Men should prove thus neglective of themselves and so as voluntarily to deprive themselves of that great Salvation which Iesus Christ out of His great Love and with the sore travell of his Soul hath prepared and made ready for them yea and invited and called yea and pressed upon them to accept at his hand yet the honour and glory of a signall Benefactor and great Saviour shall remaine intire unto Him nor is there the least colour or pretence why He should suffer the least disparagement or prejudice in the thoughts either of Men or Angells because of the wilfull folly and madnesse of Men to forsake their own mercies and destroy themselves Himself owned and built upon this consideration when He spake thus by the mouth of one of His greatest Prophets Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength a Esa 49 5. In the former Verse He speaks thus in his Representor Then I said I have laboured in vaine I
seemingly wicked but truly and really so as is acknowledged on all hands So that the Antithesis or opposition between the righteous and the wicked runing so visibly quite through the body of the Discourse must needs be dissolved if by the righteous man should be meant a Person seemingly righteous only he that is righteous in this sence being truly and really wicked Yea Calvin writing upon the place though he sets himself to manage it so that the cause of Perseverance may not suffer damage by it and in order hereunto turns many a stone to make the righteous man a man seemingly righteous onely yet now and then by the force and Power of the Truth is turn'd quite out of the way of his design so as to make this righteous man righteous in such a sence that nothing should be wanting unto him but Perseverance in his way to make him blessed a Nunc autem terret eos qui ad tempus professi fuerant se puros sinceros esse Dei cultores si deficiant in medio cursu Câ—terum colligimus ex hoc loco quemadmodum Christus docet solâ—s esse beatos qui perseveraverint quia nihil prâ—derit temporalis Justicia Apostatis qui postea sâ—â—a Deo avertunt Et paulo post Rursum ut in officio contineat eos qui fecerunt aliquos progressus correcta omni ignavia eos ad solicitudinâ—â—â—dducat minari nisâ— ad extremum usque prosequantur cursum Sanctae piae vitae Justiciam superiorem pro nihilo fore c. Which clearly sounds an acknowledgment of true Righteousness in the man stiled righteous by the Prophet in as much as Perseverance in a way of Formality or of a pretended and seeming righteousness onely is quite out of the way to any mans blessedness To this we may add that of Dr Prideaux in the fore-cited Lecture But if the righteous man saith he should turn himself away from his counterfeit and hypocritical righteousness should he not rather live then dye in as much as he should put off the Wolf to put on the Lamb a Quod si justus se averteret à Iusticiâ simulatâ hypocriticâ an non potius viveret quà m moreretur quia exuisset Vulpem ut Agnum indueret Others have sought for a door of escape from that Exposition of the place §. 9. yet in hand which we have asserted in the Hypothetical tenor and form of the words themselves Ezekiel say these doth not affirm that a righteous man may turâ— aside from his righteousness c. or that he may dye in his Apostacy but onely speaks conditionally or by way of supposition viz. that if or when he shall turn away from his righteousness c then he shall dye c. And from such conditional sayings as this nothing positive can be concluded But this Sanctuary also hath been profaned by some of the chief Guardians themselves of that cause for the protection and safety whereof it was built There needs no more be done though much more might be done yea and hath been done by others b Vid. Defens Senten Remonstr circà Art 5. de Persever p. 220. then what the learned Doctor so lately named hath done himself for the demolishing of it Having propounded the Argument from the place in Ezekiel according to the import of the Interpretation asserted by us Some saith He answer That a Condition proves nothing in being which how true soever it may be in respect of such Hypotheticals which are made use of onely for the amplification of matters and serve for the aggravating either of the difficulty or indignity of a thing as if I should climb up into Heaven thou art there Psal 139. it were ridiculous to infer therefore a man may climb into Heaven yet such conditional sayings upon which Admonitions Promises or Threatnings are built do at least suppose something in possibility however by vertue of their Tâ—nor and form they suppose nothing in being For no man seriously intending to encourage a Student in His way would speak thus to Him If thou wilt get all the Books in the University Library by Heart thou shalt be Doctor this Commencement Besides in the case in hand He that had a minde to deride the Prophet might readily come upon Him thus But a righteous man according to the judgment of those that are Orthodox cannot turn away from His Righteousness therefore your Threatening is in vain Thus we see to how little purpose it is to seek for starting holes in such Logique quirks as these c Respondent noÌ„nulli conditionem nil ponere in esse quod utcunque verum sit de Hypotheticis quae ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solummodo sive amplificationem adhibentur aggerandae rei alicujus difficultati vel indignitati inserviunt ut si scanderem Coelos ibi es Psal 139. ridiculum esset inferre ergo potest aliquis Coelum scandere Conditionales taâ—en quibus Commonefactiones Promissiones vel Comminationes superstruntur supponunt saltem aliquid in posse licet nil ponant ex vi connexionis Nemo enim serio aliquem ad progressum in studiis sic adhortaretur Si omnes in publicâ Bibliothecâ libros mandâ—s memoriae eris Doctor hisce comitiis Quid quòd in praesenti negotio irrisori in promptu esset sic adversus Prophetam subsumere At justus secundum Orthodoxorum the sin non potest se avertere ergo in nihilum recidit tua interminatio Videtis quà m parùm opus sit in Logicis hujusmodi tricit diverticulum quaerere Dr Prid. Lect. 6. de Perseverant Sanct. p. 201. Thus far this Great Assertor of the Synod of Dort and of the cause which they maintained to shew the vanity of such a sence or construction put upon the words now in debate which shall render them meerly conditional and will not allow them to import so much as a possibility of any thing contained or expressed in them To which much more of like demonstration might be added if I conceived that light stood in need of light for the manifestation of it To say that God putteth a case in such solemnity and emphaticalness of words and phrase as are remarkable all along the carriage of the place in hand of which there is no possibility that it should ever happen or be exemplified in reality of event and this in vindication of himself and the equity of his dealings and proceedings with men is to bring a scandal and reproach of weakness such a weakness as is scarce to be paralleld in men upon that infinite wisdom of his which magnifies it self in all his words and works Which also is so much the more unworthy and unpardonable when there is a sence commodious every ways worthy as well the infinite wisdom as goodness of God pertinent and proper to the occasion He hath in hand which offers it self plainly clearly without any straining of word or Phrase unto us Lastly Some
there are who being loth to see the cause of their long-magnified §. 10. Doctrine of Perseverance dying by the Hand of the Scripture yet before us and despairing of help for it by any or by all the fore-mentioned applications have thought it not amiss in a case of such imminent and extream danger to try conclusions by administring this Antidote unto it When God threatens say they the righteous man apostatizing that for the iniquity which He committeth He shall dye He speaks neither of the first Death properly so called nor yet of the second Death but of Afflictions Judgments and Calamities oft signified in Scripture by the word Death as Prosperity is by the word Life which God often brings upon truly good and righteouâ— men when they greatly provoke Him by their sins To this I answer 1. That this mist hath been already scattered and dispel'd by the strength of that light which shineth in Sect. 3. of this Chapter by which it clearly appeareth that by the Death threatened by God against a righteous man backsliding and persevering in His backslidings unto death which we there shew to be the case put by God in the Scripture in hand is meant Eternal Death Therefore not any temporal Judgments or Afflictions at least noâ— onely or principally these Yet here we add 2. That it ill becomâ— an Interpreter of Scripture to recede from the plain proper and best known signification of words save onely when necessitated by the exigency either of the Context and scope of the Place in hand or else of the nature and condition of the matter as viz. when the sence which the common signification of the word raiseth and exhibiteth is inconsistent either with the course of the Scriptures or with Principles of Reason Neither of which can be reasonably pretended in this Place 3. The express Tenor of the Context it self riseth up like an armed man against this Interpretation For the execution or infliction of that Death which is here threatened against the righteous man that shall apostatize is not threatened but upon his dying under His Apostacy in which case there is no opportunity for God to inflict any temporal Judgments upon men When a righteous man turneth away from His Righteousness and committeth iniquity and DYETH IN THEM for His iniquity that He hath done shall He dye a Ezek 18 26 4. When God threateneth at any time such and such sins or such and such sinners in one kinde or other with Death it is of very dangerous consequence and tending to allay and break the energy and Power and consequently to hinder the operation of such Threatenings upon the Consciences of men for any Man to put a qualified or mitigating sence upon the word death especially not being authorized by God Himself so to do 5. And lastly the Authors themselves of this Interpretation seeme to be half heartlesse and hopelesse of doing any great matters for their cause by it and in their Explication of themselves about it they distinguish themselves quite besides that which should relieve them The word Death they say in the Prophet doth not IN THE FIRST SENCE of it signifie eternall Death as neither doth the word life in the opposite part of the sentence signifie eternall life But what though the word Death doth not in the controverted Passage signifie eternall Death in the first sence or signification of it yet if it signifieth it in the second third or fourth sence or if it signifieth it at all it is of one and the same consideration for the eviction of what is claimed by us from the place which is that a Man truly righteous may so degenerate and Apostatize that God will inflict eternall Death upon Him I omit to demand of these Interpreters by what Authority or Confidence of genius they undertake thus particularly to range and marshall the severall sences which they say God intended in such and such words giving the Preheminence to such or such a sence and saying to another stand back or come behinde If we had meere ignorance or nescience of the Truth to encounter or satisfie §. 11. though in conjunction with the greatest parts of judgement and understanding on the one hand and with the greatest warinesse and scrupulousnesse of circumspection on the other hand the traversing of the Scripture already insisted upon were sufficient I conceive without any further labour of arguing to gaine credit and fullnesse of consent to that Truth which is now upon the advance But Prejudice and Paâ—tiality are hydropicall and hardly satisfiable and these are our chiefe adversaries in the businesse in hand Therefore to reconcile if Possible the diaffections of these with the truth we shall shew them more visions from Heaven of the same light and truth with the former And first upon this account we shall remember them of a Passage formerly argued and gather up at present onely so much of the substance of the Discussion and that with what brevity may be as we judge serviceable for our present Purpose referring the Reader to a review if he please of the largeâ— examination The tenor of the place is this Then His Lord after He had called Him said unto Him O thou wicked servant I forgave thee all the debt because thou desiredst Me shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant even as I had pity on thee And his Lord was wroth and delivered Him to the Tormentors till He should pay all that was due to Him So likewise shall My Heavenly Father doe also unto you if yee from your Hearts forgive not every one his Brother their Trespasses a Mat. 18. 32 33 c. Evident it is from our Saviours reddition or application of the Parable So likewise shall my Heavenly Father doe also unto you if c. speaking unto His Disciples Ver. 1. and to Peter more particularly Ver. 21. that Persons truly regenerate and justified before God for such were they to whom in speciall manner he addresseth the Parable and the application of it and indeed the whole carriage of the Parable sheweth that it was calculated and formed onely for such may through high misdemeanors in Sinning as for example by unmercifulnesse cruelty oppression c. turne themselves out of the justifying grace and favour of God quench the spirit of Regeneration and come to have their portions with Hypocrites and Unbelievers If Men will make any thing at all of the Parable in a clear and direct way without troubling or obscuring without wresting or straining the carriage scope and pregnant tendency of it such an inference cannot be avoided Further satisfaction herein may be had for the Price only of so much Paines as the Perusall of the 54. and 59. Sections of the 8. Chapter of this Discourse will require Nor doth the reversall of such acts of grace in God as we speak of argue §. 12. the least mutability or shadow of change in Him either in
in case he had not continued to keep it under he might be a Reprobate Nay as in case Christ had not died there had not been a Possibility onely but even a certainty of their perishing who now by believing on him are saved in like manner in case Paul had deserted his exercise of keeping under his Body there had been more then a possibility and no whit lesse then a certainty of his proving a Reprobate though now by means of his persevering therein unto the end as we have cause in abundance to judge concerning him he be saved So that the Argument recoyles as we see upon the Author himself and the cause which he seekes to maintaine by it Our English Annotators upon the place are very tender of admitting any §. 17. such sence of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which should imply any uncertainty in the Apostle of his Election or of obtaining the prize But the truth is that that sence of the Word for which we have contested doth no wayes imply the former nor yet if by uncertainty be meant any thing grievous or discourageing to the Apostle the latter For 1. He might notwithstanding a possibility of becoming a Reprobate afterwards know certainly that for the present He was elected in as much as know He might with the greatest certainty and doubtlesse did that He did believe And that all those who truly believe are elected our Adversaries themselves will not deny 2. Notwithstanding such a possibility as we suppose of his becoming a Reprobate He might have as much certainty of obtaining the prize as He desired or was any wayes meet or reasonable for him either to desire or enjoy This certainty He might have and questionlesse had upon his continuance in well doing and for any Man to be certaine of obtaining the prize though He should apostatize and decline into wayes of wickednesse is not a certainty either meet for God to give or for any Man to receive Somewhat more was said upon this account in the nineth Chapter The next passage we shall insist upon to evince the possibility of a finall §. 18. defection in the Saints openeth it self in these words For it is unpossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come If they shall fall away to renew them againe unto Repentance seeing they Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame For the Earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth Thornes and Briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned a Heb. 6. 4 5 6 7 c. Answerable hereunto is another in the same Epistle For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins But a certaine fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace b Heb. 10. 26 27 c. Evident it is that in these two passages the Holy Ghost after a most serious manner and with a very pathetique and moving straine of speech and discourse scarce the like to be found in all the Scriptures admonisheth those who are at present true Believers to take heed of relapsing into the wayes of their former ignorance and impiety This Caveat or admonition he vehemently presseth by an argument of this import that in case they shall thus relapse there will be very little or no hope at all of their recovery or returne to the estate of Faith and Grace wherein they now stand Before the faces of such sayings and passages as these rightly understood and duly considered there is no standing for that Doctrine which denies a possibility either of a totall or finall defection in the Saints But this light also is darkened in the Heavens thereof by the interposition of the vailes of these two exceptions 1. That the Apostle in the said passages affirms nothing positively concerning the falling away of those he speaks of but only conditionally and upon supposition 2. That he doth not speak of true and sound Believers but of Hypocrites and such who had Faith onely in shew not in substance The former of these exceptions hath been already non-suited and that by some of the ablest Patrons themselves of the cause of Perseverance c Cap. 11. Sect. 9. where we were taught from a pen of that learning That such conditional sayings upon which Admonitions Promises or Threatenings are built do at least suppose something in possibility however by vertue of their Tenor and Form they suppose nothing in being But 2. As to the Places in Hand there is not any Hypothetical sign or conditional Particle to be found in either of them as they come from the Holy Ghost and are carried in the Original Those two iffs appearing in the English Translation the one in the former Place the other in the latter shew it may be the Translators inclination to the cause but not their faithfulness in their engagement an infirmity whereunto they were very subject as we shall have occasion to take notice of the second time ere long in another instance of like partiality But the Tenor of both the Passages in hand is so ordered by the Apostle that He plainly declares how great and fearful the danger is or will be when Beleevers do or shall fall away not if or in case they shall fall away To the latter exception which pretends to finde onely Hypocrites and §. 19. not true Beleevers staged in both Passages we likewise answer that it glosseth no whit better then the former if not much worse considering that the Persons presented in the said Passages are described by such characters and signal excellencies which the Scriptures are wont to appropriate unto Saints and true Beleevers and that when they intend to shew them in the best and greatest of their glory What we say herein will I suppose be made above all gainsaying by instancing Particulars 1. The Persons spoken of are in the former of the Passages said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. enlightened meaning with the knowledg of God and of Jesus Christ in the Gospel How frequently is this Grace of illumination or enlightening attributed unto the Saints or true Beleevers The Apostle having said that the god of this world had blinded the eyes of those who beleeve nor lest the light
allegation of these words Except these abide c. to prove the usefulness of Exhortations or the necessity of means properly so called for the accomplishment of any absolute Promise of God is as broad an impertinency as is lightly incident to ink and paper By the way to search as neer to the bottom of the Passâ—ge in Hand as we can when the Apostle said to the Centurion and Souldiers Except these abide in the ship ye cannot be safe His intent was not simply to deny all Possibility of safety unto them save onely upon the abiding of the Mariners in the ship but to deny all Probability or likelyhood a Cannot in Scripture frequently notes the difficuâ—ty or great unlikelyhood of a thing not always a district impossibility See Cap. 10. Sect. 28. of safety but upon this condition onely in as much as there was very little or no hope or likelyhood of their escaping with their lives in respect of the imminent dangers wherewith they were now encompassed on every side in case they had rendered themselves or suffered themselves to have been rendered by any uncapable of that safety which God had revealed Himself willing for Pauls sake to grant unto them And of this safety as hath been shewed they had been uncapable in case any one of the company had left the ship before it was broken Other Scriptures there are by which the Teachers of unconditioned Perseverance §. 10. conceive they are able to prove a rational consistency between an absolute Promise of Perseverance and an Exhortation hereunto Of this sort are these Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall There hath no tentation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation also make away to escape that ye may be able to bear it b 1 Cor. 10. 12 13. So again Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure c Philip. 2 12 13. So the Apostle having admonished the Hebrews to take heed of falling away yet professeth thus concerning them But beloved we are perswaded better things of you and such as accompany Salvation though we thus speak d Heb. 6. 4 5 9. In these and such like places say they Exhortations unto Perseverance and Promises of Perseverance are joyned together by the Holy Ghost therefore men who deny a regular and due consistency between them impute folly or weakness to the Holy Ghost I answer 1. They are ten degrees neerer to the guilt of the crime specified who affirm the conjunction mentioned to be found in the said Scriptures then they who deny the Legitimacy of such a Conjunction The incongruity of the Conjunction hath been sufficiently evinced but that any such Conjunction is to be found either in the Scriptures cited or in any others is no mans Vision but His who hath Darkness for a Vision For 2. That in none of the Places cited is there any Promise of Perseverance is evident to Him that shall duly consider the Tenor and import of them For 1. It is one thing to say and teach that God will so limit as well the force as the continuance of Temptations that the Saints MAY BE ABLE to bear them another to make a Promise of absolute Perseverance Yea those very words that ye may be able to bear it clearly import that all that is here promised unto the beleeving Corinths is a sufficiency of means to persevere if they will improve them accordingly not an infallible certainty of their Perseverance And that Caveat Let Him that thinketh that He standeth take heed c. plainly supposeth a possibility of His falling who thinketh upon the best Terms and Grounds for His Thought that He standeth sure For that this Caveat is not given to Hypocrites or unsound Beleevers or unto such who please themselves with a loose and groundless conceit of the goodness of their condition God ward is evident because it were better that such men should fall from their present standing in a groundless conceit then continue their standing nor would the Apostle ever have cautioned such to take heed of falling whose condition was more like to be made better then worse by their falling And besides to understand the said Caveat of loose Beleevers overthrows the pertinency of it to their cause who insist upon it to prove a due consistency between Exhortations to Perseverance and Promises of Perseverance as is evident If then it be directed to true and sound Beleevers it clearly supposeth a possibility at least of their falling in case they shall not take heed otherwise their taking heed would be no means at least no necessary means of their standing and further it supposeth also a possibility at least of their non-taking heed or that they might possibly not take heed hereof otherwise the Caveat or Admonition had been in vain Men have no need of being admonished to do that which they are under no possibility to omit If then the standing or persevering of the Saints depends upon their taking heed lest they fall and their taking heed in this kinde be such a thing which they may possibly omit evident it is that there is a possibility of their non persevering Again 2. It is one thing to affirm that God worketh in men as to will so to do §. 11. i e. to enable men to do or put in execution what they first will or to assist them in the doing or execution it self another to promise or work infallibly and without all possibility of frustration by men Perseverance There is little or no affinity between these but how and in what sence God is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 working in men both to will and to do of his good pleasure we shall have occasion God willing to open more at large in the latter part of this Work 3. And lastly It is one thing to promise Perseverance another to hope or to perswade our selves that such or such of our Christian friends will not fall into those horrid sins from which it is very hard and next to an impossibility for them to be renewed by Repentance But such Arguments and Proofs from the Scriptures as these are of the two fitter to harden or strengthen our wills in what we hold then to ballance our Judgments There is not in all nor in any one of the Scriptures pretended the least whisper or breathing of any such Promise of Perseverance as our Adversaries lift up their imaginations unto It is true there are in many places express Promises of such Grace and precious vouchsafements from God unto the Saints whereby they shall be enabled yea and whereby they are encouraged to persevere and if men will call such Promises as these Promises of Perseverance and explain them
cut the sinews of the credit and Authority of the Scriptures which still number Idolaters and workers of Iniquity amongst those who shall have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God But of these things enough formerly Yet let us hear what the Patrons of the Common Doctrine of Perseverance have to plead for the life of Solomons Faith even whilest he walked in those ways of death whereof we heard so lately Solomon say they could not fall away totally from his Faith nor from §. 7. the saving Love of God because God had promised unto David his Father that he would be a Father unto Him his Son Solomon and that he should be a Son unto Him and that His Mercy should not depart from Him as He took it from Saul a 2 Sam. 7. 14 15. I answer 1. Evident it is that the Mercy or kindness of God here mentioned was vouchsafed by him as well unto Saul as unto Solomon For his Promise is that he would not take away his mercy or kindness as some translate from the latter as he took it i. e. the same mercy from thâ— former Saul If then the Mercy here spoken of was the saving Mercy of God out of which he purposeth to give Eternal Life then Saul was Elect and a childe of God and yet fell totally and finally away and had this Grace or Mercy of Election taken from Him If it be a mercy or kindness of any other kinde the infisting upon it is altogether irrelative to the business in hand 2. When God faith that His Mercy should not depart from Solomon the meaning clearly is that God would not translate the Kingdom into another Family or Line as he had transferred it from Saul and his house but would continue it in Davids Line by Solomon The words immediately following make the face of this interpretation to shine And thine HOVSE and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee thy Throne shall be established for ever b Verse 16 3. And lastly it appears from words spoken by David unto his Son Solomon a little before his death that he understood the mercy or kindness promised unto Solomon not of the saving Mercy of God which according to the sence of our Opposers is unremovable where ever it be once pitched but of such a Mercy as hath been declared And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve Him with a perfect Heart and with a willing minde For the Lord searcheth all Hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seek Him He will be found of thee but if thou forsake Him HE WILL CAST THEE OFF FOR EVER c 1 Chro. 28. 9 Therefore David himself did not apprehend any such Mercy to be entailed or setled upon his Son Solomon by God in the Promise mentioned as our Adversaries imagine Nor is that which was thought upon by a great man in the Synod of Dort §. 8. of any whit more value to prove the standing of Solomonâ— Faith whilest himself fell so foully as we have heard It is the testimony which Solomon himself gives concerning himself in these words Also my wisdom remained with me d Eccles 2 9 From hence this Author judged it a legitimate inference that Solomon remained sound in his Faith whilest he halted right down yea and fell desperately as we have heard before God But as the Proverb is Similes habent labra lactucas like lips like lattuces such as this mans Cause is such is his Argument or Plea for it For what is there in the words cited any ways to justifie Solomons Faith whilest himself fell into that fearful Condemnation which hath oft been declared It is true Wisdom sometimes in Scripture signifies the true sound and saving Knowledg of God sometimes a Religious frame of heart inclining a man to a consciencious observation of all the Laws and Precepts of God But unless it could be proved that it always is found in one of these two significations and never in any other which is a task that would prove a reproach to any mans parts and learning that should undertake it it is no ways reasonable to put either of these upon it in the place in hand For there is nothing more clear then that Solomon speaketh here of that wisdom which as he faith in the former Chapter Vers 13. he gave his heart to know and which confisteth in the observation experience and knowledg of the things that are done under Heaven in which also â—he affirmeth that there is much grief and vexation of spirit c. Vers 17 18. which when he had attained he declares Chap. 2. that he fell to the practique part of it and gave himself to the procurement and enjoyment of the pleasures and all the contentments that the world is able to afford unto men and which men generally seek after according to the best of their understandings and opportunities otherwise And having particularized several of his principal enjoyments in this kinde Vers 3 4 5 6 c. he concludes from the said Inventory or Survey Vers 9. thus So I was great and increased more then all that were before me in Jerusalem adding also my wisdom remained with me in the Original stood by me or to me meaning that he was very circumspect and careful not to destroy maim or prejudice that Principle of Wisdom which he had travelled so long for and by which he had raised himself to a far greater estate in honors riches pleasures and contentments in the World then any other man careful I say he professeth himself to have been not to endamage or prejudice this his wisdom by those abundant pleasures and delights whereof he stood possess'd and which he freely enjoyed as many are apt to do upon such occasions and by such means Afterwards though he prefers that wisdom which he had spoken oâ— hitherto above folly i. e. above a bruitish and sottish ignorance of such things which concern a mans interest of Peace and Comfort in the World Cap. 2. 13. yet he acknowledgeth a Vanity in this also in as much as after a short and inconsiderable space of time the case and conditiof such a fool will be every whit as good as of a wise man Then I said in my heart as it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth even to me and why was I then moâ—e wise Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity and how dyeth the wise man as the fool c. So that by the wisdom which Solomon saith remained with him in the fullest enjoyment of the delights and contentments of the world is clearly meant not a sacred but a politique or civil wisdom which first he gave his heart to seek and afterwards having obtained it improved to the rendering of his condition in the world every ways as desirable as the materials of the world under the best improvement would make it And besides evident it
to the Promise and Encouragement given unto it by Himself in that behalf and therefore so as that it shall not cannot be denyed of what it demandeth of Him in this kinde But that a pure which onely is the good Conscience still springeth from a found Faith in Jesus Christ and is found in conjunction with it these places 1 Tim. 3. 9. Heb. 9. 14. â—0 22. compared together and added to the former are sufficient to perswade And concerning the place in hand some of our best and most Orthodox Expositors understand the good Conscience mentioned to be none other Musculus upon the words Which good Conscience some having put away concerning Faith c. commenteth thus Here he speaketh the same which before he had expressed thus Now the end of the Commandment or charge which I give thee is Charity out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned from which some going astray have turned aside to vain-jangling e Idem dicit quòd suprà ad hunc modum expressit Finis verò denunciationis hujus est Charitas ex puro corde et conscientiâ bonâ fide non simulatâ à quibus quòd aberrârunt quidam deflexerunt ad vaniloquium c. c. His words immediately following to which I refer the Reader are every whit as plain and pregnant to the same point shewing that by a good conscience he doth not understand a conscience only Morally good and such as may be found in meer natural men ignorant of Christ and the Gospel but a Conscience Spiritually or Christiâ—nly good Nor is Bullinger his Compeer of any other minde The safest ship saith he upon the place in this vast sea of a world of Errors and Wickednesses is Canonical or Scriptural Truth pure Faith and sincere Charity f Tutissima enim navis in vasto hoc mundi errorum scelerum pelago est veritas canonica fides pura charitas siâ—câ—ra c. In which words he explains the Apostles good Conscience by sincereness of Love or Charity Nor could Calvin himself finish what he had to say upon the place until he had given testimony to the same Truth The Metaphor saith he taken from shipwrack answereth most aptly For it implies that the course of our navigation in the world must be steered by a good Conscience that so our Faith may come safe into the Haven otherwise we shall be in danger of shipwrack g Metaphora à naufragio sumpta aptissimè quadrat Nam innuit ut salva fides ad portum usque perveniat navigationis nostrae oursum bonâ conscientiâ regendum esse aliaâ— naufragii esse periculum hoc est ne fides malâ conscientiâ tanquam gurgite in mari procelloso mergatur c. Doubtless he doth not mean that the course of our navigation through the world that so our Faith may come safe into the Harbor should be steered or guided by a meer Moral Conscience how good soever in this kinde or by such a Conscience as Cato Socrates or Seneca had or might have had such a Conscience as this is no fit steers-man or guide to such a Faith with which or by which they must make the Port of Heaven whoever arrive there Therefore certainly He conceiveth that it is such a good Conscience the putting away of which the Apostle renders as the ground reason or cause why some make shipwrack of Faith the goodness whereof ariseth from such a Faith which accompanyeth Salvation and which being carefully preserved and kept preserveth and keepeth that Faith from whence it sprang from corruption or declining Concerning the two places which are commonly insisted upon to prove §. 10. that a good Conscience in Scripture doth not always signifie a Conscience Christianly Spiritually or Savingly good but sometimes Morally good onely i. e. which is not defiled or disturbed in the peace of it with sins against knowledg which goodness of Conscience is sometimes found in meer Civil or Natural men though destitute of Evangelical illumination the truth is that neither the one nor the other of them proveth any such thing In the former of these places the Apostle Paul speaketh thus Men and Brethren I have lived in all good Conscience before God until this day a Acts 23. 1 In the latter thus I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure Conscience b 2 Tim. 1. 3 c. For neither of these places do necessarily nor so much as probably relate to the time of Pauls Pharisaism as if his meaning were that all that time he had kept a good Conscience towards God for how could He then with truth or singleness of heart have made this Confession Of sinners I am the chief c 1 Tim. 1. 15 but to the time of his Apostleship or Profession of Christianity as appears clearly from the former place upon this account Paul was accused by the Jews as an Apostate from the Religion of his Forefathers and the true Worship of God as they supposed and that He was fallen from Judaism to the Sect of Christians yea and was become a Ringleader of them This they conceived to have been an high misdemeanor in Him and accused Him as a very wicked and ungodly Person for so doing To this Accusation and Crime objected the Apostle answers to this effect Men and Brethren whereas I have forsaken the Religion and Worship of the Jews and have embraced and do yet embrace the Christian Religion in stead of it I have done nothing I do nothing herein but upon very justifiable grounds and with a good Conscience in as much as I have obeyed God in so doing of which I am ready to give you a perfect Account if you please to hear me This to be the true purport and drift of the Apostles words the sequel of the Context makes yet more apparant For upon the hearing of the words in debate uttered by Him Ananias the High Priest was sorely offended and commanded the standers by to smite Him on the mouth for so speaking Now it is no ways reasonable to conceive that He would have taken it so heinously that Paul should say that He had always lived in all good Conscience before God whilest he professed Judaism and before He became a Christian Such a saying as this would rather have gratified and pleased then offended Him But that He should say that He lived with all good Conscience in the Profession of Christianity this was a sword that passed through Ananias Soul For the other place where the Apostle saith that He served God from His §. 11. Forefathers with a pure Conscience His meaning onely is that he serves none other God but Him whom His Forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob worshiped and that Him he served with a pure Conscience as they also did To qualifie the Jews who took great offence at Him for changing His Religion and withall to make this Practice of His
necessary Rule viz. That those Promises of God are to be understood with reference to the present state and condition of things b Promissiones itaque illae Dei pro statu praesenti rerum intelligendae sunt with those to whom they were made And Lorinus writing upon Acts 1. 16. reports it as the probable opinion of Cyrill Jerom Tertullian Ambrose Chrysostom Basil Ammonius Leontius Olympiodorus Anastasius Leo Euthymius c. that Judas when he was chosen by Christ to be an Apostle was a good man and so continued for some time afterwards and withall mentioneth the grounds upon which some of the said Authors so conceived of him We shall not need to argue the case of Demas Alexander Hymeneus and several others whose revoltings from the Faith are recorded in Scriptures Concerning the two latter of the three now mentioned Hymeneus and Alexander it is expresly said that they were delivered up unto Satan by the Apostle Paul c 1 Tim. 1. 20 Which plainly sheweth 1. That they were judged meet by the Saints to be received as Church-members by them For otherwise the Apostle demands What have I to do to judg them that are without d 1 Cor. 5. 12 meaning to inflict any Ecclesiastical or Church-censure upon those who were not Members of some Christian Church or other And if they were judged meet by the Saints of that Church who admitted them into Christian communion with them they were judged true Beleevers by them and their judgment of them as being true Beleevers is a far better ground for us to judg them to have been such also then their Apostacy is to judg them to have been Hypocrites at that time when they judged them true Beleevers 2. Their delivering up unto Satan by the Apostle sheweth that he judged them totally fallen from their faith and so dismembered from Christ for otherwise he shouâ—â— have delivered up unto Satan such persons whom he judged true Members of Christ There is the like consideration of the Incestuous Person in the Church of Corinth His receiving into this Church is more then a probable argument that he was at this time a true Beleever Nor is there the least intimation given of any difference between him and the rest of the Members of this Church whom the Apostle termeth Saints by calling and sanctified by Christ Jesus And if he were not a true Member of Christ before the committing of the sin for which he was delivered up unto Satan by the Apostle He sustained no great loss in his spiritual condition either by committing the said sin or by being so delivered up for it For upon this supposition he was no better then an Hypocrite before and worse he could not lightly be afterwards And besides the tenor and import of the sentence of Excommunication is not declarative that the person sentenced never was a sound Beleever or true Member of Christ but that now by his sinful misdemeanor whereby he incurreth that sentence he hath dismembered himself from Him Nor can the said sentence be duly stiled a delivering up unto Satan if it must be still supposed that the persons justly sentenced herewith had been always before the said sentence as much under his power as they are or can be afterwards So that all circumstances considered it cannot reasonably be judged but that the person now in instance had sometimes been a true Member of Christ and Beleever But that he sinned away this his blessed Relation by that sin for which he was delivered up unto Satan needs no other proof but the Apostles express order for this sentence to pass upon him 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5. For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit have determined already as though I were present that he that hath done this thing when ye are gathered together and my spirit in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that such an one I say by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ be delivered unto Satan c. Doubtless this Apostle who professeth that he could do nothing against the truth but for the truth never consented much less commanded that any true Member of Christ should be delivered unto Satan But as hath been said the cause in hand standeth in no need of confirmation from these examples the serviceableness whereof for such a purpose may possibly be evaded with more plausibleness of pretence then the former Any one instance of a total declining in him who hath at any time been a true Beleever is sufficient to prove the truth of the Doctrine under maintenance yea as was said in the beginning of this Chapter though no such instance could be produced yet may the said Doctrine receive demonstrative evidence and this in abundance otherwise and I trust hath received it from the Premisses in this Discourse Yet give me leave to add one instance more Concerning the Galatians unto whom the Apostle Paul writeth any man §. 16. that shall diligently peruse the Epistle written unto them cannot lightly but conclude that certainly these men I mean the generality of them and more particularly those for whose sake especially the Epistle was written were sometimes viz. when Paul left them after he had preached the Gospel for a while unto them true Beleevers and persons justified in the sight of God and afterwards viz. when he wrote the Epistle unto them had suffered a total loss of their Faith and of Justification by it That they were sometimes true Beleevers these passages compared and layd together are sufficiently pregnant I conceive to give satisfaction unto any duly considering man I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel a Gal. 1. 6. Their removal from him that called them c. plainly supposeth that sometimes they had cleaved unto him viz. in the cordial imbracement of that Gospel which he had sent amongst them and by which he had called them So again Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith b Chap. 3. 2 5 The receiving of the Spirit is still appropriated unto true Beleevers This he spake of the Spirit which they that BELEEVED in Him should receive c John 7. 39. And elsewhere And God which knoweth the Heart gave them witness viz. that they beleeved as appears from the former verse in giving unto them the Holy Ghost even as he did unto us to omit other places Again And my tryal which was in my flesh ye despised not neither abhorred but ye received me as an Angel of God yea as Christ Jesus What was then your felicity For I bear you record that if it had been possible ye would have plucked ouâ— your own eyes and have given them unto me d Gal. 4. 14 15 If our Saviours words be true He that receiveth a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward and He that receiveth a
deserat atque ita extrà Christi Fidem pereat Metonymia effecti Pro quo mortuus est Quippe qui mortuus est pro omnibus credentibus For what is is this being interpreted but to affirm that true Beleevers even such for whom Christ dyed may fall away so as to perish Nor doth the gloss of Mr J. Deodat as his Englisher presenteth it upon §. 22. 1 Cor. 8. 11. look any other way PERISH i. e. saith he shall be in danger of wounding His Conscience mortally and whereas before through tenderness of Conscience He abhorred any thing that drew neer to Idolatry He may peradventure use Himself to it to THE SHIPVVRACK OF HIS SALVATION He that is dead is in no danger of being wounded mortally but He who being alive is in this danger is in a possibility at least of suffering accordingly Nor can any Person be said to make shipwrack of that of which He never was possessed nor yet to be in danger hereof Nor doubtless was learned Junius otherwise minded when He delivered Himself in these words If there were no possibility that a righteous man or Beleever might fall away neither would the Apostle have made this Hypothesis or supposition nor would He have inferred so grave or weighty a saying upon the Supposition nor would He have applyed this saying to the Hebrews to whom He wrote in the cause which was now in hand b Si non posset furi vt justus vel credens aliquis deficeret neque Hypothesin hanc facturus esset Apostolus neque ex Hypothesi tam grave pronunciatuÌ„ allaturus neque ad hanc causam quae agitur hoc dictum Hebraeis quibus scribebat accommodaturus Junius in Parallel ad Heb. 6. 4 5 6. These Passages also from the same Author are no slender evidences of the Propension of His Judgment the same way Nothing at all shall he wanting to us on the Lords part if we be not wanting unto our selves c A Domino nihil planè defuturuÌ„ est modò ne nobis deficiamus ipsi Idem in Parall ad Heb. 3. 6. And again Christ requires onely one condition from us viz. That we abide in Him and be circumspect and attent to keep our selves from all sin and unbelief even as He promiseth that He will abide in us d Christus postulat à nobis unicaÌ„ conditionem nempe vt maneamus in ipso circumspiciamus attendamusque nobis ab omni peccato infidelitate quemadmodum ipse in nobis spondet se mansurum esse Ibid. ad Vers 12. In the former of these sayings He clearly suspends the Perseverance of the Saints and the continued collation of the Grace of God which is absolutely necessary hereunto upon the care and faithful endevors of men for the obtaining of it In the latter with like clearness He makes their Perseverance Conditional and requires circumspection and watchfulness in the Saints in order to their abiding in Christ notwithstanding His Promise of abiding in them hereby plainly declaring that He understands this Promise of Christ in a sence Conditional and not Absolute Mollerus upon Psal 51. 12. commenteth that David lâ—st the Holy Ghost by His sin and was deprived of His Gifts So that He departing from or not governing David His Heart became polluted with Wickednesses of all sorts Therefore He prays that a clean Heart might be again created in Him which the Apostle Acts 15. calls an Heart purified by Faith viz. from sin and the guilt thereof that so He might have right thoughts of God might truly acknowledg God without Hypocrisie or Simulation but might come unto Him call upon Him beleeve on Him fear obey Him a David amiserat Spiritum Sanctum per peccatuÌ„ privatus erat Donis Itaque ipso discedente aut non regente Davidem cor statim pollutum est omnis generis sceleribus Ideò petit rurâ—ùm in se creari cor mundum id quod Apostolus dicit Act. 15. purificatum Fide à peccatis scilicet reatu vt rectè sentiat de Deo veré agnoscat Deum sine hypocrisi aut simulatione sed accedat ad eum invocet eum credat in eum timeat eum obediat ei c. c. This Text needs no Commentary I might here add the Testimony and Consent both of former Councils §. 23. and Synods as likewise of the Confessions of many late Reformed Churches But because others have prevented me in both as viz. the forementioned Gerard. Joh. Vossius in the former c Hist Pelag. l. 6. Thesi 12. and P. Bertius in the latter d Hymenaeus Desertor pag. 105 106 c. I chuse rather to desire the Reader desirous of satisfaction in either to consult these Authors respectively then to imbulk our present Discourse with transcriptions which are of so ready an inspection elsewhere Onely for a taste I shall here present the Reader with a few lines out of the Confession of the Reformed Churches of Saxony wherein they professedly give the right Hand of fellowship to us in the Doctrine held forth in our present Digression When it is said saith this Confession that sins remain in the regenerate it is necessary that a difference he made For from that saying Luk. 11. He goes and takes unto Him seven other spirits worse then Himself and they entering in dwell there c. and such like sayings it is manifest that some REGENERATE PERSONS grieve and shake or dash the Holy Spirit out of them ARE AGAIN CAST OFF BY GOD AND BECOME GVILTY OF THE WRATH OF GOD AND OF ETERNAL PVNISHMENT And Ezek. 18. it is written When a righteous man shall forsake His righteousness and shall commit iniquity He shall dye therein And when the unrighteous shall forsake His unrighteousness and do righteousness He shall live therein Therefore there is a necessity of putting a difference between such sins which remain in holy men during this mortal life but do not expel or drive the Holy Ghost out of them from such other sins for which a man becomes AGAIN LIABLE TO THE WRATH OF GOD and to Eternal Punishment And PAVL Rom. 5. distinguisheth between sin reigning and not reigning And elsewhere He saith If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if by the Spirit ye shall mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live e Quum dictum sit in rena tis manere peccata necesse est tradâ— discrimen Nam ex dicto Lucae 11. Vadit assumit septem alios spiritus nequieres se ingressi babitant ibi c. similibus dictis manifestum est aliquos renatos contristare excutere Spiritum sanctum ruâ—sus abjici a Deo ac fieri reos iâ—ae Dei aeternarum poenarum Et Ezek. 18. scriptum est Quum recesseâ—it justus a justicia sua fecerit iniquitatem â—â—riâ—tur in ea cum recesseris impius ab impietate sua fecerit justiciam vivet in ca.
damned a Mark 16. 15 16. That believing which our Saviour here requires and unto which he promiseth Salvation is doubtless no other Faith or believing but a true and unfeigned belief of that Gospel of his which his Apostles in the words immediately preceding were injoyned to preach unto the world And if it shall be said That men might or may believe and that truly and unfeignedly all that the Apostles preach to them and yet perish that vast and signal difference which our Savior here makes between Believing and not believing vanisheth into nothing is made none at all See further upon the same account Joh. 8. 24. 11. 27. Acts 8. 37 with 38. Rom. 4. 3. 10. 9. with very many other Texts of like pregnant and unquestionable import From all which it fully appeareth that a true and unfeigned admission or Reception of the Gospel as it cometh from God and is declared by him in the Writings of the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles into the heart and Soul of a man which is done by a true and unfeigned belief of or consent unto it translates him from death to life makes him a Child of Light a Son of God an Heir of Salvation c. And what Faith or Belief can it reasonably be imagined should have this mighty and blessed influence upon the creature Man to turn him from darkness unto light from death unto life from Satan unto God but only the true and unfeigned Belief of those glorious Mysteries which were brought out of the Brest and Bosom of God by his Son Jesus Christ at his coming into the World That a true cordial unfeigned Belief of the Gospel and things of God is §. 27. true justifying Faith hath been the Sence and Doctrine of the best and most judicious Authors as well ancient as modern I could instance and prove at large if it were not somewhat too eccentrical to the business in hand It is saith Calvin the Righteousness i. e. the Justification of Faith if we believe that Christ dyed and was raised up again from the dead b Fidei Justicia est si credamus ChristuÌ„ esse mortuuÌ„ atque à mortuis excitatum Calvin in Gal. 3. 1â— Elsewhere he saith that the Apostle Paul defines those to be faithful or true Beleevers who have the KNOVVLEDG of sound Doctrine c Posteriori membro definit quos vocet Fideles nempe qui notitiam habent sana Doctrinae Idem in 1 ad Tim. 4. 3. and pronounceth the Faith of Sarah whom he calls the Mother of all Beleevers to consist in this That she judged God faithful or true and that in his Promises d Hanc enim fuisse Sarae fidem praedicat quòd veraceÌ„ judicavit Deum idque in suis promissionibus Ibid. in Heb. 11. 11. Luther speaking of Abraham saith That He was justified only upon this that he gave credence to the Word of God interpreting that of Moses Gen. 15. 6. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness as if he had said Abraham believed God to be true in his Words and Promises and was therefore counted a worthy and righteous man by God e Abrahami exempluÌ„ adducit quippe quod ille ex hoc tantaÌ„ justificatus fuerit quòd verbo Dei FideÌ„ habuerit quemadmoduÌ„ Scriptura inquit Credidit AbrahaÌ„ Deo imputatuÌ„ est ei ad justiciam Gen. 15. Ac si diceret AbrahaÌ„ Deum in suâ— verbis promissionibus veraceÌ„ credidit idcirco à Deo pro spectato et justo viro habitns fuerit Luth. Poâ—hil p. 782. And learned Chamier defines Abrahams Faith whereby he was justified Ingentem confidentiam super promissione divinâ quam ille credidit omnino implendam f Chamier Tom. 3. p. 428. i. e. a mighty confidence of the Promise of God which he believed would absolutely be fulfilled Peter Martyr most frequently and I think I might say constantly in his Writings placeth justifying Faith in a firm Belief or assent unto the Gospel or Word of God Our Faith saith he is nothing else but AN ASSENT OR FIRM PERSVVASION OF THE WORDS OF GOD. From whence it appears that our Faith proceeds from the Faith or faithfulness of God For when our experience teacheth us that He is faithful we readily believe him and that belief which we give to his words is presently attended with Hope g Nostra Fide non aliud est quaÌ„ asseâ—suâ— persuasio firma de verbis Dei Vnde liquet Fidem nostram ex Dei Fide nasci Quia cum illum Fidelem esse experiamur facile credimus Fidem quam verbis ejus adhibemus illicò spes consequitur P. Mart. in 1 Cor. 1. 9. By which last words it is evident that he speaks of true justifying Faith in the former Again Faith may be defined to be a firm and constant assent of the mind to the Words of God inspired by the Holy Ghost for the Salvation of those that believe In this Definition there is none of the four Causes wanting The Word of God is the matter or material Cause THE ACT OF CONSENTING THE FORMAL the Holy Ghost the Efficient our Salvation the Final h Fides definiri potest quod sit firmus ac constaâ—s animi assensus virbâ— Dei Spiritu Sancto affâ—atus ad salutem credentium Nullum causarum genus in hac finitione desideratur Materia est verbum Dei Forma consentiendi actio Efficiens Spiritus Dei quo suademur Finis est nostra salus Ibid. in vers 31. In which words it is observable that he expresly makes the formal Cause of Justifying Faith to consist in the act of assenting or consenting to the Word of God Yet again To believe as to our purpose is by means of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to exhibit or give A FIRM ASSENT unto the Word of God and this for the Authority of God Himself And not long after Let us now infer that Faith is a gift or faculty inspired into us by the Spirit of God whereby we yield A FIRM AND SETLED ASSENT unto the Word of the Lord by means of his Authority i Quamobrem credere prout ad rem nostram facit est afflatu Spiritus Sancti verbo divino assensum firmum praebere idque ipsius Dei Authoritate Idem in 1 â—or 13. 2. Paulo post Jam colligamus Fidem esse donum sive facultatem nobis divino Spiritu afflatam quâ verbum Domini ejus Authoritate firmuÌ„ constantemque praebemus assensum Once more In this Dispute of justifying Faith by Faith we understand that FIRM ASSENT which is of so great strength and efficacy that it dâ—â—weth along with it the effect of Affiance Hope and Charity together with all good works as the infirmity of this present life will bear k Omnibus igitur significationibus his abjectis in hac disceptatione FideÌ„ intelligimus firmum illum assensum qui
Lexic in verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Lexicon Ioh. Scapulae in eodem verbo Besides many the like The words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus understood render the sence of the place clearly this that God by the Cross or Death of Christ reconciled Men on Earth and Angels in Heaven viz. between themselves Angels being enemies unto Men because of their sinning against God which cause of enmity being taken away by the Death of Christ the Angels are become friends to them as we lately shewed not to Himself but FOR HIMSELF i. e. for the effecting of his own great and gracious Design in advancing Christ to be Head unto both being incorporated and united in the same Body which without the healing of the enmity or disaffection between them could not have been as we lately proved This Exposition differs not much from that of Augustin in Cap. 61. 62. Enchirid. ad Laurentium By what hath been argued upon the two Passages it appears I presume sufficiently that there is nothing to be found in either of them from which the Salvation of all Men can with any colour of Reason be concluded Much less can any such Conclusion be regularly drawn from that of our Saviour Verily I say unto thee thou shalt by no means come out thence meaning out of the prison of Hell till thou hast payd the uttermost farthing e Matt 5. 26. For threatening men that they shall not come out of Hell till they have payd c. He no ways supposeth that in process of time they will suffer to the uttermost of what they have deserved in Punishment by sinning against God and that then God will deliver them The emphasis of the expression rather carryeth a sence of a contrary import viz. that they must never expect to come out from this Prison in as much as they will never be able to pay in Punishment what they owe to the just severity of God for sinning against him especially after such a rate as they have done For they are onely obdurate and finally impenitent sinners that are cast into this Prison A Promise of receiving any thing being made or implyed upon the performance of an unpossible Condition is equivalent to a threatening that a man shall never receive it When God expresseth himself thus to Jerusalem When thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former estate and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate f Ezek. 16. 55. He rather threateneth this City with a non-returning to her former estate then promiseth any such thing to her So in case our Saviour should promise unto those that are cast into the Prison of Hell for the debt of their sins that when they have payd the full debt they shall be released and come forth it would rather have the import and force of a threatening that they should never be released then of a Promise of releasement after any time whatsoever Yea such Promises as these are more emphatically interminative or threatening them plain and formal Threatenings themselves The Reason is because a plain and bare Threatening onely â—mports the Purpose of Him that threateneth to bring the evil mentioned in the Threatening upon the Person threatned whereas such Promises as we speak of wherein deliverance from evil is promised upon the performance of an impossible Condition the reason or cause why the evil threatened should be executed or inflicted upon the Person threatned commonly is implyed As when our Saviour promiseth for the words in hand have a kinde of Promissory import that they who are cast into Hell shall come forth when they have payd the uttermost farthing i. e. discharged the full debt he plainly intimates the reason or cause why they shal never come forth out of this Prison to be because they will never make such Payment Now a Threatening upon an equitable and just ground for the execution of it is much more piercing and convincing then when it is simply and without any mention or intimation of such a ground denounced If it be demanded But why should not men who are cast into Hell for §. 5. sin be able in continuance of time to pay the uttermost farthing and so be delivered from thence at the last Or how can it stand with the Justice or Equity of Gods Proceedings against Men for sin to inflict everlasting Punishments upon them for sinning onely for a short time I answer 1. Sin especially such sin for which men are sent to Hell being an injury or base affront offered to an infinite Majesty and Goodness the demerit of it must needs be great and indeed unconceivable The reviling of a Magistrate or the smiting of a Prince in the face are misdemeanors of an higher nature and justly more punishable by men then the like injuries done to meaner men Yea it is the sence of all men that the greater the Person is in Dignity especially when His worth and merit is every ways answerable to whom an injury or indignity is offered the greater proportionably is the offence committed and obligatory to the greater Punishment When the standers by said to Paul Revilest thou Gods High Priest g Acts 23. 3. they clearly intimated that the sin of reviling a Person invested with so great a Dignity as the High-Priesthood was signally demeritorious and deserving exemplary Punishment Now then allowing proportionably for the incomprehensible and endless Dignity Soveraignty Majesty of God all in conjunction with eminency of worth and goodness every ways commensurable to them the injury which men offer unto Him by voluntary sinning against Him and His Laws plainly appears to be of infinite demerit and so binding over the sinner to an infinite Punishment infinite I mean either intensively in respect of the nature or quality or extensively in respect of the duration of it Now the Creature not being capable of suffering Punishment infinite in the former consideration the just severity of God imposeth upon Him that which is infinite in the latter To speak or think slightly or lightly of the guilt or demerit of sin or to look upon the Punishment of Hell fire as exceeding the proportion thereof proceedeth either from a profound ignorance of the Nature Majesty infinite Goodness and Sweetness of God or else from a profane neglect of an intense and due consideration of them 2. The infinite Purity of the Divine Nature and most perfect Hatred of sin ruling and reigning therein may well be conceived little less then to necessitate Him 1. To the denunciation and threatening of that most severe Punishment we speak of for the restraint and prevention of it and consequently to the execution hereof when the sinner shall despise His Attonement and neglect to wash himself in that Fountain which He hath most graciously opened for sin and uncleanness i. e. for men to purifie and wash themselves in from