Peradventure they will save us a live So do ye although ye have but a May be we shall be hid Zeph 2. 3. Minde your Duty and leave the issue to God Believe above hope and against hope Follow God in the dark as your father Abraham did Not knowing whether He would lead him Thus to do is To give Glory to God Therefore Fear the Lord and Obey the voice of His Servant even then when ye are in Darkness and have noe light Namely of His special Favour and love to you in perticular And though never so great discouragements are afore you from the Guilt of sins Committed the power of Indwelling Corruption and your present Aversness to Beleiveing and hear withall That Faith is the Great Commandment let your heart answer Is it my Duty my Duty to believe Nay then I must Remember His Greatness His absolute Dominion The â—ncontrollableness of His Matters That He hath concluded All in unbelief That He might have mercy upon All Rom. 11. 32. that is That the Salvation of Those who shall be saved might appear to be of Mercy and be so acknowledged To him therefore Commit your Cause and Commit it to Him as your Sovereign Lord and so leave it with Him And see that you take it not out of His hand again by your doubting the issue of it And know that then is your Soul nearest to Peace and settle ment when brought to this Submission Be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits Heb 12. 9. and live But let not the Word be misconstrued I do not mean by Submission That you should be satisfied under a denial of Mercy on the accompt of God's Absolute Dominion I cannot think That a Necessary term or qualification in your â—reating with God for Salvation For 1. I do not find That God requires such a Submission as the Condition of obtaining Mercy Nor that He hath made any Promise to give such a Submission in order to that end Nor any Instance in scripture of Mens having or indeavouring such a frame of spirit in that business Nor yet That Men are any where tax'd for-Not attâ—ning to it They are blamed indeed and that worthily For not submitting to the Righteousness of God that is For not Renouncing their own and flying to That of Christ And this blame-worthiness you cannot escape if finding your self lost and undone you will not presently run to Christ without first finding in your self Something that may seem to commend you to him 2. Such a Submission seems Repugnant to God's revealed Will For if this be the Will of God even our sanctification That we should believe in His Son and love Him with our whole heart Then it cannot be his Will That we should be willing to Remain in an unsanctified estate in unbelief and enmity against Him which are the inseperable Conjux of Willingness to be Seperated from God 3. Because the promise of Ease and Rest is made to the Weary and Laden coming to Christ Not to a Contentedness to be divided from him And the promise of Satisfaction is to your bungring and thirsting after Righteousness Not to the Câ—ssation of your desire without the Thing which onely can satisfie 4. Because To be satisfied without obtaining Mercy is to be satisfied with an utter incapacity to Glorify the Grace of God and to enjoy Communion with Him which are the principal End and Duty of Men. 5. It is Crosse to the Genius and Concreated Principle of the Reasonable Creature which is to seek its own happiness In any thing short of which it ought not to acquiesce 6. Such a submission cannot be Requisite in Preparatory work because That would suppose the highest pitch of Grace attain'd if yet it be a Grace and attainable before you beleive and consequently That it is not a Grace out of Christ's fullness for ye are supposed to have it before ye go to Him And therefore when I say ye must submit without Capitulating or making terms my meaning is ye are not to Treat upon terms of your own Making Nor propound any thing to God but What Sovereign Mercy propounds to you as the Way and Means of obtaining your Great End And great Reason ye have for this Submission for herein lies your Interest Those being in truth the onely Terms by which a lost and sinfull Creature can be rendred salvable or capable of being saved as may further appear in the Sequel of this discourse I think with humble Submission That if any Point of time may be supposed before the Decree It was Then that Absolute Dominion borâ— sway But ever since Election came in It is Grace that Reignes Not That Sovereignty is Ceased but Transferr'd Before it was in Power but Now in Grace In Grace as touching the Elect and in Justice as touching the Rest Grace is the Attribute God delights to honour And all the Other are if I may so speak Subjects of This Even Christ Himself was made a Servant to perform the pleasure of His Grace So then That you are to Submit unto is the good pleasure of God's will as held forth in the Covenant of Grace undertaking for and perfectly able to save you and as having His Sovereign Power engaged to make it good Which seems the scope of that passage in Moses his prayer for the people Numb 14 17 18 19. when they had highly provoked God Let the power of my Lord be Great according as Thou â—ast spoken c. It was to pardon and still Own them for His people And to this agree all those Scriptures which hold forth the Power of God as the ground of Faith as that by which He is Able to pardon sin Isa 27. 5. To subdue miquity and to hold your Souls in life you are therefore directed If ye will have peace with God to take hold of His strength Which cannot be meant of Contentedneâ—sâ— in having that strength put forth to destroy but as being perfectly Able and engaged by His Covenant to Save you As to the time When He will manifest His love to you As also touching the manner and measure of His dispensing it the good pleasure of God's Will is expressly and with all quietness of spirit to be Submitted unto But as to the Thing it self You ought not to be said Nay but as he who had power with God and prevail'd Hos 12. 14. Gen. 32. 26. He wept and made supplication but still resolv'd I will not let thee 〈◊〉 except thou bless me 2. As for the other nearest Concernment touching your Children deal in like manner for them by submitting them to the same Mercy It is true That next to your own personal salvation there cannot be a greater evidence of God's love to you than to Choose your Children after you Nor any thing more desireable to you Therefore Command them Gen. 18. 19. and Instruct them to keep the way of the Lord That He may bring on them the
teach Themselves Rom. 2 from 17 ver to 21. And in Rom. 3. where they are Ranked together he proves them to be All under Sin None Righteous None that understandeth None that seeketh after God None that doth good No not One Yea This depravement of Nature was so deep and indelibly fixed That the Lord Himselfe tells them The Blackmoor might as soon change his skin as they learn to do well All which with abundantly more be speaks a condition extreamly remote from yielding a Cause of this blessed Election IV. If God's love to Men had its Rise and Beginning from their love to Him it would not have that singular eminency in it Joh. 3. 16. that is justly ascribed to it So God lâ—ved the World So as not to be exprest So as not to be paralel'd So as not to be understood until we come to that State wherein we shall know as we are known By this it is 1 Cor. 13. 12. that God's love to Men is so highly celebrated in 1 Joh. 4. 10 Herein is love Not that we loved God but that God loved us And Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed up on us 1 Joh. 3. 1. Which surely then is not after the manner of Men Matth. 6. 46. For even Publicans do so Luke 6 32 35. and Sinners love those that love them But to love Enemies and whiles Enemies as to love a Woman a Wife that is an Adulteress this is according to God's love to His Chosen But Notwithstanding these Scriptures with others seem purposely written to obviate such conceptions as would feign our loving of God to be the ground and Motive of His love to us Yet great endeavours there are to Father Election upon foreseen faith and works which That They call the Covenant of Grace has they Say qualified and capacitated all Men for and which certain more pliant ingenuous and industrious persons as they speak would attain unto by the helps they have in common with other Men But this pedigree of Election is excepted against as being not rightly deduced For 1. Men having in Adam devested themselves of all that was holy and good the Lord could not foresee in them any thing of Worth or Desirableness but what Himself should work in them Anew and that of pure Grace and favour For sin and deformity could not be motives of love And that the Elect of themselves were in no wise better than other Men is evident by the Scriptures late-quoted where the Holy Ghost asserting the universal depravement of humane nature exâ—empts not one But if such excellent and distinguishing qualifications as Faith and Holiness had been foreseen and so imputable to them the Spirit of Truth would not have Rank'd them Even with the Children of wrath as He doth Eph. 2. 3. But 2. If they were otherwise what could they add unto God Job 37. 24. Ch. 35 7. Ch. 41. 11. Or whereby could they oblige Him He respecteth not any that are wise of heart If thou be Righteous what givest thou Him And who hath prevented Me says the Lord that I should repay him i. e. Who is he that is a fore hand with God Deut. 10. 17. in doing ought that might induce His favour He regardeth not Persons nor taketh Rewards He is not propitious to any for what they can do for Him or bring to Him Take Paul for an Instance He walked up to the light he had Was blameless lived in all good Conscience knew no evil by himself a rare degree of legal Righteousness But that it was not this moved God to make him a Chosen Vessel he thankfully acknowledgeth with self-abasement upon every occasion Tit. 3. 5. Tin 1. 14. 15. 2. Tim. 1. 9. 3. Faith follows Election God respects the person before his offering you 'l say perhaps Abel was respected as a Believer and his offering for his Faith True But that Faith of his was not the primary cause of God's respecting him If Abels Person had not been respected first he had never been a Believer For Faith is the work and gift of God and according to the course of all judicious Agents he that will work must first pitch on the Subject He will work upon and he that gives on the person he will give unto Heb. 11. 6. Besides Rom. 14. 23. Abel could do nothing before he Believed that might move God to give him Faith therefore it could not be Abel's foreseen Faith that was the Cause of his Election The Scripture speaks often of iron-sinew'd-Necks and Brazen Brows and of Men's being in their blood when the Lord said They should live As also that God loved Jacob before he had done any good thing and that the Saints love God because He loved them first But no-where of Foreseen Faith and Holiness as the Cause and Ground of God's love to Men. 4. Faith and Holiness are Middle things They are neither the Foundation nor Top-stone of Election They are to Sovereign Grace as Stalks and Branches are to a Root by which the Root conveyes its virtues into its principal fruit Ephes 2. 8 By Grace ye are saved through Faith 2. Thes 2. 13 Chosen to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth They are no more the Cause of Election than the Means of an End are the first Cause of Purpose Nay no more than Tatnai's propension to build the Temple and to provide Sacrifices for the God of Heaven was the Cause of Darius his Decree that those things should be done Ezra 5. and 6. Chapters 5. If men be Predestinate to Faith and Holiness as they are according to Rom. 8. 38 â—9 and 1. Pet. 1. 2. Then they were not seen to be such before their Predestination Or if they were then their Election as to that particular would seem impertinent There can no Rational account be given why Men foreseen to be such should be so solemnly predestinate thereto So likewise If Salvation be the inseparable product of Faith and Holiness according to John 5. 24 He that believeth hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation 1. Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the End of your Faith the Salvation of your Souls Then to ordain to Salvation those foreseen to be so qualified would seem a thing both needless and insignificant It would look like the sending of Men where they would have gon of Themselves Such sapless irregular and injudicious Notions are very unworthy that Celebrious and for ever Adorable Act of Predestination And if duely weighed would set us further off from the doctrine of Self-advancement which stands in so point-blank opposition to the Doctrine of God's Grace V. Arg. 5. It could not stand with the wisdom and Goodness of God to found the Salvation of His People on a failable bottom Which it must be said to be if dependent on any thing besides His own Immutable Will For whatever it was that Election had being from
Persecutor in the Company Paul was a Chosen Vessel And this in brief was the Reason of it as you have it recorded in Acts 22. 14 The God of our Fathers hath chosen thee That thou shouldest know His will The Jews had many Means of knowing the Messiah and Inducements to believe in him which the Gentiles had not And yet These embrace the Gospel whiles the Jews Reject it Those who sought after Righteousness fell short of it Rom. 10. 20. when Those who sought it not attain'd it For the bottom-Reason of which different Dispensation We are referr'd to Election Rom. 11. 7 The Election hath obtained and the Rest were blinded How variously are several Men affected in hearing the same word The Sheep and the Rest have both the same Outward means One Neglects it attends not at all or Regards not what he hears A second quarrels it as the Jews often did A Third is perswaded almost as Agrippa was and those that would hear Paul agen of that Matter A Fourth is Pricked in the heart and called effectually It 's a stumbling-block to some Foolishness to Others And to some 't is the Power of God Acts 2. 39. And these some are such as were Elected of Those to whom the Promise was made and are therefore termed The Called according to His Purpose Rom. 8. 28. Rom. 8. And agen in 2 Tim. 1. 9 They are said to be Called according to His own Purpose and Grace which was given them in Christ before the World began They are first Chosen Ps 65. 4. and then Caused to approach unto God There is almost no end of Scriptures to this purpose I shall instance one more so close up this Particular All the blessings which the Saints are blessed with in time are all bestowed according to God's Decree of Election before time as is manifest from Eph. 1. ver 3 4 5. Where I observe 1. That Election goes afore the Actual Donation of Spiritual blessings 2 Tim. 19. For These are given in time That was afore time And That which comes After cannot be the Cause of That which went Afore it One Effect may be the Cause of another but not the Cause of That which caused it self 2. That the Actual Donation of Spiritual blessings is according to Election i. e. Election is the Rule by which the Dispensation is guided It is Adequate with Election and Answerable thereto even as the Impression is to the Printing-Types Or as the fashion of Davids body to the platform thereof in God's book and the Tabernacle to the patern shewn in the Mount According to which all things were made as well in respect of Number Weight and Measure as Form and Figure Spiritual blessings are not given to One More or Fewer or in other manner but just as Election hath laid it forth Which also is further confirm'd by Rev. 21. 27 Where we finde That None are admitted into the Holy City but whose Names were written in the book of life And Whosoever was not found written in that book was cast into the lake of fire chap. 20. 15. Which shews That at the latter day Acts 13. 48. it will be taken for granted That as many as were ordained to Eternal life believed And that all and every One without the list of Election dyed in Unbelief That the Election obtained Rom. 11. 7. and the Rest were blinded Therefore Faith and Holiness are not the Cause but the Certain effect and inseparable Consequent of Election IV. Our last Enquiry is Of the Way and Manner of God's Dispensing spiritual Blessings And that is Effectually and Freely I. Effectually The Soul is not turned to God by a Twyne-Thread Nor doth the Lord content Himself with Wishing and Woulding that it might be so after the manner of Men who either are Indifferent in the thing Or have not Wherewith to Effect their desires Nor merely by propounding Moving and striving by Moral Suasions Instructions Threatnings and the like which are of little avail with a dark Understanding and fixed enmity which every Natural Man is acted by But by the putting-forth of a Power Invincible A Power that will not be said Nay but what it Wills That it will doe What it undertakes it goesthorow with To doe a thing Effectually is to doe it Perfectly Thorowly Successfully that is So to use and apply the Means that the End designed is surely brought-to-pass And this Notwithstanding all the Weakness Aversness and Repugnancy of the Carnal Mind against it I might produce Instances not-a-few touching God's Effectual Working to bring-about things of lesser Moment How unwilling was Moses to be His Messenger to Pharaoh Exod. 3 4. So opposite to it That when he had no farther plea nor excuse to make chap. 4. v. 13. he carries it Perversly towards the Lord send by the hand of him whom thou shouldest send But having designed him for the Work He leaves him not until He had won him to it ver 18. So Pharaoh resolv'd he would not let the people goe But I will stretch out my hand saies God and he shall let you goe ver 20. Much more will He make His Arm bare for the salvation of His Chosen And it must be so done I. Because otherwise the Elect should be in no better condition than Other men For until conversion Satan hath as fast hold of them as of the Rest Adam's fall was the Devil's Master-peece To bring men into his own condemnation is the Trophee he glories in and being a Prince both proud subtile and Imperious you may not think he will be Baffled or Complimented out of his hold Intreaties Menaces and force of Arguments are of no weight with him He laughs at your strong Reasons and Counts them but rotten wood Mark 5. 4. Jesus I know and His Spirit I know but what are these No this kind goes not forth by consent Nothing will move him but that Power which Heaven and Earth do bow under He that made him and he onely can cause his sword to approach unto him and take the Prey from this Terrible One And for this it was that our Saviour tells the Apostles when he sends them to turn Men from Satan unto God That all power in Heaven and Earth was committed to him Math. 28. 18. And that in this power He will be with them to the end of the World Which was indeed but Needfull For they had surely gon on a sleeveless errand a weak and fruitless design if Christ himself thus impower'd had not gone with them And for the Elect themselves They are of themselves no better disposed to this work than those that Never shall be wrought-upon They are Enemies in their minds Darkness Dead in sins and Children of wrath even as Others And this they are by Nature Their State therefore could never be changed if a Power Invincible and Invincibly Resolved in what It undertakes were not engaged in
2. 3. held fast his integrity yet the Lord goes on the afflict him and leaves him wholly saving his life in Satan's power Had he been a wicked Man as his friends objected those sufferings had evidenced the Iustice of God but nonw His Sovereignty which also seems to be intended by that speech of God to Satan ch 2. 3 Thou movedst Me against him to distroy him withâ—ul a cause Seventhly There are yet other footsteps of Sovereignty by which that high and holy Attribute is farther illustrated to us As namely the Lord's constant over-ruling the Designs and Actions of Men to bring His own councels to pass albeit improper in their own nature yea disservient thereto and sometimes contriv'd on purpose to prevent them The project of building the Tower of Babel was to keep that rebellious Rout together but it turn'd to their utter dispersion Laban dealt hardly with Iacob Gen. 11. 4 thereby to keep him low and to serve himself of him but God takes occasion hence to give him Laban's substance and that by Lahan's consent and agreement Gen. 29. 27. and ch Ge. 37. 9 18. Ch. 39. 20 Câ— 41. 40. Ch. 42. 6. Ch. 50. 20. 30. 27 43. To obviate Joseph's dreams his brethren sell him into Egypt and by this means the Lord keeps them all alive and accomplisheth that honour to Joseph which they settly intended to prevent Pharaoh layes insâ—perable burdens on the People to diminish them and the Lord Multiplies them under it The more they were oppressed the faster thy grew Gen. 27. Exod. 1. â—2 Jacob's dissimulation and palpable abuse of his fathers infirmity was made a means of obtaining his blessing though contrary to his father's intendment Mâ—ses a keeper of Sheep a Man slow of speech Exod. 31 10. and one that had no mind to the work shall be God's Ambassadour to Pharaoh Ch. 4. 10 13 the proudest and most inflexible Monarch upon earth and bring Israel out of bondage And who shall be His Commander in chief to deliver His People from their potent oppressors but Debâ—rah a Woman At another time Iudg. 4. 4. Ch. 6. 15. Gideon whose family was poor in Manasseh and he the least in his father's house And though he had a numerous and powerfull enemy to deal with and one would think had need of all the hands he could make to fight them yet his Army of Two and thirty thousand must be reduced to Three hundred Men and they to have no other Arms but trumpets and lamps in their pitchers Iudg. 7. 3 6. 7. Ch. 3. 31. Ch. 15. 15. and by these He delivers them from that huge hoste And much like this was Shamgar's killing Six hundred Men with an Ox-goad and Sampsâ—n a Thousand with the jaw-bone of an Ass It may further be traced in His producing contrary effects by the same cause and then again the same effect by causes contrary Exod. 4. 6. 7 So Daniel had a fairer countenance with pulse and water than those who eat of the King 's own provision Dan. 1. 15. In causing the wrath of Man to turn to His praise which in the nature and tendency of it Ps 7. 6 10 Job 5. 12. 13 Ps 5 10. Hester 7. 10. is to destroy them that praise him By His catching the wise in their own craftiness and causing them to fall by their own devises Plungeing them in their own ditch 1 Kings 22. 2â— 22 30 34. ver The persecution of the Saints at Jerusalem was designed to suppress the doctrine of Christ which yet was thereby dispersed into many Countreys and caused to grow mightily so The Preacher's imprisonment proved to the furtherance of the Gospel Acts 8 2 4. Phil. 11. 2. 14. And since the Scriptures were finished humane storiâ—s and our own observation doe abundantly stand for the Matter in hand Doe but consider how it prevailed to the dethroning of Satan and turning the World upside down and this by means the weakest and most unlikely to Râ—ason that could be pitch'd upon Not the Sword and Spear the Bowe and Battel-ax the barded Horse and the Martial Heroes of the Earth but by the bare word of God And this not by the hand of the learned Scribes and Pharisees Lawyers Doctors Poets Phil sâ—phers but by poor illiterate Fishermen Carpenters Publicans Tent-makers And who shall be the â—ubjects and party Militant of this never-to-be-conquered kingdom Not the Wise and Prudent Mighty and Noble 1. Cor 1. 27. but Babes the poor weak base despised and things that are not and by these He confounds the things that are Rev. 12. 11. 14. 12 And by what Arms Patience and faith in the blood of the Lamb. Consider also the constant persecution of the Church and that by Men oâ— all sorts especially Those of greatest power and policy the barbarous devastations that have been made upon it and with what implacaâ—le enmity the World is edged against it and that yet it stands invincible and is still getting ground ye cannot but acknowledge the evident foot-steps of Sovereign Power That the Most High beareth Rule over all and as for the Councels of the wise He turneth them backward Isa 44. 25. Dan. 4. 25 26. Eighthly An especial Ray of this glorious Power shines forth in God's actual predominating the Spirits of Men as at first in choosing so now in Calling and Converting whom He will One would think that a Rational being should better discern his own interest and out of choice comply with the will of his Maker as who must needs best know what is best for His Creature and who in Reason can have no other design upon him but his own good But we find it otherwise the best things degenerated turn the worst and are hardliest reduc'd Of all Creatures Man fallen doth most avert impugn and resist when God would turn him out of his natural course Notwithstanding that the sorest of evils do attend his present state and all desirable happiness would apparently follow his change Yet so wedded he is to his Lusts and head-strong in his own Will that none of these things move him But On he goes and On he will yea though an incensed Angel with a drawn sword should withstand him To crush them to nothing or break them in pieces were easily effected a little of Divine Power would do that But to humble a proud and lofty Spirit To soften and melt an obdurate heart To tame meeken and reconcile a Sanguinary Rebel To change the very inwards of One habituated in Sin and enmity against God and make him plyable to Divine impressions â—This highly proclames the exceeding Greatness of His Power 't is a glorious Trophee of Divine Sovereignty Which also is farther conspicuous in Maintaining the work begun and bearing it on through all oppositions For there needs the same Power to preserve the new Creation as at first to raise it The way of God being altogether upwards
and supernaturall there 's a great pronenesse in creatures to Revolt from it like a Rolling stone on the steep of a hill The Remains of old nature would torrent-like bear down all if Sovereign Power did not barr up the One and sustain the Other For a spark of Divine nature to live in the brest of a lapsed Creature is as great a miracle and as high an effect of Sovereign Power as all the Instances before enumerated and More Lastly The Sovereignty of God is most glorious and adorable in Ordaining His own son who was holy harmless undefiled and seperate from sinners and was also United to the Second Person to be the Mediator and to make His soul an offering for sin And then in His Eternal disposing of Mens everlasting condition To shew or not to shew Mercy unto Men equally dignified or rather Indignified in themselves To make of the same lump one Vessel to honour and another to dishonour is the highest act and demonstration of Sovereign power concerning Men Which thing when ever we hear of or think upon we should put our mouths in the dust Before I come to the Inferences I would add a Caution or two to prevent those sinister deductious which our deceitfull hearts may be apt to draw from this Sovereign Truth First Caution 1. See that you make not God the Author of sin by charging His sacred Decrees with Men's Miscarriages as if they were the Cause or Occasion of them which we are sure they are not nor can be any more than the Sun is the cause of darkness Be it alwaies remembred That the Lord's Rejecting of Men puts nothing of evil into them Nor necessitates the will It only leaves them to their own wayes which they freely choose yet Banking them in and stopping them up as He did the Fountains of the Great Deep lest they Deluge the World with sin Secondly Go not about to palliate Nor think to extenuate your sin by Arguments fetcht from those Decrees That sin of the Iews in Crucifying Christ was in no wise lessened because the Councel of God had determin'd the thing to be done For they perpetrated it with wicked hands Nor is any Man's Unbelief e'r the less culpable from God's Eternal disposement of Mens conditions For it is not upon that consideration that they stumble at the Word or turn the deaf ear to it or resist it but from their own natural blindness and enmity against it And so I come to the Inferences And First Infer 1. From the Scriptures so copiously holding it forth I infer That the Doctrine of God's Sovereignty is a very teaching Doctrine and full of instruction and consequently that it is both a Duty and much for our Profit to be well acquainted with it And great confidence I have That the farther ye go in an humble fiducial disquisition and contemplation of it the clearer will be the Reason thereof and the more usefulness will still appear to be in it Let Reason but keep its own place that is let it work by the Rules of Right Reason and nothing will be more consonant thereto than that the Most High should bear rule over all and Do according to his Will and that Men who are Atoms of Clay animated by his breath should own Him for their Sovereign Lord and accordingly submit to Him yea though so it were that our own personal welfare were not concerned in it It will be of singular Use and Moment to us in the whole of our lives Nothing like this will allay those carnal Reasonings which are so unreasonably prone to put in their Verdict of spiritual things which yet Carnal Reason hath no cognisance of and will indeed be silenced by nothing else The Apostle therefore in Rom. 9. ver 19 20 21. thinks them not worthy a further Reply whose captious Enquiries the Sovereignty of God will not satisfy A second Inscrence Infer 2. which naturally flowes from this Doctrine is that of the Psalmist Oh come let us Worship and bow down Ps 95. 6. and kneel before the Lord our Maker Let us give Him the glory of this great Attribute by a Real and Practical Owning that indispensible bond of obedience which it layes upon every Creature We are highly obliged by it both in point of subjection and in point of faith 1. In point of subjection to His Laws Ordinances Providences First For the Lawes of God and His Appointments These we are to attend Job 22. 3. 35. 7. observe obey I cannot say For the Lord hath need of them For neither can our Righteousness profit Him nor our wickedness impair Him He that is Wise is wise for himself but do it because the Lord hath commanded Ps 9. 1â— He is the Lord thy God and worship thou Him Pro. 45 11. This is that strong Reason by which He hath backed both Commands and Prohibitions Exod. 20. 2. I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt doe thus And thus thou shalt not doe I am the Lord This he sets in the front of All and with this He closeth the Râ—re and Guards them on every side Moses brings it in as a convincing Reason why we should love God with our whole heart and keep his Commandments namely because he is the Lord and He onely Deut. 6. 4. No One therefore may pretend to a right of giving Laws to Men or to an interest in their love and obedience save with respect to God and the authority they have from Him And though He is sometimes pleased and it is a great condescention in the great God by arguments taken from our own Good to draw us to obedience Do it for it is your life Deut. 32. 47. yet in our spirits That of His Sovereignty and Glory ought to have the preference To cast out Ishmael was a thing grievous to Abraham but being Commanded of God he debates it Not Nor delayes to do it Therefore hold on your way though never so great Obscurity be upon it at present Minde your duty in the midst of discouragements Do as Peter who though he had labour'd all night and caught Nothing yet Master At thy command I will let down the Net again 2 Be subject to His Ordinances If He please to Command the using such Meanes Lâ—ke 5. 5. as have no Natural virtue towards such an effect as in Moses stretching his hand over the Sea and smiteing the Rock with his Rod so Water in baptism Bread and Wine in the Lord's Supper Presume not to say What is there in these Godliness is a Mystery which onely faith can understand There is no Divine Institution but hath Meat in it that you know not of which if rightly used will speak for it self If He please to make Clay of Dust and spittle Contemn it not but submit to His Will and way and be thankfull for thy Cure Iudges 12 â— with Ch. 16. 1â— Sampsons hair was an Ordinance to him
which when he slighted the spirit of God left him and he became as other Men and recovered not his strength until it was grown again 3. As touching the Providences of God Observe them and Submit to them look not upon them as Empty things The least may yield you Instruction as also the Most unlikely Out of the Eater comes forth Meat and out of the strong sweetness Though the thing be a â—iddle to an heart uncircumcised Plough with His Heifer and ye shâ—ll find it Neither look on them as Things Impertinent But say rather Is there not a Cause though I see it not The Lord does nothing in vain Neither yet look on them as Things Contingent Math. 10 29 30 A sparrow falls not without His will and the hairs of your head are all Numbred Ps 39 9. David was Dumb and opened not his Mouth why Because Thou Lord didst it And Shimei's Cursing he beares patiently 2 Sam. 16. 10. on the same account It may be the Lord hath bidden him There may be Such a Mixture and Confusion of things and your expectation so delayed and frustrated That your froward untamed heart may be ready to Wrangle it out Eccles. 8. 14. Why falls it alike to All Why to the Just according to the Work of the wicked and to the wicked according to the work of the Righteous Or why One event to them All This is not to Enquire wisely you should rather conclude and say as the Disciples in another Case The Lord hath need of them That is He hath occasion to use such a Providence to fullfil a Word If ye would Cast so as to lye by your Mark this Attribute of Sovereignty gives you the best Ground Search and Observe as much as ye will so you take Faith along with you Without which ye can do Nothing Warrantably Faith is a Sworn Officer to the Great king and has a key for every lock that is fit to be opened It forces Nothing but where it cannot Enter it stands without and Waits a fitter season Let Faith also be Chief Speaker in all your Debates And then the Result will be That Carnal Reason and Present Sense though very Tenacious and Stubborn shall yield the Cause and let you goe The Summ of all is this That though ye be not Conscious to your self of any particular Cause or Miscarriage besides what is Common to Men which was the Case with Job Lay your hand upon your Mouth as Job did The Most High doth according to His Will Dan. 4. 34 35. This even the proudest of Kings acknowledged when his understanding returned to him and so do you And know That if your spirit be out of frame in your present Condition it would not be better in any other Secondly Our Faith also is highly concerned in the Sovereignty of God For It both obligeth to Believe in Him and also affords Matter for Faith to work upon To these Ends the Lord holds it forth to Abraham Once and Again Gen. 17 1. I am God Almighty c. This was it enabled him to believe he should have a Son even whiles the Deadness of his own Body Rom. 4. 19. and of Sarah's Womb wrought strongly against it This also was that made him so readily assent to the offering up of this Son when he had him He had as much to say against it as could well be supposed For the Promise was That in Isaac all families of the Earth should be blessed which Promise and this Command Abraham's Reason could not Reconcile The Contradiction would surely have Run him down had not his faith in this Great Attribute held fast and guided the Reignes Suggesting to him That He who gave Isaac a being from a Withered Stock was able also to raise him from the dead Heb. 11. 19. Abraham there fore disputes it Not Stands not so much as to consider upon 't but up he gets him Early to do it And hence he obtained that honourable title James 2. 23. to be called The friend of God Ye have seen Now what Abraham did Go ye and do likewise Take hold of Gods Sovereignty as your own and to be improved for your good Faith gives a Propriety in any Attribute it looks upon and drawes out the virtues and Influence thereof for it self And therefore What ever difficulties are in your way be not disheartened by them but call in this Sovereignty of God by faith to your help Remember the ready subjection which all Creatures do pay to his Word By which alone without Creatures service He can level the Mountains and make Crooked things streight Restraâ—â— Alter Invert and Turn upside down the very Course of Nature so that That which is death in it self shall be life to you New Cords and Wyths when touch'd by his word are as flax and tow when touch'd by the fire Iron shall be as straw and brass as rotten wood Therefore lengthen the Cords and strengthen the stakes of your faith you cannot beleive for greater things or better than God can do for you Even sin it self which is the Great and in truth the onely evil It is His enemy as much as yours And you may be sure He would not have suffered its being in the World if He had not a Power to Correct and Curb it yea and to destroy it too at His pleasure Take hold of His sovereign strength and your work is done But here also a Caution or two may be seasonably added 1. That if death in the pot have once been healed and your borrowed Ax-head sunk once past hope of Recovery have been brought again to your hand look that Remissnes grow not upon it Beware ye gather not Wilde Gourds a second time Nor persume to throw the helve after the Head The Divine Power is too great a thing to be trifled with or Made to serve with the â—ollies of Men. 2. That you never look on this Great Attribute of Sovereignty without your Mediator As without whom it would be matter of Terror and Amazemeut to sinners It is He onely can render It Propitious to you As Nothing is pleasing to God but in and through Christ So Nothing in God is Comfortable to Men or for their Eternal Good but as it comes to them through Him As Waters out of the Sea immediately are not potable unless they be first exhaled by the Sun or pass through some vein of Earth which makes them Congruous to our Nature I shall mention two particulars of Nearest Coâ—cerment to us wherein we are in a special manner to have respect unto the Sovereignty of God 1. As touching your own Condition your everlasting Condition Submit to Mercy to Sovereign Mercy that is yeild your self to God without Capitulaâ—ing or Makâ—ing terms with him Those Syrians well under stood the Meaning of this They put Ropes on their heads and themselves in the Conquerors hands 1 K. 20. 31. upon an uncertain Conjecture
blessing you most desire for them But be not Over-solicitous and east down because you see not yet the Marks of Election upon them The Lord doth not indeed bind himself to take all a Believers Children Nor doth He limit Himself from taking any others There is Nothing declared â—ouching His Purpose to Take All the One â—â—est they should from thence take occasion to be Remiss in their Duty which still Conversion is very natural to us nor doth He exclude the Children of others For that â—ight discourage and weaken their hands to that as is good In this various dispensing of His everlasting love He is pleased 〈…〉 His liberty and sovereign Prerogative That 〈◊〉 greatly manifests his love to Believers in so frequent 〈◊〉 Choosing of their Seed And the Freeness of His Grace in Not-rejecting altogether the Seed of Others Inference 3. Thirdly How happy and sovereignly blessed are Those who have an Interest in this Great and Sovereign Lord Which Every One is blessed with that has in truth taken hold of His Covenant For That takes in all between the Two Eternities and Eternity it self withall And the spirits or strength of the Whole lies in those few but very Compendious Words I will be your God When the Lord would comfort His People to purpose and pâ—t on their Eagles wings What a glorious Narrative doth he make of His Power and Sovereign Greatness in Isa 40. from v. 12. to v. 26. And then tells them That all this is Theirs v. 27. And if God be yours All things are yours Who and where is he that can supplant you of His blessing yâ—u may rejoyce in His Highness the thoughts whereof are Matter of terroâ—r to other Men. After the rehearsal of all the happiness and Glory that Men or Angels are capable of it shall all be comprised in this as the Original thereof and summ of the whole Blessed are they whise God the Lord is Psa 144. 15. Inference 4. Fourthly We may see here the Reason Why God doth sometimes defer to Answer the Doubts and Querie's we stick at and most desire to be Resolv'd about It is not only to shew His Sovereignty But to bring our hearts to a submiss and practical acknowledgment of it Moses was very unwilling to go on his Message to Bharaoh Many pretences he had to put it by when as the danger he might be in for killing the Aegyptian was the bottom-Objection though he speaks it not Out Indeed the men who sought his life were now dead Which if the Lord had told him of at first all those excuses had probably been spared But He was pleased to conceal it from him until He had brought him to a full compliance with His Will Exod. 3. 11. with Ch 4. 10 13 19 and then reveals it to Him Vnask'd So likewise He would not take off His hand from Iob until He had well learn'd him this lesson Job 42. 2 6 7. Say not therefore because you hear not from God so soon as you would The Lord hath â—orsaken me My Lord hath forgotten Me But follow that good Resolution recorded in Isaiah I will wait upon the Lord who hâ—deth his face for the present from the House of Jacob Isa 49. 14. and I will look for Him v. 17. Inference 5. Fifthly Let no Man then who will Say The Lord He is God presume to intrench on His Sacred Royalty by seeking a Reason of His Decrees beyond or besides the Good pleasure of His Will Even Sovereigns of dust will not admit it in Subjects though of the same Mould with themselves It is an Imperial Secret The Chief of the wayes of God It belongs to himself alone to know it and the knowledg thereof would not profit us Now. Besides There is enough revealed of great importance to us at present On which to imploy the utmost of our time and strength By Over-grasping we may sprain our hands and unfit them for service which lies within their Compass But we gain Nothing Therefore go not about to fathom this Great Deep Who but one of shallow understanding would think to measure the Sea by handfulls or to give a Demonstrative Reason of its various and convertible Courses Remember That you Magnifie His Work Job 36. 24. but lessen it Not by pretending to Comprehend it Eccles 8. 17. Sanctifie the Lord in your heart and fear before Him Inference 6. Sixthly This gives a Reason why Men of the largest Capacity for Learning and Natural understanding are so mightily Puzzelled and Labyrinth'd in Spiritual Matters particularly The Doctrine of Election Why they do so strongly oppose it and are so hardly Reconcil'd with it They are not in truth subdued to the Doctrine of God's Sovereignty And therefore whiles in discussing those points of Faith they judge as their Natural Optick represents them they lose both themselves and the Truth Which yet in some degree is made known unto Babes Men of low stature to them whose spirits the Lord hath subdued to rest contented with what their Father is pleased to tell them And for the Rest as namely the Manner and Reason of God's Disposements and Dispensations they live by Faith in His Righteousness Waiting for the day that shall Reveal all things when the Tabernacle of God which yet is in Heaven shall be let down among Men or They taken up into it and these hidden things of Sovereignty shall be more openly known amongst them Inference 7. Lastly This Doctrine of God's Absolute Dominion Clears away all that Made-ground and Rubbish which the Principles of Free-Will-Grace do found their Election upon and shews us the only true and Proper foundation of Scripture Election with those other Important Truths which hold upon it or are Consequents of it All which have their Head in the Sovereignty of God and Derived thence as Rivers are from the Sea As through his blessing and Grace may appear afterwards And so I shall close up this first particular with that holy Rapture of the Psalmist Be thou Exalted Lord in thy own strength so will we sing and praise thy Power The Lord hath prepared His Throne in the Heavens and His Kingdom ruleth over all Bless the Lord ye His Angels that Excel in strength Bless the Lord all ye His Hosts ye Ministers of His that do His pleasure Bless the Lord all His works in all places of his Dominion Bless the Lord ô my Soul OF THE RIGHTEOVSNESS of GOD. HAving founded this Discourse on the Sovereignty of God as the best and most natural ground of Satisfaction or captivation to Reason touching Election So now as a means to qualifie our Spirits and Reconcile them with the Doctrine of Sovereignty it seemeth expedient to annex that of His Righteousness and I think there is not a more evident Proposition than That there is no Vnrighteousness with God Prop. This as we are indispensably bound to believe So to be well grounded in the faith of it
It is sometimes called The Way of life Prov. 12. 28. Sometimes the fountain and well-spring of life Chap 14. 27. And it tendeth to life Rom 11. 16. Chap. 19 22. For if the Root be holy the branâ—hes cannot be otherwise 'T is so likewise with Sin Death follows Sin not onely as a punishment for delinquency but as its natural off-spring Original corruption is the Root Pro. 23. 29 30. Sin the Stalk that grows next upon it and Death the finishing or full corn in the ear This pedigree of it ye have in James Chap. 1. 14 15. If there were no Justice to Revenge Sin Sin would be vengeance to it self Sinners lie in wait for their own blood Pro. 1. 18. Pro. 13. 21. It is their own wickedness that corrects them Jer. 2. 19. The way of Sin inclineth to death and its footsteps to the Dead Ch 2. 18. Ch. 5. 5. Its steps take hold on â—ell Vnbelief may be an instance for all as out of which all Sins else are derived This was the Root of Adam's apostacy Num. 14. 11. Rom. 11. 20. Heb. 3. 12. and of all that Peoples Rebellions in the Wilderness Faith is that which holds the Soul to God its life and blessedness Vnbelief its departing from Him or the letting go of its hold the loosing of the knot upon which the Soul falls off of its own accord And the first step from God sets in a way of Death As a branch breaking off from its Stock dies of itself This was Adam's unbelief In all Men since it is a Refusing to Return This Doctrine is still further confirm'd by the general unanimous consent and affirmation of Those best able to Judge Arg. 7. 1. They assert it Job a Man of great Wisdom and integrity Not his like in all the Earth Job 1. 8. and none so sorely afflicted yet sayes Elihu to him by way of Counsel as what himself would do in the like case I will ascribe Righteousness to my Maker Job 36. 3. And Surely God will not pervert Iudgement Chap. 34. 12. God is known i. e. He is known to be God by the Judgements which He executeth Psal 9. 16. The Lord is Vpright there is no Vnrighteousness in Him Psal 92. 15. He loveth Righteousness and hateth Iniquity Psal 45. 6 7. The Scepeer of his Kingdome is a Right Scepter ver 6. Righteousness and Judgement are the habitation of His Throne Ps 97. 2. Deut. 32 4. Rev 19. 2. That True and Righteous are his Judgements is the voice of those in Heaven 2 They submit to it even then when most provoked by Mens injurious dealings with them for His sake and when the Lord 's own hand hath been most severe towards them Aaron held his Peace Levit. 10. 3. It is the Lord saith Eli let Him dâ—as seemeth Him good 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2 K. 20 19. Hezekiah also Good is the word of the Lord. Yea they have done thus when by the light of natural Reason they could see no reason for it Witness Job who when plundred of all because he feared God and eschewed evill and could justifie himself to the height as to any hypocrisy Job 9. 15. yet sayes he I will make supplication to my Iudge Look on our Lord and Saviour Himself and see His confession Our father 's cried unto thee and were delivered But I Ps 222. 4. though day nor night I am not silent Thou hearest me not How does He close His complaint Not Thou dealest morâ— hardly with Me who less have deserved it but Thou art Holy Jeremy indeed began to object because the way of the wicked prospered and they were happy that dealt treacherously But he presently bethinks himself withdrawes his plea and yields the cause Ier. 12. 1. Bighteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee I might instance the Suffrage even of wicked Men and of the most obdurate among them whose Consciences at times have enforced their confession of this Truth and the testimony of an Adversary proves strongly â— haraoh subscribes to it The Lord is Righteous I and my People are wicked Exod. 9. 27. As also doth Adonibezek and Saul Judg. 1. 7. 1 Sam. 24. 17 19. 3 The Saints triumph in the Righteousness of God as well they may and call upon others to do the like The Lord Reigneth Let the Earth rejoyce Psal 93. 97. 99. O Let the Nations be glad and sing for joy Ps 67. 4. Ps 96. 11 13. For thou shalt judg the People Righteously Let the Heavens rejoyce and the Earth be glad before the Lord For He cometh For He cometh to judge the Earâ—h Rom. 53. c. And hence it was that Paul and the rest of them though the present sense of their suffering was grievous yet they gloried in them And Rejoyced greatly in hopes of that Glory 2 Tim. 4. 8. and Crown of Righteousness which God as a Righteous Judge had prepared for them Eightly Arg. VIII The Righteousness of God is yet further illustrated by The End and Event of his darkest dispensations Isa 10. 22. The consumption decreed shall overflow with Righteousness and Nothing else shall be in it His people though long under oppression He brought them forth at last with the greater Substance His leading them about in the Wilderness as it were in a Maze fourty years together and bringing them back again to the place they had bin at many yeares afore Ps 107. 7. yet it proved to be the Right way And it was for their good in the latter end Deut. 8. 16. Davids long persecution by Saul made him the fitter for the Kingdom and adapted him for the Office of principal Secretary to the Great King opportunely acquainting him with all the affairs of the heavenly State and Councel that are fit to be known of men And by his hand and experience they are Firmed to us and this amongst the Rest Blessed is the Man whom Thou chastenest Ps 94. 12. and teachest him out of thy Law We see it also by the end the Lord made with Job Job 23. 10. 42. 12. He brought him forth like gold and doubled His blessings upon him The Basket of good figs were sent into captivity for their good Jer. 24. 5. Phil. 1. 19 Paul's afflictions turn'd to his Salvation Even Christ himself whose temptations sorrows and sufferings where such as never were known by Men Heb. 2. 17 18. they were intended and accordingly did perfect and inable Him for His Office of Mediator Lastly Arg. IX Consider the Elect those precious Soules whom the Lord had loved from everlasting and determin'd to bring them to Glory yet having sinn'd Not one of them shall enter there without satisfaction first given to His Justice Ro 3. 26. Heb. 6. 20. with Ch. 9. 12 23 Even These He will not Justifie but in such a way as to be Just in so doing The Mercy-Seat it self must
does He does it Freely without respect to Mens desert Nay their Vndesert rather is an expedient Consideration in this Act of Grace By Works I understand All that Self-Righteousness Goodness Conformity to the Law Or what ever else is performable by Men. These viz Grace and Works he proves as inconsistent as Contraries can be and that the least Mixture would vary the kind If but a sâ—ruple of Works be taken in Grace is no more Grace For to him that worketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4. 4. Grace and Faith are well agreed These both have the same scope and end But Rom. 4. 4. Grace and Works have always Clash'd The setting up of the One is the deposing of the other Either the Ark must Out or Dagon down One Temple cannot hold them both Rom. 3. 28. To the same effect is the drift of that discourse in Gal. 5. It appears from Acts 15. 1. That some there were who taught a Necessity of Circumcision as without which they could not be saved Pretty willing they were to admit of Christ so they might joyn Circumcision with Him and keeping the Law of Moses But this dangerous daubing with things unmixable our holy Apostle could not brook both as reflecting on the honour of his Master and undermining their onely Foundation And therefore to keep them from or bring them off that perillous Quick-sand he tells them expresly These two cannot stand together in that matter For if they be Circumcised they are Debtors to the whole Law and Christ is become of none effect to them because they are fallen from Grace It is as if he had said If you take in any part though never so little of Legal Observances as Necessary to your being Justified ye forfeit the whole benefit of Gospel-Grace The Grace of Christ is sufficient for you He is a Saviour Compleat in Himself and if you look though but a squint at any thing else it is a Renouncing of Him He will be Saviour altogether or not at all And therefore he tells them again and that with a kind of vehemency Gall. 5. 2. That if they be Circumcised Christ shall profit them Nothing And as a Man may not put in his Claim for Justification on accompt of his Works so neither of his Faith as if That were Mâ—terially or Influentially Causal of Justification For Faith it self as it is the Believers Act comes under the Notion of a Work Let us therefore Consider What part it is that Faith holds in this Matter least whiles we cast out Works as not standing with Grace we make a Work of Faith It is Faith's Office to make the Soul live wholly on Another and to Renounce Self ability as much as Self desert To apprehend that Righteousness by which Grace Justifies Not onely to be Justified thereby upon your Believing but to work in you even that Faith by which you apprehend it Isa 45. 24. answerable to that of the Prophet In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength He that will be Saved must come as an ungodly Person to be justified freely by the Grace of God He must reckon himself an Vngodly Man to the very instant of his Justification True it is The Just shall live by Faith but 't is also true That it is not their own Faith or act of believing that they live by though not without it Which also seems the Apostle's meaning where he sayes The life which I now live I live by the Faith of the Son of God Where note That as Faith is the life of a Believer so Christ is the life of his Faith I live saith he yet not I but Christ liveth in Me Christ was his life and he lived on Christ by virtue of Christ's living in him Notwithstanding all which it is evidently true and must constantly be affirm'd That Grace and Works will still be together in the way of Salvation the one doth not extinguish or exclude the other Only not as Collegues or Joint-Causers thereof But rather as a Workman and his Tooles which himself first makes and then workes with them By Grace ye are saved through Faith Eph. 2. 8. and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Even this believing or Acting faculty is a Creature of Grace's raising up and therefore in the Throne 't is meet that Grace should be above it Works therefore how good soever are not the Cause of Salvation and if so then not the cause of Election for This indeed is the Cause of them both And Works if right and truly Good will alwayes be ready to own their Original and to keep in their own place Where also they will be most considerable and do the best service III. Arg. 3. That the good pleasure of God's Will gives Rise and Foundation to Election is further argued from Men's Incapacity to afford any ground or Motive to God for such a Gift Adam stood not so long as to beget a Son in his first Image It is sâ—en by his first-born Cain what all his natural Sâ—ed would naturally be And though there be some that do Magnifie Man and presume to speak of him at another rate yet evident it is by Scripture-light and experience of those Renewed That Man fallen is poâ—r blind Naked and at enmity with all that is truly good and that he is never more Remote and farr off from God than whiles in high thoughts of himselfe Glorying in his own Understanding Strength Worthyness Freedom of Will Improvement of Common Grace and the like For These make him proud and presumptuous and to have slight thoughts of that special and peculiar Grace by which he must if ever be Renewed and Saved But the Lord Himself who best knows him reports the matter quite otherwise and we know that His witness is true viz. That all the imaginations of their heart are onely evil continually Gen. 6 5. That their inward part is very wickedness Ps 53. 1. That every Man is brutish in his knowledge Jer 10 14 ver 8 21. Altogether brutish and foolish yea even their Pastours that is the very best and most intelligent amongst them Ch 4. 22. Eccles. 91 3. They are wise to do evil but to do good have no understanding And their hearts are full of madness And it was not thus only with the Gentile Nations who were left to walk in their own way but even with the Jews Isa 5. 4. who had all the means of becoming better that could be devised Excepting that of special Electing Grace which took-in but a Remnant They were called Jews Rested in the Law Made their boast of God Knew His Will Approved the things that were excellent Were confident that they were a Guide of the blind and a light to them that were in darkness Instructors of the foolish Teachers of Babes And yet all this while and in the midst of all these high attainments did not
by that also it must be maintain'd What then would become of it if built on that goodness which is as the Morning cloud and early dew Mos 6. 4. The Creature 's will even whiles in a state of perfection was too slight and fickle a thing to build this eternal weight upon And if Man at his best estate was vanity how much more afterwards when so strong a Bent to vanity came upon his will VI. Lastly To derive Election from any Root besides the Good pleasure of God is to frustrate the principal End of Man's Salvation viz. the Glory of God's Grace Ephes 1. 6. and Chap. 2. 7. This Attribute of all the Rest He will not have ecclipsed nor intrench'd upon 'T is so Divinely sacred as not to admit the least humane touch For which very cause the Lord hath so contrived that blessed design and Plot of His Glory that all boasting is excluded And no flesh shall Glory in His preseuce But if any thing in the Creature be intitled to the Causality of Election Flesh will Glory and instead of excluding Man's Boasting Grace it self will be excluded which is far from a Glorifying of it as is plain from Rom. 11. 6. I would here Resolve a Quere or two which some have urged from the Scripture As 1. How can this Doctrine stand with the General love and good will of God towards Men who 't is said will have all to be saved 1. Tim. 2. 4. In General the literal sense of words is not to be rested on when the like phrase of speech elsewhere used or evident scope of the same or other Scripture agrees not to it The design and current of the whole must guide the construction of particular parts More particularly 1. Though the Doctrine of General Love will not stand with that of Special Election yet the Doctrine of Special Election will stand without That and against it For there is nothing more plain than that there is an Election of men to Salvation as also That the natural Import of Election is To Choose One or more out of Many Now this necessarily implyes the Leaving of Some and consequently The Not-willing of Salvation to All For 2. The Will of God cannot be resisted What He wills shall come to pass because with His willing the End He Wills also the Means and that such as shall compass His End Isa 46. 10 My councel shall stand I will do all my pleasure i. e. What I please to will That I will have done 3. If the word All be here taken universally it takes in Vnbelievers as well as Others as if God would have them to be Saved And if you will explain this by other Scriptures as namely If they do believe These also must be considered with those that shew How and by Whom that Faith must be wrought and who they are it belongs unto and they tell us That Faith is the Gift and operation of God Coll. 2. 12. Eph. 2. 8. And That Election is that which intitles to Faith Rom. 11. 7. 4. The Apostle is not here discoursing the Extent of God's special love Whether All Men universally are concern'd in it but exhorting Believers to a General duty viz. To give thanks for Kings and all in Authority because of the benefits we have by Government And to pray for them Not onely for their peaceable governing of us but if otherwise that God would turn their hearts and make them Nursing Fathers to His Church And to enforce the Duty There is no degree nor state of Men exempted from Salvation God hath chosen some of every sort and therefore we ought not to shut any out of our prayers 5. The word All is often used when but a part and sometimes the lesser part of the thing spoken of is intended by it As on the contrary when the Vniversality of the subject is intended it is expressed by Singulars As He that believeth shall be Saved and Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out It sometimes signifies All of such a sort so Eve is said to be the Mother of All Living Not of all Living Creatures but all of her own kind It other times intends Some of all Sorts as where it is said All the Cattle of Aegypt died Exod. 9. 6. And the hail smote every tree and every herb ver 25. And yet other Cattle are mentioned after and a Residue of Trees are said to be escaped ver 19 25. and Chap. 10. 5. So here God will have all Men to be saved That is some of every Sort and degree Gentiles as well as Jews Kings and Men in authority as well as those of a meaner Rank The same in Joel I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh Joel 2. 28. that is upon some of every Age Sex and Degree without distinction Young Old Masters Servants Sons Daughters c. as it follows there 6. To these Universal terms do belong divers Restrictions which must be gather'd from the Scope Col. 1. 23 The Gospel is said to be preached to every Creature under Heaven and yet Men only are intended and not All of them neither For the Gospel had reached but a small part of the World at that time and not the whole of it yet Acts 15. 21 Moses hath in every City them that preach him It must be understood only of Cities where the Jews dwelt and had Synagogues which were but few in comparison Acts 8. 4 They that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word i. e. They balked no place nor person but preached where ever they came At first it was confin'd to the Jews but now without limits 1 Cor. 4. 5 Every Man shall have praise of God It can be meant only of Good and Faithful Servants which are but a Remnant to the whole piece Eph. 4. 5 God is said to be the Father of all and yet Satan we know is the Father of the far greater part of the World Col. 1. 20 Christ is said to Reconcile all things and yet all the Angels which are Things and of the Chiefest of Things must be exempted The Good Angels because they never were at enmity and the evil Angels because Not Reconcilable Eph. 1. 10 That He might gather together in One all things in Christ This All things seems plainly to intend the Elect for they are the subject discoursed of in the whole Chapter and in Matthew Those gathered together are stiled The Elect Mat. 24. 31. In Heb. 12. 8 All are said to be partakers of Chastisement and yet it can be meant only of Sons for Bastards are not partakers of it as it follows there So also John 6. 4â— They shall be all taught of God It respects only the Sons of the Church i. e. such as are Elected whose iniquities are forgiven them and their sins remembred no more It is the tenour of the New Covenant which is made with the House of Israel that is Jews
be That for which He would not Pray For the Priest was bound to pray for Those for whom he offered It must then be Another And so it seems there be two Worlds 1 A lesser World which consists of Elect Persons and was taken out of the World Vniversallâ— As the Israelitish Nation was out of the Egyptian Deut. 4. 34. Or as the Christian Church at first was out of the Jewish These our Saviour stiles Joh. 17. 6. v. 9. The Men which His Father gave Him out of the World For These it was that He sanctified Himself And for these He prayed And of These consisteth that World whose Sin He taketh away and for whose Sins even of the whole of it He is the Propitiation These are the Men that shall be counted worthy of the World to come And they are as properly termed a World as that blessed Place and State they shall be in Luke 20. 35. Or as the Dwellers upon earth are denominated a World from the Place of their habitation Ps 9. 8. 2 There is also a World of Vngodly Joh. 15. 19. ch 17. 6. 2 Cor. 4. 4. Rev. 13. 3 4 with v. 8. 1 Joh. 5. 19. from among whom that lesser World are taken and seperated Of whom it is said The Devil is their God And that their Names are not in the Lambs book of life But the whole of it lies in wickedness And This is the World for whom Christ would not vouchsafe to pray Then surely He would not make His Soul an offering for their sins The Reason why all Men are not Saved is not because Christ did not die for all but because they will not Believe Men's Not believing in Christ is not the Onely or first procuring Cause of their Condemnation but their Rebellion and Apostacy from God Albeit the Condemnation of those who reject Christ is greatly aggravated by their Not-receiving Him As One Condemned or Condemnable for an Act of Treason refusing a Pardon His Refusal is indeed the next and immediate cause of his execution and perhaps shall heighten the Rigour of it But his treasonable practise was the first procuring cause of his death which also he should have suffered for if no such pardon had been tendred to him It must always be granted and Maintained That Faith is the one thing necessary on our part in order to our being Saved And as true it is That this Faith adds nothing of virtue or Merit to the Cross of Christ Where Men are said to be Justified or Saved by Faith it is meant of the Object of Faith and not of the Act For the Righteousness of Christ alone is the Matter of our Justification which this Objection seems to deny 2 Christ's Redemption extends to Unbelief For this Purpose was the Son of God Manifested 1 Joh. 3. 8. to destroy the works of the devil Of which Vnbelief is the Chief And He gave Himself to Redeem from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. And if from All then Unbelief which is the Sum and Sâ—um of all cannot be exempted For Otherwise scil If He had Redeemed from all but this that Redemption would litle avail us It would be as if One should purchase your pardon for pilfering felonies but let the Guilt of your Treasons lye still upon you Or undertake to Cure a Man of his phrensie upon condition he will be Sober What will they do who content themselves with such a Redemption as this 3 Faith it self is a Grace of Christ's own Working It flows from His Fulness Joh. 1. 16. He apprehends us before we do or can apprehend Him The People's Sins under the Law had not been expiated by the Sacrifice without sprinkling the blood And it was not themselves who sprinkled it but the Priest And can we think that Christ shed His Blood for those on whom He will not sprinkle it That He died for Those to whom He will not give a little faith when as without that all that He doth besides will not profit them If any say He would but they will not I ananswer This Will not is their Unbelief which He is to take away by making them Willing A Will to believe is Believing Ps 110 And in the day of His Power they find it And for any to say That a Will to believe is not purchased by Christ Heb. 9. 12. 14. is a great derogation from the virtue and Merit of His sufferings This is further Argued where the Office of Christ in order to Effectual Calling is treated of Inferences From what hath been proved in behalf of Redemption as peculiar to the Elect I infer I. The important necessity of Trying the Spirits Infer 1. and the Doctrines they bring whether they be of God A plaâ—sible outside and fair shew in the flesh are no Argument of Truth in the bottom Takingness with Nature should Render things suspitious to us rather than approved Our best rule of Judgement in this case is that of our Saviour The Tree is known by its fruits And if by this we measure the general point it will be found wanting in what it pretends to and not-a-little Reprovable 1. In stead of Magnifying the Grace of Christ and Merit of His sufferings it does in effect Nullifie both It makes Redemption general as to Persons but not as to Things That is it Redeems the whole of Mankind from part of their bondage but no part of them from the whole of it Or upon such a Condition as no Man in nature is able to perform which sure is too defective to be the Devise of Sovereign Wisdome and Grace That cannot be call'd An Universal Remedy that suffers it self to be Worsted by the disease I doubt not at all That the blood of the Son of God in our Nature is of infinite Merit but withall that is of like Infinite Virtue and Efficacy and will for ever operate accordingly But if the success and saving effects thereof should depend upon something to be done by Men which Redemption it self doth not Invest them with then will Men come in for a share with Christ in the glory of their Salvation yea in this case any addition of humane ability annihilates the Grace of Christ Gal. 5. 2. Whereas to depend upon Christ for Sanctifiction as well as Righteousness To expect from Him a Power to Repent and Believe as well as Acceptance upon your believing gives Him His true honour as intit'ling Him to the whole of your Salvation which is indeed His proper Due and due to Him alone And this may be a main Reason why Men professing the Name of Christ are so generally strangers to Faith and Holiness They do not seek it at the hands of Christ as a part of His purchase according to John 5. 40. 2. In stead of laying a foundation for Faith and an help to believing the General Doctrine nuzzles the Soul in its unbelief upon a presumption of Power in himself to believe
by what Title The Answer is They all do belong to Elect Persons and That in right of their Election To put Effects in the place of Causes and Causes of Effects is a great absurdity in Natural things and yet how prone are we to it in Matters of Divine Concernment which chiefly comes from the pride of our Spirits who fain would be Some-body in procuring our own happiness and do therefore ascribe it to any Cause rather than That which is proper to it This is a Great Evil and the more perilous and catching because espoused by Some of no-common-profession and That with great pretences of Reason for it To Refute which your most rational course will be To search and consult the Scriptures whose testimony and right Reason do always sort-together And if by this Ascent you follow Salvation and all the Conducements thereto up to their Head you shall find them all to be intirely and absolutely of God and contained in the same Decree And consequently That Faith and Holiness are the Effect and certain Consequent of Election The genuine Import of Scripture-Salvation is broad and comprehensive extending to all manner of Requisites which any way conduce to the perfect accomplishment of the thing it self Outward Salvation what ever belongs to the Outward Man's preservation As Water Bread Walls Bulwarks c. Isa 26. 1. Salvation will appoint Walls and Bulwarks i. e. The promise of Salvation implies and carries in it all things pertaining to Safety So Spiritual Salvation what ever pertains to Blessedness and Glory as Redemption Faith Holiness and Holding-out to the End Any of which being absent would invalidate all the rest As one Round of a Ladder pluck'd-out hinders your ascent to the Top. If One gives me a piece of Land that is round-inclosed the Law gives me a Way to it though no express mention thereof in my Deed so as to take the profits Otherwise litle would his Gift signifie to Me Salvation is That the Elect are endowed with Faith and Holiness the necessary Way to their actual possession And therefore These they must be ordained unto and are as well as to Salvation it self For being Predestinate to the Adoption of Sons Rom. 8. 28. Eph. 1 5. 1 Joh. 3. 2. and to be conformed to the Image of Christ which is not perfectly accomplished till His appearing in Glory they must be Predestinate also to all those intermediate Dispensations and Graces which are requisite thereto For Right to the End gives Right to the Means They are therefore said to be Chosen to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2 13. and belief of the Truth In order of Intention God wills the End first and then the Means In order of Execution the Means first as directive to That End Ro. 8. 30. Eph. â— 4 8 10 The End is the cause of the Means and Election the Cause of them both The Promise of Canaan to Abraham's Seed did virtually contain what ever must come between the making of the Promise and the final performance of it As 1 To multiply his Seed into a Nation 2 To keep Esau Laban and Others from hurting them 3 To provide for them in time of famine 4 To preserve and increase them in Egypt notwithstanding the Egyptians craft and cruelty to suppress them 5 To bring them forth with an high hand in contempt of Pharaoh's Resolvedness against it and his Potency to withstand it 6 To divide the Sea before them and provide them a Table in the Wilderness 7 To cause their Enemies hearts to faint and become as Water 8 To send the Hornet before them and to fight for them c. For Otherwise the Lord 's giving them Canaan had been but as the Pope's giving England to the Spaniard that is If he could get it And lastly To pardon their manifold great and high provocations by which they exposed themselves to wrath and extirpation daily So is it in the Case of Election It draws with it even All that is tendent to the Saints actual Investiture with Glory The Apostle therefore linketh Eternity past with Eternity to come He makes Election and Glorification the two extream points of the Compass Calling and Justification which are parts intermediate he founds upon the First in order to the Last and gives you their Set-course in Rom. 8. 38. Whom He did Foreknow Then also He did Predestinate To what to be conformed to the Image of His Son And whom He did Predestinate them also He Called And what did He Call them to He Called them to Holiness to Glory and Virtue 2 Pet. 1. 3. And whom He Called them also He Justified and Glorified These All do belong to One and the same persons and that by virtue of the Decree and no one of them did ever go alone The like Succession of Causes and Effects ye have in the 16th of Ezekiel Ezek. 16. 6-12 The Lord finds them in their blood that is in their natural condition He enters into Covenant with them and makes them His Own there 's Election Then He Washes them and that throughly there 's their Justification And then Adorns them there 's their Sanctification which always is Consummated in Glory In the 17th of the Acts Acts 17. 1-5 ye have Paul preaching at Thessalonica The same Doctrine was propounded to all indefinitely and it must be so for the Minister knows not the Elect from other Men But the Holy Ghost who searcheth the deep things of God and hath the Management of this Work committed to him Joh. 10. 3. Isa 27. 12. He knew the Elect by Name and accordingly took them Gather'd them One by One each One in his proper time and open'd their Ear to discipline Making them That they were Chosen unto And the same Apostle in his Epistle to the Thessalonians where he Celebrates the effects of this Sermon brings in their Election as the Cause of their Conversion Knowing Brethren beloved 1 Thes 1. 4 5. your Election of God For our Gospel came not to you in Word only as it did to others but in power So in the Acts Acts 13. 48. ch 2 47. As many as were Ordained to Eternal life believed And the Lord added to the Church daily whom diâ— He add such as should be Saved Effectual Calling is a sure Demonstration of Election and the first Effect by which it can be known That precious Faith through which we are Saved is obtained through the Righteousness of God 2 Pet. 1. 7. and our Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 7. 1 It is given through the Righteousness of God the Father and so it either respects His Ordaining us to Eternal life In which Act He did implicitely engage Himself to give us Faith which may therefore be called The Faith of God's Elect T it 1. 1. Or else it respects His promise made to Christ Isa 53. 10. Tit. 1. 2. with 2 Tim. 1. 9. That setting
it And hence it is that we find those Imperial terms I will and Ye shall so much in use about this Matter Thus the Lord began with the Serpent which was a leading Case to all that follows It shall bruise thine head In which compendious word the destruction of Satan and Sin is effectually provided for And elswhere He speaks as much for quick'ning the Soul I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statutes Ezek. 36. 27 28. Ye shall be my People and I Will be your God They shall Return unto me with their whole heart with many Others The Lord still utters Himself in tearms of Omnipotency as putting-forth an Almightiness of Power which as it needs not so it will not yea it cannnot with a Salvo to his honour admit the least Dependence upon Created power to make it successfull Isa 55. 11. His word shall not Return unto him void It shal accomplish that which He pleaseth and prosper in the thing whereto He sends it John 11. 44. He that was dead comes forth at his word though bound hand and foot II. Conversion is a Creation-work II. which though done by degrees must be gon-thorow with and that by Him who layd the foundation Or all the foregoing parts for want of a Cap-stone will moulder and come to nothing As when Adam was to be made The Lord first prepares the Earth then moulds it in such a form and then breathes into him the breath of life Els that lump had never been a living Soul So in the New Creation The Lord works and goes-on to work and leaves it not until He hath set it going He doth not onely cause the light to shine into darkness but gives withall a suitable understanding 1 Joh. 5. 20. Joh. 1. 5. a faculty connatural with the object as without which the darkness would never comprehend it Ezekiel might have prophecied till Doom's day ere those dry bones would have liv'd if the Lord Himself had not caused breath to enter into them Jam. 1. 17. 2 Cor. 4. 6. And probably He is called The Father of lights plurally to denote that as well the light comprehending or capacitating our comprehension is from God as That to be comprehended Psal 36. 9. In His light we see light III. God's Effectual Working in this Matter III. and the Necessity of His so working may also be Argued from the common sense of those already wrought upon and brought-in by whose Prayers and Confessions it is evident That they still needed a powerfull and effectual influence to Carry-on the Work already begun Turn Thou Me and I shall be Turned Quicken us and we will call upon Thee Draw me and We will Run after thee Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing but our sufficiency is of God I live Gall. 2. 20. yet not I but Christ liveth in me c. Hence it readily follows That if those already Turned and made partakers of the Divine nature whose hearts are in the good wayes of God and who desire Nothing more than to Walk in them cannot yet keep themselves Going without a Continued Efficacious Influx and Spring from Above Much-less can the Natural Man without the like Supernatural and Divine Efficacy effectually bend himself to a Compliance with them Prov. 13. 19. It is It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil IV. IV. If the Lord did not Work Effectually He should loose the honour of His work If the Efficacy of Grace should depend on the humane Will i. e. If Grace be rendred Effectual by some Motion or Act of the Will which Grace is not the Author of Then will Nature assume the Priority Works will glory over Grace and Free-will will be said to be better then Free Grace For that the less is blessed of the Better Heb. 7. 7. is without contradiction And that that which sanctifies is Greater than that which is Sanctified by it is so obvious That Christ appeals it to the Reason of Fools and Blinde Math. 23. 19. If therefore you will grant That Grace is Better than Nature Follow it must That the Will is Blessed and Sanctified by Grace viz. by its powerful and effectual operation upon it And here indeed lyes the honour and efficacy of Grace Not in a Vincible Moving Exciting Perswading or Threatening the Will to a complyance but in making the Will actually and willingly complyant with It self And thus the Lord Doth and thus He will Do where ever He will be Gracious tho never so muchagainst the present minde and natural propension of the subject And yet there no such thing as Forceing the Will As you may see afterwards V. V. The Doctrine of Effectual Calling is further confirm'd from the office of Christ as a Redeemer which was not only to purchase Eph. 1. 7. Eph. 2. 13 16. Heb. 2. 17. Rom. 5 9 10. Coll. 1. 20. 21 22. Dan. 9 24. but to put us in actual possession of the good things He purchased for us Redemption and Reconciliation are Relates Comensurate and Inseparable It is not onely a Reconcilable state that Redemption puts us into but a state of actual Reconcilement It slayes the enmity makes an end of Sin and brings-in everlasting Righteousness On this accompt our Saviour bears that glorious title Thou shalt call His name Iesus Math. 1. 31. for he shall save His people from their sins and For this Cause was the Son of God manifested that He might destroy the works of the Devil Now 1 Joh. 3 8. of these works Blindness of mind is the first-born and foster-mother to all the Rest 2 Cor. 4 4. 't is this keeps the soul in unbelief as under locks and bars and therefore must of necessity be dispell'd which can onely be done by causing the true light to shine Effectually as He did the light of this world in the first Creation which the Apostle in 2 Cor. 4. 6 Resembles it to Isa 42. 7. Luke 1. 79. Isa 49. 9. Hence those frequent mentions of His being sent To open the blind eyes To give light to them that sit in darkness And to bring forth the Prisoners from the Prison-house which may not be valued as things in design yet lyable to obstruction but to be as certainly perform'd as that Christ should dye In the 107 Psal it is spoken of as done already He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death Ps 107. 14. and brake their bands in sunder And that he speaks it of Redeemed-Ones appears by v. 2. First take them as in Darkness and he is so to give them light as to guide their feet into the way of peace Mark 8. 13-25 That story of the blind Man in the 8 Mark is a pertinent shadow of it Christ spits on his eyes and puts His hands upon him as yet he saw but darkly Men as Trees
spilt on the ground But though this Promise of Christ be virtually a Promise of all Grace yet because of our slowness of heart to believe and to win us off from our legallizing Notions the Lord condescends to gratify His People in Words as well as Substance And therefore V. To make it expresly evident that all Spiritual blessings are perfectly free He hath put them all into Absolute Promises Not that all Promises run in that tenor Many of them have Conditions annex'd which also in their place are of very significant usefullness Gen. 22. 12-18 Joh. 3. 16. chap. 14. 6. Math. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Mark 16. 16. Joh. 10. 9. 1. As proofs of our willing Subjection to God 2. Directives by what Mediums we must get-to the Blessedness design'd us 3. How we must be qualified for the enjoyment of it 4. As Marks and Evidences of our being in the way to it and of those to whom it doth belong But this Annexion of Conditions does not imply a power in Men to perform them tho' perform'd they must be before we enjoy the promised Good Nor does the effect of those Promises depend upon any Act to be done by us which some other Promise doth not provide us with But That Great Fundamental Promise on which is founded our hopes of Eternal life Tit. 1. 2. was Absolute 't was given afore the world Though dearly conditional to Him with whom the Compact was made yet perfectly free and Absolute to us And therefore the adding of Conditions to After-Promises may not be taken as invalidating that First Promise Or as a Defeazance to it It 's a Scripture Maxim That the Covenant which was before confirmed of God in Christ Gal. 3. 17. the Law which was Four hundred and thirty years after cannot disannul that it should make the Promise of none effect The like may be said of Promises made in Time viz That the Conditionalness of Some does not make-void the Absoluteness of Others As the Law was to Christ such are Conditional Promises to the Absolute They shew what we should be and do and by consequence that we can neither be nor do as we should and thence Inferr The Necessity of Divine Grace to undertake for us And then indeed is the Freeness of Grace adorable which promiseth help in terms of an Absolute tenor And accordingly we find That whatever is in one Scripture made the Condition of Acceptance with God and Eternal life In other Scriptures those very Conditions are promised without Condition Some of which we have a Prospect of in the following ballance Conditional Promises Wash ye make you clean Cease to doe evil learn to doe well Come now and tho' your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow Isa 1. 16 18. Repent and turn so iniquity shall not be your ruin Ezek. 16. 30. Make you a new heart and a new spirit v. 31. Hear and your Soul shall live Isa 50. 3. If thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find Him if thou seek Him with thy whole heart Deut. 4. 29. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart Deut. 10. 6. Return O backsliding Children Jer. 3. 14. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land Isa 1. 19. I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel Ezek. 36. 37. He that endureth unto the end the same shall be saved Math. 24. 13. Promises of the Condition Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean From all your filthiness will I cleanse you Ezek. 36. 25. I will forgive your iniquity and your sin I will remember no more Jer. 31. 33. I will put a new spirit within you Ezek. 11. 19. A new heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you chap. 36. 26. Thou shalt return and obey the voyce of the Lord Deut. 30. 8. They shall return unto Me with their whole heart Jer. 24. 7. I am found of them that sought me not Isa 65. 1. The Lord thy God will Circumcise thine heart Deut. 30. 6. I will heal their Backslidings Hosea 14. 4. Thy People shall be willing Psal 110. 3. I will cause you to walk in my Statutes Ezek. 36. 27. Phil. 2. 13. I will pour upon the House of David the Spirit of Grace and Supplications Zach. 12. 10. They shall not depart from me Jer. 32. 40. Who shall confirm you unto the End 1 Cor. 1. 8. Jer. 3. 19. These are some of those Many exceeding-Great and Precious promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. by which we are made partakers of the Divine Nature And if duly consider'd would much conduce to establish the present Truth which asserts the Absolute free-giving of All things pertaining to life and Godliness ver 3. And this nothing more plainly contradicts than to make the Dispensments of Grace to depend on the Wills and improvements of Natural Men To shut-out which is a principal scope of Absolute Promises 1 Cor. 1. 29. Ch. 12. 6. Phil. 2. 13. That no flesh should glory in His presence Since it is God that worketh all in all and That of His own good pleasure Now If any should ask by the way Wherein the special love of God to Elect persons discovers it self before their Conversion I cannot assigne any plain or Open discoveries of it by which the Elect may be known from other Men All outward things fall alike to all The heir whiles a Child differs nothing from a Servant altho' he be Lord of all by Election Gal. 4. 1. Yet there are divers gracious operations of that love towards them even in common providences Albeit they are not perceiv'd till afterwards As 1. In keeping-alive the Root or Stem they were to grow from which might be a principal cause of His adding 15. years to Hezekiah's life viz. for Josiah's sake who was to come of his lineage Manasseh his grandfather not being yet born So those dayes of tribulation were shortened and many of the Jewes kept alive by the Providence of God for the Elect's sake that should be of their progeny perhaps two thousand years after 2. In preserving the Elect themselves from many a death which they were obnoxious to before their Conversion As He also did Manasseh And this was the Cause when Satan had them in his Nett and had drag'd them to the pits brink That the Lord sent from Heaven and saved them Psal 57. 3. Job 33. 24. Deliver him I have found a Ransom He is Mine and I have designed him to another end 3. In keeping them from the unpardonable Sin Thus Paul being a Chosen Vessel was kept without that knowledg of Christ which some of the Pharisees had For otherwise his persecuting the Church of God had bin uncapable of pardon as appears by 1 Tim. 1. 13. I obtained Mercy because I did it ignorantly 4. In casting the lot of their habitation where He hath planted
And therefore as sayes the Apostle We are alwaies confident That when absent from the Body we shall be present with the Lord ver 6 8. This is also further confirm'd by that compendious Promise Jer. 31. 33. I will be their God and they shall be my People Every word here hath a peculiar emphasis 1. That He will be a God to them 2. Their God and 3. for ever This I will imports both a fix'd Resolution Time without limit It is as if He had said Though other lords have had the Rule over you and you have still a Proneness to Revolt to them It shall not be I will not be Outed any more I 'l heal your backslidings and be your God still I 'l carry it towards you and for you as becomes a God to doe and I will make you such a People as becometh God to own I will not be ashamed to be called your God Heb. 11. 16. It would indeed be both a disparagement and dissatisfaction to God if His People should fail of that He made them for which certainly cannot be because God is theirs and if God be theirs all things are theirs both this World and that to come 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Lastly Arg. VII For the final Perseverance of Believers a Principal Argument is fetch'd from the Sovereign Decree of Election I call it Sovereign partly Because it is the highest Manifestation of God's absolute Dominion over His Creatures in Choosing whom He would and passing-by the Rest Partly also because all sorts of things what soever are subjected to it and made subservient to its final accompliâ—hment And this I take for a principal Reason why Election is so frequently placed in Eternity or before the Foundation of the World viz To shew That the very Fabrick of the World and all Occurrences therein were so contrived and framed in God's Decree as having Election for their primary scope and End That this first Cause is the Supream Moderator of all intermediate Causes and is it self subject to None It was not any loveliness in Elect persons which moved God to love them at first so neither shall their unlovely backslidings deprive them of it though it may be eclips'd by their own default to the breaking of their bones The Lord Chose them for that blessed Image of His Own which He would afterwards imprint upon them and this He still prosecutes through all dispensations That Elect Nation the Jews They apostatized from God and did worse than any Other yet the Lord would not utterly cast them off In Samuel's time their wickedness was very great yet saith he to stay them from total apostacy The Lord will not forsake you But what is the ground of that his great confidence and grand Warranty The very same that now we are upon The Lord will not forsake you because It hath pleased the Lord to make you His People Not because they remembred their duty and returned to God but because He remembred for them His Covenant In pursuance whereof He long maintained their title Notwithstanding their often-repeated forfeitures and when in Captivity brought them home again And indeed Ezek. 16. 62 63. Nothing so melts the hearts of Those in Covenant with God as the the Lord should be pacified towards them after all their abominations The manner of God's dealings with this people is especially Instructive to help the faith of the spiritual Election upon all occasions as holding-forth the special Regard the Lord hath for them because of His Covenant That tho' He may and will punish their iniquities yet His loving kindnefs He will not take from them Ezek. 36. 11. And He puts it still upon His having once Chosen them as you have it in Jeremy ch 41. 9 I have chosen thee and not cast thee away This later Clause And not cast thee away seems added to shew That His Choosing them was an Act unrepealable q. d. I knew aforehand What thou wouldst Doe and how thou wouldst prove and if I had meant Ever to Cast thee off yea if I had not Resolved against it I would not have Chosen thee at all But since I have Be sure I 'l stand by thee I will strengthen thee I will help thee I will uphold thee with the Right hand of my righteousness It is true The body of that Nation for their unbelief are now broken off There is a suspenfion of the outward part of the Covenant Not that God inteds an Utter Rejection of them Rom. 11. 7. For such as have part in the special Election are alwaies saved And the time will come when All Israel shall be saved Rom. 11. 24. For as touching the Election They are beloved still tho' yet unborn For their sakes it was That the dayes of tribulation were shortened Matth. 24. 22. Which answers to Isa 65. 8. Destroy it not there is a blessing in it The Lord will not so much respect What they have deserved as what His own Covenant is concerning Abraham's Seed Which Minding of His Covenant is from the Vnchange ableness of His Purpose And therefore he saith Rom. 11. 24. They shall be grafted in agen Yea though they be driven into all lands Scattered into Corners Mingled with the Heathen and become so like them as Not to be known asunder yet being His Chosen Ones and within His Covenant He will bring them out of their holes Isa 27. 12. and Gather them One by One i. e. He will do it accurately exactly punctually So as none shall be Wanting Though Sifted among all Nations Amos 9. 9. Not One Grain shall fall to the Earth The Reservation mentioned in Rom. 11. is God's Omnipotent Safe-garding His Elect when the Generality of the Nation fell to Idolatry They would have gon All as well as Some 2 Thes 2. 11 12 13. had not Election held them back as appears by comparing the 4 and 5 verses It is therefore said to be According to the Election of Grace Which intimates That Election was the Patern or Original and Reservation the Copy of it And That this was not a single Case or Restrained to the time that then was is evident from Math. 24 Where our Saviour foretells That the Subtilty of Deceivers and temptations of the time should be such and the Torrent rise to that height and strength That it will be a thing next to Impossible Not to be Carried away by it But for the Elect They are safeguarded from it How By the coming-in of the First and Sovereign Cause By the virtue of which the force and influence of all those second Causes shall either be prevented or Romoved Mitigated Inverted Ezek. 9. 6. shortened or Over-ruled and the faith of his Sealed Ones so Confirmed Rev. 7. 3. that they shall not be hurt by them Yea and which is more Those very things which are destructive to Others shall work life in Them Deut. 23. 5. This turn'd
will be of exceeding great Usefulness to us in every Condition especially under those darker Administrations which we do not see the Cause and Reason of When Matters of great Import seem to be Confused or Neglected When all things in view fall out alike to All and you cannot know either Good or Evil by all that is afore you I shall therefore Collect some of those Considerations from which you may find light and influence in the dark and cloudy day and by which as a Means I my self was drawn in and guided to this Determination before I had searched the Scriptures expresly concerning this Subject And they may serve both as Arguments to Demonstrate the Proposition and as Antidotes against those poysonous Contradictions which carnal Reason and unbelief will be too often forging and flinging in upon us And The First is founded on that Infinite Blessedness which the Most High God was possessed of in Himself Arg. I. before the World or any Creature was made He did not make them for any Need He had of them Rev. 4. 11. but for His Pleasure And if He needed them not there could be no Need or Reason Why He should make them such Or to such an End as not to be Meetly Over-ruled and their End attained without doing wrong to any The Motives by which Men are induced and swayed to do Wrong are chiefly Two 1. To attain something they have not Ahab slew Naboth for his vinyeard 1 Kings 21. And Athaliah all the seed Royal to get the Throne 2 Kings 11. Or 2. To Secure What they have Pharaoh oppressed the People lest growing Mighty they should shake off his yoke and get them out of his Service Exodus 1. 10. Jeroboam set up his Calves to keep the people at home and firm to himself 1 K. 12. 27 28. And the Jews they put Christ to death lest the Romanes should come and take away their Place and Nation John 11. 48. These two have shar'd the parentage of all the Oppression and Wrong-doing that have been in the World Neither of which is Compatible with our Great and Blessed God For all things are His already He posseffeth the Heavens and the Earth and all the hosts of them with an Absolute Power and Right to dispose them And what can be added to That which is Infinite And as for Securing what He hath Of whom should he be afraid For 1. There is no God Besides him Isa 44. 6. The Lord Himself who needs must know it if there were Another professeth Solemnly That He knows not any verse 8. And 2 As for Creatures They are all more absolutely under His subjection than the smallest dust under our feet is to us Ch 40. 17. The Nations are to Him less than nothing and vanity He need not so much as Touch them to bring them down 't is but Gathering to himself Job 34. 14 15. His spirit and His breath and they perish together Let the Lord but With-hold His sustaining Influence and they fall of themselves But He remains the same to all generations Secondly Arg. II. Consider the Infinite perfection of His Nature Holy Holy Holy Isa 6. 3. i. e. Perfectly Holy He is Glorious in Holiness Exod. 15. 11. Now In Holiness is not the least tincture of its Contrary 1 John 3. 5. God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all He is Good and doth Good Ps 119. Is Righteous Joh. 3. 7. and doth Righteousness All His works praise Him The Righteous Lord will do no iniquity It is an high demonstration of His Excellency 2 Tim. 2. 13. That He cannot deny Himself that is He cannot do any thing that is in the least degree contrary to His Holy Nature Nothing that needs to be Retracted or to alter His mind about it His Will is the Rule of Righteousness and Righteousness the Rule of His Will The Saints of old were perfectly of this minde Shall not the Judg of all the Earth do Right Gen 18. 25. Rom. 3. 6. And the Apostle Puts it as a Question not to be answered That if God were Unrighteous How then shall He Judge the World Thirdly Arg. III. Consider Further The constant Rule and Measure of God's Dispensments which is not done Fortuitously nor Rashly Isa 28. 17. but with Deliberation and Exactness He Layes Judgment to the Rule and Righteousness to the Plummet He will not punish without a Cause nor more than is deserved Touching the sins of Sodom Gen. 18 21. I will go down sayes God and see whether they have done altogether according to the Cry of it Renders to every one according to their Deeds Rom. 2. 6. and Gives them a just recompense of Reward Heb. 2. 2. He will not Cast away the perfect Man Job 8. 20. Nor help the wicked Eliphaz puts the question with great confidence as well he might Who ever perished being Innocent Job 47. His Righteousness is such that it even holds his hands until the Innocent be out of danger The Angels were straitly commanded Not to begin the execution of God's wrath on the wicked world until His Servants were Marked out Rev 73. And when the Lord came to destroy Sâ—dom He hastens Righteous Lot to Zoar with this onely Argument Gen 19. 22. I cannot do any thing until thou be come thi her Fourthly Arg. IV. It is further evidenced by the Lawes He hath given unto Men The sum of which is To do Righteously And the End of them the good and welfare of the Creature After a thousand years experience of These compared with the issue of Mens Inventions Nehe. 9. 13. They are acknowledged to be Right Judgments Good statues and lawes of Truth What an admirable Catalogue have we in Rom. 12. 1 Of such as concern our duty towards Himself immediately this is the Sum Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and Him onely shall thou serve There is Nothing more equal and just than to Worship and serve Him Whose we are To love and live to Him from whom we have our life and breath 2 Such as refer more immediately to Our selves As Temperance Chastity Moderation Sobriety c. These as is evident to all do greatly conduce to our outward welfare both in point of health estate Posterity c. And what evil Consequents do attend the Contraries of those Virtues might be every day's observation More especially such as relate to our spiritual state and Welfare of which more particularly under the Next Argument 3 Such Commands also as respect our duty towards Men As to do justly To shew Mercy To follow peace with all Men Every One to Mind his own business And not intermeddle with Others so To be subject to the Powers that be and To pray for those in authority The Neglect of which duty may be a Cause of our disquietment from them at least it may prove an ecclipse of our Joyfulness in
Chief and Eminent Elect One The First-born and Prince of the Family and all the Elect besides were given to Him as younger Brethren to be maintain'd upon His Inheritance It is plain to him that reads That the whole of Salvation was laid upon Christ That He bears up the Pillars of it and that all shoulders else had been too weak He is both the means and Center by whom and in whom God will have all things gathered together in One He was made God with us That we might be made One in God as appears by the scope of His Prayer in the 17th of John In Him the Father is well pleased and out of Him there is nothing pleasing to God or good for Men We are therefore said to be Chosen in Him a Eph 1 4. To be Called in Him b Phil. 3 14. To be Created in Him c Eph. 2. 10. To be Preserved in Him d â—ude vâ—r 2. and in Him to be blessed with all spiritual Blessings Blessings in themselves d e. Eph. I. 4. would not be so to us if not in Christ And being in Him all things are turned into blessings to us For now Nothing can come at us but as coming through Him and what ever so comes is Tiâ—ctured by His Divine Excellency and made Propitious to us And hereby it is That the Thing we were Chosen unto is effectually and unfailably Provided for There may divers good Reasons and Ends be assign â—â—d for God's Choosing the Elect in Christ As I. That by bringing in Man's Restauration this way Arg. 1. He might as it were Baffle His great Adversary and Out-shoot him in his own Bow And it well became the Wisdom and Grace of God Thus to do The devil thought by Poisoning the Root to Vitiate and Ruin the whole Stock and Progeny and he fail'd not of His Design The Lord would therefore by putting His Elect into a Head uncapable of Degeneracy Retrieve that Ruin and not only recover them but bring them into a Better Estate than that they had lost He would set up a Man that should be too hard for the Devil and be able both to Destroy Him and Dissolve his Works And He hath accordingly done it In which Method of Man's Recovery is a great Answerableness to the Method of his Ruin And it is a Thing the Lord would have us to mind Rom. 3. 12 21. as appears by the Parallel beforementioned II. That by shewing us His Righteousness in the way and manner of our Recovery Arg. 2. we might the more readily subscribe to His Righteousness in the imputation of Adam's sin For without the sight and knowledge of One we cannot with any heartiness submit to the other Hence Some in their too-bold Arguings against Election have alledged That What Adam did was without their Consent III. If the Elect had not been in Christ Arg. 3. the satisfaction He undertook for Sinners could not have availed them As Adam's sin could not have been ours if not in him So neither the Righteousness of Christ if not in Him Our sins could not have met upon Him nor we have been Iustified and Reconciled by the blood of His Cross If He had not sustain'd our persons and stood in our stead Another's Act cannot be mine either as to Profit or loss if there be not some kind of Oneness between us IV. If not in Christ Arg. 4. we could not have been Sanctified The Lump was sanctified the first fruits Rom. 11. 16. The Wilde-Olive-Nature could not be supprest and changed but by grafting into the True As a Man cannot be Naturally born Without relation to Adam as his Natural head so 't is impossible to be born again or Regenerated without the like relation of Union to Christ as his Spiritual Head There is no being a New Creature without being in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 17. They that are joyned unto the Lord and they only are one Spirit with Him The branch must be in the Vine before its sap can be derived into it He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified must be One There must be a Contact a touching of Him before this virtue can come from Him V. They were Chosen into Christ Arg. 5. That the Salvation they were Chosen unto might be invincibly secured of which this putting them into Christ is a pledge irrevocable Their Vnion with Him is their stability It is That makes them hold out as He Himself did till all is finished Isa 42. 4. He did not fail nor was discouraged so neither shall they and this because he is their Head This makes them victorious over all the power of the enemy Election indeed makes their Salvation sure but it is by this way of Putting them into Christ In whom the heirs of the World to come are preserv'd whiles the World of ungodly are deluged in Perdition Gen. 6. 18. Adam therefore whiles a Common Person and as such could not be said to be in Christ If he had he could not have fallen For Joh. 5. 26. the Father hath given the Son to have life in Himself i. e. to have it as a Root That all in Him might still be supplied from an increated Grace and Power which holds them fast to Himself and so from Withering and falling off It is not Grace received by us that keeps us But that Grace which received us to the Glory of God the Father Rom. 15. 7. which still Communicates a fresh supply Through Jesus Christ Having gone these few steps towards the Compass and extent of Election It concerns us also to know where this broad River hath its Head What Rock it is That this Immense Fabrick is built upon That we may not give the honour of it to another nor indanger our selves by settling on a wrong foundation To shew which is the Scope and Subject of the Sixth particular under this General Head viz. VI. That Election is founded upon Grace Or The good pleasure of God's will is the only Original Cause and Motive of Election As in Men's Genealogies there is no stop until you come up to God the Father of all Luke 3. 23. 38. So is it in the order of Causes relating to Men's Salvation The efficiency of all things that are mediate and subordinate depending on God as First and Sovereign His Willing the futurition of them is the cause of their being and We shall never judge Rightly unless we come up to the Will and Good Pleasure of God as the Sovereign Rule and Law of His Works And this I term The onely Original Cause of Election to shut out Faith foreseen with all the works and worthyness of Men from being any way Causal Influential or Motive thereto and so from sharing in the Glory of God's Grace which He is very jealous of and will not impart to any The Ground or Moving Cause of God's Election is quite different from the manner
of Men who commonly pitch upon things for some Natural Aptness or Meetness of them for their Work They will not take a knotty cross-grain'd or wind-shaken piece of Timber to make a Pillar of State But the Lord pitches upon such and such to choose the poor base weak foolish things of the world the worst of Men and chief of Sinners The instances of Paul Manasseh Mary Magdalen and others make it evident and of these He is pleased to make Pillars for the House of God Pilluis of State indeed whereon to write His own Name to manifest thereby His Sovereignty Holiness Wisdome Power Righteousness and Free Grace to Eternity The Lord's way and method in bringing His Sons to Glory is the best Demonstration of the Right order of Causes For though there be a Concurrence of many things as Causes and Effects one of another yet if observ'd in their Order they will still lead us up to the Goad Pleasure of God as First and Supream and perfectly Independent The Current of the New Testament Runs wholly this way and hangs the whole of Salvation both Means and End expresly on the Divine Will Luke 1â— 32 It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Chap 10. 21 Thou hast hid these things from the Wise and revealed them to babes For so it seemed good in thy sight Rom. 11. 5 A Remnant according to the Election of Grace Ephes 1. 5 Predestinate to the Adoption of Children according to the good pleasure of His Will Redemption also and the forgiveness of Sins according to the riches of His Grace the same Grace that Elected Ver. 7 The making known the mystery of His Will this also is according to that His Good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself Ver. 9. Yea all the operations of God whether for us upon us or by us they All have their Rise from the same Spring and are Carried by the same Rule He worketh all things after the Councel of His Own Will Ver. 11. And for the Old Testament you have it sufficiently exemplified there in the Instances before given and especially touching the ground of God's love to the People of Israel who in that respect Deut. 7. 8. Ch 9. 4. Ch. 10. 15. were the Arch-type of the Spiritual Election viâ— That His own good pleasure was the only cause of His Choosing them above other Nations He loved them because He loved them And good Reasons there are why Election should be founded upon Grace and why it could not with respect either to God's Glory or the Elect's Security be founded otherwise And the I. Is from the Sovereignty of God Whose Will being the Supream Law admits not a Co-ordinacy Much-less will it stand with Sovereign Power to be Regulated by the will of another That would be a Contradiction to Sovereignty For that which Regulates is superiour to that which is regulated by it Sovereign Princes to shew their Prerogative affirm their acts of Grace to be of their own meer Motion And their Grants are reputed the more Authentique for being so exprest The like we find in Scripture frequently ascribed to God That He will have Mercy on whom He will have mercy Rom 9. 18. That He worketh all things not by Motives from without Eph 1. 11. but after the Councel of His own Will Rom 9. 16. That it is not of Men's Willing or Running but of God who sheweth Mercy When the World had been drown'd for their obdurate impenitency the Few that remain'd were as bad as before and those that should come after the Lord foresaw would be the same One would think now The natural Result of this Experiment should be I will utterly cut them off and be troubled with them no more But the Lord's thoughts are not our thoughts He argues and concludes in another Mode I will not again any more Curse the ground for man's sake And He is pleased to give the same Reason here why He Will not as before why He would asis seen by comparing Gen. 6 5 and 7. with Chap. 8. 21. See also the Instance of God's dealing with Ephraim He was wroth with Him and smote Him and Ephraim so far from Relenting That he went on frowardly i. e. Stubbornly as Resolved in his Course I hid me sayes the Lord and was wroth Esa 57. 15. This one would think if Ephraim had in him but a spark of Ingenâ—ity should have Moved him to alter his Course But what cares Ephraim He still keeps the same way and it was the way of his heart not an inconsiderate Pet or sudden Temptation but Natural and fixed All which the Lord sees and considers and having laid all together Resolves to heal him Isa 57. 18. and Restore Comforts to him On the other hand Those good Soules who feared the Lord and Obeyed the voice of his servant Isa 50. â—1 They yet walked in darkness and had no light ye may be sure They would gladly have understood their Condition namely That they were such as feared the Lord Their Will could not be Wanting to a Thing so greatly importing their Comfort Nor they were not Idle in seeking for it They Walked though in the Dark but could not Walk themselves out of it They are still as they were They had no light By these contrary Examples ye may see That the Sovereignty of God still keeps the Throne and His dispensments of Mercy whether in purpose or in Act are not Governed by the Wills of Men They are things too low to be Councellors to God And if it be thus in things of temporary Concernment much more in that great business of Eternal Election which is the Sublimest Act of Sovereign Power And yet This hinders not but That every Man at last shall be judged according to his works II. Arg. 2. Election must be founded onely upon Grace because Grace and Works are Inconsistent in the Cause of salvation The scripture is every Cautelous of admitting any thing as a Concomitant with Grace in this Matter yea although it be a Thing that doth alway accompany Grace and That without which a Man cannot be Saved The Apostle puts them in opposition and is very intent on the Argument as a thing of great Moment in Rom. 11. Where first he shews That amidst that general Defection of the Iewish Nation there still was a Remnant whom God had Reserv'd These he terms The Foreknown ver 2. and in the 7. ver he calls them plainly The Election And then lest any should ascribe it to a false cause as in that paralel Case he resembles it to viz That they had not bowed the knee to Baal but stuck to the True Religion when others fell off he tells us No Their Election was founded upon Grace And as for Works they had no place in the Causality of it By Grace he means the Free Favour of God who is not moved by any thing without Himself But what He