Lord c. But little or nothing is written of their Repentance before they died yet will no man be so rash as to doubt of their Salvation Why should you then or your Complices be so peremptory as to cast a scruple about the Salvation of Solomon Cannot you be contented with that which is written of him Favoris Gratiâ but you must have a damnable sling at him as if he were hovering between Heaven and Hell But how else could you maintain your absurd Paradox of your hundred Thousands and Millions of Men that shall perish in their sins in comparison of one that shall be saved We read Joh. 13.1 whom the Lord loveth he loveth to the end and do we not read also again and again that the Lord loved Solomon 2 Sam. 12.24 Neh. 13.26 yea that this Love was confirmed unto him by the best Assurance that could be given him viz. propter Jehovam the Lord loved him for the Lords sake that is for Christ the Messiah's sake in whom all Gods Elect from the beginning of the World to the end are beloved with an everlasting love Did God chuse him out to be one of his Actuaries of his publick Records to his Church viz. the Book of the Proverbs the Book of Ecclesiastes or the Preacher the Book of the Canticles that pure Caelestial Epithalamum or Marriage Song and of two of the Psalms as the Title of them signifies viz. Ps 72. and Ps 127. And can it be probably thought that he should be dignified in this high Degree if he had been no better than a wretched Castaway in Gods eternal Purpose What were there not Heirs enough of everlasting Salvation to be inspired by the Holy Ghost for the office of a publick Notary of Heaven but one must be taken from among the Bondslaves of Hell to make up the number Was he a Preacher sent of God and was not one of his Books called Ecclesiastes his Recantation Sermon which he writ in his old age when he took a more serious view of his by-past Life wherein among other his Follies he sheweth his Abhorrency of his being misled by Women I find saith he more bitter than Death the Woman whose Heart is Snares and Nets Eccles 7.26 and her Hands as Bands Implying that though Death be bitter yet he had rather die than be entangled again in the Snares of a whorish Woman Which option may well be justified if we consider the Aggravations of this sin as they are rendred by a good Interpreter Bishop R. one of a Thousand and a right Reverend Preacher among us in our Church whose words are these viz. They that is wicked Harlots are more bitter than Death more pernicious and bring more heavy Miseries with them We read of the Bitterness of Death 1 Sam. 15.32 And of a worse Bitterness the end of a strange Woman is bitter c. and her steps take hold of Hell Pro. 5.4.5 Death may be sweetued and sanctified made a welcome and desirable thing to a Believer 1 Cor. 15. But the Bitterness of Hell is incurable Death may be honourable to die in a good Cause as our King Charles the Martyr comforted himself in his Death to die in a good old Age to go to the Grave in Peace lamented desired with the sweet savour of a holy Life and many good Works to follow one But to consume and putrifie alive under a Tabes of Impure Lusts to shipwrack a mans Honour ruine his Estate shorten his years consume his Flesh rot his Bones put a Hell into his Conscience to bury his Name his Substance his Soul his Carkass in the Bosom of a Harlot This is a Bitterness beyond that of Death This now is that which Solomon here means and complaineth of And whether this be a sound of Repentance or no judge you And if your judgment be of any value how dare you doubt of his Salvation Being so true a Penitent as you see neither can you but acknowledge him to be so Reflector Nothing can be concluded of the Salvation or damnation of those that were the Types of things to come Answer Can nothing then be concluded of the Salvation of Samson who was an Eminent Type of Jesus Christ So doth our Learned Whitaker demonstrate him to be viz. 1. In sanctitate nativâ 2. In servatoris Munere 3. In juvicto Robore 4. In morte calamitosa cum Hostibus If all this will not satisfie you the Apostles numbring him among the Saints Heb. 11. should convince you that you may conclude of his Salvation I could instance in sundry others as Gideon Jephthah c. But this may suffice to shew you your Errour herein Reflector For it happ'ned sometimes that one Person as Esau who was the Figure and Type of the Reprobate was also that of the most excellent thing in the World viz. The Righteousness of Jesus Christ under which a Jacob a Sinner obtained the Blessing of God Answer Your Reason here is defective both in Sense and Truth worthy therefore of no regard But that you may not flatter your self in your Folly What a confused shuffling words is here like the Quakers jumbling several things together without sense As for Esau it seems you have so much Charity for him as not to conclude him to be a Reprobate though the Spirit of God in Scripture hath noted him to be a prophane Person and one whom God hated But how it came to pass that he hath escap'd your censure of a Reprobate when you make him a Type of the Reprobate I know not it being a Rule in Logick if ever you learnt it de proportionalibus est idem judicium Et quod de uno secundum proportionem affirmatur id etiam de altero If Esau then be a Type of the Reprobate that is hath the Impression of a Reprobate upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word Type signifies He must needs be a Reprobate But let me demand of you is it for you or I to cast a Figure thus or create a Type of Gods eternal Decree concerning Mankind We should certainly usurp upon Gods Power if what is written in Scripture we may wrest it to our meaning without an express warrant from the Spirit of God And Polanus an Author whom I suppose you approve of saith Typi fuerant Figurae a Deo destinatae ad Res Divinas praefigurandas In Syntag. Let us not then be too bold to thrust our selves into Gods Pavillion by giving our Judgment of things which God hath kept in his own Power For my part I cannot say that Esau was a Type of the Reprobate much less that he himself was a Reprobate This I can say with good probability he was in that Generation admitted into the Church of God by the Sacrament of Circumsion as well as his Brother Jacob who though he took him by the Heel at the Birth signifying his future supplantation of him yet could he not supplant him in
Remission of sins belongs to such and such yet let me ask cannot the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanse the Heart from all Guile and Malice seeing the Evangelist telleth us it cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 And what know you but that this purifying Act may in instanti powerfully operate upon the Hearts of millions of men in the World whom you without any warrant have doom'd to everlasting Destruction Hereafter then I advise you meddle not with the Hearts of men so as to pass your censure upon them lest you be judged at last to be an Intruder upon God who alone is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 1.24 for as it hath been a true word Cathedram in Caelo habet qui corda docet so it is as true Cathedram in corde habet qui ad Caelum ducit Reflector Those words of St. Paul 1 Thess 5.9 God hath not appointed us to Wrath but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ are to be explained by those of the 13 verse of the second Chap. of the second Epistle viz. God hath from the beginning chosen us to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and Belief of the Truth Your Comment hereupon is this God hath chosen us to be sanctified and hath sunctified us to the end that he might save us Answer Seeing you will have such an Explanation of the former words by the latter though some would have put a difference between them not only in respect of the distance which the Apostle hath set in his writing of them the scope of the Writer not being always the same in one place as it is in the other but because of the Persons whom the Apostle distinguisheth viz. us and you yet I shall chuse rather to let you know that by the words which you insist so much upon viz. through Sanctification of the Spirit is meant the Sanctification wrought in them by the Spirit of God which may be also in millions of millions of Persons not discernable by the World This certainly is that Sanctification which all true Believers are to glory in not boasting of any Holiness or Worthiness of their own as Quakers commonly do but rejoycing in the work of Gods abundant Grace upon them For you must know that which the Apostle here meaneth is not so much an active Sanctification manifested in the Life as that which is passive wherein they are but patients under God though they do indeed actually receive it into their Hearts by Faith God begins with his work of Sanctification and the Believer seconds it with his work of believing both which are here joyned together by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In by or through the Sanctification of the Spirit and Belief of the Truth Whereas if it were an active Sanctification that were here meant such as is commonly visible in the Life of a Believer then may that Doctrine be received again among us which hath justly been exploded by us viz. that we are chosen to Salvation for or because of our foreseen Holiness which is that that you ignorantly contend for But you should remember it is Christ who is all in all in the work of mans Salvation and that it is nothing but Faith which is expected from us That no Flesh should glory in the presence of God 1 Cor. 1.29 and mark what the Apostle there addeth v. 30. For of him are we that is born of him in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption meaning all that is required of us in this matter He is our Wisdom to instruct us our Righteousness to Justifie us our Sanctification to sanctifie us our Redemption to save us What are you then poor man without Christ what is your Wisdom but Folly what your Righteousness but a filthy Rag what your Sanctification but sin at the best your Holiness no better than the Popes Holiness what your Redemption but everlasting Bondage under Satan From all which good Lord deliver you Talk no more therefore so proudly of your Sanctification But let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. By this time I hope you begin to see your Error in making so false a gloss upon that comfortable word of the Apostle viz. God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation by Jesus Christ Which word will stand firm and strong against your ignorant and absurd Cavils yea and against the gates of Hell neither is it weakened at all by that other word of the Apostle which you have ravished from the pure simplicity of the Gospel but confirmed rather Whereupon I conclude your Argument is so far from that Nervofity you boast of in overthrowing the True and Sound Doctrine of the Common Salvation that it is as weak as water Only it sheweth how apt you are to catch at any thing in Scripture though you wrest it to your own Perdition which may but seemingly strengthen your destructive Opinion Reflector All the world fallen in Adam deserving the Curse and Eternal Damnation it is a signal Mercy to spare some from that General Condemnation Answer We have heard in the late times of Legal Preaching but what can be more legal I mean more disagreeing with the Covenant of Promise than your words here are and in many other places of your Book It is we confess an Eminent Mercy to save some of those that had by their Disobedience made themselves liable to the Curse But to save a numberless multitude or a million for one that shall sink under the Curse is a Mercy more to be magnified yea and might with more truth have been asserted by you than to talk of a general Condemnation Reflector How Excellent soever the Efficacy of Redemption may be it is only for those whom God hath a mind to save Answer Miserable Man do you know what you say A Report hath gone of you that you are mad because you have been thrust out of your Preferment at Oxford If it be so it is the best excuse that you can have for making these frantick Reflections Would any Christian who is right in his Wits speak thus unreverendly of the great work of our Redemption as you have here spoken Do you not know the Excellency of it in its Efficacy You might surely have known it partly by the Price of it not by corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the Precious Blood of Christ partly by the Fruits and Benefits that arise to us by it as the Holy Scripture sets them out viz. we are redeemed from the Curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 from our vain Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 from all Iniquity Tit. 2.14 c. Partly by the end or final Cause that we may be Consecrated to God and the Lamb Rev. 14.4 that our sins may be forgiven Eph. 1.9 that we may receive the Adoption of Children Gal 4. that we may be reconciled to God c. If you know these things why do you
our Creed the Corner-Stone of our Religion must this be of necessity to Salvation No greater Truth than this which is no Truth at all O that men should not only forget themselves but God also and in their Zeal for their own vain Fancies utter words bordering upon Blasphemy I cannot likewise but protest against that which is written Page 23. where complaining of the neglect of Piety in this Age which is too true and a thing much to be lamented it is said that many masters of Families otherwise Sober Civil True Honest Upright Dealers and good Friends have wholly neglected Family-Duties c. God forbid that I or any man should speak or write a word against the Religious Exercises of good Christians in private that is and shall I hope be ever far from me let them still be continued in their due order provided that the publick service of God as it is now in use among us here in this Church and Nation be not thereby sleighted and brought into Contempt as it hath been in many places especially in populous Cities and Towns Nay it were much better that the Family-Duties were wholly omitted than the publick Worship of God in our Churches and Congregations should be despised The Church certainly hath taken great care for her Children in this matter appointing a method to be commonly used in the Service of God twice a day throughout the year morning and evening commanding the Holy Scripture to be read so daily that the Old Testament shall be read once every year and the New Testament thrice And were it so that the Church-Liturgy were exactly observed in every Church throughout the Nation Ministers and People heartily joyning together as the Common-Prayer-Book doth appoint what a Nation should we be of holy Zealots for Gods Glory Glory would then certainly dwell in our Land and never till then Jesus Christ would be in his Throne amongst us and God would delight in us as his peculiar People Then should we not need to fear the Encroachments of Popery upon us any more if we had once this Unanimity and uniformity setled among us in the daily service of our God O that God would be pleased yet to open the Eyes of the People of this Nation both high and low to see and understand this one needful thing that will above all things else bring Peace unto us and establish it Let Family-Duties I say again be performed in their due time place and order but let them yield the precedency to the publick which of late years they have not done the greater is our sin Yea though the private Piety and Zeal I mean that which is according to knowledge hath been the Fruit and Offspring of the publick Service of our God yet through the Malice of the Devil it hath come to pass that the old word is verified in our Land Filia devoravit Matrem the Mother which under God give a Being to the Daughter is devoured most viperously by her own Issue and the Daughter is perked up in her stead And though a spurious Brood of Errors doth commonly spring from her yet will she pretend that all saving Truth is confined to her private Conventicles Let this then be done and there will be no need to complain any more of the omission of Family-Duties Nor let any be scandalized at that which is here written in the behalf of our Book of Common-Prayer but for Lewis du Moulin's sake let men have better Thoughts of it who while he was in his Health and Jollity did possibly joyn with others in a prejudice against it but when he saw Death the Sergeant of Heaven ready to lead him before Gods Tribunal he then was of another mind to which purpose somewhat shall be here related of that which is published of him by a good hand when he lay dying Doctor Du Moulin having sent to the Reverend Dr. Patrick Dean of Peterborough to desire a Visit from him being of his Parish the Dean immediately upon the Evening of the same day went unto him and was Entertained with many Expressions of great Affection to him and high Esteem of him when after some comfortable words spoken to the sick man he endeavoured with meekness to convince him of his great Offence against the Church of England which he had wronged Intolerably to the great Gratification of its Enemies at such a time when all sober Men should be its Friends and without any real Cause for such imputations as he had charged upon it Whereupon Dr. Du Moulin replyed somewhat needless here to be repeated but yielded thus far as to say well Doctor pray to God to pardon me all my Sins especially my want of Charity Accordingly the Dean kneeled down by his Bed side and began with the Lords Prayer so proceeding to the other Prayers which are appointed by the Order in the Common Prayer-Book for the Visitation of the sick in all which the sick man joyned with lifting up his hands often and other Expressions of Devotion Especially at that passage in the Prayer when there appears small hope of Recovery give him unfeigned Repentance for all the Errors of his Life past c. He gave more than ordinary signs of his fervent Desire and when the Dean had done he gave him most hearty thanks and renewed his Expressions of extraordinary Affection to him and esteem or him A little after the Dean coming to see him again he was so affected with his Kindness in giving him a new Visit that he said Are you come again Sir O how charitable are you This is indeed to return me good for evil And after some discourse with him desired him to Pray with him again for your Prayers said he were very comfortable to me the last time And accordingly he did in the same form of words he had used before With which he was so much affected that when the Dean had solemnly commended him to Gods Blessing in that excellent Form Vnto Gods gracious Mercy and Protection we commit thee the Lord bless thee and keep thee c. he laid hold upon his hand which he held up over him and kissed it with an unusual Passion Such an Example as this one would think should incline People who are apt to speak evil of that excellent Form of Prayer prescribed by the Church in that Book and of the whole Method of Divine Service in it to be much humbled before God for their depraving it and to make better use of it than hitherto they have done by making it their daily Rule for the ordering of their publick and Family-Duties and Devotions with Reverence and godly fear The last thing that I shall here take notice of is that which is added toward the close of these Reflections viz. a plain contradiction of them and which overthroweth all that is before written of the general Damnation in these words They that find there is nothing but Wickedness in them and Death by sin and that