fill you full of joy and peace in beleeveing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Antil The Sunne drawes low Asunetus it is time for you and mee to be going Phil. Indeed the night will approach by and by and therefore we must of necessity break off Theol. Sith it is so wee will here surcease and go no further Asun Sir I will now take my leave of you I can never be thankfull enough for all the good instructions and comforts which I have heard from you this day I hope I shall remember some of them whilest I live I do therefore praise God for you and for your counsell and for this day which I hope shall be the first day of my repentance and true conversion unto God Theol. The Lord for his infinite mercies sake grant it And I most humbly beseech the Almighty God to establish you with his free spirit that you may proceed and go forward in a Christian course unto the end Phil. I pray you good M. Theologus pardon my boldnesse for you see I have been very bold to propound many questions unto you wherein you have fully satisfied me to the great joy and comfort of my soule I do therefore praise God for you and I hope I shall never forget some things you have uttered But I will now commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build us further Theol. Farewell good Philagathus The Lord blesse you and keepe you in all your wayes and the God of heaven preserve us all and continue us in his feare unto the end All glory be given to God A Table containing all the principall matters handled in this Booke and directing to the Page where they are set down MAns naturall corruption pag. 5 Mans misery in nature pag. 6 Mans nature corrupted but not destroyed by Adams fall ibid. Some sparks of Gods image still remain after the fall pag. 7 Man in the state of nature cannot do any thing that pleaseth God pag. 8 Man naturally neither sees nor feeles his misery ibid. Man in nature is under the tyrannie of Satan and curse of the Law pag. 10 Man growne to yeeres living and dying in the state of nature perisheth for ever pag. 12 Man continueth cursed till he be borne againe ibid. None can be saved but onely the Regenerate ibid. Regeneration what pag. 13 The quality of Regeneration pag. 14 Remnants of sin after Regeneration ibid. Regeneration unperfect in this life pag. 15 Meanes of Regeneration pag. 24 Eight infallible signes of salvation pag. 30 Eight signes of damnation pag. 31 Nine manifest tokens of damnation ib. Pride described pag. 33 Pride of gifts condemned pag. 35 Pride in apparell condemned pag. 42 Rules of the Word for apparel pag. 52 53 54 Whoredome and the dangers thereof pag. 58 Excuses of whoredome pag. 59 The fearfull effects of whoredome pag. 60 The punishment of whoredome pag. 61 62 The causes of whoredome pag. 65 66 Remedies against whoredome pag. 69 Covetousnesse what pag. 70 Covetousnesse wherein it doth consist ibid. Foure notes to discerne the inward covetousnesse of the heart by pag. 72 The evill effects of covetousnesse pag. 74 The vanity of this world and all worldly things pag. 77 Excuses of covetousnesse pag. 94 Remedies against covetousness pag. 101 102 Gods providence for his children in the things of this life pag. 103 For the things of this life Gods blessing is all in all pag. 119 Outward meanes alone doe not uphold us pag. 120 Gods children sometimes are brought to great distresse pag. 123 Gods children alwaies sure to be delivered out of trouble pag. 128 The great priviledges of Gods children pag. 129 Contempt of the Gospel a grievous sin pag. 135 136 Contempt of the Gospel punished pag. 137 Contempt of the Gospel the sin of this Age. pag. 138 Contempt of the Gospel a sure signe of wrath to the Land pag. 147 Swearing and the punishment thereof pag. 154 Excuses for swearing pag. 163 Causes of swearing pag. 166 Remedies against swearing pag. 167 Lying flattering and dissembling ibid. Punishments for lying pag. 175 176 Excuses for lying pag. 177 Causes of lying pag. 178 179 Remedies against lying ibid. Drunkennesse and the evil effects thereof pag. 110 181 Excuses of drunkennesse pag. 184 Causes of drunkennesse pag. 185 Remedies of drunkennesse ibid. Idlenesse and the wofull effects thereof pag. 190 Causes of idlenesse pag. 197 Remedies against idlenesse ibid. Oppression a most horrible sin pag. 198 Many woes denounced against oppressours pag. 199 Sundry kinds of oppression pag. 200 201 Causes of oppression pag. 215 Remedies of oppression ibid. Sinne hurts men in their bodies goods and name pag. 216 Sinne brings great danger to the whole Land pag. 224 Nine predictions of wrath to the Land pag. 229 The prayers and teares of the faithfull keep back the wrath of God from the Land pag. 322 323 Prayers of the Elect of great force ibid. The wicked fare the better for Gods children pag. 242 The best course to prevent Gods judgements and to keep backe his wrath from our Land pag. 244 Ten speciall things concerning the continuance of our peace pag. 250 251 Nine signes of a sound soule pag. 252 Saint Peters eight markes of salvation ibid. Seven infallible tokens of salvation pag. 253 Assurance of salvation in this life proved pag. 254 255 Objections against the assurance of salvation answered pag. 259 The ground-worke of our salvation pag. 261 Some doubts may stand with the assurance of faith pag. 262 It is no presumption to be perswaded of our salvation pag. 265 The wicked cannot be assured of their salvation pag. 266 The security of salvation which the wicked brag of is vaine pag. 267 268 Nine things required of all that shall be saved by Christ pag. 271 272 Many say they hope to be saved by Christ but few can give a reason why Christ died for them particularly and by name pag. 273 Few shall be saved proved by Scriptures reasons and examples pag. 277 278 But few even in the visible Church shall be saved pag. 284 Objections against the small number of the Elect answered pag. 285 Objections of Atheists and unbeleevers answered pag. 286 Reading of the Scriptures much commended pag. 294 Deferring of repenting dangerous pag. 299 God no Authour of mans condemnation but himselfe pag. 300 Objections against Predestination answered pag. 301 302 Gods decree no cause of Adams fall pag. 305 The decree of reprobation proved pag. 306 Prescience in God what pag. 307 The decree of election proved pag. 308 The first motive of election is in God himselfe pag. 309 Fore-seen faith and fore-seen workes no motives of salvation ibid. Faith dependeth upon election not election upon faith pag. 311 A reason yeelded why there is no end of cavilling and objecting against the truth pag. 315 Nine bars out of heaven pag. 316 Nine gates into hell ibid. The ignorance of the world pag. 32â—
4. Antil 〈◊〉 18. But how answer you this God willâ— not the death of a sinner therefore he hath predestinated none to destruction Theol. God wils not the death of a sinner simply and absolutely as it is the destruction of his creature but as it is a meanes to declare his justice and to set forth his glory Antil God did fore-see and fore-know that the wicked would perish through their owne sin but yet he did not predestinate them unto it Theol. Gods prescience and fore-knowledge cannot be separated from his decree For whatsoever God hath fore-seene and fore-known in his eternall counsell he hath determined the same shall come to passe For as it appertaines to his wisdome to fore-know and fore-see all things so doth it appertain to his power to moderate and rule all things according to his will Antil What doe you call prescience in God Theol. Prescience in God is that whereby all things abide present before his eyes so that to his eternall knowledge nothing is past nothing to come but all things are alwaies present and are they so present that they are not as conceived imaginations formes and motions but all things are alwaies so present befoâ—e God that he doth behold them 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 and perfection Antil How can God justly determine of mens destruction before they have sinned Theol. This objection hath been answered in part before For I told you that God condemneth none but for sin either originall onely or else both originall and actuall For howsoever he doth in himselfe before all time determine the reprobation of many yet he proceeds to no excecution till there be found in us both just desertâ— and apparent cause Therefore they deale unsoundly and foolishly which confound the decree of reprobation with damnation it selfe sith sinne is the cause of the one and only the will of God of the other Phil. Well Sir sith we are so far proceeded in this question by the occasion of this mans objections and cavile I pray you now as you have spoken much of reprobation and the causes thereof so let us heare somewhat of election and the causes thereof and shew us out of the Scriptures that God hath before all worlds chosen some to eternall life Theol. Touching the decree of election there are almost none that make any doubt thereof therefore small proofe shall serve for this point Onely I will construct it by one or two testimonies out of holy Scripture First the Apostle saith Blessed be God Ephes 1.3 even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ as hee hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love You see the words are very plaine and pregnant for this purpose Another confirmation is taken out of the eight chapter to the Romans in these words Those whom hee knew before did he also predestinate to be like to be like to the image of his owne Sonne that hee might be the first-borne of many brethren Phil. Which be the causes of election Theol. The causes of election are to be found onely in God himselfe For his eternall election dependeth neither upon man neither yet upon any thing that is in man but is purposed in himselfe and established in Christ in whom we are elected This is fully proved in these words Ephes 1.5 6. Who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of his glory wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved Where we see the Apostle telleth us that his free grace and the good pleasure of his will are the first motives or moving causes of our election Phil. But the Papists fetch the first motive of election out of mans merits and fore-seen workes For say they God did fore-see who would repent beleeve and doe well and therefore he made choice of them Theol. But they are greatly deceived For I say againe and againe that there is nothing in us which did ever move God to set his love upon us and to chuse us unto life but he ever found the originall cause in himselfe as it is written Rom. 9. Hee will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth And againe It is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Deut. 7.7 The Lord himselfe also testifieth that hee did chuse his people not for any respect in them but onely because he loved them and bare a speciall favour unto them 〈◊〉 then it is a certaine truth that Gods eternall predestination excludeth all merits of man and all power of his will thereby to attaine unto eternall life and that his free mercy and undeserved favour is both the beginning the midst and the end of our salvation that is to say All is of him and nothing of our selves Phil. Whether then doth faith depend upon election or election upon faith That is whether did God chuse us because we doe beleeve or whether doe we beleeve because we are chosen Theol. Out of all doubt both faith and all fruits of faith do depend upon election For therefore we beleeve because we are elected and not therefore elected because wee beleeve As it is written Act. 13.41 So many as were ordained to everlasting life beleeved Antil If men be predestinate before they be borne to what purpose serve all precepts admonitions lawes c. It sorceth not how wee live For neither our godly or ungodly life can alter the purpose of God Theol. This is a very wicked and carnall objection and sheweth a vile and dissolute mind in them that use it But I would wish such men to consider the end of election which is that we should lead a godly 〈◊〉 As it is plainly set down in the first chapter to the Ephesians ver 3. where the Apostle saith God hath chosen us before the foundation of the world But to what end that wee should live as wee list No no saith hee But that wee should be holy and unblameable before him Againe he saith Rom. 9.16 Wee are predestinate to be made like the image of his Sonne that is to be holy and righteous For most certaine it is that wee can judge nothing of predestination but by the consequents that is by our calling justification and sanctification For when once we feele the work of grace within us that is that wee are washed by the new birth and renued by the holy Ghost finding in our selves an unfeigned hatred of sinne and love of righteousnesse then are we sure and out of all doubt that we are predestinated to life And it is even as much is if God had personally appeared unto us and whispered us in the eare and told us that our names are taken and written in the
your humour You will forsooth be all pure But by God there be a company of pure knaves of you Theol. Now you do manifestly shew of what spirit you are For you both sweare and raile with one breath Antil God forgive mee Why did hee anger mee then There be a company of such controllers as he in the world that no body can be quiet for them Theol. I perceive a little thing will anger you sith you will be angry with him for speaking the truth Antil What hath he to doe with mee He is more busie then needs Why doth hee say I am in a bad case I will not come to him to learne my duty If I have faults he shall not answer for them I shall answer for mine owne faults and every Fat shall stand on his owne bottome Let him meddle with that hee hath to do withall Theol. You are too impatient you take matters at the worst We ought friendly and in love to admonish one another for we must have a care one of anothers salvation I dare say for him that he speakes both out of love and compassion towards you Antil I care not for such love Let him keep it to himselfe What doth he thinke of mee doth hee suppose that I have not a soule to save as well as hee or that I have no care of my salvation I would hee should know that I have as great care of my salvation as hee though I make not such outward shewes For all is not gold that glisters I have as good a meaning as hee though I cannot utter it Theol. These words might well be spared I hope you will be pacified and amend your life and draw neere to God hereafter Antil Truly Sir you may thinke of mee what you please but I assure you I have more care that way then all the world wonders at I thanke God for it I say my prayers every night when I am in my bed And if good prayers will doe us no good God help us I have alwaies served God duly and truly and had him in my mind I doe as I would be done to I keepe my Church and tend my prayers while I am there and I hope I am not so bad as this fellow would make mee I am sure if I be bad I am not the worst in the world there be as bad as I. If I goe to hell I shall have fellowes and make as good shift as others Theol. You think you have spoken wisely but I like not your answer For your words smell strongly both of ignorance pride and unbeliefe For first you justifie your selfe in your faithlesse and ignorant worship of God And secondly you justifie your selfe by comparison with others because others are as had as you and you are not the worst in the world Antil Now I know you speake of ill will for you never had a good opinion of mee Theol. I would I could have as good an opinion of you as I doe desire and that I might see that wrought in you which might draw my love and liking towards you And as for ill will the Lord knoweth I beare you none I desire your conversion and salvation with my whole heart and I would thinke my selfe happy if I might save your soule with the losse of my right arme Antil I hope I may repent For the Scripture saith At what time s eâ—er a sinner doth repent God will have mercy on him Therefore if I may have space and grace and time to repent before death and aske God forgivenesse and say my prayers and cry God mercy I hope I shall do well enough Theol. You speake as though repentance were in your power and at your commandement and that you can put it into your owne heart when you list and that makes you and many others presume of it three houres before death But you must know that repentance is the rare gift of God and it is given but to a few For God will know him well that hee bestoweth repentance upon sith it is proper onely to the Elect. It is no worldly matter It is not attained without many and frequent prayers and much hearing reading and meditating in the word of God It is not so easie a matter to come by as the world judgeth It is not found but of of them that seeke it diligently and beg it earnestly It is no ordinary three houres matter Cry God mercy a little for fashion will not do it Cursory saying of a few prayers a little before death availeth not For though true repentance be never too late yet late repentance is seldome true Hereâ—n delayes are dangerous for the longer wit deferre it the worse is our case The farther a naile is driven in with a hammer the harder it is to get out againe The longer a disease is let run the harder it is to cure The deeper a tree is rooted the harder it is to plucke up againe The longer wee deferre the time of our repentance the harder it will be to repent And therefore it is dangerous driving it off to the last cast For an ancient Father saith Augustine Wee reade but of one that repented at the last that no man should presume and yet of one that none might despaire Well then to conclude this point I would have you to know that the present time is alwaies the time of repentance For time past cannot be recovered and time to come is uncertaine Antil Sir in mine opinion you have â—ttered some very dangerous things and such as were enough to drive a man to despaire Theol. What be they I pray you Antil There be diverse things But one thing doth most of all sticke in my stomack and that is the small number that shall be saved as you say But I can hardly be perswaded that God made so many thousands to cast them away when hee had done Doe you thinke that God hath made us to condemne us Will you make him to be the Author of condemnation Theol. Nothing lesse For God is not the cause of 〈◊〉 condemnation but themselves For every mans destruction cometh of himselfe as it is written Hoâ—â—â—3 â— O Israel thy destruction is of thy selfe As for God he doth in great mercy use all possible meanes to save soules as hee â—ith by the Prophet What could I have done more to my Vineyard that I have not done unto it Esay 5.4 But to come neere to your question I deny that God hath created the most part of men onely and solely unto pardition as the proper end which he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 them but hee hath created all things for the praise of his glory as it is written Hee hath created all things for himselfe Prov. 1â— 4 and the wicked also for the evill day Then it followeth that the cause and end why the wicked were created neither was nor is the onely destruction of his creature but his owne praise and glory that
that onely might appeare and shine forth in all his workes Yet certaine it is that God for just causes albeit unknowne and hid to us hath rejected a great part of men The causes I say of reprobation are hid in the eternall counsell of God and knowne to his godly wisedome onely They are secret and hid from us reserved in his eternall wisedome to be revealed at the glorious appearing of our Lord Iesus Psal 36. Rom. 11. His judgements saith the Scripture are as a great deepe and his wayes past finding out It is as possible for us to comprehend the Ocean in a little dish as to comprehend the reason of Gods counsell in this behalf Antil What reason justice or equitie is there that sentence of death should be passed upon men before they be borne and before they have done good or evill Theol. I told you before that we can never comprehend the reason of Gods proceeding in this behalfe yet wee must know that his will is the rule of righteousnesse and must be unto us in stead of a thousand reasons For whatsoever God willeth in as much as hee willeth it it is to be holden just Wee cannot conceive the reason of many naturall things and things subject to sense as the motion of the celestiall bodies their unconceiveable swiftnesse their matter and substance their magnitude altitude and laâ—itude Wee cannot throughly finde out the causes of the thunder lightnesse winds earth-quakes ebbings and flowings of the sea and many other things under the Sun how then can wee possibly ascend up into the privie Chamber and Councell-house of God to sift and search 〈◊〉 the bottome of Gods secrets which no wit or reach of man can any wâ—â— attaine unto Let us therefore learne in Gods feare to reverence that which we cannot in this life comprehend This one thing I must say unto you that whatsoever God decâ—â—eth yet doth he execute no man till he hath ten thousand times deserved it For betwixt the decree and the execution thereof cometh sinne in us and most just causes of condemnation Antil If God have decreed mens destruction what can they do withall who can resist his will why then is he angry with us For all things must needs come to passe according to his decree and determination Theol. First I answer you with the Apostle Rom. 9.22 O man who art thou that pleadest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour Moreover I answer that Gods decree doth not enforce the will of man which worketh and moveth of it selfe It hath in it selfe the beginning of evill mâ—tâ—on and sinneth willingly Therefore though the decree of God imposeth a necessity upon all secondary causes so as they must needs be framed and disposed according to the same yet no coâ—ction or constraint for they are all carried with their voluntary motion Even as we see the plumbe of a clock being the first mover doth cause all the other wheeles to move but not to move this way or that way for in that they move some one way and some another it is of themselves I meane of their owne frame so Gods decree doth move all secondary causes but takes not away their owne proper motion For God is the Authour of every action but not of any evill in any action As the soule of man is the originall cause of all motion in man as the Philosophers dispute but yet not of lame and impotent motion for that is from another cause to wit some defect in the body so I say Gods decree is the root and first cause of motion but not of defective motion that is from our selves Likewise that a bell soundeth the cause is in him that ringeth it but that it jarreth the cause is in it selfe Againe that an instrument soundeth is in him that plaieth upon it but that it jarreth is in it selfe that is in its own want of tuning So then to shut up this point all instruments and middle causes are so moved of God being the first Mover that hee allwayes doth will holily and justly in his moving But the instruments moved are carried in contrary motions according to their owne nature and frame If they be good they are carried to that which is good but if they be evill they are carried unto evill So that according to the double beginning of motion and will there is a double and divers work and effect Antil But from whence comes it that man of himselfe that is of his own free motion doth will that which is evill Theol. From the fall of Adam whereby his will was corrupted Antil What was the cause of Adams fall Theol. The Divell and the depravation of his own will Antil How could his will incline unto evill it being made good and hee being made good Theol. He and his will were made good yet mutably good For to be immutably good is proper onely to God And Adam did so stand that he might fall as the event declared Antil Was not the decree of God the cause of Adams fall Theol. No but the voluntary inclination of his will unto evill For Adams will was neither forced nor by any violence of Gods purpose compelled to consent but he of a free will and ready mind left God and joyned with the Divell Thus then I doe determine That Adam sinned necessarily if you respect the decree or event but if you respect the first mover and inherent cause which was his owne will then he sinned voluntarily and contingently For the decree of God did not take away his will or the contingency thereof but only order and dispose it Therefore as a learned Writer saith Volens peccavit proprio mâ—tu Bâ—â—â— He sinned willingly and of his owne motion And therefore no evill is to be attributed unto God or his decree Antil How then doe you conceive and consider of the purpose of God in all these things Theol. Thus That God decreed with himselfe â—no actu at once That there should be a world That Adam should be treated perfect That he should fall of himselfe That all should fall with him That he would save some of the lost race That hee would doe it of mercie through his Son That he would condemn others for sin Antil How doe you prove the decree of reprobation to wit that God hath determined the destruction of thousands before the world was Theol. The Scripture calleth the Reprobates Rom. 9.22 The vessels of wrath prepared to destruction The Scripture saith 2 Thes 5. God hath not appointed us unto wrath Therefore it followeth that some are appointed unto wrath The Scripture saith of the Reprobates that they were even ordained to stumble at the Word 1 Pet. 2.8 The Scripture saith They were of old ordained to this condemnation Jude