But of this enough and to this Chapter CHAP. II. Animadversions upon some passages in the second and third Chapters of his First Book THe second Chapter being only speculation about the nature of end and means To Chap. 2. and not at all applyed there to the question I shall pass over only noting a mistake in that expression about the nature of Moral means which he hath pag. 6. line 15 16. that in a moral sense when the action and the end are to be considered in reference to a Moral rule or law prescribed to the agent then the means are the Deserving or Meritorious cause of the end Which I conceive to be false looking upon Moral as contradistinct to Physical or natural as there he doth for it would then follow that Faith as a means considered in reference to the Law of Faith should be the Meritorious cause of its end that is Justification and Salvation and so good works which I think All Orthodox and Protestant Divines do utterly disclaim Though Faith be the way to justification and eternall life yet it s no wayes the meritorious cause otherwise we should be justified not only per fidem but propter fidem too not ex gratiâ but ex debito merito and so that distinction of the Apostle in Rom. 4.2 3 4. is quite overthrown but no more to that it being but by the by His third chapter is spent about the consideration of God as the agent in the work of Redemption To his 3. Chap. about which there is no express difference between us as to the main only a few expressions drop by the by that are considerable as That 1 Tim. 4.10 who is the Saviour of all men chiefly of them that believe calls not God a Saviour with reference to his Redeeming us by Christ but his saving and preserving all by his providence A strange conceit in which opponit non opponenda for though its true he sayes Vs by his providence yet that that providence of his is saving to sinners yea so much as in this life without respect had to the mediation of Christ much less that it s so saving specially to believers as that it becomes the motive and ground to them of such trust in God 2 Cor. 4.17 18. and 5.1.13 14. Phil. 3.20 1. as carries them out to suffer and labour in his Gospel as there it s affirmed to be is unreasonable to conceive and it disagrees with what he sayes to this business in other places where he tells us it was eying God as one that had prepared things not seen eternal in the heavens for them and eying Christs death for All that they might live to him and glorifying his love therein to his and his brethrens hearts expecting a saviour from heaven to change their vile bodies that made them despise their lives and liberties preach the Gospel through sufferings reproaches crosses how ever little esteemed as beside themselves Now here to think the Apostle cuts off all that consideration of his saving and only pitches upon him as a providential Saviour in a salvation out of Christ or without the consideration of Christ intervening as the lovely object of Trust and Confidence in all their labor and afflictions is too jejune and erronious but we shall meet with this again in his eighth chapter Again in considering the obligation and Covenant between God and Christ he promises something that will utterly overthrow the Universal Redemption but defers it to another after-place in lib. 3. chap. 1. where we shall meet with it and give it its answer only whereas he tells us p. 16. that the promise in Isa 53.11 is inconsistent with their perswasion who in termes have affirmed That the Death of Christ might have had its full and utmost effect and yet none be saved To that I shall say how I conceive that may be affirmed and how not not standing here upon it that that in Isa 53.11 is a prophesie of but not a promise uttered to Christ 1. It might have been so supposito quod Deus eam aliter ordinasset as it might have been undertaken and indured and as God might have decreed it might have been so 2. To look upon it as it was indured and take it by it self simply as Death though to such and such ends without Resurrection from which it is distinct then also it might have been so had he not risen too all its effect would not have saved any man So the Apostle intimates 1 Cor. 15.14 16 17. 3. It might have had its full effect as only offered to God without application to men and none saved had it been its end intended it had been contrary to that in Isai 53.11 but the effect and end of a thing differs much The Carpenter builds a house the effect of his work is the house it self the end of its building habitation the end of Christs Death is that men might be saved by him the effect of it as a thing simply done by him between God and him is not the salvation of any one without application of it or dispensation of spirit to men through it so that had Christ died and rose too and done no more none had been saved to the utmost except the business of his Priesthood be in vain and a thing that might have been spared ' so that its effect it might have had as a thing endured by him and none saved as they take saving in that high 4. But to say the thing that God aimed at and that was covenanted to be granted to Christ upon or as a reward of his Death might have been effected or performed and yet none saved is indeed cleerly false nor did the speech opposed affirm so much but that 's as much I suppose as upon second thoughts he aimed at est act Whereas he saies pag. 17. That the pleasure of the Lord that was to prosper in the hand of Christ was the bringing of many sons to glory that 's a truth but whether it be all the truth or no he tells us not and so deals not so fully and plainly as he should whether the glorifying of God in the convincing and just and righteous judging of the rest be not the pleasure of the Lord too he saith nothing much less disproves it and yet I think he shall do that and the pleasure of the Lord too in that matter shall prosper in his hand In the same pag. he tells us the request of our Saviour John 17. was neither for more nor less then God had ingaged himself to him for and that was for a full confluence of the love of God and the fruits of that love upon all his Elect in Faith Sanctification and Glory But of that he gives us no proof neither that there he asked no less for as for more I will not question nor that he requested Faith for all his Elect or any of them To the first I propound to him
it which is not to be seen by climbing up into heaven to search into Gods secrets but by finding in themselves faith and sanctification they say and those too such as are so and so qualified as may evidence them to be fruits of election and so men must have the effects before and without their proper cause which is love discovered to men Tit. 3.4 5 6. they must have all these Repentance Faith Love to God and men Justification Sanctification yea and perhaps too eternal Glory before they shall see any solid ground or motive to repent believe in him serve and love him or that Christ hath done any thing for them by vertue of which he can justifie and sanctifie them and bring them to glory with him And so they are not lead to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godlily by Gods grace appearing in the Gospel to them but deny ungodliness and live godlily or rather pretend and seem to do so that so grace might appear to them and that they might see the gospel declaration to belong to them The Gospel doctrine is to them but like the law that is a doctrine that consists of duties commanded with promises and threatnings annexed without Gospel motives of Gods love propounded the viewing of which things the Spirit of Love breaths in to lead and to produce the things required and so their endeavours after those works and duties are looked upon as the fruits of grace and goodness yea as the arguments of their Election past and future happiness when they may be as far from both as the Pharisee that denied Gods free Grace to Publicans and sinners and yet judged himself a partaker of Gods Grace by his works of righteousness magnifying grace against free will and thanking God as giving such grace in those things which were but the products of his will neglecting and abiding ignorant of that grace in Christ which would have truly corrected both his Judgment and will such the effect of this limiting restraining doctrine as theirs also was Men are led hereby to bottom the Gospel it self with all arguments of love and goodness therein leading to faith and repentance upon their faith and repentance which they pretend they may have before they know whether they have any solid ground for them or no as if they could winde in themselves into the perception of Gods love by their frames and endeavors and not first be wrought up to them by the love and goodness of God perceived by them and as if men should look to themselves and their endeavors as the glass through which they shall see Gods love as for them and not rather upon God and Christ as declared in the Gospel to love them as the glass in which they may see their obligation to God in Christ and be moved to and strengthened in their seeking after him hoping in him In that their way thou mayst see that God commands thee to repent or change thy minde to Judg him good and to love him and that he threatens thee if thou dost not and promises great things to thee if thou dost but whether thou beest one of them that he intends any good in his promises to or that art in a possibility of attaining them or only hast them propounded to thy hearing without good will towards thee but that thou mightest thereby have the greater destruction that by it thou knowest not for it presents no act of love from him that according to it thou canst say respects thee or takes thee in as the object of it only do all those things first repent believe love serve him and then it shall be true for thee to believe that he hath good will to thee a most preposterous way that doth to men as Pharaoh to the Israelites takes away their straw and bids them get it themselves and yet exacts their number of brick takes away that declaration of Gods love and good will to men that should properly move them to repent believe c. and sets men upon seeking arguments and demonstrations of these to themselves and yet not fail to perform those duties required of them A doctrine it is that presents less love to this or that man then the Law it self did whereas the Apostle magnifies the true Gospel as more excellent and more un vailed for it set some certain demonstrations of Gods goodness to the Israelites before them as his bringing them out of Egypt chusing them in their Fathers to be a peculiar people to him and many typical sacrifices representing Christs death for them upon which they were commanded to love and serve him but for ought this tells thee thou wert hated by him from all eternity yea this suggests to thee that all he doth to thee may be but to bring thee to misery Nay I might safely say Gods dealings with the Gentiles represented more goodness as to their particulars without suggestions of eternal hatred of them then this kind of Gospell-preaching ascertains any one man of as yet unregenerate as truly goodness and out of good will to him in particular And O how injurious is that doctrine to men that withholds the most absolute perfect motive to their duties and way to meet with consolation Whence it comes to pass that first many are led by it into presumption to lean upon themselves and their own works as evidences of that distinguishing love of God that makes them sure of salvation as the Pharisee Luke 18.9 10. and so of their being pure and righteous when as yet they have never believed and through faith received that love of God into their hearts thats preached in the Gospel to wash and purify them yea to bring them out of themselves into Christ that they might be reckoned after him conformed to him to salvation These are of those that justifie themselves and labour to establish a righteousness of their own and are ignorant of and fight against the righteousness of God despising others and hindring them of that Gospel of grace that should be opened to them stumbling as much that the Death of Jesus Christ should be preached to all to ungodly and sinners not so qualified as they as ever did the presumptuous proud Pharisees that Christ should eat and drink with Publicans and sinners and that his Apostles should preach the Gospel to the uncircumcised Gentiles 2. Others again are held in bondage all their dayes and are ever ready to fall into desperation while not having the Love of God and his goodness and grace propounded to them as for them that should beget faith hope fruitfulness c. or being hindered from believing it as so propounded by occasion of this limiting doctrine and yet being pressed on to believe repent be humble and broken that so they may know that God hath good will to them and hath given his Son for them they labor and strive and finde nothing which they can attain to
limbs strength health food and raiment the shining of the Sun the falling of the rain with fruitful Seasons peace liberty and gladness victories over enemies and good successes Day to day uttereth speech and night to night uttereth knowledge and they all are Evidences and Witnesses of his goodness But whence all these to sinful unworthy creatures Rom. 2.14 1.32 whose consciences daily accuse us of evils and tell us death and vengeance is due unto us Surely as the Scriptures say they are the beamings of his bright goodness the issues or out-flowings of the life in Christ which is the light of men which life was and is in him through his sufferings for us Joh. 1.4 5. For verily Adam forfeited for himself and us what ever might evidence goodness towards us even life it self and all other mercies thereof so as had God dealt with us after the demerit of his sin nothing but wrath and misery had been upon us But verily Christ stepping in upholds all things and makes them consist and stand together for our use and service Yea there-through also have we in these latter days that which is yet more precious the Publishing of the Word and Gospel of God ordered unto all Nations the end and tendency of all which too is to lead us to repentance that repenting of our evils against one so good to us he might shew us greater things still even the blessings of a better life prepared and made ready in Christ Jesus for us pardon and peace and spirit and eternal happiness And surely the gift of Christ and his death and sufferings for us must needs it self be an inestimable favour and deserve at our hands unutterable thanks which is the way and inlet yea in a maner the onely procuring cause under the good Will of God of all these mercies How then are men in generall bound unto thankefulness but especially we in this Nation that enjoy the Scriptures and publishing of the Gospel therein which many other Nations have wickedly put away from themselves and their posterities their supream powers yielding up themselves to the power of darkness and neither imbracing the Word of Truth themselves nor permitting it to others Yea what cause of thanks have we to God that hath broken yokes of Tyranny and Oppression from off us that formerly hindered mens receit and free confession of his goodness What salvations hath God wrought for us in the midst of this earth What plots hath he discovered What designs of the enemies of Sion hath he defeated How hath he guided Counsels and strengthened Armies to deliver us from the Power and Oppressions of those who being ingrateful to God themselves for his goodness could not indure that others should acknowledge it aright and be truly thankeful And O that we also after such an addition of favors above what all have in common may not run into that horrid sin of unthankfulness nor reject the tidings of his great goodness and by observing lying vanities forsake our own mercies much less abuse and turn it into wantonness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 5.3 4. Surely for these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of unperswasibleness Yea not onely destructions and desolations of Persons Families Cities Countries and Nations here but also hereafter eternal vengeance Now of the evil of unthankefulness dear Sirs how greatly guilty are they who though they confess men faulty for it and can aggravate the evil of it above my Rhetorick yet make it a part of their business and Religion with zeal and earnestness to perswade the most of men that they have cause to doubt whether they have any thing in good will from God and so by consequence whether any real ground and cause to be thankeful to him while they hold forth to them that Christ died but for a few and the rest are the objects of his hatred from everlasting and all they have even the Gospel it self they have in hatred and displeasure from him and so onely to this end that they may work out and increase their own misery by them Against which their evil Doctrine I have written this insuing Treatise in which I have indeavoured to remove that froth of wit and humane reason and high thoughts of error which are with so great noise of Orthodoxness equivalent to the Romanists cry of Catholike lifted up against the Apostles Doctrine and to shew that God is good really good to All but especially to those that his goodness makes good and thankefully through faith to live unto him And so also that all have real cause of believing and living thankefully doing good after his example to All but especially to the good and the believing and that the unbelief of his goodness and unthankefulness to him for it is the true cause of multitudes perishing And now Dear Sirs that I might not run into that odious evil of ingratitude toward you from whom as instruments in the good hand of God I acknowledge I have received very much favor and kindness and under whom I enjoy my Place and Liberty of Gospel-preaching and many others with me have received many ingagements of thanks for and to you having finished this Treatise I am imboldened to thrust it out into the world under your Protection and Patronages under God and the Lord Jesus to whom supreamly I have devoted my self and service I hope your Honors will not expect it should exceed its Author in whom you know weakness but I hope you will take it in good part as a Testimony of my thankefulness I expect it will meet with oppositions good store against it as is always the Lot of Truth in an unthankeful world especially from those it argues guilty of mens unthankefulness may it but finde with you that entertainment Truth should have with the Saints so far as you shall see Truth held forth in it I shall rejoyce therein concerning you For whom with your beloved Consorts and all yours My desire is That God would please so to order guide and keep you that walking righteously in the earth and serving your generation with faithfulness in the Work of God you may receive the reward of the righteous in eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord in whom I remain From my House in South-Lyn June 20th 1650. SIR Your Honour and Worships faithfully to serve you in the Gospel JOHN HORN A Brief Revise of some few Passages THere is a passage good Reader in the Epistle to the Reader Pag. 14. viz. where I say That none till brought into Christ can make any profitable use of or rightly understand the Doctrines of Election and Reprobation of which I desire thy candid and favourable construction as spoken of as they are most usually looked upon as secret Decrees and Counsels of God about the future estates of men and not as acts or executions of decrees passing upon men in time for indeed in this latter sense the Scripture and we
acting in that power it still remains in Gods Power onely to give it the promised efficacy the soul in believing onely puts it self into such a posture as in which it becomes the object of Gods Promise to make the death of Christ effectual to it As suppose I promise an alms to a poor man if he will come to my house for it though it be in his power to â—ome yet it s not in his power to make my promise effectual that appertains to me and is onely in my power still From this that 's said his following conclusion viz. That this being the absolute necessity of faith the cause of that must needs be the prime and principal cause of salvation as being the cause of that without which the whole would not be and by which the whole is and is effectual nothing harms us we making God the prime Cause our faith and the Will be its freedom what it will but instumental and no instrumental subordinate cause as the Will of man however considered must needs be the whole man and his Will being the Workmanship of God though a causa sine quâ non per quam totum can be said to be the prime cause As to instance that in Acts 27.31 Except the Shipmen abide in the ship the passengers could not have been preserved Their abiding in the ship was a cause of their preservation such a one as without which they could not have been preserved and upon which they were preserved and yet I hope no man will be so graceless as to conclude that they or the souldiers that caused them to stay were the prime and principal cause of their preservation So a poor mans asking an alms may be a cause of his receiving an alms and yet when anothers bounty propounding an alms to him upon that condition incourageth him to ask and gives him when he asks though his Will be never so free in asking yet it cannot be looked upon as the prime cause of his receiving So that this premise too as it tends to conclude the act of the Will from the former premises to be the principal cause of our salvation though specious is but fallacious and erronius 3. After both these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one that forgot what he undertook to prove instead of performing his task He puts it to our option to chuse whether we will answer directly and Categorically whether Christ by his Death and Intercession merited and procured faith for us or no. To this I say as before that except Christ had died for us there had neither been a fit object for us sinners to believe on nor an instrument fit to beget it by nor a power to work with that instrument to inable us thereunto So that in that sense he did by his death procure it for us that is removed that which hindred us from having any of those yet there too that he obliged God to give Vs individually faith that is to make us act faith in that object according to the power given us in the medium or instrument so as that if God had not given Vs that in our individual persons he must have dealt injuriously with Christ that I leave for him to prove In the Interim That he obliged him to give it to All he dyed for that is to cause them All to believe unto life eternall I Categorically deny and expect his proof of it before which he seems to me to contradict his first premise while he denies That the granting a way of salvation by bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel in Christ which passage he ascribes to T. More p. 35. was procured for us by Christ To say nothing that I finde no such passage in the place pointed to why may we not say this way was procured for us by Christ Did not he procure the bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel Sure then not all benefits bestowed upon us for that is one and none of the least which the Apostle also ascribes to him in 2 Tim. 2.10 and then neither did he procure faith for us for he that procures a thing must procure all requisites to the working of that thing or else he doth not procure that thing Now if he procure not the bringing life and immortality to light then he procured not that we should have that by which faith is effected for that 's it that begets faith the appearing of light and immortality in the Gospel faith I say according to the present plainness of the Gospel and so he hath overthrown the thing he fights for Ah but it s a strange Contradictory Assertion that he should procure a way to life in himself But why so because he is the chiefest part of this way and sure procured not himself by his own Death c. But by that reason he procured few things freely bestowed on us in and by Christ for then neither did he procure us Wisdom Righteousness Holiness nor Redemption for all these he is called himself as much as he is called the Way See 1 Cor. 1.30 then he procured not our peace for he is our peace Ephes 2.14 He procured not our life for he is our life Col 3.4 But is it such a strange thing to say such a man got or procured himself to be made protector to such a people or to have the favor of admitting to or keeping out any from the Kings ear by such and such services and carriages Surely no And why then is it so to say that Christ procured himself to be the Way to life for sinners by suffering for them Was he the way to life to us without his sufferings and death I suppose not and if not then he obtained that power and title by his sufferings Heb. 5.9 through that way he became our way to life by sufferings he was perfected and so became the Author of salvation eternall to all that obey him And is this such a strange Assertion Sure I cannot but think it a just hand of God upon men as is prophesied Zech. 11.13 Isa 29.9 10 13 14. Jer. 8.8 9. that because they slight Gods Word the plain testimonies of Scripture God smites their eye that they cannot see reason But to return to our purpose I deny I say that Christ procured that is ingaged or obliged God that all should be brought to believe on him for whom he dyed though we deny not that he opened a passage for the grace of God to display and glorifie it self so that He presents himself to men as good and powerful an object meet to be looked to and stayed on as in John 5.8 9 10 11. especially in the Gospel as now published since the Appearance of Christ in the Flesh which presentation of himself to men as good grations powerful c. is the medium and instrument for begetting faith according to the degree and measure of the Revelation as Rahab believed to
justification by a lesser revelation of God then Paul had Josh 2.10 11 12. with Heb. 11.31 and so Cornelius before Peters coming to him believed in a lower act by less light then Peter brought to him and the Ninivites by far lesser then the Jews rebelled against now that power accompanies these mediums too in their lesser or greater dispensations is evident in that the Spirit is said to have preached to striven with men even those that yet obeyed it not Gen. 6 3. 1 Pet. 3 19. the hand of the Lord was stretched out with his reproofs and councels Prov 1.24 and in the effects it produceth as that they attain to some knowledg of God convincements illuminations c. against which they often willfully rebel and close their eyes and I say further that God doth in many by these means effect faith and bring them actually to believe and I conceive many more might have faith did they not wilfully turn away from God for I conceive a fore going act propounded or injoyned to men you may call it a condition if you please upon which they might be brought to believe Whereas Mr. Owen askes what that is I answer it is to listen to the voice of God not hardning the heart So Isa 55.3 hearken diligently and your souls shall live by diligent attendance to the voice of God the soul is quickned up to a life of faith and hope in God so Isa 49.1 Listen O Isles unto me and hearken ye people from far and in Psal 95. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Lift not up your reasons and understandings against the authority of God be swift to hear hear him out and make not haste to speak and cavil against him As also to minde those demonstrations of his Divine Power and Goodness that he affords not winking with the eye and wilfully turning from the light when he makes it appear or from the means of light which beheld would give us to see what he holds forth to us according to that Call Hear ye deaf and look ye blinde that ye may see Isai 42.18 So Behold my servant whom I have chosen ver 1. And look to me and be ye saved Isai 45.22 And consider the works of God Job 37.14 That that is to be known of God is in them manifested c. Rom. 1.19.20 But then Is not this same hearing and listening believing I answer No It s but a mean to it We are to attend that we may believe by this hearing Faith and the spirit of it are given unto us But it will be objected Its obeying and obeying is believing So M. Owen But there is a fallacy in that for neither is every Act of hearing obeying nor every Act of obeying the believing spoken of As obeying in some acts follows believing so in some it may be but a tendency to the meeting with that which will cause us to believe so believingly to obey Take this Simile Two men are at controversie suppose a Master and a Servant the Master would have him do such things as the servant doth not nor will The Master begins to expostulate with him and to shew him reasons for his demands the servant hears what he says this is not yet an act of obedience to his Master for perhaps he may yet prove refractory and more obstinate then before and perhaps in hearing he may be perswaded and become obedient to him being convinced and changed in minde by what he hears till which change his act of hearing will not denominate him obedient or pass for an act of obedience Mr. Owen saith If we can propound a condition for Faith that is not Faith he will hear it And yet I suppose he will not think his hearing us propound it an act of obedience to us at all But then he says This is procured by by Christ or not In the sense before explained we grant it procured otherwise not and that to the power of exercising it is absolute but as to the act of exercising of it its voluntary and to the most uncompelled or unnecessitated Many have absolute power and ability given them of hearing and seeing the hints of Light and Truth that come from God that yet have it in their choise whether they will act so or so and therefore are faulted for not acting as they might for not chusing the fear of the Lord Prov. 1.29.30 For shutting their eyes against his Light and stopping their ears Matth. 13.15 Acts 28.27 And yet the cause of Faith is not resolved into our selves but into him that gives the power to hear and that speaks such words when we do listen as overcomes our reason and our hearts Our faith is justly still ascribed to him For if he spake not we could not hear yea if he gave us not power to hear yea if when we hear he spake not suitable words and exercised not power with his words we should not yet believe in him So that Inference is as absurd as these That because the blind man went and washed in the Pool of Siloam Therefore he was the cause of his own healing or Not Christ so much as he and The ten Lepers were the cause of their own cleansing because they went on their own legs to shew themselves to the Priests at his Commandment VVe avoid also all his following Consequences If by procuring Faith he means his meriting and obliging God to cause all to believe in him for whom He died For denying that it follows not either 1. That Faith is an act of our own wills and so our own as not to be wrought by Grace and that its wholly sited in our own power to perform that spiritual act No such thing follows upon that Proposition denied 1. That Faith is an act of the VVill no man can deny for in it the Will closes with an Object propounded as good to be relied on but that it s not wrought by Grace is clearly false from what is said above It s our act to hear and yet not that without the VVord of God buts t is Gods Act even the act of his Grace to perswade us by what he speaks to lean upon him and believe in him Besides 2. God might freely work it in some without being obliged to it by the Death of Christ the same love that led him to give Christ may sin being removed and the enmity being slain by Christ work as much as it pleases without being obliged and tied to work it Besides 3. Christ might oblige him to work it in some and yet not in all He died for So that every way this is inconsequent And we neither 1. Contradict any Scripture Nor 2. Speak contrary to the nature of the new Covenant of Grace which indeed is sealed by Christs Death to believers but says not that Christs Death obliged God to make this and that man much less all he died for to believe Nor is it 3. Destructive
to free Grace but leaves it still as free to some as if the Death of Christ obliged him to bestow such grace upon them Grace bestowed without an obligation to it is as free as grace bestowed upon obligation Nor set we up the power of Free will to the sleighting or undervaluing of Free-grace For we say that its grace that gives men that freedom to good they have and its mens abusing the freedom given by grace and turning grace into wantonness and not improving it but receiving it in vain that brings destruction upon many Therefore we exhort men so to magnifie grace as to believe and receive it and that not in vain and fault men because they will abuse the liberty that God gives them of his goodness and grace chusing their own ways and not his refusing to come to Christ c. And I think in such language the Scripture speaketh Nor do we 4. Contradict the received doctrine of our natural depravedness and inability to good We say that what power men have to good they have it in and by Gods striving with them light manifested in them and grace preventing them and that otherwise they are wholly unable to any thing that is good Nor say we 5. That a natural faculty is able to produce of it self without some spiritual elevation an act purely spiritual no more then the blinde mans natural act of washing was able to produce a supernatural gift of sight to him and so neither are we guilty of contradicting right reason Nor 2. Must we resolve almost the sole cause of our salvation ultimately into our selves as being able to make all that God and Christ do to that end effectuall or ineffectuall This we have before disproved And here say again That we leave it in the Power and Will of God to use what means he pleases to any man and how long and compell whom he will to come in and believe And yet it follows not that either Christ obliged God to do it to this and that man or much less to All for whom he died the thing he should have proved which he further endeavors after these premises by the following Arguments viz. Argu. 1 The death of Jesus Christ purchased holiness and sanctification for us as was proved at large Argument 8. But faith is a part of our sanctification and holiness Ergo he procured faith for us If this Argument should be wholly granted yet his Assertion goes unproved viz. That he hath purchased faith for All for whom he died The word Vs being applicative may be diversly expounded as Vs that are of this Nation Vs that are of this minde Vs that believe c. and so its ambiguous But if by Vs he means All for whom he died then the Major with the eight Argument brought to uphold it is already disproved Beside the Minor is questionable whether Faith be a part of our sanctification VVe are sanctified by Faith its true that 's the instrument that receives it but that no more proves it a part thereof then that the Israelites were healed by looking to the brazen Serpent proves their looking to it a part of their healing The Church Ephes 5.26.27 as a Church are a people called and believing and them he is to sanctifie and will sanctifie but that rather proves Sanctification a consequent of Faith then Faith a part of that sanctification All the fruits of Election are purchased by Christ Argu. 2 But Faith is a fruit of Election c. The Major is proof-less and deficient too for it should have been general as to the object of his Death thus All the fruits of Election were purchased by Christ for All he died for or it concludes not if he mean it so then I deny it as he takes the word purchase and desire his proof for it Nor yet is the Minor without exception Luke 8.17 For faith is scarce a fruit of Election in all that believe except such as believe for a time were elected for a time too His proofs as they reach not that so neither are they all pertinent to what he brings them In Eph. 1.4 the Vs is the Saints and faithful ver 1. if not of a narrower signification as distinct from the persons spoken to as the 12 13. verses seem to import as first speaking of their own experiences and priviledges and then of theirs At furthest the Text extends it but to Saints and faithful in Christ blest with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in him And so it shews that it was according to the eternal purpose and counsel of God that men in Christ should be holy in him and that in chusing Christ before the world was they also were by consequent chosen He chose not either in Adam or in the Law or in mens selves but in * See further about this place in the Epistle to the Reader Christ a holy people for himself which holiness is a consequent of mens faith and being in Christ as was said before and as is proved 1. Cor. 1.30 I question too whether Rom. 8.29 says that unbelievers as so eyed was the object of predestination and not men fore-known as future believers to which in time they are called So that though that Scripture in a manner couples them yet it says not Faith at least in all that believe is the fruit of Predestination or Election Much more is that in 1 Cor. 4.7 impertinent to that it s brought for for as Beza also expounds it and as any man that seriously mindes the Apostles duft in the three foregoing Chapters and in the verse before may see the Apostle is not speaking of men differenced from the world by believing in comparison with the world but of believers differing from one another in gifts and crying up one above another according to that difference or lifting up themselves for that one above another Nor is the difference he speaks of in the act of believing as if one had believed and another not as if he had said Who made thee to receive but in the matter of their receits who had all received something What hast thou that thou hast not received The meaning is Believers are not to lift up themselves or one another one above another for their gifts in that one hath more or better gifts then another and so not to fault and disown them that have less and dote on them that have more But they may fault and disown them that believe not and commend them that do and they have good warrant so to do which they might not if the want of Faith in men was because there was none for them A company of poor beggers receiving alms some six pence some a shilling have no cause to brag one over another and fault one another when the gift was free to each and not out of desert to any more then other yet they may fault other beggers and glory over them that were slothful
and refused to go where they went for the alms So that that 's impertinent That in Acts 13.48 seems to have the greatest force for proof that Faith is in some the fruit of Election The words are And they believed so many as were ordained to life eternal The word that we Translate Ordained is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is properly to rank and order and often in the Writings of the Apostles is used to signifie an actual appointing or ordering to a thing as Rom. 13.1 The Powers or Authorities that are are ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordered or ranked of or under God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some expound it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from Acts 22.10.14 as if it were foreappoined or ordained But the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foreappointed as if it spake of an act of Gods purpose and counsel in himself only But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Besides that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies too an actual setting apart or separating in time unto a thing a transient act of God upon a creature as is plain Acts 26.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I have appeared to thee to ordain or foreappoint thee a Minister and Witness of those things that thou hast seen Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to foreordain is a thing not precedent but consequent to Gods appearing to him for he appeared to him he saith not because I had fore-appointed thee but to fore-appoint thee which was an actual ordering him into such a place or office before he should or could act in it and so * Châ—â—s in locaâ— Chrysostom interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 separated to God and the Syriack interpreter by Positi put into such an order The sense then is So many as in the call of God and by the coming of his Word unto them were separated from the world unto and disposed ordered or set for eternal life believed And then it s further to be considered That the word Believed signifies here as sometimes else a continuing or abiding in believing as in Joh. 2.11 His Disciples believed on him They were Disciples and had faith before but now they believed that is went on believing in him they were furthered in their faith confirmed in it and so in verse 22. They believed the Scripture after the Resurrection They did so in part before but They believed there is all one with they were fastened or confirmed in believing them they believed them stronglier So Joh. 17.8 They have known and believed in opposition to those that believed for a time and then fell away these continued believing And so in Acts 17.34 Some clave to Paul and believed that is abid constant in the Doctrine and went on in it Such I conceive may be the meaning of it here too The Gentiles glorified God they were generally affected and taken with it Many were called And they believed so many as was ordered or ordained to life eternal that is they abode constant in the Doctrine they were not for a flash onely as the others were others thought the Word true and rejoyced in it and glorified it but none abid in it but them that God more especially pull'd in to himself These things we have noted on the Minor though the faultiness of the Major is sufficient to overthrow the Argument in the thing that should have been concluded viz. That Faith is the immediate fruit and effect of Christs death which God is obliged by it to give to All that Christ died for All the fruits of the New Covenant are procured and purchased by him Argu. 3 but Faith is one of them But neither doth this conclude And we have shewed before cap. 1. lib. 3. that he neither hath proved Faith to be a fruit of the New Covenant but a thing presupposed Nor that that Covenant is made with all them that Christ died for That without which its impossible that we should be saved Argu. 4 must be procured by him by whom we are fully and effectually saved This may be granted in the sense we have taken the word Procuring And yet it concludes not neither except he could infer But all that Christ died for are fully and effectually saved which he doth not nor can any where prove Besides his proofs prove neither the Major nor the Minor Matth. 1.21 His people Heb. 7.25 All that come to God by him And intimately Heb. 5.9 He is the Author of eternal salvation But to whom saith the Apostle To all that obey him None of which Scriptures takes in Faith as one of those things which he is the Author Procurer or Confirmer of For the very Suppositum in them all is Believers his people men called and of no people made a people of God as 1 Pet. 2.10 They have faith Them that come to him and obey him they have faith So that Christ may be affirmed to be the Author of their eternal and perfect salvation there mentioned and yet not the procurer of their faith As David was a protector of all that fled to him and stood by them to the utmost and yet it follows not that he purchased it of any to make them come to him So that this also is impertinent The last Argument is that of Phil. 1.29 Argu. 5 Its given to you to believe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He leaves out the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may be read thus It s given to you as pertaining to Christ not onely to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake This is given of grace As if he should say I speak not now of all sufferings and faith but of what pertains to Christ and what is in his Cause As pertaining to Christ its given by Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely to believe c. Or thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To you that which pertains to Christ was given freely not onely to believe on him but also to suffer for him But let the words be read as they are though I conceive not so rightly because of the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omitted yet it follows not either that it was given them as his purchase I may give a man a thing for my childs sake because I love him and would have him esteemed and loved which yet is not by him bought of me for that man Or if so yet it follows not that Christ did so for all that he died for Christ might procure that God should absolutely make some believe in him and yet leave him to glorifie his Mercy or Justice on others as he pleases leave them to such grace as whereby they might have been brought to believe in walking out in the means according to power given yea leave it wholly to the meer VVill of God whom to cause to believe both as to persons and their number So that no wayes doth this Argument conclude Nor doth Ephes 1.3 another
Or can we expect that the telling men of its infinite sufficiency will beget hope in them more then if it were onely sufficient for them for whom it was intended whenas they are told they are never the more included in its intendment by vertue of its infinite sufficiency then if it was far less sufficient VVe may its true assure men of salvation if they be believers or do believe but can we upon that ground assure any one of good ground for their believing or that Christ is an object meet for them to believe on that he is appointed as a Mediator for them or is able to save them For can we say he is able to save any more then those that were included in his intention If he should save any more he must make a new bargain for them and pay a new price for their salvation VVhat is this better then Law-preaching to say If thou believest thou shalt be saved The Law promises life to those that keep it but affords not motive and spirit to effect what it requireth So doth their Doctrine promise life upon Faith but gives no straw affords no certain object that such or such have cause to believe on him demonstrates no love to the soul to draw it in to believe for that 's uncertain such Preachers give but an uncertain sound that cannot affirm that the VVord of God saith That there is any thing done by Christ for any one man in their Congregations that may evidence it a just and right thing for him to hope in God for salvation But he tells us That when God calls upon men to believe he doth not in the first place call upon them to believe that Christ died for them but that there is no name under heaven whereby they may be saved but only of Jesus Christ Well and is there not an intimation in that that Christ died for them Sure he that excepts the Name of Jesus Christ intimates he hath a Name by which they may And what is that Name Either signifies Power and Authority or the report and fame that goes on him Now he that leaves it uncertain whether Christ died sufficiently for them as he confessedly doth that leaves it uncertain whether Christ hath died for them leaves it also uncertain whether Christ hath power by his death to save them Nor can they fame him to be one able and ready to save them and so they cannot preach that there is a Name of Jesus by which they may be saved So that the proof he brings overthrows the Assertion which it is brought to prove Can men be called on to believe in God and not through a Mediator And can they look through a Mediator on him when they know not of any they have He then that calls upon me to believe through Christs Mediation as whoever calls upon men rightly to believe must do doth intimate that there is something in his Mediation for me to be incouraged to believe in God by and so by consequence that he died for me else be the merit of it never so great its no ground of Faith to me And surely however Mr. Owen determins God hath no where so determined nor the Apostles so Preached One tells us That the Record of God which he that believes not makes God a lyer is this That God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5.10 11 12. And surely this is the onely full ground of drawing men to the Son when they are told by the VVord of God that God hath given them life in his Son and the way to have it is to have him but rejecting him and not coming to him for life they reject life and deprive themselves of what God hath given them He that believes not this in every part of it when declared makes God a lyer and will not nor can come in to him to believe on Christ If he believe not that God hath given him life then will he either despaire or seek it by Works and not by Faith if not that this life is in Christ then will he not look to Christ for it or believe on him If he think he may have it and not have Christ and have Christ or not have it then will he neglect believing on Christ as a thing unnecessary or unprofitable for him So Peter tells the people Acts 3.23 God sent Christ to turn every one of you from your iniquities And Paul Acts 13.37 tells them that Remission of sins was Preached to them in Christs name both equivalent to Christs Mediating and dying for them and coming for their sakes And so in 2 Cor. 5.19 and Matt. 224.9 The Declaration of Gods good will to them is laid down as the ground of exhorting them to come in to God And to say no more See what the testimony is of which God made the Apostle Paul an Apostle and Teacher of the Gentiles in Faith and Verity Is it not that in 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledg of the Truth for there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransom for All And the appearance of the love of God to man was it that brought Paul himself in Tit. 3.4 5. Was it ever found that a man was called by God to trust in that that he never set up for him to trust in to stay upon Christs blood and Christ shed none for him So that I hope by this the vanity of Mr. Owens Inferences from his first premise appears and that his understanding of the Distinction of Sufficiency and Efficiency together with the Consideration of the dignity of the Sacrifice of Christ in regard as of his person so of the greatness of his pains holds forth onely this to us That God to make his Sons sufferings more valuable then needed to be for the bargain intended put him to more pains then he needed to have endured which is a piece of blasphemy But I pass from that Consideration 2. His second premise is about the Dispensation of the Covenant of Grace Consid 2. and inlarging of the Kingdom of Christ after his appearance in the flesh opposed to the former Dispensation restrained to one People and Family And this he says gave occasion to many general expressions in the Scriptures which are far enough from including an universality of all Individuals All which I grant him and will Instance a few such expressions for him as that of Peter Acts 10.34 Rom. 1.16 and 10.13 In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him And that The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Gentile And that The Lord over all is rich in mercy
difference in the act as the same shine of the Sun may refresh a sound eye and yet hurt the same eye when sore 5. Then he says He gives not all things to All to whom he gave his Son This with the Scripture alledged for it is once and again answered before 6. Then he knows not certainly who shall believe and be saved Which no more follows from it then this God loved Israel to bring them out of Egypt that he might bring them that followed him into Canaan But he brought not all the Israelites into Canaan Ergo If he brought all the Israelits out of Egypt he knew not who would believe in him and follow him into Canaan What a piece of Non-sense is such an Inference But against the inlarging of the object he further thus reasons from the next particular That who so believes thus If the object be restrained there to believers then that depends upon the will of God or upon themselves If upon themselves That contradicts 1. Cor. 1.7 and men make themselves to differ If upon God then we make the place say thus God so loved All that but some should partake of the fruits of his Love and to what end then did he love All Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear To which I answer That the second act the giving the injoyment of eternal life is here asserted but for them that believe and both the appointing life to the believer and the effecting of that faith depend upon Gods Will. As we can make no Law upon what terms to have that life So neither can we work in our selves that condition upon which God giveth that life Faith is the gift of God Acts 28.26 27. with Joh. 12.40 Yet this latter is so of God as that it is not without some actings of man to which he exhorts men and for want of which he justly faults them yea brings them not to faith It s by mans hearing though not of mans power Whence though one man listen to the means and is brought to believe and another that had as much power to have listened stop his ear and believes not yet it follows not that the first made himself to differ because not his listening but God by it gave the faith no more then one Israelite looking to the brasen Serpent being healed might be said to have made himself to differ from another that looked not up in point of healing in which they had both yet remained alike had not God given healing to the one and not to the other The impertinency of the Allegation of 1 Cor. 4.7 I shewed before Nor yet follows that other Inference That it s but thus God loved All that but some might partake of the fruits of his love For 1. There are other fruits then eternal life of which all partake 2. There is no exclusion of any from that condition by which we may partake of that When he says That every one that believes It s to incourage all to believe not to hinder any The whole Argument is but like this God brought Israel out of Egypt that he might bring them that obeyed and followed him into Canaan Either that restriction was determined by Gods Will or their own If their own then they made themselves differ one from another contrary to the Apostle If by Gods then the sense is He brought all out of Egypt that he might bring but some into Canaan To what end then I pray did he bring All out of Egypt Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear Is not this folly and soppery thus to reason or from such a reason to deny the Truth of Gods Word and say God surely did not bring any out of Egypt but whom he brought into Canaan Or will he ascribe Caleb and Joshuah's faith more to will then the believing that which is attested by the VVord of God or by the powerful working of miracles or the like is the Truth of God Ay But if believers onely be the object that shall have salvation Then the general ransom is an empty sound Answer It is so to Unbelief as God himself is in respect of that infinite satisfaction that is in him and so was Gods bringing Israel out of Egypt to them that believed not Such is the pernicious nature of Unbelief that it turns wholsom food into poyson but to such as have learned to become fools that God might make them wise to those that learn to subject their reason to Gods Truth it s not so for they finde it a motive to draw them in to believe in God and to admire his Love to men and the depth of his judgments towards them yea in a word to teach them to deny ungodliness and live godlily as Tit. 2.11 12. And they finde it a very wholsom useful Truth to hold forth to others to let them see cause for believing in God and hoping in him and to charge them with folly and madness that having such ground to believe yet refuse it The most pretious Truth that is is an empty found in respect of spiritual good to the Unbeliever Shal we conclude Ergo it s a falshood Gods goodness it self that lead men to Repentance is an empty thing to those that harden themselves against it and brings them to no spiritual good or happiness shall we therefore teach men to say God is good to none but them that rightly use his goodness and receive the fruit of it in life eternal Is not this to teach men to despise the riches of Gods goodness O the blindeness of our reason in the things of God the folly of preferring it as Umpire in matters of our faith waving the Word of God that should rightly guide us But yet this let me say Unbelievers shall see and finde one day that this general ransom was no empty thing in it self it was meerly their folly and wickedness that made it so to them and then it shall be full of dread and terror to them that they have denied him that bought them His premises being such humane mistakes high thoughts lifted up and strengthned against the Scripture-Declaration his Conclusion that Christ died not or God gave not his Son for them that believe not c. falls with them They being notable justifications of all Unbelievers and Patronizers of slothfulness from which these things follow That to Unbelievers God was not an object meet to be believed on by them nor had any reall reason to love him they being ever hated by him and he never doing them any good in his Son That the want of faith was no fault of theirs for they could no way have avoided what they did in not believing God neither gave them cause nor grace to believe c. But I shall rake no further in so unclean a dunghill that savors so much of Satan and justifies the case of