witnesse of the Conscience Many there be that think of their consciences witnessing holily and truly of the good things said or done by them when indeed and in truth there is no such matter when their Consciences telleth them that they pray and hear Sermons as the consciences of all erring spirits Papists and Anabaptists Familists and others their consciences cannot witnesse truly with them and holily they fail in their Judgment and their consciences must needs be erroneous and so cannot possibly afford them any true comfort surely they think they do exceeding great service to God but they are deceived and their Judgment is erroneous But to draw near unto our selves Thus standeth the case with all unregenerate persons and such as be in their natural estate the consciences of unregenerate persons do many times witnesse much good in respect of the good things said or done by them Their conscience telleth them oh they have much good and great comfort in hearing the Word especially if they live a civil honest life and be free from grosse sins and deal justly and truly with men their consciences telleth them that they are in a marvellous good case and you cannot drive them from it for why their Conscience telleth them so that they are no Drunkards no Theeves no Swearers and God is well pleased with them and they have much good and comfort by the testimony of their consciences But their Conscience doth witnesse falsly so as the Prophet saith a deceitful heart hath cousened them Esay 44. and their Conscience cannot possibly truly witnesse any comfort to them For the good things they have done be they the best works or words or deeds done that possibly can be spoken or done their conscience cannot truly witnesse so long as they be unregenerate and therefore to conclude this point If thou wouldst have thy conscience to witnesse holily and truly and to thy comfort never rest untill thou find that thy conscience is sprinkled with the blessed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Heb. 9.14 which is able to purge thy conscience and that thy heart is purified by faith and sanctified by grace and then thy Conscience will witnesse with thee in the Holy Ghost otherwise it is but a deceitful conscience that maketh men soothe up themselves and esteem themselves in a holy and good estate without cause VERSE 2. That I have great heavinesse and continual sorrow in my heart NOw from hence in that the Apostle doth set down his grief and sorrow for the rejection of the Jewes I might stand to shew that Gods Children are not stocks nor stones free from natural affections Gods Children have humane affections of joy and sorrow and love which is common to the nature of man but those are rectified and by grace guided to right objects and that by due measure and moderation according to the nature of the object to which they are moved The Apostle maketh this a note of such that are given over to unnatural sences Rom. 1.30 that they want natural affections and doubtlesse the more true and sincere grace is in the heart of Gods children certainly the more tender are the affections of that heart and soul and the more effectual apprehension of any true cause of matter of sorrow or grief but to passe by that And to come to the main point In that the Apostle doth manifest that he had great heavinesse and sorrow and that for the rejection of the Jews that was the object of his sorrow because the Jewes were left in the blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart and did not imbrace the Gospel this was matter of great heavinesse to the heart of the blessed Apostle in the first place the observation is this That we are to be grieved for the known miseries of others Doctr. and especially for the known miseries of the soules of others we are to grieve and to mourn for others that we know do lye under any heavy trouble or affliction or distresse in respect of any outward calamity but beloved our hearts must bleed and be broken for the evils that we know do lye upon the soules of others we are exceedingly to be grieved for the blindnesse of the mind and hardnesse of their heart that they go on in sin without repentance with an high hand that they are led by the lusts of their own hearts and according to the lust of their vile hearts in security and brutish lusts this is that which must stick close and wound us especially Besides this evidence in the example of the Apostle we have testimony in other places of Scripture in Ezek. 9.4 we read of the godly who should be marked and have a mark set on their forehead that they should not be destroyed in the common overthrow of Hierusalem they were such as cryed and mourned for the abominations that were committed by others in that City their hearts bled not so much for the overthrow of the City as for the hardnesse of the hearts of men such as did abominably and in Jer. 13.17 saith the Prophet when the people would not hear him and yeeld obedience to the voyce of God in his Ministery My eyes shall weep in secret and why for the hardnesse of the hearts of the people that they would not take notice of the Word of God and the Judgments of God denounced against them for their sins Oh saith the Prophet I must needs grieve for your obstinacy and Psal 119.136 saith David my eyes gush out with rivers of water thereby expressing the grief of his heart why because they were under any calamity no because men keep not the Law of God even for the sins that lye upon the soules of men and the hardnesse of their hearts And the Apostle witnesseth of that holy man just Lot that his soul was vexed with the filthy lusts and unclean conversation of the filthy Sodomites 1 Pet. 2.7 they vexed just Lot from day to day with their filthy abominations and it is witnessed of Christ himself in Mark 3.5 that he mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts of the Pharisees even the blessed soul and heart of the Lord Jesus mourned for the hardnesse of their hearts that they would not be humbled for their sins and in Luke 19.41.42 The Lord Jesus wept for what because Hierusalem should be ruinated not so simply but also especially for the hardnesse of their hearts and that they would not take notice of those things that did belong to their peace the Lord had sent his Prophets and his own Son and yet they would not hearken so that we see it is a clear truth that we are especially to be grieved for the miseries and the known evils of the soules of others those that continue in their sins and will go on with perseverance in swearing Sabbath-breaking Drunkennesse and the like for these we are especially to mourn and to be grieved The Reason Reason is because the evils that be upon the soul of
be rightly affected to the good estate of the Land and true friends to it they delight and much rejoyce in that which is the true happinesse of the Land and the strength and stability of it which is the Gospel and flourishing of the truth and holy Religion of God Now the Papists are so far from this as indeed they envy the truth and hate the holy Religion of God that is amongst us and they cannot abide it they oppose against it what they are able and seek by all means they can to overturn it yea it would do them good at the heart to see the Gospel removed out of the Land and the holy truth and Religion we yet enjoy quite overturned and their abominable Idolatry and superstition set up in the place of it they rejoyce when they see the cause of our holy Religion weakened and when they see such as stand soundly for the maintenance of it disgraced and discountenanced oh how do they exult and rejoyce at it and can they then be good friends to the good estate of the Land who thus envy the true good of the land and that wherein stands the true glory and happinesse and strength and stability of it no no it is not possible let them say what they will to the contrary they pretend and say they are as good subjects as the best and would make the world believe that howsoever they differ from us in Religion yet they wish as well to the State and they are as good friends to the King and to the State as the best of us all thus they prate and thus they would make the world believe but their lying and equivocating is palpable indeed and in truth there is no such matter They that hate Zion as Psal 129.5 They that wish ill to the holy Religion of God that is amongst us and is our glory our happinesse our strength and stability say what they will assuredly they cannot possibly be rightly affected and true friends to the good estate of our Land and Kingdom And we for our parts are to be earnest with the Lord that these enemies of the Gospel may not be too far trusted yea we ought as the Apostle exhorts 2 Thess 3.1 2. to pray and that earnestly that the Gospel may have free passage and be glorified amongst us and that we may be delivered from these perverse and unreasonable men And surely if they do in any sort prevail against the Gospel and the holy Religion we professe we may justly impute it to this as one speciall cause that we are defective in this duty VERSE 5. Of whom are the fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is God over all blessed for ever Amen IN this Verse the Apostle puts down a third cause and reason moving him to wish himself separated or accursed from Christ for the conversion of the Jewes namely this because of them were the fathers and of them Christ came according to the flesh who is farther described to be God over all and Blessed for ever To which the Apostle subscribes and gives assent in the word Amen Of whom are the fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came who is God over all blessed for ever Amen I will as briefly as I can open the sense and meaning of the words of this Verse Of whom are the fathers Or whose are the fathers that is of which people were the honourable and holy Patriarks of whom they are descended as of honourable ancestors and progenitors whose praise is in the word which also had the promises of Gods mercy to them and to their posterity Gen. 17.4 7. and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came Of which Israelites Christ descended according to his humane nature and took his humane nature of their stock as we have it Rom. 1.3 he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and Hebrewes 2.16 it is said he took the seed of Abraham VVho is God over all blessed for ever Some do alter and change the reading of these words and do thus read them God who is over all be blessed for ever and so they will not have this clause referred to Christ but think that the Apostle doth here conclude with a general doxology in giving praise to God but this is a violence to the Text. It is plain that the Apostle having made mention of Christ his origen and beginning according to the flesh his purpose was also to make mention of his God-head and that to the praise of the Nation of the Jews that of that nation Christ came who is not onely man but God also even true God and very God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God by Being or Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Eternal Over all That is over all persons and over all things blessed for ever That is God eternal and for ever to be praised in all ages and for ever for this is a title attributed and given to God the Creator Rom. 1.25 Amen That is So be it or let it be so Thus then conceive we the meaning of the words of this Verse as if the Apostle had said Of which people the Israelites were the honourable and holy Patriarks of whom they are descended as of most honourable Ancestors and Progenitors and of which Israelites Christ also descended according to his humane nature and took his flesh and humane nature of their stock The Metaphrase which Christ is not onely Man but God also Even true God and very God by nature and God over all persons and over all things yea God eternal to be blessed and praised in all ages and for ever To which I give my assent and say So be it or Let it be so Having now the sense and meaning of the words come we now to some matter of doctrine that this Verse will afford us And first we see it here put down by the Apostle as an honour to the Jewes and as a special priviledge that they were the posterity of the holy Patriarchs Whence note we briefly thus much Doctrine That it is no small honour to be of the race or kindred of such as have been the holy servants of God it is a matter of dignity to be the children of good and godly parents we read Rom. 16. that the Apostle often remembers this as an honour to such and such that they were of his kindred vers 7. Andronicus and Junia my cousens vers 11. Herodian my kinsman vers 21. Lucius and Iason and Sosipater my kinsmen Colos 4.10 the Apostle commends Marcus to the Colossians as a person worthy of respect under this title that he was Barnabas sisters son not to inlarge the point the reason why it is an honour and dignity to be of the race or kindred of such as have been the holy servants of God and to be the children of good and godly parents is Reason Because good men themselves are highly in favour with God
in the seventh Verse that Isaac was the true and chosen seed of Abraham in whom Abrahams seed should be called and to whom God intended to make his Covenant of grace mercy righteousnesse life and salvation why because he was the child of the Promise begotten not by strength of nature but by the efficacy and power of the promise Then in the eighth verse our Apostle putteth this down in the general That they onely are the true children of Abraham because they are the children of the Promise In this ninth Verse he confirmeth it by a testimony of Scripture that Isaac was a child of the promise taken out of Gen. 18.10 I will certainly come unto thee in the time appointed and Sarah shall have a son this the Apostle affirmeth to be the Word of promise So then in this ninth verse we have for the general matter of it these two things to be considered First The speech of God to Abraham in Gen. 18.10 and in the substance here recorded by the Apostle wherein God hath set down the time when Sarah shall have a son Secondly the Apostles note upon this speech of God what kind of speech this was to Abraham namely a promissory sentence This is a word of promise in the same time will I come and Sarah shall have a son Come we now to the opening of the words This is a word of promise That is this testimony of Scripture which now I alledge which is the speech of God to Abraham it is a promissory sentence a word of promise promising a special mercy a special blessing and a special good thing to Abraham In the same time will I come Or as it is in Genesis I will come according to the time of life his meaning is when this time of the year shall come and revive and come again even in plain terms this time twelve moneths as in Gen. 17. where God saith he will establish his Covenant and Sarah thy wife shall have a son at this time the next year the meaning is this time twelve moneths Sarah thy wife shall have a son That is she shall conceive and bear a son of her own body and bowels and none other womans child shall be for her so the meaning in general is this This sentence that I alledge which is the speech of God to Abraham Gen. 18.10 it is a promissory sentence promising a special blessing unto Abraham wherein God saith when this time of the year shall revive even this time twelve moneths shall thy wise Sarah have a child begotten and born of her own body Come we to the observations And in that the Apostle here alledging a sentence and place of Scripture doth not barely deliver the words of Scripture but he putteth it out with this note this is a word of promise In that he telleth us plainly that the speech which God used to Abraham and here cited by himself is a promissory sentence which any man that looketh upon the text and is able to judge of it aright shall see it to be so when God saith at such a time will I come and Sarah thy wife shall have a son And yet the Apostle pointeth it out this is a word of promise Hence we learn That it is justifiable Doctrine and a warrantable course in preaching the Word of God for the Preacher to say unto his hearers this is a point of doctrine yea when he comes to make use and application unto the people to say this is a word of comfort this is a word of terrour this of Instruction this of Exhortation and the like we find it an usual thing with the holy Prophets of God in the time of the Old Testament when they did threaten Judgments they did set this before the burthen of the Lord as the burthen of the Lord against Edom the burthen of the Lord against Hierusalem and the like as we may see in the Prophet Esay Jeremiah Ezekiel and other Prophets But indeed it is thought by some that are utter enemies to the plain teaching of the Word that this is needlesse And they do find fault with this manner of teaching and deride it and say it is a base and contemptible manner of preaching why say they this is all one as if a man should draw the picture of a man and paint it out in colours and then to write in Capital letters by him this is his head this his armes this his nose and the like were not this ridiculous say they Thus you see these sons of Belial these men they deride that which is warranted by the holy Prophets and holy Apostles and that which doth most good in all experience 2 Tim. 3.16 The Scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable to teach to correct to improve now may not the Scriptures be applyed to this end and purpose and being so applyed may not the people be told that this is matter of Doctrine and that this is a word of comfort or a word of Instruction or a word of Confutation confuting the Papists or other enemies doubtlesse they may Because indeed by this means the people shall be the better able to go along with the Preacher and more distinctly to take notice of the things delivered what serveth for information of Judgement in matters of faith what for reformation of their hearts and lives in doing of good and avoiding of evil and the building of them up in the wayes of holinesse therefore let others mock and scoffe what they will yet Ministers of God that make conscience of their duty have no cause to be ashamed of it it is the most powerful and profitablest kind of preaching and doth build up the people in faith and encourage them in every good duty Again the Apostle having said This is a word of promise he then subjoyneth the promise of a temporal blessing that Sarah should have a son Hence we see that the Promises of God in Scripture are of two sorts Doctr. either principal promises or of a lower degree principal Promises touching Christ mercy grace life and salvation and of a lower degree as to have food and apparel and outward good things and children Now the promises of God that are of a lower degree they do depend upon those principal promises and we cannot apprehend the Promises of God with true comfort for our good unlesse we first lay hold on the promises of God in Christ Abraham did first believe the promises of mercy of righteousnesse and salvation for his justification and then he believed the promise that he should have a son in his old age as appeareth Rom. 4.9 19 20. And that holy Father Noah first he was by faith made the heir of righteousnesse and then did he believe the Promises of God for his preservation in the Ark Heb. 11.7 Therefore deceive not thy self in any particular Vse we cannot trust God with any true comfort for any temporal good thing unlesse we be able to rest
whatsoever they be Doctrine no not the good works of men have any hand or stroke in Gods election of some to life and glory in heaven and his effectual calling of some in time these two things they are merely and onely of the free grace of God and not of the works of man whatsoever their works be be they never so good or excellent works in themselves And this being the proposition that it may rightly be conceived and that we erre not in the beginning we must know that Gods grace in Scripture hath a threefold acception First it is taken for Gods free favour which is of the nature of God and essential unto him the places of Scripture are obvious and plain unto us Secondly The grace of God in Scripture it is taken for the working of grace so some Divines take it for the operation extending and reaching out that free favour unto others Thirdly it is taken for the gifts of grace whether those gifts be habitual or actual as faith love joy hope peace patience and the like these are stiled by the name of grace now the proposition that we deliver is That Gods election is of his free grace my meaning is it is not the gifts of grace but by grace we are to understand the free grace and favour of God and the reaching and extending of that grace in time so that this being premised the point is to be thus conceived That Gods eternal election of some to life and glory in heaven it is of the free grace and favour of God being extended and reached out to his chosen and not of the works of man be they never so good or excellent though they be the works of grace and for the proof of this it is manifest in Rom. 11.5 The Apostle saith that at this very day there is a certain remnant of the Jews under the election of grace then he subjoyneth in the sixth verse Now if it be of grace then not of works for then were grace no grace and if of works then not of grace for then were works no more works so that the Apostle maketh a flat opposition and a contrariety between works and grace that the one of these being admitted and granted the other cannot stand but must fall grace and works cannot stand together in the same case Ephes 2.8 9. saith the Apostle by grace you are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God and then he subjoyneth not of works lest any man should boast 2 Tim. 1.9 The Apostle speaking of God saith he hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own eternal purpose and grace and Titus 3.4 5. VVhen the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by the righteousnesse that we had done but of his own mere mercy he saved us These and many others do sufficiently evidence unto us the truth of the point That Gods free grace and favour is the cause of eternal election and not the works of men which are but splendida peccatam glittering sins Because God will have all the glory of all the good that cometh to his Reason 1 chosen or is done to them he will not impart his glory unto any other he will have the beginning the increase and consummation of it to come of his free grace and not of the works of man lest any man should take any part of the glory to himself Ephes 2.9 no not of the best works lest they should pride presume and magnifie themselves in their own good works and so detract from the glory of God and so mans mouth might be stopped Reason 2 The Lord will have his chosen to have sound and solid comfort in the certainty of their election and of their effectual calling not a comfort upon a rotten ground but sound comfort when Gods chosen come to be assured of it that they are in the number of Gods elect and have evidence that they are effectually called God will have that evidence and assurance of theirs to be built upon a sure ground namely upon his own free grace which is indeed unchangeable as his own blessed Majestie and essential in him and so a ground immoveable not built upon any works of theirs because they are variable and changeable in their own Nature it is true indeed Faith shall never fall away not by any immutability in faith it self but because grace doth continually support and uphold it but faith and good works of men in their own nature are variable and changeable weak and imperfect corruption cleaving unto them and unchangeablenesse belongeth neither to Saint nor Angel nor any thing but God himself it is his Attribute so that upon these two grounds we may resolve that Gods election and effectual calling is onely of his free grace and not of mans works Vse 1 First of all this truth is of great force and beareth strongly against the merit of good works which is held and taught by the enemies of Gods grace those of the Antichristian Synagogue of Rome whether it be merits of congruity or merits of condignity for this is their tenent the good things done by men before their conversion those do merit ex congruo but such as are done after calling those they magnifie and say they merit ex condigno by a kind of dignity equal to the works of glory that it is just with the Lord to give them salvation for it yea the point now delivered meeteth directly with that Popish conceit that grace and works do concur say they and so make a mingle mangle and hotch-potch grace and works do concur and meet together in the justification and salvation of a sinner they are good friends and at amity in flat opposition to the words of God which do teach that in the matter of justification and salvation these two are at odds in matter of good life faith and good works must be but not in matter of justification or salvation as they teach Again we find that justification and salvation they are by the Apostle derived and fetched from the very same beginning and cause namely the free grace and eternal love of God as well as election and vocation Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified whom he justified them he also glorified so that election vocation justification and glorification come all from the same grounds Object 1 But yet further the Papists do seek to elude and to put out the clear light by many shifts as first of all say they the places alledged in Rom. 11. Ephes 2. and others where the Scripture maketh an Antithesis and opposition between grace and works you must know the meaning of the Holy Ghost his meaning is Ceremonial works not Moral works Ceremonial works have no hand in Justification Answ To this I answer The Apostle speaketh indefinitely shutting out all works whatsoever they
doth limit and restrain the mercy of God to them to whom the Lord vouchsafeth mercy and therefore mercy is not a natural property in God Answ To this I answer First of all this Cavil is grounded upon a mistaking and misconstruction of the words of the Apostle For the Apostle doth not here intend and mean the natural property and essential attribute of mercy in God but he meaneth the act exercise and work of that property which is extended and reached out unto man and that is ever guided by the holy will of God Again it is false and utterly untrue that this heretick affirmeth that all the natural properties of God are ever in use to us for justice mercy goodnesse and power and the like be essential and natural in God and yet God doth extend and reach them out to whom he pleaseth according to his own purpose when he will and where he will and how it pleaseth him so that it is false and blasphemous to say that mercy is not natural and essential in God for the testimony of Scripture contradicteth it in Exod. 34.6 the Lord there proclaimeth himself in this manner The Lord the Lord strong merciful gratious and abundant in goodnesse and in truth yea this might be illustrated by many testimonies of Scripture but I forbear it in so pregnant and plain a truth And come we then to that which may be truly concluded from these words I will have mercy upon whom I will And compassion upon whom I will These words being understood as heretofore I have explained them That the act the exercise and the work of Gods mercy and pity and compassion it is ever by God extended to them to whom he pleaseth Hence then we are given to understand thus much Doct. That Gods mercy reached out unto his chosen it is most free and voluntary it dependeth upon nothing out of God but cometh onely and merely out of his own good will and pleasure That the Lord is merciful unto any or that he sheweth any fruit of his love or mercy to any one it is merely from his own good will and pleasure and not depending upon any thing out of his holy and blessed Majestie the Lord being the author of mercy pity and compassion he extendeth his mercy pity and compassion to those to whom he will Or more briefly thus The reason why the Lord doth extend and reach out mercy unto any is his mere will and nothing else And to clear this a little further mark what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 1.3 the Apostle there calleth God Pater misericordiarum the Father of mercies shewing that God is the Father and begetter of mercy and that mercy and love are as it were his children coming from him and in Joh. 1.15 saith the Evangelist of him we receive grace for grace one grace to another And Christ Jesus saith Luke 10.12 Father I confesse Lord of heaven and earth thou hast hid these things even the things of thy Gospel from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes even so because it pleased thee It was so of thy good will and pleasure nothing moving thee thereunto so that the reason why the Lord doth vouchsafe mercy unto any it is the free will and favour of God nothing else moving him But haply then some may say to me It seemeth not to be true Object that God vouchsafeth mercy unto his chosen and pardon for their sins for the sake of Christ if he shew mercy of his own free will then not for the sufferings of Christ which were a grosse errour to conclude To this I answer that these two things are subordinate Answ as we speak in schooles they do and may well agree and stand together God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ and merely out of his own will how can these two stand together yes very well for why God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ the will of God is that his chosen should have the pardon of their sins through Jesus Christ and that pardon of sin should not come without Christ as Christ affirmeth John 6.40 for this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the son and believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Now if any do object that of the Prophet Esay 43.25 Object I am he that hath put away all thine iniquities for mine own sake therefore it seemeth it is not for Christs sake but for his own sake as the Lord professeth I answer Answ God doth therefore pardon the sins of his chosen for his own sake because he doth it for Christs sake for all the works of every person is the work of the whole Trinity that which the Son worketh the Father and Holy Ghost worketh in Unity of Godhead so that mercy cometh only from God the Father And the reason why God vouchsafeth mercy to any is nothing else but Gods free will This first meeteth with a false conclusion of Arminius and of the Arminians Vse 1 that say God may decree to shew mercy unto such as believe and repent and such as persevere in grace and sanctification Now this is to restrain Gods shewing of mercy to mens qualification And to make something in man to be the cause and reason of Gods shewing mercy Where as these two stand together never they can possibly agree being contraria contraria sine medio That Gods will is the cause of his mercy to man and that God sheweth mercy because of their faith vertue and qualification in good things they are two opposites but to leave them Farther this being so That Gods mere Will is the cause of his mercy Vse 2 unto us and nothing else hereby then we must learn to magnifie the mercy of God vouchsafed unto us in any kind whatsoever hath God vouchsafed mercy unto us in regard of our bodies but especially in respect of our soules hath he converted our sinful soules from wickednesse to himself hath he reached out his mercy so far as that he hath extended his saving grace unto our soules Oh then learn we to acknowledge that it is most free and that it hath been vouchsafed merely from God himself nothing in us as a reason or cause to move him why he should shew us the least mercy And thus meditate and think with thy self whosoever thou art that hast found Gods mercy and his saving grace reached out unto thy sinful soul Oh consider surely I was in the common estate and condition of all men I was guilty of damnation by reason of the sin committed by Adam I was begotten and brought forth in sin and lived therein in a miserable estate and condition and I had no feeling of my misery no desire to be saved and when God sought me I desired him not I closed mine eyes against him and would not see the light I stopped mine eares and would not hear his voyce But the
Objection in the beginning For the Papists they say eluding the evidence of this text in this manner It is not in him that willeth or runneth after the flesh and according to Nature but by your leave say they it is in him that willeth and runneth by Faith which is grounded upon Gods mercy may agree with Gods mercy A poor shift and thus they seek to shift off the Evidence of this text directly contrary to the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this place For the opposition here is not between man willing and running after the flesh and mans willing and running by faith they are not here opposed But mark the opposition it standeth thus Between mans willing and running and Gods shewing mercy these are the things that be here opposed and set in Contradiction one to the other mans willing and running in a good way and in the way of sanctification and salvation and the Lords shewing of mercy so that neither the willing of good nor the working of good by any though a regenerate person is the thing that is available to election or salvation As in 2 Tim. 1.9 The Apostle there denyeth that either himself or any other true believer and regenerate person that they were either called or saved by their own works for saith he He hath called and saved us Not according to our own works but according to his own grace whether they were works natural or supernatural so also in Titus 3.4 5. verses he saith in the fourth verse when the bountifulnesse and love of God appeareth then in the fifth verse he subjoyneth not according to the works of righteousnesse which we have done but of his own mere mercy he saved us so that the willing or working of good is not the cause of any mans election or salvation The Reason is Because the goodnesse which is in the will of man Reason and the goodnesse which is in the works of man it proceedeth from Gods election it is an effect and a fruit of it It proceedeth from that root and so is the fruit of holinesse and righteousnesse as the Apostle saith expresly in Ephes 1.4 God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world was laid that we should be holy so that holinesse followeth Gods eternal election And therefore the willing or working of good by regenerate persons cannot possibly be the cause of Gods eternal election it being the effect for it is not possible that the same thing can be the cause of the same thing and the effect in one and the self-same thing For Application First of all this meeteth with that opinion which Vse 1 some do hold That it is of God a man may be saved But that men are saved That particular persons amongst men come to be saved that is of themselves This do some hold and affirm And it is their tenent That the possibility of the salvation of man that it is possible for men to be saved that is of God But that this possibility becometh profitable and effectual to some men that is of their own free will A foul and a grosse errour directly contrary to the truth now handled and delivered unto us if it be so that the possibility of the salvation of man becometh profitable to some particular persons amongst men from the freedom of their own will surely then it must needs be from the goodnesse of their own will and from their well-willing And then a believing soul a soul that shall be saved and now is in the state of grace and of salvation hath ground to boast of in himself And may lift up himself even against God himself in ostentation and may thus magnifie himself say unto God Lord that there was any possibility for me to be saved it was of thee I freely confess it but that this possibility proveth not an impossibility to me as it doth to many thousands in the world that was my own doing I did that of my self That I could be saved the thanks of that belongeth to thee Lord but that I am now in the state of grace and salvation And that I am sure to be saved the thanks of that belongeth to me my self For thy love to me was no more then to them that are damned till my willingnesse to receive grace and faith put a difference between me and them till the inclination of my soul made me thine I might for all thy love have been damned eternally as well as Cain Judas Saul or any other Reprobate had not I out of the righteousnesse and freenesse of the freedom of my own will chosen grace it was not of thee Lord but of my self that I chose grace And damnation had been mine had I not of my own free and voluntary will chosen and used grace Oh beloved is not this intolerable and monstrous pride and ambition thus in ostentation for a man to lift up himself against God Is this a thought to come into any Christians heart no it is to be renounced For this boasting and ostentation doth naturally follow upon this their tenent that they teach the possibility of salvation cometh from God but that that possibility cometh into Act is of mans free will And this ought by every Christian to be abjured renounced and cast away as blasphemous erroneous and false Vse 2 Again This being a truth that no mans willing or doing of good is the cause of election or salvation Then let this teach us to take heed that we ground not our salvation upon any thing willed or done by us be it never so good yea though it proceed from the root and radix of true sanctifying grace It is mere madnesse in the Papists enemies to Gods grace to ground their hope of salvation as they do upon the performance of those good things that God requireth of them so far forth as they are able to perform them thus they ground their hope of salvation Now they so grounding their hopes they have no reason in the world to hope for any good at the hands of God for who seeth not unlesse he be wilfully blinded and blindfolded by his own self-love self-will and self-conceit who seeth not I say how far short we come of doing those good things we ought to do either in the state of nature or in the state of grace And the Papists themselves to joyn with them when they deal against that comfortable and holy truth of God that is held and taught in our Church That a Child of God may in time of this life be infallibly assured of our own salvation the Papists when they deal against this holy and comfortable truth then they plead and say alas we are frail and we are weak creatures and we fail in the manner of doing good duties and therefore we cannot assure our selves of salvation What say they do you say we may be assured of our salvation upon our faith and doing good duties Alas we are full of imbecillity
and weaknesse and cannot have any assurance It is true indeed if so be that our hope of salvation stood built upon the weak ground of our own good works But mark their subtilty when they speak against the Doctrine of our Church they plead imbecillity and weaknesse But when they plead for their own Doctrine then they say they ground their hope of salvation upon the performance of the good things God requireth of them so far forth as they are able to perform them what a madnesse is this in them thus to contradict themselves And beloved to apply it to our selves are there not many amongst us as mad as the Papists foolish ignorant sots That thus reason I know I must love God above all and my neighbour as my self And if I do my best endeavour to do these things I hope God will be merciful unto me and I shall go to heaven what is this but to make our own working of good the ground of our salvation and to ground the hope and certainty of heaven upon their own well doing Their conclusion is so simple and so foolish that upon loving God and their Neighbour they shall come to heaven maketh that the ground of their salvation It is true indeed that the willing and working of good coming from a right radix they be the fruits and assurances of our salvation but if we build our salvation upon our best good works yea upon saving and justifying faith or the best good thing we can perform we delude and deceive our selves neither our well willing nor well working is not the cause or ground of our salvation It is the rule of Christ himself Luk. 17.10 when we have done all that we can do and all that the Lord hath commanded us to do if it were possible yet we must say we are unprofitable servants And we must say so not onely for modesty sake as the Papists do absurdly glosse upon that text for modesty and humilities sake say they we must say so why beloved the Lord Jesus doth not teach us to lye And to say that which is not true for modesty sake no but he teacheth us to speak the truth for indeed it is so that for all our well willing and well doing we are unprofitable servants yet we must take heed that we do not hereupon cast off all care and endeavour of well doing no we are carefully and conscionably to do all that we can do that is good And know that working of good coming from the root of saving and sanctifying faith it is profitable and necessary to heaven for it is the beaten high way to eternal life and salvation it is a testimony of our obedience and thankfulnesse to God for his mercy And it is a means to set forth the glory of God and maketh much for the illustration of it And it is a proper mark of a true Christian it is a fruit ever flowing from saving and justifying faith and it is a necessary antecedent of the promises of eternal glory in heaven yet if we do advance this doing of good beyond this strain to merit salvation we do built it upon a rotten and unsound foundation Now further observe we the Apostle maketh an opposition between mans willing and running and Gods shewing mercy Hence I might note these particulars First of all that Gods mercy is the sole and whole and al-sufficient cause of mans election and not mans well willing or working good either foreseen as the Arminians teach or the present act and being And secondly that Gods free grace and the merit or works of men do not concur and meet together in mans salvation as the Papists teach But these things I have handled before And hence note we in a word thus much In that the Apostle saith that the eternal election and salvation of some amongst men is not in men themselves but in God that sheweth mercy Hence observe That the eternal salvation of men is laid up in the merciful powerful Doctrine and gracious hand of God It is laid up in the power of God which is essential with God himself Col. 3.3 the Apostle telleth the Colossians that their life is bid with Christ in God And hence God is said to be the Father of glory Ephes 1.17 because glory is as it were begotten of him And in 1 Tim. 6.5 the Apostle saith he onely dwelleth in immortality The Lord which hath eternal life and glory he doth give it to whom he will and he will give it in his due time and therefore he will certainly give it to his chosen Vse Then what a ground of sweet and excellent comfort is this to every one that findeth himself to be in the number of Gods chosen Hast thou good evidence of it that thou belongest to Gods election Oh then consider thy eternal happinesse which is laid up not in the hands of any creature no it is laid up in the hands of a gracious and powerful God and no enemy whatsoever can wrest it out of his hands if it were committed to thy own trust then thou hast just cause to doubt whether thou couldest keep it or no nay a thousand to one thou wouldest lose it Adam in his state of innocency being trusted with it wittingly and willingly lost it but thy salvation is kept by him who is able to keep it 2 Tim. 1.12 And not the force fraud or subtilty of the Devil or world without can fetch it from God who is the Author of it and keeper of it no nor our own flesh can prevail to the overcoming of him Oh then if thou hast evidence of thy salvation comfort up thy self let the Devil and the world spit their malice and use all the means they can they cannot possibly deprive thee or dispossesse thee of it for it is in the keeping of a powerful Creator and they cannot take it out of his hand How then may a child of God cheer up himself upon this consideration VERSE 17. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee And that my name might be declared through all the earth Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy And whom he will he hardeneth IN these two Verses the Lord sheweth by the Apostle that he is just in casting off some men and rejecting of them The Apostle having cleared God from the imputation of injustice in choosing some to life and salvation and passing over others out of his own free will though they were all one in regard of nature because the Lord hath absolute power and free liberty to shew compassion to whom he will Now the Apostle cleareth God from being unjust in rejecting of some particular persons of equal estate and condition with the elect in regard of nature every way equal unto them in themselves And the Apostle proveth the Lord not to be unjust in so doing by a testimony of
comfort both in life and in death Let us then never rest untill we be grieved for the miseries that lye on the bodies of others but especially for the evils on the souls of others and such as do appertain unto us that we be not like stocks nor stones but that we mourn for the sinnes on the soules of others Now from these words the Apostle where he saith he grieveth for the rejection of the Jewes some move this question Whether the Apostle might lawfully be grieved for the rejection of the Jews it being according to the appointment of the Lord. But the question Quest arising from hence concerning our selves is this seeing we are to be grieved for the known miseries of others the question may be Whether we may be grieved for such persons as suffer just punishments for their evil deeds brought to the place of execution when the hand of God is in punishing of them for their evil doings or no Now to this I answer Answ That we are to put on tender bowels of pity commiseration and compassion towards all that be in any distresse and under the punishing hand of God in any thing whatsoever they be though never so vile and sinful though they be monsters in regard of the outrage of sin yet as they be the creatures of God as they bear the Image of God and be reasonable creatures and are partakers of the same nature with us so we are to put on tender bowels of pity and commiseration towards them though they be never so vile or wicked Thus we find Samuel mourned for Saul Samuel as a Prophet foreseeing the evil that was like to fall upon Saul both in the losse of his Kingdom and the losse of his life in so desperate a manner he grieved for him as we may read in the 1 Sam. 16.1 The Lord biddeth him no longer to mourn for him yet he did in regard of the miseries that he saw lye upon him thus we are to mourn for all be they never so vile as they bear the image of God and are men and women like unto us but as wicked persons undergo just and deserved punishment for their offences either against God the good estate of the Church or the good estate of Religion we may in that respect be so far from grieving mourning and pitying of them that we may rejoyce and joy in it yet not pleasing our selves in the smart or pains of others be they never so vile but for the manifestation of Gods Justice because we love God and the glory of God is dear unto us therefore we may and ought to magnifie and justifie the Name of God in cuting off of such men as be Jesuites and Seminary Priests we may be so far from sorrowing for them as that we may rejoyce in it and glorifie God in cutting off of such wicked Imps as in Psal 58.10 11. The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the revenging hand of God upon such and men shall say Verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth on the earth God himself desireth not the death of any so he saith I delight not in the death of a sinner yet God was pleased with the punishment of the wicked according to the rule and course of his Justice so we must not delight in the punishment of any as he is a creature of God and beareth the Image of God like unto us but we are to look upon the glory of Gods Justice and to magnifie and to glorifie him in such persons being destroyed that seek the hurt of Gods glory Gods Church or Gods Religion For then we are to rejoyce but not in their punishment as they are men of the like nature with us In the next place we are to mark that the Apostle saith not nakedly and barely that he was grieved and sorrowed for the rejection of the Jewes but doth affirm and say that he had great heavinesse and continual sorrow for the rejection of the Jews his heavinesse and sorrow was not small nor vanishing but it was great and heavy such as is a womans travelling with child for so the word sorrow signifieth a vehement great and heavy sorrow for their rejection Now what was the cause the Apostle grieved for the rejection of the Jews because he loved them for this was a manifestation of his love his sorrow and love held sympathy and proportion hence the observation is thus That true love unto any person Doctr. or thing causeth heavinesse sorrow and grief in the heart upon any known just occasion of grief given from that person or thing so loved and according to the measure of love to any person or thing so is the measure of grief or sorrow upon any known just occasion of grief from that person or thing so loved our grief is answerable and proportionable to our love the more we grieve for any person or thing the more we love them this we see is clear from the example of the Apostle that was grieved for the rejection of the Jews out of his love to them and this is manifest by other places as in Gen. 37.34 we read when good Jacob that holy and just man had just occasion given unto him for sorrow and heavinesse as he thought for his son Joseph he thinking verily his son was devoured by wild beasts as they did give him intelligence though false it is said that he rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and sorrowed for him exceedingly yea the Text saith that when his children came about him to comfort him he would not be comforted in regard of the evil he thought had befallen his son Joseph he grieved a long season and would not be comforted so also in 1 Sam. 20.34 Jonathan was very sorrowful and exceeding heavy for David because his Father Saul had reviled him such was his love to David so also we find that the good man Nehemiah had a heart full of sorrow and grief and humbled himself in weeping and fasting when he heard of the evil that was upon the Church and the people of God it made him break out into weeping and humbling his soul Nehem. 1.6 yea his sorrow and heavinesse was so great that he could not dissemble it he could not keep it in his bosome it appeared in his very countenance yea and that so apparantly that the King said What is the matter Nehemiah why is thy countenance sad seeing thou art not sick Sure I perceive that this is nothing else but sorrow of heart Nehem. 2.2 In John 11.36 the Jews said when they saw Jesus weeping for Lazarus Behold how he loved him they could thereby conjecture his love to him so 2 Cor. 2.4 The Apostle saith in great anguish of spirit he wrote to them and in many tears that they might perceive his love unto them his true and hearty love and anguish of his soul went together so that the point is clear That true love unto
ignorant person but thou art wrought upon by the Word and Spirit of God and sealed up unto the day of redemption thou art sanctified truly by the Word and Spirit thou are not a formal Professour then thou hast right and title to all the comfortable promises of God both of this life and the life to come and here cometh thy comfort these Promises are most firm and stable they are yea and Amen thou shalt certainly be made partaker of it in health and sicknesse in life and in death be will be thy God and the God of thy seed and blesse thee with all heavenly things and thou shalt certainly attain to happinesse and salvation if the promises of God were uncertain and changeable then thy comfort were little or nothing but know that thou being called to faith and holinesse the promises of God to thee are yea and amen and are as unchangeable as God himself Oh what comfort is this that the Promises of God are so unchangeable as God who cannot lye Titus 1.2 James 1.17 with him there is no shadow of changing or alteration and it cannot be that either thy own sins thy own failings no nor yet Satan nor all the power of hell should ever be able to make it void and of none effect this will be a speciall comfort to thee thou being one to whom the Promise belongeth look unto that that thou be one to whom this promise belongeth lay not foul hands upon it yea the consideration of this the thinking and meditating upon this that the promises of God are firm and stable being layed up in our hearts it will keep us from being swallowed up by the surges of the deepest tryals and temptations even then when we are tempted by Satan to diffidence or distrust consider the Lord hath promised in his Gospel Joh. 3.16 Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but be sure to have everlasting life now this promise of God is firm and stable to him that believeth in Christ Jesus and is able to uphold us from fainting in the middest of the greatest tryals and afflictions for they are firm and stable and cannot be shaken a ground of excellent comfort Notwithstanding it cannot be that the Word of God of should take none effect for all they are not Israel which are of Israel OBserve we here that the Apostle doth not barely affirm thus much That though the Jewes might object that if they were rejected then the promise of God were frustrate and void and of none effect he doth not onely affirm it that this cannot possibly be but he doth further strengthen it with a reason why it cannot so be namely thus because all they are not Israel which are of Israel because all they which came of Abraham of Jacob and of Israel by natural generation all they are not Gods Israel the Israel of God Abrahams chosen seed unto whom alone the Promise was made so that the promise of God is firm and stable so then you see it was from a misconceiving and misapplying of the promise that the Jewes thought that the promise of God was void which was made unto Abraham if they were rejected the Jews applying the promise to the carnal seed of Abraham unto the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and therefore they forced this false conclusion but the Apostle telleth them plainly that all they that came of Israel by carnal generation they are not the true seed of Israel so that their misapplying was the cause of their false collection hence then note we thus much Doctrine That the words of Gods promises being mis-understood and mis-applyed it is not truly comfortable it is not a true ground of comfort to those that so mis-understand it and mis-apply it Or we may put this down in the general thus That the Word of God either promising mercy or threatning judgment or teaching any duty being misunderstood and misapplyed is not the true profitable and comfortable Word of God to those that so misunderstand it and mis-apply it in 2 Tim. 2. we find that the Apostle having exhorted Timothy to a constant undergoing of the labour of the Ministery and to a patient bearing of the Crosses that came by reason of the execution of his office then in the seventh verse he concludeth Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things as if he had said Consider duly what I stirred and exhorted thee unto and the Lord give thee that thou mayest both rightly understand and rightly apply it and so in 2 Pet. 3.16 The Apostle telleth us that the holy Scriptures being wrested and perverted and mis-applyed they are so far from being comfortable that they tend to the destruction of them that mis-understand and mis-apply them they are so far from being comfortable when men do pervert them and turn them which way they list that they tend to their own destruction And indeed though the Scripture be in it self the Will and Wisdome of God revealed unto us and though it be true that God speaketh unto us in and by the same yet the Word of God mis-understood and mis-applyed it is not the word of God neither doth God speak unto us and as One saith well the word of God foolishly perverted and understood it is not the word of God to him that so understandeth it and therefore cannot be truly profitable and comfortable unto him for the Application It concerneth us then in the first place that are Ministers and Messengers Vse 1 of God that take upon us to handle the holy Word of God and to deliver it unto Gods people to be careful of it that we rightly understand and rightly apply the word of God and that we deliver unto our hearers Gods word and out of Gods word Gods mind and meaning that they may say God speaketh in the Preacher 1 Cor. 14.25 so must we deliver the mind and word of God And then onely shall we find the blessing of God upon the Word we handle and then we shall draw men to a holy course of life or at least convince them of their sins if we deliver it so as God may be said to speak in us or by us then we may look for a blessing upon it to the working of grace and to convert them to a holy life for if it be not rightly grounded either upon the Word of God or derived thence surely take it for a truth it is not Gods Word Though it be a sound Orthodox and a true point of Divinity yet if it be not grounded upon the Word of God we handle or by necessary consequence it is mans word and not Gods Word Again this being so That the word of God is not the true profitable Vse 2 and comfortable Word of God being misunderstood and mis-applyed it then concerneth every one of us all that are hearers of the word of God to look unto it that in hearing and reading the holy word of God
rejected others out of the mere good pleasure of his will without any thing in man either good or bad quality or any thing done by man either good or evil No doubt God did foresee these things in man but not as a cause moving him thereunto but his election is free And indeed it is an act of Gods soveraignty that he hath over the creatures which is altogether independent upon any thing in the creature or done by the creature as the cause of it as for example In the first Creation of all things when God created the world he first made the matter of all things a confused Chaos and out of that he made the distinction of several things and creatures in their several kinds Now as in that first Creation when that the whole matter of it was alike a confused heap then there was reason why one part of that matter should become fire another water another the ayr and another earth Because this was necessary both for the beauty of the world and the use of the creatures that they might be useful both to man and beast but why this or that part of the first matter should be fire and not water why God would make that part water and another part earth a baser element no reason can be imagined of this but onely the will of the Soveraign Creator because it pleased God to make one part of that first matter water and another fire and another earth and another ayr he might have made that part fire which was water but it pleased the Almighty Creator to make them so So in the general there was Reason why the Lord would receive some to salvation and reject others to damnation both for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy and justice but why God would appoint this or that particular man or woman to life and salvation and not another man why Peter and not Judas not any reason can be imagined rightly and truly but the good will and pleasure of God Vse 1 First of all this truth serveth for the confutation of some erroneous opinions that are contradictory unto it as namely that of the Papists in that they hold and affirm that God indeed foreappointed some to life and salvation from everlasting no doubt say they but how upon his foresight of their free will working together with his grace upon a foresight that their free will would co-operate and co-work with his grace to the doing of good works and thereupon and in respect of that did God fore-appoint them to life and salvation a mere device and shift to delude silly people withal And likewise this truth now delivered meeteth with the erroneous opinions of the Arminians and Anabaptists for they are near one to the other The Arminians hold and affirm that God did decree the choyce of some to life and salvation not actually chuse them but decree some to life and salvation upon the foresight of their faith with perseverance and so say the Anabaptists it was upon the foresight of their faith and obedience to the Gospel so that they jump together in the matter the one upon foreseen faith and the other upon foresight of obedience to the Gospel the Lord did foresee that some would imbrace the Gospel some would believe in Christ some would seek salvation by faith in Christ upon the promises of God and thereupon did he decree the choyce of some to life and salvation or at least say they mincing the matter it was the rule which God did follow in his choyce we will not say they stand upon it to be the cause but it was the rule A frivolous distinction to distinguish between cause and rule or cause and reason But for the opinion it is most false for if so be the foresight of faith and of the obedience to the Gospel was the cause working God to decree the choyce of some to life and salvation then this will surely follow that that which hath onely a being in time was the cause of that which was altogether before time then faith which hath no being in nature but in time it shall be the cause working God to decree the choyce of some to life and salvation before all times a most grosse and absurd thing that the thing in time should over-rule the decree of God from everlasting Again if so be Gods fore-appointing of some to life and salvation had faith foreseen for the cause of it what need then had the Apostle to bring that question or make that Objection that he doth in the 14 verse of this Chapter What shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God there would be no shew nor semblance of any injustice or unrighteousnesse with God if so be this were true that Gods fore-appointing of some to life and salvation had faith foreseen for the cause if any had moved this question that it seemeth hard that before the children were born God should receive one and reject the other and so should conclude then God is unjust and unrighteous Then we might answer speaking in the language of the Arminians God did foresee long before that Jacob would believe and Esau would not and this would clear God from any suspition of injustice and this cavil would be quite taken away and so we should make the Apostle to speak very absurdly to move a question that needed not and make an objection needlesly which were most wicked and blasphemous once to suppose such a thing of the blessed Apostle which was guided by the holy Spirit of God infallibly who had cause to move this question so then let the Arminians and Anabaptists passe away with their idle fictions of their idle brains contrary to the truth of God Is this so that God hath fore-appointed some to life and salvation Vse 2 and rejected others merely of his good pleasure and will here then is ground of sweet comfort to thee that hast good evidence of it that thou art in the number of those whom God hath appointed to life thou art sometimes troubled it may be with the consideration of thine own unworthinesse of thy own great unworthinesse and the sight thereof doth many times perplex and trouble thee and make thee walk on very heavily and very uncomfortably and doth much trouble thy Conscience Oh then remember and consider this to thy comfort that the Lord hath set thee apart thou having evidence of thy election to life and salvation before thou hast done any thing without respect had to any thing done by thee either good or evil and will the Lord now reject thee and cast thee off because of thy unworthinesse which thou complainest of no surely he respecteth it not he respecteth neither thy worthinesse or unworthinesse he hath freely chosen thee to life and salvation before thou couldst do any thing and assuredly to thy comfort he will freely save thee he will passe by thy infirmities and pardon all thy sin he will hide them
to that there is no truth in them they are lying spirits and I may justly say to such as Abraham said to the rich man in hell Luk. 16.29 thy friends have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them so we have the writings and the words of the Apostles and holy Prophets of Jesus Christ and God speaketh unto us therein there is the Oracle of God and we must give leave and liking to them and not upon the fancies of men that say such and such a day shall be great disasters Oh but say some these things sometimes come to passe It may be so in Judgment they come to passe because men give ear unto them what saith the Lord by Moses Deut. 13.1 2 3 4 5. If a lying prophet or a dreamer of dreames do tell you of strange things and they come to passe believe him not for the Lord doth it to try you and it is the just hand of God to bring it upon you because we give ear and liking to them Again observe we the Apostle bringeth these words of Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy to prove that God was not unjust in loving Jacob and hating Esau he having denyed this with a God forbid he subjoyneth presently as a reason to prove it For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy A man would think this were a strange kind of clearing God from injustice is not God therefore unjust when he loveth Jacob and hateth Esau without cause because he saith I will have mercy because I will hath God no other reason to give But we must learn to acknowledge that this is the soveraign power of the great God of heaven and earth that his will must be reason enough to rest upon and this is the true obedience that is acceptable and pleasing to his holy Majestie Doctr. That Gods will and pleasure and his appointment touching all things that are in the Word and touching the ordering and disposing of all things and coming of all things to passe in this world it is holy just and good and it cannot be taxed as unholy and unjust though we cannot dive into the depth of it the will of God that is holy just and good though we cannot comprehend the depth of it And the reason and ground is Because it is the very nature of the Will of God he doth all things Reason 1 most freely and justly as in Ephes 1.5 He hath predestinated us to be adopted through Christ Jesus in himself nothing out of himself according to the good pleasure of his will Again secondly the will of God is the square and rule of all goodnesse Reason 2 and righteousnesse whatsoever God willeth it is good because he willeth it but whatsoever is in Scripture is agreeable to the will of God is good and whatsoever dissenteth from the will of God it is evil so that upon this ground Gods will and pleasure it is holy just and good and cannot be taxed with evil because he willeth it How is the good will and pleasure of God just and holy in respect of sin for he doth appoint it else it could not be in the world Object It is true sin could not be in the world unlesse God did appoint it Answ and yet Gods appointment is good God willeth the being of sin in the world not simply as it is peccatum sin but as it is a pupishment for some evill foregoing and so he maketh it to serve for the manifestation of the glory of his Justice in this respect the being of sin is good and so God who is able to bring light out of darknesse good out of evil he doth righteously and willingly permit evil Upon this ground we must learn to lay aside all reasonings of the flesh Vse against the will and appointment of God touching all things that come to passe in the world we must learn not onely in our words but thoughts also to justifie the will of God as holy and just in respect of the being and coming to passe of every thing in the world But to apply this a little nearer and to another purpose to teach us that as we must justifie the working will of God so we must justifie his signifying will in his Word whereby he doth signifie his mind to acknowledge that to be holy just and good yea we must learn to esteem and to hold every Commandement of God every denunciation threatening and every promise of God that we find in the holy book of God to be holy just and good Rom. 7.12 And it is a sure sign of grace when we can acknowledge the wisdom of God in his Word and every Commandement of God to be holy and righteous as when a man can justifie the Commandement of the Sabbath the Commandement against uncleannesse usury or any Commandment that doth crosse and thwart and contradict our sins whatsoever that we can say Lord thou art just and upright in thy Commandements howsoever I am sinfull this is a sign of a sanctified soul whereas every worldling will be disputing against every Commandement of God and will pick a quarrel with them at the Commandement of the Sabbath that requireth we should not think our own thoughts speak our own words nor do our own works on that day Esay 58.13 Oh saith the carnal man may I not walk to Taverns and Ale-houses and talk of matters of the world this is too strickt and rigorous And so in the matter of apparel whereas the Lord requireth our apparel should be modest befitting such as fear the Lord Oh say they this is too strict if I should not follow the fashions of the world I should be accounted as an Owl and as no body in the world thus they wrangle and cavil against the Commandements of God but they that do justifie the Word of God as holy and true though it meeteth with our dearest lust yet we subscribe unto Gods Commandements this is a signe of true grace in our hearts Oh therefore labour to subscribe unto the Commands of God if we will be assured of grace For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Object VPon occasion of these words I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy A blasphemous Heretick did hold That mercy was not a natural property in God but an act of the will of God Because that Moses bringeth in the Lord saying I will have mercy upon whom I will And thus he reasoneth God doth alwaie suse his natural properties such as be essential in God they are in exercise and he useth them continually but saith he mercy whereby God doth offer grace unto sinners and pardon of sin unto man is not alwaies exercised and shewed forth as namely to all sinners impenitent And the Apostle affirmeth that God hath mercy upon whom he will And so the Apostle
Lord at the last opened mine ears and eyes and enlightened my mind gave me understanding and made me see what I would not see he touched my heart with his grace and the power of his Spirit and changed my Affections whereas before I had no mind of heaven no desire of salvation untill he made me see what I have not he hath not dealt thus with all many thousands there be that go on without this touch of heart and remorse of conscience without this powerful work of grace they go on in their sins though they hear the Word from Sabbath to Sabbath what was I better then they surely nothing at all by Nature Oh then how am I bound unto God nothing moving the Lord to shew mercy unto me but onely his mere good will and pleasure how am I bound to magnifie the goodnesse of God And indeed this is that glory of the free mercy of God which the Lord would have us to yeeld unto him he would have us to yeeld unto him this glory of his free mercy and how pleasing this is to God and how the Lord esteemeth of this magnifying of his mercy may appear by that description Exod. 34 6 7. The Lord the Lord strong merciful gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth Reserving mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. Thus the Lord doth proclaim himself for this is that wherein the Lord doth take delight to have the glory of his free mercy given unto him And this is the name by which the Lord Jesus will be known to his Elect and chosen in all ages I am a merciful God this is the name by which I will be magnified and in which he delighteth that we should give him the glory of his mercy that we can say when the Lord vouchsafeth mercy unto us that it proceedeth onely from the Lords free will And know that it is not more vile pride in a Begger to attribute the almes that is given unto him unto his own deserts then it is for us to ascribe any the least mercy that God vouchsafeth unto us to our own worthinesse it is monstrous pride in a beggar to ascribe the almes that are given him to his own deservings But it is far more for thee to ascribe and attribute that to thy self which is freely given of God Let us therefore consider that every rag we have it is of the free mercy of God Oh did proud persons consider this they would not so gorgiously adorn themselves and disgrace the holy profession of God if they did consider they have nothing but from the free Fountain of Gods mercy nothing moving him they would not be such carelesse fellowes in their careless bands which sheweth their carelesnesse as they be Vse 3 Again Is Gods mercy reached out unto his chosen most free and depending upon nothing out of God himself surely then a child of God one to whom God hath reached out saving mercy may conclude and gather to his comfort that Gods saving mercy it shall never be removed from him but abide with him for ever for why it dependeth upon the free will of God and that is unchangeable even as God himself And I may say as Pilate saith in Joh. 19.32 when he had written a superscription over Christ and they demanded why he writ so he answered quod scripsi scripsi what I have written I have written so may the Lord say I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Mal. 3.16 I am Jehovah I change not Mercy is mine and who shall take it from me shall the devil no nor all the powers in hell can hinder or frustrate the will of God Oh then consider to thy comfort God hath reached out his mercy to thee and he will never take it from thee for he hath said I will have mercy on whom I will VERSE 16. So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth But God that sheweth mercy THe Apostle in this Verse determineth the point touching Gods Justice in his free choyce of some particulars amongst men to life and salvation In the Verse foregoing he proveth it by the speech of God unto Moses that God hath free liberty and absolute power to shew mercy unto whom he will and compassion to whom he will without respect had to any thing in them Now the Lord having thus described his shewing of mercy merely to depend upon his good will and pleasure hereupon our Apostle in this 16. verse doth bring in a consectarie and infer this conclusion that therefore Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation is not to be ascribed unto the will or unto the works of any man but unto Gods free grace in shewing of mercy So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy In this 16. verse the general things are two First a removal of that which is not the cause of Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation and what is that mans willing and mans running it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth Secondly the describing and the assigning of the onely true and proper cause of Gods choosing of some to salvation and that is Gods shewing of mercy but in him that sheweth mercy Now I will lay forth the sense and meaning of the words of this verse So then or So therefore it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the text Original these words it is are not to be found but they are necessarily to be supplyed So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth what is that that is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth surely that which the Apostle had spoken of Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation that is not in him that willeth nor runneth Some do here understand Jacobs willing and running particularly but by their favour that is too narrow and too strict for the purpose of the Apostle is more large and general these words being a conclusion of the verse foregoing I will have mercy on him on whom I will And this word him must have as large a sense as the words in the verses foregoing yet Jacob is not to be excluded but rather included and so the meaning is it is not in Jacob or in any other man that willeth or runneth in him that willeth That is in him that willeth and desireth good and endeavoureth after that which is good and that by the power and strength of his mind will and affections or any part or all the powers and faculties of his soul nor in him that runneth We are not to understand as some do Esau's runing onely no nor yet Jacobs running to the fold to fetch a Kid for his father Gen. 27. but the meaning is it is not in him that worketh as it is not in
the occasion of this Cavil is from the verse foregoing where the Apostle saith God hardeneth whom he will hereupon flesh and blood beginneth to cavil against God and to rise up and swell against him and to charge him with no lesse then cruelty and extream hard dealing in that the Lord should harden men and then complain of the hardening of man And this Cavil which might haply be charged upon God by humane Reason he first propounds and then Answers unto it he propounds it in this 19. verse and answereth unto it in the 20 21 22 and 23. Verses Now in propounding this Cavil the Apostle maketh way unto it in the first place by putting down of the person of a Caviller and by bringing the Caviller speaking thus Thou wilt say then unto me and secondly he setteth down the matter of the Cavil or Objection and that by way of interrogation very emphatically Why doth he yet complain And thus the Objection may be framed Reprobates and wicked men are hardened because it is the Will of God that they should be hardened as you have taught us in the verse before and therefore God cannot justly blame or punish them for their hardnesse for it is according to his will For if God do blame and punish them for their hardnesse surely it seemeth to the Reason of flesh and blood to be extream cruelty and rigour God seemeth to be extremely rigorous and a cruel God in punishing men for their hardnesse And this Cavil is further backed by a proof for who hath resisted his will as if the Caviller had said Why none can resist Gods will his will is irresistible and it cannot be withstood and therefore if God first of all harden and then complain it is extreme rigour and cruelty so that if wicked men and Reprobates be hardened it is according to the will of God and so they are hardened unavoidably and of necessity God hath decreed their hardening and he will have it so and none can gainsay his will And therefore it is no lesse then Tyranny in God to blame and punish men for it And thus much we are to conceive of the generality of this 19. verse first the Cavilling person Thou wilt then say unto me secondly the Cavil why doth he yet complain and thirdly the proof of the Cavil for who hath resisted his will Come we now to the sense and meaning of the words Thou wilt say then unto me Thou who is this the Apostle meaneth that is thou whosoever thou art that art a carnal Reasoner and reasoneth according to carnal Reason thou wilt say unto me why doth he yet complain that is why doth God complain of such as be hardened why doth God find fault with them and threaten such as are hardened what cause hath the Lord to complain threaten or punish such as are hardened they being hardened according to his will thus the carnal Caviller reasoneth for saith the Caviller who hath resisted his will that is none was ever able to stand against to frustrate or make void the will of God the purpose of God was never resisted none was ever able to stand against his will and to hinder it from taking place and being effected Gods decree and purpose is irresistible that none can withstand it therefore saith the Carnal Reasoner God hath no just cause to complain so that the sense in brief is thus much Thou that art a Carnal Caviller art ready to except against my speech in that I say God hardeneth whom he will thou wilt say if this be so Paul why doth God threaten Judgement hell and damnation against those that are hardened what cause is there that God should complain find fault threaten and punish them with hell and damnation for who ever resisted the will of the Lord was there ever any man that was able to stand against the will of the Lord no no man and so they are hardened of necessity unavoidably according to your own Doctrine Paul so that this is the meaning of the Apostles speech Now come we to matter of Observation and Doctrine And first of all observe here the Apostle bringeth in a Caviller and a Carnal Reasoner as it were objecting and inferring upon his former speech that God hardeneth whom he will this Conclusion the cause being so God hardeneth whom he will then God hath no just cause to complain of mans hardening so that hence ariseth this Conclusion That mans carnal reason Doctrine doth commonly gather and infer wrong Conclusions from true grounds of Religion and true points of Divinity And therefore from Divine and holy truths of God and especially such truths as are of a high Nature as Gods election and reprobation are doth mans corrupt and carnal reason commonly infer inforce and bring erroneous and false Conclusions it is a common thing with mans reason see this is manifest by farther places of Scripture in Rom. 3. from the fifth verse to the ninth verse The Apostle having delivered this truth of God that Gods goodnesse and Gods truth are commended and set out by mans sin accidentally God bringeth good out of evil hereupon some Carnal Reasoners are ready to except against this Doctrine Oh say they how can God justly punish sin this the Apostle speaketh in the person of the Caviller if our unrighteousnesse set forth Gods righteousnesse then God cannot justly punish sin So in the seventh verse of the same Chapter If Godt glory hath abounded through my lye why then am I punished saith the carnal man God cannot then justly punish me for my lying so in Joh. 3.3 The Lord Jesus having put this down as a certain truth that except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Nicodemus hearing this after a carnal manner and resting in his own carnal reason see what an absurd conclusion he bringeth in upon this then it seemeth that a man must enter into his mothers womb and be born again So in John 6.53 54. Christ shewing that except a man eat his flesh and drink his blood he hath no life in him Now some that heard this they heard it with great indignation and stumbled at it and they said This is a hard saying who can bear it must we eate this mans flesh and drink his blood and they so conceiving carnally concluded as the Papists doe now in their Doctrine of of Transubstantiation that we must eat the body of Christ and drink his bloud corporally and after a carnal manner yea they so stumbled at it that they forsook him insomuch that he said to his Disciples What will you be gone from me also doe you conceive of my words as the Capernaits did saith Christ My words are spirit and life and you conceive of them with carnal reason and gather from my points false conclusions Because carnal reason Reason is blinde in Divine matters in things that be heavenly and spiritual it cannot discern and look into the depth of them it
as Conscience doth enlighten them that will bring to Life and Salvation no Familist or Anabaptist can have any assurance that they shall have Salvation But if we would have assured Evidence that cannot deceive us we must seek for the proofe of it in our hearts and soules in our effectual Calling see here what evidence of grace we have then we need not in this case to climbe up unto Heaven to search the Court-Rols of Heaven but we may take a shorter cut looke into thy owne Charter drawne out with the bloud of Christ in thy heart and therein looke to Gods effectual Calling to the Evidence of grace in thine own soul and that wil Evidence thee of thy Election and that thou art in the number of those that are Gods Chosen and herein I desire that everie one wil deale truely with his owne heart and soul Haste thou answered the voyce of God God calleth upon thee in his Word to come out of thy Ignorance and thy unbeliefe and other known sinnes tel me and deale faithfully Art thou wrought upon by the Word of God Doest thou come out of thy ignorance and thy blindenesse of minde by a through change from evil to good is the course of thy sinnes broken off thy pride thy drunkennesse thy usurie Hast thou thus answered the Call of God and hath the Word had a kindely workeing upon thy soule Romans 6.17 Doest thou finde sweetnesse in the Consolations of the Word of God and doest thou yield obedience to it in all things in one thing as well as in another Not onely in some things but in all things that God requireth yea in those things that doe most of all crosse thy owne humour Doest thou finde that the lusts of thy owne heart are curbed and ordered and doest thot finde that thou art now brought to love God to love his Children to love his Messengers to love the instrument of thy Calling If thou hast these things in thee thou art effectually called and being effectually called thou art a man or a woman that shall certainly be saved my soule for thine thou shalt come to Heaven all the Devils in Hell cannot deprive thee of it Oh then let every one trie above all things their effectual Calling which will assure them of salvation and be an infallible Evidence for their Election Even us whom he hath called not of the Jewes onely but also of the Gentiles Vse 2 IS it so that effectual Vocation doth prove unto men infallibly their Election and salvation in Heaven doubtless then effectual calling must needs be a ground of sweet and excellent and heavenly comfort unto the soules of all those that are indeed effectually Called Hast thou then good Evidence of thy effectual Calling Art thou sure that God hath wrought upon thee by the power of his Spirit That he hath brought thee by the preaching of the Word out of thy natural estate of ignorance and unbelief to true knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ Oh then comfort thy self thou hast cause to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Peter 1.8 For this sealeth up unto thee this comfort that thou art one whom God loved from everlasting from all Eternitie before this world was that thou art one redeemed by Jesus Christ that thou art justified in the sight of God and acquitted and freed from the guilt and punishment of all thy sins and that they shal never be laid to thy charge for effectual calling and justification joyn hands together it giveth thee assurance thou art acquitted from all thy sinnes both past present and to come and shalt as certainly goe to Heaven as if thou wert already in Heaven and all the power of hell shal never be able to prevail against thee therefore thou art in a most happie condition Object But here happily some may say here is a sweet ground of excellent comfort we must needs confess if so be a man be effectually called and truely believe in Christ but alas say the Papists a man cannot know whether he hath the Spirit of God working in him or no he may have a false spirit neither can a man tell whether he doth truely believe in Christ or no. Now therefore to remove this stumbling stock of the Papists Answ we must consider that the Spirit of God is compared to fire Matthew 3.11 He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire and it is compared to the blowing of the wind Joh 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth c. So are all that be born of the Spirit thereby giving us to understand that as sensibly as a living man may perceive the burning of the fire and feel the blowing of the winde so sensibly may a Child of God perceiue in himself the working of the holy Spirit of God And indeed it is the very office of the Spirit of God to teach Gods Children to know the things of God so saith the Apostle expresly 1 Cor. 2.12 We saith the Apostle have not received the spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit of God whereby we know the good things that are given us of God He teacheth us to know our Hope our Faith and a good life it is the office of the Spirit and he will certainly perform his Office And beloved did not the Apostle know on whom he had believed 1. Tim. 2.12 I know on whom I have believed and cannot a Childe of God know assuredly that he truely believeth in Christ by the works and fruits of his faith purifying his heart working in him a love to God and his Children Gal. 5.6 because they bear his Image may not he certainly conclude true faith worketh by love Object Oh but say the Papists for all this a man cannot know whether he truly love God or no Do you say they prove your faith by your love Answ This is more foolish then the other for if one man love another he knoweth it and in what measure he loveth him and cannot a Child of God that layeth aside all earthly pleasures and denieth himself and standeth for Christ and his Gospel to the shedding of his bloud and yet not know whether he loveth God or no surely then Christ did ask of Peter a very idle and frivolous question which were blasphemie to think in John 21.15 Peter lovest thou me Peter might have said Lord thou knowest no man can tel whether he love thee or no but Peter saith Lord thou knowest that I love thee so that a man may truely know whether he loveth God or no and so be assured of his effectual calling I but say the Papists grant this Object that a Childe of God may know the good things given him of God and may know Gods love for the present and know himself in the state of grace yet here is a point you littlc think of sc he cannot be sure of his salvation unless he hold out unto the end And herein they contradict the plain