Believers and of a temporary Faith I answer 1. That if by a temporary Faith the Objectors meane a Faith which is eventually onely such it is acknowledged that the Scripture owneth both the terme and notion But if by a temporary Faith they meane a Faith intrinsecally in the nature and kinde of it differing from that which is true and truly justifying they devise a new kinde of Faith which the Scriptures know not of And of how dangerous a consequence the introducing of an exotique Faith into the affaires of Christian Religion may be I leave to themselves to judge For those Hearers or Professors which in Mathews relation of the Parable our Saviour calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 temporaries are explained by Luke to be such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who BELIEVE for a season as we heard before Now the ordinary and most familiar signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to believe in such cases and constructions as this I meane when it is used indefinitely and without a specification of some particular Object is to signifie true Believers or such who believe unto justification Instances hereof are too many to be numbred And to turne words out of their native proper and best-known significations into unusuall by and improper sences no exigency of the Context compelling hereunto hath alwayes been adjudged a dangerous breach of the Lawes of Scripture-Interpretation 2. The temporarinesse of the Faith found in the Stony ground did not arise §. 34. from the nature essence or any internall property in this Faith wherein it was specifically distinguished from the Faith of those emparabled by the good ground but partly from the ill temper or inconsideratenesse of the Persons in whom it was seated who neglected to give it sufficient rooting or establishment within them partly from the outward occasions of trouble and persecution for the Gospell which came upon them Nor is there any sufficient ground or reason to conceive that it would have proved temporary and not perseverant unto the end had not the persons in whom it was been attempted with persecution When the year proves very moist showers of Râ—ine ever and anon falling from Heaven upon the Earth the seed that is sown even in stony ground is wont to prosper and to yeild a competent increase at least at harvest to the husbandman Otherwise such ground as this would never be sown nor would our Saviour have had the opportunity of furnishing his Parable with the mention of that event or ill successe which frequently befalleth the seed sown in such ground Now if the temporarinesse of the Faith we speak of was occasioned onely ab extra or by means accidentall and extraneous to it evident it is that it did not arise from any thing in the nature or essence of it and consequently that it was of the same kinde with that Faith which did persevere unto the end 3. If the temporarinesse of the Faith now under consideration either caused §. 35. it or declared it to be specifically distinct from that which was sound and justifying and which held out to the end then must perseverance or an impossibility of failing be of the nature and essence of true Faith The consequence is evident and needs no proof Now 1. If perseverance be of the essence of true Faith no person can be looked upon as a true Believer either by Himself or others untill he gives up the Ghost and dieth 2. If an impossibility of failing be of the essence hereof no Man can be looked upon as a true Believer neither before nor after he be dead For what though a Mans Faith should not faile before he dieth yet this amounts to no sufficient proof that therefore it was impossible that it should faile A thousand things come to passe which yet very possibly might not have come to passe Againe that Perseverance is not an intrinsecall or essentiall property of true Faith but onely a consequent of it and that contingent appears 1. From the Principles of our Adversaries themselves who commonly distinguish between the gift of Faith and the gift of Perseverance Wonderfull it is saith Austin and much to be wondered at that God should unto some of his Children whom he hath regenerated in Christ to whom he hath given FAITH hope and love NOT GIVE PERSEVERANCE a Mirandum est quidem multumque mirandum quod filiis suis Dâ—us quibusdam quos regeneravit in Christo quibus fidem spem dilectionem dedit non dat â—rseverantiam Aug. de Corrept Et Grat. c. 8. Therefore by the way Austin is no friend to the common Doctrine of Perseverance as it is taught and received amongst us 2. Adam they say before his fall had true Faith or at least a Power of believing truly which now they acknowledge in none but in those who truly believe however certaine it is that he had true holinesse yet the event in his fall declared that Perseverance was not essentiall unto any of these and consequently that in case he had persevered in them this Perseverance had been but consequentiall to them and that contingently 3. That which is true is not wont to be opposed or contra-distinguished to that which is temporary but may commodiously enough be distinguished into that which indureth for a season and that which continueth for ever Therefore that which is temporary and which standeth by a Man onely for a short time may be as reall and true in the same kinde as that which continueth with him all his dayes 4. If the Faith under dispute were temporary in the nature of it and not by consequence onely then could not a falling away from it by those who were possessed of it be the cause of their finall miscarriage which yet our Saviour plainely supposeth because should they have persevered in it they should not have been any whit more saved by it then now they were under a falling away from it The losing of that which being kept would not have saved a Man cannot be the cause of his losse of Salvation 5. And lastly if the said Faith were temporary and not true justifying or saving in the nature of it then the lack of moysture afterwards could not be the reason or cause thereof I mean why it was or proved temporary and not true or saving The reason hereof is plaine viz. because what is so or so such or such in the nature of it cannot be made or become such by any after means or occasion whatsoever whether act or neglect But evident it is from the express words of the Parable that the reason why the said Faith was or proved temporary was because the seed from whence it sprang wanted moysture And some fell upon a Rock saith Luke and as soone as it was sprung up i. e. within a short time after as appeares Mar. 4. 17. it withered away because it lacked moysture a Luke 8. 6. So that the withering of it away i. e. the
damned a Mark 16. 15 16. That believing which our Saviour here requires and unto which he promiseth Salvation is doubtless no other Faith or believing but a true and unfeigned belief of that Gospel of his which his Apostles in the words immediately preceding were injoyned to preach unto the world And if it shall be said That men might or may believe and that truly and unfeignedly all that the Apostles preach to them and yet perish that vast and signal difference which our Savior here makes between Believing and not believing vanisheth into nothing is made none at all See further upon the same account Joh. 8. 24. 11. 27. Acts 8. 37 with 38. Rom. 4. 3. 10. 9. with very many other Texts of like pregnant and unquestionable import From all which it fully appeareth that a true and unfeigned admission or Reception of the Gospel as it cometh from God and is declared by him in the Writings of the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles into the heart and Soul of a man which is done by a true and unfeigned belief of or consent unto it translates him from death to life makes him a Child of Light a Son of God an Heir of Salvation c. And what Faith or Belief can it reasonably be imagined should have this mighty and blessed influence upon the creature Man to turn him from darkness unto light from death unto life from Satan unto God but only the true and unfeigned Belief of those glorious Mysteries which were brought out of the Brest and Bosom of God by his Son Jesus Christ at his coming into the World That a true cordial unfeigned Belief of the Gospel and things of God is §. 27. true justifying Faith hath been the Sence and Doctrine of the best and most judicious Authors as well ancient as modern I could instance and prove at large if it were not somewhat too eccentrical to the business in hand It is saith Calvin the Righteousness i. e. the Justification of Faith if we believe that Christ dyed and was raised up again from the dead b Fidei Justicia est si credamus ChristuÌ„ esse mortuuÌ„ atque à mortuis excitatum Calvin in Gal. 3. 1â— Elsewhere he saith that the Apostle Paul defines those to be faithful or true Beleevers who have the KNOVVLEDG of sound Doctrine c Posteriori membro definit quos vocet Fideles nempe qui notitiam habent sana Doctrinae Idem in 1 ad Tim. 4. 3. and pronounceth the Faith of Sarah whom he calls the Mother of all Beleevers to consist in this That she judged God faithful or true and that in his Promises d Hanc enim fuisse Sarae fidem praedicat quòd veraceÌ„ judicavit Deum idque in suis promissionibus Ibid. in Heb. 11. 11. Luther speaking of Abraham saith That He was justified only upon this that he gave credence to the Word of God interpreting that of Moses Gen. 15. 6. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness as if he had said Abraham believed God to be true in his Words and Promises and was therefore counted a worthy and righteous man by God e Abrahami exempluÌ„ adducit quippe quod ille ex hoc tantaÌ„ justificatus fuerit quòd verbo Dei FideÌ„ habuerit quemadmoduÌ„ Scriptura inquit Credidit AbrahaÌ„ Deo imputatuÌ„ est ei ad justiciam Gen. 15. Ac si diceret AbrahaÌ„ Deum in suâ— verbis promissionibus veraceÌ„ credidit idcirco à Deo pro spectato et justo viro habitns fuerit Luth. Poâ—hil p. 782. And learned Chamier defines Abrahams Faith whereby he was justified Ingentem confidentiam super promissione divinâ quam ille credidit omnino implendam f Chamier Tom. 3. p. 428. i. e. a mighty confidence of the Promise of God which he believed would absolutely be fulfilled Peter Martyr most frequently and I think I might say constantly in his Writings placeth justifying Faith in a firm Belief or assent unto the Gospel or Word of God Our Faith saith he is nothing else but AN ASSENT OR FIRM PERSVVASION OF THE WORDS OF GOD. From whence it appears that our Faith proceeds from the Faith or faithfulness of God For when our experience teacheth us that He is faithful we readily believe him and that belief which we give to his words is presently attended with Hope g Nostra Fide non aliud est quaÌ„ asseâ—suâ— persuasio firma de verbis Dei Vnde liquet Fidem nostram ex Dei Fide nasci Quia cum illum Fidelem esse experiamur facile credimus Fidem quam verbis ejus adhibemus illicò spes consequitur P. Mart. in 1 Cor. 1. 9. By which last words it is evident that he speaks of true justifying Faith in the former Again Faith may be defined to be a firm and constant assent of the mind to the Words of God inspired by the Holy Ghost for the Salvation of those that believe In this Definition there is none of the four Causes wanting The Word of God is the matter or material Cause THE ACT OF CONSENTING THE FORMAL the Holy Ghost the Efficient our Salvation the Final h Fides definiri potest quod sit firmus ac constaâ—s animi assensus virbâ— Dei Spiritu Sancto affâ—atus ad salutem credentium Nullum causarum genus in hac finitione desideratur Materia est verbum Dei Forma consentiendi actio Efficiens Spiritus Dei quo suademur Finis est nostra salus Ibid. in vers 31. In which words it is observable that he expresly makes the formal Cause of Justifying Faith to consist in the act of assenting or consenting to the Word of God Yet again To believe as to our purpose is by means of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to exhibit or give A FIRM ASSENT unto the Word of God and this for the Authority of God Himself And not long after Let us now infer that Faith is a gift or faculty inspired into us by the Spirit of God whereby we yield A FIRM AND SETLED ASSENT unto the Word of the Lord by means of his Authority i Quamobrem credere prout ad rem nostram facit est afflatu Spiritus Sancti verbo divino assensum firmum praebere idque ipsius Dei Authoritate Idem in 1 â—or 13. 2. Paulo post Jam colligamus Fidem esse donum sive facultatem nobis divino Spiritu afflatam quâ verbum Domini ejus Authoritate firmuÌ„ constantemque praebemus assensum Once more In this Dispute of justifying Faith by Faith we understand that FIRM ASSENT which is of so great strength and efficacy that it dâ—â—weth along with it the effect of Affiance Hope and Charity together with all good works as the infirmity of this present life will bear k Omnibus igitur significationibus his abjectis in hac disceptatione FideÌ„ intelligimus firmum illum assensum qui
to the Promise and Encouragement given unto it by Himself in that behalf and therefore so as that it shall not cannot be denyed of what it demandeth of Him in this kinde But that a pure which onely is the good Conscience still springeth from a found Faith in Jesus Christ and is found in conjunction with it these places 1 Tim. 3. 9. Heb. 9. 14. â—0 22. compared together and added to the former are sufficient to perswade And concerning the place in hand some of our best and most Orthodox Expositors understand the good Conscience mentioned to be none other Musculus upon the words Which good Conscience some having put away concerning Faith c. commenteth thus Here he speaketh the same which before he had expressed thus Now the end of the Commandment or charge which I give thee is Charity out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned from which some going astray have turned aside to vain-jangling e Idem dicit quòd suprà ad hunc modum expressit Finis verò denunciationis hujus est Charitas ex puro corde et conscientiâ bonâ fide non simulatâ à quibus quòd aberrârunt quidam deflexerunt ad vaniloquium c. c. His words immediately following to which I refer the Reader are every whit as plain and pregnant to the same point shewing that by a good conscience he doth not understand a conscience only Morally good and such as may be found in meer natural men ignorant of Christ and the Gospel but a Conscience Spiritually or Christiâ—nly good Nor is Bullinger his Compeer of any other minde The safest ship saith he upon the place in this vast sea of a world of Errors and Wickednesses is Canonical or Scriptural Truth pure Faith and sincere Charity f Tutissima enim navis in vasto hoc mundi errorum scelerum pelago est veritas canonica fides pura charitas siâ—câ—ra c. In which words he explains the Apostles good Conscience by sincereness of Love or Charity Nor could Calvin himself finish what he had to say upon the place until he had given testimony to the same Truth The Metaphor saith he taken from shipwrack answereth most aptly For it implies that the course of our navigation in the world must be steered by a good Conscience that so our Faith may come safe into the Haven otherwise we shall be in danger of shipwrack g Metaphora à naufragio sumpta aptissimè quadrat Nam innuit ut salva fides ad portum usque perveniat navigationis nostrae oursum bonâ conscientiâ regendum esse aliaâ— naufragii esse periculum hoc est ne fides malâ conscientiâ tanquam gurgite in mari procelloso mergatur c. Doubtless he doth not mean that the course of our navigation through the world that so our Faith may come safe into the Harbor should be steered or guided by a meer Moral Conscience how good soever in this kinde or by such a Conscience as Cato Socrates or Seneca had or might have had such a Conscience as this is no fit steers-man or guide to such a Faith with which or by which they must make the Port of Heaven whoever arrive there Therefore certainly He conceiveth that it is such a good Conscience the putting away of which the Apostle renders as the ground reason or cause why some make shipwrack of Faith the goodness whereof ariseth from such a Faith which accompanyeth Salvation and which being carefully preserved and kept preserveth and keepeth that Faith from whence it sprang from corruption or declining Concerning the two places which are commonly insisted upon to prove §. 10. that a good Conscience in Scripture doth not always signifie a Conscience Christianly Spiritually or Savingly good but sometimes Morally good onely i. e. which is not defiled or disturbed in the peace of it with sins against knowledg which goodness of Conscience is sometimes found in meer Civil or Natural men though destitute of Evangelical illumination the truth is that neither the one nor the other of them proveth any such thing In the former of these places the Apostle Paul speaketh thus Men and Brethren I have lived in all good Conscience before God until this day a Acts 23. 1 In the latter thus I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure Conscience b 2 Tim. 1. 3 c. For neither of these places do necessarily nor so much as probably relate to the time of Pauls Pharisaism as if his meaning were that all that time he had kept a good Conscience towards God for how could He then with truth or singleness of heart have made this Confession Of sinners I am the chief c 1 Tim. 1. 15 but to the time of his Apostleship or Profession of Christianity as appears clearly from the former place upon this account Paul was accused by the Jews as an Apostate from the Religion of his Forefathers and the true Worship of God as they supposed and that He was fallen from Judaism to the Sect of Christians yea and was become a Ringleader of them This they conceived to have been an high misdemeanor in Him and accused Him as a very wicked and ungodly Person for so doing To this Accusation and Crime objected the Apostle answers to this effect Men and Brethren whereas I have forsaken the Religion and Worship of the Jews and have embraced and do yet embrace the Christian Religion in stead of it I have done nothing I do nothing herein but upon very justifiable grounds and with a good Conscience in as much as I have obeyed God in so doing of which I am ready to give you a perfect Account if you please to hear me This to be the true purport and drift of the Apostles words the sequel of the Context makes yet more apparant For upon the hearing of the words in debate uttered by Him Ananias the High Priest was sorely offended and commanded the standers by to smite Him on the mouth for so speaking Now it is no ways reasonable to conceive that He would have taken it so heinously that Paul should say that He had always lived in all good Conscience before God whilest he professed Judaism and before He became a Christian Such a saying as this would rather have gratified and pleased then offended Him But that He should say that He lived with all good Conscience in the Profession of Christianity this was a sword that passed through Ananias Soul For the other place where the Apostle saith that He served God from His §. 11. Forefathers with a pure Conscience His meaning onely is that he serves none other God but Him whom His Forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob worshiped and that Him he served with a pure Conscience as they also did To qualifie the Jews who took great offence at Him for changing His Religion and withall to make this Practice of His
yet moved with fear prepared an ark by which he condemned the world c. 314 315 c. 11. 17. By Faith Abraham offered up Isaac c. 19 451 452 12. 2. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faiâ—â— 254 255 1 Pet. 1. 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God through sanctification of the Spirit 463 1. 5. Who by the power of God are kept through Faith unto Salvation 185 186 c. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible 199 200 2. 4. elect and precious 244 3. 21. The like figure whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us 354 4. 19. as unto a faithful Creator 70 71 236 2 Pet. 1. 4. partakers of the divine nature 199 200 2. 1. even denying the Lora that bought them 129 130 c. 2. 20. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of the Lord 144 145 c. 3. 9. not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 104 417 418 1 Joh. 2. 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole world Pag. 91 92 c. 188 2. 19. They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no dobt have continued with us 189 190 c. 261 2. 24. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall abide in you ye also shall continue in the Son c. 261 3. 7. Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous Cap. 9. § 11. p. 265 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sin c. 192 193 c. 3. 10. whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God 402 4. 4. because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world 325 4. 18. perfect love casteth out fear 314 because fear hath torment 3 16 4. 19. We love him because he first loved us 476 5. 3. For this is the love of God that we keep his CoÌ„mandments and c. 337 5. 4. For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world and c. 263 337 5. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world but he that beleeveth that Jesus is the Son of God 398 5. 10. He that beleeeveth not God hath made him a lyar c. 497 504 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his Will he heareth us 250 5. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not 263 264 2 Joh. vers 8. Look to your selves that we lose not the things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward 258 Jude ver 1. and preserved in Jesus Christ 253 3. that ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints 243 Apocal. 2. 11. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death 267 268 3. 5. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life 332 333 14. 4. these were redeemed from among men c. 143 20. 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection c. 267 A Table of the particular Heads of Matter in the preceding Discourse A ABraham in what sence commanded to offer up Isaac Pag. 451 452 453 Acts actings of God why expressed by Verbs of the Preterperfect-tense 63 Actions if men with their consequences ascribed to God emphatically and why 23 of Causes meerly natural why not always uniform p. 24. Actings and motions of created Principles seldom suspended by the first Cause and why p. 6. Such as proceed from the wills of men frequently in Scriputre attributed to them in terms of a passive signification p. 15. How said to be determined 23 Actions and Operations in these sublâ—nary parts not so attributed to God but that they have their second Causes 7 Actuality of God 7 Adam all men righteous in him 512 513 had not justifying Faith 504 505 c. All men in what sence they have right to the Promises p. 451. have sufficient means to beleeve pag. 499 500. All all men what signifie in Scripture 108 109 Ambrose for Vniversal Redemption 528 for falling away 325 327 Angels whether changeable in their Wills after Election 485. not out of a possibility of falling according to Calvin 441 receive benefit by Christ 440. need an Head as well as men 438. understand not bytheir meer essence p. 43. whether and how reconcilable 441 Anselm for Vniversal Redemption 543 Antecedent and Consequent Intentions in God 448 106 107 Aretius for falling away 392. for Vniversal Redemption 407 Arnobius for Vniversal Redemption 533 Arriba resolves the certainty of the foreknowledg of God into the perfection of his Wisdom 22 Assurance of Salvaiton whether men live holily or no not meet for God to give or men to enjoy 282 Athanasius for Vniversal Redemption 530 531 Attonement universal no new Religion 73 taught by express Scripture the contrary onely by consequence 73 Augustin for Falling away 378 379 c. how to be understood when he seems to speak otherwise Ibid. for General Redemption 525 526 c. against them that deny the co-operation of the first cause with the second 7 The Authors Intent in citing Authors 524 561 B BAptism All Children baptized judged by Musculus in favor with God 331 A weighty consideration for Infant-Baptism 537 Basil for a possibility of total falling away 377 for Vniversal Redemption 534 Bede for general Redemption 542 Simple Beings and existences of things how determined by God p. 7. what manner of Being men had from Eternity 45 46 Bernard for general Redemption 543 Beza defines justifying Faith by assent 400 Denyeth that Christ dyed sufficiently for all men except in a barbarous sence 97 Book of Life blotting out Names no blemish to it 332 Bottomless pit what it signifieth 435 Bucer defines Justifying Faith by assent 400 For Vniversal Redemption 556 Bullinger for Falling away 392. For Vniversal Redemption 560 C CAlvin sometimes for Falling away 387 416. Defineth Justifying Faith by assent to the Word of God 398. For General Redemption 406 552 553 c. For Desires in God to save the World 470 His Discourse for universal Grace 508 509 Can and cannot diversly taken in Scripture 194 Causes natural how sometimes suspend their proper actions 7 Ceremonies why termed the rudiments of the World 522 523 Chamier defines Justifying Faith by assent 398 399 Character of Regeneration 326 327 Chemnitius for Falling away 385 386. Defines Justifying Faith by assent 400 Children in favor with God 330 Christ a sufficient Redeemer without being crucified p. 15. How necessitated to well doing 341. How always heard in his Prayers 245. How the foundation of
Election 461. Dyed sufficiently for all and intentionally also 464 465 Christs Death in what sence necessary 14 For what end necessary 436. It prepared him for an Head Ibid. Chrysostom for Falling away 372 372 c. For general Redemption 529 530 Clemens of Alexan for general Redemption 537 Concurrence how God concurs in defective actions p. 6. His concurrence the same in different yea contrary actions 5 Conscience Testimony of Conscience when authentique 159. Good Conscience always from Faith 353 354 Consent sinning without full consent not a distinguishing character of Regeneration 326 327 Covenant of Grace not made with Christ 458 Not more district or severe then that of Works 498. Covenant unproper to be made with unknown persons 454 455 Conditional Assurance the main or proper end of a Covenant Ibid. Promiseth noting to uncovenanted persons 457 Councils and Synods for general Redemption 544 545 c. Create created c. all things created at once by God 49 50 c. Creator the relation of a Creator very promising 71. much endearing 72 Cyprian for Vniversal Redemption 536 For Falling away 375 Cyril of Alexandria for general Redempt 540 Cyril of Jerusaleâ— 532 D DAvid his condition under his impenitency 346 347. His Repentance necessary to Salvation Pag. 348 349 Dr Davenant makes justifying Faith to stand in assent 401. For Vniversal Redemption 560 Decrees of God what 34 35. all in a sence absolute 65. No Decrees of things unapproved 473 J. Deodat for Falling away 393 Desires how attributed to God 37 Determine simple Beings determined by God three ways p. 7. Gods conditional Determinations in what sence absolute 15 Devils why unredeemable 484 485 c. Punished onely for the first sin 499 Didymus for Vniversal Redemption 533 Dis-membering no dishonor to the Body of Christ 327 328 Dort Synod 84. Self-contradiction 546 547 c. Remonstrants in the Doctrine of Perseverance 395 396 c. and therefore self-condemned 400 401 c. Arguments of this Synod for limited Redemption 565 566 c. Remonstrantizeth in the point of General Redemption 546 547 A sad Notion of this Synod 548 549 E EIs sometime for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hath a causal signification 441 Elect or chosen what it sometimes signifieth 244. Who are Elect in the Scripture notion 418. How no need that Christ should dye for them 459 Election Decree of Election what 244 In what sence men are said to be Elected from Eternity Ibid. In what sence not 45 244. Election of species not particular persons 64. The common Doctrine of Election flat Socinianism 460. makes Christ to have dyed in vain 461 Epiphanius for Vniversal Redemption 535 Eternal Life inchoate perfect 232. Eternal things in what sence before things in time 50 51 Events hurtful not determined by God 25 are not always signs of probabilities 494 Eusebius for Vniversal Redemption 352 Excuse i 〈…〉 ility for performance the best 503 Exhortations made useless by the common Doctr of Perseverance 301 302 c. F FAith justifying what according to the Scripture 396. according to orthodox Writers 398 399. Faith temporary the same for kinde with that which justifieth 292 293. Three degrees of Faith according to the Fathers 369 Faithfulness of God towards his Saints what it is and wherei it consisteth 236 237 Falling away a Doctrine richly sympathizing with the Spirit and so with the joy and peace of the Saints 338. A Principle of singular and frequent use in matters of Religion 394 395. Owned and made use of by the greatest Saints upon occasion ib. Fear occasion of many inconveniences 154 Not unworthy the greatest Saints to act out of a Principle of Fear 312 313 c. As natural a fruit of Faith as Love it self Ibid. How not servile 315. hath no torment 316. Not occasioned bythe Doctrine of Falling away 336. What Fear necessary for Saints 175 176 Foreknowledg not properly in God 28 29 the Object of it 39. No disparagement to his goodness 424 425 c. His foreknowledg of the event doth not precede that act of his upon which the Event followeth Ibid. Foresight God foreseeth without determination 23 26 G GIve what it signifieth in Scriputre 118 God respecteth onely mens present condition whether of sin or righteousness 514 How at liberty to shew Mercy 482 483 487. Taketh men off from vain dependencies 491 492. Doth not insult over miserable men in his Exhortations 509 510 Good and goodness what signifie in Scripture 287 Gospel a Doctr according to Godliness 333 Grace what properly is an Act of Grace 484 The highest pitch of the efficacy thereof 427 Gregorius Magnus for general Redempt 542 Greg Nyssen for general Redemption 534 Gualter defines Justifying Faith by assent 400 H HAgue Conference 181 Heathen power to beleeve 507 Hell Punishment everlasting 434 Hilarius for general Redemption 531. seems to favor the Opinion of those who hold that the punishment against Adams sin consisted onely in a temporal death Ibid. Hope what hope or confidence it is that is the spur unto action 242 I JErom for General Redemption 529 Illumination proper to the Saints 283 Impossibility six several significations 289 Infants see Baptism and Children Intentions of God antecedent and consequent see Consequent How ascribed to God 32 37 447. How differ from Desires and Decrees Ibid. How never defeated 215 What towards wicked men in outward mâ—rcies 411 412. In what sence they may be defeated 22 35 215 434 Intercession of Christ for the Saints how 248 249 Interchange of Members between Christ and the Devil no dishonor to Christ 328 Ireneus for Falling away 370 371. For General Redemption 538 Jubilee a type of General Redemption 521 522 c. Judas supposed by many ancient Writers to have been sometimes a good man 361 373 374 Junius for Falling away 393 Justifying Faith see Faith Justine Martyr for Vniversal Redempt 538 K 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Preposition what it importeth 243 244 Knowledg not properly in God yet morae properly then Foreknowledg 29 30. Why or how attributed to him Ibid. How perfect 431 L LEo Magnus for General Redemption 541 Life lives of men prorogable or abreviable by themselves 8 Love of God how unchangeable 63 64 278 Luther defineth Justifying Faith by assent to the Word of God p. 399. For Falling away 384 386. For Vniversal Redemption 551 552 M MAcarius for Falling away 376 P. Martyr for universal Redemption 556 Means how God willeth the means as well as the end 184 185. God hath more ends then one in his vouchsafement of the means of Grace 426 427 Melancthon for Falling away 385. defineth Justifying Faith by assent 400. For Vniversal Redemption 549 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to abide what it importeth 397 Mollerus for Falling away 394 Musculus for Falling away 390. Defineth Justifying Faith by assent 400. For universal Redemption 555 c. Mutability no disparagement to the Creature 343 N NAture what it signifieth 518 Natural actions rather rewardable then actions necessitated 319. Natural Causes why
and fore-Knowledge yea and of the Providence of God as well as his own most just and holy dispensations because through the infinite Perfection of his Nature and Being he is inabled 1. To declare or Pre-declare as he pleaseth and 2. Both inabled and actually resolved to dispose and Pre-dispose of them to the best advantage for his own glory as well as if he formally knew or fore-knew them whereas notwithstanding he neither was nor is nor ever intendeth to be operative in or about the bringing of them to passe in as much as their non comming to passe would have been of the same consequence unto him for the advancement of his glory as their coming to passe is or can be For doubtlesse God is not so poorely or meanely provided in and of himself for the exaltation of his Name and Glory as to stand in need of the dunghill of sin to make a foot-stoole for him whereby to ascend into his Throne If the goodnesse and righteousnesse of men be nothing unto God profit not him a Psal 16. 2. Job 35. 7. 3. much lesse can the sins of men claime part and fellowship in such a businesse So then the sins of men being only known and fore-knowne by God and contriveable to his glory but no wayes requisite or necessary hereunto may well be look'd upon as the object I meane the partiall object of the knowledge and fore-knowledge yea and of the Providence of God but not of his Desires Intentions or Decrees Whereas his own dispensations with their Naturall and Proper fruits and consequents being intrinsecally and with a direct tendency of sovereigne and high concernment for his glory may safely and with the best consistency of reason and truth be looked upon as the object not of his knowledge or fore-knowledge only but of his Desires Intentions and Decrees also CHAP. IIII. Concerning the Perfection of God in his Nature and Being and some things cleerly deducible from it Particularly his Simplicity Actuality and goodnesse in Decrees ANd this is life eternall that they or that men know thee the only true §. 1. God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ saith the Lord Christ himself in that most solemn supplicatory addresse unto his Father recorded Joh. 17. yet not for his Fathers instruction but his Childrens What knowledge Vers 3. of himself it is either for kinde quality or degree which Jesus Christ here joyneth with the knowledge of God as together with it constituting and making up one intire cause or meanes of salvation unto the Creature or with what kinde of necessity he supposeth the conjunction of that knowledge of himself which he intendeth with the knowledge of God to be necessary to that great end and purpose as whether with an absolute or an expedientiall and accumulative necessity only we shall not for the present inquire much lesse determine This I presume will be granted upon demand only without Proofe that as the true knowledge of Christ doth necessarily include or presuppose the like knowledge of God so doth such a knowledge of God as our Saviour here describes the knowing of him to be the only True God comprehend in it an implicite or vertuall knowledge of Christ also This might be brought into a cleer light by the helping hand of the Scriptures but that the contemplation of it is a little eccentricall to our present designe However let those who doubt consult these Oracles with their fellowes Joh. 14. 1. Joh. 5. 23. Psal 9. 10. Jer. 9. 23 24. Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 1. 19 20 21. besides many others But what is it to know God or God the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the §. 2. only True God First to know God or the Father the only True God may admit of a double construction or meaning either 1. As if the truth of this Proposition God or God the Father is the only true God were the terminus or intended object of the knowledge here spoken of or 2. As if God the Father his Being the only True God were presupposed to this knowledge and some further Particulars concerning him the object hereof The former sence hath both most men and doubtlesse most reason also to plead for it For when God is perfectly known to be the only true God there is very little or nothing more left to be known concerning him Therefore 2. to know God or God the Father the only or the alone true God is I conceive 1. To know viz. upon substantiall and demonstrative grounds that his Nature or Being every wayes answers the true and regular Notion of a God i. e. That he is infinitely Gracious infinitely Wise infinitely Just infinitely Powerfull infinitely Blessed infinite in all manner of Excellency and Perfection and all this in the most absolute simplicity of Essence without any Plurality Multiplication or Composition in what kinde or of what things soever and on the other hand that there is nothing in him in one kinde or other in one consideration or other which reason duly inform'd and judging like it self can think unmeete or unworthy to be found in a true God This is to know God or God the Father to be a True God 2. To know him to be the only true God implies further a like knowledge that there is no other Nature or Being whatsoever but his or that wherein he partakes that in Excellency or Perfection in any kinde is equall unto His or either Formally or Vertually the same with His. That God is perfect is one of the Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those common §. 3. impressions of light or inbred Principles of Reason wherewith Nature in their language or God himself in the Dialect of Christians upon the account of Christs Merit and Mediation in which respect it is attributed unto him also Joh. 1. 9. enlighteneth every man that commeth or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he commeth or comming into the World The united light of which Principles or Impressions is said ver 4. to be that life of men i. e. The means of that life of men or the means whereby men were to attaine that life which is there said to have been in Christ viz. as in a fountaine of merit or as in a designed purchaser for them For the meaning of the latter clause of this Verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which our English rendereth and the life was the light of men is I conceive with submission this or to this effect viz. that that life and salvation which Christ in reality of designe and with semblable acceptance in the 〈◊〉 of God had from the begining purchased by his Death for men did or doâ—â— as it were in the first breake or dawning of it appeare and discover it self in those Principles of naturall Light Reason Judgement Conscience Understanding c. which are found in the generality of men upon their comming into the World these being granted and given unto them by God for
desire and endevour in the Parent for the comfort and well being of it By vertue of this Promise it is that as the Apostle inform us Parents stand bound to provide and lay up for their Children b 2 Cor. 12. 14. And Parents who do carefully perform such ingagements as these unto their Children may well and properly be called Faithfull Parents So the Relation of a Mother promiseth unto the Infant born of her and that with much asseveration and naturall solemnity of protest all care and tendernesse for the well being of it In respect of this solemn promise it is that God himself demandeth Can a Woman forget her sucking Child that shee should not have compassion on the Sonne of her Womb c Esa 49. 15. implying that such Women are very unnaturall and unfaithfull that can Yea God himself speaking thus of the Ostrich shee is hardened against her young ones as if they were not hers Job 39. 16. cleerly implies that this Creature only excepted there is an universall tendernesse and care in all others towards their young ones In like manner every Creature hath a very great and rich assurance from that very relation wherein it stands unto God as a Creator that upon a regular deportment of it self towards him and such as any wayes becomes a Creature towards the Creator or Maker of it it shall receive protection preservation and every good thing from him Yea the Scripture plainly implieth that there must be a very great breach on the Creatures part in point of degeneration and unworthinesse before God lookes upon himself as discharged from that care for the preservation and well being of it which he promised as it were unto it in his being the Author of Being unto it Consider that passage in the Prophet Esay For it is a People of no understanding therefore he that MADE them will not have mercy on them and HE THAT FORMED THEM will shew THEM NO FAVOVR a Esa 27. 11. Doth not this cleerly imply that had not this People been very enormously and intolerably corrupted and degenerated as it were into the spirit and actions of bruite beasts suffering the glory of the Work of God in their Creation utterly to sink within them had they but quitted themselves like a People of any competent reason or understanding the relation of a Creator in God towards them would have wrought so effectually in him on their behalf that he would have shewed them mercy and favour in delivering them The Creature must depart and go astray very far from the Creator and grow in a manner quite out of kinde before the Creator will or can cease to know love and respect it as his Creature Hence it is that we finde God himself so frequently mentioning and insisting upon his Relation of a Creator unto his People when he seekes to satisfie and comfort them as touching his love towards them and care over them Thus saith the Lord that MADE thee and that FORMED thee from the womb which will help thee Feare not O Jacob my Servant b Esa 44. 2. c. So again Hearken unto me O house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel which are borne by me from the belly which are carried from the womb And even to your old Age I am He and even to hoare haires will I carry you I have MADE and I will beare even I will carry and will deliver you c Esa 46. 3 4. Thus saith the Lord the Holy One of Israel and HIS MAKER d Esa 45. 11. c. Once more to passe by many other places of like import But now O Lord thou art our Father we are the Clay and thou our Potter and we are all the work of thy Hand e Esa 64. 8. As in the former passages God strengthened the Faith of this People by remembring them that he was their Creator and Maker and consequently bare the affection and love of a Creator towards them So in this last they themselves declare how effectually that consideration viz. of the Relation of a Creator in God towards them had wrought upon them to the strengthening of their Faith in his Love towards them and care over them and accordingly plead the same in their requests to him Nor is it prejudiciall in the least to that demonstration which we intend §. 40. to make from the said passages with their fellowes viz. of the love and care of God as a Creator to all the Works of his Hands to pretend that in these places and the like God speaks only to his Church and his Elect ones For 1. The Relation of a Creator in God is uniform one and the same towards the Elect Believers and towards Reprobates or Unbelievers the one being the workmanship of his hands as well as the other and therefore as promising to the one as to the other if they understood or considered the voyce of this promise 2. If God notwithstanding the Relation of a Creator in him were likely to have reprobated his Creatures from eternity especially had this people believed that he had de facto so reprobated millions of them it had been a very slender support and incouragement to their Faith that he should remember them of his relation unto them as their Creator For might not they upon such a supposition as this have replied unto him Lord why dost thou so much inculcate into us the consideration of thy Being our Maker and Creator as if there were any thing in this to comfort us or to relieve our Faith concerning thy love to us or care for us Do we not know that thou art a Creator to many thousand thousands in the World whom notwithstanding thou hatest and casted'st out of thy Love without any cause given on their parts from eternity Therefore what assurance of grace and favour with thee can we receive upon any such account as this that thou art our Maker and Creator So that evident it is that God himself doth acknowledge a gracious tie and ingagement upon him as a Creator to love respect and take care for his Creatures untill they voluntarily renounce and disclaime their relation unto him as his Creatures by walking rebelliously against him or suffering the God of this World to deface the glory of his workmanship in them And whereas he compareth himself in tendernesse and care over his Creature unto an Hen which gathereth her Chickens under her wings they who make him like unto the Ostrich which leaveth her Eggs in the Earth and forgetteth that the foote may crush them or that the wilde Beasts may break them and is hardened against her young Iob 39. 14 15. ones as if they were not hers which astorgy God himself imputeth to want of wisdome and understanding in her have the greater sin representing him altogether unlike unto himself Other Scriptures there are exceeding many which testifie aloud the grace §. 41. and love and
perish but on the contrary that whosoever of them should not believe should perish Which according to their Principles against whom we now argue is as if a man should say which soever of my sheep is no sheep but a goate shall have no pasture with his fellowes 3. They who by the World here understand the Elect must if they will §. 14. not baulk with their Principles suppose that Christ speaks at no better Rate of Wisdom or Sence in this Scripture then thus So God loved the World that He gave His only begotten Sonne that whosoever did that which was not possible for them to decline or not to do should not perish but c. Who ever being serious and in his wits required that in the nature of a condition from any Man especially in order to the obtaining of some great and important thing which he of whom it was required upon such terms was necessitated or had no Liberty or Power but to performe what Father ever promised his Son his Estate either in whole or in part upon condition that whilest he rode upon an Horse he should not go on foote or upon condition that he would do that which a force greater he was able to resist should necessitate him to do So that the whole tenor and carriage of the verse renders the interpretation of the word World hitherto encountred a meer nullity in Sence Reason and Truth 5. The Context and words immediately preceding will at no hand endure §. 15. that sence of the word World against which we have declared hitherto This little word for FOR God so loved c. being causall importeth not only a connexion of these words with what went before but such a connexion or Relation as that which intercedes between the cause and the effect So that the words in hand must be looked upon as assigning or exhibiting the Cause or Reason of that effect which was immediately before mentioned This being granted as without breach of conscience it can hardly be denied it will appear as cleer as the light of the Sun that by the word World in the place under Contest cannot be meant the Elect only The tenor of the two next foregoing Verses for together they make but one intire sentence is this And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse even so must the Sonne of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him or every one believing in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life So that the effect here mentioned and expressed is the Salvation and everlasting happinesse of what Person or Persons soever of Men or of Man-kinde that shall believe in Christ The Reason or Cause hereof our Saviour discovers and asserts in the words in hand For God so loved the World that He gave c. If now by the World we shall understand only the Elect the Reason or Cause here assigned of the pre-mentioned effect will be found inadequate to it and insufficient to produce it For Gods Love to the Elect and his giving his Son for their Salvation only is no sufficient cause to procure or produce the Salvation of WHOSOEVER shall or should believe on him For certaine it is that there is Salvation in Christ for no more then for whom God intended there should be Salvation in him If there be Salvation in him for none but for the Elect only then is it not true that whosoever believes in him shall be saved For certaine it is that no Mans believing puts any Salvation into Christ for him therefore if it were not there for him before he believed yea or whether he beleeved or not neither would it be there for him though or in case he should believe 6. And lastly that by the word World in the Scripture in hand is not meant the Elect nor any thing equivalent hereunto is evident also from the Context in the Verse and words immediately following where our Saviour goeth forward in his Doctrine Thus. For God sent not His Sonne into the World to condemne the World but that the World through him might be saved a Ioh. 3. 17. This Particle for being as we lately noted Causall or Raciocinative plainly sheweth that he useth the word World or speaks of the World in this Verse where he speaks of the condemnation of it in the same sence wherein he spake of it in the former and the meanes of the Salvation of it otherwise he should not argue ad idem i. e. to the point in hand Now then to make him here to say that God sent not his Sonne into the World i. e. to take the nature or to live in the condition of the Elest to condemne the Elect but that the Elect c. is to make him speak as never man I suppose spake but not for excellency of Wisdom or gracefulnesse of expression but for weaknesse in both To say that God sent not his Sonne into the World to condemne his Elect were but to beate the Aire or to fight against a shadow I mean solemnly to deny that which no man was ever likely to imagine or affirm For â—ow or by what way of apprehension should it ever enter into any mans thoughts that God should send his Sonne into the World to condemne those whom out of his infinite love he had from eternity decreed to save with a strong Hand out-stretched Arme and Power omnipotent and invincible Or are not these the Elect in their notion of Election with whom we have now to do Therefore certainly the World in the Scripture before us doth not signifie the Elect. A second interpretation of this word asserted by some is that by the §. 16. World is meant genus humanum or Mankinde indefinitely considered i. e. if I rightly understand the minde of those who thus interpret as neither importing all nor any of the individiuums or persons contained in or under this species or kinde but only the specificall nature of Man common to them all as when the Jewes said of the Centurion that he loved their nation * Luke 7. 5. their meaning was not either that he loved all that were Jewes without exception of any nor yet that he loved any particular person of them more then another but only that he was lovingly disposed towards them as they were such a particular Nation as viz. Jewes But that this Interpretation either falls in in substance with the former and so is already condemn'd with the condemnation thereof or else with the third and last which as we shall hear presently findeth in this Scripture a Love in God towards all the individuall Persons of Man-kinde without exception of any or else that it vanisheth into nothing and hath no substance at all in it may be thus demonstrated If by Man-kinde indefinitely considered be neither meant a speciall or determinate number of the persons of Men which the former interpretation asserteth nor yet the universality or intire body of Men consisting
by it which supposeth a possibility of a difference between the Particulars contained under it and into which the said generall is distributed according to the exigency of those things in Reference whereunto the distribution is made As for example here is a distribution made of this generall the World i. e. of all Mankinde by this distributive Pronoune whosoever the occasion of this distribution is to shew who or what particulars contained under this generall i. e. what particular Persons of Man-kinde shall not perish but have everlasting life and withall by a tacit antithesis or in a consequentiall way as hath been already noted to shew what other particulars contained under the same generall shall perish and not have everlasting life The former are said to be such as shall believe on the only begotten Sonne of God the latter are cleerly implied to be such who shall not so believe Now if it should be supposed that there was or is no possibility that any such difference should be found between the Particulars into which the generall is here distributed as believing and not believing the distribution would be altogether needlesse and vaine yea and would dis-sence the whole sentence These things are plaine and sensible to every understanding that knows what belongs to common sence or regularity of Syntaxis 3. This exposition of the word World makes a cleane joynt a rationall §. 20. and pleasant coherence between this Verse and that which followes as also betweene this and the two Verses immediately precedent The words of the two preceding Verses are these And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse even so must the Sonne of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life Now certaine it is that Moses did not lift up the Serpent with an intent of healing to be conferr'd by it upon such or such a definite or determinate number of persons nor with an intent either on his part or on Gods Part that none should looke upon it but only such a parcell or determinate number of Men but with an intent not only that whosoever in the event did looke upon it and could not but looke upon it might looke upon it but that whosoever would might look up unto it and that whosoever being stung with the fiery Serpents did look up unto it should be healed thereby This is evident from the story Make thee saith God to Moses a fiery Serpent and set it upon a Pole and it shall come to passe that EVERY ONE THAT IS BITTEN when He looketh upon it shall live a Numb 21. 8 Now then all Men without exception being stung with that fiery Serpent sin unlesse Christ should be lift up upon the Crosse with an intent on Gods Part and in Himself 1. That every Man without exception might believe in Him and 2. That every Man that should believe in Him should be saved by Him He could not be said to be lifted up as i. e. upon the same terms of an Universall accommodation on which Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse Therefore our Saviour to give the World a satisfying account how it comes to passe that the Son of Man meaning himself should be lifted up upon such terms viz. for the Universall benefit of Salvation unto all Man-kind he assigns the Love of God to the World as the reason or productive cause of it For God so loved the World that c. Therefore by the World he must needs mean all Man-kinde or the generality of Men that were bitten or stung with sin unlesse we will say that God gave His Son for the Salvation of those whom He loved not The tenor of the following Verse is this For God sent not His Sonne into â— 21. the World to condemn the World but c. In these words our Saviour confirms his former Assertion touching the love of God to the World in giving His Sonne for the Salvation of it by rejecting that Reason or Motive of his sending Him into the World which Men might imagine did occasion this His sending by God and besides which there could none other well be imagined but only that which he had asserted viz. an Intent or Purpose in Him in God of condemning the World by Him Now to make Christ to say that God sent not His Sonne into the World to condemn Man-kinde or the generality of Men as having sinned against Him is to make Him say that which is savoury and comfortable and that which opposeth or is apt to prevent such a sad imagination as was very incident to the minds of Men through a consciousnesse of the guilt of sin viz. That if God ever did or should send His Son amongst them it would be to judge or condemn them But to make Him say that God sent not His Sonne into the World to condemn the Elect i. e. those few whom He infinitely loved and to whom He had peremptorily and without all possibility of reverse decreed non-condemnation before this sending of Him is to make Him speak at an extreme low rate of Sence or Reason and to labour as the Proverb is in lifting a feather in as much as no such thought or imagination as this was ever like to beare upon or trouble any mans spirit In as much then as no other interpretation of the World in the former Verse but only that which hereby understandeth the generality of Men-sinners will accommodate this Verse in respect of the connexion between them with any tolerable sence evident it is that that must needs be the true interpretation thereof By the way when Christ saith For judgement I am come into this World §. 22. c. * Ioh. 9. 39. He no wayes opposeth what he here saith viz. that God sent him not into the World to condâ—mnâ— the VVorld For in the former place he speakes not of the intent but of the event in this not of the event but of the intent of his sending or comming into the World Christ was not sent into the world with any intent on Gods part nor came with any intention of his own to make those which see to become blind meaning either to augment or to discover to their shame the spirituall blindness and ignorance in such Men who being ignorant presume of their knowledge by one means or other but with an intent to heale the blindnesse of all to their Comfort Peace and Glory Therefore if any man through a foolish and proud conceit of his own knowledge and wisdom shall stumble at or reject the Gospell and Doctrine of Christ as foolishnesse and so discover himself to be blind ignorant and foolish in the end this is meerly adventitious and accidentall in respect of the Antecedent Primary and direct intention of God in sending Christ into the World as Calvin himself affirmeth a Quod autem alibi docet Christus se in judicium venisse quod vocatur Petra
Death which proceeded from him swallowed up by the Life of Christ if still it reignes and magnifies it selfe over and against far greater numbers of Men then the Life it self of Christ preserves or delivers from it Upon Verse 18. he Presenteth his thoughts in these words He Paul makes Grace COMMON UNTO ALL MEN because it is exposed unto or laid within the reach of All Men not because it is in the reality of it extended unto all Men i. e. not because it is accepted or received by all Men as the words following plainely shew For saith he though CHRIST SVFFERED FOR THE SINNES OF THE WHOLE WORLD and through the Goodnesse or Bounty of GOD be offered unto all Men yet all Men doe not take or lay hold on Him d Communem omnium gratiam facit quia omnibus exposita est non quod ad omnes extendatur reipsa Nam etsi passus est Christus pro peccatis totius mundi atque omnibus indifferenter Dei benignitate offertur non tamen omnes apprehendunt So that if Calvin would but quit himself like a Man and stand his own ground he would Remonstrate as stoutly as Corvine or Arminius himselfe CHAP. VII The third sort or consort of Scriptures mentioned Cap. 5. Sect. 5. as clearely asserting the Doctrine hitherto Maintained Argued and Managed to the same Point WE shall not need I conceive to insist upon a Particular examination §. 1. of these Scriptures one by one the Method observed by us in handling the two former Partees because they are more apparantly uniform and consenting in their respective importances then they In which respect a cleer and thorough Discussion of any one of them or a diligent Poyseing of the common tendency and import of them all will be sufficient to evince their respective compliances with the cause in hand The Prospect of these Texts is this And him that commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out Joh. 6. 37. HE that believeth in me shall never thirst Verse 35. HE that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved Mar. 16. 16. that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish c. Joh. 3. 16. that through his Name WHOSOEVER believeth in him shall receive remission of sinnes Acts 10 43. Even the righteousnesse of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ UNTO ALL and UPON ALL who believe for ALL have sinned c. Rom. 3. 22 23. to omit very many others of like tenor and import In all these Scriptures with their fellowes evident it is that Salvation is §. 2. held forth and Promised by God unto all without exception that shall believe yea that it is Offered and Promised unto all Men upon the condition of believing whether they believe or no. So that upon such Declarations of the gracious and good Pleasure of God towards the universality of Men as these the Ministers of the Gospell or any other Men may with truth and ought of duty upon occasion say to every Particular Soul of Man under Heaven If thou believest thou shall be saved even as Paul saith that he preached Christ admonishing EVERY MAN and teaching EVERY MAN in all wisdome that he might present EVERY MAN perfect in Christ Jesus a Colos 1. 28. Yea this Apostle speaking of God Himself saith that he admonisheth all Men every where to repent b Acts 17. 30. Now if the Gospell or God in the Gospell offereth Salvation unto all Men without exception and insureth it accordingly upon their believing certainly he hath it to bestow upon them in case they doe See more of this Cap. 8. Sect. 31. believe otherwise he should offer or Promise that unto them which he hath not for them nor is able to confer upon them though they should believe If he hath Salvation for them or to bestow upon them upon their believing he must have it in Christ because he hath no other treasury or store-house of Salvation but only Christ Neither is there Salvation in any other c. Acts 4. 12. If God hath Salvation in Christ for all Men Christ must needs have Bought and Purchased it for them with his Blood in as much as there is no Salvation no not in Christ Himself without or otherwise then by Remission of sins nor any Remission of sinnes in or by Him without shedding of blood Therefore all those Scriptures wherein God Promiseth and ascertaineth Salvation unto all Men without exception upon their believing are Pregnant with this truth that Christ layd down his Life for the Salvation of all and every Man If it be here replied and said but though God in the Gospell offers Salvation §. 3. unto all Men and Promiseth Salvation unto all Men upon condition of their believing respectively yet knowing certainly before hand that none will believe but only such and such by Name as viz. those for whom there is Salvation Purchased by Christ he may upon a sufficient ground and with security enough Promise Salvation unto all men upon condition they will believe I answer Though God by meanes of the certainty of such his knowledge may without danger of failing in Point of Promise-keeping or of being taken at his word to his dishonour Promise Salvation unto all Men without exception upon the terms specified though it should be supposed that Christ hath not Purchased Salvation for all Men yet upon such a supposition as this he cannot either with honour otherwise or with truth make any such Offer or Promise Not with honour because for a Man that is generally and certainly known to be worth but only one thousand Pounds in estate to offer or Promise an hundered thousand Pounds to any Man that shall be willing to serve him or to doe such or such a courtesie for him though he knew certainly that no Man would accept his offer in either of these kinds yet would such an Offer or Promise be matter of disparagement to him in the sight of wise and understanding Men yea render them little other then ridiculous In like manner it being supposed by our Antagonists in the cause now under Plea that God hath declared it unto all the World in his Gospell that Christ hath died but for a few Men in comparison and consequently that himself hath Salvation only for a few in case he should Promise Salvation unto all Men without exception upon what account service or condition soever must needs turne to dishonour in the highest unto him and represent him unto his Creature extremely unlike to himselfe Suppose the Devill had certainly known as very possibly he might that the Lord Christ would not have fallen down and worshipped him upon any terms or conditions whatsoever would this have excused him from vanity in Promising him all the Kingdomes of the World upon such a condition when as all the world knew that not one of these Kingdomes were at his disposall Again 2. neither can God nor any Minister of the Gospell say with
suspensions and interruptions Therefore there is nothing in the last Objection against that exposition of the Scripture in hand which hath been asserted both the feet upon which it stands being weak and lame There is yet another Objection colourable I suppose in some Mens §. 47. eyes against the said interpretation The substance of it this If the links of that chaine of Divine acts described in this passage of Scripture may be severed or broken by the miscarriages or unworthinesse of the Saints in any kinde then had the Apostle no sufficient reason to build the Saints so high upon it in Confidence Exultations and Triumphs as He doth in the Verses immediately following What shall we say to these things If God be on our side who can be against us And the reason is because the Saints are children of many infirmities and of much unworthinesse apt to sin against God every moment Therefore if their Peace and Salvation depend upon their own regular and worthy walkings with God they are in a condition of no good security to be saved and what ground then have they to rejoyce and triumph at any such rate as the Apostle seemes here to invite and incourage them unto To this I answer that the Heart of this Objection was broken in the last preceding Chapter where we shewed upon severall considerations and grounds that the Saints have cause in abundance to rejoyce yea and to triumph under the hope and expectation of Salvation notwithstanding any possibility they are subject unto of declining or perishing The Reader I presume will be satisfied in this Point upon a serious perusall of what is there Written from Section 21. to the end of the Chapter I here add 1. That the friends and favourers themselves of the common interpretation §. 48. of the place in hand and which contradicteth the exposition given generally grant and teach that the Saints themselves cannot have any Peace or Comfort in their Faith or assurance of Salvation whilest they walk prophanely loosely or unfaithfully with God So that these Men themselves doe suspend the Peace and Comfort and much more the Joy and Triumph of the Faith of the Saints upon their Christian behaviour and Regular walkings with God Therefore judging the Exposition given upon such an account as this they condemne themselves and their owne Doctrines 2. The assureance of the continuance of Gods Love to them and of His care over them whilest they in any measure walke worthy of it is a Regular and due foundation unto the Saints of every whit as great a confidence Exultation and Triumph as the Apostle in the words mentioned intitles them unto Yea 3. The very particular and expresse ground upon which He buildeth up Himself and the Saints with Him in such a Triumphant Confidence as we heard is this the sence or assureance of Gods Love towards them meaning whilest they walk with Him as becommeth Saints because being out of this posture they can neither have sence nor assureance of His Love as our adversaries themselves acknowledge and teach as we lately heard not any assureance of the continuance of His Love to them how profane wicked or abominable soever they can or shall be What shall we say then to these things if God BE with us who can be against us Therefore 4. And lastly such a supposition or Doctrine as this that they that are at present justified may possibly sin themselves out of the Grace of Justification and so never come to be glorified is upon due consideration no bridle at all to check the holy and humble confidence or boastings of the Saints in God or in the Lord Jesus Christ they may in the face and presence of such a Doctrine though acknowledged and admitted for truth lift up themselves upon the wings of a blessed security unto Heaven and rejoyce that joy which is unspeakeable and glorious But of these things we spake liberally in the last Chapter Some may yet possibly imagine that they discover a ground of confutation §. 49. of all that hath been said upon the Context of Scripture yet in hand Verse 29. in those words That he might be the first-borne amongst many Brethren For from hence they may reason thus If this be Gods End or Designe in Predestinating those whom he knew before or pre-approved to be conformed to the Image of His Son in glory that He might be the first borne amongst many Brethren i. e. might have the honour of bringing many into part and fellowship with Himself in His own blessednesse and glory then must all they who are thus Predestinated of necessity attaine or come to injoy such a conformity with Him otherwise God shall be frustrated in His Designe and Jesus Christ be defeated and disappointed of that excellent honour which His Father projected for Him For if one or some thus predestinated may miscarry and never come to enjoy an actuall conformity unto Him in His glory why may not others of them miscarry likewise and consequently all and so the Great Counsell or Project of God for the honor of His Son Iesus Christ be laid in the dust To this I answer 1. Suppose that Iesus Christ should have no Brethren conformable unto Him in glory yet would it not follow from hence that the Counsell or Designe of God to make Him the first borne among many Brethren should be made void or miscarry For the Counsell or Designe of God in this behalf stood Mainely and Principally in this viz. in casting this honour upon Iesus Christ that He should be a Person every wayes fitted and accomplished should act and doe or be ready and willing to act and do every such thing whereby many of his Brethren i. e. of the children of Men if they were not most shamefully and grossely neglective of themselves and their own greatest concernments might come to partake with him in His great Blessednesse and glory And in case Men should prove thus neglective of themselves and so as voluntarily to deprive themselves of that great Salvation which Iesus Christ out of His great Love and with the sore travell of his Soul hath prepared and made ready for them yea and invited and called yea and pressed upon them to accept at his hand yet the honour and glory of a signall Benefactor and great Saviour shall remaine intire unto Him nor is there the least colour or pretence why He should suffer the least disparagement or prejudice in the thoughts either of Men or Angells because of the wilfull folly and madnesse of Men to forsake their own mercies and destroy themselves Himself owned and built upon this consideration when He spake thus by the mouth of one of His greatest Prophets Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength a Esa 49 5. In the former Verse He speaks thus in his Representor Then I said I have laboured in vaine I
of their Crucifying him should be Forgiven them i. e. should not be imputed unto them by way of bar to their Repentance either by any suddaine or speedy destruction or by a delivering them up to such a spirit of obstinacy or obduration under which Men seldome or never repent which was also the sence of Stephens prayer for those who stoned him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lay not this sin to their charge c Acts 7. 60. So from Christs Prayer for all those that should believe in him that they might all be one as the Father and He were one and as the Father was in Him and He in the Father d Joh. 17. 21 22. it cannot be concluded that therefore there should never fall out any difference in judgement any dis-union in affection between the Saints because there is neither between him and the Father the intent of this Prayer being only this that God would vouchsafe gracious and plentifull means unto them as well for the uniting of them in judgement as affection not that he would necessitate or compell them into either of these unions either by such means or without So againe when he Prayeth to the Father to keepe his Disciples from evill a Joh. 17. 15. it cannot be gathered that therefore they never sinned or never did that which was evill or if it be to be understood of the evill of suffering as some conceive that they never suffered Therefore 2. To the Scripture cited for proof of the said Proposition And I knew §. 29. that thou hearest me alwayes b Ioh. 11. 42. I answer that the cleer sence of these words is that Christ knew and doubted not but that God the Father perfectly knowing the secret of his heart and soul in every Prayer that he made unto him had formerly and would still accordingly answer him and gratifie him in every thing according to the true intention of his Prayer He knew that what he prayed for absoutely God the Father would absolutely grant and doe and what he prayed for with or under a reserve exception or condition that he would grant and doe where and as far as such a reserve exception or condition did not take place and interpose Whensoever he prayed for the Fathers concurrence with him to work Miracles for the confirmation of his Doctrine he prayed absolutely and consequently was heard absolutely the matter and letter of his Prayer was never denied unto him in such cases but when he prayed that the Cup which he afterwards drank might passe by him without his drinking it though he prayed thrice and that very earnestly as the Text saith yet because he prayed this Prayer with a Reservation desiring what he prayed for only conditionally and with submission to his Fathers Will and the great exigency of Mankinde these standing in opposition to what he prayed for it was not granted unto him Now certaine it is that Christ never prayed for the absolute Perseverance of Believers in their Faith yea it is no wayes likely that he would have prayed for it as he did I mean with so much seriousnesse and affectionatenesse of spirit if God had absolutely Decreed the giving of it unto them whether he had prayed for it or no. Therefore 3. And lastly concerning His praying for Peter that his Faith might not faile which is all the strength of the minor proposition I answer 1. That from hence it apparantly followeth that therefore Peters Faith §. 30. was in danger of failing or might have failed had not Christ interceded for him and consequently that God had not absolutely decreed the Perseverance or non-failing of Peters Faith or of the Faith of any other Man Otherwise what efficacy can we ascribe to the Prayer of Christ for Peters Faith Or how can it be known upon what account Peters Faith was preserved whether that of Christs Prayer or that of Gods Decree for the non failing of it 2. Neither can it be proved that Christ Prayed that Peters Faith might never faile totally but only if so much that it might not faile upon that particular and sore rentation which He knew would soone after come upon Him It is evident from the Context that this was all if not more then all that Christ Prayed for on the behalf of Peters Faith And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith faile not and when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren c Luk. 22. 31 32. Now then to infer from Christs Prayer that Peters Faith might not faile by or under a particular temptation that therefore it could or should never faile is a straine of no better Logique then it would be to conclude that those who were with Paul in the ship never died because God made a Promise unto Paul that He would give their lives unto Him a Act. 27. 24. as for that Voyage 3. If it be by the vertue and efficacy of Christs Prayer for Peters Faith that the Faith of true Believers can never faile then was the Faith of all true Believers before this Prayer made by Christ obnoxious unto a failing If this then neither was there nor is there any peremptory Decree of God concerning the non failing of the Faith of Believers If so then is there a possibility that their Faith may faile For whatsoever is possible in respect of the nature of the thing and of second causes sufficient to produce it may very possibly come to passe where no Decree of God to the contrary obstructeth the possibility Now our adversaries themselves acknowledge that the Faith of true Believers is in it self faileable and in respect of severall causes destructive to it might perish 4. Nor is it so cleer from the tenor of Christs Prayer intimated by him §. 31. that He prayed against the totall failing of Peters Faith under the said temptation much lesse against the finall failing of it afterwards but most likely it is that what He Prayed for was only this that Peters yeelding to the tentation or his being overcome by it might not extinguish his Faith upon any such terms but that he might and should eft-soones recover it by Repentance If this were that which Christ Prayed for on His behalf then might His Faith faile totally under the temptation as Ambrose amongst the Fathers conceiveth that it did notwithstanding Christs Prayer though not finally And that Peters Faith did indeed faile totally by the force of the temptation seemes very probable at least from those words of Christ to Him when thou art CONVERTED strengthen c. Men are not said to be CONVERTED a gradu ad gradum sed a specie ad speciem i. e. from a lesser degree of Faith to a greater but from unbelief unto Faith And besides that Peter upon His deniall of Christ was untill His Repentance in the state and condition of those
who shall be denied by Christ at the great day which could not be under any degree of true Faith remaining in Him is evident from that generall and expresse intermination of Christ Mat. 10. 33. Whosoever shall deny Me before Men Him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven 5. And lastly whatsoever the intent or subject matter of Christs Prayer for Peter was evident it is that as His temptation with an eye whereunto this Prayer was made for Him by Christ was singular and particular so was Christs Prayer also for Him And a Man may as well from Peters temptation argue that all true Believers shall be tempted after the same manner and to the same degree as from Christs Prayer for Peter that His Faith might not faile conclude that the Faith of no true Believer shall faile So likewise from Christs looking back upon Peter to provoke Him the more effectually to Repentance as good an argument as that now under Contest may be framed to prove that Christ will visibly look upon all true Believers when they sin to provoke them to Repentance It is in the case of Christs Prayer as it is of His Precepts When He commands any thing upon a particular occasion or ground the obliging force of the command is to be extended no further then where the same or like occasion and ground take place And intimation hath been given formerly that the Apostles in respect of that great and extraordinary service of carrying the Name of Jesus Christ up and down the World so full of enmity and opposition to it had many prerogative favours vouchsafed unto them by Christ wherein the generality of Believers having no such ingagement lying upon them have no ground or reason to expect an equality or share with them Therefore there is nothing of any value in Christs Praying for Peters Faith to support the falling cause of the common Doctrine of Perseverance A fifth Argument advanced in defence of the same Doctrine is drawn from §. 32. the Intercession of Christ at the Right Hand of God for His Saints Who is He that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ a Rom 8. 34 35. c. So againe Christ is entered into Heaven it self to appeare in the presence of God for us b Heb. 9. 24. and since he ever liveth to make intercession for them c Heb. 7. 25. From hence it is thus argued If those for whom Christ intercedes at the Right Hand of God may fall away from their Faith so as to perish notwithstanding then is the intercession of Christ ineffectuall and insufficient to preserve them But the Intercession of Christ is not ineffectuall c. Ergo. To this I answer 1. It is no where affirmed that Christ intercedes for the Perseverance of the Saints in their Faith or that they who once believe should never cease believing how sinfull and wicked soever they shall prove afterwards But Christ intercedes for His Saints viz. as such and as continuing such that no accusations from any hand whatsoever may be heard against them that no afflictions or sufferings which they meet with in the World may cause any alienation or abatement in the Love of God towards them but that God will preserve and protect them under them c. and consequently that they may be maintained at an excellent rate of consolation in every estate and condition and against all interposures of any Creature whatsoever to the contrary This to be the tenor and effect of Christs Intercession for His Saints is evident from the first of the three passages cited And for that demand who shall separate us from the love of Christ it is not meant of separating us from that love wherewith we love Christ but from that love wherewith Christ loveth us viz. as we are Saints and abide in His love by keeping His Commandements d Ioh. 15. 10. Neither is it to be so conceived as if sin wickednesse loosenesse prophanenesse c. could not un-Saint Men and hereby seperate them from the love wherewith Christ sometimes loved them for that iniquity will separate between Men and their God is evident from Esa 59. 2. but the cleer meaning is that nothing no Creature whatsoever person or thing can make Christ an enemy unto those who shall in Faith and Love cleave fast unto Him 2. Were it granted that part of Christs Intercession for his Saints is that their Faith may never faile yet the meaning hereof would not necessarily nor indeed with any competent probability be this that no sin or wickednesse whatsoever that shall or can be perpetrated by them might cause them to make shipwrack of their Faith but rather that God would graciously vouchsafe such means and such a presence of His Spirit unto them whereby they may be richly inabled to keepe themselves in Faith and a good Conscience unto the end If Christ should simply and absolutely intercede that no sin or wickednesse whatsoever may destroy the Faith of any true Believer and consequently deprive Him of Salvation should He not hereby become that which the Apostle rejects with indignation as altogether unworthy of Him I mean a Minister of sin Is therefore Christ the Minister of sin God forbid a Gal. 2. 17. Or whereby or wherein can it lightly be imagined that Christ should become a Minister of sin rather then by interceding with His Father that such and such Men how vile and abominable soever they shall become may yet be precious in His sight and receive a Crown of Righteousnesse from His Hand Or doth not such an intercession as some Men put upon Him as viz. they who make Him to intercede simply and absolutely for the Perseverance of Believers in their Faith amount to an Intercession of every whit as vile and unworthy an import as this If it be said that the Men I speak of doe not make Christ an Intercessor §. 33. for the non-failing of the Faith of His Saints upon such terms as I pretend as viz. that their Faith may not faile how wicked or abominable soever they shall be but thus that God will preserve them from such wicked and abominable wayes and practises which should they fall into them would be the ruine of their faith and that he would effectually direct and perswade them into the use of such means which thorough His grace and blessing on them shall preserve them at least from a totall and finall declining To this I Answer 1. If this be asserted for the tenor of Christs intercession for His Saints that God will Preserve them from such sins which would be the bane and ruine of their Faith should they fall into them the assertors render the intercession of Christ every whit as invalid and ineffectuall as they pretend such Men
that we shall also live with Him Knowing that Christ being raised againe from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion over Him For in that He died He died unto sin once but in that He liveth He liveth unto God Likewise reckon yee also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin c. The intent of the Apostle in these passages is nothing lesse then to teach or insinuate a non-possibility of their returning or living againe unto sin who at present are dead unto it such a supposall as this is diametrally inconsistent with the emphaticall energy of His exhortation Verse 12. Let not sin therefore reigne in your mortall bodies as likewise with many other pregnant Scriptures which shall be consulted with in due time but to set forth the spirituall condition of the Children of God partly in respect of what it is partly in respect of what it should or ought to be by a metaphor or similitude borrowed from what happened unto Christ corporally or literally after this manner As Christ died once corporally for the abolishing or taking away of the sins of Men but now liveth and acteth for the advancement of the Glory of God and is not obnoxious unto any more dyings in that kinde in like manner they who are his or desire or professe themselves to be His ought to be conformable to Him in these things in a spirituall way as viz. by dying unto sin i. e. by endvouring to destroy and work out all sinfull dispositions from within them and by ceasing from all Sinfull actions and wayes and againe by living unto God i. e. Righteously Holily and so that God may be glorified in the World by the excellency of their conversations and by persevering and continuing in this course of living unto God without relapsing into that death in sin which is opposite hereunto even as Christ liveth unto God so as never to cease thus living unto Him Therefore all that can be inferr'd from this contexture of Scripture is the duty of Perseverance in Faith and Holinesse or necessity of it in respect of the great obligation to it that lieth upon the Saints and that professe interest in Christ and expect Salvation by Him not any absolute not any such necessity of it which is unavoideable or undeclineable by the Saints For to what purpose should they be so solemnly so seriously cautioned against that whereby they were not in any possibility of suffering inconvenience If it were impossible that sin should reigne in their mortall bodies after they were once dead to it needlesse and vaine had that exhortation been Let not sin reigne in your mortall bodies The common maxime among Divines and interpreters of Scriptures is that Similitudes or Metaphors doe not run on all foure meaning that they are not to be extended or applied to the spirituall thing intended to be illustrated by them in all the properties or relations which are found in those things from which they are taken but in respect of that only which suits naturally with the scope of the place where they are used From the consideration of Christs death once suffered by him without being liable to die the second time and so of His living unto God without danger of ever having this life extinguished or taken from Him cannot be proved either that Men who are once dead unto sin can no more live to it or that Men once alive unto God cannot possibly suffer any interruption or losse of this life Because these particulars are not mentioned or insisted upon by the Apostle to prove the absolute but only an Hypotheticall or conditionall necessity of the Saints conforming themselves spiritually unto them or unto Christ Himself in respect of them viz. if they meane to answer the tenor and import of their holy Profession or to obtaine Life and Salvation herein in the end Nor doe these words 1 Joh. 5. 4. For whatsoever is borne of God overcometh §. 53. the World and this is the victory i. e. the means of the victory or that victorious thing that overcometh the World even our Faith imply any absolute necessity that he that is borne of God or that truly believeth viz. at the present and in this respect is victorious over the World must alwayes retaine the strength and vigor of His new Birth or true Faith and so be victorious alwayes and to the end All that can be reasonably and according to the usuall import of such Scripture expressions concluded from this place is 1. That all the true-borne Sons and Daughters of God by means of that Spirit of Faith which works in them in this estate of Regeneration are for the present above the temptations and allurements of the World wherewith others are overcome and hereby remaine in imminent danger of perishing 2. That they are likewise in such a posture or condition by means of their Faith that if they shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle Pauls word is quit themselves like Men and act their Faith or with their Faith according to the vertue vigor and usefulnesse of it they may make good the ground or standing which they have gained and maintaine their present victory or conquest over the World unto the end But here is not the least or lightest intimation given but that those who are at present victorious over the World by the aid and working of their Faith may through carelesnesse security and inconsideratenesse suffer the World to recover her former advantage and so far to insinuate with them as to cause them to let fall the Shield of Faith out of their hand before they be aware of it See more to this point Sect. 9. of this Chapter Nor is there any whit more reliefe for the cause now in distresse in that §. 54. other place Ver. 18. of this Chapter We know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth Himself and that wicked one toucheth Him not For that which is here asserted and held forth by the Holy Ghost is only this that the naturall genius or property of a true-borne In Scriptura saepe ea facta vel futura dicuntur quae fieri â—ecâ—t aut debent sive quâ— ut fiant honestas rerum natura postulat vel quibus ut sâ—ant justa gravisque causa datur Cornel. Lap. in Zachar. 13. 12. Child of God as such and whilest such is to refraine from wayes or customary practises of sin and to set a guard as it were of holy and potent considerations and resolutions about his Heart that the Devill may have no entrance or accesse thither by the mediation of any temptation whatsoever Not that such vigilancy and care as this are always perform'd and taken by Him the contrary hereunto is too much experimented but that there is a certaine propensnesse in that Divine nature wherein He partakes by being borne of God that inclines Him hereunto Men are often in Scripture Dialect
own Heart the workings reasonings and debates thereof seconded with that long observation which I had made of the Spirits Principles and wayes of Men in the World together with their ebbings and flowings their risings and fallings their advancings and retreats their firstings and lastings in matters of Religion in conjunction with that light of Reason and Understanding which I have in common with other men these together were sufficient to teach me and that to a plenary satisfaction in most cases what Doctrines what Opinions are of the richest and most cordiall Sympathy and compliance with godlinesse and what on the other hand are but faint and loose in their correspondency with her or otherwise secret enemies unto her That that Doctrine which asserteth a Possibility even of a finall defection §. 2. from Faith in true Believers well understood riseth up in the cause of Godliness with a far higher hand then the common Opinion about their Perseverance hath been sufficiently though but in part proved already b Cap. 9. the further demonstration hereof sleepeth not but only awaiteth its season Our present tasque is to argue the letter of the Scripture for confirmation of the said Doctrine and to evince the truth thereof from the Oracles of God This done we shall God willing advance some grounds of reason also built upon the Scriptures for the further countenance and credit hereof And because security upon security will not we suppose be unacceptable in a businesse of such grand concernment and import we shall afterwards produce some examples upon the same account and then conclude our Discussions of this subject with an enterview of some sayings wherein it will appeare that the God of Truth hath drawn a confession and acknowledgement of that Truth of His which we now maintaine from the judgements and consciences of some of the greatest Adversaries thereof or at least so esteemed First for the sence of the Holy Ghost Himself in the Question depending §. 3. we cannot lightly desire any account more satisfactory then that given by Himself in the Old Testament But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked Man doth shall he live All his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die Yet yee say the way of the Lord is not equall Heare now O House of Israel is not my way equall are not your wayes unequall When a righteous Man turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and dieth in them for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die a Ezek. 18. 24. 25 c. What more can the understanding Judgement Soul or Conscience of a Man reasonably desire for their establishment in any truth whatsoever then is delivered by God Himself in this passage to evince the possibility of a righteous Mans declining from his righteousnesse and that unto Death The latter words of the passage are conclusive hereof against and above all contradiction When a righteous Man turneth away c. and dieth in them i. e. repenteth not of them forsaketh them not before his Death for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die viz. the second Death or perish everlastingly For that this Death is meant at least included in this latter clause is evident because otherwise we shall both make an unsavoury tautology in the sentence and destroy all congruity of sence besides For without such a supposition the Prophet must be supposed to speak thus when a righteous Man turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and dieth in them i. e. leaveth his naturall life under the guilt of them and without Repentance for them for the iniquity that he hath done shall He leave his naturall life or have his naturall life taken from him When a Man dieth in or under the guilt of His sin He shall die for His sin or because of the guilt of His sin the same death which He dieth in His sin Who tasteth not a palpable absurdity and incoherence of sence in such a construction as this whereas if by dying in the latter clause we shall understand dying or perishing for ever the sentence will run cleer and in full consonancy with the generall current of the Scriptures the sence rising thus when a righteous Man shall forsake the wayes of righteousness wherein he hath formerly walked and turn aside into wayes of wickedness and not repent of these wayes before His death this Man shal die the death of the impenitent and unbelievers which is the second Death In this sence the sentence perfectly accords for substance of matter with such passages as these Know yee not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God B◠not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers c. shal inherit the Kingdome of God b 1 Cor. 9. 10. And againe For this yee know that no Whore-monger or unclean person or covetous Man which is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ and of God Let no Man deceive you with vaine words for because of these things commeth the Wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience c Eph. 5. 5 6. And to omit many others with that of the same Prophet Therefore thou son of Man say unto the Children of thy People The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver Him in the day of His Transgression when I shall say to the righteous that He shall surely live if He trust His own righteousnesse and commit iniquity all His righteousness shall not be remembred but for His iniquity that He hath committed He shall die for it d Ezek. 33. 12 13. If the righteousnesse which an Apostate or back-slider from wayes of righteousnesse hath wrought whilest He was yet righteous shall not deliver Him when He turns aside unto wickednesse what can be imagined should deliver Him Doubtlesse His wickednesse whereunto He hath turned aside from His righteousnesse will not befriend Him with a deliverance Nor can it any whit more reasonably be said that though His former righteousness will not deliver Him from a temporall death yet it may deliver Him from eternall death then in the case of a true Repentance it may be said that though such a Repentance will deliver a Man from a temporall death yet will it not deliver Him from eternall death For as the truest Repentance that is though continued in will not deliver a Man from a temporall or naturall death but will most certainly deliver him from eternall death in like manner though Apostasie and backsliding from wayes of righteousnesse persevered in doe not alwayes expose a Man to a temporall death or bring this death upon Him yet they alwayes render Men obnoxious to eternall death Besides when God threateneth such backsliders as we speak of that when §.
in case he had not continued to keep it under he might be a Reprobate Nay as in case Christ had not died there had not been a Possibility onely but even a certainty of their perishing who now by believing on him are saved in like manner in case Paul had deserted his exercise of keeping under his Body there had been more then a possibility and no whit lesse then a certainty of his proving a Reprobate though now by means of his persevering therein unto the end as we have cause in abundance to judge concerning him he be saved So that the Argument recoyles as we see upon the Author himself and the cause which he seekes to maintaine by it Our English Annotators upon the place are very tender of admitting any §. 17. such sence of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which should imply any uncertainty in the Apostle of his Election or of obtaining the prize But the truth is that that sence of the Word for which we have contested doth no wayes imply the former nor yet if by uncertainty be meant any thing grievous or discourageing to the Apostle the latter For 1. He might notwithstanding a possibility of becoming a Reprobate afterwards know certainly that for the present He was elected in as much as know He might with the greatest certainty and doubtlesse did that He did believe And that all those who truly believe are elected our Adversaries themselves will not deny 2. Notwithstanding such a possibility as we suppose of his becoming a Reprobate He might have as much certainty of obtaining the prize as He desired or was any wayes meet or reasonable for him either to desire or enjoy This certainty He might have and questionlesse had upon his continuance in well doing and for any Man to be certaine of obtaining the prize though He should apostatize and decline into wayes of wickednesse is not a certainty either meet for God to give or for any Man to receive Somewhat more was said upon this account in the nineth Chapter The next passage we shall insist upon to evince the possibility of a finall §. 18. defection in the Saints openeth it self in these words For it is unpossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come If they shall fall away to renew them againe unto Repentance seeing they Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame For the Earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth Thornes and Briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned a Heb. 6. 4 5 6 7 c. Answerable hereunto is another in the same Epistle For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins But a certaine fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace b Heb. 10. 26 27 c. Evident it is that in these two passages the Holy Ghost after a most serious manner and with a very pathetique and moving straine of speech and discourse scarce the like to be found in all the Scriptures admonisheth those who are at present true Believers to take heed of relapsing into the wayes of their former ignorance and impiety This Caveat or admonition he vehemently presseth by an argument of this import that in case they shall thus relapse there will be very little or no hope at all of their recovery or returne to the estate of Faith and Grace wherein they now stand Before the faces of such sayings and passages as these rightly understood and duly considered there is no standing for that Doctrine which denies a possibility either of a totall or finall defection in the Saints But this light also is darkened in the Heavens thereof by the interposition of the vailes of these two exceptions 1. That the Apostle in the said passages affirms nothing positively concerning the falling away of those he speaks of but only conditionally and upon supposition 2. That he doth not speak of true and sound Believers but of Hypocrites and such who had Faith onely in shew not in substance The former of these exceptions hath been already non-suited and that by some of the ablest Patrons themselves of the cause of Perseverance c Cap. 11. Sect. 9. where we were taught from a pen of that learning That such conditional sayings upon which Admonitions Promises or Threatenings are built do at least suppose something in possibility however by vertue of their Tenor and Form they suppose nothing in being But 2. As to the Places in Hand there is not any Hypothetical sign or conditional Particle to be found in either of them as they come from the Holy Ghost and are carried in the Original Those two iffs appearing in the English Translation the one in the former Place the other in the latter shew it may be the Translators inclination to the cause but not their faithfulness in their engagement an infirmity whereunto they were very subject as we shall have occasion to take notice of the second time ere long in another instance of like partiality But the Tenor of both the Passages in hand is so ordered by the Apostle that He plainly declares how great and fearful the danger is or will be when Beleevers do or shall fall away not if or in case they shall fall away To the latter exception which pretends to finde onely Hypocrites and §. 19. not true Beleevers staged in both Passages we likewise answer that it glosseth no whit better then the former if not much worse considering that the Persons presented in the said Passages are described by such characters and signal excellencies which the Scriptures are wont to appropriate unto Saints and true Beleevers and that when they intend to shew them in the best and greatest of their glory What we say herein will I suppose be made above all gainsaying by instancing Particulars 1. The Persons spoken of are in the former of the Passages said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. enlightened meaning with the knowledg of God and of Jesus Christ in the Gospel How frequently is this Grace of illumination or enlightening attributed unto the Saints or true Beleevers The Apostle having said that the god of this world had blinded the eyes of those who beleeve nor lest the light
Creatures of a better kinde All the lineaments of the Persons presented in these Tables before the mention of their falling away become the best and fairest faces of the Saints as hath been proved and are not to be found in any other Yea the greatest and most intelligent Believer under Heaven hath no reason but to desire part and fellowship with the Hypocrites here described in all those Characters and Properties which are attributed unto them before their falling away or sinning wilfully 2. True Believers are in an estate of honour and are lifted up on high towards the Heavens in which respect they have from whence to fall But Hypocrites are as neere Hell already as lightly they can be till they be actually fallen into it From whence then are they capable of falling Men of estates may faile and break but beggers are in no such danger If Hypocrites fall away it must be from their Hypocrisie but this is rather a rising then a Fall A Begger cannot be said to break but onely when he gets an estate When he doth this the begger is broke 3. It is no punishment at all to Hypocrites to be under no Possibility of being renewed againe by Repentance Nay in case they should Fall away it would be a benefit and blessing unto them to be under an impossibility of being renewed againe For if this were their case it would be unpossible for them to be ever Hypocrites again and doubtlesse it is no great judgement upon any Man to be made uncapable of such a preferment 4. And lastly it stands off forty foot at least from all probability that the Apostle writing onely unto those whom he judged true and sound Believers as appears from severall places in the Epistle as Cap. 3. 14. 6. 9. c. should in the most serious emphaticall and weighty passages hereof admonish them of such evills or dangers which only concern'd other Men and wherunto themselves were not at all obnoxious yea and whereunto if they had been obnoxious all the Cautions Admonitions Warnings Threatnings in the World would not according to their Principles with whom we have now to doe have relieved or delivered them To say that such admonitions are a means to preserve those from apostasie who are by other means as suppose the absolute Decree of God or the interposall of his irresistible Power for their Perseverance or the like are in no possibility of apostatizing is to say that washing is a means to make Snow white or the rearing up of a Pillar in the Aire a means to keepe the Heavens from falling But more of this in the Chapter following Thus then we cleerly see by the unpartiall discussion of the two Scriptures §. 29. lately insisted upon that there is a possibility that true Believers yea the greatest in this rank or order of Men may fall away and that to an impossibility of a returne to their former standing by Repentance Whither the Apostle speakes of a distriâ—â— and absolute impossibility in this place or of such an impossibility only which our Saviour expoundeth by a difficulty a Mat. 19. 23. 26. doth no wayes alter the state of that conclusion â—hich we have wrought from it Pâ—reâ—s from Nazianzen mentioneth six severall significations of the word impossible and preferreth two of them with equall approbation to the Apostle service in this place Neither of them imports that rigid or district impossibility we speak of but the one such an impossibility which is caused through want of strength in Him that should performe a thing the other such whâ—â—h exceedeth the course of nature and efficiency of second causes So that he supposeth a liberty or Power remaining in God to renew againe by Repentance the Persons here spoken of after their falling away notwithstanding that impossibility whicâ— is here asserted of their recovery Whicâ—â—nterpretation of his I willingly subscribe unto and could plead the cause of such a subscription if it were pertinent to the proâ—â—sse of the businesse in hand That which is commonly alledged in opposition to what hath been argued §. 30. concerning the two last Scriptures is of little consideration excepting onely those Scriptures and Arguments by which the Doctrine of Persevevance in the generall is wont to be maintained both which we have answered at large in the two next preceding Chapters To say with Pareus that the Apostasie and event prove the persons spoken of to have been Hypocrites b Hypocritas fuisse apostasiâ— eventus declarat is to cause a Mans opinion to rise up early to praise it self His refuge of an Hypotheticall forme in the words is but a sanctuary built in the Aire as we shewed formerly There is nothing Hypotheticall in either of the passages if there were his greatest friends and abettors have polluted that Sanctuary and made it uncleane for his use as hath once and againe been declared And with how little truth he or any Man can affirme that all things here attributed to the Apostates spoken of illumination gifts of Tongues and Miracles the tasting of the good Word of God and Faith c. amount to nothing more then to what Hypocrites may have a Apostolus autem non dicit categorice semel illuminatos prolabi sed Hypotheticè si prolabantur Ab Hypotheticâ autem non valet consequentia nisi conditione positâ hath been our chiefe designe in the traverse of the places to shew and prove The next Scripture testimony we shall produce and briefly urge in the §. 31. cause now under maintenance is in the same Epistle with the former and speaketh these words Now the Just shall live by Faith but if any Man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him b Heb. 10. 38. Our English Translators out of good will doubtlesse to a bad cause have almost defaced this Testimony by substituting any Man for the just Man For whereas they â—ranslate but if any Man draw back the originall readeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. and if or but if Hâ— i. e. the just Man who should live by his Faith viz. if he continues in it shall draw back Beza Himself likewise before them had stained the honour of his faithfulnesse with the same blot in his Translation But the minde of the Holy Ghost in the words is plaine and without Parable viz. that if the just Man who lives i. e. who at present injoyes the favour of God and thereby is supported in all his trialls and should live alwayes by his Faith if he continues in it as Pareus well glosseth shall draw back or shall be withdrawn viz. through feare or sloath as the word properly signifieth see Acts 20. 27. from his believing my Soul shall have no pleasure in him i. e. according to the import of the Hebraisme my Soul shall hate or abhor him to the Death as it is Apud Hebrâ—os adverbia negandi contrarium ejuâ— cui adhibentur significant Med.
cut the sinews of the credit and Authority of the Scriptures which still number Idolaters and workers of Iniquity amongst those who shall have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God But of these things enough formerly Yet let us hear what the Patrons of the Common Doctrine of Perseverance have to plead for the life of Solomons Faith even whilest he walked in those ways of death whereof we heard so lately Solomon say they could not fall away totally from his Faith nor from §. 7. the saving Love of God because God had promised unto David his Father that he would be a Father unto Him his Son Solomon and that he should be a Son unto Him and that His Mercy should not depart from Him as He took it from Saul a 2 Sam. 7. 14 15. I answer 1. Evident it is that the Mercy or kindness of God here mentioned was vouchsafed by him as well unto Saul as unto Solomon For his Promise is that he would not take away his mercy or kindness as some translate from the latter as he took it i. e. the same mercy from thâ— former Saul If then the Mercy here spoken of was the saving Mercy of God out of which he purposeth to give Eternal Life then Saul was Elect and a childe of God and yet fell totally and finally away and had this Grace or Mercy of Election taken from Him If it be a mercy or kindness of any other kinde the infisting upon it is altogether irrelative to the business in hand 2. When God faith that His Mercy should not depart from Solomon the meaning clearly is that God would not translate the Kingdom into another Family or Line as he had transferred it from Saul and his house but would continue it in Davids Line by Solomon The words immediately following make the face of this interpretation to shine And thine HOVSE and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee thy Throne shall be established for ever b Verse 16 3. And lastly it appears from words spoken by David unto his Son Solomon a little before his death that he understood the mercy or kindness promised unto Solomon not of the saving Mercy of God which according to the sence of our Opposers is unremovable where ever it be once pitched but of such a Mercy as hath been declared And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve Him with a perfect Heart and with a willing minde For the Lord searcheth all Hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seek Him He will be found of thee but if thou forsake Him HE WILL CAST THEE OFF FOR EVER c 1 Chro. 28. 9 Therefore David himself did not apprehend any such Mercy to be entailed or setled upon his Son Solomon by God in the Promise mentioned as our Adversaries imagine Nor is that which was thought upon by a great man in the Synod of Dort §. 8. of any whit more value to prove the standing of Solomonâ— Faith whilest himself fell so foully as we have heard It is the testimony which Solomon himself gives concerning himself in these words Also my wisdom remained with me d Eccles 2 9 From hence this Author judged it a legitimate inference that Solomon remained sound in his Faith whilest he halted right down yea and fell desperately as we have heard before God But as the Proverb is Similes habent labra lactucas like lips like lattuces such as this mans Cause is such is his Argument or Plea for it For what is there in the words cited any ways to justifie Solomons Faith whilest himself fell into that fearful Condemnation which hath oft been declared It is true Wisdom sometimes in Scripture signifies the true sound and saving Knowledg of God sometimes a Religious frame of heart inclining a man to a consciencious observation of all the Laws and Precepts of God But unless it could be proved that it always is found in one of these two significations and never in any other which is a task that would prove a reproach to any mans parts and learning that should undertake it it is no ways reasonable to put either of these upon it in the place in hand For there is nothing more clear then that Solomon speaketh here of that wisdom which as he faith in the former Chapter Vers 13. he gave his heart to know and which confisteth in the observation experience and knowledg of the things that are done under Heaven in which also â—he affirmeth that there is much grief and vexation of spirit c. Vers 17 18. which when he had attained he declares Chap. 2. that he fell to the practique part of it and gave himself to the procurement and enjoyment of the pleasures and all the contentments that the world is able to afford unto men and which men generally seek after according to the best of their understandings and opportunities otherwise And having particularized several of his principal enjoyments in this kinde Vers 3 4 5 6 c. he concludes from the said Inventory or Survey Vers 9. thus So I was great and increased more then all that were before me in Jerusalem adding also my wisdom remained with me in the Original stood by me or to me meaning that he was very circumspect and careful not to destroy maim or prejudice that Principle of Wisdom which he had travelled so long for and by which he had raised himself to a far greater estate in honors riches pleasures and contentments in the World then any other man careful I say he professeth himself to have been not to endamage or prejudice this his wisdom by those abundant pleasures and delights whereof he stood possess'd and which he freely enjoyed as many are apt to do upon such occasions and by such means Afterwards though he prefers that wisdom which he had spoken oâ— hitherto above folly i. e. above a bruitish and sottish ignorance of such things which concern a mans interest of Peace and Comfort in the World Cap. 2. 13. yet he acknowledgeth a Vanity in this also in as much as after a short and inconsiderable space of time the case and conditiof such a fool will be every whit as good as of a wise man Then I said in my heart as it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth even to me and why was I then moâ—e wise Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity and how dyeth the wise man as the fool c. So that by the wisdom which Solomon saith remained with him in the fullest enjoyment of the delights and contentments of the world is clearly meant not a sacred but a politique or civil wisdom which first he gave his heart to seek and afterwards having obtained it improved to the rendering of his condition in the world every ways as desirable as the materials of the world under the best improvement would make it And besides evident it
Fidem spem dilectioneÌ„ dâ—dit non dat PerseverantiaÌ„ cum Filiis alienis scelera tanta dimittat atque impertitâ gratiâ suâ faciat Filios suos Aâ—g de Corrept Grat. cap. 8. A little after For of such we dispute who want Perseverance in goodness and go out of the world by death with the GOODNESS OF THEIR WILLS FALLEN FROM GOOD TO EVIL Let thâ—se men answer if they can why God did not take away such men from the dangers of life whilest they yet LIVED FAITHFVLLY AND RELIGIOVSLY that so Sin and WICKEDNES might not have CHANGED THEIR MINDS or understandings b Paulò post De his enim disserimus qui Perseveâ—antiaÌ„ bonitatis non habent sed ex boâ—â—iâ— mâ—luÌ„ deficâ—â—te bonâ voluntate mortuntur RespoÌ„deant si possuÌ„t cur illos Deus cum fideliter pie viverent non tunc de vitae hujus periculâ— rapuit ne malitia mutaret intellectuÌ„ illoruÌ„ c. That God doth not give Perseverance in such a sence as this Father meaneth viz. actual Perseverance and such which is accompanyed with Salvation unto some His Children whom He hath regenerated in Christ c. I readily and fully consent but that He doth not give Perseverance unto some as much as He giveth unto any others of them whose deportment is but the same I cannot beleeve without beleeving Him to be a respecter or accepter of Persons which I must at no hand beleeve Therefore to me it is no more scarce so much a wonder why God should give Perseverance unto some of his children and not unto others then it is why He should save those that beleeve and not others However from both the Testimonies cited it is as evident as words could well make it that the Authors sence was that truly regenerate men and Beleevers may very possibly fall away both totally and finally Elsewhere He expresseth the same sence thus But if He that is now REGENERATE and JVSTIFIED voluntarily relapseth into an evil course of life surely He cannot say I have not received it because He hath now LOST THE GRACE OF GOD RECEIVED in or by His Will being free unto evil c Si auteÌ„ jam regeneratus justificatus in malaÌ„ vitaÌ„ suâ voluÌ„tate relabitur certè iste noÌ„ potest dicere non accepi quia acceptaÌ„ gratiaÌ„ Dei suo in maluÌ„ libero amisit arbitrio Aug. de Corr. Grat. c. 6. A little after Nor let it trouble us THAT GOD DOTH NOT GIVE THIS PERSEVERANCE UNTO SOME OF HIS CHILDREN For these whilest they live religiously are called the sons of God but in as much as they will live wickedly afterward and dye in this wickedness the Foreknowledg of God calleth them not the sons of God d Nec nos moveat quòd Filiis suis quibusdaÌ„ Deus noÌ„ dat istaÌ„ perseveraÌ„tiaÌ„ Nam isti cuÌ„ piè vivunt dicuntur Filij Dei sed quoniaÌ„ victuri sunt impié in eâdem impâ—etate morituri non eos dicit Filios Dei praescientia Dei So again speaking of those who as John saith went out from them but were not of them They were in a good way but because they continued not herein i. e. persevered not unto the end they were not saith John of us when they were with us that is they were not in the number of Children whilest THEY WERE IN THE FAITH OF CHILDREN because they who are truly and indeed Children are Foreknown and Predestinated e Erant itaque in bono sed quia in eo non permaÌ„â—erunt i. e. non usque in fineÌ„ perseveraruÌ„t non erant inquit ex nobis quaÌ„do erant nobiscuÌ„ hoc est non erant ex numero FilioruÌ„ quaÌ„do erant in Fide FilioruÌ„ quoniaÌ„ qui verè Filij sunt praesciti praedestinati sunt c. c. From this Passage it is evident that however Augustin might seem to hold a Personal Election of some somewhat after the same manner wherein it is commonly held and taught amongst us at this day though elsewhere He seems as much to contradict it as we shall God willing shew in due time yet He did not judg Faith to be a fruit of such Election nor Elect and true Beleevers to be voces convertibiles but that there were many such Beleevers who did not appertain to the number of such Elect ones and consequently who might and should fall away finally Again not long after For this cause the Apostle when He had said We know that all things work together for good to those that love God knowing that some LOVE GOD WHO DO NOT PERSEVERE in this good presently adds To those who are called according to His Purpose a Propter hoc Apostolus cuÌ„â—xisset Scimus quoniaÌ„ diligeÌ„tibus DeuÌ„ omnia cooperaÌ„tur in bonum sciens noÌ„nulloâ— diligere Dâ—uÌ„ in eo bono usque in finem noÌ„ permanere mâ—x addidit His qui secunduÌ„ propâ—siâ—uÌ„ vocati sunt From these three last Passages compared together it clearly appears in what sence such other Passages in this Author wherein He asserts the certain Perseverance of the Saints or Children of God which Mr Prynn b Perpetuity of a regenerate mans estate p. 243 244. with others cite from him to perswade men that he was of their Judgment in the Point of Perseverance are to be understood viz. as importing not the Perseverance much less the certainty of the Perseverance of all that are true Saints or true Beleevers such a sence as this would make him the greatest Self contradictionist in the world but onely of all those whom in the said Passages now cited he calls verè filii Sons indeed or truly Sons and so truly Saints i. e. by his own Interpretation such as are elected or predestinated by God to be conformable to the image of His Son And besides that by that Perseverance whereunto this Author entitles even such Elect Children as these he doth not mean any such continuance of the Grace or Faith once or at any time received by them which admitteth not of a total in erruption or intercision by the way but onely a residence or presence hereof in them at the time of their death might be abundantly proved from several Explications which He makes of his minde in this behalf c Horum ElectoruÌ„ fides qua per dilectioneÌ„ operatur profectò aut omninò non deficit aut si qui sunt quorum deficit reparatur antequaÌ„ ista vita finiatur et deletâ quae intercurrerat iniquitate usque in finem Perseverantia deputatur Aug. de Cor. Grat. c. 7. vid de Bono Persev c. 13 noÌ„ longè ab initio if I judged it either of any great concernment to the cause or satisfaction unto the Reader So that his Judgment clearly was that even those who he supposed could not fall away finally might yet fall away totally But concerning his Judgment touching such an
de bonis Oper. Qu. 5. Quod autem excidant ex gratiâ effundant Fidem Spiritum Sanctum fiant rei Irae Dei aeter narum poenarum qui admittunt delicta contrà Conscientiam id multae sententiae claré testantur Ibid. c. A little after But that they fall from Grace and shed Faith and the Holy Ghost and become guilty of the Wrath of God and of eternal punishment who commit sin against Conscience many sayings in the Scriptures clearly testifie to which purpose He cites Gal. 5. 19. 1 Cor. 6. 9 c. Yet again Let us saith 〈◊〉 minde the Examples of Saul and David who before their Fall retained thosâ— benefits or blessings which I rehearsed amongst which the Discovery of God the sending of His Son the Donation of His Word and Gospel the Donation of the Holy Ghost the Promise of Life eternal were reckoned and after their Fall were not onely devested of these good things but felt also the evils or punishments which I mentioned whereof these were some the Wrath of God Eternal Punishments the loss of their Gifts c Exempla cogitemus Saulis Davidis qui beneficia quae recensui inter quae erant Patefactio Dei Missio Filij Donatio Verbi Evangelij Donatio Spiritus Sancti Promissio Vitae Aeternae c. tenuerunt ante lapsum post lapsum exuti tantis bonis poenas senserunt quas recitavi inter quas erant Ira Dei Poenae Aeternae amissio Donorum c. Idem in Loc. de Fide c. No more from this Author at present from whom notwithstanding much more of the same import might readily be cited but onely that short saying of His writing upon those words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. Let Him that thinketh He standeth take heed lest He fall But that in some who had the beginnings of Faith and afterwards FALLING RETVRN NOT that FAITH of theirs was TRVE BEFORE it was LOST or shaken out the saying of Peter 2 Pet. 2. testifieth d Quod autem in aliquibus qui initia Fidei habuerunt posteà lapsi non redeunt Fides illa prinsquà m excutitur vera sit dictum illud Petri testatur 2. Pet. 2. Idem in 1 Cor. 10. So that there is little or no question to be made but that Melancthon was full of enmity in His Judgment against the Tenent of those who affirm an impossibility of the Saints declining unto Death Nor did Chemnitius another learned and famous Assertor of the Lutheran §. 17. Cause dissent from him herein I answer saith he having mentioned a Tridentine Argument against assurance of Salvation pretended from the Scriptures that as well the Scripture as Experience teach that many do not persevere but fall from Grace But this cometh not to pass from hence or because God is not willing to preserve or keep those to the end whom He hath once received into His Grace or Favor but from hence viz. because many shed or spill the Holy Ghost and shake or dash Faith out of their hearts by security diffidence and the works of the flesh a Respondeo multos non perseverare sed gratiâ excidere et Scriptura experientia docet Sed hoc fit non inde ideò quasi nolit Deus credeÌ„tes quos semel in gratiam recepit ad FineÌ„ usque conservare sed ideò fit quia multi securitate diffidentiâ et operibus carnis SpirituÌ„ Sanctum effunduÌ„t Fidem excutiunt Chemn Exam. de Fide Justif p. 172. b. Not long after speaking of such Scripture-passages as these Let Him that standeth take heed that He fall not Work out your Salvation with Bear and Trembling c. He saith There is a general Answer to these Sayings For they are monitory unto men lest through a perswasion of the certainty of Salvation they degenerate into a carnal security whereby Faith it self is choked and quite put out and that we should not indulge any corrupt affections because by this means Faith is extinguished and that unless we abide in the goodness of God we shall be cut off Rom. 11. But concerning Faith it abideth not in those who without Repentance indulge vicious or depraved affections b Et paulò post Ad has sententius respoÌ„sio generalis est Monent enim ne persuasione certitudinis de salute degeneremus in carnaleÌ„ securitateÌ„ qua ipsa Fides suffocâ—tur extinguitur Nec indulgeamus vitiosis affectibus ita enim Fides extinguitur Et nisi permanserimus in bonitate Dei excindemur Rom. 11. Non manet auteÌ„ Fides in illis qui sine poenitentiâ indulgent pravis affectibus The same Author elsewhere having recited very many Texts of Scripture which speak of making shipwrack of Faith of denying the Faith of turning aside from the Faith c. as 1 Tim. 1. 19. cap. 4. 1. cap. 5. 8. with several others speaketh thus All these sentences speak of a true living and justifying Faith which they teach may be shaken out cast away and lost two several ways as either by sins against Conscience for Faith doth not remain in those who give way unto and indulge evil desires against Conscience 1 Tim. 1. 2. cap. 5. 6. or else by admiting an Error in the Foundation or by overthrowing the Foundation of Religion c Quae sententiae omnes loquuntur de verâ vivâ justificante Fide quaÌ„ docent excuti abjici amitti duâ—bus modis vel per peccata contrà conscientiaÌ„ Fides enim non manet in illis qui indulgent pravis cupiditatibus contrà conscientiaÌ„ 1 Tim. 1. 2. c. 5. 6. vel admisso errore in fundamento aut fundamento Religionis subverso 1 Tim. 4. 6. 2 Tim. 2. 3. Chemnit Exam. part 3. de Coelibat Virgin p. 33. a. 1 Tim. 4. 6. and 2 Tim. 2. 3. It were easie to make the pile of Testimonies from these Authors yet far greater for the eviction of their sence in the Question depending but these produced are enough to satisfie Ingenuity and as for Prejudice and Partiality the greatest abundance is not like to prove competent or sufficient That the main stream of Lutheran Judgments run in the same channel with §. 18. the Opinions of those two great Masters of this way already specified is once and again acknowledged by Doctor Prideaux Himself a man of opposite Judgment in the present Controversie who as well in the Doctrine of Perseverance as in those other Points of Election Reprobation the Death of Christ c. coupleth the Lutherans with the Remonstrants or Arminians from place to place See upon this account His Lectures De Absoluto Decreto de Gratia Universali de Perseverantia Sanctorum c. Therefore certainly the Protestant party of the Lutheran denomination are generally so far from magnifying the necessity or worth of that Doctrine which asserteth that fatal Perseverance of the Saints hitherto opposed so
in these Dispensations of his towards them to do them any good in a saving way he must needs be conceived to intend their ruine and destruction at least the increase of their ruine and destruction by them it being no ways reasonable to conceive but that he hath higher and more considerable ends propounded to himself in his Providential Administrations about men in reference unto men then about beasts in relation unto them though it is true he hath the same general and ultimate End his Glory in all his Works and Administrations one or other But if the generality or far greatest part of men are bound to beleeve and bound they are to beleeve it if it be a revealed Truth that God in giving them health and peace and prosperity in the world intends nothing but evil to them a fuller cup of the wrath and vengeance which is to come how can the bountifulness and long-sufferance of God be said to lead men to Repentance which yet is the Apostles Doctrine Rom. 2. 4. Neither the goodness nor patience of God towards evil men can be said to lead them to Repentance but by the mediation or supposal of these three Principles 1. That these Dispensations of God I mean of goodness and patience towards such men are proper and sufficient I mean by the help of that operation of the Spirit of God which always accompanieth them to bring men to Repentance And 2. That Gods intent is that they should bring them actually to Repentance or at least that he hath no intention otherwise or to the contrary 3. And lastly That he truly and really intends their Salvation upon their Repentance Wicked men can at no hand of reason no nor yet of common sence be said to be led to Repentance by the goodness or long-sufferance of God towards them unless 1. It be supposed that there is a genuine natural or proper Rhetorique or moving tendency in them to perswade and encourage such men to Repent nothing can be said to lead a man to such or such an action or course but that which is proper to invite or perswade him unto either Nor unless it be supposed 2. That God hath an intent that such men should be actually perswaded and made willing to repent by such Dispensations at least that he should have no intentions to the contrary For how can any man be actually perswaded or made willing by any means motive or encouragement whatsoever to attempt or do any such thing which he hath cause to judg or beleeve that Gods intentions stand against his doing or performance There is no motive or encouragement against the determinate Counsel of God made known Nor 3. and lastly Can the said Dispensations of goodness or patience in God be said to lead any man to Repentance unless it be yet further supposed that his real intent and purpose is to save him upon his Repentance or in case he shall Repent or at least that they may be such For what encouragement can any man have to repent in case he hath sufficient ground to judg that God hath absolutely rejected him and will not save him no not upon his Repentance Therefore certainly God hath no intentions of evil or of condemnation or of encrease of condemnation against the generality of men no nor yet against the worst or wickedest of men in those gracious vouchsafements of life health liberty peace food rayment and other the like temporal mercies and accommodations unto them Again How can men look upon themselves as any ways debtors or obliged §. 5. unto God in thankfulness for good things administred unto them with hard intentions or with a purpose not to bless them but to make their condemnation so much the greater and more heavy upon them If birds and fishes had understanding and should know for what end or with what intentions men lay scraps and baits though made of such things as they love and stand in need of in their way would they thank them for it or should they have any reason so to do Or had Amasa any cause to think the better of Joab for taking Him by the Beard with His right Hand to kiss Him a 2 Sam. 20. 9 Or our Saviour to think the better of Judas for the kiss wherewith He greeted Him b Matth. 26. 49 Besides it being the duty of the Saints to imitate or resemble their Heavenly Father not onely in His outward Expressions but much more in His Intentions and frame of spirit towards men when He doth good unto them causing His Sun to arise and His Rain to fall upon them in case His Intentions towards them in such applications of Himself unto them were bent not upon their Salvation but Destruction would it not follow that when they should perform those Christian services unto them injoyned by our Saviour Himself But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you pray for them that despitefully use you a Mat. 5. 44. c. they were bound to do all these in order unto and with an intent to procure their greater and deeper condemnation and not with any intent to gain them in to the Gospel And if wicked men enemies to the Saints should know or have reasonable ground to judg that when they express themselves outwardly in terms of love and good-will towards them they mean them ruine or increase of Punishment and Torment hereby had they not cause to judg them the vilest Hypocrites and Dissemblers under Heaven Nor do they represent the glorious God Himself any whit better unto the World who affirm and teach that in and under His most pathetical and moving invitations encouragements and promissory offers of Grace Mercy Salvation unto the generality of men whereof the Scriptures are full He intends not the Donation or gift of Grace Mercy or Salvation unto them upon any condition or terms whatsoever but Wrath and Judgment and an opportunity to render them seven-fold more the children of death and condemnation then otherwise they would or could have been Lastly If God intends the increase of guilt and punishment unto wicked men or the generality of men in the comforts and good things of this world providentially disposed and dispensed unto them He must needs desire the bringing or coming of these accordingly upon them No man intends any thing in order to the accomplishment of such or such an end but this end is desired by Him Again certain it is that the increase of guilt and punishment cannot come upon men by means or by occasion of the good things given by God unto them but onely by the intervening of their unthankfulness and abuse of these good things in one kinde or other Further as there is no man but wisheth and desireth the coming to pass of such things which are simply and absolutely necessary for the bringing to pass such things as He desireth so hath no man cause to be offended with any man for the doing
intended or intendeth the Salvation of all Men in or by the Death of Christ The actions of men and so of Angels and of any Creature whatsoever as well immanent as transient inward as outward not being really the same things with their respective Natures Essences or Beings have their peculiar and appropriate forms really distinct from their said Natures and Beings so that they may be actually separated from these and yet these continue and remain As for example David once had a Purpose or Intention to build God an House or Temple but upon a discovery made unto Him by God that His Will was otherwise and that not He but his Son Solomon should do it His Purpose and Intentions that way expired and had no longer a Being yet David after this Purpose and Intention of his were fallen continued the same Person for Nature and Essence which He was before Now because that which we call an Intent or Intention in created subjects as Men hath a peculiar Nature or form really distinct as hath been said from the subject and Nature thereof and Names and words were at first imposed upon things according to what men generally knew or apprehended to be in them hence it is that these words Intent Intention c. properly and in ordinary discourse between men signifie such an act of the Minde or Will of the reasonable Creature which is in his Power as well to let fall and lay aside as to conceive or raise up within him yea and which falleth and ceaseth constantly and of course when the thing intended is effected Therefore in this strict and formal signification of the word Intentions are altogether inattributable unto God in as much as all His Acts and Actings in one kinde or other are divisim conjunctim joyntly and severally one and the same thing with His Nature Essence and Being as we have heretofore demonstratively proved and that from the express Principles and constant assertions of our Adversaries themselves as likewise from the Doctrine concerning the Nature of God generally received amongst us n Cap. 3. Sect. 7 8 c. Cap. 4. Sect. 5. 12 c. and consequently are not perishable or liable to any expiration fall or change upon any events accomplishments or effectings of things whatsoever more then Himself or His simple Essence and Being So that when with the Scriptures we ascribe Intentions unto God our meaning with theirs also is that God in and by that one great indesinent unintermittable unconceivable Act of his which is Himself and wherein He put forth Himself from Eternity and by which He gave and gives Being to all Creatures Motions and Actings of Creatures whatsoever successively o See Cap. 4. Sect. 12 13 14 c. 22 c. acteth and expresseth Himself in order to the effecting or obtaining of such ends or things as He is said to intend after some such manner as men do when they intend the effecting or procuring of what they project or desire Therefore as men when they intend such and such ends are wont to levy and use means proper and likely at least in their Judgments to effect and bring them to pass in like manner God is said to intend such and such things when He providentially acteth in due order towards and with a sufficient proportion of strength in acting for the effecting and procurement of them And thus and in this sence we desire to be understood when we affirm and hold that God intendeth the Salvation of all Men without exception in and by the Death of Christ viz. that upon the account of Christs Death He vouchsafeth a sufficiency of means unto all Men considered as men and before their wilful sinning that most heinous and unpardonable sin whereby to be saved so that if any particular Person man or woman perish or be not saved the cause or Reason hereof is not any want of sufficient means from God for their Salvation but their own voluntary neglect or non-improvement of the means vouchsafed unto them in order thereunto yea such a neglect which they were no ways necessitated unto neither by any Decree of God nor by any strength or subtilty of temptation from the Devil or from the World nor yet by any weakness or strength of corruption in themselves but which they might all these notwithstanding very well have prevented and not have incurred the guilt or danger of it When in the premised Explication of our Doctrine we say that God did §. 9. onely antecedently intend the actual Redemption and Salvation of all Men in and by the Death of Christ and not consequently our meaning is that He so far and upon such terms intended the Salvation of all Men without exception as to vouchsafe unto them all sufficient grace and means for their Salvation not purposing or intending to interpose by any Providence of His either positive or privative but that every man without exception may or might so improve or use the grace and means vouchsafed unto them as to obtain Salvation thereby This with the ancient Fathers Chrysostom and Damascene I call His willing or intending the Salvation of all Men antecedently Of this Intention or Will of God the Apostle speaks plainly 1 Tim. 2. 4. Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledg of the Truth But this antecedent Intention of His notwithstanding He may and doth intend and will likewise that whosoever shall not use the said grace and means so graciously vouchsafed unto them so as by them truly to repent and beleeve yea and persevere thus repenting and beleeving unto the end should perish everlastingly So that according to this latter this consequent Intention of His He intendeth the Salvation onely of those who shall beleeve and persevere beleeving unto the end and the condemnation of all others we speak now of Persons actually capable of Faith and Unbelief not of Infants who admit of a peculiar consideration by themselves This with the forementioned Authors I call His consequent Will or Intention The former of these is not called His Antecedent Will or Intention either because it precedes the other in time or in eternity or in worth or dignity or the like no precedency in any of these kindes hath place amongst the Decrees Wills or Intentions of God which are all equally eternal equally honorable and worthy of him But the reason of this denomination is because it is so ordered and cometh to pass by divine Dispensation that Grace and Means for the obtaining of Salvation are always in the first place vouchsafed unto Men before either Salvation be actually conferred upon any man that beleeveth or any thing Penal I mean spiritually Penal or any ways tending either to obduration or condemnation be inflicted upon Unbeleevers and much more before actual destruction is brought upon them So that the latter of the said two Wills or Intentions in God is therefore termed consequent because He never acteth
He hath made that blessed Provision for them And if a Providing for the Salvation of some doth in the Judgment of our Adversaries render Him more Gracious and Evangelical then such an Act or course would have done whereby He had refused to make this Provision for any at all certainly the greater the number shall be supposed for whom this gracious Provision is made by Him so much the greater and more Evangelical must that Act of Grace necessarily be by which such Provision is made And in case God had provided whether by the Death of Christ or in any other way but for the Salvation of one Man onely and had left the whole Posterity of Adam this one man excepted to have perished everlastingly it could be looked upon but onely as such an Act of Grace which is next to none at all and wherein little of that Evangelical Spirit which abounds and reigns in God could have been discovered yea and would doubtless commend it self unto the intelligent Creature less for Wisdom then for Grace Proportionably the fewer or smaller number they are supposed to be for whom Provision of Salvation is now made by God the lesser and more contracted and so the less Evangelical must that Grace needs be concluded to be by which this Provision is supposed to be made For what proportion one or a single person beareth unto those few whose Salvation is in the sence of our Adversaries now provided for by God the same do these few bear unto all or unto the whole body of Mankinde Therefore if they judg that God sheweth more Grace in providing for the Salvation of that number of men which they call the Elect then He should have done in providing for one person of this number onely they have Reason to judg also in case God maketh this Provision not onely for their small number of Elect but for them and all others with them that He sheweth far more Grace in such a Provision as this then in that which their Doctrine confineth Him unto Nor doth it from these debates any ways follow that in case God had made §. 18. Provision for the Salvation of the Devils He should have manifested more Grace or Evangelicalness of Spirit then now according to our Principles he hath done in providing Salvation for Men onely though for all Men although it is true the number of those for whom Provision of Salvation should have been made in this case had been greater then now we suppose it to be The Reason is because Grace especially divine Grace is not to be measured or judged of simply or meerly by any beneficialness accruing unto the Creature of one kinde or other but by a beneficialness accruing in an honorable and prudential way in respect of him from whom or by whom this beneficialness is supposed to accrue Acts of Prodigality are or may be beneficial to the Receivers of what is thereby given yet are they no Acts of Grace nor would it be any Act of Grace in a Judg to spare the life of a Murtherer or Traytor though this Act of his in the nature of it is beneficial to him whose life is spared and may possibly turn to a further benefit unto him The Reason why these and such like Acts as these though they may be very beneficial to their Objects respectively are notwithstanding not to be reputed Acts of Grace because Grace imports such a Principle which is every ways regular and savory and as comely and honorable in the fruits and actings of it unto him in whom it resides as beneficial helpful or refreshing unto others whereas Prodigality and so Injustice or Inconsiderateness in a Judg though beneficial unto many are yet unworthy Principles and justly dishonorable unto their Subjects So then in case it were not or be not well consisting with the Principles of true and divine Wisdom and so would not have been truly honorable unto God to make Provision for the Salvation of the Devils the making of this Provision for them would not have been any matter of Grace in him and consequently upon such a supposition he should have been never the more gracious though in making Provision for Salvation he should have taken the Devils into part and fellowship with Men. And that it is no ways consistent with his Wisdom or Honor to spread a Table of Salvation before the Devils as he hath done for Men may by this clear Argument a posteriori be evinced viz. that he hath not done it it being reasonable in the highest to conceive that God never was never will be wanting to himself in point of honor or glory Besides that of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Heb 2. 16 i. e. for in no wise or at no hand doth He help or relieve the Angels meaning the lapsed Angels carrieth this import pregnantly and distinctly in it that to reach forth an helping hand unto them was not simply a thing which God was not pleased or willing to do but such a thing which lay at a great distance from his Thoughts or Intentions to do Which distance imports a signal inconsistency with or repugnancy unto his Wisdom Honor and glory How or in what consideration or respect the providing for the Salvation of the fallen Angels or Devils is or would have been repugnant to the Wisdom and so no ways consistent with the honor of God is haply not unworthy a sober enquiry But because it is somewhat eccentrical to the main business in hand and the body of our Discourse begins to swell to an unacceptable bulk already we shall decline the pertractation of it at present onely offering to consideration whether their prodigious unnaturalness or height of misdemeanor in sinning above what is to be found in the sin of Men either as sinning in Adam or by actual and personal perpetrations ordinarily may not upon a very reasonable account be deemed the Cause or Reason why it was not honorable for God or of any good consistence with his Holiness or Wisdom to stretch forth an hand of Grace or of Salvation unto them We see in the case of men themselves that if they sin with an high hand especially after any considerable means of Grace vouchsafed and turn head upon the light which hath shone clearly to them or upon the ways of Holiness wherein they have sometimes walked that God taketh no pleasure in them i. e. that they are an abhorring to his Soul and that against all such men who shall commit that most hideous and enormous sin against the Holy Ghost He hath as good as sworn in His Wrath that they shall never enter into His eternal Rest Now if God judgeth it a matter unbecoming His Grace Holiness or Wisdom and no ways consistent with his Honor to impart of that Salvation which He hath provided in Christ for Men unto those for whom it was provided in case their misdemeanor in sinning shall rise to such an height as
hath been mentioned and as a total and persevering Apostacy importeth can it seem any ways improbable the Devils having desperately apostatized from a far greater light from a richer and more sensible experience of the Grace Love and Bounty of God then Apostates amongst Men lightly can do that his Soul should so far abominate them together with such their stupendious Apostacy as to judg it altogether unmeet for him unworthy that inaccessible Light of Wisdom Grace Holiness and Glory wherein He dwelleth to conceive so much as a thought within him in order to their Salvation The Schoolmen resolve the irremediableness as they term it of the Sin and Misery of the Devils into several causes or grounds most of which and these the most material respect the greatness of their sin the rest the quality or condition of their Natures Yet if that be true which they assign among other Reasons why no course should be taken or thought upon by God for or about their Salvation viz. that their Wills or Appetites are naturally and by the Principles of their Creation unflexible or unremovable from that Object whether it be good or evil which they have once chosen a Differt autē apprehensio Angeli ab apprehensione hominis quòd Angelus apprehēdit immobiliter per intellectum sicut nos immobiliter apprehendimus prima principia quorum est intellectus homo verò per rationem apprehendit mobiliter discurrendo de uno ad aliud habens viam procedendi ad utrunque oppositorum Vnde voluntas hominis adhaeret alicui mobiliter quasi potens etiam ab eo discedere contrario adhaerere voluntas autem Angeli adhaeret fixè immobiliter Et ideò si consideretur antè adhaesionem potest liberé adhaerere huic opposito in his scilicet quae non naturaliter vult sed postquam jam adhaesit immobiliter adhaeret Et ideò consuevit dici quòd liberum arbitrium hominis flexile est ad oppositum anté Electionem pòst liberum autem arbitrium Angeli est flexibile ad utrunque oppositum ante Electionem sed non pòst Sic igitur boni Angeli semel adhaerentes Justiciae sunt in illâ confirmati mali verò peccantes sunt in peccato obstinati Th. Aquin. Sum. Part. 1. qu. 64. Art 2. it is a consideration of strength enough alone to carry the business under enquiry clear before it For if this be an essential property of their Natures not to be in any capacity of changing when once they have chosen it follows at once that having now chosen Apostacy and Defection from God they are by their own Act irrecoverably and against all possibility of Redemption concluded under Sin and Misery for ever And if this were the frame and condition of their Natures and themselves conscious and privy to it and conscious doubtless they were to the Law and terms of their own Creation it renders their sin unmeasurably sinful and inexcusable above the sinfulness of the Sin or sins of Men. For though Adam and so all Men in him knew not in case he did or should sin whether he should obtain from God the Grace of a Redeemer or no yet neither did he know the contrary but knew that he was capable of Redemption so that though his sin was exceeding great in many considerations otherwise yet in this behalf it was the more rational and so the more pardonable and excuseable viz. that he knew himself in a capacity of being restored Whereas the Angels in case they understood the inflexibility of their Wills after an Election and consequently that they were simply and absolutely unredeemable after sinning and yet presumed to sin must needs be the more irrational and so the more insufferable and inexcusable in their sin But whether this Doctrine of the School concerning the unchangeableness of the Wills of Angels after their first determination be square and stable or no I am at present in a fitter posture to query then determine Onely herein my thoughts are all made that the Wills of both sorts of Angels as well of those who at first chose Righteousness as of those who made a choyce contrary hereunto remain to this day unchanged the one in their adherency to the good the other to the evil which they chose respectively in the begining But this unchangedness doth not necessarily flow from any unchangeableness in either of them but may in the former arise from the native liberty of their Wills which as they had Power at first to chuse that which was good so have they Power and this with enlargement by means of the sensible experience they gain continually of the sweetness of the good chosen by them to persevere in this their choyce and in the latter partly from the just Judgment of God denounced against them and made fully known to them viz. that He will upon no terms whatsoever be reconciled unto them to the days of Eternity partly also from his absolute and total withdrawing of his Spirit of Grace from them Nor do I apprehend any thing considerable to oppose my Belief but that they will both the one and the other of them remain upon the same terms unchanged to the days of Eternity Yet were I to build I had rather chuse the former of these for my foundation because I conceive Scripture-evidence more pregnant and clear for it To say that the Will of a Creature should and will remain unchanged in that which is good is no elevation of it above that sphere of excellency which is made for it to move in but to affirm that at any time it is or ever will be thus UNCHANGEABLE is to make it a Companion of his who in the height of his Pride said Ero similis Altissimo I will be like unto the Most High But concerning the unredeemableness of the Devils I much rather approve §. 19. another Reason which the forementioned Authors the Schoolmen give of it Diabolus say they peccavit in termino Homo in via i. e. The Devil sinned being at his journeys end Man sinned onely by the way The meaning is that the Devil sinned in an estate of perfect Blessedness under a full fruition of God in which respect his Sin was provoking in the highest Whereas Man when he sinned was but in his progress towards such a condition and was not as yet possessed of it and in this respect sinned though at a very high rate of provocation his sin simply considered yet at a far lower rate then the Devil because against a far lower Light and less Grace Received But of this enough if not more then enough our main business being no more interessed in it then we formerly intimated it to be Nor did the difficulty layd in our way exact of us any thing more then onely to prove that it had been no Act of Grace in God to provide for the Salvation of the Devil which I suppose hath
any probable ground whereon to judg that he is Elected If it be objected Yes an unregenerate Person hath the Command of God to beleeve or depend on Christ for Salvation and this is a sufficient ground in Reason for him to do accordingly To this I answer by granting the whole Argument but retrench that if unregenerate Persons have the Command of God to depend on him for Salvation it is upon the ground lately evinced u Sect. 22. of this Chap. above all contradiction viz. that there is Salvation in Him for them and consequently purchased by him for them by his Death For He hath Salvation for no man upon any other account Joh. 12. 24. So that this Objection rather strengtheneth then weakeneth the Doctrine we maintain The Minor Proposition in the Argument last advanced by us which onely affirmeth as to the exigency of our cause that many unregenerate Persons stand bound in duty to beleeve on Christ for Salvation is too rich in evidence to stand in need of Proof For 1. The Scripture saith expresly that God now commandeth all men every where and therefore unregenerate men as well as others to repent x Acts 17. 30 if to repent then to beleeve also in as much as there can be no sound Repentance such as God commandeth without Faith And if so be men yet unregenerate stand not bound in duty or conscience to beleeve on Christ then is it no matter of sin in them to make God a lyar For He that beleeveth not God maketh Him a lyar because he beleeveth not the record God gave of His Son y 1 John 5. 10 meaning that whosoever justifieth or beleeveth God in the record he hath given of his Son must needs beleeve on him viz. because the Tenor of this Record is that whosoever beleeveth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life Now he that beleeveth this can no more refuse or forbear to beleeve on Christ then he can be content eternally to perish or refuse everlasting life as not worthy his beleeving for the obtaining of it But doubtless it is sinful in any man to make God a lyar i. e. either to do or to neglect to do any act by the doing or neglect whereof God is any ways represented as untrue of his Word as he is by any mans non-beleeving on Christ and consequently every man except the before excepted stands bound in duty and conscience to beleeve on Christ. Again secondly If no unregenerate men had any band of Duty or Precept from God lying upon them to beleeve on Christ whosoever of this sort of men should at any time beleeve on Him should super-erogate and do more then what he is by God commanded to do and consequently all Beleevers without exception should be Super-erogators in their first act of Beleeving because until now they were unregenerate Persons But the Proof of this Proposition is I suppose super-erogatory and more then any darkness or doubtfulness in it yea and haply more then our Adversaries themselves require Therefore we pass on to another Argument If God intended not the Death of Christ for all Men and that in order to their §. 27. Argum. 10. Salvation then have not all Men a sufficiency of means vouchsafed â—nto them whereby to be saved But all Men have a sufficiency of means in this kinde vouchsafed unto them Ergo. The Consequence in the former Proposition is pregnant without Proof For it is greater then contradiction that they who have no Propitiatory Sacrifice offered up for them nor Attonement made for their Sins have no sufficiency of means for Salvation So that if God intended no such Oblation no such Attonement for any man or number of men most certain it is that such men are in no capacity of Salvation and consequently can have no sufficiency of means whereby to be saved The truth of the Minor Proposition which avoucheth a sufficiency of means vouchsafed by God unto all Men whereby to be saved might be evidenced by sundry Demonstrations But because the compleat and full Demonstration of this Proposition is one of the most considerable atchievements to be undertaken and managed in the second Part of the Work in hand I shall for the present onely propose some few Considerations for the proof of it respiting the through-arguing of them until that opportunity First then If all Men have not a sufficiency of Means vouchsafed unto them whereby to be saved then God dealeth with men far more districtly and with greater severity in the new Covenant the Covenant of Grace then He did in the first Covenant which was a Covenant of Works The Reason hereof is because in or under the Covenant of Works Men were invested by God with sufficient Means for the performance of that Covenant and so for the obtaining of the great Reward promised or covenanted therein which was no less then eternal Life though possibly not a life so rich in Blessedness as that Covenanted with men in the Covenant of Grace That all Men without exception had a sufficiency of Means in Adam to have persisted in Innocency and to perform all the Articles and Terms required of them in that Covenant which was made with them in Him is the sence of all men learned in the Scriptures as well Modern as Ancient that yet I have heard of nor will it I suppose be denyed by our Adversaries themselves If it should there is proof upon proof at hand to make it good but what needs a levy of men to gain that by force which is voluntarily offered Now then it being far greater rigor and severity to impose such terms or conditions upon a man in order to the saving of his life or for the obtaining of any desirable good which are of an impossible performance unto him then to impose onely such which he hath competent abilities to perform evident it is that God must needs be more â—igorous and hard unto men in the Covenant of Grace made with them in and by Christ then He was in the Covenant of Works made with them in Adam in case it be supposed that He required unpossible Conditions of them in the former and onely such which were possible in the latter But that God dealeth more graciously and bountifully with Men in the second Covenant made with them in Christ then He did in the first which was made with them in Adam is the pregnant result of all things in a manner that God hath spoken unto the World by His Son in the Gospel Nor can our Adversaries themselves deny it without the loud reclamation of Evidence and Truth To pretend that God dealeth more graciously and bountifully with His Elect in the Covenant of Grace then He did in the Covenant of Works but not with the generality of Men is but a slim evasion and supposeth either that the Covenant of Grace is not made with the generality of Men which is a notorious untruth and hath been detected
accordingly once and again already or that this Covenant is not made upon the same terms and conditions with all those interessed or included in it which is a conceit of no whit better an accord either with Reason or Truth Secondly If all Men have not a sufficiency of Means granted unto them §. 28. by God then God dealeth with the generality or far greatest part of Men more rigorously and with less mercy and this under the Covenant of Grace then He doth with the Devils themselves The Reason is plain because in case Men have not a sufficiency of Means whereby to be saved they have onely Means given them whereby to increase their Condemnation yea such means and so and upon such terms given them that they cannot but use them to their greater and more heavy Condemnation then that whereunto they should or could have been liable had no such Covenant of Grace been made with them or tendered unto them For if they be not enabled by God to Repent and to beleeve the Gospel they must needs be subjected to an absolute necessity of despising or neglecting it there being no medium between accepting the great Salvation brought unto them therein which is done by Faith and the neglecting of it which is always accompanied with Unbelief Now a neglect of the Gospel and of the great Salvation tendred therein by God unto men is the first-born of Provocations in the sight of God and maketh men sevenfold more the Children of Wrath and of Death then otherwise they would have been How shall we escape saith the Apostle if we NEGLECT so great a Salvation z Heb. 2. 3 c. implying that this sin is unquestionably more exasperating incensing enraging the Almighty against His Creature Man then any other sin or sins whatsoever Yea if a man by means of the Gospel and the Grace offered unto him therein be not brought to Repentance and to a forsaking of ways and practices of sin the sins themselves which he shall commit under the Gospel will turn to a far deeper and more dreadful account in condemnation unto him then the like sins without the Gospel would have done So that it is clear on every side that in case men be not enabled by God to Repent and beleeve the Gospel the exhibition and tender of the Gospel unto them must needs be an heaping of coals of fire upon their heads by God a project and design â—o render them two-fold or rather an hundred-fold more the Children of Hell Misery and Torment then otherwise they had been Whereas most certain it is that God hath designed nothing acted nothing in one kinde or other to increase the Punishment or Condemnation of the Devils especially in any way of an unavoydable Necessity above the demerit of their first sin Thirdly If God doth not vouchsafe sufficient means unto all Men whereby §. 29. to repent beleeve and so to be saved then will He condemn and destroy or at least increase the Condemnation and Destruction of far the greatest part of Men for that which is no sin I mean Impenitency and Unbelief For 1. I suppose that it is no sin at all in the Creature not to perform or do any such act which is proper onely for God Himself to do or which requires the lighting down of His Omnipotent Arm to effect it 2. I suppose that which hath been both lately and formerly proved that God doth and will condemn and destroy men for Impenitency and Unbelief So then if to Repent and to Beleeve be such acts or works in the Soul which cannot be produced raised or performed by men by means of that strength or those abilities which are vouchsafed unto them but absolutely require the Omnipotent Power of God to effect them it is no ways more sinful in the Creature not to exert or perform them then it is not to be God and consequently if God should punish men for the non-performance of them He should punish them for that which in such a case and upon such a supposition would be no sin Yea if God should punish men for not endevoring or not doing that which is in their power to do in order to Repenting and Beleeving He should punish them for not attempting to make themselves equal in Power unto God Fourthly If God hath not vouchsafed a sufficiency of Power to beleeve §. 30. unto those who notwithstanding do not beleeve then did our Saviour without any ground or cause in the least wonder at the Unbelief of many in the Gospel yea and at the Faith of others And He could there do no mighty work save that He layd His Hands upon a few sick folk and healed them And He MARVFLLED BECAVSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF a Mark 6. 6 On the other hand When Jesus heard it i. e. the Answer of the Centurion He MARVELLED and said unto them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so GREAT FAITH no not in Israel b Mat. 8. 10 First there is not the least cause or occasion why any man should marvel that Creatures or second Causes should not act above their sphere yea though there be the greatest conjunction of such means which are proper and helpful unto them in order to such actings which lie within their sphere As for example though the year be never so seasonable and fruitful yet there is not the least occasion to marvel or think it strange that the Thorn should not bring forth grapes or the Thistle figs. So in case there be twenty great lights shining in a room it is no matter of wonder at all that a blinde man seeth nothing at all that is before him In like manner in case it be supposed that men are utterly destitute of a Power of Beleeving there is not the least ayr or colour of an occasion why any man should think it strange that they should not beleeve what helps or advantages soever for oâ— towards beleeving they have otherwise So again when causes or means which are known â—o act necessarily uniformly and constantly in their way do move and act accordingly there is not the least occasion given why any man should marvel or wonder at it When the Sun shineth or fire burneth when birds fly or fishes swim no man is tempted or provoked to the least degree of admiration Nor is there any whit more reason or cause of marvel that any Person at any time should beleeve though under the greatest disadvantages for beleeving in case it be supposed and known that that Cause which worketh or produceth Faith in Men as viz. the Power of God by which Faith is always produced in Men when they do beleeve should always work or act necessitatingly or irresistibly in the production of it Possibly the Grace of God by which men under signal disadvantages are according to our Adversaries Principles necessitated to beleeve may be just matter of admiration unto men but the vouchsafement of such grace
yea and some of our late Protestant Writers themselves and these of eminent worth and note See Cap. 13. Sect. 29. especially when men have no better or more satisfactory grounds for their Opinion then have yet been produced against the lawfulness of Infant-Baptism But this by the way Clemens of Alexandria another famous Champion of Christianity about §. 7. these times was of the same Faith in the Point in hand with his Fellows In one place He demands How is He speaking of Christ a Saviour and Lord if He be not the SAVIOVR and Lord OF ALL In another He termeth Christ the Disposer or Administrator of all things according to His Fathers Will governing or taking order for the SALVATION OF ALL MEN. Elsewhere he argueth thus Either the Lord doth not take care for all Men and this either because He is not able which is not right to suppose or because though able enough yet He will not but this is not incident to Him that is good nor is He backward or indisposed hereunto through voluptuousness in as much as for our sakes He assumed flesh exposed to sufferings Or else He doth take CARE OF ALL which indeed becometh Him that is made the Lord of all For He is a SAVIOVR NOT OF SOME AND NOT OF OTHERS q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et postea Christum vocat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Non longè antè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Clem. Alexand. Strom. l. 7. c. In an Oration to the Gentiles He calls unto them thus Hear ye that are afar off and harken you that are neer the Word is not hid or concealed from any the light thereof is common it SHINETH UNTO ALL MEN r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alexandr in Orat. â—d Gentes c. Justin Martyr whose Writings amongst those that treat of Christian Religion and are judged authentique and not spurious are the most ancient that I know since the days of the Apostles giveth frequent Testimony to the Truth of the same Doctrine In one place He presenteth the Saints as knowing or acknowledging that He that hath wrought that Great Salvation FOR MANKINDE is praise worthy greatly to be feared and the Maker or Creator of Heaven and Earth s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Just Martyr in Dialogo cum Tryph. p. 300 Edit Morel In another speaking of Christ He saith that now through the Will of God being made Man for THE SAKE OF MANKINDE He submitted Himself to suffer whatsoever the inconsiderate Jews were inspired by the Devils to inflict upon Him t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem Apol. 2. pro Christianis In a third He saith that Christ neither submitted Himself to be born nor yet to be crucified as if He needed these things for Himself but for that kinde or generation of men which in or by Adam was fallen under Death and the deceit of the Serpent u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem in Dial. p. 316. By Mankinde or the kinde of Men He cannot mean a few a circumscribed number a small parcel of men as the Elect so called are known to be these in no propriety of speech can be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE generation or kinde of man or if in one place He should have meant the Elect by such an expression it is no ways like but that in some other He would have expressed himself more plainly But what He means by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that genus or general kinde of men appears evidently enough by this descriptive character which he gives of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. which from Adam or through Adam was fallen under Death This we know is the adequate and appropriate character not of some men but of all Mankinde without exception But the Sun is visible enough without a Candle Ireneus not long after the former avouched the Doctrine of our Contest §. 8. over and over As Eve saith he becoming disobedient became hereby the cause of death both to her self and to the Universe of Mankinde So Mary having the Man predestinated by God meaning Christ notwithstanding Her being involved in the Death brought upon all Mankinde by Eve yet becoming an obedient Virgin she proved the cause or means of Salvation UNTO THE UNIVERSE OF MEN x Sicut Eva inobaudiens facta sibi universo generi humano causa facta est Mortâ— sic Maria â—abens praedestinatum virum tamen Virgâ— obaudiens sibi universo generi humano causa facta est salutis Iren. lib. 3. adversus Haeres cap. 33. His meaning is that by submitting unto the Pleasure of God signified unto Her by the Angel concerning the bearing and bringing forth of His Son Jesus Christ in the flesh She had the Grace accordingly vouchsafed unto Her to bear and bring Him forth who was the Author or cause of Salvation to universal Mankinde by which submission and service she in a sence became the cause or means also of this Salvation Elsewhere the same Father saith that Christ recapitulated or gathered into one in Himself ALL NATIONS dispersed up and down the World even from Adam ALL TONGVES AND EVERY GENERATION OF MEN together with the person of Adam Himself y Significans quoniam ipse qui omnes gentes exinde ab Adam dispersas universâ—s linguas generationem hominum cum ipso Adam in semetipso recapitulans c. Iren. adversus Hae. es l. 3. c. 33. In another place He gives this Reason why Paul saith that we are reconciled through the body of His flesh viz. because His righteous or just flesh reconciled THAT FLESH WHICH WAS DETAINED IN SIN and brought it into favor or friendship with God z in corpore ait Paulus reconciliati carnis ejus id est quia justa caro reconciliavit eam carnem quae in peccato detinebatur in amicitiam adduxit Deo Idem lib. 5. c. 16. Now that flesh which was detained in sin was not the flesh onely of the Predestinate or Elect but of all Mankinde without exception These are the Principal Fathers and Writers of the Primitive Times and before Augustin that are now extant or known and all these with one mouth as we have heard and with a Nemine contradicente give Testimony to the Truth of that Great Doctrine which hath been avouched in this Discourse viz. that the Redemption purchased by the Death of Christ was for all Men considered as men respectively and not for the Elect onely or those that shall actually partake of it and be saved The Writers of best note and repute since Austin until these later times §. 9. of Reformation and from whose Writings the best and stediest Informations are to be had what Doctrines or Opinions ruled in the Churches of Christ and amongst those Christians that were judged orthodox and sound in the Faith in their days are these Prosper Cyril of Alexandria
saying whereby we are taught of how great an account the Salvation of the Brethren ought to be with us and not only the Salvation of them altogether but of every one of them apart in as much as the Blood of Christ was shed FOR EVERY ONE of them z Dictum memorabile quo docemur quanti nobis esse dâ—beat fratrum salus nâ—c omnium modo sed singulorum quando pro unoquoque est fufus Christi sanguis Idem in 1 Cor. 8. 11. By Brethren it is evidâ—nt that He cannot mean onely such who are Elect or Predestinated unto Salvation 1. Because He speaks of all that profess Christianity or that are Members of any Christian Church amongst whom it is the known Judgment of this Author that there still are many Hypocrites and such who will not in fine be saved 2. The Elect in His sence I mean such who come at last to be actually saved cannot be certainly known or discerned from others beforehand Therefore this consideration that Christ hath shed His Blood for a man can be no argument or motive at all unto me to regard His Salvation the more since it is unpossible for me to know whether Christ hath shed His Blood for Him or no His meaning then when He saith that the Blood of Christ was shed for every particular Person of the Brethren must needs be that it was shed as well for those who will not be saved by it as for those that will See before upon this account Cap. 8. Sect. 10. And doth He not yet further plead the Cause of the same Doctrine with us when He saith that Since Christ will have the Benefit of His Death COMMON UNTO ALL MEN they do Him wrong or are injurious unto Him who by any Opinion of theirs restrain or keep back ANY MAN from the Hope of Salvation a Quùm itaque coÌ„mune Mortiâ— suae beneficium omnibus esse velit injuriam illi faciunt qui opinione suâ quempiâ— arcent à spe salutis Idem in 1 Tim. 2. 5. Take this Passage of His also into the account This is a marvelous Love of His towards Mankinde that Hâ— is willing to have ALL MEN SAVED yea and is ready to gather into Salvation such as are perishing of their own accord But the order here is to be observed viz. that God is ready or prepared to receive all Men unto or upon Repentance LEST ANY MAN should perish b Mirum hic erga geâ—us humanuÌ„ amoâ— quòd omnes vult esse salvos ultrò perâ—untâ—s in salutem colligere paratus est Notandus autem hic ordo quòd paratus est Deus omnes ad poenitentiam recipere ne quâ—â— pâ—â—â—at Idem in 2 Pet. 3. 9. In the Heads of accord between Him and the Ministers of the Tigurine Church about the Sacrament He saith speaking of Christ that He is to be considered as a Sacrifice of Expiation by which God is appeased or pacified towards THE WORLD c Considerandus est tanquam victima expiatrix quâ placatus est Deus Mundo I de Opusc p. 872. In the Geneva Catechism He teacheth all those that are to be catechised to look upon Christ as Salutâ—m Mundi the Salvation OF THE WORLD yea and to own Him and beleeve in Him as their Surety who hath undergone that Judgment which they deserved that He might render them free from guilt d Vt palà m fiat judicium quod mâ—rcâ—â—mâ—r tanquâ— vâ—dâ—â— nostrum subire quâ— noâ— Ã reatâ— libâ—ret Calvin Opusc p. 19. with much more of like consideratioin So that unless it be supposed that Christ dyed for all such Persons without exception who should be perswaded and brought to learn and use this Catechism it will apparantly follow that the Composer of it and all Parents and others that shall put their Children or other Persons upon the learning and pronouncing the words hereof shall put them upon the speaking and professing those things and that as matters of their Christian Faith of the truth whereof they have no sufficient ground or assurance yea and which are much more likely to be false then true For if Christ dâ—ed for the Elect onely i. e. onely for such who in the event will be saved these being but few in comparison of those who will perish evident it is that speaking of particular Persons before they beleeve savingly or to Justification it is more likely they will perish then that they will be saved or however there is no sufficient ground to judg of them or of any particular Person of them by Name before they beleeve that they are Elected or consequently that Christ was their Surety or dyed to free them from the guilt of sin And if so then they that are taught to say and profess as an Article of their Christian Faith that Christ dyed to save them are put upon it or tempted to profess that as an Article of their Religion which they have no rational or competent ground to beleeve to be so much as a Truth Yea the clear truth is that the Opinion which denyeth the Redemption of all Men without exception by Christ putteth all our ordinary Catechisms to rebuke as being snares and temptations upon all or the greatest part of those who use them to pretend a Belief or confident Perswasion of such a thing which they have more cause to suspect for an Error then to embrace as a Truth This by the way If the Reader to those Passages lately insisted upon from the undoubted Writings of Mr Calvin â—ill please to add those other from the same Pen formerly mentioned e See Cap. 5 Sect. 25 and cap. 6. sect 25 cap. 8. sect 5 10 43 53. cap. 12. sect 8 c which though produced haply upon somewhat a more particular occasion respectively yet speak for substance the same thing He will I presume acknowledg that which hath in effect been already said that Calvin was not so far an Enemy to General Redemption but that without straining either his Judgment or Conscience He did upon all occasions reconcile Himself unto it yea and bottomed many carriages and Passages of Discourse upon it I was desirous to present the Reader with the more variety and greater §. 22. number of Testimonies from Calvin wherein He plainly asserteth the Doctrine of Universal Attonement because He is generally notioned as a man clearest and most resolved in his Judgment against it I shall be more sparing in citations of a like import from others who pass in common Discourse as professed Enemies also against the same Doctrine but whether they be so indeed methinks these Sayings following with many more of a like inspiration that might be added unto them should put to a Demurrer Sâ— God loved the World c. By World saith Musculus He understands Universal Mankinde f Sic Deus dilexit MuÌ„dum c. Per MenduÌ„ enim intelligit univer sum genus humanum c. Muscu Loc.
then we may truly be called the Redeemers or Saviours of the World replyeth thus The Righteousness of Christ then is not imputed for example unto Peter as or as it is the general PRICE OF REDEMPTION FOR ALL MEN but as the Price wherewith His Soul is redeemed in particular h Non igitur Petro imputatur Iusticia Christ vt generale pretium RedeÌ„ptionis pro omnibus sed vt pretium quo illius anima in particulari redimitur c. Joh. Davenantius in Praelect De Justiciâ Habit. p. 331. In which words he plainly enough supposeth the said Righteousness of Christ to be a general Price for the Redemption of all Men. Kimedontius a great Professor of the way and Doctrine of Calvin in the present Controversies yet complains of those as injurious to him and his party and no better then false Witnesses who clamor against them as if they denyed that Christ dyed for ALL MEN and was not the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole WORLD i Injuriam nobis faciuÌ„t et falsi testes reperiuntur qui nos clamitant negare Christum esse mortuum pro omnibus Propitiationem esse pro peccatis totius Mundi Kimedont Synops De Redempt Because I would not over-charge the Readers Patience above measure I §. 26. shall omit the Catechisms and Confessions of many Reformed Churches as of the Palatinate Bern Basil Tigurum Schaffhusen with divers others in which there are very plain and pregnant Assertions of the Doctrine of Universal Attonement by Christ and shall conclude the Demonstration of what we lately observed viz. that the Doctrine of General Redemption is a Principle or Notion of that soveraign use and necessity that the professed Enemies thereof cannot forbear it or make any rational earnings in many their Theological Discourses without it with a Passage or Testimony from no fewer then fifty two Ministers of the City of London and these non de Plebe virum which I finde in a small Pamphlet lately subscribed and published by them and that for this very end as themselves profess to give Testimony against Errors and Heresies In this their Testimony bewailing the prevailing of Errors and Heresies so by them called they bemoan the case of many of those whom yet otherwhile they judg the happiest men in the World those I mean for whom Christ dyed thus Thousands and ten thousands of poor Souls which Christ hath ransomed with His Blood shall hereby be betrayed seduced and endangered to be undone to all Eternity k A Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ c. subscribed by 52 London Ministers page 32. No sence rationality or truth can be made of this Saying but by the mediation of this Hypothesis or ground viz. that such Persons who have been ransomed with the Blood of Christ may be undone i. e. perish for ever For whatsoever men may be brought into danger of suffering doubtless there is a possibility at least that they may suffer as we have reasoned the case further elsewhere l Remedy of Unreasonableness p. 13 14 where also we put to rebuke that Distinction of a Possibility in respect of Second Causes and in respect of the first Cause or Decree of God evincing from express grounds of Scripture truth in this Assertion That there is not the least danger of suffering inconvenience by any such means or causes how likely or threatening soever in themselves simply considered to bring the inconvenience upon us which we know to be throughly mated and over-ballanced by means and causes of a contrary tendency and import I here add that should the meaning of the Authors of the said Passage be that those ransâ—med with the Blood of Christ are endangered in respect of second Causes or means onely but are in the mean time perfectly secured by God or His Decree from suffering the danger there had been no such cause of taking up that most solemn and pathetique Lamentation over them which they do but rather of rejoycing on their behalf that being so ransomed they are in no danger or possibility through any betraying or seduction by any Error or Heresie whatsoever of losing that grace or blessing of Salvation which was purchased by the Blood of Christ for them I shall not I trust need here to re-inculcate that which hath been and §. 27. this more then once so plainly expressed formerly viz. that my intent in citing Calvin with those other late Protestant Writers which we have subjoyned in the same suffrage of Doctrine unto Him in favor of the Doctrine of General Redemption is not to perswade the Reader that the habitual or standing Judgment either of Him or of the greater part of the rest was whole and entire for the said Doctrine or stood in any great propension hereunto though this I verily beleeve concerning sundry of them much less to imply that they never in other places of their Writings declared themselves against it but onely to shew 1. That the truth of this Doctrine is so neer at hand and 2. That the influence of it is so benign and accommodatious unto many other Truths and Doctrines in Christian Religion that it is an hard matter for those that deal much in these affairs not to assume and assert it ever and anon and to speak and argue many things upon the account of the Authority of it yea though extrà casum necessitatis on the one hand and incogitantiae on the other hand they are wont to behold it as God doth proud men afar off Let us draw up the Sum total of the Chapter in a very few words and so end it First we have seen the roots of that Doctrine held forth in our present Discourse throughly watered with the fairest streams of the Judgment Learning Approbation and Authority of the Primitive Times Secondly concerning Times of a later date we have found that the Judgment and Faith of that party of Protestant Churches and Writers which is known by the Name of Lutheran do more generally if not universally accord with the same Doctrine Thirdly and lastly that the other party of these Churches and Writers viz. those who incline more to the Sence and Judgment of Calvin in matters of Christian concernment together with Calvin himself doth very frequently attest the same Doctrine yea and cannot well want the service and assistance of it in the managing and carrying on many of their affairs The result of all is that no considering or conscientious Person whatsoever hath the least occasion to decline or keep aloof off in Judgment from the said Doctrine for want of company so great a number as we have seen of the best and most desirable for Companions in the way of Faith of those that have dwelt with flesh and blood since the Apostles days having given the right hand of fellowship unto it in their respective generations CHAP. XX. The Conclusion exhibiting a general Proposal or Survey of Matters intended for
faithfulness signal serviceableness of these men to the Christian Churches in their generations I acknowledg that many of them equalized both in all Intellectual and Moral Accomplishments and Endowments the best of the Fathers so called of old The onely prize that we run for in the present race is so far to reduce and temper their Esteem and Authority with us that on the one hand what was worthy and of God in them may turn to an happy account unto us and bless us and on the other hand that what was weak and of men in them may not insnare us or balance the spiritual commodity accruing to us from what was honorable and beneficent in them with loss and disadvantage I begin with Calvin Himself and humbly desire those that oppose His §. 21. Judgment and Authority to obstruct the course of the Doctrine avouched in this Discourse lest it should run and be glorified as Truth ought to be to consider whether these Passages and Sayings next ensuing be with it and for it or against it Although saith He there is nothing to be found in the World worthy the Favor of God yet He sheweth himself PROPITIOVS or favorable UNTO THE WHOLE WORLD in that He calls ALL MEN WITHOVT EXCEPTION to beleeve in Christ which is nothing else but an entrance into life s Tametsi enim in Mundo nihil reperietur favore Dei dignum se tamen toti Mundo propotiuÌ„ ostendit cum sine exceptione omnes ad Christi Fidem vocat quae nihil aliud est quà m ingressus in vitam Calvin in Joh. 3. 15 16. with more to like purpose transcribed Cap. 5. Sect. 25. of this Discourse Certainly if Gods calling of All Men without exception to beleeve in Christ be a sufficient argument or sign of His propitious and favorable inclination towards them He must needs really intend the grace or good of Salvation unto them otherwise His calling of them to beleeve as namely if it should be accompanyed with a Purpose or Intent in Him either simply to destroy them or to increase their destruction would rather argue His Hatred then any propitiousness of affection towards them And if God intends the Salvation of all Men without exception certainly He hath provided Salvation in Christ for them all Elsewhere the same Author saith that although Christ suffered for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD and be through the KINDNESS or good will OF GOD INDIFFERENTLY OFFERED UNTO ALL MEN yet all Men do not receive or take hold on Him t Nam etsi passus est Christus propeccatis totius Mundi atque omnibus indifferenter Dei benignitate offertur non tamen omnes appreheÌ„dunt Calvin ad Rom. 5. 18. See this and much more cited from him of like Notion Cap. 6. Sect. 25. In another place He discourseth thus In as much as the utmost end of a blessed life standeth in the knowledg of God that the entrance or access unto blessedness might not be shut up against ANY MAN God hath not onely implanted in the mindes of men that which we call the seed of Religion but hath also manifested Himself in the whole Fabrique or Workmanship of the World after such a manner and offers himself dayly so plainly or openly unto men that they cannot open their eyes but they must needs behold him u quia ultimus beatae vitae finis in Dei cognitione positut est ne cui prâ—clusus esset ad felicitatem aditus non solum hominum mentibus indidit illud quod dicimus Religionis semen sed ita se patefecit in toto mundi opificio ac se quotidié palà m offâ—rt vt aperire oculos nequeant quin â—um aspicere cogantur Idem Institut l. 1. c. 5. sect 1. If God provideth that the passage or way unto Happiness may be open for every man or which is the same obstructed or shut up against no man doubtless there is Happiness and consequently Salvation provided in or procured by Christ for every man For there is no way or access for any man unto Happiness but by Christ no nor yet by Christ himself except onely for those whose sins are attoned by Him Of like import with the former is that saying also The fuller and more comprehensive sence is this that God was in Christ and then that by his intercession He reconciled THE WORLD unto himself x Sed plenior erit sensus uberior quòd Dâ—us in Christo erat deinde quòd ejus intercessione reconciliabat sibi Mundum Idem 2 ad Coâ— 5. 19. Et mox Quorsum ergo apparuit Deus hominibus in Christo In Reconciliationâ—â—s vt sublatis inimicitiis qui alieni erant adoptentâ—r in filios Questionless if an Expositor of Scripture meets with a figurative term or expression I mean so apprehended by him in the Text which is before him and which he is about to open it is very unproper for him to use the same word in the same figurative or unproper sence in his Exposition especially without giving any notice of the figurativeness of it or substituting a word of a more plain and ready signification for the explaining of it Therefore if Calvin by the word World 2 Cor. 5. 19. understood the Elect of God onely dispersed up and down the World he would not in his Exposition have used the same word to express them especially without the help of some other one or more of a more plain and known signification in that kinde So that there is not the least question but that he both in the Text mentioned as likewise in his Commentaries upon it understood the word World in the ordinary and best known signification of it i. e. for the generality or universality of Men. Upon the same Scripture afterwards he demands For what purpose did God appear unto Men in Christ He answereth and saith For Reconciliation that Enmities being taken out of the way THOSE THAT WERE ESTRANGED from Him might be adopted for Sons Now they that were estranged from God were not the Elect onely but the whole Universe of Mankinde with them Therefore according to the express import of this piece of Commentary God designed in Christ the Adoption of all Men without exception for Sons Nor doth He any whit less then confirm the same Doctrine in saying that is by the offence of one Adam Judgment or Guilt came upon all Men to Condemnation so by the Righteousness of one Jesus Christ the â—ift or Benefit of God abounded unto ALL MEN TO THE JVSâ—â—FICATION OF LIFE y Sicut per â—nius Adami offensam Judicium sive reatus venit in omnes homines ad condemnationeÌ„ sic â—tiam per unius Jesu Christi justiciam DonuÌ„ sive BeneficiuÌ„ Dei redundavit in omnes homines ad Iustificationem vitae Calv. ad Rom. 5. 15. He speaketh likewise to the Heart of the Cause we plead when He termeth that saying of the Apostle 1 Cor. 8. 11. a memorable