and eares must be opened Acts 16.14 Job 36.11 Psal 146.8 For which end God gratiously hath perfected in and by our Saviour Christs performances only a common salvation whereby the naturally inchanted and deluded judgements of all men occasioned by Adams fall are set so free in the inward man in due season as that they may thereby if they make good use thereof choose light and life as is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions And if any man do imagine that the salvation of all men this cause of great joy for all people the blessings appropriated by and in him Abrahams feed to all Nations and all the Families of the Earth are intended to be of God but as temporall blessings to some part of men to be injoied by them in this life only then see the misery that inevitably fals to those men thereby for the Apostle saith If in this life onely we have hope in Christ then we are not only of some men but of all men not only miserable but most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 So that in that sence those temporall blessings intended to some part of men are extended forth only to aggravate their eternall woe and misery which once the Scripture cryeth down and affirmeth that God is good not only to some but to all and that not only his mercies but his tender mercies are over not only some but over all his works Thus farre that there is a common salvation perfected by and in Christ intended on Gods part to procure the eternall salvation of all men if they persist not in resisting the operations of the Holy Ghost gratiously tendred therein to every man The second Distinction declareth what the common salvation is and the extent thereof for the benefit of all men whereby is set forth in good part the excellency of the restored second life of mankinde gratiously intended by Christ on Gods part to preserve all men from the eternall second death WEE are to effect this discovery feriously to treasure up in our memories what in Scripture is fet forth to be a generall losse or common inbondagement that befell all men by the destructive Adams fall and we shall finde that one extraordinary great and common losse which befell all men thereby was such that as considered in its own nature it did utterly deprive all mankinde for ever of that estate of possibility to be eternally saved which Adam had given unto him by grace of Creation in himselfe or in his own power as the publick trust for all his posterity and though by no constraint of God as is cleared Eccle. 7.29 yet by his own perverse behaviour against his faithfull Creator under his gratious hand working by his finding fault with his good condition then given him he in effect rebelliously faying Why hast thou made me thus that I must depend on thee and not subsist upon or by mine owne inventious So marring himselfe under his gratious Creatours hands as is instanced Rom. 9.20 Thus by his forsaking of Godsirst he himselfe wilfully lost the freedome of will possibility and ability in himselfe to continue in his injoyment of the blessed use of which he was possest by Creation by which one losse was then lost all the unexpressible blessings thereto belonging And also he then and thereby lost the reall possibility which all his posterity had by propriety in him whilst he stood to injoy all those blessings Yet notwithstanding I beseeth you further to note that he lost thereby no more for himselfe and his posterity in reference to the point in hand but only a possibility to be eternally saved for more than a possibility to be eternally saved he could not lose neither for himselfe nor any one of his posterity for he himselfe though being the great and publick patterne for mankinde in whom God did set forth the extent of his gratious intentions to all men as concerning the Creations yet even he was thereby possest of no more nor of any firmer established Condition in himselfe than a possibility only that he might be eternally saved for in reference to this cause by the utmost extent of his estate which was given him by Creation as you know it was possible that by his well acting in that freedome of his will he might have been eternally saved So also you know on the contrary part that he by his evill acting in that his freedome of his will he might lose that his blessed estate for ever which he hath done and by his fall did unavoidably overwhelme all mankinde in an utter impossibility as of themselves to be eternally saved Note therefore that Christ the restoring Second Adam by virtue of a salvation first wrought by his Death Resurrection and Ascension in himselfe for all men to make way for his gratious operating by his spirit in all men as is proved he doth in may 6 and 7 Distinctions by that means helping all mankind out of that impossibility as of themselves to be eternally saved so as that all mankinde shall in due season injoy by free grace in their owne particular personall possessions a restored ability where by in their well using of that ability to them by the spirit communicated by beleeving they might obtaine eternall life and all the unutterable priviledges mercy and blessings thereto belonging This is the common salvation of all men and is an effectuall salvation of all men from their imposibility in which they were all involved by Adams fall Although men may and some men doe by their wilfull abuse of that their restored freedome and ability by grace given them of themselves Adam-like forsake their owne mercies Jonah 2.8 of themselves choose their owne destructions Hos 13.9 of themselves draw back to perdition Heb. 10.39 and so of themselves by their owne particular personall choise refuse and so for ever lose eternall life Now to make it appeare visibly by Holy writ that our Saviour Christ his restoration of free do me and ability to all men in a common salvation where by they might or may in their well usage thereof attaine to the enjoyment of eternall life and all the blessed priviledges thereto belonging is for all men an effectual salvation or ransomed condition although some men through their own wilfull defaults by abusing that freedome are not eternally saved I pray you let us consider what extent in this point the Scripture alloweth to Christs offices as Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4.10 or Ransomer of all 1 Tim. 2.6 For which end observe that Jude in his extraordinary diligence clearly to discover the common salvation expresly called so by him in ver 3. used the antient types for exemplary proofes according to the frequent example of our Saviour Jesus Christ and his Apostles as appears in Luke 7.29 John 3.14 John 6.48 Gal. 4.22 26.1 Cor. 10.1 12. and many other places So Jude to expresse his meaning concerning the common salvation by him so called in ver 3. brings in the
men for them themselves to do or leave undone who will have by Christ in due season their wils and apprehensions freed as is by Scripture proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions so that thereby they are inabled spiritually to heare and understand and feare and love and be obedient to the faith How far this tract discovereth what fallacious scholasticall shifts some erroneous Protestants are in many considerable Scripture points inforced to use by reason of their not being guided by the litterall sense of the plaine Texts of Scripture which doe unanimously confirm the common salvation or infranchisement of all men in the inward man in due season and that thereby some of them have and doe confirm that God did by decree by his absolute will and power only reprobate some part of mankinde without any respect by him had to their doing evill merely as Creatures without any cause done or fore-seen to be done on the creatures part Thus they charging God contrary to his own word with palpable tyrannicall partiality and respect of persons or else with some other Protestants that dare not stand to that horrid and hideous affirmation do say that God did not so tyrannically reprobate any man But they thinking to moderate the businesse yet by being deluded also by humane art do as fallaciously maintaine that God fore-knowing all men fallen into Adams sinning did only by preterition passe by some men so as decreedly they should not have any such means used with them whereby they might be inabled in their good use thereof to obtaine eternall life but that some men of Adams posterity must upon necessity eternally perish though it then could not be in their own actuall sinnes yet in those sins which unavoidably as a violent irresistible inundation overwhelmed them originally by another mans offence to which sins they never actually consented and to which transgressions they much lesse personally acted it being committed by Adam before they had a being or before they were born They by that means rendering our good God who is a faithfull Creator unfaithfully forsaking some men of Adams posterity even whilest they were as concerning their own personall consent or act innocent Creatures and also before they were after the fall inabled to depend on him and also before they had actually or personally forsaken him which tenent is proved by Scriptures to be absolutely false in my 16 and 17 Distinctions which preterition by them imagined if you doe but view the intrals of it you shall finde it to bee in effect no other than a disguised or masqued tyrannicall decreed reprobation for as hath been said he that hath power and doth keep from a man his sood of lively-hood may as really kill that man so as if he cut off his head with a sword How far this tract doth detect the error that is in the protestant tenent concerning Christs giving himselfe a ransome for all men by their affirming that Christ doth not effectually ransome any man except that man be eternally saved which fallacy is ripped open to view in my 2 6 and 7 Distinctions wherein is proved that Christ doth effectually ransome all men and save all men from the impossibility to be eternally saved that came over all by Adams fall and estates them by himselfe with a possibility in themselves to be eternally saved How far also though not medling with the impertinent tradition of popery this tract doth shew plainly that the many hereticall errours of the Papists upon which the whole rabble of their false destructive doctrine and fantasticall ceremoniall discipline doth depend was hatched and is nursed by their not making use of the large and true Scripture extent of the common salvation of all men in setting free all men in due season in the inward man minde and will by free grace so that in their well usage of that meanes they might beleeve and might be eternally saved for by the Papists casting away this Scripture-truth confirming the gratious setting free of all mens by the fall diabollically captived wils they do fallaciously affirm that man hath free will by nature or by originall descent from Adams loines which naturall freedome of will by its consenting to good is the disposing cause of our justificarion For as I finde recorded they say that works Congruo are the disposing cause of our justification Andrad in Conc. Trid. Ses 6. which as they say is of mens selves and standeth of the assent of mens wils and reason and this faith say they is Catholike and perfect but yet unformed and as soon as works are thereto joined they call it formed and then say they it is meritorious condigne and justifieth for say they we are justified by faith and charity together as the disposing cause of our justification as a necessary cause to obtaine at Gods hand the grace of justification but rather by charity Conc. Trid. Ses 6. than by faith because say they that charity goeth before our justification as a necessary cause to obtaine at Gods hand the grace of our justification and adoption of his children Thus by the Papists rejecting the Scripture-testimony concerning the setting free all mens wils by free grace by Christ procured in the common salvation as is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions they are so wildred an deluded that they doe heretically appropriate the disposing power to act meritoriously well unto mens well acting in the freedome of their natural wils Conc. 6.9 And because the Scripture doth maintain so strongly that no mere man hath freedome of his will by nature and that as in the tract is proved that no mere man whatsoever no not Adam if he had stood in his estate of innocency much lesse any beleever who are all as concerning themselves defective cannot nor could not have the least footstep at any time in any one thing to challenge the least reward as due of debt to them from their Creators hand otherwise than he by whom they are what they are and from whom they have received whatsoever good they have is pleased according to his Covenant made by his owne free grace to account them worthy and that though all beleevers are not in themselves in this life righteous yet by Christ to impute righteousnesse unto them that doe beleeve in him that justifieth the ungodly But this Scripture-truth is so mortally destructive to their fancied meritorious life with God that rather then they will lay down their bosome-imbraced delusions and humane traditions they will venture at one stroke desperately to hazard to deface the Holy writ it selfe and as I find recorded that some of their deceived Grandees have thrust into the world this blasphemous conceit that the written Gospell is but as a nose of was Vita Pont. which may be set or turned divers waies as it best pleaseth the humours of men that steer the course for their doctrine and discipline or as some of them have said the written Gospell
whereby they might recover themselves out of the snare of the Devill to which they are exhorted 2 Tim. 2.26 or effectuall means intended on Gods part whereby they in their well usage thereof might attaine unto eternall salvation Whereto considering that God so leaving off some men must needs be at that very time when the other part of men were by him chosen into his eternall favour which time is said in Scripture to be before the foundation of the world Eph. 1.4 Note at that time those men then supposed to be reprobated were then as holy as those that were chosen Therefore it is said they were predestinated ver 5. and his predestination is according as he doth foreknow that his by him inabled Creatures will be beleevers as in Distinction 17. Thus you will finde that preterition to be no other than a disguised decreed reprobation of some part of Adams posterity for fore-seen sins of theirs which they in their future generations shall be unavoidably inforced to commit originally by another mans default whereas God doth with indignation utterly disclaime and reprove that abusive taxation and also renounceth the taking of any such unjust advantage against his poor creatures and though throughout his word he affirmeth that he actually forsaketh no man first as is fully proved in my 16 Distinction Yet say they that this decree passed on them even before those his poor creatures had obtained a personall being for they were all then unborne and therefore then could not so much as give actuall consent to much lesse personally act any waies in Adams transgression which was the originall inlet of sin but what noisome soile this unshapen tenent doth cast upon the perfect perfection of our just God faithfull Creator and all his holy attributes for a determination therein I doe chearfully appeal to Gods owne sentence therein given for vindication of his unspotted impartiality proclaimed in Ezek. 18.1 2 3. 1 Chron. 28.9 2 Chron. 15.2 2 Chron 24.20 Acts 10.34 Psal 145.9 Mans sinning in the seed in Adam is not counted to be actuall or personall sinne see this proved Rom. 9.11 But now beloved if we on the contrary part agreeable with Jer. 18.19 From whence Rom. 9.21 hath its lively nourishment concerning the Potter and his Clay and doe accordingly to those Texts take the same lump therein mentioned to be the particular lump of a Kingdom Nation City Towne or particular person formerly put into a good condition vertually in Christ as is proved in my 1 and 2 and 21 and 22 and 23 Distinctions And t hat God though he doth create the evill of punishment as men by naturall light account it for their doing evilly and thus fitting of themselves to be made vessels of wrath as in ver 32. yet that he neither doth nor indeed can make any evill vessels or originally dishonorable vessels without respect to sinne first acted personally by man for it is thereto affirmed that they procured their evil to themselves not because God forsook them first or before Adams posterity had actually or personally sinned as is cleared in Jer. 2.18 19. and largely in the latter end of my 16 Distinction before mentioned but for that they forsooke the Lord their God Jer. 2.17 first and that actually also as is said to the same effect Ier. 5.19 and 18.4 Now when men though formerly so well formed and inlightned have marred themselves upon his gratious intending Potters wheele by their owne wilfull persisting in resistance against grace and finding fault with his good forme put on them Then God may justly of the very same lump of every one such particular person make dishonorable vessels Here to take notice what God saith in this very point to those people the similized Clay typically representing every mans condition in this cause as is proved in my 2 Distinction where he affirmeth I had for my part planted thee a noble vine wholly a right seed how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me Ier. 2.21 Thus the honour of God and all his holy attributes united is preserved the tormentors of the Text confuted thus is shewed that no man though by God made a dishonourable vessell is wronged and the amiable agreement of the Scripture is confirmed The thirteenth Distinction wherein the mistakes of some men concerning Gods dealing with Jacob and Esau is laid open HErein note that because God saith for the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evill that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth it was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger Rom. 9.11 12 13. From this Text some men to maintaine that Gods absolute will and prerogative power is the only originall cause of election and rereprobation have concluded that God did love Iacob and reprobatingly hated Esau before either Iacob or Esau were born or had done either good or evill which affirmation is by that very Text it selfe proved false for I am very confident that no man will affirme that because God said the elder shall serve the younger that this proveth that God hated the elder to eternall destruction as they conceive no doubt but that God might declare that such a servitude was to come and yet not so hate the elder Therefore observe how this Text hath been mistaken for accordingly as the Text declares Gods word to Rebecca their mother before they were born to be no expresse indignation of God but only a discovery of a secret that was to come that the one of those twins should be mightier than the other and that the elder should serve the younger Gen 25.23 so it is in the Text of Rom. 9.12 that God said no other nor expressed any other hatred of his at all concerning Esau before he was born but only declared that in future the elder should serve the younger which so fell out in their off-spring This servitude was all the hatred that God spake of concerning Esau at any time before he was born and as for those following expressions in ver 13. where it is said as it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated which words are brought forth by some men Goliath-like to maintaine that God doth reprobate some men by his meer prerogative will and power only But I pray you beloved observe what strength is in that supposition for some men have conceived that God did speak those words to set forth his decreed intention concerning Iacob and Esau before they were born whereas in truth God did not apply those words to either of them before they were born but are words which God spake to the Prophet Malachy Mal. 1.2 many hundred of years after Iacob and Esau were born in which long space of time God had a full proofe of Esaus actuall malice against his bother Iacob and of Esaus prophanenesse in his selling his birth-right and of the manifold
sent to condemne the world but in Gods mercy that the world through him by their well usage of that ability might will and run acceptably and might be saved compare John 1.7 9. with John 3.17 Thus it is only of God that sheweth and dispenseth this his mercy in freely giving ability to all men by Christ and from this large distribution of ability their owne acting therein is expected and called for for from this ground God commandeth no fewer than all men every w here to repent Acts 17.30 and to purge themselves to put off the old man and to put on the new man to work out their own salvation Phil. 2.12 and many such like commands are given unto all men And the incouragement is therewith given saying for it is God that worketh in your the ability both to will and to doe even to all men as it is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions and that of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 or by his freely shewing mercy according to this Text. Secondly we are herewith to take speciall notice that even the wils and affections of those men which by their well acting in that ability or infranchisement so by mercy given them doe abide in beleeving that in those very beleevers also their affections faith and works are all imperfect so that it is not any of their willings or runnings neither that deserveth mercy no no For if God should take notice of the imperfections that are in their strongest faith and most exact obedience to marke the iniquity of theirs that is therein who shall stand Psal 130.3 And this was spoken by a beleever to beleevers saying if we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John 1.8 Therefore even in the very beleevers salvation also is not of him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God only that sheweth mercy as before First in providing a way in mercy by Christ to doe so by his pacifying the Fathers justice Secondly as before by giving ability to all men Thirdly by passing by the imperfections even of abiding beleevers by free mercy Fourthly by his free mercy manifested by his giving of his Sonne to and for mankinde not only in all these and the like but also therefrom establishing abiding beleevers in the speciall salvation in due season though they doe not merit it but as is by mercy granted for Christs sake Yet further observe that considering that it is Gods act in them to inable all men by setting all mens wils free both to will and to do of his good pleasure or of his free mercy as is proved he doth in my 6 and 7 Distinctions that those men that do humbly act with God in that ability by mercy given them strivingly indeavouring thereby by faith to be obedient to God retaining alwaies the sence of their unworthinesse and unprofitablenesse These men though they be in themselves ungodly yet God is pleased according to the second Covenant by his free mercy established to impute righteousnesse to these men that doe beleeve in him that justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.5 And so herein is not the least tincture of any cause why any such by imputation accepted beleever should boast or glory before God otherwise than in the living use of his abundant mercy Because those beleevers cannot but know and also faithfully confesse to the glory of Gods mercy that they have done do nor can do any thing savingly acceptable to God by any ability whatsoever but what they have in mercy received from God and are notwithstanding so far from performing their obliged duty as that they are therein unprofitable servants according to our Saviours direction Luke 17.10 although God in mercy is pleased by Christ to account them worthy as in Luke 21.36 Acts 5.41 Thus you see that in the very condition of abiding beleevers that it is not of him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Therefore impossible to men that remaine in unbeleefe to besaved by their willing and running how earnest soever considering that they also are by Gods will inabled by beleeving to will and run acceptably but they persistingly will not See my 6 and 7 Distinctions The fifteenth Distinction wherein the mistake is discovered which some men have fastned on that Text where it is said Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth Rom. 9.18 and also sheweth that there is but one will in God HErein to avoid misconceptions we are to know that whereas it is said or supposed spoken who hath resisted his will ver 19. that there is one will in God no distinction of wils in God as some men have imagined that is his secret will and his revealed will his absolute will and his conditionall will for God worketh all things according to his owne will Eph. 1.11 not according to his wils but his will the act of Creation and all the glorious various dispensations of his providence proceedeth from the counsell of that his one will it is his owne one and absolute will that some of his works shall be secret and that some of them shall be revealed some absolute some conditionall and though some men are said to be resisters Acts 7.51 Yet it is not so much as the least turning aside of the effects and dispensations of the counsell of that one will of God for as all men are by the counsell of that one will of God by grace enabled to know the truth and accept of grace as is proved they are all in my 6 and 7 Distinctions So the effects proceeding from that one will of God doth uncontrolably proceed directly on in its fixed course and deales with every man as he finds him persisting in obedience or disobedience to the Gospell-condition and that his one will doth dispose of every man accordingly Therefore we are in this cause now in hand seriously to consider of the two maine dispensations proceeding from that his one will concerning mans salvation for the counsell of his one will was at the Creation to propound to man his inabled Creature a Covenant of works and if he failed in performance of that condition then to apply a propitiation before provided to satisfie his justice for that offence or transgression against the first Testament Heb. 9.15 Rom. 5.20 for all men as is many waies proved in this tract And also in pursuance to perform the further effects proceeding from that his one will he then also determined that upon his acceptation on of that satisfaction made by Christ by that unsported Lamb prepared before the foundation of the world 1 Pet. 1.19 20. and by him accounted of as if slain from the foundation of the world Rev. 13.9 to propound a new conditionall Covenant to all men which is that he that beleeveth shall be saved and that he that beleeveth not shall be damned Mark 16.16 Now beloved we are in rightly