answerably may doth speak of them more intelligibly and profitably As when it says The Lord hath set apart for himself the man that is godly Psal 4.3 Such a chusing or setting apart for himself as is there spoken of is and may be profitably propounded as an inducement unto godliness Also when it s said That God for such wilfull refusings of him and his Word Truth and Grace cast off reprobated or gave over such and such men as in Psal 81.9 10 11 14. Jer. 6.16 30. Rom. 1.28 Such a propounding of Reprobation may both be apprehended and good use may be made of it to and by men yet unrenewed to deter them from their obstinacy in evill and warn them to give diligent heed to God lest they should be so dealt with but in such a maner of speaking of and propounding these things I would not be understood there but as under those tearms men understand hidden abstruse acts of the Counsell and Will of God in himself from everlasting In Pag. 21. of the same Epistle there is lapsus memoriae a mistake of Hubberdine for Dr. Buckneham through the defect of my memory I not then having the Martyrology by me In Pag. 74. lin 15 16 17 c. some interlined passages of Mr. Owens Inferences were mistaken and misplaced by the Printer It should have been printed thus All that Christ dyed for 1. He gives that is compels to believe an inference wholly groundless from that Text it speaking of actuall believers and not of faith as a thing yet to be given them 2. All that he dyed for he justifies makes righteous and brings them to glory 3. All he dyed for he makes Intercession for for collating on them all the choise benefits of his death In Pag. 75. Where I say The ascribing an antecedent will Whose fulfilling depends on any free contingent act of ours fals not upon us my meaning is it fals not upon what I said in the beginning of that Chapter about Impretration and Application That that follows viz. But I conceive c. should have been yet I conceive that without injury to God that may be called an Antecedent will which respects some Antecedent condition in us in respect of some will of God respecting us as its proper object in a consequent condition in which I hope the ingenuous Reader will conceive that I speak of the Actings or determinations of Gods will which are called sometime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not that I assert that there are in God divers Wills or Principia volendi for that would be all one as to assert divers Gods or divers Essences of the same God What I say in Pag. 58. About Christs meriting his own exaltation in the humane nature is so clear that I hope none will deny it and yet I find that Zanchy was somewhat questioned about it by some in his time the learned Reader may see his defence of himself and his confirmation of the Orthodoxness of that assertion by the Testimony of divers of the Ancient Fathers as Augustine Jerome Ambrose Beda c. in Epist ad Lectorem tractatui de Fide Christianâ five Confessioni suae praefixâ amongst the rest that of Augustine is curt and pithy in Phil. 2.10 Wherefore God hath highly exalted him Humilitas claritatis meritum olaritas humilitireis praemium sed hoc factum est in formâ servi c. And by Humility he merited his glory and his glory was the reward of his humility but this was not in the form of God but in the form of a servant or as he was made man c. Zanchies Assertion that occasioned that defence is thus De Relig. Christ Cap. 11. Apho. 15. Credimus Christum suâ perfectâ obedientiâ non solùm sibi sed etiam nobis vitam aeternam promeruisse c. What I say Pag. 125 to that place in Phil. 1.29 That the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should rather be translated As pertaining to Christ is the judgment of divers Learned men as well as mine Zanchi renders it Pro Christi id est In Christi negotio vid. Zanch. in loc Beza In negotio Christo ad verbum in eo quod pro Christo suscipitur alioqui inquit redundaret articulus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bez Annot. in loc Camerarius in loc thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod attinet ad Christum ea vobis contigit gratia c. In Pag. 173. That of every herb I think upon further conâ—â—deration may be numbered amongst those places which speak 〈◊〉 the species or sorts of things and so the sense is they took the tenth individual of every species of herbs but yet that will make nothing to prove the word All to be taken so in the places in question To the Reader Reader WHosoever thou art quaedam tecum vellem in limine I have a word or two to say to thee before thou goest any further I desire thee to peruse this Treatise throughly for it cannot harm thee but if thou beest not thine own hindrance it may profit thee Though it be hostile its only against that that would hinder thee of good or obstruct those passages by which thou mightest be led out to do good It pleads for God and thy good yea the common good of all that do not wilfully deprive themselves thereof for vanity It pleads for Love to defend and maintain that God loves thee and to let thee see that there is good ground and cause for thy loving him And it s the nature of love to stand enemy to nothing but that that hinders its course and keeps the parties loved from the good it wishes them It pleads for a truth a part of that Doctrine of truth which the Apostle and Teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth both instructed our Fathers in 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. and left upon record for us their posterity namely that God wills that men be saved and come to the knowledg of truth and that evidenced in this that as there is but one God so there is one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus by whom God dispenses his goodness and makes known his good will to us and by whom we may have access to him and he is ready to accept of and imbrace us He having given himself a Ransome for all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A truth to be testified to men in due or proper or in their own times A truth it is though in these dayes covered over with reproachful tearms of error and heresie and as from the beginning the way of Christ hath been every where ill spoken of and exploded as little better then blasphemy Such force hath Satan Gods and mans adversary in the hearts of many that they love not nor believe that that speaks good of God to them and that which might do them good But marvel not at that good Reader for this beam of truth findes no worse entertainment
it which is not to be seen by climbing up into heaven to search into Gods secrets but by finding in themselves faith and sanctification they say and those too such as are so and so qualified as may evidence them to be fruits of election and so men must have the effects before and without their proper cause which is love discovered to men Tit. 3.4 5 6. they must have all these Repentance Faith Love to God and men Justification Sanctification yea and perhaps too eternal Glory before they shall see any solid ground or motive to repent believe in him serve and love him or that Christ hath done any thing for them by vertue of which he can justifie and sanctifie them and bring them to glory with him And so they are not lead to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godlily by Gods grace appearing in the Gospel to them but deny ungodliness and live godlily or rather pretend and seem to do so that so grace might appear to them and that they might see the gospel declaration to belong to them The Gospel doctrine is to them but like the law that is a doctrine that consists of duties commanded with promises and threatnings annexed without Gospel motives of Gods love propounded the viewing of which things the Spirit of Love breaths in to lead and to produce the things required and so their endeavours after those works and duties are looked upon as the fruits of grace and goodness yea as the arguments of their Election past and future happiness when they may be as far from both as the Pharisee that denied Gods free Grace to Publicans and sinners and yet judged himself a partaker of Gods Grace by his works of righteousness magnifying grace against free will and thanking God as giving such grace in those things which were but the products of his will neglecting and abiding ignorant of that grace in Christ which would have truly corrected both his Judgment and will such the effect of this limiting restraining doctrine as theirs also was Men are led hereby to bottom the Gospel it self with all arguments of love and goodness therein leading to faith and repentance upon their faith and repentance which they pretend they may have before they know whether they have any solid ground for them or no as if they could winde in themselves into the perception of Gods love by their frames and endeavors and not first be wrought up to them by the love and goodness of God perceived by them and as if men should look to themselves and their endeavors as the glass through which they shall see Gods love as for them and not rather upon God and Christ as declared in the Gospel to love them as the glass in which they may see their obligation to God in Christ and be moved to and strengthened in their seeking after him hoping in him In that their way thou mayst see that God commands thee to repent or change thy minde to Judg him good and to love him and that he threatens thee if thou dost not and promises great things to thee if thou dost but whether thou beest one of them that he intends any good in his promises to or that art in a possibility of attaining them or only hast them propounded to thy hearing without good will towards thee but that thou mightest thereby have the greater destruction that by it thou knowest not for it presents no act of love from him that according to it thou canst say respects thee or takes thee in as the object of it only do all those things first repent believe love serve him and then it shall be true for thee to believe that he hath good will to thee a most preposterous way that doth to men as Pharaoh to the Israelites takes away their straw and bids them get it themselves and yet exacts their number of brick takes away that declaration of Gods love and good will to men that should properly move them to repent believe c. and sets men upon seeking arguments and demonstrations of these to themselves and yet not fail to perform those duties required of them A doctrine it is that presents less love to this or that man then the Law it self did whereas the Apostle magnifies the true Gospel as more excellent and more un vailed for it set some certain demonstrations of Gods goodness to the Israelites before them as his bringing them out of Egypt chusing them in their Fathers to be a peculiar people to him and many typical sacrifices representing Christs death for them upon which they were commanded to love and serve him but for ought this tells thee thou wert hated by him from all eternity yea this suggests to thee that all he doth to thee may be but to bring thee to misery Nay I might safely say Gods dealings with the Gentiles represented more goodness as to their particulars without suggestions of eternal hatred of them then this kind of Gospell-preaching ascertains any one man of as yet unregenerate as truly goodness and out of good will to him in particular And O how injurious is that doctrine to men that withholds the most absolute perfect motive to their duties and way to meet with consolation Whence it comes to pass that first many are led by it into presumption to lean upon themselves and their own works as evidences of that distinguishing love of God that makes them sure of salvation as the Pharisee Luke 18.9 10. and so of their being pure and righteous when as yet they have never believed and through faith received that love of God into their hearts thats preached in the Gospel to wash and purify them yea to bring them out of themselves into Christ that they might be reckoned after him conformed to him to salvation These are of those that justifie themselves and labour to establish a righteousness of their own and are ignorant of and fight against the righteousness of God despising others and hindring them of that Gospel of grace that should be opened to them stumbling as much that the Death of Jesus Christ should be preached to all to ungodly and sinners not so qualified as they as ever did the presumptuous proud Pharisees that Christ should eat and drink with Publicans and sinners and that his Apostles should preach the Gospel to the uncircumcised Gentiles 2. Others again are held in bondage all their dayes and are ever ready to fall into desperation while not having the Love of God and his goodness and grace propounded to them as for them that should beget faith hope fruitfulness c. or being hindered from believing it as so propounded by occasion of this limiting doctrine and yet being pressed on to believe repent be humble and broken that so they may know that God hath good will to them and hath given his Son for them they labor and strive and finde nothing which they can attain to
neither is that true that after follows in him That if he should intercede for All All should undoubtedly be saved meaning eternally for he may intercede for some for other things not for eternal salvation as in Luke 13.7 8. Lord let it alone this year till I dig about it dung it and if it bring forth fruit well if not then afterward thou maist cut it down sure he was the prime Vine-dresser and that 's likely to be his intercession for the barren Nation of the Jews or if it was of subordinate Officers yet sure their intercessions prevail not for patience and continuance of the means of Grace as that Parable compared with what went before v. 1.5 intimate they do where he intercedes not and carries not up their prayers for that particular so that how he should be there excluded I know not and so he may pray as Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do and yet they not be saved for that 's not Father justifie them and bring them to life eternal there is forgiveness mentioned in the Scripture short of what is attended with that as Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7.61 and such as are mentioned in Numb 14.19 Psal 73.37 38. Amos 7.2.3 5 6. Math. 13.27 34 35. So that neither of these is proved Either that he intercedes for All he dyed for or that if he do they are all saved eternally It s true indeed as he after saith He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever liveth to to make intercession for them but neither proves that he makes intercession for all that he dyed for nor that whosoever he makes Intercession for he makes it for them for ever and they shal be saved to the utmost The Fig-tree notwithstanding that intercession made for patience and means of grace yet not coming to God by him might be cut down It says not all that he goeth to God for any thing for shall be saved to the utmost but he is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever lives to make intercession for them He is able to save them to the utmost by vertue of that powerful office but if men come not to God by him or withdraw from him he says not that he lives for ever to execute his office for them and to save them to the utmost Indeed from this his office and intercession founded on his oblation believers men that come to God by him have notable confidence as is expressed Rom. 8.33 34 another place quoted by him even as Caleb and Joshuah whose spirits were right with God had notable confidence from the great things God had done for them and his presence amongst them to possess the Land of Canaan and subdue their enemies Numb 14.9 and yet it was not therefore a truth that all that God had done those mighty things for and was walking amongst either had that confidence or their success which being considered keeps alive the General Ransom from that break neck with which Mr. Owen threatneth it for though its true that those for whom he dyed hearing and believing his love to them have no cause but to trust in him and seek and hope for great things from him as all the Israelites that came over the red Sea and see Gods mighty works for for them had no cause but to have believed in God as well as the rest Numb 14.11 yet as there all that shared in those great things did not so believe as some nor had the like issue but many through their unbelief sell short of Canaan so here many not believing the goodness of God to them for which in part many may thank their Ministers that leave them to seek whether they have a mediator appointed of God for them or not do not believe in Christ and so for not believing and by not believing perish for the Apostle saith not that All that Christ dyed and rose for he intercedes for nor that all that he intercedes for shall be saved and have no condemnation no more then Caleb said All that God brought out of Egypt and that he at that present was with should enter into Canaan but as he so the Apostle believingly feeding upon the goodness of God joyes in it and is raised up to exceeding confidence by it and shews that they who are in Christ and walk after the spirit as they did have no condemnation but are kept from it by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ believed on by them but he affirmes not that of all that he dyed rose and intercedes for Whereas a little after he saith That God only promised to Christ that he should be Captain of all Salvation to all that believe and effectually bring many sons to glory he saith not truely for he promised him also Psa 2.8 9. That he should rule the Nations with an Iron rod and break them in pieces as a potters vessel as he tels us he hath also received Rev. 2.26 27. And therefore that Christ looked only and alone as Mr. Owen also saith for the accomplishment of those things that he there mentioned is false also He looked for and doth and shall see the other made good to him too But so much to his deviations in this Chapter The fifth only shewing that the Holy Ghost hath his concurrence and had his operation in the birth death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and no Argument being thence drawn to his purpose I shall pass it over and proceed to the following Chapters CHAP. IIII. A further view of what he affirmes of the equal latitude and extent of the Oblation and Intercession of Christ in his sixth Chapter and seventh HIs sixth Chapter goes over the same things again spoken of in the fourth only here they are considered as means conducing to an end namely the Incarnation Oblation and Intercession of Christ the last of which Intercession he says contains every act of his exaltation even his Resurrection for which he brings no proof at all nor any reason wherewith to back it only quotes Rom. 4.25 which saith no such thing but that he rose again for our justification no nor appears it as he saith that by his Resurrection all his following dispensation and perpetual intercession is there intended It s but his conception without proof it may rather he conceived that in saying For our justification he means that he might do all those acts conducing to our justification and so include his Intercession there then that in the word Resurrection those acts are intended Nor saith Acts 3.26 any such thing and her falsifies it doubly in his quotation of it For first he renders it thus that God raised up his Son Jesus to bless us Whereas the Text is having raised him up he hath sent him to bless I conceive he means it of his sending him in the Gospel
reasoning Christ dyed for Believers I am such a one therefore for me though the Major is true yet the Minor cannot well be affirmed of those that know not otherwise before that Christ dyed for them and if they do this medium is needlesse to them for what Faith hath a man before he believe that Christ dyed for him by which he may know and believe that Christ dyed for him not a faith that worketh by love because that springs from an apprehension of Gods love for we cannot love him but as we behold him loving us first Not a Faith by grace because while men doubt or know not that Christ dyed for them they know not the grace that the Gospel holds forth to move them to believing seeing according to the Gospel-Declaration all grace runs by and through Christs mediation And if not such a Faith then the Major and Minor agree not for they will not say that Christ dyed for All that have a dead Faith or conceits of faith wrought by self-endeavor seeing men may have those yet perish So that this argument hath in it a great deal of deceit and puts men upon many inconveniencies to prove the Minor upon which all the grounds of their comfort stand For upon that act of their faith Christ himself with all his death and mediation is laid that being the foundation they lay him upon whereas those things as asserted in the word for them credited by them should lay faith upon him so themselves also upon him by faith Whereas he says that a better syllogisme then this He dyed for All men I am a man ergo for me I deny it For 1. This is a more immediate Divine Faith as springing from and being bottomed upon the Word of God as hath been seen 2. The Minor is more conspicuous and evident 3. The grace of God is more admired to see that he dyed for me while yet I am as other men a sinner then when by my industry I think I am framed to believe for then I look upon his love through something found in me in which I differ from others which lifts me up above others looking upon them as not so framed but the other abases and leads to love and pity others even sinners that are as I. But oh the pride and vanity of mans heart that prefers such consolations as take in something of the creatures frames with them before those that have nothing but God to a naked creature to spring up all his frames from pure love without him How many are the endeavours and strifts of men again and again to make out this proposition I am a Believer while in the mean time they reject and believe not that love of God to them as men and sinners that should indeed in the receit of it and the Spirits setting it home make them believers and spring up all those frames which they as it were by works of the Law endeavour after and cannot that way attain that they might evidence themselves to be believers and when they think they have by much strift attained to believe then those their strifts their faith as they suppose with all the signs that they have annexed to it are taken in together as the ground of their comfort and hope in God yea of their belief that Christ was sent and dyed for them which yet they are at a losse in questioning Gods love to them and their ground and cause of hoping in him as they see cause to question their own love to and so by consequence their own faith in him A miserable way it is God knows that this Doctrine leads multitudes into while they either curiously pry into Gods secrets almost to destraction or else look into themselves for fruits of faith that may evidence them to have faith and so their Election and so right to Christ and his Gospel and all this before they can see that there is any thing in the Gospel that is good news to them or any love in God towards them that works that Faith and those Fruits in its appearance by which their Election should be discerned by them 4. The fourth thing he leaves onely desiring the Reader to peruse that place of Rom. 8.32 33 34. which I also commend to the Reader that upon good grounds knowes himself a Believer one in Christ walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh for to such it is written and to their consolation ver 1.28 29 30 c. and I say to such its a rich Mine of firm lasting comfort consolation joy assurance rest peace refreshment and satisfaction no place fuller or sweeter that I know of and all springing from the consideration of God as their friend and Father justifying them Christ that dyed for them and rose again now interceding at Gods right hand for them that they may be one with Christ in priviledges and glory and have the New Covenant fully performed to them But if the Reader that believes desires to perswade others to faith or if he be one that knows not whether God hath any good-will to him or no and so is not yet by faith in Christ that place will afford little to him But I desire him to read 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. that God wils All to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth That there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for All c. And if he believe that record of God that testimony born to him and his Son he may therein see Gods good-will to him and good ground for him to seek him through Christ that gave himself a ransome for him good cause to Repent of all his evils against him that is so well affected toward him good cause to leave his evill wayes of grieving him and live to him and love him that is so loving to him good cause to hope in his mercy and in that hope to call upon him and seek to enjoy more knowledge of him and experience of his salvation and good matter to hold forth to others for their conversion and bringing in to Christ None of all which their restrictive Doctrine which is Anti-Christian as it hinders the course of the Gospel of Christ and keeps men in ignorance of the grounds they have to repent seek after love and hope in God and not at all held forth in Rom. 8.32 can lead them to for by it none who yet believeth not and so knoweth not himself to be Elected can see any ground to believe in live to love please or serve God inasmuch as for ought he knowes he is from eternity an enemy to him and hates him but it will lead him to go on resolutely in his way and do what seems good to him seeing by that its undeniably true that if Christ dyed for him he cannot miscarry if otherwise he must doe what he can as hath been noted But let
which is the thing the Apostle brings it to prove but that he hated either of them from Eternity and before they had done either good or evil or that he so hated the greater part of mankinde that God loved only his elect and chosen that he is only their Saviour that Christ died only for them and gave himself a ransom only for his sheep and Church and did not die for the greatest part of men nor hath any fitness or sufficiency as a mediator for them to save them that God did make the greatest part of men with intention to destroy them and never bare any good will to them that they perish for ever for the sin of Adam and that their condemnation is aggravated by their after sins for their neglecting that that was never for them and for not repenting and believing on him though there was neither object meet for them to believe on nor any power vouchsafed to them from God by which in attending to God in the meanes propounded they might have been brought to repent and believe that all that Christ died for shall be saved eternally and none of them shall perish these and the like positions maintained by them we finde no Scripture asserting and so have no divine ground of believing but to maintain them they rely on their reasons adding to and detracting from the Scripture-expressions as they please yea plainly contradicting them making particular affirmative propositions in Scripture equipollent to universal affirmatives as We or the Church are sanctified by his Death ergo All that he died for and particular Affirmatives to be repugnant and contradictory to universal Affirmatives as He gave himself for us ergo Not for all gave his life as a shepherd for his sheep ergo he gave not himself a ransome for all men and many such inept and unscholarlike inferences their wisdomes make to maintain and strengthen their devised Assertions drawing conclusions by them openly contradictory to the Scripture-expressions as ergo He died not for all and every one God would not that all men should be saved c. I would Master Owen and the rest of his minde would be content that God should be true and reason be judged absurd and vain where it opposes him that he may have but that glory of his mercy goodness truth and Justice that he in the Scriptures asserts to himself we should willingly hold us to that bargain with them But alas how injurious they are to the truth of God too and how unbelieving of and contradictory to the Scriptures thou mayst see by this litle tast here given and more fully I hope by the treatise itself here presented to thee as an answer to him but yet I have not set before thee all the good and usefulness of the truth here defended nor all the evil of theirs opposed For 3. This truth is profitable too for men both in respect of themselves and others in both which regards too their counter-positions are injurious First In respect of mens selves to whom its propounded who are to believe and receive it its profitable for them to hear and receive it because it presents to them an object for their faith a motive to repent believe serve and love God and matter of comfort to them that lye in sadness and distress for want of seeing ground to hope in him for this presents God as loving and gracious to them and what can be a greater motive to a man to listen to God then that his Doctrine comes in love and good will and brings good to him or what so powerful as love to break a man off from evils against him a loving carriage in David toward Saul melts him into tears and brings him from seeking to harm him to confess his evil and give good language to him how much more shall the love of God preached to men and believed by them work upon them Rom. 2.4 5. Psal 36.7 8. or else they shall be left the more excuseless and God shall be the more glorified in their destruction It is not commands to repent but love and goodness in him that is offended that indeed leads and brings in the heart to true repentance So what will so effectually draw a soul to trust in God as when it hears and believes the goodness of God Mansheart is so conscious of its own evil that neither commands or promises especially being so uncertain whether they appertain to us or no will draw us in to betrust our selves with God 1 John 4.19 except we perceive some real Testimonies of his love first towards us And what so strong a cord to love and service of him as to see his love preventing us Love seen and believed in him Tit. 3.4 5. begets love and service in us to him We love him because he loved us first Such our contrariety to God in our selves and such our apprehensions of his contrariety to us that till our hearts be purged from both by the demonstrations of his love and goodness we will not love and serve him not serve him in love without which our service is not acceptable and delightful to him so that from this love of God preached and believed springs true obedience and the hearty keeping of Gods Comandmments Yea herein it is that men see their sins most exactly odious and are abased in the sight of them True the Law saies what is good and evil righteous and sinful but the Gospel shews most lively the hainousness of that sin while it presents it not otherwise to be expiated then by the bloud of Gods own Son and shews otherway no remission yea this love and goodness at once both humbles for sin against God and leads to hope in and expect good from God yea and while it speaks not of an absolute certainty of life and happiness for all for whom Christ died but these things to be certainly obtained in submission to him believing on him and yielding up to his Spirit it leads the soul to serve the Lord with an holy fear and to rejoyce in him with trembling through which holy fear the heart is preserved from departing from him So that this doctrine from the very word and Oracle of God discovers to thee or any man while yet not sinning that great sin to death an object meet to look upon and admire God meet to be turned to sought after hoped in and served yea is a motive to and a ground foundation and spring of true comfort and godliness of all which the contrary position deprives a man No man by that beeing able as from the word of God to see good and right ground of loving hoping in and serving God till he see that he do love hope in and serve him there being nothing that bears witness of God to any particular soul in their doctrine that he loves and hath good will towards it untill it see the discriminating and distinguishing electing love of God towards
tast death for every one and where is the impetration in that By him whosoever believes shall receive the remission of sins Acts 10.43 He hath also diverse indirect and vitious inferences as when from Isa 53.11 He shall justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities he infers All whose sins he bare he also justifieth whenas such a conclusion cannot fairly be drawn from those premises no more then if a man should say from that in 1 Cor. 6.19 20. The Holy Ghost is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price that all that are bought with a price have the Holy Ghost in them and so those false Teachers in 2 Pet. 2.1 which bring upon themselves swift destruction That clause For he bare their iniquities shews the ground upon which by his knowledg he might and so did justifie them that he proceeded legally not the adequate object of his act of bearing sins Thence also he adds by his knowledg that is by making known his truth or doctrine or himself in it he shall justifie many how comes that about that he by his knowledg should produce such an effect the reason is rendred for he bare their iniquities He shall make known himself to them as one able to save them and so draw them in to him and then by vertue of his sufferings for them he shall justifie them for that was it by which he was perfected for conferring such a favor on them that obey him as in Heb. 5.9 He saith not he justifies many by bearing their sins as if that alone did it but by his knowledg which knowledg whoso regard not nor receive they go without that justification or accounting righteous there spoken of yea though he dyed for them and had they received that knowledg of him both could and would have justified them men stumbling at him and not believing on him may perish though Christ have dyed for them 1 Cor. 8.11 Again his inference from that in Isa 53.5 By his stripes we are healed Therefore All that he dyed for hath no more force then if some Israelites that were healed by looking to the brazen Serpent should say By the brazen Serpent we are healed Therefore All that it was set up for were healed by it Of no more force are those other inferences from Rom. 8.32 33. He that spared not his Son but gave him up to the Death for us All how shall he not with him give us all things Vs that are in Christ Jesus that walk after the spirit that have received the first fruits of it that are called justified c. It s like the confident reasoning of the believing Israelites Exod. 13.13 14 16 17. God that brought us out of Egypt by so mighty a hand redeeming us and bringing us forth in his mercy will guide us by his strength to his holy habitation Numb 14.9 10. bring us in and plant us c. that is such as in this confidence follow his conduct and rebel not against him Now as if one from thence should infer Ergo all that he brought out of Egypt he surely brought into Canaan just such are those three inferences of Mr. Owens from that Rom. 8. viz. That all he gave Christ for 1. He gives to believe in him that is compels them to believe And 2. Brings them to glory an inference wholly groundless from that Text that speaking of actual believers and not of faith as a thing yet to be given them and All that he dyed for 3. He makes intercession for for the collating all the choise benefits of his Death upon for that 's the meaning of his third inference though not so in terminis expressed otherwise I should not deny it but I have said enough before to these kinde of inferences and I shall speak fullier to that place where he more fully urges it lib. 3. chap. 11. That which follows in him hath something in it worthy the noting viz. those Assertions repeated and spoken to by him As 1. In that he denies Gods inclination to do us good to be naturall and necessary he crosses that common maxime Quicquid in Deo est Deus est every thing in God is God and if that be true then its necessary and natural to God for that which is God cannot but be and so whatever love is in him to us must be necessary it being something in him Besides the Scripture defines him by love God is love which sure hath in it an inclination to do good and what he is is natural to him and as necessary as he though what object to act forth his love toward and in what way is not necessary but meerly free to him and therefore when he says that every thing acted by him towards us is an act of his free-will opponit non opponenda seeing though his actings be voluntary yet his nature is essentiall and necessary and these two cross not each other Whereas he saith the ascribing an Antecedent will to God whose fulfilling depends on any free contingent act of ours is injurious to God This falls not upon us But I conceive that that may be called an Antecedent VVill of God which respects some Antecedent condition in us in respect of some VVill of God respecting us as its proper object in a consequent condition As to explain my meaning God viewing Adam as innocent willed him Paradise and fellowship with himself yet the injoyment of this to be according to his standing in that created condition but viewing him as voluntarily faln he willed to expel him from Paradise c. the former of these in respect of the latter may be called Antecedent as it was a Will respecting an Antecedent or former condition of Adam and the latter a consequent will to that fall from his former condition beheld by him So a Will to provide a Saviour for men as helpless and faln and to extend goodness to them through him compared with his Will to exclude them his Kingdom and seal them up under wrath as obstinately after light and power vouchsafed rebelling against his Son and abusing his goodness may be called an Antecedent will and the latter a Consequent though that denomination of Antecedent and Consequent arises rather from the priority and posteriority in the objects then the will it self For that place Who hath resisted his will as it makes nothing against what I have here said so I shall say nothing to it here but refer what I have to say about it to my Answer to cap. 4. lib. 4. where he urges it again as also his third Assertion viz. 3. That a meer common Affection and Inclination to do good to all sets not out the freedom fulness and dimensions of the Love of God asserted in Scripture as the cause of sending Christ To my Answer to his fourth Book and second Chapter where he further urges it again 4. Whereas he denies that all mankinde
the freedom for all or any to look after that benefit and through Faith to obtain it Now in this Mr. Owen differs from us That he notes the world to signifie lost men of all sorts both Jews Gentiles peculiarly loved and that love to be an unchangeable act or purpose of Will concerning their salvation intending absolutely the salvation of all this world to whom he gave him that whosoever believeth not to be a distributive of that general the world but the very self-same with the word World Before he confirm his own he labors to evert the other and 1. Against that pity or propensity to be affirmed to be in God to the good of the creature he says thus If there be no natural affection in God whereby he is necessarily carried to any thing without himself then no such pity or affection to their good as is here intended I deny the Consequence for though there be no such thing as necessarily is so carried yet there is that 's voluntarily and freely carried so Gods Will that is in him to do this or that is not necessarily carried to do this or that but freely but being freely carried to this or that it s necessarily carried in a way suteable to his holy good Nature Now that there is that in God that carries him to desire or approve freely the good of man appears in that he is said to be Love 1 Joh. 4.8 Now Love freely seeks the good of things So again he swears that he delights not in the death of the wicked but rather that they should turn live Yea and saith of him that dieth That he hath no pleasure in his death Eze. 33.11 18. ult And bewails those that had miscarried through their folly and deprived themselves of his mercy Psal 81.11.14 Isai 48.17 18. And so our Saviour the express Image of God wept over and pitied the folly and misery of Jerusalem Luke 19.41 But then he says This intimates imperfection in God But he is not imperfect I answer no the imperfection is in our conception this in him is highest perfection As Moses saith He is perfect though he says He took the Isaelites out of Egypt to bring them into Canaan and many came not in that might seem an imperfection in God and that he failed of his expressed purpose but the imperfection is in our apprehension So he said of Elies house He would establish it but afterwards said otherwise But we are to believe what he says though it seem to us who want ability to comprehend him to argue imperfection The rest of his Reasonings are meer carnal he brings no patch of Scripture to prove that God hath not such good will to man but vainly pries and inquires Why doth not God ingage his power to accomplish it and how comes it hindered Which are brutish reasonings against Gods Assertions When he says Hadst thou done thus I would have done so and so And O that thou hadst done so And I delight rather he should live Then to say why doth not God effect it then Nay rather Who is vain brutish man dust and ashes to dispute against God and reject his Words upon his shallow Reason Will man propound to God what shall be Wisdom to him Doth not he indeed say That his Wisdom is foolishness to men And doth not Mr. Owen here make it good and say It s brutish wisdom amongst men But know O vain Earth-worm That the Wisdom of God is indeed foolishness to men and they cannot comprehend it and the wisdom of men is foolishness to God 1 Cor. 1.19.22.23 24. It s wisdom O vain man to give credit to the Word and Oath of God and say Amen to it That he delights not in the death of the wicked but rather that they shall turn and live how ever foolish it seems to man and whatever absurdities his wisdom findes in it For the foolishness of God is wiser then the wisdom of man and that weakness and imperfection that appears in Gods wayes is stronger then the strength of men His ways are unsearchable his judgments past finding out Not to be measured by the shallow models our Reason but his Words are all Words of Truth and he that will understand his Wayes must believe them and be willing to deny the wisdom of the flesh which is enmity to God and which God will destroy and become a fool that he may be wise The Scriptures we see in Psal 81.14 Isai 48.17 18. Ezek. 33.11 and 18.32 1 Tim. 2.4 hold forth what I speak of The Nature of God which is Love acting forth it self in expressions of good Will to men yea men in general and such as miscarry His other exception with its confirmations being onely against his acting necessarily are all vain and invalid For conformation of his own Exposition That by Love is meant an unchangeable purpose or act of his Will to save them He gives this Reason Because its the most eminent and transcendent love that ever God bare or shewed towards any miserable creature Well Let us first reade it according to his Exposition and see what it will help him It will run thus God so Loved that is unchangeably purposed the salvation of the world That he gave his onely begotten Son that whosever believeth in him should not perish c. Which is in effect that he so unchangeably purposed the salvation of lost mankinde as that he provided the most eminent transcendent medium for it to be saved by upon condition of believing And so it will be an unchangeable conditional purpose to the world and an unchangeable absolute purpose to believers that have that condition And may it not consist or rather spring from his pity and compassion to faln man so to will and purpose Yea and may not the word Love rather signifie that pity in which he so purposed then that purpose that sprung therefrom seeing its the more prime moving cause of his sending Christ that is here spoken of Or will this Exposition content him No though this is as much as the words will bear with the following expressions in the Text yet this is not it he aims at but this That his Love signifies an absolute unchangeable purpose of saving every one for whom he gave Christ and so of giving and causing them all effectually to receive whatsoever is needful to their salvation But the Text speaks not up to this conception for then it should rather have been thus God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son and will make it believe in him so that it shall never perish c. But neither such not to that purpose is our Saviours expression Such an expression indeed would have represented God as propounding the salvation of the world as an end undertaken by himself to accomplish and bring about with all the mediums conducing thereunto without condition on our part whereas our Saviour speaks of it as an
as an argument of terror to them that ill requite it reject it or receive it in vain 2 Cor. 5.11 with 6.1 Heb. 2.3 and 10.26.29 and 12.22.24.25 2 Thes 2.10 11. which were vain arguings if because this love was so commendable therefore it was an absolute unchangeable purpose of bringing all that Christ was given for to eternal salvation But he says further Argum. 3. That Gods love is a Velle bonum alicui a willing good to them He loves and therefore sure they are the object of his Love to whom he intends the good which is the issue and effect of his love viz. not perishing but having eternal life But that happens onely to the Elect Believers c. In which Mr. Owen slipt out of the matter in hand the nature of the love to the object of it and builds his Argument but upon an Axiom of the Schoolmen that were not so far Gods privy Councellors as that we may build our saith upon all their Maxims And he faulters too in his Argument For whereas his Major speaks of Gods intending that end and issue that men perish not His Minor tells us of what happens which makes his Argument to continue a Quartus terminus Surely God tells us he so far intends not perishing eternal life to others that he hath no delight in the death of the wicked but rather that they turn and live and that he willeth not that any perish but that all come to Repentance Ezek. 33.11 2 Pet. 3.9 I know because men think themselves wise in this world and prefer their Philosophical Rules before the Apostles counsel To become fools that they may be wise that they will not bear the truth of those sayings but muster up objections against them and say with Nicodemus How can these things be if God willed not that they perish but that all should come to Repentance then these things must happen to all and none are loved of God but they to whom those things happen And so they will teach men to blaspheme that goodness of God that leads men to repentance and to say It was not goodness because they are not prevailed with but according to their own hard hearts treasure up wrath to themselves by sinning against it yea and will make this so wonderfull a transcendent testimony of Love no love except it had been God so loved the world that he not only gave his son that every one that believes might not perish but also will make men so to believe and receive him that they shall never perish VVell then might the Israelites for the far greatest part of them say It s in vain for us to serve God and wherein hath he loved us seeing whatever great things he did for them they found not that he so absolutely purposed their eternall salvation that he would by his omnipotent power compell them to it for but a remnant of them shall be saved But for that willing none to perish but rather to turn and live and so a willing salvation to men God may be said so to will two wayes First In willing it to be and so providing it in Christ and propounding it to men c. and willing or requiring them to look to him for it with promise of conferring it on them in so doing 2. To purpose or determine that this or that man absolutely shall be saved In the first way he hath willed salvation to the world in generall having put it in Christ and willed the Gospell to be preached throughout the VVorld and they all to listen to it and obey it but not in the second way Now some may not receive or receive in vain Gods grace willing their salvation in the first way and turn it into wantonness and so it hath not in them its effect it hath in others that receive it throughly shall we therefore conclude There was no grace extended to them the other only and not they were the object of his love in providing salvation for and propounding it to the world But he adds 4 This that was the cause of giving Christ is the cause of giving all good things with him Rom. 8.32 therefore it must be towards them only that have all those good things I deny the consequence The same love that led God to appoint the brazen Serpent for healing led him to heal them that looked up Ergo he set it up only for them that looked up This argument slides also from the nature of the love to the Object of it The same love that led God to give his Son to the World leads him to give eternall life to them of the World that believe and so to give us that believe All things but it follows not therefore that the object of Gods love in its first act was not distinct from or at least not larger then Believers 5 His last argument is from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies saith he to rest in his love and so it must be a peculiar love This is but vain for this word is used of Christs love to the young man that had great possessions and went away from him Vers 21. Mark 10.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so to the Israelites of old that were many of them loved no more and so to Judas Psal 109.3 4. 2. He tells us There is a difference in our acceptions of the word World which I conceive to be sinfull mankinde in generall He to be the Elect scattered abroad in the World with a Tacit opposition to the Nation of the Jews My Reason for mine is 1. Because the word World speaking de mundo contento primarily so signifies as He shall judge the World in Righteousness Psal 9.8 How then shall God judge the World and All the World is become guilty before God Rom. 3.6 9. 2. Because Christ is expresly said to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole World the Ransom for All men 3. Because it here sustains the nature of a whole out of which believers are taken as parts He loved the world that every one that believes that is that every one of it or of the world that believes c. that 's evidently the sense of the place Now its non-sense to say That every one of the Elect that believe for that intimates that some of them might not believe It s as if he should have said of the Israelites He brought Israel out of Egypt that they that follow him obediently in the wilderness might enter into Canaan like that in Iohn 12.48 where the same phrase is used I am come a light unto the world that whosoever believes in me should not abide in darkness c. He is a light to every man John 1.9 a light to them that hate his light Joh 3.19 but they for hating of it shall be deprived of it and abide in darkness John 12.35 26. but all of this world to whom he vouchsafes his light that believe
difference in the act as the same shine of the Sun may refresh a sound eye and yet hurt the same eye when sore 5. Then he says He gives not all things to All to whom he gave his Son This with the Scripture alledged for it is once and again answered before 6. Then he knows not certainly who shall believe and be saved Which no more follows from it then this God loved Israel to bring them out of Egypt that he might bring them that followed him into Canaan But he brought not all the Israelites into Canaan Ergo If he brought all the Israelits out of Egypt he knew not who would believe in him and follow him into Canaan What a piece of Non-sense is such an Inference But against the inlarging of the object he further thus reasons from the next particular That who so believes thus If the object be restrained there to believers then that depends upon the will of God or upon themselves If upon themselves That contradicts 1. Cor. 1.7 and men make themselves to differ If upon God then we make the place say thus God so loved All that but some should partake of the fruits of his Love and to what end then did he love All Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear To which I answer That the second act the giving the injoyment of eternal life is here asserted but for them that believe and both the appointing life to the believer and the effecting of that faith depend upon Gods Will. As we can make no Law upon what terms to have that life So neither can we work in our selves that condition upon which God giveth that life Faith is the gift of God Acts 28.26 27. with Joh. 12.40 Yet this latter is so of God as that it is not without some actings of man to which he exhorts men and for want of which he justly faults them yea brings them not to faith It s by mans hearing though not of mans power Whence though one man listen to the means and is brought to believe and another that had as much power to have listened stop his ear and believes not yet it follows not that the first made himself to differ because not his listening but God by it gave the faith no more then one Israelite looking to the brasen Serpent being healed might be said to have made himself to differ from another that looked not up in point of healing in which they had both yet remained alike had not God given healing to the one and not to the other The impertinency of the Allegation of 1 Cor. 4.7 I shewed before Nor yet follows that other Inference That it s but thus God loved All that but some might partake of the fruits of his love For 1. There are other fruits then eternal life of which all partake 2. There is no exclusion of any from that condition by which we may partake of that When he says That every one that believes It s to incourage all to believe not to hinder any The whole Argument is but like this God brought Israel out of Egypt that he might bring them that obeyed and followed him into Canaan Either that restriction was determined by Gods Will or their own If their own then they made themselves differ one from another contrary to the Apostle If by Gods then the sense is He brought all out of Egypt that he might bring but some into Canaan To what end then I pray did he bring All out of Egypt Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear Is not this folly and soppery thus to reason or from such a reason to deny the Truth of Gods Word and say God surely did not bring any out of Egypt but whom he brought into Canaan Or will he ascribe Caleb and Joshuah's faith more to will then the believing that which is attested by the VVord of God or by the powerful working of miracles or the like is the Truth of God Ay But if believers onely be the object that shall have salvation Then the general ransom is an empty sound Answer It is so to Unbelief as God himself is in respect of that infinite satisfaction that is in him and so was Gods bringing Israel out of Egypt to them that believed not Such is the pernicious nature of Unbelief that it turns wholsom food into poyson but to such as have learned to become fools that God might make them wise to those that learn to subject their reason to Gods Truth it s not so for they finde it a motive to draw them in to believe in God and to admire his Love to men and the depth of his judgments towards them yea in a word to teach them to deny ungodliness and live godlily as Tit. 2.11 12. And they finde it a very wholsom useful Truth to hold forth to others to let them see cause for believing in God and hoping in him and to charge them with folly and madness that having such ground to believe yet refuse it The most pretious Truth that is is an empty found in respect of spiritual good to the Unbeliever Shal we conclude Ergo it s a falshood Gods goodness it self that lead men to Repentance is an empty thing to those that harden themselves against it and brings them to no spiritual good or happiness shall we therefore teach men to say God is good to none but them that rightly use his goodness and receive the fruit of it in life eternal Is not this to teach men to despise the riches of Gods goodness O the blindeness of our reason in the things of God the folly of preferring it as Umpire in matters of our faith waving the Word of God that should rightly guide us But yet this let me say Unbelievers shall see and finde one day that this general ransom was no empty thing in it self it was meerly their folly and wickedness that made it so to them and then it shall be full of dread and terror to them that they have denied him that bought them His premises being such humane mistakes high thoughts lifted up and strengthned against the Scripture-Declaration his Conclusion that Christ died not or God gave not his Son for them that believe not c. falls with them They being notable justifications of all Unbelievers and Patronizers of slothfulness from which these things follow That to Unbelievers God was not an object meet to be believed on by them nor had any reall reason to love him they being ever hated by him and he never doing them any good in his Son That the want of faith was no fault of theirs for they could no way have avoided what they did in not believing God neither gave them cause nor grace to believe c. But I shall rake no further in so unclean a dunghill that savors so much of Satan and justifies the case of
for him To make good which denyall he sayes 1 That no man is bound to believe that that 's false but that he dyed for every man is false and he hath proved it so before This is Petitio Principii and contrary to the Scripture He is no competent Judge in his own cause and any that reads my Answers may see his proofs have all failed 2. Then he says men should be bound to believe immediately that that is not revealed though Divine Revelation be the Object of all Faith I deny this consequence from the Minor either as laid down by me or stated by him in the second way And whereas he says That the Scriptures do not hold out any where that Christ died for this or that particular as such but indefinitely as sinners specified of times antecedently by Gods purpose and consequently by their owne purchased obedience To the first of these passages I say that the Scriptures holding out an Universall proposition of truth are though not immediately yet mediately the Object of Divine Faith to any one particular for himself that 's included in the generall As when it s said All have sinned To believe thence that I have sinned is a Faith closing with and springing from that that is revealed though not immediately in the expression yet by undeniable intimation and consequence And so in the case of the Resurrection and Judgement in closing with this divine Revelation that all shall rise and be judged I necessarily upon the same divine Revelation believe that I shal rise and be judged also Yea unlesse I believe for my self I do not believe the Divine Revelation as concerning All. So is the case here God having revealed that Christ dyed for every one and all men c. In believing that Divine Truth I believe that he hath done so for me for that Divine Revelation includeth me as a man and one of the world And if it be not so I deny that any particular mans Faith in that particular can be proved to be grounded on the the word of God or that he hath any right to believe on the Mediator or that there is a Mediator for him To the latter passage about the Scriptures holding it forth only for sinners indefinitely often so and so specified I answer 1. That 's untrue It s held out also for the world universally 1 Ioh. 2.2 and for men generally 1 Tim. 2.4 6. Heb. 2.9 Again 2 He contradicts himself for if Scriptures specifie those Sinners for whom Christ dyed to be such or such then it holds not out his Death for sinners indefinitely Scripture holds forth nothing in any place but as it agrees with the truth of other places and indefinitely and boundedly are contradictions when spoken of the same subject Sinners unlimitedly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and limitedly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are incompetible expressions 3. I deny that the Objectum totale the full Object of the Death of Christ is any where specified either by the purpose of God to save them eternally or the consequent obedience found in them which denyall we have managed throughout this discourse 3. He saith The purpose of God and his intention is not propounded as the Object of the Faith of any but only his commands promises and threatnings the latter clause of which is not full enough for neither are his commands properly the Object of Faith but of Obedience nor are those things mentioned the onely object of Faith sure his Declarations may have a share therein too 2. His purpose and intention that he should die for this or that man is necessarily involved in the object of Faith propounding that he died for All men But his purpose or intention of bringing this or that man absolutely to eternal life is not revealed as the object of Faith to any not united to Christ by Faith and the inhabitation of the Spirit But that 's beyond our question not intended at all in the Argument as either way produced and so it s impertinently here mentioned by Mr. Owen In this also is answered his fourth Exception viz. That no command in Scripture to believe is to be measured by Gods purpose and intention His fifth onely answering to the Minor as disowned by me I have nothing to say to it But then he says That the not owning the Argument as in the first way propounded makes it useless as to the cause defended To which I answer That for Christs dying for every man in the world we have more divine proofs then that can come to but as altered into the second form it proves that Tenent untrue that Christ died onely for Gods Elect and them that shall for ever be saved against which I own it Besides this being granted it will follow That the Gospel being proposeable to All the world and that obedience of Faith also requireable thereupon of All there is the same truth in the matter of the Gospel concerning Christs Death for them all also it being otherwise not proposeable nor the obedience of Faith requirable of them His answer to this That it s no safe disputing of what should or would be if things were not as God hath appointed them satisfies not For as 1. We need not such disputings were men contented to be so far fools as to believe Doctrines as God propounds them And 2 As such suppositive Conclusions may be as strong and undeniable upon such supposed principles as positive conclusions 〈◊〉 positive premises yea and may illustrate positive truths too at lest they are as lawful for us to use as for them that oppose us So 3. This is not onely suppositive but positive that the Gospel is predicable to All and therefore the commission runs to preach it to All and I say it s in this positive truth implied that the truth therein declared as true before mens faith is true for All for otherwise there would not be in it a predicability unto All and ground for requiring Belief and Obedience of All we have opportunity and that we might preach it unto upon such preaching it But he excepts That if the Gospel were preached to All the world and All in the world yet this is all the will of God that could in general be signified by it to them viz. That he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned and so that God hath concatinated these two together Faith and Salvation Which that its untrue we have shewed before in Chap. 1. The Gospel declares good will to All That God would have all men saved and come to know the truth c. ut supra It argues mens wisdom have too much blinded them from seeing into or understanding the Gospel when they finde nothing in it for sinners and men in general but that they that believe shall be saved and can shew them no good reason that any of them have to believe in God more then the Law can shew that says he
in him and cast themselves upon God for further saving So the Apostles were led Rom. 5.10 and not from believing on him to argue that Christ died for them So that this notwithstanding that Mr. Owen hath said I yet stand to my former Argument and shall not need to put it into the following frame in his Book into which he puts it By this that is already said Concl. 1. his following Conclusions appear clearly to be some of them untrue some impertinent viz. 1. That all called by the Word in what state or condition soever they continue are not bound to believe that Christ died for them by name but such as are so and so qualified Answ To which I oppose and have shewed That All called by the Word in that state in which they are when called and as it s required of them to believe the Gospel and to believe in Christ for salvation are therein also necessarily required to believe that God appointed Christ to be a Mediator for them and that he hath died for them and so is a fit medium for them to come unto God and to believe in him by 2. That the Precept of believing with fiduciary confidence that Christ dyed for him Concl. 2. is not proposed nor is not obligatory to all that is called nor the not performance of it any otherwise a sin but as it is in the root and habit of unbelief and not turning unto God for mercy To that I answer Answ That the Precept of believing with fiduciary confidence is proposed to all that are called by the word according to the Gospel yea this M.O. granted before inasmuch as it is justifying Faith and so its obligatory to them all And to that end as it thereto necessarily conduceth to believe that Christ dyed for them the not believing which is a giving God the lye it being contained in the record given of his Son which contrary to his fift and sixt Conclusions is too that there is one Mediator between God and men who gave himself a ransom for all men and not onely that he that hath him hath life but also first that God hath given us eternall life and that life is in his Son See that expresly affirmed to be part of the Record of God which the unbeliever makes God a lyer in not believing 1 Joh. 5.10 11 12. And whether Mr. Owen hath dealt faithfully or fraudulently with the Word of God in leaving out the first part of that Record as once before he left out God hath given us eternal life running into that fault which more groundlesly he called the trick of the old Serpent in T. M. and put the name of an Impostor upon him for I leave it to the Reader to judge As for his 3. That no Reprobate for whom Christ died not Concl. 3 shall be condemned for not believing that Christ died for him It shall be granted him when he hath proved what he here begs viz. That there is any such Reprobate for whom as faln in Adam Christ never died His 4. That the command of believing in Christ given to All Concl. 4 is not in that particular obligatory unto any but upon the fulfilling the condition thereto required is sufficiently spoken to It with all conditions or necessary conducements thereto are required of all those to whom the Word is preached Amongst which necessaries the believing Christs Death to be for them we have shewed to be one Therefore I shall say no more here to it but view what he says to a second Argument viz. That Doctrine that fils the mind of men with fears and scruples whether they ought to believe or no Argu. 2 when God cals them to it cannot be agreeable to the Gospell But such is the Doctrine of the Particularity of Redemption c. To which he tels us 1. That doubts and scruples may either rise from a doctrine it self in its own nature giving cause thereto to those who perform their duty rightly or from corruption and unbelief setting up it self against the truth of Christ I answer It 's corruption and unbelief setting up it self against the truth of Christ in the Gospell that makes men hold forth the Particularity of Christs Death as being undergone only for the Elect and the Doctrine it self gives occasions and causes of scruple to men in this that men seeing their sinfulness and looking upon God but according to what this doctrine presents of him to them they are wholly uncertain whether the Mediator was sent for them or not and so whether God be an object of faith fit for them 2. He tels us that obiection supposeth That a man is bound to believe that Jesus Christ dyed by the appointment of God for him in particular before he believe in Christ Jesus and that men that are of that perswasion of the restraint of the Death of Christ to the Elect may scruple whether they ought to believe or not which he says is to involve our selves into a plain contradiction for according to Scripture for a man to be perswaded that Christ dyed for him in particular is the highest improvement of faith including a sense of the spirituall love of God shed abroad into our hearts the top of the Apostles consolation Rom. 8.34 and the bottome of his joyfull assurance Gal. 2.20 so that we require that a man do believe before he do believe and suppose that he cannot believe and shall exceedingly fear whether he ought to do so except he believe before he believe To this I answer That for a man to be perswaded that Christ dyed for him is no where made the highest improvement of faith but only that faith by the belief of this hath been improved and so may be to highest pitches the soul that perceives see and mindes the love of God therethrough commended so as to be drawn to God thereby abiding therein may grow up to great assurance therein and find matter of exceeding great nourishment unto eternall life But it follows not that because from that believers have sprung up to such assurance of eternall life as in the greatest tryals and temptations to trust in him for it and make their boast of God which is the highest improvement of faith That the bare believing that Christ dyed for them is the faith of full assurance Some of the Israelites from beholding the great power and goodness of God to them in delivering them out of Egypt and bringing them over the red Sea c. were led to follow God with a full heart and to be silled with a full perswasion that they should be brought into Canaan and possess it but it followed not thence that the belief or knowledge that God so delivered them was the faith of full assurance of entering into Canaan by all that knew that they were thence delivered So Paul was lead with confidence to trust in God for future deliverance by this that he had delivered him and yet it s
not ever true that he that believes that God delivered him from one danger is confident he will from another much less That that belief in all that so believe yea or in any is the confidence that he will deliver from another 2. Whereas he askes if it include not a sense of the spirituall love of Christ I answer That where the Death and Resurrection of Christ are opened to the heart by the Holy Ghost there the love of God is shed abroad into the heart also but not wherever this proposition is believed viz. Christ dyed for me many a man believes that and yet seeth not into the glory of it nor the depth of goodness held forth in it and so hath not the love of God therethrough shed into his heart yet the minding God in this is the way to meet with the holy Ghosts displaying that love Many Israelites believed that God brought them out of Egypt 2 Pet. 1.9 that had not such a view of his power and love therein or at least like them that forget that they were purged from their old sins forgat what they had seen as to be lead to confidence in God for the future by it 3. Whereas he says By this a man must believe before he believe What strange thing is that with reference to diverse acts of believing did not he himself say that we must have a faith of reliance and recumbence in Christ and before that too believe many truths of the Gospell before we can believe that Christ dyed for us so that there is believing before believing and believing before believing again and yet he counts that absurd in us when we say only we must believe the word of God to be true before we can by it be led to believe in God we must believe Gods goodwill to us-ward and a medium provided for us by whom to go to God before we can be perswaded to go to him by faith whom otherwise we look upon as angry and dreadfull ready to consume us We cannot put our confidence in his blood and there through rise up to assurance of eternall life except we first be perswaded that he shed his blood for us So long as we doubt whether he be a Mediator for us or no and whether he hath given himself to ransome us from death we shall doubt whether God will accept us or no or whether he hare us from eternity or not and whether we have any thing to do to take incouragement from the blood of Christ to approach him because we know not we have any right unto it Nor can Master Owen nor all the world beside to help him make it appear to be otherwise but that the soul will question whether it may expect salvation from God or betrust it self with God so long as it knows not but he hates it and Christ hath never done any thing with him for it 3. He denies That a perswasion that it was Gods will that Christ should dy for him in particular neither is nor can be necessary that a sinner be drawn to believe because other grounds will do it without The consequence of this is that many things were spoken unnecessarily by the Apostles Act. 3.26 as when Peter says Christ was sent to turn every one of them from their iniquities And Paul that the grace of God reconciling the world 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 6.1 was to them Corinthians to perswade them to be reconciled That he preached to the Corinths in the first place that Christ dyed for our sins 1 Cor. 15.2 3. And so all those generall phrases that include mens particulars But let us see what other grounds he gives viz. That it is the duty of sinners as such to believe Math. 11.28 Isa 55.1 To believe in what in the blood of Christ as Rom. 3.25 Then it supposes it shed for them all and so it s a truth according to the Gospell-declaration but denying the extent of his Death how can he make it out that sinners as such * A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia which reaches to All sinners ought to believe in Christ What have sinners if not Elect to do with Christ besides he had said before they must be sinners so and so convinced and qualified before they are to be called upon to believe in Christ And I fear he will upon second thoughts say that those Scriptures hold forth that sinners not as such but as so qualified with thirsting after Christ and being weary c. are there required to believe but many a soul is hereby put upon doubting whether it be Elected or so convinced and thirsty c. as is required and so whether God be not an enemy to it from eternity and so whether it hath cause of trusting in him 2. The command of God John 3.23 That shews it to be its duty if it could be proved to extend to it for that says That we believe in his name and a soul may more justly doubt whether that We reach to it seeing they that deny the extent of Christs Death and teach it to doubt of it use such applicatives as We to oppose an Universality and to signify but the Elect and Church c. This therefore yet leaves the soul to doubt whether it may hope in him for salvation especially being told that these things God sends to men indefinitely that the Elect onely might be brought to him he hath no goodwill to any other and that its Elect it knows not commands to believe while men are taught to doubt whether the object to be believed in as such pertains to them can give no more security from doubting then the building with one hand and pulling down with another secures the building from falling 3. The threats against unbelief That indeed doth as much as the threat for not keeping the Law fils the soul with terror on every side while it hears that God commands more to believe then have cause so to do and threatens them for not believing and yet gives them nothing to induce them to it no evidence of his goodwill to them to draw them to believe this may fill them with hard thoughts of God representing him to them like one that bids another eat or else he will kill him but yet gives him no meat to feed on no evidence of his goodness that may induce him to hope and trust in him 4. The alsufficiency of the blood of Christ to save all believers This may make the soul say O how happy are they that do believe and that have his blood to drink for its able to save them but as for me I know not whether it belong to me or not or whether one drop of it was shed for me and so how I can lean upon it I hear it s not sufficient to save any that it was not shed for not for want of inward worth in it but because it s not for them and I may