speak so doubtfully in this weighty Matter with a may be As much as to say the Efficacy of Redemption may be excellent or it may not be so and whatsoever it is 't is only for those whom God hath a mind to save q. d. Let Christ suffer what he will let him give a full satisfaction by his Death to Divine Justice for the sin of the world yet God hath no mind to save any but a very few in some parts of the world This is your Sense But had you said 't is only for those whom you your self have a mind shall be saved this indeed had been Answerable to that height you have Skrewed your poor Phansie up unto viz. To judg the world as you please But you are pleased here to refer it to Gods mind methinks however you might have found out some sitter Word for this purpose that had been more for the Honour and Majesty of the most high God than to talk so boldly of the mind of God in this Case But possible it is thus with you because you pretend to know the Mind of God and to be his Privy Counsellor being that as I have said already which hath made you to cast up your Accounts so exactly and judicially of your Thousands hundred Thousands and Millions that shall be damned Had you said here as it hath been wont to be said by all Christians that are wise and honest the work of Redemption is only for those that are in Covenant with God and that believe the Gospel this had been according to the mind of God but these terms you were willing to wave because you know that Faith is the gift of God and he gives it to whomsoever he pleaseth which would have made your Reflection retort upon you whereupon it is that you talk of the Mind of God at large But hath this indeed been the Mind of God to lay such Restraints upon the sufferings of his Beloved Son that the Efficacy of them shall reach but to a sew And consequently hath this been the Mind of God by an Eternal Decree to damn all his poor Creatures who are the Masterpiece of his Creation for ever excepting one in a Million Gen. 1. O that ever any that beareth the face of a Man should dare to speak so wickedly of God What is this but to make the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolations more cruel than all the Tyrants that ever were in the World yea than all the Devils that are in Hell For they are but Gods Executioners it is God himself that hath passed this doom neither can the Merits of his only begotten Son our dear Redeemer be of force to reverse it Away therefore with this cursed Opinion most abominable in the hearing of all Mankind The very Heathen will certainly abhor it yea and hate that Religion which maintains it Nay they will be ready to Defie and Blaspheme that God who shall harbour so cruel a Mind and say as one of them said in the like Case Qualis malum Deus isbe est what a kind of God with a Mischief is this whose mind is set to damn and destroy so infinite a number of People whom he had made as they say after his own Image and Likeness Upon these and the like Considerations that shall follow I hope Mounsiour you will retract these your Reflections and be sorry that you have given so great offence by them both to God and his Church Reflector When Jesus Christ Prayed for those that Crucified him he did particularly mark out those in Act 2.36 37. who would Repent at the Preaching of St. Peter Answer Christ's Prayer upon the Cross for those that Crucifyed him was this viz. Father forgive them and the Reason why he so Prayed was not as you seem to imagine For they will Repent That is far short of his meaning neither is it suitable to that Philanthropy that was in him towards them nor to the Elevation of his Mind unto his Father which was fixed no doubt upon his Fathers purpose to save the World by him of which they were ignorant for saith he they know not what they do From whence it may be gathered that they who ignorantly transgress as the greatest part of the World do may be more capable of mercy than they who sin presumptuously as the Apostle St. Paul saith of himself 1 Tim. 1.13 I obtained Mercy because I did it ignorantly in Vbelief We read indeed Joh. 17.20 21. that Christ Prayed also for them who should believe on him through the word of his Apostles that they all might be one in him that so the world may believe that the Father had sent him which otherwise might have been brought into Question after his departure by the Divisions and Dissentions that might arise among his Disciples But that when he Prayed for those that Crucified him he did particularly as you say mark them out Act 2.36 37. who would Repent at the Preaching of St. Peter this is your particular Phansie groundless and unwarrantable And will you still thus shuffle with the holy Scripture to make it serve your turn for it is very obvious to all that read you why you force these Scriptures together that are so incoherent You would like a wary Fencer ward off a Thrust which you foresaw might have touch'd you to the Quick But fear it not poor man for it will be easily granted you that none but those who are born again shall ever be saved But you likewise must grant that both Faith and Repentance are the gift of God and that Gods Mercy in the free bestowing his gifts is not to be limited to time or Means for the Conversion of those that are chosen to Life Eternal as you may find it clearly proved in my Antidote but that this Mercy may be secretly and suddenly dispensed to millions of millions in the World by the gracious Work of the good Spirit of God in and upon the Hearts of men before they die and that sometimes in the very instant of their departure out of this Life This being so your Accounts will fail you of your hundred Thousands and Millions that shall perish in Hell for ever in comparison of one that shall be saved Reslector And though there should be but one saved for a hundred Thousand that should perish and be lost yet Grace would sub-abound in this one Person saved where sin had abounded as in the Example of the Thief Luk. 23.40 41. Answer The words of the Apostle that you harp upon are these Where sin abounded Rom. 5.20.21 Grace did much more abound That as Sin bath Reigned unto Death even so Grace might Raign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. A most comfortable place of Scripture this is written on purpose to magnifie the glorious Grace of God now under the Gospel towards poor Sinners that Repent And will you thus limit it to one particular Person
should be set of them Was not Christ as he is called Rom. 15.8 The Minister of the Circumcision that is of the whole Jewish Nation And did he not Preach to others that were no Jewes For he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Messenger of the great Counsel as the Septuagint Render that written of him Es 9.6 and doth it not hereby appear that the Reflector writes at Random as his fancy only leads him without any warrant for there is not the least tittle in Scripture of the ten Thousand that Christ came to Preach unto Neither will I much contend about the term that the Reflector here puts upon our Lord calling him God-Man Our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed God and Man but is this term God-Man according to the form of sound Words 'T is true Christ is often called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Human Writers but never so in holy Scripture And though the Greek bears it well enough yet the Idiom of our Language will not whereupon we are forced in that case to use a Periphrasis and to say God and Man Why then should this Reflector make use of such an uncouth Word when he speaks of our most Holy and Righteous Lord which neither the Scripture nor our Language will allow him only because as he differs from men that are Rational in his opinion so he doth I say again take up a form of Speech like the Quakers differing from all other men But though this holy Man of God or rather this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and Man did Preach and Speak so as never man spake yet we are told here that hardly shall we be able to prove or substantially find any thing to ground our Belief that a hundred of them were converted c. What then was there any failing in the Doctrine which he Preached or in the Spirit wherewith he spake Far be from us any such Blasphemy The work which the Father had sent him to do he perfectly fulfilled it But it was not all to be finished during the time of his Ministration some things were to be done by him while he was in the state of his Humiliation and some things after he came into the state of his Exaltation The perfect Conversion of sinners from Ignorance to the true Knowledge of the Gospel and from Unbelief to a full Considence or Assurance of Faith was not as it is the work of Gods free Grace to be consummated by Christ until he was Ascended into Heaven and set at the right Hand of his Father for then and not before was the Holy Ghost to be sent for that very end and purpose amongst many other Which powerful Act of the Spirit was first Wrought upon the Apostles that they might be instructed more fully to the Kingdom of God For even they during the time that they were with Christ and were Witnesses of what he did and taught were very defective both in Faith and Life In faith about the Death and Resurrection of Christ and about a temporal Kingdom which was their Error as it was of the rest of the Jews In Life when they were too full of Revenge in drawing the Sword as Peter or for calling down fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans as James and John Luk 9.54 It was the Spirit after the Resurrection and Glorification of Christ that was to bring all things to their Remembrance whatsoever he had said unto them It was the Spirit which should then lead them into all Truth It was the Spirit which after Christ was Glorified made them clearly to understand the Prophecies which went before of him Thus it is said Joh. 12.16 These things understood not his Disciples at the first but when Christ was Glorified c. It was the Spirit which should adapt and fit them for the great Work of Converting the World which otherwise they could never have been able to bring to pass And as it began thus with the Apostles so did this Grace extend unto others in the same manner secundum modum Recipientium thus testified the Evangelist Joh. 7.39 This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should Recieve for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because Jesus was not yet Glorified These things considered we may see some cause why there were not many Converted by the Preaching of Jesus Christ Yet cannot a Conclusion be gathered from thence that there were but few then of Gods Elect among that People unless we will exclude the Apostles or at least other the Disciples of Christ from eternal Salvation who had also their failings both in Faith and Obedience because the Holy Ghost was not then given Reflector Jesus Christ saith that his Flock is small that there are but few Persons that enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that when he shall come again upon the Earth be shall not find Faith in it that all the world shall run after the Beast That the number of the Elect is very little in comparison of those that are called and consequently that the number of the called is infinitely less than that of those who are not called and that know not what the Christian Religion is Answer We had best beware what we say of our Lord Jesus Christ at any time so as to tell the World Jesus Christ saith when he hath not spoken it for fear lest that Rebuke fall upon us which fell upon the Prophets of old behold I am against you that smooth your Tongues and say he saith Let these Scriptures be searched which are heaped together and it will evidently appear they say no such thing as you say of them First when Christ calls his Flock little slock he speaks not of the Elect of God all the World over as you imagine that would be contrary to the Holy Scripture which in several places speaks of them as of a great multitude But it is certain he speaks it only of his Apostles who were his peculiar care above all others as is plainly to be seen in my Antidote 2. Christ never said that there are but sew Persons that enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But speaking of the narrow Way that leadeth to Life he saith sew there be that find it meaning probably sew there be of the Jewish Nation at that time that were so wise as they should be to find it Metapha canibus investigantibus For so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies sagaciter depichendo as it is written at large in the aforesaid Antidote 3. Christ saith not as you say when he shall come again upon the Earth he shall not find faith in it The words that you harp upon in this particular though jarringly are those in Luk. 18.8 When the Son of man cometh shall he find Faith on the Earth And now consider how great a difference there is between your words and the words of our Saviour First he saith not when he shall come again upon the Earth For the
taste of them for that would be nauseous but to save my self the labour and to ease him of his trouble in tumbling over your stuff which you have heaped together I shall in that manner as aforesaid make my Addresses unto you V. G. Reflector Adam and Eve's Salvation is much what the same with that of Solomons and both equally probable though they are not certainly known and revealed Answer Not certainly known and revealed no more is the Salvation of Seth Enos Cainan c. nor many of those that follow who are upon Record for holy Persons though their Obedience to Gods Law was not so exact as the Law did require But seeing the Salvation of our first Parents is here brought into Question by you I shall shew you somewhat concerning them which it seems you know not To say nothing of what is written of Adam Luke 3.38 where he is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God for as Cain is said to be 1 Joh. 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the wicked one the Devil as belonging to him so is Adam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God as belonging not only to his Creation for so do all Creatures even the Devils but to his Election of Grace It is written of Adam Gen. 3.20 that after his Fall and Gods Displeasure made known unto him for it immediately Adam called his Wives name Eve Because she was to be the Mother of all living The sense whereof I take to be this with submission to better Judgments Adam by Faith here layeth hold upon the Promise of Gods Grace And he doth it in the only way and manner that he could have at that time to give an Evidence of his Faith that is in calling his Wife by a new name a name which he had not before given her when the Lord God brought her first unto him For he now when the Sentence of Death was past upon him calleth her name Eve which signifieth Life whereas before he had only called her Woman as being one whom he was to own above all other Creatures for the lovely and beloved Consort of his Life implying doubtless that though he had been in danger through his sin to die in the loss of Gods Favour for ever yet was he now fully perswaded by the gracious Indulgence of God unto him in the Seed of the Woman that not he himself alone and his Wife should live but his Posterity also should be a living Posterity and that his Wife should be Mother of him among them by whom the Sentence of Death was to be Reversed and Life and Immortality to be again brought to light for saith Moses She was to be the Mother of all living That this sense may be received let it be considered if this were not the Intent of Moses in this place viz. to give notice hereby of Adams Restipulation to the new Covenant here would be a strange Incongruity between these words and those immediately before There had God severely threatned to punish Adam all the days of his life with sorrow upon sorrow for his Disobedience and that he should in the end be reduced to his Dust from whence he was taken Now surely to a man that was exalted to so great an Honour as Adam was in his Creation the sound of these words must needs be very terrible and it might well be expected that at the first hearing them somewhat should have appeared of Adams Astonishment and bewailing his Misery but we find no such matter here at all to be mentioned What then Is all this Thunder and Lightning from Heaven upon him sleighted and made of no Account So it should seem if these words of Adam concerning his Wife have no coherence with the former but do only shew a kind of Uxoriousness in him towards his Wife But away with such vain conceits there is certainly that here added which may well be construed as a due Sequel of the former proceedings of God with Adam For when God had done pronouncing his righteous Judgment what should this poor Malefactor do Not certainly as Cain after him did cry out desperately my Punishment is greater than I can bear but without delay close in with God's Mercy in the promised Seed Here therefore in order thereto is a Description of his Considence in Gods goodness purposely so interserted by Moses to shew as hath been said the lively Faith of Adam in laying hold upon Gods preceding Promise For though it is to be presumed he did humble himself greatly before God for his sin yet is not that so much regarded by the Spirit of God as this his confident cleaving to the Covenant of Gods grace that so the Church may take notice hereby that this Covenant was at first mutually agreed upon between God and Adam and consequently that all Mankind to the end of the World who are interessed in it must be obliged to the conditions of it For the Act and Deed of the first Covenanter who was the representative General of all that came after him in this Case as well as in the other of the former Covenant was ipso facto obligatory in their several Generations according to the form and Manner Force and Virtue of all other Covenants that are usual now adays in the World of the like sort and nature If this then be the true sense of this Scripture as I believe it is and will be so accounted by the Church of God throughtout the World viz. that our first Parents did in this manner mutually consent with God in the Covenant of grace what an uncharitable man are you to doubt of their Salvation especially when as it appeareth in the verse following upon their submission and consenting to this new Covenant God doth immediately also take care of these his new Covenant Servants that they may be clothed as 't were with his Livery that their Bodies may be preserved from Shame and Violence and that they might know thereby that the Garment of his Righteousness whom those Beasts with whose skins they were clad did typifie would do their Souls more good than the Fig-leaves of their own Righteousness could with all their patching be able to do Reflector The Salvation of Solomon is much-what like to that of Adam and Eve's and both equally probable though not certainly known and revealed Answer Nothing will please you I see but what agrees with your Phansie You Question here the Salvation of Solomon because it is not Revealed As if all Persons mentioned in Scripture must have such a Revelation of their Eternal Happy Estate there set down else you may be at your liberty to judge of them as you please It is true much is written of Solomons Defection But so there is of Noah's Drunkenness as it is called of Lot's Incest of Judah's Incontinency of Reubens Desiling his Fathers Bed of Simeon's and Levi's Cruelty of King Asa his Rage against the Seer who came to him with a Message from the
Lord c. But little or nothing is written of their Repentance before they died yet will no man be so rash as to doubt of their Salvation Why should you then or your Complices be so peremptory as to cast a scruple about the Salvation of Solomon Cannot you be contented with that which is written of him Favoris Gratiâ but you must have a damnable sling at him as if he were hovering between Heaven and Hell But how else could you maintain your absurd Paradox of your hundred Thousands and Millions of Men that shall perish in their sins in comparison of one that shall be saved We read Joh. 13.1 whom the Lord loveth he loveth to the end and do we not read also again and again that the Lord loved Solomon 2 Sam. 12.24 Neh. 13.26 yea that this Love was confirmed unto him by the best Assurance that could be given him viz. propter Jehovam the Lord loved him for the Lords sake that is for Christ the Messiah's sake in whom all Gods Elect from the beginning of the World to the end are beloved with an everlasting love Did God chuse him out to be one of his Actuaries of his publick Records to his Church viz. the Book of the Proverbs the Book of Ecclesiastes or the Preacher the Book of the Canticles that pure Caelestial Epithalamum or Marriage Song and of two of the Psalms as the Title of them signifies viz. Ps 72. and Ps 127. And can it be probably thought that he should be dignified in this high Degree if he had been no better than a wretched Castaway in Gods eternal Purpose What were there not Heirs enough of everlasting Salvation to be inspired by the Holy Ghost for the office of a publick Notary of Heaven but one must be taken from among the Bondslaves of Hell to make up the number Was he a Preacher sent of God and was not one of his Books called Ecclesiastes his Recantation Sermon which he writ in his old age when he took a more serious view of his by-past Life wherein among other his Follies he sheweth his Abhorrency of his being misled by Women I find saith he more bitter than Death the Woman whose Heart is Snares and Nets Eccles 7.26 and her Hands as Bands Implying that though Death be bitter yet he had rather die than be entangled again in the Snares of a whorish Woman Which option may well be justified if we consider the Aggravations of this sin as they are rendred by a good Interpreter Bishop R. one of a Thousand and a right Reverend Preacher among us in our Church whose words are these viz. They that is wicked Harlots are more bitter than Death more pernicious and bring more heavy Miseries with them We read of the Bitterness of Death 1 Sam. 15.32 And of a worse Bitterness the end of a strange Woman is bitter c. and her steps take hold of Hell Pro. 5.4.5 Death may be sweetued and sanctified made a welcome and desirable thing to a Believer 1 Cor. 15. But the Bitterness of Hell is incurable Death may be honourable to die in a good Cause as our King Charles the Martyr comforted himself in his Death to die in a good old Age to go to the Grave in Peace lamented desired with the sweet savour of a holy Life and many good Works to follow one But to consume and putrifie alive under a Tabes of Impure Lusts to shipwrack a mans Honour ruine his Estate shorten his years consume his Flesh rot his Bones put a Hell into his Conscience to bury his Name his Substance his Soul his Carkass in the Bosom of a Harlot This is a Bitterness beyond that of Death This now is that which Solomon here means and complaineth of And whether this be a sound of Repentance or no judge you And if your judgment be of any value how dare you doubt of his Salvation Being so true a Penitent as you see neither can you but acknowledge him to be so Reflector Nothing can be concluded of the Salvation or damnation of those that were the Types of things to come Answer Can nothing then be concluded of the Salvation of Samson who was an Eminent Type of Jesus Christ So doth our Learned Whitaker demonstrate him to be viz. 1. In sanctitate nativâ 2. In servatoris Munere 3. In juvicto Robore 4. In morte calamitosa cum Hostibus If all this will not satisfie you the Apostles numbring him among the Saints Heb. 11. should convince you that you may conclude of his Salvation I could instance in sundry others as Gideon Jephthah c. But this may suffice to shew you your Errour herein Reflector For it happ'ned sometimes that one Person as Esau who was the Figure and Type of the Reprobate was also that of the most excellent thing in the World viz. The Righteousness of Jesus Christ under which a Jacob a Sinner obtained the Blessing of God Answer Your Reason here is defective both in Sense and Truth worthy therefore of no regard But that you may not flatter your self in your Folly What a confused shuffling words is here like the Quakers jumbling several things together without sense As for Esau it seems you have so much Charity for him as not to conclude him to be a Reprobate though the Spirit of God in Scripture hath noted him to be a prophane Person and one whom God hated But how it came to pass that he hath escap'd your censure of a Reprobate when you make him a Type of the Reprobate I know not it being a Rule in Logick if ever you learnt it de proportionalibus est idem judicium Et quod de uno secundum proportionem affirmatur id etiam de altero If Esau then be a Type of the Reprobate that is hath the Impression of a Reprobate upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word Type signifies He must needs be a Reprobate But let me demand of you is it for you or I to cast a Figure thus or create a Type of Gods eternal Decree concerning Mankind We should certainly usurp upon Gods Power if what is written in Scripture we may wrest it to our meaning without an express warrant from the Spirit of God And Polanus an Author whom I suppose you approve of saith Typi fuerant Figurae a Deo destinatae ad Res Divinas praefigurandas In Syntag. Let us not then be too bold to thrust our selves into Gods Pavillion by giving our Judgment of things which God hath kept in his own Power For my part I cannot say that Esau was a Type of the Reprobate much less that he himself was a Reprobate This I can say with good probability he was in that Generation admitted into the Church of God by the Sacrament of Circumsion as well as his Brother Jacob who though he took him by the Heel at the Birth signifying his future supplantation of him yet could he not supplant him in
threatning as you call it of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.10 I will tell you the right meaning of those words after I have first shewed you your weakness in the Construction that you make of them You will now you say pag. 24. speak a word for the Comfort of Repenting Sinners that examining their Lives and squaring it you should say them according to that terrible Threatning in 2 Cor. 5.10 which frightens them in such a manner as to take from them all hopes of finding Pardon and Grace at the last day It is say you but the diligent Reader will easily see your Incoherence here it is if those words of St. Paul were to be understood according to the Letter that there should not be one saved no not Moses Caleb Joshua David Daniel St. Peter and St. Paul Strange But it is no novelty with you to mis-interpret Scripture Know therefore those words are to be and God forbid but they should be understood according to the Letter for there is as much Comfort arising from them to Penitent Sinners as you can gather Terror to the Impenitent as is evidently to be seen the Inference therefore that you bring from thence is utterly false viz. that if so there should not one be saved not Moses Caleb Joshuah c. You say further St. Paul would contradict himself when he makes mans Righteousness to consist in the Remission of Sins But I believe you do wrong to St. Paul in putting this upon him and consequently to the holy Ghost can you tell where the Apostle saith Mans Righteousness consists in the Remission of sins Have you thus learned Christ Alas man there is as much difference between these two as there is between Habitus and Privatio It was the Death of Christ that brought on Remission of sins and it was the Resurrection of Christ that was the efficient of our Righteousness This doubtless is the Apostles Doctrine uti patet Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered for our Offences to take them away and was raised again for our Justification to make us Righteous But you say St. Paul in the following verse makes it plain enough to be understood that he only used that way of speech to give Terror and to perswade men to fly to Jesus Christ c. Here I must tell you Mr. Reflector by the way you have so delighted to act the part of a Boanerges though your thundring Sounds in the Ears of wise Men but as the discharge of a Pot-Gun that it is a hard matter for you to be a right Barnabas as appeareth here by your words which you intended for Comfort For will not the poor desponding Sinner be ready hereupon to reply unto you is this your Comfort to tell me the Apostle used that way of speech only to give Terror Alas this needed not I find it to be true by sad experience upon my Soul and Conscience but I find not here that he doth perswade me as you say to fly to Jesus Christ That which he saith in the next words is only to shew how necessary it is for Ministers if they have any true fear of God in them to be diligent in the performance of their Duty by perswading men to prepare themselves for that dreadful Judgment But this reflecteth not upon me for my Comfort In fine it is true what you say Jesus Christ is our Righteousness even of the very worst of Sinners say I how deeply soever they have been drencht in sin provided that they Repent and Believe their sins shall not be imputed to them being already imputed to Christ But it is not true that by his Righteousness our sins are pardoned rather you should say our Persons are justified thereby as for sins they are pardoned by the satisfaction which Christ made to the justice of God through the Blood of the Cross for by his stripes are we healed saith the Prophet Es 53.5 and thus saith the Apostle he was made sin for us having born our sins in his own Body on the Tree that is now made a Sacrifice for sin and when sin is thus done away then is Jesus Christ become our Righteousness for so it follows that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Thus you see Mr. Reflector how unhappy you have been in expounding the Scripture Doubtless you are an Interpreter one of a Thousand but it is the wrong way for there are but few I hope that will be so bold with Gods holy Word as you are in rendring the Sense of it according to vain Fancy as you have done But what then you 'll say is the right meaning of those words I answer the Context will plainly declare it Some there were it seems to me that would be cavilling against the Apostle as if he Commended himself too often unto them to whom he wrote needing their approbation of him and his Ministery This Exception he was willing here to remove We saith he perswade men not upon such a low account as you imagine to curry Favour with you but First because we know we must appear as well as others before the Righteous Judge at the last Day and that will prove a woful day unto us if we preach not the Gospel to you 2. We appeal to God and your Consciences to judge of our Fidelity in the discharge of our Duty to the same purpose in the following words of the 11th verse and this in short I humbly conceive to be the Reason why the Apostle makes mention here of the Terror of the Lord with a direct Reflection we see upon himself I am not ignorant there are other Reasons rendred but this I may be confident is one As for your words whereby you make such a pudder viz. of the startling and thundring thereby upon others which you call Terrors though the Apostle doth not so that is to be taken obliquely not as the chief thing that he intended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 albeit there be Terror enough in them to drive us all to Repentance I shall now for it is high time shut up this Reflection with an Allusion to that which the Prophet writeth of the Church of old concerning her deliverance from the Assyrian Is 33.22 The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us Every word is Emphatical and may well be applied to our present purpose The Lord is our Judge To him it is may all poor Sinners say to whom God may be pleased to grant Repentance unto Life throughout the World to him it is that we stand or fall A small thing it is Mr. Reflector that we should be judged by you or of mans Judgment the Lord who is our true Friend and Elder Brother is our Judge and he will certainly take care of us that we shall not perish It is true a Judge must not be partial he must give Sentence according to Law otherwise he is not a Righteous Judge well