powers of nature it could not be effected And this is it of which S. Paul so glorifieth through Christ of whom I receive my strength I am able to do all things and in this sense also we must understand the yoke of Christ to be easie and his burthen light light and easie to grace grievous and burthensom to nature C. You conjoyn and expound these things most aptly and as I apprehend our Saviour in these sayings made use of those figures which the Grecians do call an Hypocorism and an Hyperbole the one speaking of a thing with divination and extenuation the other with incredible inlargement and amplification M. Rightly observed for such extenuations are very much used in ordinary conversation and sometimes also in the Holy Scriptures as for example when Paul writing to the Romanes of the contumacy of the Jews What saith he if some of them have not believed he saith some of them when some of them onely had believed a remnant selected out of the rest and all the other as Paul witnesseth were blinded The same figure he also useth in the fifth to the Romanes For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous I doubt not but you perceive in both these places a manifest extenuation when he saith some of them did not believe and many are dead for he had said before that all were dead in Adam These things being thus clearly proved it is plain to all understanding that our Saviour in this similitude of ways and gates understood nothing of the Multitude or Paucity of such as should be saved And that you may more fully perceive that our Lord in that place of S. Matthew spake not of the life to come simply and absolutely or meant any thing of the last end of men suppose him to have said thus many shall come to destruction but few shall find life or many shall walk in that way which leads to everlasting death but few shall find the way to eternal life here the way we see is not the end And having made mention of the way he doth admonish us of our humane imbecillity and reduceth to memory our present misery that despairing of and despising our own weaknesses we might have recourse to the refuge of his goodness and clemency For who that is grown to maturity of years not to speak any thing of our impure beginnings unless afflictions compel him grace regenerate him and the Spirit of God renew him doth turn into that troublesom and unpleasant way of the cross who hath an affiance in and who is so inflamed with the love of God as being secure of the life present and that to come doubteth of nothing is solicitous after nothing who is careful of his neighbours good and goods as of his own and who is equally sensible of his losses crosses and afflictions as of his own who is so careful to honour God in the riches of his Mercy as he is industrious and plotting and toyling to inrich his own family and to enamil over a fugitive felicity yet this the Law this the Prophets this the Lord himself with strict severitie hath commanded us Thou shalt love God above all things and thy neighbour as thy self What shall I say then Is the whole Mass of mankind created to destruction and are we all excluded Heaven through the infirmitie of our nature God forbid for our Heavenly Father to all our spiritual evils languishings and relapses hath applied the medicine of his infinite Mercy for he himself testifieth of himself He sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him should be saved From hence Paul also proclaimeth it He shâ—t up all mâ—n under unbelief that he might have mercy upon all Let us therefore 〈◊〉 out with the same Apostle Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death and let us subjoyn also our acknowledgement with thanksgiving to him who doth deliver us saying I give thanks unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. You see now my Caelius the perverseness of their conclusion who thus argue Few â—nter in at the strait gate therefore few sh ll be saved And now you apprehend the safetie and sweetness of this conclusion Few find the way which leadeth to Eternal Life therefore God doth spread dilate and diffuse his grace otherwise mortal man must altogether inherit corruption as David saith If thou shouldst be extream to mark what is done amiss O Lord who is able to stand before thee Here now is the door opened into that large field of the mercy of God when through his benignity and their faith he conserveth the guilty That is a true saying Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Lavv to do them But this is no less true That Christ Jesus died for the ungodly and vvas made a curse for us that vve should be freed from the curse of the Lavv so that we are both accursed and blessed execrable by nature but sanctified by grace accursed in Adam but holy and happy in Christ to whom he honour and adoration for evermore C. To the Lord Christ the Authour and Life of our life be all praise and glory that by his wisdom hath brought to pass that thou hast so clearly illustrated this most difficult place that there remaineth no doubt no scruple no hesitation Now I perceive how aptly one truth agreeth with another and what a hollow and unsound reconcilement is made between truth and falshood M. If any other places of Scripture contain any appearing contrariety to this assertion name them Caelius that before dinner I may give answer unto and vindicate them C. I shall perform it with great willingness and with the best aid of my memory I shall choose such places as are most worthy of explication in this matter And first I will instance in that Parable of the Sower whereby our Lord doth insinuate unto us that a remnant onely shall be saved for as it is written in the thirteenth of Matthevv the fourth part onely of the seed did fructifie the rest perishing by divers accidents Wherefore I covet to hear what you can produce in answer to this allegation M. It is the truest and the justest office of an Interpreter to expend and consider the end purpose and intent of the Speaker This observation is necessary in all emergencies but then especially useful when we examine the sayings and Parables of our Saviour because not all can answer in every respect to the purpose of the speaker This some have attempted but with small success Let us therefore content our selves to enquire out the meaning and scope of the place for in that is contained all the doctrine and instruction that can be expected from the speaker For the similitude it self and the explication of it must be applied to the scope and intent not
it is an invincible evidence of power when the greater number are by him preserved For the clearer understanding of this Suppose two Princes one whereof without all Law or provocation save that of his own exorbitant will sought the ruine of his people and bent all his intentions to destroy them the other used all industry care and diligence though they were ungrateful to preserve them should not the greatest power be judged to be in him the Protector C. Yes indeed M. What if he preserved but a greater part would you suppose him to be a more powerful Prince than the other C. Why not Truly both the more powerful and also the more merciful for if he could have saved all he would have saved all M. I do not think so where then is his justice for without it there can be no exercise of virtue for the punishment of and his severity unto a few doth exalt and magnifie his clemency to the rest C. I confess it but we must be circumspect least whilest we praise his clemency and augment his power we diminish his justice But if these attributes be equal in God then the number of the blessed and the number also of the damned are equal M. Such an equality is not to be required where there is neither debt nor merit here onely the true bounty the free mercy of God are discerned for God oweth to no man and it is lawful for him to do what he pleaseth with his own creature the work of his own hands and fashioned for his glory unless that the nature of all men especially that of a Prince should be more propense to clemency and pardon than addicted to punishment and revenge as God himself witnesseth of himself saying The Lord the Lord God merciful and gratious long-suffâ—ring and abundant in goodness and truth Now no motive is so prevalent as the promise of salvation to win souls to God nothing is so magnificent so princelike so highly liberal as to succour the afflicted to pardon the suppliant and to deliver men from dangers on the contrary nothing is more abject vile and deformed than to make the highest cruelty to cohabite with the greatest power C. If God loweth nothing to man why is it said in the 20. of Matthew that the Master of the house bid his Steward call the labourers and give to every one their hire Also our Lord Christ saith to those that suffer reproach and persecution for his Names sake Rejoyce and be exalted in joy for I say unto you great is your reward in Heaven M. Our Lord out of his meer goodness and benignity calleth that a reward or recompence which is the effect of his own liberality and this by the sequâ—l of that parable is manifest The good man of the house went out to seek labourers not they to seek him as he saith in Isaiah I am found of them that did not seek me I was made manifest to them that asked not after me He calleth them he hireth them he sendeth them he sendeth for them and he payeth them Some acknowledge the goodness of the Master and murmure not others complain using many objurgations taxe him of unjustice and boast their own works and day-labours all these the Lord thus satisfieth Friend I do thee no wrong didst thou not agree with me for a penny take what is thine and be gone I will give unto this last even as unto thee is it not lawful to do what I will with mine own aâ—t thou envious because I am good and libâ—ral What I pray thee do all these things import but the bounty of the Master of the house which is most plainly proved by those words that it was lawful for him to do with his own as bâ—st pleased him For he now calleth those things his which before he called by the name of a hire that we might understand his wonderful goodness for he adorneth his own gifts with the name of a reward that he might cherish and rowse up our sluggish natures to the lively performance of our duties For otherwise hath not the Lord stampt it as a Law saying when you have kept all the Commandments say of your selves You are but unprofitable servants for you have pâ—rformed but your duty C. What is there intended by the word penny M. The penny signifieth the Covenant which he hath made with us offering to us life or death honour or ignominy felicity or misery All these things Life Honour Felicity are by his Fatherly indulgence promised to them that do not attribute them to their own works or merit but to the proud and such as boast of their own works as did the Jews or those that despaire of the loving kindness of God nothing is due but reproach and confusion For as Paul saith The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. C. Can life and death then be called a recompence or reward M. Yea life in reference to the promise death in respect of sin may be so called For reward beareth an indifferent signification and is appliable in good and bad things to good and bad men Of bad men and vain-boasters the Lord saith They have received their reward And this is the same which the good man of the house saith Take what is thine and be gone Peter also saith That the wicked find the reward of their unrighteousness C. I now plainly perceive that the Doctrine which you raised from that Parable in our morning discourse is properly to be understood of the calling of the Jews if you please therefore pursue your purpose M. My purpose was to declare the infinit power of God by which we might conjecture of the largeness of his Church and Kingdom For if the Majesty of a King is best conspicuous in the abundance of riches in the multitude of people and a great number of Kingdoms Provinces and Nations we must necessarily conclude That the Kingdom of God who onely can be truely said to be powerful great and wonderful is much bigger than that tyranny of the devil For I will never call that Prince great who hath a great multitude of enemies but I will term him powerful to whom many pay subjection and in this I â—â—â—e Solomon on my side In the multitude of the people saith he is the Kings honour but in the scarcity of men is the destruction of a Prince C. This cannot be denyed when those things are abstracted from persons and â—lmes but when I consider them more nearly and look upon them in the lives and customs of men I confess I am puzled what to think for do you not see that Satan doth possess the greatest part of the world which as John saith is covered with evil therefore not without cause is the devil called The Prince of this world and lord thereof M. What my CAELIUS Know you not that John saith Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement
do you forget what you confess in the Symbole of your Belief when you say I believe the Holy Catholick Church which is the Communion of Saints which had it been subjected to sense had not been put into our Confession which consisteth simply and absolutely of the objects of our Faith Let it not therefore move thee that this Kingdom of Christ this Commonwealth of the Saints is not visible to the eye for it is better believed and comprehended in the mind than discerned by the sense C. But seeing it consists of men what is the reason it should be invisible M. Because God in the administration of his Kingdom differeth from the conduct of humane reason or the Methods of that old beguiler And here now we may contemplate the wonderful and admirable wisdom of God The devil filleth all placeâ— with sin death and desolation God disposeth all things in justice life and healthfuâ— salvation Now observe with what inexpressible art God doth this to deceive thaâ— Deceiver Under sin he covereth justice under death life under condemnation salvation under infirmitie strength under folly wisdom From hence it is said that all the World is overspread with evil from hence Satan is said to be the Prince of this world because he seemeth to govern all things according to his own sensualitie as though there were no providence but it is not so by no means so the true and legitimate Prince is he to whom the Father said Ps 2. Ask of me and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession He is the true Lord who conquering death and the Authour of death saith in the 28 of Matth. All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth C. You have proved these things very fully and the matter is strengthened by the nature and definition of faith for faith is defined by the Divines to be a firm comprehending of those things in the understanding which are not seen M. I rejoyce that you have so well profited by our discourse that you can assist the cause I maintain But to make it yet more clear unto you I will propound a similitude We are in this life as in a Citie which of right belongeth to some good Prince but this Citie is usurped and oppressed by a certain Tyrant with severe bondage as for example Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites in that memorable calamity now if any man enter this Citie and observe the Customs of it he will say it differs very little from that of Aegypt which with outward appearance and seeming willingness followeth and obeyeth the Tyrant but inwardly consenteth with the true and lawful Lord and although they can contribute nothing else yet they sigh and wish for him expect him and bewail the burthen of their servitude and when he shall come with power to chase and subdue the enemy and to restore the Citie to freedom then the Tyrant shall feel of what force the Faith and Love of this people is to their Lawful and merciful Prince for in stead of many Subjects he shall then find many Enemies for that old saying is a true one He that hath many servants hath many Enemies What are we not all Subject and mancipated to sin even against our wills Fitly therefore may we say with Paul With the mind I serve the Law of God but with my body I am Subject to the dominion of sin Add also that many men commit many errours through ignorance and those will admit excuse and pardon for a difference must be put between sins of weakness and sins of malice and presumption But wherâ— our King Christ Jesus accompanied with might and Majesty shall come to sight the last battel with the Devil then that infinite multitude of the Elect that innumerable company of celestial Citizens shall appear Now they are not discernable because as I have said either through force or ignorance they are compelled to wear the Tyrants colours In the mean time till the expectation of that time be satisfied our prudent and abundantly wise Prince hath some secret and clandestine conferences with them heartens them and comforts them and bids them continue faithful to him and he will accept this their desire of him this Faith for perfect obedience And although he can deliver us he delayeth it suffers us to undergo the Discipline of afflictions to kindle in us a greater desire of his coming These are the Divine stratagems the royal arts which do deceive both the narrow judgement of men and also elude the deceits and snares of the Devil for who would say that in so many sins there should be any righteousness in such a perturbation such a trifluctuation of miseries any quiet rest or peace in so much folly any wisdom in so much servitude any liberty or in so many dangers any safety who would ever have thought the thief who was even buried alive in all wickedness and brought to be crucified for his notorious and flagitious offences had been one of the Sons of God and of the number of the Elect On the other side who would have imagined that Judas Isâ—ariot chosen to the Honour of an Apostleship and daily and hourly a continual hearer of Divine truth and heavenly wisdom should not have been a Citizen of Heaven O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out Here is the new Art here are new reasons of heavenly administration this is the mysterious way of God alone who onely is wise powerful and good Great is our Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite Psal 147. C. By this way of judging according to the shallow judgement of man I suppose Elias was deceived when he made his complaint that he onely was left of all those that did worship God but what answered the oracle of God to him I have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal Rom. 11. M. You gues right and if in one place in one nation there were so many althougâ— to a definite number be here put for an infinite multitude and those unknown to â— greater Prophet how many may we suppose then to have been and now to be iâ— the whole World C. Verily I think an innumerable company M. Let us then believe that this our heavenly King is able and knoweth how to purchase to himself a greater kingdom than the Enemy who hath neither wisdom nor power C. But upon what reason do you refuse the ascription of wisdom and power to the Enemy when it seems repugnant to his name to deny him those attributes for you may call to mind they were termed Daemones or evil Spirits from their great power or wisdom by many of the Ancients for Plato who followed Hesiod and other Poets doth conceive them to be called Daemones quasi Daimones which signifieth prudent or
the more good it is C. I have often heard it and alwayes took it for a rag of Philosophy M. Oh brother Caelius it is Divine for good and true are convertible terms and of whomsoever predicated whether of Moses or Cicero Paul or Plato yet they flow from God whose nature and essence is good and true and because as you said whatsoever he willeth is good and just and that it pleaseth him to be called rich in mercy certainly this must appear in the glorious salvation of many men otherwise why doth David sing out the earth is full of the mercies of God and why is he called the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation O the blind envy of some men that would abridge contract and engross this goodness to some few peâ—sons O the ingratitude of others that indeavour to traduce and calumniate the benignity of God as if he were some Tyrant or merciless destroyer Some perhaps are still diffident and require an indubitable sign that may remove and banish all hesitation behold the greatest pledge the firmest security even Christ Jesus the son of God upon whose coming God set sorth a Declaration of his Love for him hath he sent into the world and upon him hath he cast the burthen of all our iniquities Isaiah the 53. and again behold the Lord shall give you a sign a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and his name shall be called Emanuel This is that sign which we read of in the 12. of Matthew An evil and an adulterous gâ—neration seeketh a sign but no sign shall be given them save onely that of the Prophet Jonas to wit the death of Christ and his rising again the third day What greater significancy of love could the Lord exhibit to miserable mankind than to send his Son his onely Son to be the reconciliation for our transgressions or who now can scruple the amplitude the immensity of this goodness this Love this mercy how shall we be able with the Saints to know and comprehend the height the depth the length the breadth of this mercy it is necessarie that the Love of Christ be the greatest of all other not onely in respect of the magnitude but also the multitude of sinners otherwise we should disrobe and denudate it of its proper dimensions and who now will be so rashly bold to say that the benefit of so much love and so great goodness should be confined to a paucity of men for my part I think no man can harbour such a thought without a guilt of sacriledge what did he not deliver the greater part of the world from their wickednesses when he prayed unto his Father upon the Cross to forgive those Jews and Aliens which were the complotters and contrivers of his death Father saith he forgive them for they know not what they do and he said rightly they know not what they doe for had they known saith Paul they had never crucified the Lord of life 1. Cor. 2. Now if Princes Magistrates and many others as Peter witnesseth in the 3. of the Acts killed him through imprudence what shall we think of all the world beside of them that had and have at this day just causes of invincible ignorance Shall we exclude all these from the kingdom of God We cannot certainly if we diligently contemplate the nature and goodness of God if we think upon the clemency of our Lord Christ and what he required of us for he prayeth for all them that sinned through imprudence and infirmity Neither did he pray in vain Paul who at first was a persecutour and a contumelious sinner saith Notwithstanding that he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief And then he addeth This is a faithfull saying and worthie of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of which I am Chief Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that to me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a patern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting And did not God demonstrate this before to Jonas Who was grieved that he would spare Niniveh and destroy his Gourd that did shed him from the violence of the heat therefore God saith unto him And hast thou pitty on the Gourd for which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which sprang up in one night and perished in one night and should not I spare Nineveh that great City wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons thaâ— cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much cattel Here we plainly see the most benign and merciful God doth spare a multitude and avert the present punishment of his severity because of their ignorance And shall we imagine that he who remitteth a temporal judgement because of unadvised actions and involuntary sins will inflict an eternal mulct or that he judgeth the death of the body to be greater than the destruction of the soul Ignorance doubtless hath some excuse especially if it be not tainted with fraud or malice C. This indeed is not denied yet they say that Christ died indeed for all meritoriously but for a few onely effectually because few onely do expect that advantage and benefit of Salvation by his death and very few are found worthy of that incomparable treasure of his satisfaction Therefore he is not blame-worthy who offered himself liberally for all men but they are to be condemned who refused this propitiation M. Oh how many errours are contained in those few words for as Epâ—curus that he might not offend the Athenians outwardly acknowledged a God but in judgement denied him so these men in words confess the death of Christ but deny the power of it For when the Epicureans durst not deny the Gods yet they denied a Providence which is inseparably conjoyned to the nature of God and so by consequence they denied God but more modestly and covertly and are not these men guilty of the same prevarication They teach that Christ died for all men and affirm at the same time that the benefit of his death doth concern very few men What is this but to deny the virtue of his passion the glory of his obedience to say that men can abolish the energy force and effect of his divine love St. Paul saith far otherwise when with so much gravity and mellifluous plenty he doth aver that no force is able to separate us from the love of God which he hath manifested unto us in Christ Jesus Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who shalâ— then separate us from the love in Christ Rom. 8. Me thinks they that are so peremptory in the defence of that Opinion that Christs bloud was sprinkled only upon