faithful to him The question is of the continuance of our Love to him John 8. 31. If ye continue in my Word c. John 15. 9 10. As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my Love And if ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my Love Now if there were no danger of losing their Love to Christ there were no need for Christ to exhort them to keep his Commands in order to their abiding in his Love But this place shews that Christ having loved his own he loved them to the end of his days 't is not said of their days but all the time of his abode in the World here 's nothing of the final perseverance of the Saints how desperately wicked soever they be but what if the Lord should so set his Love upon these his beloved Disciples that were given him out of the World by his Father that maugre all the Frailties of the Flesh and the Temptations of the World and the Devil yet none of them should be lost but that they should be carried on through all Difficulties to the fruition of Eternal Glory Doth it prove that because some shall never fall that therefore no true Believer can fall away Pray consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son the lost Groat the lost Sheep doth it not shew that a true Believer may be lost and being lost may be found Moderat I believe God hath elected a certain number to Salvation and those that are given out of the World to Christ he will not fail to keep them to himself but will by interposing Grace so preserve them that they shall never perish But the others that Christ died for upon condition of their repentance believing and persevering therein to the end I dare not say but some of these may believe for a time and that with a true Faith believe and yet fall away so as to perish these times have afforded many sad and shaking Examples of this kind and I am not strictly certain of my perseverance and so not fully or strictly certain of my own Salvation Philet O what an uncomfortable Doctrine is this of falling from Grace Philad This Doctrine doth not destroy all Christian Comfort but a Life of much Christian Comfort may be had out of it seeing it is the unchangeable Purpose of God to give Life and Salvation to all those that shall persevere in Faith and Holiness to the end and that if they will but quit themselves like Men abstain from all foolish and hurtful Lusts and not wilfully stab their own Souls nor pull Misery upon their own Heads they shall be happy And what tho true Believers may be under a possibility of perishing yet seeing God hath through his bounty vouchsafed unto them so rich and such full proportion of Means thereby to prevent their perishing and to preserve them from Apostacy so that they need not apostatize or perish except they themselves please why should it abate any of their Comforts or Hopes of Salvation because under a possibility of perishing Men may possibly fall into the Fire and be burnt or into the Water and be drowned from the top of Houses and be dashed in pieces yet no Man lives ever a whit the more uncomfortable because under a possibility of suffering these Evils because they know God hath given them Reason and Understanding to preserve them from these things The Apostle Paul knew that he was under a possibility of being a Cast-away 1 Cor. 9. 27. yet how chearfully and at what an excellent rate of comfort did he live I am perswaded saith he Rom. 8. 38 39. that neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come c. The assurance he had that upon a diligent use of the means which God of his Grace had vouchsafed to him he should prevent his being a Castaway made him live at that height of confidence and courage which he did What can no one injoy comfortable hopes of Heaven unless they have a full and perfect assurance of the continuance of the Love of God to them how loosely and profanely soever they live and that if they commit all manner of Sin and Wickedness affront Heaven defy the Almighty laugh Jesus and his Gospel to scorn yet they run no hazard of losing their Souls Indeed such a Doctrine as this and such is the Doctrine of Absolute and Unconditional Perseverance contributes to the peace and comfort of the carnal part in Men and indulgeth to them a liberty of Sin but no Child of God that hath received of that Spirit whereby it can cry Abba Father either wisheth or desires Heaven or Salvation but in the way of holiness and upon that condition which the Lord Christ injoyned it John 15. 10. Nor is it possible that any Man should have comfortable hopes of Heaven or any assurance of being saved unless he hath through Grace discharged those Duties to which the Blessing and Privileges are therein promised This is the Foundation whereupon through Christ to build our Hopes and Comforts and not that God loves us for we know not what reason and that we cannot possibly sin our selves out of his Love but he will infallibly bring us to Heaven no but saith the Apostle 1 John 2. 3 5. Chap. 3. 18 19 20 24. Chap. 5. 18. hereby we know and are assured that we are in God and that he loves us But how comes Persons to this why if we love him and keep his commandments which if we do we shall never fall 2 Pet. 1. 10. But I must beg your excuse at this time I cannot stay only I desire you to consider this one thing concerning falling from true Grace If we consider Faith and Regeneration in themselves they may be lost because nothing in it self is unchangeable but God it cannot be said of any but God that he cannot lie and if so then all Men may lie and that Lie may be our ruin for ought we know Rev. 21. 27. And tho I do not doubt but that there is a State of Grace attainable in this Life from which Persons by the Grace of God shall never fall yet I would not have you affirm of your selves or any others that you cannot fall how wicked soever you live but rather remember we all stand but by Faith and therefore ought not to be high-minded but fear working out our Salvation with fear and trembling not lest God should forsake us but lest we should forsake God FINIS
they never did in their own persons especially when satisfied for it by their Surety And as Dr. Taylor saith in his Apology for the Baptists speaking of Infants dying before baptized and under the supposed guilt of Adam's sin tells us That original sin either will not be laid to their charge so as to be sufficient to condemn them or if it could yet the Mercy and absolute Goodness of God will secure them if he takes them away before they can glorifie him by a free obedience As Infants without any consent of their own contracted the guilt of Adam's sin and are liable to all the punisament that can with Justice descend upon his Posterity who are personally innocent so Infants shall be restored without any Act of their own or any others for them by the second Adam by the Redemption of Jesus Christ by his Righteousness and Mercy Mod. I have a good Opinion of all dying Infants especially Children of Believing Parents Philad And is there not as good ground of hopes for all as some Doth not Mr. Baxter a Friend of yours tell us in his More Proofs pag. 8. That all Mankind was brought by Christ under a Covenant of Grace which is not vain nor repealed by God but as the abuse of the Grace of the Covenant may cast them out for as a Covenant of intire Nature was made with all Mankind in innocent Adam so a Covenant of Grace was made with all Mankind in lapsed Adam Gen. 3. 15. in the Promised Seed and renewed again with all Mankind in Noah And this is no more than what the Scripture agrees with Ezek. 18. where the Lord expresly tells them That he that sinneth shall die that the Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father and God's dealing thus in Mercy with fallen Mankind is so agreeable to the pure Nature of the Deity that it is to be wondred that any should be so wicked as to believe that he hath fore-determin'd the Reprobation of any for anothers faults and when they themselves were uncapable of doing good or evil in their own persons Philet What will you go about to deny Original sin Shall none go to Hell For that David saith Ps 51. That he was born in iniquity and in sin did his Mother conceive him Philad Deny Original sin no but I do believe that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God and that by reason of Adam's sin Death reigneth over all of which none is free being all concluded in unbelief and corrupted in the original Adam when he was first created was said to be made in the Image of God which Image did not only stand in having Dominion over the Creatures as some of the Ancients have expounded it neither as if the Soul was of the substance of God but the Image of God in which Adam was created was in Knowledg Righteousness and Holiness Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 14. indued with all Perfection which was requisite for a Creature and sufficiently furnished with necessary Wisdom Mercy Justice Patience Bounty Love Humility and such like that so they might in some measure hold forth the Divine Perfection and Majesty of God and know how to use aright their Dominion and Sovereignty over all the inferior Creatures and also might understand the Will of God towards themselves that so they might render that Obedience which was due unto God as their supreme Lord and Law-giver whereby they might have been forever happy and blessed But now Man being tempted to sin soon yielded to the temptation lost the Perfection of his Nature his Holiness and pure Innocence which was the condition of his Blessedness in dissolving of which he lost his Happiness and was driven out from the presence of the Lord being now fallen from a most glorious condition in Creation unto the miserable state of Corruption in which State of Corruption it is said Gen. 5. 3. That Adam begot a Child in his own lineness it doth not say that he begat a Son in the Image of God in which he was created but in the Image of himself that is in the same condition of himself at that time of Generation Had Adam begotten Children before he fell he had begotten a Righteous Seed after the Image of his Perfection because the Image of God in him was unpolluted but begetting Children after the Depravation of his Nature the Stream could not rise purer than the Fountain none could bring a clean thing out of an unclean one And though all with respect of what was derived unto them from Adam are wholly lost and in the strictness of Justice worthy of eternal Death yet the guilt of it as to eternal Death is taken away by the abounding Grace of God vouchsafed to the World by Jesus Christ which extends it self to all that were lost in Adam Philet You seem to hold that Adam's sin became ours and we all involved in the Fall because we were all in his Loins as he was the Root and common Stock from which we all by the appointment of the Lord should come yet you will not hold that any deserves Hell and Damnation for that sin Philad You cannot prove that that Death which was threatened to Adam if he disobeyed the Lord was Damnation to Hell-fire neither if the Promise of Christ had not been made whether Adam had lived to beget Children or not or whether he had not immediately gone to the dust from whence he was taken 'T is no better than sinful curiosity to be too confident in such unrevealed matters 't is the safest way to be sober and to go no farther than the Scriptures guide us and where the Holy Ghost hath not a Pen to write let us not have a Tongue to speak God hath revealed enough to make us wise to Salvation Yet this I say that whatsoever State Adam was in there was all Mankind with him there was a time if Eternity may be called so when all Men considered as in God were nothing but God himself according to that Maxim Whatsoever is in God is God All Men had a being in God before they had a being in Adam Luk. 3. 38. where Adam is called the Son of God 2dly There was a time when Adam and so all Men in him was righteous and holy as during his State of pure Innocency In which State all Men must needs partake of the same Holiness and Integrity with him Eccl. 7. 3. Rom. 5. 12. 1 Cor. 15. 22. 3dly There was a time when Adam with Eve his Wife being beguiled by Satan free from all inward or outward Necessity sinned against God by which Transgression they became liable to Eternal Death and so his Judgment Will and Affection came to be corrupted in which State all Mankind stood and so Original Sin is come upon all and Death by Sin yea upon those that have not sinned after the Similitude of Adam's Transgression 4thly There was a time when God who is rich in Mercy
and not as Believers or as their being in Christ by Faith then for God to love a Person to Day and hate him to Morrow would evidently shew a change in his Affection according to the change made in the Creature And I must needs tell you I like this plain dealing the best you are herein truer to your Principles than many of your Brethren that hold this Point of personal Election But for my part I believe that God loveth and accepts more of Actions that are good than of mere Persons and contrary to what you say that such and such Actions do therefore please him because the Person pleaseth him but rather because their Actions please him therefore their Persons please him tho God hates all the Workers of Iniquity Psal 5. 5. yet said he to Cain Gen. 4. 7. If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted and Heb. 11. 5 6. Before his Transgression he had this Testimony that he pleased God but without Faith he could not Read John 14. 23. and 15. 14. and 16. 27. These are those that he will love yet may those that were once beloved of God by reason of Sin come to be the object of his hatred Isa 63. 9 10. But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their Enemy and fought against them Now you that say that where once God loves he must never cease to love Pray you what think you of the Angels that fell Do you think God did not love them while they stood in that pure and holy State in which they were created and if he did do you think that he loves them now in their Apostacy So God is said to love Jacob and Israel yet at another time he is said to hate Israel Jer. 12. 7 8. Amos 6. 8. yet is this taken off again Isa 60. 15. whereas they were hated God loved them again So that God may love at one time and hate at another without the least change in him in respect of Love or Hatred because no Person of Man is supposed to be the Object of elective Love but only as Righteous nor any Person the Object of Reprobation but only as Wicked so that the Love of God being set upon such kind of Persons as are true Believers those who have Christ formed in them whose Souls are regenerated and formed into the Image of Jesus and Partakers of the heavenly and divine Nature having received that heavenly and divine Anointing by virtue of which they become Christians 1 Cor. 6. 17. John 15. being wrought into a Conformity to Jesus this is that State in which the true Election stands Christ being the elected Root and Believers the elected Branches These are those whom God doth justify and will glorify these are those whom the Lord hath set apart for himself Psal 4. 3. These are those whom the Lord hath chosen from the rest of the World to be his own peculiar Favourites upon whom he intends to bestow an heavenly Inheritance and as Persons decline from Christ living in a State of Unbelief and Impenitency being Strangers to the Life of God disobedient and to every good Work reprobate they remaining such are in that state in which Reprobation stands not being brought over to Christ in whom the Father is well pleased So that I conceive that Unchangeableness which the Scripture asserts of God is to be considered with respect to his Essence Attributes and Decrees and not in his constant loving the same Persons how wicked soever they prove For suppose God should dearly love a Person while he is faithful to him and in case this Person should apostatize and die in a state of Impenitency and he should destroy him with eternal Death this doth not shew the least Alteration in any of the Lord's Attributes either of Love Goodness Mercy Justice c. And suppose a Man passeth from a State of Sin wherein he lived to the Displeasure of the Lord to a State of Faith and Holiness and in this Condition comes to injoy the Love and Favour of God yet his Love and Hatred cannot be said to be changed tho the Persons of Men change never so often from Good to Evil or from Evil to Good This shews indeed a change in Man but no change at all in the Lord he still loves and hates but what he loved and hated before Pray consider Ezek. 18. at what Instant I spake c. if it doth Evil I will repent Here you see God is said to repent so he is said to repent that he made Man upon the Earth Gen. 6. 6. he is said to repent that he made Saul King 1 Sam. 15. 11. And yet the Scriptures cannot be broken which testify that with God is no Repentance or shadow of change 1 Sam. 15. 29. Num. 23. 19. James 1. 17. Mal. 3. 6. Psal 102. 25. yet here is no real Contradiction And as I said before in respect of his Essence Attributes and Decrees God cannot repent yet after the manner of Men he is said to repent in respect of his Works for as Men when they repent alter their Works so when God alters his Work he is said to repent as in Gen. 6. 6. I will saith God destroy Man from the Earth for it repents me c. God made Man to dwell upon the Face of the Earth but now coming to destroy Man from off the Earth seems to repent and so concerning Saul I repent that I have made Saul King that is I have determined to depose him and to prefer another And so concerning Ely c. Delawn Sacr. p. 50. So that no such Conclusion can reasonably be drawn from God's once loving he must for ever love how wicked soever the Person proves afterwards or else be mutable for I do not find in Scripture that God hateth any of the Works of his Hands as they are his Creatures nor any thing but Sin and Sinners for the cause of Sin and there is the same Consideration or the like Reason of his Election being placed upon Faith and obedient Persons or Persons really brought over to Christ Philet The Elect are justified in the Eternal purpose of God and tho the Elect do sin yet the Lord sees it not so as to condemn them for it neither can it do them any hurt or make them less lovely in the sight of God Philad Hold one word before you go any farther you seem to say God was never an Enemy to the Elect Do you not by this make the Fall of Adam in whom the Elect were included a mere Fiction and the whole Story of the Gospel concerning Christ's Suffering a Fable and the Passion of Christ if you grant he suffered for the Elect a mere Vanity more than needs to die to reconcile and bring those into Friendship with God which were never out of his Love nor with whom he was never offended Philet I say all the Sins of the Elect both past present and
Apostle saith that the Elect that believe are dead to the Law the Law can no more command a Man than a dead Husband can command his Wife Philad 'T is true Believers are dead to the Law with respect to the Curse and Rigor of it but yet this Death to the Law brings Believers to a New Subjection you are dead to the Law that you might be married to another that you should bring forth Fruit to God so that you may see the blessing of the Marriage-Union between Christ and faithful Souls is fruitful before God in living in Subjection to his blessed Maker and Redeemer Mar. But doth not the Apostle bid Believers stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and be not intangled in the Yoke of Bondage which is the Law Philad This word Liberty not rightly understood may be a Snare to destroy precious Souls we are bid to stand fast in the Liberty in which Christ hath made us free but not in the Liberty in which Satan the Lust of Men the Spirit of Error Carnal Interest c. make us free Christian Liberty is a freedom from Sin not in Sin Rom. 6. 18. it is a free serving of God to do his Will not the will of the Flesh we are called to Liberty but we are not to use it as occasion of the Flesh Gal. 5. 13. Gospel Grace brings glorious freedom 't is true from the Curse of the Law the guilt of Sin and wrath of God and from the burden of legal Ceremonies Sacrifices Circumcision with other heavy Yoaks yet is this Liberty to be confined to Scripture Rules Believers freedom should be like the Heavenly Liberty Angels are free but 't is to Duty not Rebellion and here will come in the surest Mark and the best Evidence of our Election 1 Joh. 3. 7 10. Little Children let no Man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous c. in this is manifest the children of God and the children of the Devil 1 Joh. 1. 6. If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we do but lye 2 Pet. 2. 19. Mod. I believe that in many things Philadelphus is in the right Duties are means which God hath appointed for us to walk to Heaven in and those that belong to him he will give them Faith and Repentance and will by his Grace overpower their Hearts that they shall obey him in all his Holy Precepts I also believe that the New Covenant includes Conditions something to be done by us that believe for though the Love of God the Suffering of Christ was wholly free yet the Saving Fruits and Benefits by the Suffering of Christ doth not actually become ours upon the bare shedding of his Blood till it be receiv'd by Faith for his Death doth not necessarily save any but only as God the Father Son and Spirit shall think fit to communicate and dispense with the Issues of them as he that pardons an Offender may bring him to Terms before he pardons him and he that dispenseth Crowns and Scepters to unworthy Persons may require Homage and Observance from them without rendering it no Act of Grace As to the Law I say we are not justified by that but by Christ alone receiv'd by Faith and that it is necessary that Godly Preachers should teach the Moral Law or the Doctrine of Good Works as the Doctrine of Faith for Satan is a deadly Enemy to both Philad Well said Moderatus indeed to what end should the Great God of Heaven give forth his Divine Laws if they do not require our due observance for the Life of Christianity is not barely a Speculative but an active Life and does as seriously tell us what we are to do for Christ as well as what we are to receive from him Mar. There are many that lead sober Lives yet may nay shall go to Hell for all their Morality 't is not that will save them Philad I believe so too but why should you condemn honest Men fearing God as only Moral Men and as such who must certainly go to Hell yet others must escape it that are guilty of far worse Vices and who have been out-done by meer Heathens in their Practices Some must question their Condition for every Sin though never so small but such as you that reckon your selves true Believers must by no means question your Condition though your Sins be never so great No wonder to hear such expressions as these viz. that if a Believer be overtaken with gross Sins yet he blasphemes Christ that dare serve a Writ of Damnation upon him and that if they be but Believers and have once set their foot upon Christ they need not stagger for the greatness of their Sins nor their continuance in them it seems tho you be not good Moral Men yet you have a right to Heaven for all that Mod. Well but there are many very ignorant in the Mystery of Faith Faith hath the honour to be the Grace that apprehends the Mercy of God in Christ and lays hold upon his perfect Righteousness by which Persons come to be justified and to have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. yea by which Persons become the Children of God and by which they receive Christ as tendered to them in the Gospel and see him to be the end of the Law God hath now in respect to us cancel'd the Law which stood as a hand-writing against us and hath by the Gospel shewed us a way whereby to be made Righteous without the Law nay justified from those things by which we could not be justified by the Law for saith the Apostle by the Works of the Law shall no Flesh be justified but by Faith or by Christ made ours by Faith this was the great overthrow of the Jewish Nation Rom. 10. they being ignorant of Christ's Righteousness went to establish a Righteousness of their own c. this is a Righteousness without the Law and yet witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets and the whole Law is fulfilled in the Children of God because Christ's Righteousness is made theirs through believing and I must tell you that in many things Faith stands at defiance with Working and Doing Philad I believe Moderatus these things to be true and that it is the work of Faith to do what you say yet by the Scripture 't is plainly evident that 't is not a bare naked Faith a Faith that swims and floats in the Brain or a lazy Reliance upon Christ destroying of good Works that can or will save any let not any Persons flatter themselves into Misery for that Faith that is barren of the Fruits of good Works bears its own Curse that Faith that is not accompanied with good Works is stiled a dead Faith a Faith that can never bring us to Life and no better than the Faith of Devils James 2. 19 20. And tho it is true as you have said Faith hath the Honour to be the Grace that
God But he is there speaking of the Tenor of the Gospel the word of Reconciliation which was committed unto him and whereof he was a Minister and tells them That God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself The Quarrel began in Adam Sin was that which set God and Man at variance Isa 49. 1. But now the Lord being minded to take whole Adam into Grace and Favour and to found a Universal Covenant of Peace was pleased to appear in Christ that those that were Strangers and afar off might be made near yea the Sons of God But I 'll give you a Scripture that is far from such Objections 't is 1 John 2. 2. He is a Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but for the Sins of the whole World Here you plainly see that Christ is a Propitiation for the whole World as opposed to Believers therefore he must needs die for all Now these words were spoken to strengthen the Faith of those that through the subtilty of Satan and prevailing Temptation were fallen or should fall into Sin and thereby raise doubts in their Spirits whether Christ died for them or was a Propitiation for their Sins or not Now the Apostle to remove all doubts and fears out of their Minds tells them That he did not die for some few particular Men only which might have augmented their fears but was a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World Now this will greatly add to the Comfort and put new Life into a sorrowful tempted Soul one cast down under the sense of Sin to think that Jesus Christ is a Propitiation for his Sins being the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World But pray tell me what could it add to the comfort of those to whom John wrote his Epistle who were weak in Faith to tell them that Christ was a Propitiation for the Sins of all his Elect ones for some few particular Men but a great many yea the far greatest number shall have no part with Christ but shall be damned Would not such a Doctrine rather augment their Fears than their Comforts Would they not be ready to say Ah then I fear I am none of those that Christ is a Propitiation for Therefore the Apostle puts the matter out of all doubt by telling them that Christ by his Death became a Propitiation or made a full Atonement for the Sins of all Men without excepting so much as one Person in the whole World But that Christ died for all I prove from 1 Tim. 2. 6. Who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time If you look back to the Context of this Verse you will find Paul exhorting his Son Timothy That Prayer and Supplication c. should be made for all Men and telling him That so to do was good and acceptable in the sight of God And to prove that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God to pray for all he lays down this for his ground That God would have all Men to be saved And for a further confirmation that it is the Will of God that all Men without exception should be saved he gives this reason for it that Christ Jesus gave himself a Ransom for all so that Christ's dying for all gives us a ground for Faith to pray for all Men which we could not do if Christ did not die for all 2 Cor. 5. 14. I would have you Philetus to consider 2 Cor. 5. 14. a Text that you cannot well cavil with the Apostle thus argues If one died for all then were all dead but one died for all therefore all were dead The thing that the Apostle is about to prove is that all were dead and the medium to prove it is that one died for all so that if it be clear that all Men were dead by the fall of the first Adam it must be clear that Life was offered to all by the death of the second Adam for if Christ died for none but the Elect then the Elect only were dead for the word all must signify as many in the minor as it doth in the major or else the Apostle's reasoning would be fallacious And so Rom. 11. 32. God hath concluded all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all Now if this last all belongs to none but the Elect then none but the Elect were concluded in unbelief but it is plain that all without exception were first or last concluded in unbelief therefore the Mercy was meant to all without exception Philet But you know very well that this word all men is not of necessity to be taken simply and universally for all without exception of any but is very often taken in a restrained signification when a part is put for the whole as in Exod. 9. 6. and all the Cattel of Egypt died that is all that were in the Field and so 2 Sam. 16. 22. and Isa 2. 2. and Mat. 3. 5. Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Regions c. that is very many Men of those places and so John 10. 8. Act. 2. 5 17. Act. 10. 12. Mat. 4. 23. Luke 11. 42. with many others Philad Tho it be true that the word all Men is not at all times to be taken for all Men simply or universally yet it never signifies the smallest number in comparison with a greater however it cannot be taken here for some of all sorts of Men or for the Elect only or the like but of necessity for all Men universally If we take it in any other sense we make the Apostle to argue very weakly for mind here is first a Duty enjoyn'd I will that prayers c. and to stir us up to so good a work he tells us that 't is good and acceptable in the sight of God because his Will is that all should be saved God is so kind so tender-hearted that out of his love and pity he would have all Men injoy a happy and blessed end and therefore in Charity we must pray for all no Men tho never so wicked and profane are to be excluded from our Prayers unless we know them to be such as have committed that unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost 1 John 5. 16. Now if by all Men we must needs understand some of all sorts of Men or the Elect only then the all we are to pray for reacheth and extendeth not so far as God extendeth his Love Again if we must take it in your sense then we may read the Apostle thus 'T is good and acceptable in the sight of God that we should pray for all Men without exception of any because God would have all his Elect to be saved surely the word all in both places is of the same extent Much of the same nature is 2 Pet. 3. 9. wherein the gracious and good Will of God toward all Men appeareth there it is said the Lord is not willing that any should perish here the
Apostle asserts an unwillingness in Christ that any Person of Mankind whatsoever should perish and therefore delayeth his promised coming and exercises much patience and long-sufference his will and desire being that no Person whatsoever should perish but that all might by his patience and long-sufferance be led to Repentance which if it be a Truth then doubtless we must here understand all Men and not restrain it to the Elect only for the Lord is not here said to be not willing that any of his Elect should perish but that all these should come to Repentance but not willing that any universally should perish but that all should come to Repentance viz. as they are Men while they are capable of Repentance that so they may be saved Philet This Text also must be restrained to the Elect therefore saith the Apostle The Lord is long-suffering to us-wards not willing that any of the Elect or true Believers should perish c. and if you mind this Epistle is writ to the Elect to those that had obtained like precious Faith with God's Elect. Philad But the contrary will appear if you consider the Persons here mentioned are those towards whom the Lord exercised much patience and long-suffering what are they the Elect with whom the Lord is not angry therefore no need of patience for there is no room for patience to take place but only in such cases where a Person is apt to be stirred up and provoked but now God was never offended with the Elect but loveth them with the greatest love that can be neither according to your Principles were they in any danger or possibility of perishing therefore could not the patience and long-suffering of God have any reference to any such End either of Salvation or Condemnation they having Salvation infallibly assured to them by the irrevocable Decree of God So that let Christ's coming be long or speedy or should they die the first moment they breath in this World or live after never so many Sins committed yet their Salvation being decreed of God and that Decree irresistible must needs produce their Salvation Besides if we should understand it of the Elect then we may without wrong to the Apostle bring him in speaking thus God is patient to the Elect not willing that any of his Elect should perish but that all the Elect should come to repentance therefore we must needs understand that the patience and long-sufferance of God is exercised toward those that contemn his Grace yea such as go on in Sin treasuring up Wrath to themselves against the day of Wrath yet the Lord exerciseth his goodness and forbearance and long-sufferance that so his Goodness might lead them to repentance Rom 2. 3 4. yea those that the Apostle calls Vessels of Wrath fitted for destruction are yet endured with much long-suffering There is nothing that makes the Lord withhold his hand of indignation against the Wicked but the tender Compassion that is in him through Christ and therefore is the long-suffering of God said to be Salvation this is the main End and Design of God's Patience and affording Sinners a Day of Grace that so Grace and Mercy might be obtained and his Goodness and Mercy leads them to repentance and so long as God exerciseth his long-suffering towards any they are under a possibility of Repentance 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. We read that the patience and long-sufferance of God waited upon Sinners in the days of Noah and all those 120 Years he afforded them means of Repentance by Noah who was a Preacher of Righteousness to them this shews that they were not under an absolute Decree of Reprobation but rather God would have none of them to perish if they do perish it is through their own fault and folly Now this is very consistent with the Will of God and the Mind of the Holy Ghost in other Scriptures as Ezek. 18. 30 32. and 33. 11. we find this People was ready to affront and cavil with the most High much after that rude manner as in Paul's time in the 9th of the Romans and as you and many others in these our days who say that Children are made liable to Eternal Death by their Parents Transgression before they had any Sin of their own notwithstanding God hath said nay sworn the contrary Is it not strange to think how you complement nay dissemble with God when you pray unto him you tell him how merciful and bountiful he is to all and when you have turn'd your backs represent him as a hard Master making us pay for that which we never tasted and punishing us for that fault which he knows others had committed with such like injurious Imputations and horrid Blasphemies so here these fly in the Face of God and charge the Death of the Wicked upon him and boldly lay the blame at his Door and say The Ways of the Lord were not equal tho when the Lord comes to judg every one according to their Work the inequallity will be found on their side not on God's for Psal 145. 17. 25. 10. hereupon the Lord proceeds to vindicate his most righteous proceedings with the Sons of Men and shews that the Son should not bear the iniquity of the Father nor the Father the Son 's but the Soul that sins should die and therefore calls upon them to repent Where now is the Man that dares charge the God of Heaven with his Destruction Surely as God delights not in the Sin of any so neither doth he in their Death but if you do not believe the Lord upon his bare Word you have his Oath Ezek. 33. 11. As I live saith the Lord c. I will not your Destruction if you perish and die in your Sins 't is because you * Baxter's Call to the Vnconverted p. 152 153 170. chuse Destruction your own Will is the cause of your Wo The Lord which cannot lie Tit. 1. 2. saith so nay he that cannot be perjur'd As I live he swears saith Dr. Homes by the choicest of Attributes his Life which is the Root of all others and the excellency of his Being and therefore carrys a great weight with it that he is in good earnest and most cordially desires they would not perish or die eternally God will not eat his Word or be forsworn 1 Sam. 15. 29. Rom. 3. 4. Tit. 1. 2. Mar. You need cite no more Scriptures I know and believe the Scripture stands full of Exhortations and many Promises c. in his Revealed Will but he hath a Secret Will contrary to his Revealed Will relating to the same People and Object So God would have all Men to be saved and none to perish by his Revealed Will yet by his Secret Will he would have Millions to be damned and tho it be his Revealed Will that all Men should believe in his Son and all should as you say repent and turn to God yet his Secret Will is they shall neither do the one
Blood for those which when he had done all should have no benefit by it because not elected For the benefit provided in Redemption extendeth to none with respect to Eternal Life but such as are elected otherwise these things would follow 1. That he must love those in Redemption that he never loved in Election 2. That Christ died for all alike which contradicts these Scriptures Rom. 8. 33. John 11. 52. Ephes 5. 23 25. Tit. 2. 14. John 10. 15. Rev. 14. 14. in which Scriptures who can deny but there are expressions of singular respect and love for all are not Christ's Elect Children peculiar People given Ones redeemed from amongst Men. Moderatus I believe Election is absolute of particular Persons not the chusing of Believers only to be saved as Philadelphus speaks but the chusing Persons to believe and for those that are these peculiar Ones Christ died for them in a more peculiar manner and to such he will give Faith and Repentance to carry them safe through all that so they shall never perish yet Christ died for all and loved all Men in a sense being the Saviour of all Men 1 Tim. 4. 10. Yet did not Christ die for all alike some he died for with an intent to adopt for Sons others he died for to purchase Pardon and Salvation upon condition of their Repentance believing and obeying the Lord. Philet But have all Men a power to perform these Conditions Moderat No 't is not from the power of our own Free-will Philet It seems then Christ dying as well for those that shall perish as for those that shall be saved I see you are for the middle way you hold absolute Election of some with universal Redemption of all likewise the purchasing a power to believe only for some and the tenders of Salvation to all upon condition they believe repent and obey the Lord without a power to believe so that many thousands shall nay must perish notwithstanding Christ died for them Will you say that Christ died with an intent to save all Moderat Tho he died for all yet not with an intent to save all Philad Pray let me interpose I perceive there is no great difference between you Philet I must confess I was for the middle way my self till I found that Universal Redemption would not comport with Particular Election Philad Moderatus I perceive can play fast and loose and deceive us both being true to neither sometime we think we have him fast on our side and you think him as fast for you and yet he is as slippery as an Eel to us both as I could shew but time will not give me leave to day But pray tell me how you hold Christ died for all and yet did not intend their Salvation thereby Moderat Then I 'll tell you how I hold it 1. Christ died so far for all as to purchase for them the Blessings and Benefits of this World 2. He died so far for all that there is a potent Argument from thence to perswade all Men to live to him 2 Cor. 8. 15. 3. He died so far for all that the Gospel should be preached to all 4. He died so far for all that all should be raised from the Grave Rom. 14. 9. Philet I hold the same Philad So do I but did Christ die for all in such a manner and yet never intend their Salvation thereby this justly seems strange Philet Why 't is one thing to die for the Reprobate in some sense and to die for them with an intention to save them Philad As to the first I suppose you mean that God is so bountiful a God that he will not let the least act of Charity or the least appearance of Good in any go unrewarded in this Life And that Christ died for the obtaining of these lesser Mercies but yet had no love for them in order to their Salvation I have already disproved But as to your second you say that Christ died so far for all that there is a potent Argument from thence to perswade all Men to live to him but then I must prove beyond all Exceptions that God Almighty hath designs of Love to all Men and a desire after their Eternal Well-being seeing that true Love to God must first spring from the certain knowledg of God's Love to us And the Holy Ghost teacheth us 1 John 4. 19. that love to God must or ought to be kindled in the Hearts of Men by the sense of this Affection in God to Man neither as I said before can I think that any Man can heartily and cordially love God unless he believes God had a love for him And how can any use Arguments to perswade all or any Man to love and live to God whose love to them is doubtful Neither doth any Man stand bound either to use Arguments or believe them when used unless he hath a sufficient reason to do so seeing the Apostle saith Rom. 14. 23. Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin whatsoever a Man doth not having sufficient reason on which to ground his belief of the lawfulness thereof is sinful and an irregular Act and displeasing to God Prov. 19. 2. 14. 15. All Arguments are out of doors neither will wise Men use them to Persons who are necessitated by an over-ruling Power to be what they are seeing you will not say that Christ died with an intent they might be saved Philet I believe Christ's Death was sufficient for all that is to say the Death of Christ simply and in it self considered was sufficient to redeem and save all Men yea many Worlds as well as those who are redeemed and saved by it and so there is sufficient ground to perswade all Men to love and live to him Philad 'T is true the Satisfaction that Christ gave to Divine Justice was infinite his Righteousness infinite and therefore sufficient for the Redemption of this and many Worlds had they been made In this sense it is sufficient to save the Apostate Angels that fell but have the fallen Angels any sufficient ground or reason to hope for Salvation upon the absolute worth and merit of Christ's Satisfaction Philet No Christ never died to free them from their Chains of Darkness and to readmit them into the Love and Favour of God and as Moderatus told us he took not upon him the Nature of Angels therefore there is no ground of hopes for them God never by Christ provided for the Salvation of the fallen Angels this was besides the Lord's Intention Philad Well you grant that Christ died sufficiently for all yet unless you grant that he died intentionally for all that is Christ by his Death hath purchased such Grace and Favour in the sight of God for all Men that upon their repentance and believing in him they should be justified and receive forgiveness of their Sins and persevering therein shall be eternally saved the sufficiency of his Death is no sufficient ground for any Man
Men may be saved if they will which is so gross an Error that they must be very blind that cannot see it for if it was so Men might have Heaven for willing and none would go to Hell but it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth Mercy Rom. 9. 16. Philad That 's true if Men might have Heaven for wishing or willing few would be so fool-hardy as to go to Hell Who would but with Balaam die the Death of the Righteous Who would but have all Tears wiped away from their Eyes and live in Bliss and Glory if God would save Persons for their good Wishes and Desires and give them Heaven tho they never minded it all their days so as to please God they deserve to go to Hell that would not have Heaven upon this account that think Heaven not worth a Wish And as to your Scriptures the Apostle sheweth that the Jews had a Will to be saved and the reason why they fell short of Justification was not for want of willing or running but for not willing and running in a right way they sought it not by Faith but by the Works of the Law They being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish their own Rom. 10. 3. so mist of Justification But surely this is not that Free-will you so much cry out of for where can you find such Free-willers that hold Heaven may be had for wishing for Philet But however you hold that you have naturally such a power and freedom of Will that when you would do good you can Philad 'T is a mistake we do not say we have it from Nature but from Grace for as we are in our depraved Nature we can neither do nor will ought that is acceptable and good but as in Grace we may for then to will is present with us yea and ever since the Promise was made that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's Head the Lord doth first or last enlighten every Man that cometh into the World vouchsasing such renewing of his Will and such a perpetual co-assistance to perform what shall be accepted if persons do not wilfully maliciously and finally resist his Grace so that none of our Sins can justly be charged upon any deficiency in him Our blessed Saviour tells them the Word was near them and in them and that he was the Light that enlightens every Man Yet if by Free-will you mean a single Power in the Creature to convert it self I know none this day in England that hold such an Opinion however I utterly renounce such an Opinion as vile it being to ascribe too much to humane Nature It must needs be a pernicious Principle for any to believe that a Man by the sole power of regulating of his own Will and Reason can obtain Eternal Salvation this would make the suffering of Christ altogether fruitless and I believe also that none hath any will or power of himself without God to do any thing that 's good or to attain to a supernatural End but by the Assistance of Divine Grace and therefore there is an absolute necessity of seeking and imploring the saving supernatural aid and help of the Spirit of that God from whom all our Abilities are derived to us And as to what you say we hold that when we would do good we can I say that through the Grace of God we may avoid many more Sins than we daily do avoid and do more good than we do tell me are any of us laid under a necessity of sinning cannot we forbear many Sins which we daily run into and do we really do what God by his Grace hath impowred us to do in our Duty to God and Man and in avoiding Sin If you say we can do no otherwise then is all your preaching vain yea ridiculous for if an irresistible Cause overpower us that we can do no otherwise no Man that is truly master of his own Reason will ever spend his time and strength to exhort any to repent of doing that which they could not but do or omitting of that which was never in their power to effect If you say that by the Grace of God we may do the one or the other you own Free-will as much as I. For this is the Free-will if we may call it so that I hold viz. That God Almighty hath of his Free Love and Grace imparted a measure of himself or endowed Mankind with those Abilities to perform whatsoever he requires of them and injoins them to God never gives a Command but he gives a Power or else their Disobedience shall not be their Condemnation if this be a vile Opinion then I confess I am vile for if God requires us to believe and yet administers not sufficient Grace and Strength to believe all our endeavours are vain and fruitless Men cannot make Brick till Srraw be given them for the Lord to prescribe Dutys to us and annex Penaltys upon the non-performance of them as to punish with Eternal Death all those that are disobedient to his Will and yet to deny his Grace and Assistance without which it is impossible to keep them this is to represent the Lord as I once said before too much like cruel Pharaoh that made the Lives of his People bitter to them by laying heavy Burdens in requiring the tale of Brick and yet denying Straw the fit Materials or as the evil Servant in the Parable stiled him a hard Master reaping where he hath not sowed Philet I tell you we are altogether passive in the Work of Conversion we are like Saws or Axes that cannot move any otherwise than the Hand guides or forces them Philad Your comparing Persons to Saws and Axes being altogether passive in comparison is a thing I do not understand for we are not Saws or Axes without Sense or Reason but by God's free Gift and his free Grace we have received Liberty and Ability to accept of his Love and to accept of his Mercy when tendred to us and to perform those things which God requires of us in order to our Salvation yea through the Lord 's assisting Grace which is never wanting to any but those that are wanting to themselves we have received such a Power as to inable us to perform the Will of God when the choice of Good and Evil is set before us Deut. 30. 19. Mar. No more than the Stones in the street Philad Why then Man can have no more Sin nor Righteousness in him than a Stone if Man in the Work of Conversion be like a Stock or Stone merely passive doing nothing then in Conversion Persons neither hear nor repent nor turn from Sin to the Lord nor believe in Christ and how any are truly regenerated without those I know not and if these are to be done in Conversion pray who is active in this Work if the Party regenerated be not And if by God's Free Grace Man
before wholly to be ascribed to the Grace of God in Christ as the principal and primary Cause Now as to Faith and Repentance being the Gift of God this is a truth God is said to give Faith and Repentance yea to intend the Salvation of all Men when he vouchsafeth a sufficiency of means Now Faith is taken many ways sometimes and very frequently 't is taken for the Gospel Acts 6. 7. Gal. 1. 23. So it is the Gift of God and he is said to give Faith and Repentance when he gives the Gospel which is the Word of Faith and so Faith is the Gift of God and when any Soul is by the goodness of God led to repentance God is said to give Repentance Also God gives the power or ability to repent and believe or else Man could do neither yet doth not God's Grace destroy our Duty tho God gives not only Grace necessary but also sufficient for yielding Faith and Obedience yet the Act or Duty of believing is not God's Work but Man's Heb. 11. Rom. 10. 17. James 3. 2. And the Person that is regenerate must be so far active in the Work that the Work it self may be as truly and properly ascribed unto Man and called his as it is ascribed to God and called his Gift now this you must believe unless you have so far forsaken your Reason as to say that Christ acts the Creature 's Actions and so Jesus Christ repents and Jesus Christ believes and Man doth nothing But surely we stand bound to believe repent and obey the Lord if we expect Salvation these are our own acts and 't is impossible they should be the acts of Christ for he that is said to act any action is said to do it Now if when we are exhorted to do these Duties Christ should do them for us while we sit still what sense must we make of Scripture must Jesus Christ break off his Sins by Repentance and amend his evil ways and doings or must Christ believe in Christ or walk in the steps of Christ And from hence it will infallibly follow that Persons shall be damned because God did not only make them Believers by an irresistible Power but also act their Work too Saith Paul Rom. 8. If ye through the Spirit not the Spirit without you nor ye without the Spirit intimating that Man must be an Agent in the Work it must be his own act and therefore he is not wholly passive neither have we ground to believe God will work these in such a way as shall be impossible to be frustrated Philet But if God works Conversion in a resistible way still Free-Grace loseth the triumph and Free will takes the Crown but when God works he works irresistibly Men cannot resist his Will if he works none can hinder it Philad I believe that God hath and still works and none can be able to hinder such are the Works of Creation and Redemption c. When Man was fallen none could hinder the Lord from setting his Love upon him nor hinder him from shewing Mercy to him in sending his only Son to die for them nor hinder the planting of his Will and Light in their Hearts convincing them of Sin Nor could the Jews of old or any in our days hinder or prevent God from rising early and sending his Prophets and Ministers to call Persons to Repentance nor hinder him from administring Grace and Mercy to them nor is it in the power of Man to frustrate God in raising up Persons from the dead in the Resurrection and setting the Godly with Christ in Glory and all the Rejecters of his Grace and Love in endless Misery Neither do I deny but God hath and may still if he please convert some by an irresistible Power we must not care to limit the Holy One of Israel in any of his ways yet it is not God's usual way of working to force Persons against their Wills to be Holy and to accept of Life but he is pressing by his Holy Spirit and by his Word and Ministers which is the ordinary way that the Lord takes to beget Faith c. and therefore Gospel-Ministers are said 2 Cor. 6. 1. to be workers together with God that is Ministers do co-operate with God in order to one and the same effect not that Ministers in their pressing and preaching should so work with God as to be able to do as much as God himself doth in perswading Men but rather they work after one and the same way Ministers in their preaching incline and move the Heart of Men to accept of Christ and this he doth perswadingly without forcing or necessitating their Wills to such or such Election this is God's usual way of working in the dispensation of his Divine Will Philet But I tell you 't is effected by the irresistible act of free Grace Persons are altogether passive in the work of Conversion yea have no more power to stir than Lazarus had when he had lain four days in the Grave Persons are dead in Sins and Trespasses and what less than the almighty Power of God can cause them to live a spiritual Life I do not know You ought not to believe there is any annext Power in the act of Conversion doth not the Apostle Ephes 1. 19 20. speak of the exceeding greatness of the Lord's Power wrought in them that believe according to his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Philad As for your urging Christ and Lazarus being both dead to prove Persons as unable to act in Conversion it is impertinent for tho the Lord in raising up Christ did the work wholly of himself by his mighty Power neither was Lazarus able to act any thing in the Grave towards restoring his Life yet in the Work of conversion the Lord comes to a Creature which he hath by free Grace furnished with Abilities to do what he requires of him And Lazarus after he heard the Voice of the Lord and received Life was active and came forth and so when Persons hear the Voice of the Lord and are thereby raised from a death in Sin or a deadly custom of Sinning to live soberly justly and godly this is said to be a raising from the Dead and a new Creation begotten again and by Faith and Repentance making new Creatures tho the Lord bestoweth Grace sufficient for the yielding to the Voice of the Lord when he calleth them by the Gospel yet through the alone proper fault of Man it becomes unfruitful for the Lord doth not usually come to Persons in such a mighty Whirlwind as 1 Kings 19. 11. to force their consent and carry them headlong to their duty and irresistibly compel them to embrace eternal Happiness and shew such a Miracle of his mighty Power as he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead or upon Lazarus when he had lain four days dead in the Grave Now it is true the Power by