within ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquity and except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye cannot be saved Matth. 5.20 This Pharisaical righteousness was not really such but hypocritical only in shew and for ostentation men do sometimes fansie themselves to be righteous when they are not Thus Solomon adviseth be not righteous over much that is in thine own conceit such was the Angel of the Church of Laodicea Eccles 7.16 Rev. 3.17 who said I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing when he was wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Now to come just to the point God having declared unto the people their transgressions as the Cause of his Judgments he commandeth them to repent and turn from all their sins having shewed the distemper doth propose the remedy and presses the use of it herein God revealeth to them their duty what they ought but not what they can do they may not pretend ignorance for here is a warning and thereby they are acquainted with the Masters will and if they do not what they are commanded Death lies at their door and they are without excuse Here as Moses had done before are set before them life and death Deut. 30. â—â— but being like not to chuse well God expostulates with them why will ye die O house of Israel No Man but very few wretches whom God leaves under a fit of despair is willing to die of a natural death but would gladly live a day longer even those that are most submissive to God's Providence much less is any willing to die of eternal death wherefore we must observe that the question doth not directly tend to shew the house of Israel is willing to die but rather that the ways of the house of Israel tend to death Death it self is no good nor desirable thing 't is a deprivation of life the best thing in nature and destruction for a time of a strict union and of a noble Being but often that which men desire not befalls them because they fall into a way conducing to it 't is not the end they propose to themselves but 't is the event that happens unto them A man who is very prodigal of his Estate fallen into great excess of intemperance and debauchery may very well be asked Why will you ruin and kill your self though he intends no such thing but is engaged in a course of life that will lead him to it Thus upon such a bottom is grounded this expostulation of God with the house of Israel as if he had said the way ye are in shall bring you to death and destruction therefore turn from it if you will live and avoid judgments temporal as spiritual for we see the former are meant as out of Ezech. 33.21 A thing here chiefly to be taken notice of is that all this doth wholly run upon the Covenant of works the Law of Moses for 't is said Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness Ezech. 20. â—0 11. and gave them my statutes and shewed them my judgments which if a man do he shall live in them And consequently doth not reach our question about the Covenant of Grace and receiving of Christ when offered upon his own terms Now Christians do not or must not stand upon that old Covenant which was not faultless Heb. 8.6 7. or else no place should have been found out for the second which is a better covenant established upon better promises Now as Perfect Obedience the condition of the old Covenant was impossible for Men to perform so is Faith under the new Covenant a condition impossible for Men of themselves to attain unto 't is not found in Nature nor amongst Works but 't is a gift of God and none have it but those whom he is pleased to bestow it upon The house of Israel is willing to die and the reason is because naturally they are so inclined darkness ignorance and blindness are the natural portion of humane nature John 14 10.11 When he that was and is the life and light of men came into the world and that the light shined in dark ness yet darkness comprehended him not The world was made by him and the world knew him not He came to his own and his own received him not because Men loved darkness more than light This is the reason why people will die because they love not life there is a natural impossiblity 1 Cor. 2.14 How can Men naturally dead in trespasses and sins be willing to live What will is left in them tends not to spiritual life but for death if there be such strong inclinations in a good Man what must it be in the wicked Though the Angels had assured Lot they were come to destroy Sodom and hastned him out of it yet he lingered had no mind to come out till they to save him were forced to lay hold upon his hand and as it were force him out of it they certainly might have put to him the question why wilt thou die Seeing he staied as it were to be involved in the destruction of the place and his Wife how unwilling was she to leave it and contrary to the Angels order she must needs look behind either out of curiosity or a desire to go back So the Children of Israel had preferred to have continued under bondage in Egypt Genes 19. Numb 11.5 if they might but eat their Leeks Onions and Garlick than being in the Wilderness free from Slavery 'T is an amazement to think and see how averse Men are from their good and prone to their own mischief we must conclude those Men to be willing to die that are unwilling to live which will not turn from the paths of death There are in the world those that cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2.14 There are those that cannot recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.26 And who are bent upon and willing to die in whom is a repugnancy to their good and reluctancy to their happiness because born and bred under slavery I say a thing which to some will seem strange yet to my certain knowledge 't is very true how in some parts of Italy chiefly in the State of Venice there are those men who sell themselves to be Slaves in the Galleys some for a shorter some for a longer time and some for life and undergo the same Drudgery as do those who are put in there for great crimes Nay there be those who having as Malefactors continued there for a long time after their time was expired of their own accord returned thither This Paw I produce only thereby to judge of the Lyon how corrupt is man's nature and how willing and naturally inclined they are to ruine and destroy themselves
look upon any thing in the Creature when we seek amongst men that which we can find only with God this makes our Saviour say (d) Joh. 5 44. How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only Thus we have done with this great Subject as much as relateth to our present purpose CHAP. XII Christ dyed not for All. WE are now come to another Point about the extent of our Saviours death This is a matter of very great importance both in it self and in the consequence thereof and because the deciding of a question doth sometimes much depend upon the right stating of it I will endeavour so to do in this in order to it in few words I here lay down what Papists and Arminians say 't is thus They teach that Christ by his death intended the universal redemption of all and every particular Man whether Elect or Reprobate without distinction that by his death he actually obtained for all the grace and favour of God That the application of these graces thus obtained dependeth only on the free-will of Man some according to their liberty making use of that purchased gift others to whom that Grace and Salvation was alike purchased and intended on God's part do by their own contempt and neglect according to the same liberty of their will reject it But we say that the Lord Jesus did not give his Blood and Life for all only for the Elect his Members and that by his death he hath satisfied Gods Justice only for those who get good by it that is all Believers before his death in the time of or after his death to the worlds end In the beginning of this Treatise I made use of a kind of argument which here I shall not repeat only say that Scripture reduces it to many and who are to be understood by the many I instanced out of several Texts of Scripture Now we proceed to other proofs and argue thus He who will not do the least thing for one will not do the greatest for him He who will not speak a good word for a man surely will not dye for that man but our Saviour would not pray for the world for Reprobates therefore he would not dye for Reprobates Our Saviour is plain upon this (a) Joh. 17. in that Prayer of his which makes up a whole Chapter just before he was taken where after he had prayed for himself he prayed also for them whom the Father had given him out of the world for his Elect and Believers He solemnly declares he excludeth the wicked from his Prayer (b) Vers 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me out of the world This he saith if I may so say upon his death bed when he was about going to dye 't is as good as if he had said I dye not for the world the world of Reprobates for that 's the signification of the word in that place as anon by the grace of God we shall make it appear Again those for whom Christ dyed he loved so as that he could love them no more for he saith himself (c) Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends But it cannot be said that Christ loved Reprobates so that he could love them no more therefore he dyed not for them I say farther surely Christ would not dye for those whom he will never own nor suffer to come near him but he saith and we ought to believe him how at the last day (d) Matth. 7.23 He will profess unto them I never knew you Depart from me ye that work iniquity 'T is not to be supposed he would dye for those whom he will use so at last as to deny he ever knew them with that knowledge which is joyned with special love and favour Farthermore (e) Rom. 5.10 They for whom Christ dyed were reconciled to God by his death and being reconciled shall be saved by his life But it cannot be said that Reprobates were reconciled to God or shall be saved therefore Christ dyed not for them Now sins are not imputed to those who thorough Christ's death are reconciled to God but sins are imputed to all that are damned wherefore none of those that are damned were reconciled to God by the death of his Son The major or first part of our argument is grounded upon Scripture (f) 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their sins unto them Neither doth the Lord Jesus as we said before cause his death to be preached to all for 't is said in relation to this (a) Eph. 2.12 That the Gentiles were without Christ aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world If so then certainly he dyed not for all if his death was not published to all and it was not to those that were without Christ and there can be no benefit by Christ's death for men come to age except that death be preached but it is much less and more easie to have a death preached to one than to die for him Lastly I say if Christ be dead for all and every man without exception then he dyed for those that were in Hell long before his death and to whom he knew his death would do no good And do we take that precious Blood of the Covenant to be so slight a thing as to be shed in vain for those who could not be the better for it Nay for (b) Heb. 10.20 those who had trodden or should tread under foot the Son of God and count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing This were too much to prophane it that this holy blood should be shed for Judas who as our Saviour said (c) John 6.70 was a devil (d) John 17.12 the Son of perdition against whom he pronounceth a woe (e) Luke 22.22 Matth. 26.24 Woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed it had been good for that man if he had not been born Christ then had dyed in vain if for those that were in Hell out of which there is no redemption and this with an intent to procure them Salvation What an Opinion is this How injurious to the wisdom of Christ So the word all is to be restrained as when John's Disciples said John 3.26 of Christ all men come to him surely not every individual man All the Arguments whereby they endeavour to oppose this Dectrine may be reduced under two Heads for they lay a stress chiefly upon two words in Scripture the first is the word world the other the word all Under the first come in several Texts of Holy Scripture as these (f) John 1.29 Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of
BUT because some of the unlearned sort of people and others have a prejudice against the word as I have done about the name Predestination so I must shew Reprobation to be a Scripture Phrase always taken in an ill sence Thus St. Paul speaking of the (b) Rom 1.18 28 29 30 31. ungodliness and unrighteousness of some men against which the wrath of God is revealed from heaven he saith God gave them over to a reprobate mind that is to do all the wickedness expressed in the three following verses which are the works of reprobate and wicked Men. and in another place the Apostl speaks of some that (a) Tit. 1.16 are unto every good work reprobate unfit for and uncapable of it Some (b) 2 Tim. 3.8 are reprobate concerning the faith so elsewhere he speaks of it in the proper sence and to our present purpose (c) 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Where Christ is not there is the reprobate but Christ hath nothing to do as Mediator with those who lay under the Decree of reprobation thus it appears how reprobation is a Scripture word and consequently may well be used in its sence Now to the thing as there is Election so there is Reprobation St. Paul speaks of both as parts of Predestination when he saith (d) 1 Thes 5.9 God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ Hence it is clear how God appointed some to Salvation through Christ and others to Wrath which is Reprobation In God's work of Mercy and Salvation ever mention is made of Christ but not in those of Justice and Damnation because there is no mercy from God but through the Lord Jesus and where is no interest in Christ there is no true saving mercy The world may be called the house of God so may National Churches or particular Congregations wherein are Believers and Hypocrites therefore as (e) 2 Tim. 2.20 21. in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and vessels of silver but also of wood and of earth and some to honour and some to dishonour and as those unto honour are through grate prepared unto every good work so those of dishonour are by nature fitted for pains and torments the just reward of sin (f) Job 21.30 The wicked saith Job is reserved to the day of destruction they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath and as (g) Matth. 3.7 John Baptist said to the Scribes and Pharisees there is the wrath to come Reprobation is the Predestination of some to eternal death to be inflicted upon them by reason of their sins for the manifestation of the justice of God Now God and none but God is the author of the Decree as of Election so o Reprobation For as in time he damneth some as scripture expresses it in several places so God from eternity reprobated them and appointed them to damnation because as I said before nothing is done in time but what from eternity God ordered should be so As there is Election so there must be a Reprobation for if all were elected God would be all Mercy and no Justice and if all were reprobated then he would be all Justice and no Mercy therefore as both these Attributes must be manifested so there ought to be both Elect and Reprobate (a) Job 9.12 chap. 11.10 Who can hinder him who will say unto him what dost thou Let men hereupon not quarrel with his Justice but tremble at his Judgments God saith (b) Prov. 16.4 Solomon hath made all things for himself yea even the wicked for the day of evil which is generally interpreted the day of Judgment Vengeance and Perdition Again the Lord from Eternity (c) Rom. 9. from 13. to 19. hated some and loved others decreed to harden some and shew others mercy as St. Paul by the examples of Esau Pharaoh and Jacob doth clearly demonstrate it in the 9th to the Romans where the Apostle compares God to a Potter who of the same lump makes one vessel to honour and another to dishonour By this making vessels to Honour is meant Election as Reprobation is by others to dishonour Thus in Scripture Reprobation is represented under different expressions as making the wicked for the Evil Day hating and hardening some making some vessels to dishonour and in the Gospel our Saviour expresses it thus out of Isaiah (d) John 12.40 He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts and be converted and I should heal them For they who are not converted nor healed must be damned With Job and David we must say (e) Job 9.10 Psal 36.6 Rom. 11.33 God doth great things past finding out Except he be pleased to reveal them They who grumble or fret at these actings of God in matter of Reprobation may well be asked the question which God puts to Job in point of his Justice (f) Job 40.8 Wilt thou also disanul my judgments Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous To these several Texts I shall add only one reason which is this If God had predestinated no Man to damnation either no body is damned which is contrary to Scripture as I shewed already or else if any be damned 't is by chance or else out of an extemporal or sudden change in the will of God all which are absurd and false Though God be merciful in the highest degree it doth not hinder its being perfectly just He doth not use his mercy towards all but only those on whom he will have mercy by his Justice he doth reprobate and harden men for their sins neither is this contrary to the goodness of God for that perfection whereby he doth good to some doth not hinder his Justice and Judgment against others Neither doth it follow that because 't is the duty of one Man to wish another Man well therefore God is bound for this is the objection to wish and do good to all God and Men are not bound by the same rule a Man is bound to wish his neighbour well in as much as he knoweth it not to be contrary but according to the word of God but not withstanding any Law God willeth all things for himself therefore he willeth evil to the wicked for himself that is for the glory of his Justice Sin is the reason for Reprobation if we absolutely inquire into the cause for Man fallen and sinner is reprobated But if comparatively there is no other cause but the pleasure of God Hence arise two questions The first why from eternity God hath decreed to damn some Men The answer is God hath so decreed for sin which in his sight they were guilty of and this to declare his Justice nevertheless sin alone is not the cause of Reprobation the will of
all this they make two Objections first 't is against the Justice of God to reprobate Men who have done no evil though Scripture saith clearly it is so to father injustice upon God is certainly a great impity God is most just in every thing he doth though we cannot fathom into the particular causes yet his justice is a general one the consideration whereof ought to stop the mouth of every Creature What shall we say to the case of the Flood which was a great judgment whereby the whole World eight persons excepted perished in the Waters 'T is true the wickedness of Men was raised to an utmost degree but withall it must be owned that there were many Infants new born Babes yea several quick in the Womb who had committed no actual sins yet were involved in that general destruction Death saith Rom. 5.14 Paul reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression Adam's sin was an actual sin eating the fruit of the Forbiden-tree it could not be Original for he was created in Innocency but seeing (a) Chap. 6.23 death is the wages of sin and that those Infants who had committed no actual sin dyed in the Flood we must find another sin not after the similitude of Adam's transgression and that is Original-sin Now I say that as Original-sin was a just cause of the natural Death of those Babes so the same sin when it pleases God to leave them in it is a just cause of Eternal Death in those whom he punisheth with it for Eternal Death as well as Natural is the wages of Original as of Actual-sin And though sin be not the cause to move to pass sentence upon any yet that sentence is passed upon none but what are sinners Hence I conclude that as God was just in inflicting by the Flood Natural Death upon those Children that were unborn or newly born before they had done any evil so this holds for Election as for Reprobation in relation to Faith as to Unbelief according to that famous place of Romans about Jacob and Esau It is to be observed how St. Peter calls (b) Pet. 2.5 the world of the ungodly that world which the Flood drowned without any exception at all of Infants or others What hath been said of the Flood may be spoken to the same purpose of that terrible judgment upon Sodom and Gomorah and the Cities about them where no doubt were also Infants new born Babes and some quick in the Womb which as (c) Jud. 7. St. Jude saith suffered the vengeance of eternal fire and are set forth for an example Yet in all those things no exception against God's justice for he is most just in all his ways For if we must believe David the Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Psal 15.17 What shall we say as to the case of Achan his sin was personal he alone had committed it yet that same sin his Sons and Daughters nay the very Beasts as his Oxen Asses Sheep as well as he were by God's immediate command stonned to death and burned with fire Though in the eyes of Men they seemed innocent yet were guilty in the Lords eyes Josh 7.24 25. So in the particular case I before quoted of the Man that was blind from his birth our Saviour saith that neither the Man had sinned nor his Parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him This was a sufficient answer to the disciples they put no more questions about it But Arminians will impeach God's justice for denying sight to one who had not actually sinned Do not they do so in calling the equity of God's Decrees touching Men into question Can any thing in Scripture be plainer than this (a) Rom. 9.18 22 23. Ephes 1.11 that God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth that he hath appointed some to be vessels of mercy to the praise of the glory of his grace and some to be vessels of wrath to make his power to be known and that he maketh all things after the counsel of his own willâ— Yet what more usual than to dispute how this can agree with justice And with what reason God may punish that sin which by vertue of a Decree is unavoidable 'T is strange yet too true how peremptory sawcy and blasphemous speeches some in their Cups and others sometimes upon other occasions break into upon this subject and would reduce God to such terms of reason as they fancied to themselves After such declarations about these things which God hath given in his word were it not better to give him Glory and with David say O Lord thou art just when thou speakest and pure when thou judgest And if they cannot conceive how this should stand with equity rather than to call to question God's justice were it not better to own their weakness And with David say this is my infirmity For wo unto him that striveth with his Maker according to Solomon (b) Eccles 8.4 't is prudence not to controll an earthly King's actions who may say unto him what dost thou And O man who art thou that repliest against God and if in reference to Politicks of Government and Mysteries of State the same (c) Prov. 25.2 Solomon saith the heart of a King is unsearchable there is some secret reasons which many cannot dive into In God's matters as his Decrees and wise dispensation of his Providence much more we must think it to be so for in the same Chapter the wise Man saith it is the glory of God to conceal a thing The second Objection they make and which we already have given a hint to is this if I be reprobate and 't is God's pleasure I should go to Hell it is not in my power to help it so their Damnation they father upon God's pleasure This is too much like our first Parents to lay the fault upon others to excuse themselves Gen. 3.12.13 The woman whom thou givest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat He throws it on the Woman and she upon the Serpent the serpent begiuiled me If God had not given him the Woman then he would not have sinned nor the Woman if God had not created a Serpent so if God had not reprobated us say some we had not been damned But this is no more able to excuse them then the fig-leaves were to cover their nakedness though never so cunningly sewed together The Apostle lays open the case how God directeth and turneth all for his glory even the worst of things For our unrighteousness doth commend the righteousness of God and thorough our lie the truth of God hath more abounded unto his glory Rom. 3.5 6 7. Yet for all this though these evil things are turned to the greatest good that is the glory of God we are nevertheless