or embrace the call of Jesus Christ unto grace and glory And in answer to this I shal lay down onely four suggestions of the Devil wherewith he entangles a man that he should not yeild to the cal of Jesus Christ And as I lay them down I shal labour to take them a way As 1. The first temptation the Devil wil suggest is to you that are young men and to you he wil suggest that you are yet too young to embrace the call of Jesus Christ 't wil be time enough hereafter and you may do it soon enough hereafter you are two young now to be abridg'd of your pleasure and to mortifie your lusts and to betake your selves unto so serious a course as Christ cals you to and by this temptation the Devil prevails with young men more especially And I remember Austine saith that this temptation of the Devil made him keep off for seven years together from embracing the cal of Jesus Christ the Devil would stil tel him in his heart thou art too young to leave thy Drunkennesse and too young to leave thy Harlots til at last he cryed out How long shal I say it is too soon Why may I not repent to day This temptation I say it hath fastened upon many before you that they were too young to come in to Jesus Christ and to this end the Devil wil suggest to you that old and false Proverb A young Saint and an old Devil Whereas indeed if you are young Devils you wil be old Beelzebubs And therefore this being a suggestion prevailing witâ— many hearts I shal lay down six considerations to take off this temptation that it may not prevail with you First If the Devil tempt you that you are too young to hearken to Christs cal consider That the Devil cannot give you a Lease of your lives if the Devil could give you a Lease of your lives and tell you you should live til old age you might then with more safety harken to his temptation but your lives are not at the Devils disposal God is the Author of your life the issues of life and death are in his hands you may die in youth uncalled you may be damned as wel as dead You may be as these men Job 36.14 that shall die in their youth and their lives shall be among the unclean And therefore though the Devil tempt you that you are too young seeing he cannoâ— assure you of your lives you have no reason to hearken to his temptation Secondly Suppose the Devil could assure you you should live til old age yet take this consideration that in putting off your calling and the work of conversion from your youth this may so provoke God that he may harden your hearts in your old daies that you shal have no heart to think of and embrace the call and invitation of Jesus Christ Jer. 22.21 I spake to thee in thy prosperity but thou wouldst not hear and this hath been thy manner frâ—m thy youth Thou wouldst not obey my voyce God spake but they would not hear and it was from their youth that they did thus therefore God would never speak more God hardened their hearts that they should never receive or embrace the cal of Jesus Christ So Isa 6.9 10. Seeing the Jewes from their youth were obstinate against the word of God Go saith God make their ears heavy and their hearts fat and their eyes blind that they should not be called and converted and I should save them Let this therefore be a second consideration that the putting off your cal til your old age may so provoke God as never to give you hearts to embrace his cal Thirdly Suppose al this that you could have a Lease of your lives and you could be assured that when you come to old age your hearts should not be hardened yet consider this that the more sinful and evil the daies of your youth have been the more disquietnesse of minde and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old though you shal be called and converted by Jesus Christ Job 13.24.25 26. Thou â—idest thy face thou holdest me as thy Enemy Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro and thou dost pursue me like dry stubbâ—e Now why doth Job complain thus Mark the next words For thâ—u writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Job when he was a young man it seemâ— he was a wicked man and had many sins in his youth and this in his old age made him cry out and say that God took him for his Enemy and that God brake him like a leafe driven with the wind O beloved the sins of your youth though you should be Jobs converted yet they wil bring great disquietnesse and great horroâ— when you come to age the lusts of youth and the vanities of youth and the sensual pleasures of your youthful daies they wil lay a foundation of sorrow when you come to gray hairs to be neare your graves so Job 20.11 And therefore put the case you should repent and should be called when you are old you have no cause to put off the cal of Jesus Christ seeing sins of youth wil fill you with horror and disquietnesse of minde Hence it is that David after he was call'd by the power of the word cries out Psal 25. Lord remember not the sins of my youth that gravelled and gall'd his conscience the sins of his youth before his cal It is the speech of an Author that to look on the pleasurable vanities and contents of youth this wil become an heavy burden and bitter vexation to old age Beloved the more evil you run out into in your youthful daies the greater and deeper foundation of disquietnesse and sorrow you lay in your souls in your latter daies though you should be called by Jesus Christ 4. If the Devil suggest that you are too young to embrace the invitation of Christ consider That Jesus Christ wll take it most kindly at your hands if while you are young you wil give entertainment to his cal Jer. 2.2 I remember thee saith the Lord and the kindnesse of thy youth that thou wouldst follow me in the Wildernesse in a land that was not sown Mark how the Lord speaks and how kindly he takes it that they would in their youth follow God the Lord wil remember it and take it acceptable from you if while you are young while the Marrow is in your bones and strength in your joynts you wil embrace the waies of Jesus Christ It is an observation that some have concerning the Beloved Disciple John John 20. He is called the Disciple whom Christ loved and that leaned upon his brest of al the other eleven Disciples Christ did love John above the rest and Divines give this reason of it John was the youngest of al the Disciples he was converted and called by Christ when he was a young
life may be changed the external acts and course may be changed when the heart may not be changed and the nature the same still Thirdly There may be a great change in a mans life proceeding not from a change in their nature but from the times wherein they live the times are changed therefore they are changed the times do not favour superstition therefore they will not shew their superstitious hearts the times countenance not profanenesse therefore they will not be profane Beloved a change in a mans life may flow many times from a change of the times wherein they live and yet this change no Argument of a heart change or of effectual calling by Jesus Christ Fourthly A change in your life may proceed from a change in your sin not from a change in your heart As thus A man may be a Drunkard may be an Adultery may be a profane liver in times past and may change these sinnes for other sins He may change his Drunkennesse into Covetousnesse and be a covetous Worldling He may change his Adultery for Idolatry and be a superstitious mâ—n He may change Profanenesse into Hypocrisie and be an hypocritical man He may change his loose practice into a loose judgement and be an erroneous man Now this is no change of the heart but onely a change of the sin you have not the same sins you had but you have other sins in place of them and men may thus have a change in their life flowing from a change in their sin yet no Argument of effectual câ—lling Ier. 2.36 Why gaddest thou so much to change thy way The people of Israel they would be alwayes changing now they would be for God anon for Baal now for Gods true worship an on for false worship they would be ever changing their sin but never leaving it onely change their old sins for other sort of sins And so there are many men now adayes changed they are turned from Malignity and are come to be Professors it may be they have not so gross sins now as in times past in times past they would oppose Religion and now they professe it though they have left their opposition they have some sin more eminent then that Many men have been loose in practise they have changed that to be loose in judgment this is no change of heart all this while so that take this for a truth there may be a change in the life when the heart remains unchanged still Fifthly There may be a change in mens lives arising from a change in the occasions to sin and not from a change in the heart As now A Lion that will go ramping and roaring up and down devouring his prey when he is at large yet put this Lion in a Den there he is quiet and will offer no hurt now the Lion is a Lion still and hath his ravenous disposition still only he hath not so fair an occasion to shew his rage It is thus with men many men want aâ—fions and opportunities to shew their wickedness and the evil of their natures and therefore doe not discover them What 's the reason many a man was a drunkard before and is not so now It may be drunkenness hath brought beggery and now he hath not money to sit upon an Ale-bench What 's the reason a man was an Adulterer before and is not so nâ—w It may be he hath spent his stock and spent his strength upon Whores and now he hath neither strength nor purse to follow after them It is no thanks to you if God take away your occasions of sinning men may be thus changed yet have no change in the heart at all Sixtly Many men may change their lives because they come into better company haply their company is better then in times past and this may work in them a change in their lives As we read of Joash all the while he was in Jehojada's company he was a well ordered man in his life but when he was dead and he came to have wicked men about him then he shewed the wickedness of his heart 7. Lastly Every change is not an evidence of effectual calling because there may be a change in the life proceeding from a wrong principle and tending to a wrong end As thus a man may change his life from a wrong principle what 's that I will name two wrong principles of a change in unconverted men As First Men may change their lives because of some present outward affliction that lies upon them in this life their afflictions may inforce them to change their wayes and not be so bad as in former dayes Jonah 1.5 when they were in a storm in the ship every man went and prayed to his God What a change was here yet the change was only because of the danger they were in danger of death and therefore they grew religious Every man when a danger and affliction lies upon him that will make him betake himself to God and be a better minded man And so Pharaoh when God sent ten sore plagues upon him the plagues did inforce Pharaoh to confesse his sin and beg of Moses to pray for him and yet this change in Pharaoh was only because of the present affliction that lay upon him which wrought this change Ier. 22.23 Oh Inhabitants of Lebanon how gracious wilt thou be when thy pangs come upon thee When pangs and afflictions were upon them then they would be a gracious people There is many a man will change his life when God brings pangs and death and sicknesse upon him these are forc'd wayes that God takes to make a wicked and stout-hearted wretch change his life Isa 16.12 It s said there When Moab is weary Moab will come to my Eanctuary and pray What a change was here in Moab Moab an Idolatrous company that hated Gods people and were enemies to all goodness yet when they were weary and Gods hand lay heavy upon them then they would pray Ezek. 24.12 So that you see clearly though men do change their lives yet if this change flow only from a present affliction they lie under that Gods hand upon them doth even force them to change their course this is no Argument of a saving change and so by consequence no evidence of your effectual calling Secondly Men may change their course from this Principle also because of that horrour of conscience that seizeth on them in the apprehension of hell and the wrath of God and from this principle a Heathen may change his course It is noted by one upon that place Peter It happens unto them as the Dog that turns to his vomit c. Upon those words he hath this note That the Dog in vomiting carries resemblance to a wicked man leaving his sin Now saith the Author the Dog when he vomits it is by reason of some qualm and pang that is in his stomack and when he hath that pang he will disgorge himself and ease himself by
and this Divines call universal redemption Now against this I shall lay down several Scriptures and then take off the objections that seems to strengthen this opinion First for Scripture In the Epistle of Jude vers 3. you read of some that were ordained of old to condemnation Therefore sure all could not be saved 1 Thes 5.9 Some men are appointed to wrath but we to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ Therefore all men could not be within the purpose of Gods first intention to save Matth. 22.14 Many are called but few are chosen So Rom. 11.7 The Jewes did not obtain what they sought for but the elect obtained it and the rest were hardened 2. Tim. 2.20 There are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour The Scripture makes it a discriminating act in God that some he chose to life and others from eternity in his counsel he chose to wrath and condemnation And these Scriptures will fully overthrow this opinion And indeed the very word chusing confutes it which intimates a taking off some with an overlooking of others But now let us view a little the Arguments of Scriptâ—â—es they abuse to strengthen this unsound opinion of theirs ur One is 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all died even so in Christ shall all be made alive Now say they Every man did die in Adam every mothers childe by Adams fall became subject to death even so in Christ shal every man be made alive the Lord did intend that every man should have benefit by Jesus Christ Now to take off this I shall answer it in shewing you the true intent and scope of this Scripture This universal phrase of making alive hath not reference to the saving of the soul but to the resurrection of the body And so the sence is this That as in Adam by vertue of his sin every man came to die a natural death So in Christ shall all be made alive that is so by Christs power shall every man rise from the dead And if you aske how I make that appear to be the intendment of the Text. I answer the words themselves will make it plain Vers 11. It is said By man came death by man also came the resurrection from the dead that is as by that man Adam came death so by that man Christ shall come the resurrection from the dead for as in Adam all died c. so that here you see this is brought in as a proof of the 21. verse Intimating that this being made alive hath no reference to the life of the soul but onely to the Resurrection of the body that as Adam by his sin brought death to all men so Christ by his power shall raise all men from the dead every man in his own order However should this be granted that this making alive should have reference to the life of the soul it would bear no more but this that all that are damned are damned as in Adams loines and all that are saved shall be saved as in the loins of Jesus Christ And so make nothing at all to prove this which they call universal election Another Scripture undeniable they think is Rom. 11.32 where it said God hath concluded all men under unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all Now say they If God did do an act to make men see their unbeliefe and did intend by this action to have mercy upon all then God in his counsel intended to save all Now to this that he might have mercy upon all I answer This phrase all is not to be taken in an unlimited sence that God shut up all men in unbeliefe that is God made all believers see their own misery that he might have mercy on all them that believe And if you ask how I prove this to be the meaning of the Text I answer The Scripture makes it clear Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all men under sin The very words forequoted But what 's the limitation Shall all men be saved No For mark the next words The Scripture hath concluded all men under sin that the faith of Jesus Christ should be given to them that believe Now though Paul doth not say thus to the Romans yet the words being the same the Restriction holds good in both places So that it is clear That he might save all or have mercy upon all It is not meant all universally but all with limitation of Paul here all them that believe Again Another objection or Scripture they abuse is 1 Tim. 2.4 Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth This Text Origen doth grosly abuse holding hence that it is the intendment and will of God that all men should be saved Now to take off this objection We must first distinguish here of Gods will and then of this phrase All. Who will have all men to be saved First of Gods will and the Schoolmen give this distinction about it That there is a will of Gods good pleasure and there is God signifying will Now the will of Gods good pleasure is that real purpose in God to save a man And there is no man that in this sence God wills to be saved but he must be saved but in this sence God wills not all men to be saved But secondly there is Gods significative will that is wherby in Scriptures God tenders salvation to every man that will lay hold upon Jesus Christ and so Godâ— signifying will excludes no man from salvation but the Ministers if they preach to ten thousand people they must tender Christ universally to all because they know not which of them are elect and which reprobate which of them shall be saved and which damned This is Gods signifying will and though God by this will tell you what Ministers must do to tender Christ and salvation to all yet this doth no way follow that the determinate will of Gods good pleasure is involved under this as if all men should be saved Perkins in his writings hath this distinction of it That there is Gods absolute will and so he wills not all men to be saved and Gods conditionate will that in case every man did believe they should be saved for God envies no mans salvation there is grace enough in God to save every man in the world But secondly there may be more distinct answer given to this place God will have all men to be saved All is taken sometimes in a destributive sence and sometimes in a collective sence In a destributive sence for every man under heaven and so God wills not all men to be saved But secondly in a collective sence for all sorts and degrees of men and so God intends to save all that is some of all sorts and of all degrees of men in the world And this appears if you mark the context He will have all men to be saved that is some of all sorts Some Kings some great men some rich and some
that God would blot his name out of the book of life Intimating say they a man may be elected and written in that book and yet afterward blotted out and perish To which I answer That this prayer of Moses is onely a wish or supposition as Pauls was when he wisht he were accursed from Christ for his kindred in the flesh Now a man may suppose mountains of Gold and suppose things that never were nor never shall be in being bare suppositions put nothing in being so here that Moses makes a supposition in a pathetical prayer this doth no way argue as if his name could be blotted out of the book of life Secondly Rivet he expounds it thus that there is a double book of life The book of life being sometimes taken for the eternal councel and decree of God as Phil. 4.3 sometimes for the special providence of God over men in preserving them amongst the living So we read Psal 139. In thy book saith David were all my members written meaning not in the book of Gods decree but only in the book of his providence that all the members of Davids body they were all under the providence of God that none could hurt him And so Rivet with others think that by the book of life here is meant that God would blot out Moses from the book of his special protection and let him die as other men rather then this evil should come upon the people of Israel q.d. Destroy my name from among men and do not protect me any longer Again they object that in Psal 69.28 it is said Let them be blotted out of the book of life Now say they That is Gods election and to be blotted out implies that a man may be elected and yet perish To this I answer as formerly that the book of life in that place hath no reference to the decree of Gods Election but onely to his book of providence that God would not protect wicked men as he doth his own people in a way of providence And other phrases in Scripture will somewhat favour this interpretation As Ezek. 13.9 They shall not be written in the writings of the house of Israel What 's that i. e. let them not any more be thought Israelites nor numbred among the people And Ainsworth I remember compares Psal 69.19 with this place in Ezek. 13.9 and he makes the sence to be one and the same that to be blotted out of the book of life is nothing else then to be out of Gods protection to be blotted out of the catalogue of the living and have ones life in danger to be brought to death And this wish David wished for those wicked men But then they object further from Rev. 22.19 If any man shall take away from the words of this book God shall take away his part in the book of life Here say they by book of life is unquestionably meant Gods decree and the Scripture saith They that take any thing from this book God will blot him out of the book of life and will undoubtedly damn him To which I answer I confesse in this place the book of life is taken for Gods decree and that a man may be said to be blotted out of this book and yet this no way follow that a man elected may be damned And here let me give you Austins words upon the place which is a very clear and satisfactory answer That a man may be said to be blotted out of the book of life in two regards First it is equivalent to this phrase that this name shall never be written in the book of Life And you have often such phrases in Scripture As it is said in Matthew He that doth evill himself and teacheth men so to doe he shall be least in the Kingdome of Heaven Intimating not as if he should come to heaven but that he should not come there at all To be least there is never to be there So here to be blotted out is equivalent to this that they were never in Secondly A mans name may be said to be blotted out of the book of life not as if it were there in deed and in truth but in their own opinion they thought they were elected and thought their names were written there they had strong conceits of this and though they are now deluded and mistaken yet God will make them know one day when they are in hell that their names are blotted out of the book of life Again Another Scripture they abuse is 1 Cor. 10.12 Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Now say they if it were not possible for a man elected to fall and fall finally to what end is this caution of the Apostle it were a needless caution were it not possible to come to passe To which I answer two things First the Apostle doth not say Let him that stands take heed left c. but the Apostle saith Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Intimating that men that think they are elected and think they are in a good condition they should take heed lest they miscarry to all eternity Secondly Take heed lest they fall This falling here is not meant a falling from grace finally and falling into hell and perishing but the falling here is onely a falling into sinne and so an elect â—an should doe An elect man though he stand firme in Gods decree yet he should take heed all the dayes of his life that he fall not into sinne And if you aske me how I make that appeare I answer from the context This is a conclusion or caution the Apostle gives upon the enumeration of several instances of the people of God that in former ages did sin against God As some that tempted Christ and fell in one day 23000. Others that fell to fornication and provoked him in the Wildernâ—sse With many such sins reckoned up and the summe of all is this that seeing they that were Gods people fell into sinne and were punished therefore you that think you stand and think you are elected you should take heed you fall not into sinne as they did And thus I have done with resolving this second query Thirdly whether doth God elect any man to life and salvation upon foresight of his faith or good works foreseeing that this man will believe therefore I elect him to salvation and the other man will not believe therefore I chuse him to damnation Whether I say doth God in his eternal decree elect any man to life upon foresight of works Here the Papists and Arminians joyn both together in maintaining of this The reason say they why God elects some and not others is because God did foresee from eternity that that man would be holy and would believe in Christ and therefore God elected him to salvation These are the hard imputations they lay to Gods charge And in the resolving of this I shall answer it in the Negative That
73.5 Their eyes burst out with fatness they are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued as other men are The Lord in his dispensations doth so deal with wicked men that they are not plagued they are not troubled as godly men are in this world And therefore surely affliction is no argument of Gods displeasure or of their not being within the compass of Gods purpose to do them good SERMON XVI 2. Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally called by God to life and salvation In the prosecution of which Doctrine I have gone over several particulars and have now onely one Query more to satisfie about Election and then to winde up this Doctrine in laying down some explicatory propositions very conducible to illustrate this Doctrine of Election And the Quere to be resolved is this What are those delusions of the Devil whereby he nourisheth presumptuous perswasions in the minds of men that they are elected by God when they are not And to answer this I shall reduce all I have to say under these three heads First The Devil perswades wicked men that they are elected upon this ground Because they doe not break forth into such grosse and scandalous enormities in their lives as many men that live about them doe and therefore the Devil boulsters them up in this Surely if you were not elected you would be as bad as any and as vile and exorbitant as any Now seeing God keeps you in that you act not such things in your lives as other men doe this may be a comfortable evidence to you that you are in the number of Gods elect ones And this delusion deceives thousands of people especially morallized and civillized men they run hood-winkt to hell nourishing hopes of life and salvation and never feel the conâ—rary till they come to death and hell I shall declare this to be a delusion in laying down four or five particulars As First That there are many men that are mentioned in Scripture not to have been within the compasse of Gods election who yet were men of very blâ—â—lesse and honest lives not blâ—mished with any grosse and scandalous evils Read Luke 18.11 14. of the Pharisee He tels you he thanks God he was no extortioner no adulterer no covetous persâ—n no dâ—unkard nor was he as wicked as the Publican was Herâ— you see a man that spake vauntingly and truly that he wâ—s not a man that broke out into those miscarriages other men did yet what was this man An elect vessel No. Read ver 14. and the Text tels you the Publican went away justified rather the other the Phasee though he was free from scandalous and grosse enormities in his life yet he was not a justified man and so by consequence not an elect man You read of hypocrites Mat. 23. that cleansed the outside of the cup and of the platter that is cleansed their conversations and cleansed the outward man of grosse scandals and yet within were full of filth and Christ tels us they were hypocrites that should have their portion in hell And should you view over Historians that write of the Scribes and Pharisees and strict men among the Jewes they will tell you what wonderful holy-lived men they were they were often in duties fasted twice a week prayed every day in the corners of the streets none so strict as they in observing the Sabbath would goe vailed left they should be ensnared by lascivions objects and yet these very men so wonderful strict and cautious were men that had no dram of grace in them at all Though they were a people thus well dressed in their lives yet the Scripture tels us of them that Whores and Harlots should goe to Heaven before them This therefore is the first that many men have had their lives free from grosse scandals and yet were men that were not elected by God to life and salvation Secondly That a mans conversation may be free from scandalous sinnes yet if this freedome from scandals proceed from a wrong principle it may be in a person not elected As I will make it appeare There may be a freedome from grosse sins proceeding from a threefold principle and yet a man be in a state of daâ—nation and of reprobation As first There may be a freedome from scandals proceeding from religious education secondly from a natural disposition and thirdly from the power of restraining grace First there may be a freedome from grosse sinnes proceeding from the power of education So the young man in the Gospel Matth. 19.18 19 20. when Christ told him what the Law was Thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not steal thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe thou shalt doe no murder thou shalt not beare false witnesse c. Saith the young man All these have I kept from my youth He was a Pharisee and his parents strict in their course of living and brought him up so from his youth and yet this man no elect man ver 22. Secondly a man may be free from scandalous sins arising from an ingenious natural disposition A mans disposition may sometimes be utterly averse to some sinnes Pluâ—arch a heathen could say this I had rather it were said there were no such man as Plutarch in the world then to say that Plutarch was unchaste Plutarch was a drunkard or Plutarch was a swearer Mans natural temper may sometimes be free from grosse sinnes and yet he not an elect person for all this And then thirdly a man may be free from grosse sinnes as proceeding from the power of restraining grace Gen. 20.6 I also withheld Abimelech from sinning against me He was a Heathen and a wicked man and yet God by the power of restraining grace did keep Abimelech from running into that exorbitant course of sinning against him So that if a man be free from grosse sinnes and yet proceeding from false principles a man may not be an elect man for all this Unlesse your freedome from sinne proceed from a renewed nature from a sanctified heart and from the saving operation of the holy Ghost unless it comes from these principlâ—â— your freedome from grosse sinnes can be no pledge to your soules that you are elected by God to life Thirdly that a man having a good life free from scandalous sinnes if he have not a good heart that is no argument of a man that is within the compasse of Gods election Rom. 2.28 29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is of the heart whose praise is not of men but of God Intimating that he is not a Christian he is not an elect Jew that was
thorouâ—h â— Nâ—edles eye aâ— for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of God As easie for a Camel It is not meant in this sense as some expound it That there was a gate in Hierusalem called the Needles eye a little and low gate which their Camels being ladâ—â— could not go through and therefore they must unload the burden and the Camel stoop before they could enter Some â—hink Christs speech had relation to that Beza saith that instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Camel they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cable which if untwisted may be put through the eye of a Needle but the knot is not untied but cut by this Exposition But the words were a proverbial speech among the Jewes who had this proverb amongst them that when any one spake things either unlikely or unprobable they would say This can be as easily done as a Camel can goe through a Needles eye And Christ alluding to this Proverb saith that rich men that doâ—e upon their riches and cleave to their wealth and rather part with heaven and Christ and soule and all then part with their riches Christ makes it an unpossible thing for such rich men to come into heaven As I once told what Buchanan said lying upon his death-bed in a message to King James I am going to that place where few Kings come And Beloved the speech is true for not many wise not many mighty not many noble hath the Lord chosen Secondly few civil honâ—st men doe fall within the compasse of Gods choice to save Moral men that trust upon their civility and moral honesty and plain dealing few or none of these come to heaven Publicans and Harlots shall come to Heaven before you Matth. 21.32 Whores and Harlots believe in me when you do not saith Christ Thirdly That though God in his own counced hath determined or made choice but of the fewest number of men women men to life and salvation yet this doth no way intrench upon the mercy of God this doth no way lessen or impeach the mercy of God Men may think as if surely God had cast off all bowels and cast off all mercy What God make such a world of men as he hath done and save but a few of these Man might think as if God were a hard Master that delighted in the destruction of man that had forgotten to be gracious such a hard charge will they be apt to lay upon God But now Beloved that God hath elected so few a number to life this doth no way impeach the mercy of God And this I make appear thus because God was bound to save none at all therefore you cannot challenge God either with unmercifulnesse or unfaithfulnesse if he should save none It was a meer act of his bounty and good will that he would save any Nay secondly there is that in man in the best of men that might justly provoke God not to save any And therefore if God save any it is of grace And this is a certain rule that God doth shew more mercy in saving of one then he would have done rigour of Justice had he damned all As may be made plaine by this comparison Suppose forty men guilty of Rebellion were arraigned for their lives and were condemned to die by the Law if the Prince pardon foure of these forty he shewes more mercy in pardoning the foure then he doth rigour of Justice in condemning the forty Why because the Fact deserved death in all alike So it is with God Every man upon earth deserves death and damnation and if God cull out any of the mass of mankind to save them he shewes more mercy then he had done rigorous Justice should he have destroyed all because he is bound to save none at all Fourthly God in electing a certain number to life doth it without foresight of any good works which he saw would be in them Indeed the Papists and Arminians joyn their strength to maintain this God say they foresaw men would believe in Christ and would be holy in their lives and therefore God did chuse them to life This you may remember I spent some time in overthowing formerly and therefore pass it over now viz. That God did not chuse men to life with reference to any good works he foresaw in them This indead is an undoubted truth All men whom God did elect to life he foresaw they would have good works in them but Gods foreseeing of this was no the cause for which he did elect them No the motive was his own will according to the pleasure of his own grace Rom. 9.11 and Rom. 11.5 A remnant are saved according to the election of grace for if it were of works grace is no more grace Were election upon foresight of good works then it would follow that infants dying in infancy were not within the compasse of Gods election because an infant so dying could not perform any good works and so their case would be most miserable Besides we are not justified by actual works therefore not elected upon works foreseen Rom. 3.24 for there is the like reason of these two Fifthly That Gods election is so free that in chusing and electing men to life and salvation he doth not do it for the sake of Jesus Christ himself Understand this well that therein you might both give Christ his due and God the father his due for mistake me not God doth save none but by Christ but God did elect men without reference to Jesus Christ as the motive of election meerly according to the purpose of his own will All modern and latter Divines lay down this for a truth that it was the meer pleasure and good will of God to man that was the motive of Gods electing us and not Christ Christ could not be the cause because he was the effect Now what is the effect cannot be the cause Gods love in electing mankind did produce Jesus Christ to be the means of our salvation and of bringing about Gods election therefore he being the effect of election cannot be the cause The cause of election was eternal but the merits of Christ were not so Again Christ was elected himself 1 Pet. 1.20 He was preordained of God before the world was Now he that was elected himself could not be the cause of our election Besides the elect are said to be given to Christ to be saved John 17.2 therefore he was not the cause of our election It is true the Scripture tells us Eph. 1.4 We are elected in Christ i. we are elected in Christ as a common person God first chose Christ and then believers in Christ as members of his body But God elects no man for Christs sake but man is chosen meerly of Gods bounty without reference to Jesus Christ And here Divines say Gods love in electing man to life was as free as if Christ had never died and it was so free that man was not beholding to