can happen to His There can be no other Event of them but what He setly intended The least of His Purposes shall never suffer disappointment much less that great Design of Men's Salvation by the Death of Jesus Christ For 1. The Thing it self iâ— feasible Millions of Souls are gon to Heaven on His accompt 2. It was so wisely contrived That all Interests concern'd are secured and satisfied God is Just in Jâ—stifying The Sinner saved even whiles Vengeance is taken on his Sins and Christ well pleased with a Seed to serve Him 3. The way of obtainment is such as will certainly compass the End The Divine Power is engaged in it which rests not in the least on the concourse or compliance of any frustrable Instrument 4. His Heart cannot be taken off from it It is That which His blessed thoughts have run upon from Eternity and those Thoughts of His stand fast to all Generations And 5. No higher Power can supersede His Decree He is Sovereign Lord and controlleth all There he divers Arguments which readily offer to confirm the Matter in hand I. The first is from the Nature and Import of Redemption Arg. 1. It was not the mere depositing of the Ransom demanded as a pledge to secure the Creditor's Satisfaction in case the Treaty took effect Nor was it such a pledge as might be resum'd or paid-back in case it succeeded not Neither yet was the Price of that undervalue and imperfection as to need the addition of any thing from without it self to make it effectual But such a Price it was so paid so accepted and so qualified as for ever concludes all Parties and Interests concern'd in it It was in all respects Adequate to and worthy of the Purchase design'd by it Redemption is a term of large comprehension It is next to Election and carries in it All that Election hath Chosen us to It does not barely make Men Releasable or Capable of pardon but the Actual and Eternal Deliverance from Sin Satan Death and the Law together with the full and perfect Salvation of Redeemed Ones is included in it And this is not barely affirm'd but evident proof will make it good A Witness or two for each of these 1. The Redemption wrought by Christ imports Satisfaction Without this the World had not been Reconciled Nor could it be said the pleasure of the Lord had prospered in His hand But both these are affirm'd Isa 53. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 18 and 19. and Heb. 2. 17. expresly That He made Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Yea our Grand Creditour proclames Himself satisfied by His sending from Heaven to Release our Surety 2. Justification or Deliverance from Guilt Eph. 1. 7 In whom we have Redemption through His blood the forgiveness of Sins Gal. 3. 13 Christ hath Redeem'd us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us He blots out the Hand-writing against us Nailing it to His Cross Col. 2. 14. 3. It imports the vanquishing and binding of the Strong Man who would not else have let-go the Prey By death He destroyed Him who had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2. 14. By the blood of His Cross He spoiled Principalities and Powers and triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. 4. Freedom from the power of sin Rom. 6. 6 Our old Man was Crucified with Him that henceforth we should not serve Sin Upon which it follows Sin shall not have dominion over you ver 14. 5. Inherent Holyness or Sanctification Col. 1. 21 You that were somtimes enemies in your mind now hath He reconciled in the Body of His flesh through death to present you Holy c. ver 22. We are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ Heb. 10. 10. and Rom. 6 18 Being then made free from Sin ye became the Servants of Righteousness And that it was by virtue of Christ's death appears by ver Heb. 9. 14. 8 For if we be dead with Christ we shall also live with Him 6. It likewise imports Resurrection Joh. 6 54 55 I will raise Him at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed that is as Crucified Christ dying was the death of death Hos 13. 14. 7. It also extends to the actual possessing of Redeemed ones with blessedness and Glory Rom. 8. 30. Whâ—m He justified them He glorified Liberty of entring into the holiest is by the blood of Jesus Heb 10. 19. and Rev. 5. 9 10. That hast Redeemed us unto God by thy blood and hast made us Kings and Priests It is the voice of Those in Heaven Now All these are in Redemption they proceed out of Christ's fulness as a Redeemer And for this cause it was that Paul cared not to know any thing but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified It is true That the Resurrection of Christ His Ascention Sitting at God's right hand and Intercession have their respective influence into every of those particulars aforenamed but they all spring from His Crucifixiâ—n If He had not dyed He had not been a Priest for ever as He is after the order of Melchisedeck Heb. 9. 12. II. Another Argument is from the inestimable worth and dignity of the Ransom that was given Arg. 2. It was the life of the Son of God Matth. 20. 28. Heaven and Earth will bear no proportion in value to this price of Redemption which therefore could not be parted-with for a doubtful or uncertain Purchase In this lies the stress of the Apostle's Argument Who when He would set forth the happy estate of God's Elect and prove them above the Reach of danger He doth it in two words but very significant ones Christ hath dyed Who shall condemn It is Christ that dyed Rom. 8. 38. The Eminency of the Person and the sufferings He submitted to as they greatly illustrate His love to Men So they strongly affirm and insure the event of His death If reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more Saved by His life Rom. 5. 10. It may truly be said of every one He died for Ezek. 18. 9. He is just He shall surely live But this in the same respect and sense as those then unborn were said to be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ Heb. 10. 10. And their Old Man to be crucified with Him Rom. 6. No Man is actually justified till he actually believes But Repentance and Faith being purchased by Christ for those He died for They shall as certainly be made to Repent and Believe as that Christ died for them Phil. 1. 29. III. The Righteousness of Christ is more prevalent and effectual to His Seed Arg. 3. than Adam's transgression was to his All his Posterity indeed fell under the Curse by it yet so that there was still through the Intervention of Grace a possibility of Release But the Righteousness of Christ hath so perfectly recovered and ' stablished His Seed that their justified '
he puts the Lord in mind of His promise to their Fathers Of His Mercy in pardoning them â—forâ—time what reflection it would have on His honour among the Egyptians If He should now destroy them c. Not a word of Complaint That first to promise and then to threaten is a senseless thing It had been senseless in Moses thus to do and in no wise consistent with His duty But more directly It were no senseless part in a Father to purchase an Office for his Son and so to settle it on him that it sâ—all not be in his own power to Reverse it And yet keeping to himself the knowledge of that Settlement propose the injoyment thereof conditionally viz. upon terms of obedience to his fathers Commands The tendency of all which is but to prove himself the Son of such a father and to Meeteâ— him for his place And the more to oblige his Son to a studious preparing himself for it to lay before him the evil and danger of a Negligent course by which if persisted in he might render himself uncapable But surely supposing this Father to have the same power over his Son as God hath over the heart and Spirit of His people He will so order him by Instruction discipline and good principles that he shall not run into a Forfeiture Besides Threatnings of Damnation are not properly appliable to Believers who know themselves so to be For he that believeth Joh. 5. 24. is passed from death to life and shall not come into Condemnation However at times for want of a thorow knowing their State unthankfulness for it or some other miscarriage they bring themselves under doubtings of it But for such as have Compleat assurance under God's hand and seal as the Objection speaks They are sealed up to the Day of Redemption Eph. 4. 30. Rom. 8. 15. with a Seal that never shall be loosed In case any person were so adjudged to Eternal life from Eternity that there is no possibility of miscarrying then there was no necessity of Christs dying for him The Assertors of Absolute Election do hold with the Scriptures That Election is in and through Christ The same Decree that ordained to Salvation ordained also the death of Christ in order thereto That God might be Just in Justifying He hath appointed us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5. 9 10. It might be inferr'd with as much shew of Reason That if such an End be appointed to be wrought by such a Means then that Means is unnecessary to that end That if God hath Chosen Men to salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth then holiness and faith are Needless things These are absurd reasonings which the Truth never Owns We judge such an Election to be an open Enemy to Godliness For who will strain and toil himself for that which he knows he shall obtain by an easie pace The Doctrine of Conditional Election can be no friend to Godliness whatever it may pretend since all that a Man doth on that account ultimately ends in self Godliness is to Aim at God as our Chief End in all that we do Now One that holds the Elect sure of Salvation and believes himself to be one of them and yet goes on to fear God and obey Him Glorifies God more than he that performs the same duties for kind and perhaps greater in bulk in expectation of life thereby The Pharisees fasted oftner than Christ's Disciples but were not such real friends to Godliness as they Long prayers fastings and Alms-deeds are all Nothing without Love and who do you think will Love God more he that believes himself sure of God's Love unchangeably or One that holds That after all his toiling and straining he may possibly have Run in vain and lose all at last And who would think that a Master in Israel should Reason so absurdly who counts it a toil to eat his Meat when Nature requires it especially when 't is most agreeable both to his palate and constitution All the wayes of God are pleasantness to them that walk in them And these would not leave them again although their future happiness were not concerned in it If they be grievous to any it is from their unacquaintedness with His Love 1. John 5. 3. It must needs make men very remiss and loâ—se in the Service of God Christ knew that the Angels had charge over Him and that He should not dash His foot against a stone yet ne'r the less careful of His own preservation Paul was sure of the Crown of Righteousness and yet as diligent in beating down his body andâ— strain'd as hard in Running his Race as any of those who lay the stress of Salvation upon their works Such a Notion of Election layes the honour and necessity of that great Ordinance of Preaching the Gospel in the dust For if the Elect so called shall as certainly be saved by a weak simple or Corrupt Ministry and this it may be enjoyed but a day or two in all a Mans life or loosely attended upon wherein is the Ministry of the Gospel to be esteemed That peremptory Decree That Summer and Winter Day and Night shall not cease takes not away the Necessity of the Sun 's being in the World Gen 8. 22. Nor of its daily Risings Settings and various Revolutions For by these as the Necessary Means thereof must the Decree be made good So The Absoluteness of that other part of the promise That Seed time and Harvest shall not cease doth no whit discharge the Husbandman either of his ufefulness or duty but evinceth the One and inforceth the Other Giving also Encouragement to him in his Work The force of this Answer will not be evaded by alledging That God affords them Means proper and sufficient for seed time and harvest that is they have fitting Seasons with Seed-corn horses plows and other Utensils of husbandry and that 's all the Promise intends and if they improve them not the fault 's their own True it is so and they shall smart for their Neglect But what will become of the Promise and Sureness of the Covenant Therefore this is not All that God doth for Men in this point He that Decreed How long the Earth shall endure and what number of Men He will raise up upon it Did also Decree His own upholding thereof during that time and by what Means those Men should be propagated and kept alive and did accordingly put into Mankind the Principles of Self-preservation by which they are Naturally prompted to the use of them as they are to Eat Drink and Sleep He hath set the World in their heart Eccles 3. 11. As the Elect shall certainly be saved and also prepared for that Salvation so hath the Lord appointed them such a Ministry and for so long a time and their attendance thereon in such manner as best agreeth to His Own intent and which He will bless and
that it receives into its own Substance and kind You may Plant and Prune and dig and Dâ—ng an evil Tree bestow what cost and pains you will upon it it does all but enable the more pregnant Production of evil fruit Just so doth the Natural Man Jude ver 4. even turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness As to the Pure all things are pure Tit. 1. 15. Psal 119. 67. 2 Chr. 28. 22. so to the Impure all things are defiled David by his afflictions learned to keep God's Law but Ahaz trespassed yet mâ—re Good Josiah his heart melts at the reading of the Law ch 34. 27 31. Jer. 36. 23. Rom. 7. 8 10. he humbles himself and fals to Reforming but wicked Jehoiakim he cuts the Roll in pieâ—es and burns it Thus Sin i. e. Corrupt Nature workes death by that which is Good II. The New Creature is not wrought by the Concurrence of Divine and Natural Power together For 1. The Holy Ghost needs no assistance in His work I. Who and Where is he that stood up for his help when He moved on the Waters Job 38 4. and brought forth this World into form When He weighed the Mountains in Scales and the hills in a ballance Isa 40 12 15. He that made all things of Nothing cannot be supposed to need the aid of any As Man had nothing to do in the Conception of Christ's humane Nature but the Power of the Most High was alone in that work so also it is in forming Christ within us Why should He call in the aid of another unless deficient of Himself And He must greatly be streightened that takes-in the help of an Enemy 2. If the Holy Ghost had need of Help II. the flesh affords Him not the least For 1 The Natural Man is without strength Rom. 5 6. The best-Natur'd Man in the World until Regenerate is but Flesh And all flesh is grass 1 Pet. 1. 24. Job 26. 2. and the glory of it as the flower of grass which fades in a Moment It is an Arm that hath no strength And it is not onely so in it self but it renders weak and impotent what ever Relyes upon it or may be used by it for any spiritual End A Straw in the hand of a Giant will make no deeper impression than if in the hand of a Stripling The Law it self Rom. 8. 3. which was ordained to life is made weak through the flesh 2 The Flesh is an opposite principle at perfect enmity against the Holy Seed as you see afore It answers as Pharaoh Exod. 5 2. Who is the Lord that I should obey Him It 's whole business is to crush the workings of the Spirit and the Conflict ceaseth not but in the total Overthrow of the one party The Flesh and the Spirit alwaies have been are and will be Two Yea even where the Enmity hath lost its dominion it will maintain a Conflict to the last And if the one fights against the other after the New Creature is formed it will doubtless oppose the first formation of it 3 If we should suppose the flesh able in any respect to give assistance in this work the Holy Ghost would none of it 2 Cor. 5. 16. Deut. 22. 10 Deut. 22 9. What Concord hath God with Belial such Mixtures are Abomination to Him He would not permit His people to yoke an Ox and an Ass together in pâ—oughing Nor to sow their Land with divers seeds And if in building an Altar their Tool were lift up upon it the Lord reckons it defiled Exod. 20. 25. 4 Suppose a possibility of Conjunction What would be the issue of it When the Sons of God went in to the daughters of men Gyants were born to them Gen. 6. 4. If Creatures of several kindes should couple together what can be produc'd but a Monster in Nature such Monsters in Spirituals are hypocrites and temporary believers In whom there is something begotten on the will of Man by the Common strivings and inlightenings of the Spirit which attains to a kind of formality but proves in the end a lump of dead flesh It never comes to be a New Creature as you sâ—e in Herod and Agrippa An Owl's egg though hatcht by a Dove or Eagle will prove but a Night-bird The Seed of the bond-woman will be Carnal though Abraham himself be the father of it A little further to illustrate this Truth let us briefly review What things in the world that are Common to Men can be supposed to influence their hearts so as to bring them to God They may all be Reduced to five A prosperous Condition Afflictions The Word of God The strivings of the Spirit and Miracles 1. Prosperity This we find hath not done it How many have been the worse and how few if any the better for it Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked In the time of the Judges Deut 32. 15. when ever they had respite from trouble they presently fell to idâ—aâ—ry when Vzziah was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction 2 Chr. 26. 16. The Papacy at this day and for Centuries past who in such splendid prosperity and who so wicked They are not in trouble like other Men their eyes stand out with fatness c. But are they bettered by it Ps 73. No Pride compasseth them about like a chain and they set their Mouths against the Heavens Let favour be shewed to the wicked Isa 26. 10 yet will he not learn Righteousness 2. Afflictions and Judgments will not do it It appears by Amos Ch. 4. ver 6-11 That that people were loaded with variety of judgments yet they turned not to Him that smote them Isa 1. 5. â— ch 57. 17. The more they were stricken the more they revolted The Lord was wroth with Ephraim and smote him He hid His face from Him and was wroth which if any thing should have Moved him But what cares Ephraim He went on frowardly in the way of his Heart The Jewes continue to this day in their unbelief though wrath be come upon them to the uttermost The Antichristian world when vials of wrath were powred forth upon them they blasphemed God Reâ— 16. 9 11 Hos 7. 9. Pro. 27. 22. and Repented not Bray a fool in a Mortar yet will not his foolishness depart from him 3. The Word of God and his Ordinances Neither is it in these to turn the heart back again Of this the people of Israel are a pregnant example Rom. 3 2. Deut. 4 7. To them were Committed the Oracles of God No Nation had God so nigh them as they and yet the most stubborn stiff-necked people that ever the earth bore 2 Chr. 36. 15 16 Jer. 25. 3 4. The Lord sends them His prophets rising early and sending And see how they 'r used First they sleight His Messengers and send them away empty Then they fall to beating and imprisoning of them
them in Egypt When opprest by the Egyptians and all means used to destroy them and that both with craft and cruelty Exod. 1. 12. the Lord so orders the Matter that the more they were oppressed the faster they grew and by an high hand brings them out at last In the Wilderness they carry themselves as unworthily towards God as ever People did doing all that in them lay to cut off the intail of that good land by their unbelief and dayly repeated Rebellions insomuch that the Lord threatens to dispossess them But for his Promise sake made with Abraham withdraws his hand and spares them I might instance also the great streights and dangers they were in at the Red-Sea which the Lord divided for them Afterwards for want of water which he brings them out of a Rock Then for Bread which also he gives them from Heaven How they were denied passage by some and way-laid by Others and yet carried on and delivered and at last how the Lord drove out those Gyants whom they despaired of Overcoming and so gave them the land in possession accord-to his promise hundreds of years afore There failed not ought of any good thing the Lord had promised It all came to pass Josh 21. 45. 2. Joseph Little Joseph is one whom the Lord will honour Gen. 37 7 9 11. which in several dreams he intimates to him His brethren do therefore hate him and to frustrate his dreams which signified their subjection to him they conspire to kill him v. 18. And how shall Joseph escape They are ten to one against him and he the least Reuben who being the eldest was most concernd v. 22. in point of honour to hinder Joseph's advancement he shall relent at the very motion of making him away and out of respect to his Father shall deliver him Well though they will not presently kill him they 'l cast him into a pit v. 24. where in all likelihood he must perish But in the good providence of God v. 28. the Ishmaelite Merchants pass by in the very nick of time ere any wild beast shall have found him or his brethren determin'd worse against him To them they sell him and by them he is brought into Egypt far enough out of Jacobs inquiry and sold to the Captain of Pharaoh's guard a person likely enough to deal roughly with him Gen. 37. 2 3 4. But here the Lord ownes him and to bring him into favour makes all that he doth to prosper which his Master observing puts the management of all his estate into Joseph's hands Now there 's fair hopes of his coming to honour But v. 7. how soon is it dash'd Joseph being a goodly person his lascivious Mistress tempts him to folly v. 9. Which the fear of God keeping him from v. 17. the misreports him to his Master charging her own wickedness upon him v. 20. Hereby Potiphar's favor is lost and Joseph cast into Prison and dealt so hardly with Ps 105. 18. that The Iron entred into his soul Now all hopes of preferment are gon and what will become of his dreams Yet still the Councel of the Lord that shall stand and this downfal of Joseph Gen. 40. shall prove another step to his rising And to make way for it two of Pharaoh's Servants shall fall under their Lord's displeasure be put in prison and committed to Joseph's keeping Here they shall dream Joseph shall interpret and the event shall answer it Now the day begins agen to dawn upon Joseph and by the chief Butlers restorement some hopes of his inlargement but this agen is soon overcast for the Butler forgate him Notwithstanding all which the providences of God do still pursue his Decree Gen. 41. chap. 42. 6. and cease not till Joseph is Lord over Egypt and his brethren bow down before him 3. David 1 Sam. 16. 12. God promiseth David to give him the Kingdom and anoints him to it What notwithstanding all possible interveniences Yes for the promise is absolute Hath the Lord said it and shall he not do it If therefore Saul cast a Javelin at him unsuspected to nail him to the Wall a sharpeness of eye and agility of body shall be given him to discern and avoid it If he determine evil against him Jonathan shall advertise him of it 1 Sam. 19. 20 24. If he send Messengers to Naioth to apprehend him they shall forget their errand and fall a prophecying And if he send others and others after them they shall do likewise yea Saul himself shall turn prophet for a day and a night together that David may have time to escape If he be in a City that will betray him and not a friend among them to advise him of it the Lord Himself will be his intelligencer 1 Sam. 23. 12. and send him Out If Saul's Army have encompass'd him and no way left to escape the Philistines shall invade the land v. 26 27. and tidings shall come in the very instant and take him off If an hoast do encamp against him Ps 27. 3. he 'l not be afraid Why so The Lord had made an absolute promise and therefore if no help on earth He shall send from Heaven and save me Ps 57. 3. Yea David's wavering at times and the weakness of his Faith shall not hinder it and the Reason of all we have in 1 Chron. 17. 7. and 8. The Lord took him to be Ruler over his People and therefore he was with him where ever he went 4. Josiah A Child shall be born to the house of David Iosiah by name 1 Kings 13. 2. who shall offer the bones of Jeroboam's priests upon his Altar If therefore Athaliah determine to destroy all the seed-Royal Joash shall be stollen from among the rest 2 Kings 11. 2. and reserved and by him Davida's line shall be continued Hezekiah though sick unto death he shall not dye 2 Kings 20. 6. with ch 13. 16. but be healed as it were by a miracle and fifteen years added to his life rather then Manasseh who must be Josiah's Grand-father shall be unborn 5. Paul Paul was a chosen Vessel appointed to preach Christ to the Gentiles and at last to bear witness of Him at Rome And this must be done altho' Bonds Imprisonments and Death it self do attend him in every place If they lye in wait for him at Damascus and watch the gates night and day Acts 9. 23-25 to kill him he shall be let-down by the Wall in a basket and so escape them If all Jerusalem be in an uproar to kill him the chief Captain shall come with an Army and rescue him chap. 21. 31-33 tho' no friend to Paul nor to his Cause If more than Fourty Men have bound themselves with an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have kill'd him his kinsman shal hear of it Acts 23. 14 23 and by