operis operantis the intention of worke and the workeman Sin is besides the scope of the worke which God doth but not besides his owne intent who is the agent and workeman When he decrees sin shall be he intends it shall be by such wayes and meanes by which acts and workes so far as he works in it as in themselues and their own nature tend onely to good and are meer accidentall causes of the evill which man does The Law and word of God his mercies judgements and all his dealing with men in their owne nature tend to this end namely to make men better nor worse and if they be made worse by them it is propter scopum besides the scope and intent whereto these things in their owne nature tend The Gospel in it selfe tends to life when therefore it is the savour of death it is besides the proper scope intent and of the Gospel but though it besides the intent of the Gospel to be the savour of death it is not besides Gods intent for he both knows and intends in what effect the Gospell shall have otherwise he should be defective in his wisedome and providence besides what power the Gospel hath to produce an effect either way it receives from him Hence it is aid to be the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 the powerfull instrument which God useth to bring men salvation which power he puts into it and so likewise when he workes the other way it is power also The Lord bids the Prophet Go make the hearts of this people fat and make their â—ares heavie and shut their eyes c Isa 6.10 and how should he do this namely by preaching the word unto them by which it appeares that sometimes the word doth harden mens hearts close their ears and shut their eyes and that God intends it should do so and sends it for this very purpose yet the word in owne nature tends to soften their hearts to open their eares and eyes to make them see and heare better so that the word here is onely an accidentall cause it being beside the scope and intent of the word to harden yet this is not besides Gods intent who in all his actions and in the use of such instruments as are imployed in them propounds to himselfe a most sure and certaine end By all which appeares as the secret and just judgement of God so his infinite wisedome and skill who can worke out his owne ends by such meanes as in their owne nature do tend a contrary way CHAP. X. Shewing some usefull conclusions which do necessarily follow from what hath been spoken of this Subject Conclu 1. IF God so ordereth things that in all the sins which are committed by men though he hath a secret working hand yet he workes in a most just and holy manner and doth nothing but what is right and good Hence it followes that in all the sin which is committed in all the evill which is done either by our selves or others we lay all the blame on our selves or them not imputing the least miscarriage on God not so much as in our thoughts He is just in al his wayes and holy in all his workes what ever he doth is well done be the instruments never so bad by whom it is done In all the evill that befals us we have no just reason at all to repine and murmur to be impatient or discontent for all his dealings with us whether by his word or his workes his mercies or his judgements do in themselves tend to good when therefore any evill comes we must take heed we do not charge God foolishly Iob. 1.22 but remember that we have procured these things to our selves as the Prophet tels the people Jer. 2.17 Sin is the seed of sorrow all the evill of suffering ariseth from the evill of sinning and this ariseth onely from our selves yea though sometimes we suffer many evils altogether unjustly as they proceed from men yet as they come from God who guides all the actions of men they are done most holily wisely and justly Thus Daniel acknowledgeth in regard of himselfe and his people O Lord righteousnesse belongs to thee open shame to us Dan. 9.6 Thou art just in all that is â—one upon us saith Nehemiah for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly cap. 9. last Let God be true and every man a lyar saith the Apostle Rom. 3.4 So let God be just and holy and every man sinfull wicked and wretched abundantly worthy of all the evill which comes upon him Conclu 2. Hence it follows that we ought with all reverence to admire and to adore the infinite wisedome justice and power of God that is able to worke in the most blame worthie actions of sinfull men and yet himselfe remaine altogether blamelesse that is able to bring about the best ends by the worst meanes that in many great works which have been done in the world hath wrought out such ends as have been altogether different yea sometimes contrary to the scope and intent of those who have been the principall actors and agents in them Little did Josephs brethren thinke that when they sold their brother for a slave this should be the meanes of making him the greatest mam in all the Land of Egypt next to Pharaoh Little did Haman thinke that when out of his hate and indignation against Mordecai he gate a decree of destroying all the Jewes in the Kings Dominion in one day that this should be a meanes and occasion of making them have a hand against their adversaries and of procuring liberty to destroy them yea of bringing himselfe to the Gallowes Hest 8.11.7.10 Little did the Jewes thinke that their envie and hatred against Christ should be an occasion of redemption of mankind that when they spit upon him buffeted him beat him with rods crowned him with thornes caused him to suffer the shamefull and accursed death of the Crosse that this should be a meanes of his greater advancement and exaltation yet the Scripture saith that because he made himselfe of no reputation and humbled himselfe to the death of the Crosse therefore God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every man Phil. 2.8 what reason therefore have we in way of admiration to cry out with the Apostle Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and ounsell of God unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11.33 Conclu 3. Thirdly hence it follows that we ought to acknowledge with all thankefulnesse that infinite goodnesse of God which doth not suffer us to goe on in a course of sinning especially in such a sort as would ruine our soules and drive us to destruction for if he should it would be in vaine for us to complaine against him he would easily acquit himselfe and justifie his owne proceedings he would be justified in his words and overcome when he is judged as the Apostle speakes Ro. 3.4 he would easily convince us that in all the evill which we have done or shall suffer the just blame lyes upon our owne heads and our destruction is of our selves he would cause our mouthes to be stopped and make us as all the world to be found culpable before him Rom. 3.10 If he should enter into judgement with us we should not be able to answer one of a thousand what a mercy is it that he doth not suffer us to fall into sin so frequently and in so fowle a manner as we are ready to doe especially that he doth not charge our sins upon us What reason have we to say with the Psalmist Praise thou the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thine infirmities who doth not deale with us after our sins nor reward us after our iniquities but as high as the heaven is above the earth such is his mercy towards us as far as the East is from the West so far he doth remove our sins from us Psalm 103.1,3,10,11,12 to him alone be all glory now and ever FINIS
purchasor of peace Is he not called the Prince of Peace Isai 9.6 Is it not said of him that he is our peace Ephes 2.14 how then doth he say that he came not to send peace these words must needs therefore be taken with similation he came not to send peace that is not peace onely but the sword also but especially his coming was the cause of peace in another manner then it was of the sword How did it cause the sword this coming was not the proper cause of the Sword but the sword that is wars and troubles broke forth in the world occasionally upon his coming for after that Christ came and the Gospel was peeached in the word some there were that rejected it others embraced and entertained it beleived and obeyed it and accordingly made profession of Christ and his truth now those who did thuâ— came to be hated and maligned yea to be persecuted and ill intreated by the other yea by this meanes it came to passe that those who were joyned together by the nearest bond of outward relation came to be divided be carryed on with the greatest enmity and ill affection one against another so that the brother did deliver the brother to death and parents their children and children did rise up against their paâ—ents and cause them to be put to death Mat. 10 21. By which it is plaine that Christ and his Gospel had a hand in both these both in sending peace and sending the sword because the same expression is used in both if there were a bare permission in sending the sword there was permission only in sending peace if there was efficiency and working in the one there was so also in the other although after another manner In like manner when Christ saith that he came to set fire on the earth to send persecution and that his desire was this fire might be kindled Luk. 12.49 It is plaine he hath a working hand herein for what he intends and earnestly desires that he likewise some way or other effectually procures Object If it be asked how the same cause can bring forth contrary effects how the same Christ and the same Gospell can bring both peace and trouble Answ The answer is that though Christ had a sufficiency and worke in both yet in a far differing manner for he is the author and proper cause of peace this he both purchased and prayed for of this he is causa per se of the other he is causa per accidens an accidentall cause onely the end of his comming and of causing his Gospel to be preached to be preached being not to bring trouble and persecution but this ariseth from the perverse refractory wils of wicked men who therefore hate the light because their deeds are evill As the same heat of the Sun softens the waxe and hardens the clay and the same light of the Sun helps a good sight to see better but hurts sore eyes so it is in this case Thus also it is said that Christ is set or appointed for the rising and fall of many Lu. 2.34 Not onely for the rising of some but the fall of others that he is the corner stone elect and precious be is made in head of the corner to believers but a stumbling stone and rock of offence to those that are disobedient 1 Pet. 2.7,8 He hath an efficiency in both these for the text sayth he is made to both but of the one he is the author and proper cause and therefore altogether faultlesse and blamelesse their owne willfull unbeliefe being the proper cause of their stumbling CHAP. VII Shewing that God may worke in the same blame-worthy actions with Sathan and sinfull men and yet himselfe be altogether blamelesse THat the holy God doth worke in the same action with the sinfull creature hath been already shewed Not only Sathan moved David to number the people but God also 2 Sam. 24.1 Jacobs sons sold their brother into Egypt so it is said that God sent him thither Psal 10,17 when Jobs cattle were taken away by ill instruments Job saith the Lord tooke them away Job 1.21 Now it followes to shew yet further how the Lord may be blamelesse when he workes with the creature in the same blame-worthy actions This hath been in part made plaine by that which hath been shewed already namely that in all sinfull actions he is onely causa per accidens an accidentall cause no proper cause which workes out of inward principles and according to its own nature and this yet will more clearly appeare if we consider the differences that are betwixt him and the sinfull creature in their working though they work together in the same action yet they differ in the ground in the manner and in the end of their working 1. They differ in the ground the ground of all Gods actions is his owne most holy will his owne purpose and good pleasure He worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Ephes 1.11 Whatsoever pleased the Lord that did he in heaven and in earth Psal 135.6 But evill instruments are guided by their owne wicked wills and not by Gods will in their evill actions for they do that which is contrary to his revealed will and his secret will they know not if they do the same things God wils yet not because he wils them but upon other corrupt grounds when a wicked man sins he seeks to fulfill the will of the flesh but not at all to fulfill the will of God Eph. 2.2 he doth that which seems good in his owne eyes and not which seems good in Gods eyes 2. They differ in manner of working for in sinful actions God works with evil not as a moral cause but as a natural cause onely God no where doth counsel or command or perswade men to do evil but altogether the contrary But herein wicked men follow only the dictate of their depraved judgement the sway of their corrupt will the motion of their inordinate affections or are carryed on by the counsels and perswasions or examples of others that are like unto themselves It belongs to God as the author of nature to uphold the creature in all its naturall motions and actions And he moves the creatures with a motion agreeable to their severall natures as irrationall creatures so also Angels and men when he moves good men they work according to their natures when he moves bad men they worke also according to their natures and this without any iniquity or injustice at all in God for he is the author and proper cause of the motion of the obliquity of it he is onely an accidentall cause saith Dr. Twisse Vindict l. 2 p. 86. True it is that in good actions he useth a further motion and concourse then he doth in other actions for there he workes not only as the author of nature but of grace not only by a generall influence of nature but by an influence of speciall
him yet the fault onely is his owne because he willingly turned the Sword against himself When a Physitian according to the true rules of Art shall administer wholesome Physick to his Patient for such or such a disease and this meeting with some hidden distemper or corrupt humour in the body shall cause greater pain or it may be death yet here neither the Physick nor Physitian are to be blamed because the work of both these in their owne nature tended to health and was fit to procure it When Jason had his impostume cured by the thrusting of a Sword into his body by the hand of his enemy this was no thank to his enemy who intended not his health but his death so on the contrary it is no blame to the Physitian that intends health and useth fit meanes to procure it though death follows by accident When the same Sun beames lights upon a Garden and a Dunghil and raise a sweet smell from the one and an ill savour from the other neither the Sun nor the beames thereof are to be blamed because the efficacy of them did extend to both a like but the different effect did arise from the difference of the matter whereon they did light The like instances also may be brought from Scripture when a man is hewing wood with an Axe and the head of the Axe slippeth from the helve and slayes the stander by here neither the Axe nor the man are to be blamed though they have an efficiency in the death of the other because they are onely causes by accident the scope of neither being to hurt the stander by Deut. 19.5 When King Uzziah went into the Temple of the Lord to burn Incense Azariah with fourscore other Priests went in after him and withstood him telling him that it did not belong to him to burne incense to the Lord then it is said Vzziah was wrath 2 Chron. 26.16,17,18,19 Here the Priests were causes of the wrath of the King but no faulty causes because they did but their duty and their intention was onely to hinder him from doing that which was unlawful for him to do but not to provoke him to anger and wrath When the Pharisees were filled with wrath against Christ and the Jews breast with anger against Stephen because they justly reproved them they were accidental causes of their wrath and anger but no faulty causes The Apostle saith that the Law causeth wrath Rom. 4.15 It causeth wrath by meanes of Transgression for transgression onely properly causeth wrath as the Law is the cause of wrath so likewise is the cause of transgression namely an accidental cause yet no faulty cause for the proper end of the Law was neither to procure wrath nor to procure transgression but rather to be a meanes to preserve man from both these by directing him so to walke as he might please God so when he saith that the motions of sin were by the Law that is were stirred up by the Law Rom. 7.5 and that sin took occasion by the Commandement and wrought in him all manner of conceupiscence verse 11. here sin is said to be stirred up by the Law and to take occasion by the Commandement of working concupiscence and therefore the Law hath some kind of efficiency in producing of sin it is an accidentall cause but no faulty cause As the Law is in it selfe holy and just and good Rom. 7.12 so it is good that it should be brought to mans understanding by the knowledge of it and to his will and affections by the right application of it but the more this is done he being lest to himselfe the more doth it irritate and stir up corruption in him and his will by reason of the contrariety that is in it to the holy Law of God waxeth so much more stubborne and rebellious as the Law is more closely applyed to it When the Apostle saith that beleevers are not under the Law Rom. 6.14 and that they are delivered from the Law that being dead namely that corruption wherein we are held Rom. 7.6 this must needs be understood of the accidentall worke of the Law whereby by meanes of our corruption it stirs up sin in us for it cannot be understood of the Law as it is a rule of obedience because then the Law should be wholly abolished to which the Apostle gives an absit do we then make the Law of none effect through faith God forbid Rom. 3.31 neither can it be understood in this place of the condemning power of the Law for though it be true that believers are freed from the curse and condemnation of the Law yet this is an effect of justification and hath reference to that whereas the subject of the Apostles discourse in these two Chapters where he speakes of freedom from the Law namely the sixth and seventh is altogether about sanctification and he brings many arguments to prove the necessary connexion of these two together and this amongst the rest because they were not under the Law they were delivered from it they must not suffer sin to raigne in their mortall because they were not under the Law but under grace cap. 6.14 they were delivered from the Law lust and concupiscence being kild in them chap. 7.6 How were they not under the Law how were they delivered from it So far as they were truly sanctified they were no longer under the accidentall worke of the Law whereby it had power to irritate and stir up the rebellion and corruption of their natures and so to cause sin more to abound in them being implanted into Christ and made partakers of the vertue of his death and resurrection their old man was crucified and their body of sin destroyed so as they should no longer serve sin as they did before chap. 6.6 while they were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law which were stirred up by having the Law brought nearer to them did worke in their members to bring forth fruit unto death but they were delivered from the Law from that accidentall worke of the Law that being dead wherein they were held their sinfull lusts being in part mortified that they should serve God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter chap. 7.5.6 by both which places it appeares that the Law hath power to stir up sin and corruption in those that are in the a state of corruption that remaine as yet altogether unsanctified and so it is an accidentall cause of sin yet no faulty cause that remaining still holy and just and good In this sence likewise Christ saith of himselfe that be came not to send peace but the Sword that he came to set a man at variance against his Father and the daughter against the Mother Mat. 10.34,35 that he came to set fire on the earth Luk. 12.49 How is this to be taken that Christ came not to send peace but the sword is he not the Author and