under the meer Law of Works as remediless Men are not then examined meerly whether ever they Sinned nor accused meerly as Sinners But the Question will be of that Sin in Specie which consisteth in refusing to repent or believe or abusing that mercy which should have led them to repentance Mat. 25. It is for not improving their Talents which is not the legal reason as the Law of Works is alone or for not loving and cherishing Christ Jesus in his Members It is for not knowing God nor obeying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ It is true that all their Sins also against the Law shall cause their condemnation for they were never pardoned But that is consequentially because they abused the Grace that should have recovered them and so the Wrath of God abideth on them that would not yield to his means for removing it I no where read that God will make this Rigorous Law alone the Norma Judicii and pass sentence on any meerly on these terms If thou have never Sinned thou shalt be saved else thou shalt be condemned so that if we have no discovery what way or on what terms in special God will judg them that hear not of Christ yet we have a plain discovery of the Negative that he will not deal with them on the forementioned terms of the sole Covenant of Works And consequently for the affirmative we are sure in general that he deals with them upon terms of Grace i. e. Mercy contrary to their desert More of this may be added anon Arg. 5. Ab aequitate novae Legis Credendi Debitum Constituentis The Faith which God requireth of Men to their Justification hath not a feigned or deceiving object But it should have such an object if Christ have not satisfied for all who are commanded to belieâ— ergo c. Or tâ—â—s if Christ have not satisfied for all who are commanded to believe in him to Justification then the Faith commanded them should have a feigned or deceiving object But the Faith commanded them hath not a feigned or deceiving object ergo c. All the proof requisite is of the consequence of the Major Proposition And here we must first know what the justifying Act of Faith is and then what the object must be and then the consequence will manifest it self Divines are not agreed what the justifying Act of Faith is some think it must be but one Act and therefore it must be placed but in one faculty Of these some place it only in the understanding as Camero and many others Some only in the Will as Amesius and some few with him Some and most place it in both faculties and so in divers Acts and that rightly And inded it hath divers Acts in each faculty For as it is more then one particular Truth or exunciation which is the object of Assent and therefore must have divers Acts of Assent so it is in more then one shape and profitable respect that the Goodness of the object is presented to the Will and therefore it must there have several Acts as consent affiance c. Now let us first enquire after the Acts of the understanding where I will meddle with none but what is ordinarily by Divines asserted to be justifying or prerequisite thereto And 1. I will let that pass which Dr. Twiss makes the first Act viz. To believe Gods word to be true For if it be not known what that word is here is no material object of Faith but the formal object alone 2. I will pass over the duty of repenting which Dr. Twiss saith is next required contrary to the usual Doctrine though it is manifest that repentance it self as a means to remission cannot be required but on supposition of satisfaction for Sin The common answer to the Arminians Quicquid tenemur credere verum est c. Is We are all bound to believe that Christ died for all that will believe in him See what Twiss saith against this Answer in Piscator Vindic. de promiss lib. 2. Part 2. Sect. 20. Page 475. Vol. Parv. 1. Men are not supposed first to be believers and then Christ to dye for them nor hath died at random without determining in quorum Loco in whose stead and left it to their Faith to determine afterwards He hath not said either if thou believe I will die for thee Or if thou believe that Death which I have undergone shall be tui loco in thy stead or for thy Sins Mans Sin being the loco causae meritoriae of Christs sufferings it must be determined whose Sins he should suffer for before he suffer For the meritorious cause is before the effect And therefore Christ died for them before they are believers for else how did he procure them grace to believe Not only Davenant hath well cleared this in his dissert de redempt but Twiss ubi super P. 474. could say Neque enim hujus propositionis veritas Christus est Redemptor Noster est veritas consequens fidem nostram Nec ejus falsitas est falsitas consequens infidelitatem nostram sed antecedens Antecedens inquam natura in genere causae moralis nempe meritoriae non autem in genere causae Physicae Quod eo tantum addo quoniam quod est prius natura in genere causae Physicae impossibile est ut sit posterius tempore eo quo prius est natura At quod est prius natura in genere causae moralis meritoriae presertim ex libera Dei constitutione proficiscens potest esse posterius tempore etiam eo quod est prius naturâ 2. There must therefore be some former consideration of those for whom Christ died Antecedent Moraliter to his Death And that can be nothing but for Sinners as such It is therefore for all Sinners or only for some And the Doctrine of those that contradict me is that it was not indeterminately for all that will believe but determinately to these particular Elect Persons that they may believe for whom Christ satisfied Now then according to this Doctrine all Men where the Gospel is preached are bound to believe that Christ satisfied for the Elect to procure them Faith and consequently justification that by so believing themselves may be justified But if they should so believe this Faith would not justifie them for whom Christ Died not so that here is a justifying Faith Commanded without a justifying object as I shall fullier shew anon 2. And whereas Dr. Twiss saith It is only the penitent that are commanded to believe on Christ for justification I Answer 1. Then the Impenitent shall not be condemned for not believing in Christ for justification which is false for the omission is not so much as a Sin much less damning if faith be not commanded them 2. It is nevertheless their duty because other duties as suppose repentance are first to be performed God may constitute many duties at once though they are not to be performed at once
special and follow the performance of the condition imposed on us Faith and Repentance such are Pardon Justification Adoption Sanctification Glorification These being the main effects of Christs Death which Scripture most frequently mentioneth and to which the rest are but general preparatives therefore our Divines use to call these peculiarly Redemption and the Effects of Christ Death and they say his Death is effectual when these effects are produced And so I conclude that as to the first effect of satisfaction to God Christs Death is both sufficient and effectual for all Or else he could not be said to die for all quoad sufficienciam pretii For it is impossible that Christ should intend it as a Price and make it a sufficient Price and yet that God should not accept it as such Seeing Christ is God and the will of the Father and the Son is one And the like I say of the General Common benefits And as for the great particular special benefits of Pardon and Sanctification and Glory I say Christs Death is sufficient for all but effectual only for the Elect. And this must needs be the meaning of our forementioned Divines For the sufficiency to Justification and Salvation containeth the efficacy and effect in point of satisfaction But our new more rigid Divines will make me more work And therefore to them I must forme my Argument otherwise or else they will say I beg the question With them therefore I argue thus If Christs Death be sufficient for all then Christ satisfied for all But Christs Death is sufficient for all Ergo c. In these terms they use to acknowledg the Minor proposition themselves And as to the several effects 1. They frequently say that Christs Death is sufficient for the Pardon and Salvation of all Men in the World if they will believe Where the Words if they will believe must needs be referred to the effect Pardon and Salvation and not to sufficient For Mans belief addeth not to the sufficiency of Christs Death Nor will Faith make it sufficient if it were not so before The sufficiency goes before Faith But that which is sufficient to justifie men shall not actually do it till Men believe 2. They say that Christs Death is sufficient ut esset pretium pro omnibus to have been a Price for all But then they say that it is not sufficiens pretium a sufficient price for all because no price for all Now I shall prove that both their concessions do warrant my consequence and 1. That If Christs Death be sufficient for the Pardon of all if they would believe then he hath satisfied for all and it was all Mens Sins that procured his punishment and which he bore on the Cross Or that Christs Death is insufficient to the Pardon of any one for whom he hath not satisfied 1. That which hath not satisfied offended Majesty is not sufficient to the pardon of Mans Sin though he should believe But Christs Death As these Men say Hath not satisfied the offended Majestie Therefore it is not sufficient c. He that denieth the consequence must hold that Sin may be pardoned without Christs satisfaction 2. That which leaveth the great impediment of Mens Remission unremoved and not removeable by Faith is not sufficient to the Pardon of Men though they should believe But Christs Death if it be not suffered for Men oâ— have not satisfied for their Sin doth leave the great impediment of remission unremoved and not removable by Faith Therefore it is not sufficient to the pardon of these Men though they should believe The impediment I mean is in a word all that which did necessitate or require satisfaction That Faith cannot satisfie God instead of Christs Death is undeniable Nor yet can it make that satisfaction or be mine that was never made for me There is neither in the nature of Faith nor in the Office which God hath appointed it any sufficiency to be instead of a Redeemer or satisfaction And therefore it is not merely nor chiefly for want of faith that such would perish but through the insufficiency of Christs Death If they shall still say that it is not to be supposed that the Non-redeemed should believe I Answer Do not they suppose it themselves when they say that the Death of Christ is sufficient for the Pardon and Salvation of all Men if they would believe 3. That which leaveth the strongest Faith supposing it were both without ground and use or profit is not sufficient to remission or Salvation though Men should believe But so doth Christs Death if it be not suffered for Men and have not satisfied for them Ergo c. 1. If all the Faith in Christ that is in all Men in the World were confined to one Man it would not do the least good to his Justification or Salvation if Christ have not satisfied for him as is already proved 2. Nay indeed such a Faith would be but an ungrounded fancy or presumption To expect pardon from a satisfaction that was never made for me is a vain expectation 4. If Christs Death have no more conducibility or virtue for any Mens remission and Salvation then if he had never died at all then it is not sufficient to Pardon those Men if they will believe But if Christ hath not satisfied for Men his Death hath no more conducibility or vertue for the Remission of those Mens Sins or for their Salvation then if he had never died at all Therefore his Death is not sufficient to the Pardon or Salvation of those Men though they should believe The Major is clear The Minor is proved in that satisfaction is the first and great effect of Christs Death and where that is not made there is nothing done by it that can any way Conduce to the Remission of Sin And if that satisfaction be not already made it never will be for there is no more Sacrifice for Sin So that methinks I may confidently conclude that they deny the Sufficiency of Christs Death for the Pardon of all Mens Sins though they should believe who say he did not suffer and satisfie for all And that this is unsound Doctrine I will now prove only by their Judgments who are the owners of it 1. Mr. Owen of Redemption Lib. 4. c. 1. Page 173. saith The maintaining and declaring of this dignity worth preciousness and infinite value of the Blood and Death of Jesus Christ is doubtless especially to be considered And every opinion that doth but seemingly clash against it is exceedingly prejudiced at least deservedly suspected yea presently to be rejected by Christians if upon search it be found so do â—â— really and indeed as that which is injurious and Derogatory to the merit and honour of Jesus Christ The Scripture also to this purpose is exceeding full and frequent in setting forth the Excellency and Dignity of his Death and Sacrifice c. And Page 174. But its true worth consists in the immediate
all which yet quoad substantiâ poenae as he calls it had none of that which the Law required and was necessary for the Sponsor to undergo And thus I think with that added which is said before it is evident that none have ground to rest on Christs Blood to justifie them or on Christ to justifie them by his Blood till they know that his Blood was shed for them seeing it is sufficient for no more But no Man before justifying Faith knows that Christs Blood was shed for him any more then for others that shall never be justified by it therefore no Man hath ground thus to believe And for the intellectual Act of Faith if it be that which Maccovius saith it is ibid. disput 3. § 17. Fides in Christum quae requiritur a nobis ad nostri justificationem est ut credamus pro redemptionem sanguinem nos justificari salvari then most Men are bound to believe an untruth if they are bound to believe to justification If it be said that it 〈…〉 believe that Christs Death is sufficient to pardon him if he believe I answer that no Man can truly believe that neither but he that first knows that he died for him which none can do but he that knows that he died for all I marvail how such Divines as Twiss and Maccovius who hold the main Antimonian Principles who say that Faith justifieth only as we are ascertained or receive the knowledg of justification already past at Christs death can tell how to Salve this How can they choose but say that either God doth not command all where the Gospel comes to believe to justification or else that he commands most Men to believe a falshood Or else that all Men are justified by Christs death Let me add here for I will not make another Argument of it being built on the same grounds with the former that if Christ died not for all then not only all Men at their first invitation but even all true believers whenever they loose the fight of their evidences that is of their own Faith and other Graces have no ground left them to renew an Act of justifying Faith nor to cast their Souls with any confidence on Christ For as long as he knows not himself to be Elect and a true believer he cannot tell whether Christ died for him and consequently he knows not whether he may rest on him as a sufficient Redeemer as not knowing whether he satisfied for him or not If any say he must believe that he may know I answer 1. It must be a revealed truth before it is believed 2. Believing will not make it true if it were not true before We are not to believe that Christ may die for us but to believe that he did die for us Hear Maccovius his confession of that also Ibid disp 9. § 16. At toto caelo errat Haereticus Socinus Neque enim fidem requiri ad hoc dicimus ut pro nobis satisfiat sed ut pro fidem satisfactio ista Christi quae perac to est ante fidem nobis innotescat so that when God commandeth Men to believe he commandeth them to take knowledg of Christs satisfaction for them before made And surely men cannot know that which is not true unless it be to know it to be false And thus it seems plain to me that many if not most true believers will be left without any sufficient ground to believe through a great part of their lives For I think assurance is not so common a thing as some imagine nor so constant with them that have it Though Maccovius saith as one Error draws on another Ibid. disp 9. § 11. Respondeo salvo aliorum judicio negando sensum illum qui in nobis oritur ex agnitione nostrae Iustificationis aliquando tolli penitus in homine Our Divines that teach poor Souls to use their Faith of Adherence when they want evidence do go another way to work and suppose an Universal promise and before that an Universal satisfaction Or else Adherence without evidence hath no sufficient object or ground and then farewel the Christians most constant stay Arg. 15. Ab ordine credendi perverso If Christ satisfied not for all then the knowledg or assurance that we have justifying Faith must go before justifying Faith But that is impossible as being a contradiction Ergo c. The reason of the consequence is plain in what was said on the last argument For no Man can believe to justification but by believing that Christ is a sufficient Redeemer and hath made sufficient satisfaction for his Sins and by accepting him as offered to apply the fruits of that satisfaction to us and by resting on him for those fruits Now all this hath no ground till a Man knows that Christ hath already died and satisfied for him And that cannot be known if Christ died not for all till Men first know themselves to be Elect and believers and that cannot be known till after we do believe For if the thing to be believed is that Christ died for believers and for me if I believe I must know that I believe before I can know that he died for me and yet I must know that he hath died and satisfied for me before I can believe to Justification See what contradictions are here and how Men are put upon impossibilities I know the necessity of believing that Christ hath satisfied for me is denied but I have proved it before Arg. 16. A peccatorum aggravatione If it be the great aggravation of all Mens Sins committed against that mercy which tendeth to their Recovery that they are against the Lord that died for them then Christ did die for all such Men But the Antecedent is true Ergo c. Only the Antecedent requires proof That wicked Men do partake of Mercy tending towards their recovery as to the nature of the mercy and in Gods legal Ordination I think I need not prove among Christians And that they Sin against such mercy is a thing that needs as little proof The main proof of the Antecedent that these mens Sins are aggravated in that they are against Christ that died for them will be from several Texts of Scripture which do thus aggravate such Mens Sin which because I intend to handle particularly I will refer you thereto and now pass them by Further 1. It is confessed that these Mens Sin is aggravated in that they are against the Blood of Christ as offered to them in its Fruits and as against Christ himself offered to them as Crucified and as Redeemer and as against the offers of pardon Adoption and Salvation which are all Fruits of Christs satisfaction But all these imply satisfaction for them to whom they are offered as is proved already Ergo c. Many of our Divines as Perkins Reform Cathol of Justif and others say that in this we differ from the Papists that they make Christs satisfaction
that it goes before assurance or knowledge of our Election And if Christ died only for the Elect then no man could repent of his sins as that which killed Christ or as against his blood till he first knew himself to be Elect and then many true Christians should never so repent in this Life and always the Gospel Repentance would not only follow Justification but even the knowledge of Justification Whereas Amesius and most of ours do make it with Faith go before both Justification and Sanctification Argum. 17th A novo jure Dominii imperii If Christ have a new Dominion and Empire over all men grounded quoad meritum on his redeeming of all or satisfying for all then he did Redeem or make satisfaction for all But the Antecedent is true Ergo c. I might have used these as two distinct Mediums but for brevity I will conjoin them and argue specially a jure imperii which in order of Nature followeth the jus Dominii and is grounded on it Man being made a rational Creature there was a necessity he should have a Government Moral according to his Nature and God being his Lord and Owner it was therefore necessary that he should be his Supream Rector For the right of disposure belongs to him that is absolute Owner or full Propietary And Regiment is part of the disposure of the reasonable Creature So then the necessit as regiminis passivè considerati is founded in the Nature of Man but the jus imperii is founded in the jure Dominii in our present case So that where ever God hath as Redeeemer the jus imperii it is necessary necessitate consequente Consequentiae that he have the jus dominii And wherever he hath the jus dominii it is necessary necessitate Antecedente consequentioe that he have the jus imperii if so be that the Creature be capable of Government Moral else not for the jus supposeth that capacity And therefore Christs Dominion is larger than his Empire I still here take the term Dominiâ—m in the strict sense as it signifieth meer Propriety and not in the large sense as it comprehendeth both Propriety and Empire as its parts As Gods Rectorship is founded in his Propriety so his Legislation presupposeth his Rectorship So that in natural order he is first Dominns Absolutus and then secondly Rector Supremus and then ex jure imperii he is Legislator Now God at first was owner of the World as Creator and thence had a right to Govern the World as Creator and thence made them that perfect Law fitted to the state of a perfect Creature and expressing the perfection of the Creator Ruler and Law-maker Upon the breach of this Law and the ruin of the World thereby the maker becomes the repairer Christ redeemeth the World And hereby hath first a novum jus Dominii a new Propriety in it 2. A novum jus imperii a new right to Govern it 3. And hence he is novus Legislator he doth make new Laws even the Laws of Grace and Faith Now as Gods Creation of all was the ground of his right of Governing of all and that Right was the ground of his actual Government of all So Christs redeeming of all is the ground of his new Right to Govern all and that Right is the ground of his actual Government And as God had not a propriety in one Man or a Right to govern him because he made another Man but because he made that Man so Christ hath not his new propriety in Reprobates or his new Right to govern them meerly from his redeeming other Men viz. The Elect but from his redeeming all Men and them among the rest And as God had his jus imperii by Creation over the Rebellions as well as the obedient for God lost not his right when Adam did Rebel so hath Christ by Redemption his jus imperii over Unbelievers as well as over the faithful And as if God had let the World go on under the meer Regiment of the Law of Creation it would not follow that God would certainly save all Men because he made all for then the Devils would be saved and none could be damned so under the Administration of Christ according to the Law of Redemption it will no more follow that Christ will save all because he redeemed all For Gods Creation had gracious or favourable ends for the Creature as well as his Redemption And he might as truly be said to create them to Life as to Redeem them to Life Nay he gave all Men in our first Parents actual possession of Paradise of Righteousness and Holiness and the favour of God which is Mans happiness and yet he permitted them to lose it So Redemâ—tion obligeth not the Redeemer to save all the redeemed nor doth necessarily infer their future Salvation Yet here is no ground for that charge which is laid on the Arminians to be laid on this Doctrin viz. that then Christs Blood might be lost for Gods decrees will see to that Gods foreknowledg denominates the Salvation of the Elect infallibly certain His decree of Predestination makes their Salvation future Redemption is a part of the execution of that Decree and it is as Creation was not a part peculiar to the Elect and inseparable from Salvation but a general part common to all and laying the necessary ground-work for the more special parts of execution And therefore when the Apostle saith whom he foreknew them he did Predestinate to be conformed c. And whom he did Predestinate them he called whom he called them he justified And whom he justified them he Glorified Rom. 8. 30. he never saith whom he died for or whom he redeemed them he called or justified or glorified no more then whom he Created so that Redemption as presupposing the Predetermination of Election is an infallible means of attaining the Salvation of the redeemed that were so Elect the infallibility and futurition being not properly from Redemption as such but from Predestination and foreknowledg and so from Redemption as joyned thereto that is from Gods Intention or purpose de hoc eventu But Redemption doth not presuppose all the redeemed to be Elect by decree and therefore doth not necessarily infer the Salvation of all the redeemed They do therefore sorely mistake that suppose Redemption hath this for its direct end viz. The Salvation of the redeemed or that it is its end at all that all the redeemed shall be infallibly eventually saved But Redemption layeth first the ground of Christs new Empire and Administration to all the World Upon this groundwork is the whole Government of the World built and all the Judicial proceeding and execution at the last day And therefore they that deny Universal Redemption know not what they do They deny the Foundation of Gods Dominion as Redeemer and of his new Empire and Legislation and Judgment Redemption now is necessarily Antecedent to the Condemnation of perishing Unbelievers as well as causal of
Non-Elect to use no means at all for their Recovery and Salvation or else to have appointed them means which are all utterly useless and insufficient for want of a prerequisite cause without them yea which imply a contradiction 7. It maketh the True and Righteous God to make promises of Pardon and Salvation to all men on condition of believing which he neither would nor could perform for want of such satisfaction to his Justice if they did believe 8. It denieth the true sufficiency of Christs Death for the pardoning and saving of all men if they did believe 9. It makes the cause of mens Damnation to be principally for want of an expiatory Sacrifice and of a Saviour and not of believing 10. It maketh Christ to have suffered much in vain enduring as much for the sins of the Elect only as if the sins of all men had layen on him 11. Or else it dangerously extenuateth and denieth the sufferings of Christ as if he did not suffer as much as was due for the sins of all and it extenuateth his love as if he took on him only the sins of the Elect. 12. It either denieth that any but the Elect should love Christ or be thankful to him as their Redeemer yea or any Elect that have not the knowledg of their Election and so should not repent of the want of this love and thankfulness or else that they should love him and be thankful for that which never was true and never was done for them or given them 13. It maketh God to have inflicted more on Christ then was due even as much for the Sins of the Elect only as was due for the Sins of all the World 14. It leaveth all the World Elect as well as others without any ground and object for their first justifying Faith and in an utter uncertainty whether they may believe to justification or not 15. It maketh the knowledg that we have justifying Faith to go before the having of that Faith 16. It denieth the most necessary humbling aggravation of Mens Sins so that neither the Minister can tell wicked Men that they have sinned against him that bought them nor can any wicked Man so accuse himself no nor any Man that doth not know himself to be Elect They cannot say my Sins put Christ to Death and were the Cause of his sufferings Nay a Minister cannot tell any Man in the World certainly thy Sins put Christ to death because he is not certain who is Elect or sincere in the Faith 17. It subverteth Christs new Dominion and Government of the World and his general legislation and Judgment according to his Law which is now founded in his Title of Redemption as the first Dominion and Government was on the Title of Creation 18. It maketh all the benefits that the Non-Elect receive whether Spiritual or corporal and so even the relaxation of the curse of the Law without which relaxation no Man could have such mercies to befall Men without the satisfaction of Christ and so either make satisfaction as to all those mercies needless or else must find another Satisfier 19. It maketh the Law of Grace to contain far harder terms then the Law of Works did in its utmost rigor 20. It maketh the Law of Moses either to bind all the Non-Elect still to all Ceremonies and bondage-ordinances and so sets up judaism or else to be abrogated and taken down and Men delivered from it without Christs suffering for them 21. It destroys almost the whole work of the Ministry disabling Ministers either to humble Men by the chiefest aggravations of their Sins and to convince them of ingratitude and unkind dealing with Christ or to shew them any hopes to draw them to repentance or any love and mercy tending to Salvation to melt and win them to the Love of Christ or any sufficient object for their Faith and affiance or any means to be used for pardon or Salvation or any promise to encourage them to come in or any threatening to deter them 22. It makes God and the Redeemer to have done no more for the remedying of the misery of most of faln mankind then for the Devils nor to have put them into any more possibility of pardon or Salvation 23. Nay it makes God to have dealt far hardlier with most Men then with the Devils making them a Law which requireth their believing in one that never died for them and taking him for their Redeemer that never redeemed them and that on the meer foresight that they would not believe it or decree that they should not and so to create by that Law a necessity of their far sorer punishment without procuring them any possibility of avoiding it 24. It makes the Gospel of its own Nature to be the greatest Plague and Judgment to most of Men that receive it that ever God sendeth to Men on Earth by binding them over to a greater punishment and aggravating their Sin without giving them any possibility of remedy 25. It maketh the case of all the World except the Elect as deplorate remediless and hopeless as the Case of the damned and so denieth them to have any day of Grace Visitation or Salvation or any price for happiness put into their Hands 26. It maketh Christ to condemn Men to Hell Fire for not receiving him for their Redeemer that never redeemed them and for not resting on him for Salvation by his Blood which was never shed for them and for not repenting unto life when they had no hope of mercy and Faith and repentance could not have saved them 27. It putteth sufficient excuses into the Mouths of the condemned 28. It maketh the torments of conscience in Hell to be none at all and teacheth the damned to put away all their sorrows and self accusations 29. It denieth all the privative part of those torments which Men are obliged to suffer by the obligation of Christs Law and so maketh Hell either no Hell at all or next to none 30. And I shall anon shew how it leads to Infidelity and other Sins And after this what Face of Religion is left unsubverted Not that I charge those that deny Universal satisfaction with holding all these abominations but their Doctrin of introducing them by necessary consequence It is the opinion and not the Men that I accuse 2. Next let me give you some express Texts of Scripture which I shall anon run over more fully and vindicate and see which opinion is the truth of God Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life 2 Pet. 2. 1 20 21. But there were false Prophets also among the People even as there shall be false teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction 20. 21. And as Jude hath it 4. There are certain Men crept
And 1. I argue thus If it be no injustice in God to oblige men to punishment for all Christs satisfaction then it is no injustice actually to punish men for all Christs satisfaction But the former is true therefore so is the latter First I will prove the consequence of the Major Proposition thus from the essential offices of the Law 1. The Law is Juris constitutiva vel saltem declarativa It constituteth Right or at least declareth right I put in the latter declareth not as my own sense but to prevent the quarrel of any that may think this or any Right was constituted from Eternity before there was any Law or at least before that which we say obligeth sinners to punishment Though indeed the Law doth constitute before it declare And so the Law is Regula jussitiâ— vel saltem regula justa And if so then to execute such a Law can be no injustice 2. The Law is Norma judicii that 's past question I speak of a Law in force and as to the subjects to whom it is in force And if so then it can be no injustice to execute it But I think few sober men will deny the Major and therefore I leave that And one would think none should doubt of the Minor Whether it be any injustice in God by his Law to oblige to punishment those that Christ Died for But because the Antinomians deny it let us prove it If God do de facto oblige to punishment those for whom Christ Died then it is no injustice so to do But God doth so actually Ergo c. I hope if we prove that God doth it none dare say it is unjust If he be not Just he is not God And that God doth it I prove thus 1. Those that God Hateth and are Children of Wrath and without Hope and without God in the World and Strangers to the Covenant of Promises and Aliens to the Common-Wealth of Israel c. are certainly obliged to punishment But such many have been and still are for whom Christ Died Ergo c. God hateth all the workers of Iniquity and they are all by Nature Children of Wrath c. But many that Christ Died for are before Regeneration workers of Iniquity Ergo c. 2. All that are under the Curse of the Law are obliged to punishment But many that Christ Died for were under the Curse of the Law since his Death undertaken when his satisfaction was in force yea since his actual suffering Ergo. c. Many Scriptures shew both that we were under the Curse of the Law when Christ actually suffered and that all the Elect are under it still as well as others till their conversion I am loth to trouble the Reader in heaping up Testimonies 3. All that are condemned already and the Wrath of God abideth on them are doubtless obliged to punishment But such are many for whom Christ Died even all the Elect as well as others while they are unbelievers John 3. 18. 4. All that are guilty are obliged to punishment Proved Reatus est obligatio ad poenam they are all one thing But some that Christ Died for are Guilty Ergo c. Even all before pardon and that is all before Conversion are guilty 5. All those whose sins Christ doth pardon were first guilty or obliged to punishment But some that Christ Died for have their sins pardoned Ergo c. The Major is proved beyond all doubt from the formal Nature of Pardon which is the Remitting of Guilt or the Dissolving of an Obligation to punishment therefore where is no such obligation there can be no Dissolution of it For that which is not cannot be dissolved And so there is no capacity for pardon no more than a living man can be raised from the Dead or a Man cured of a Disease which he never had The like may be said of Justification also Our Divines have fully proved against the Antinomians that we are unpardoned and unjustified till we believe We are Justified by Faith and therefore were unjustified before Faith 6. If none be obliged to punishment for whom Christ Died then none such may pray for Pardon nor confess that they need any Pardon from Christ For Pardon being the dissolving of an obligation to punishment there can be no pardon where there is no obligation and therefore no need of it nor of prayer for it But the consequent is very wicked We must daily pray Forgive us our Debts and Trespasses Ergo c. The Second Argument is this If God do actually punish those for whom Christ Died then he may justly punish them But God doth actually punish such Ergo c. The Major is unquestionable The Minor is fully proved thus 1. The express words of Scripture shew it Lev. 26. 41 43. Lam. 3 39. and 4. 6 22. Amos 1. 3 6 9 11 13. and 2. 1 4 6. 2 Cor. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 14. Jer. 44. 13. Ezra 9. 13. Hos 4. 9 15. Jer. 9 25. Read the places 2. The execution of that sentence Gen. 3. 16 17 18 19. is certainly punishment I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy Conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth Children c. Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy Life c. Dust thou art and to Dust shalt thou return But this sentence is executed on those that Christ Died for Ergo c. 3. Those whom God chastiseth he punisheth But he chastiseth those whom Christ Died for Ergo c. The Major is undeniable to all that know what chastisement and punishment is Punishment is the Genus being a Natural Evil or the privation of a Natural Good inflicted for a Moral Evil the privation of a Moral Good Rigorous vindictive Punishment tending most to the ruine of the Sinner is one species of it Chastisement is another species which by the hurt of a sinner tendeth to his good And though this be called Paternal yet 1. Chastisement is not the proper act of Parents Masters may Chastise Servants and Princes their Subjects 2. It is Metaphorically called Paternal in one respect as God exerciseth it when yet in other respects it is the act of God as Rector per Legâ—s for so all Gods Chastisements are according to his Laws Object All shall work together for good to them that Love God to the Called c. therefore nothing is Punishment Answ 1. The best Interpreters according to the plain truth expound that Text of Affliction only and most of such Affliction as is suffered for Christs cause or at least not for hainous sinning against God And it is unlikely it should be otherwise 1. Because the defect of Love to God seems excepted in limiting it to them that love God But one that Christ Died for may be defective in love to God therefore that is not promised to work for good 2. Every Man dieth in some sin and how that
acknowledged or pray'd for Remission of such a Guilt nor any Ministers that ever acquainted them with it yet Ursine and some few I find make it doubtful yet here is no ground for their objection who say that then for the Sin of Cain or Cham God may destroy all their present Posterity To which I Answer 1. According to the Law of Works he may 2. According to the Law of Grace if there have been no Godly intermediate Progenitors which is false or improbable 3. Or if the Children prove wicked and rebellious themselves God may bring on that Generation the Evlis deserved by the foregoing Yet is there a great difference in degree between guilt from Progenitors and guilt from our own Personal voluntary Actions and therefore God never imputeth the former where men are personally obedient and penitent but lays it as an addition to their personal guilt on the Impenitent and Disobedient Prop. XX. I cannot find in Scripture where it is clearly revealed to us on what terms God will Judge those that heard not of Christ In general we find that he will judge them according to their usage of the Talents of Mercy received and not according to the rigour of the Law of works as it stands alone but particularly how God will proceed with them or whether any Heathen be ever saved I cannot find that he hath revealed For indeed it doth not concern us to know it I dare not say that any of them Socrates Seneca Plato c. are saved Nor dare I say that I am certain they are not They that are certain let them be thankful for their knowledge and not be angry with me for confessing my Ignorance And I hope they will distinguish between Ignorance and Error and therefore not charge me with Error in this It seems to me that these men being not under any conditional Promise of Life for Faith is the condition therefore they cannot lay claim to Salvation by the Tenour of the Covenant Though some think that the Promise of Pardon and Life to them that Repent may give them an interest But yet God is not engaged to the contrary but dealeth Arbitrarily with them and therefore we cannot know his dealings particularly and fully herein Prop. XXI Those Scriptures that speak of the necessity of Christ to mans Salvation for satisfying Justice do plainly extend it to all men in the World but those that speak of the necessity of believing seem to limit it to them that hear the Gospel or might have heard it but for their own fault It is true of all men that there is no other name given under Heaven by which they can be saved but the Name of Jesus There is no Remission but by his Blood nor Acceptance with God but for the sake of his Satisfaction and Merits But it may be observed from the Context that when it is said He that believeth not shall be Damned it is plainly fore-implyed that they are such as are called to believe It hath the Nature of a threatning and therefore presupposeth the sin of Unbelief and that it be not meer Negative Unbelief but Privative and that supposeth the duty of believing and that supposeth the command constituting the Duty and that supposeth Natural Power in Man though not Moral and the Natural possibility of obeying Peruse each particular Text of this Nature and you will find this true Prop. XXII Personal Believing was never commanded to Infants or Ideots nor required as necessary to their Salvation Prop. XXIII The same Faith which is now among us of absolute necessity to our Justification and Salvation was not so to those before Christ therefore it is not per se of absolute necessity to Justification by Christ Therefore if God so please those that hear not the Gospel may be Justified without that Faith which to us is necessary If we believe not that Jesus is the Christ we shall Die in our sins But this was not necessary to the Jews before Christs coming Nay it appears by divers passages in the Gospel that Christs own Twelve Apostles after they had long heard his Teaching and seen his Miracles did not believe that Christ should be put to Death and be made a Sacrifice for Sin much less his Resurrection c. And how unlikely is it then that all the true believers of the World long before should believe this However some Prophets might discern much of it Do but well peruse every example of believing in Heb. 11. and see what Faith it was that then saved them Yet to think that the same would save us now were a desperate mistake Prop. XXIV God can if he please pardon and save men for the sake of Christs satisfaction without letting them once know that Christ satisfied for them else he cannot save an Infant or an Ideot Some Divines as Twisse c. are so bold as to say that God could have pardoned Sin without Christs satisfaction I dare not say so But methinks the same men should never make mans knowledge or belief of Christs satisfaction to be absolutely necessary to Salvation if the satisfaction it self be not Dare any say My own Faith was more necessary than Christs Death I could have been saved without Christ but not without Faith God could have forgiven men absolutely if he would or else have made some other condition when once his Justice was satisfied And therefore we cannot conclude that this is the condition to any further than Scripture saith so Prop. XXV Yet is Repentance Belief in God Love to him and sincere Obedience of Natural necessity For God cannot be enjoyed in Glory but by these Graces nor as a Just Rector can he save them that love him not and that Rebel against him Prop. XXVI Those who think it possible for a Socrates Seneca c. to be saved or one that never heard the Gospel do not hereby equal Heathenism with Christianity nor make our Religion needless For they 1. Make their Salvation less certain and ours most certain 2. And their Salvation most difficult as for a man to hit a narrow way in the dark and ours incomparably more easie as for a man to hit the right way by day-light 3. And that therefore they are very few of them that are Saved but Multitudes with us 4. That their Glory shall be lesser as his that improved the two Talents and ours greater as his that improved the ten Besides many more differences Prop. XXVII If all the Heathen be Damned though their loss will be materially equal with ours yet formally as a privation for they were never in our capacity of Glory and their poena sensus will not be near equal to ours either materially or formally For their Consciences will never torment them for the refusal of Christ revealed and Heaven offered to them or any other sins which they were not capable of committing Nay if it were true that some teach that they had no Gospel Mercy or Grace given
in Execution of these Laws And that is 1. In this Life as was promised 2. After 1. At Death and by Resurrection 2. By Judgment 1. By Sentence where as Judge 1. He Justifieth all Believers 2. Adjudgeth to them Everlasting Glory as he Condemneth their Enemies to Everlasting Fire Both Wickedmen as Rebels and Devils as hostes open Foes 2. In Execution of this Sentence he perfecteth them in Glory So far of Christs Benefits which we receive from him as Rector 2. Next we are to view those which Christ gives as free Benefactor and Dominus absolutus meerly though yet with respect to the Ends of Government And so 1. He disposes of the Means 2. Of the Success 1. He giveth Means differently as he please to some more to some less And they are 1. Outward Means 2. Inward The outward are 1. The Works of God 2. The Ordinances or Justified Means The works which are means to teach and win men are 1. The Creatures themselves as discovering Gods Wisdom Power Goodness and much Mercy to man so much as opened to all Nations that hope of pardon which was their Encouragement to all that Sacrificing Prayers and other Religiousness which they generally in some measure used and would never have used it had it not been for this hope which was grounded in a discovery of Gods Mercifulness to them though Sinners 2. And Providential disposal of Events much furthers this 1. In seasonable Afflicting and Punishing 2. In giving the Mercies of Prosperity 2. The Ordinances or instituted means are 1. His Ordinances strictly so called as 1. His Laws Covenants Doctrine 2. And his Sacraments 1. Baptism 2. And the Lords Supper 2. And the concomitant means 1. For the divulging of his Word by 1. Men appointed thereto 1. Ordinary as 1. Ministers in their places and 2. Other Christians in theirs 2. Extraordinary as Apostles and Prophets 2. And by Artificial means 1. To the Ear by Speaking in Teaching and Perswading by the foresaid men 2. To the Eye by Writing Printing 2. And as he giveth these means for the divulging his word so for the inforcing of it and the success that men may Understand Believe and Obey it he giveth means 1. Extraordinary as the Holy Ghost to work Miracles 2. Ordinary 1. By fellowship with one another in ordinary community whether 1. With private Christians 2. Or Ministers either of which help us 1. Either by Example 2. Or Instruction either 1. By Conference 2. Or solemn Teaching 1. By Voice 2. Or Writing being gifted 1. Meanly 2. Or Eminently 1. By Nature 2. Art Learning Grace as God is pleased to dispose 2. Or else these Ordinary helps are from and in Association and that 1. In lesser bodies as Families 2. In greater as 1. Ecclesiastical Churchches Where we have the benefit 1. Of the Persons 1. Officers 2. Members Common 2. Of the order and ordinances discipline c. 2. Or Civil Societies where we have all civil helps to further our Religious Ends. So much for the Outward Means Only observe that I am not now speaking of these as commanded and made due for so they are not given by Christ as Legislator but as bestowed and disposed of eventually which is by Christ as a free benefactor proprietary or Dominus absolutus so far as he doth it without pre-obligation and differently 2. Next the Inward Means which Christ giveth thus are 1. The disposal and ordering of the temper of the Humours and parts of the Body so as may be more or less fit to receive or retain Impressions 2. The advantitious helps are 1. The service of good Angels 2. Above all the Holy Ghost to work in that season manner and measure as to his Wisdom seems meet So much of the Benefits which Christ giveth as free Benefactor and as Dominus by way of Means 2. Lastly He also succeedeth these means variously as he please 1. To some for the Endowing them only with Common Gifts 1. Extraordinary as working Miracles 2. Ordinary as 1. Intellectual in the knowledge 1. Of Arts and Sciences 2. Or of more Divine Truth 2. Or Moral either 1. In Civility and common Honesty toward Men with excellent quallifications as Meekness Patience c. 2. Or Religiousness or Piety toward God which is of divers degrees some having less and some more even a taste of Gods word and the powers of the World to come with some real Faith Love Joy Cleansing from former filthiness and Sanctification by the Blood of the Covenant which yet are not saying 2. To others he giveth his Spitit to work in such seasons manner and measure accompanied with congruous providential occurrences and removal of temptations and hindrances as shall infallibly prevail 1. For to bring them to Faith and 2. To further Sanctification and Perseverance In a word he useth such means with all his Elect as shall infallibly succeed to bring them to Faith and Perseverance and so much with all the World as shall leave them all without excuse In all this you may see that those benefits which Christ gives as free benefactor and as Dominus absolutus are neither for all men alike nor for all the Elect alike nor for ought we can know for any two persons alike in degree and therefore if Christ may not be said to Die for any man except he give him all that he gives to others without the accusation of being an imperfect Saviour then he could not be said to Die for most of the Elect. Also you may see in this Scheme how far Christ Died for all men and how far not and that the main inequality is not in the Mercies which he gives as Legislator till their own Faith or Unbelief make the difference but in the Mercies which he gives as absolute Lord which flow from his secret Decree de rerum Eventu And lest you should think that all this Power and Operation ascribed to the Mediator is derogatory to the Father understand that as the Father and Son are one so the Mediators Power being but the Supream Derived Power and not the Supream Primitive Power it still supposeth the Primitive Power and Operation of the God-head And therefore both the obtaining and conveying of these benefits to us is still expressed to be as from Christ indeed but in dependance on and by derivation from God And so 1. As they are at first procured by Christs satisfaction they are said to be by Purchase or Redemption 2. And as they are continued or daily given out from the continued Moral Vertue of that satisfaction in Gods acceptation they are said to he procured by Christs intercessions which being but the said continued force of his satisfaction and purchase in producing the remote effects I need not speak of it any further Thus I have given you a Scheme of the Nature Order and Difference of the Effects of Christs Death in the best manner that at present I can learn from the Word And though in this you
which is their Master Argument may as well say that God is an imperfect Creator because he maketh not Worms to be Men or that he is an imperfect Conservator because he preserved not man from Mortality Damnation and Antecedent Calamities especially from Sin Or that he is imperfectly Merciful because he permitteth Men to sin and Condemneth them Or that Christ is an Imperfect Redeemer of the Elect because he suffereth them after his Redemption to Sin Suffer and Die Or that the Holy Ghost is an imperfect Sanctifier and Caller because many wicked Men are Sanctifyed and Believe imperfectly so as will not suffice to Salvation and because they resist and quench the Spirit and fall from that Faith and Sanctification which they had Or that the Spirit is an imperfect Comforter because so many Saints Live and Die in such unconformitable sadness Or that Scripture is an imperfect means because the Effect is so imperfect In a word they may as well say that where God doth not overcome mens wicked dispositions he is an imperfect God to them in regard of his Mercies All which beseem not the Tongue of a Christian Prop. LX. That Argument commonly brought against Universal Redemption that where Christ doth the work of a Mediator for any man in one of his Offices he doth it in all is undeniably destructive to the cause it is brought for For it is undeniable that Christ as Prophet and King Teacheth Calleth Illuminateth many Non-elect giveth some Faith some Taste of his word and the powers of the World to come sanctifyeth them by the Blood of the Covenant and washeth them from their former pollutions Mat. 13. Heb. 6. and 10. â—2 Pet. 2. 20. Therefore in his Priestly Office he must at least be as far their Mediator CHAP. IV. The First Proposition Asserted Prop. I. CHRIST in Sufâ—ering did not strictly and properly bear and represent the person of the Sinner so as Civiliter Moraliter Legaliâ—er it might be said that we either satisfied or sufferâ—d in or by Christ Explic. I am not willing to make the meer â—ords here any matter of quarrel If any dislike â—ny term of mine or like his own let him apâ—ly himself to the matter in Question and let â—…e words pass 1. I deny not that Christ Sufâ—ered nostro loco in our place or stead suffering â—…at which we deserved and should else have unâ—voidably suffered 2. I acknowledge and mainâ—â—in that our Sins were the quasi Causa Meritoria 〈…〉 loco causae meritoriae of his sufferings and that 〈…〉 became Sin for us that is a Curse for Sin â—…at is he made himself by his own Sponsion obâ—â—xious to the Curse and Punishment due to us for 〈…〉 Sin And so far Sin was imputed to him But Christ was neither really a Sinner nor eâ—â—eemed of God so to be and in that sence sin â—as not imputed to him 4. All know that 〈…〉 Physico Christ did not bear our persons Some will needs extend the phrase of bearâ—â—g or representing the person of another civiliter so far as if it were applicable to every sponser surety or one that alterius vice loco doth do or suffer any thing And so they say Christ bore our Person But as I think they abuse the phrase by extending it so far so I am content they use their liberty to express themselves as they please only I intreat them that they misunderstand not me but know that my meaning is that the Law doth not look on any Man no not the Elect as having either satisfyed or suffered in or by Christ nor doth the Law-giver and judge so look on him And so Christ did not strictly in Law-Sense bear the person of any Man in suffering so as that person might be said to have in him suffered 6. Some think Christ in suffering the penalty as penalty did strictly bear our persons as Sinners but not as this suffering was a satisfaction to Gods Justice which is the effect of it much less as it was meritorious of further Grace and Salvation The Authors or owners of this opinion of whom Arminiâ—â— himself seems one discerned the inconveniences that would follow the opinion of strict Representation but while they discerned not the right way of avoiding them and feared lest they should swarve by a full denial of it they seem to me to fall into the same place from which they leaped Though I confess that at the first view I began to incline to this opinion as most moderate which now I see to be unsafe The most of my Arguments are drawn from those intollerable consequences of the Doctrine which I oppose as being such as overthrow the very substance of the Gospel Though to the inconsiderate it may seem a small matter 1. Argument That Doctrine which consequentially denyeth all Pardon of Sin is not of God But such is the Doctrine which I here oppose Therefore c. The Minor only requires proof Where the proper debt is discharged or penalty undergone in Law-Sence by the person himself who was obnoxious there is no room for Pardon to such a Person But according to the Doctrine which I oppose the proper debt is discharged or the penalty undergone in Law-Sence by the Person himself who was obnoxious Therefore according to that Doctrine there is no place for Pardon to such The Minor needs no proof it being the express terms of the assertion which I deny that Christ so represented our Persons in suffering or â—atisfying as that Legaliter vel Civiliter we may properly be said to have suffered or satisfied in â—im so that though it was Christs Person naturally yet it was ours Legally Morally or Impuâ—â—tively The major I prove thus He that oweth nothing or to whom no penalty is due can have â—one forgiven him But he that hath paid all the â—ebt or undergone all the punishment that was â—â—e by himself or another that in Law-Sence is himself doth owe nothing or to him no penalty â— due Therefore he can have none forgiven him â—ob Major Remissio est Debiti Remissio Thereâ—â—re where there is no due there can be no reâ—â—ssion Prob. Minor To have paid or suffered all 〈◊〉 to owe some are contradictory and inconstent Therefore he that hath paid all owes noâ—â—ing The Antimonians Answer is this It is true that no punishment is due to the Elect and none is properly forgiven them now since Christs Death But Christs assuming their Persons in satisfying was a Remission to them Or God did in one instant remit it to them and transfer it on Christ Reply 1. Christs assuming our Persons is not remission of Sin 2. If God did remit it to us when he transferred it on Christ and yet we Legaliter suffered in Christ then God did both remit the whole debt to us and receive satisfaction in Law-Sence from us at the same time But that is a contradiction Therefore c. From hence I may therefore further argue 2. Arg. That Doctrine
which denyeth consequentially that we must believe for remission oâ— Sin or that we are justified by Faith any otherwise than in our own consciences is not of God But such is the Doctrine I oppose Therefore c. The Minor is proved already For if either there be no such thing as pardon of Sin which follows the point opposed or as they say none but at the death of Christ then the Minor is plain The main scope of the Gospel confirms the Major It is the command to believe for remission of Sinâ— It is the promise that if we believe we shall be forgiven It is the threatning that he that believeth not shall not be forgiven and is condemned already and the wrath of God abideth on him And that it is not only in foro conscientiae that Meâ— are justified or as Mr. Owen speaks terminated in conscience I have fully proved by a multitude of Arguments in my Papers to Mr. Lawsâ—â— which therefore I will not now repeat 3. Arg. That Doctrine which denieth that great benefit of our Union with Christ is not of God but such is that which I oppose Therefore c. Pardon and Justification flow from our Union with Christ which is by faith Therefore to deny them is to deny a principal part of the benefit of that our Union with him 4. Arg. That Doctrine which destroyeth a main end of Baptism is not of God Put such is this opposed Therefore c. Prob. Min. We are Baptized for Remission of Sin that is by sealing more fully to exhibite and confirm our Law Title to Remission But this overthroweth Remission at least as the end of Baptism 5. Arg. That Doctrine which destroyeth Prayer for the Pardon of Sins yea and teacheth Men not to be thankful for Pardon nor to acknowledg themselves beholden to God for it nor to need it is not of God But such is this opposed Therefore c. For if it deny pardon it must needs deny Prayer for it and thanks c. 6. Arg. That Doctrine which maketh Men to be in Christ before they believe or are entered into his Covenant is not of God But such is this opposed Therefore c. The Major is plain from the Scope of the Gospel And if it were needful I might cite an hundred Texts which shew that unbelievers are not in Christ that it is by Faith that we are his Members and Children of God â— and not in him till then The Minor is plain that they make all the Elect to have been in Law Sence in Christ dying and satisfying and so make the Members of Harlots and Satan Members oâ— Christ 7. Arg. That Doctrine is not of God which maketh wicked Unbelievers to be in Gods special favour as reconciled and from under his wrath and quite out of debt to him as to any due punishment But such is this opposed Therefore c. Prob. Major The Scripture saith that we are by nature Children of wrath that unbelievers are condemned already and the wrath of God abideth on them that God hateth all the workers of iniquity that he that justifieth the unrighteous is abomination to him that Men must repent believe be Baptized and pray for Pardon that we are justified by Faith Therefore the contrary Doctrine is not of God The Minor's confessed 8. Arg. That Doctrine is not of God which consequentially denieth the Justice of his Judgments But such is this opposed Therefore c. Prob. Min. That Doctrine which chargeth God with punishing those that have made him full payment doth consequentially deny the justice of his Judgments But such is the Doctrine in question Therefore c. 1. That it teacheth that we have fully paid the debt in Christ is past question â—â—â— that God punisheth the Elect 1. Is put out of doubt by frequent express testimony of Scripture 2. And is confessed by themselves as many as are of competent understanding and moderation For 1. that paternal Chastisements is a species of punishment is known to all that know what punishment is viz. Malum Passionis propter malum culpae Vâ—l privatio boni naturalis propter privationem boni moralis Or suffering inflicted for a fault 2. However I have met with few of an ordinary understanding that will deny that God punisheth his Elect before Conversion while they are Children of wrath and condemned already and under the Curse of the Law The Major is also plain It is injustice to punish those to whom no punishment is due But no punishment is due to them that have fully suffered for all Sin Therefore to punish them that have so suffered is injustice I know God is absolute Lord of the Creature and therefore may in that regard use them as he please And therefore I say as Twisse that he may without injustice torment or afflict the most innocent Creature supposing him not to have promised the contrary and to be only Dominus non Rector But saith Twisse he cannot punish the innocent For that is a contradiction and so impossible For all punishment is for sin Affliction is but the matter of punishment and not the form Besides God being Rector of the reasonable Creature and having expressed in his Laws that he will not punish Men that deserve it not it is not to be charged on him If any say God is not capable of injustice if you should suppose the breach of his promise I say 1. as Abraham Gen. 18. 25. that be far from thee to do after this manner to slay the Righteous with the wicked and that the Righteous should be as the wicked that be far from thee Shall not the judge of all the Earth do Right 2. We cannot suppose God to reconcile contradictions Such it is to punish the Innocent And that those who have made full payment or suffered all that was due are not guilty i. e. obligati ad poenam is past dispute 9. Arg. That Doctrine is not true which saith of the wicked He is Righteous But such is this opposed Therefore c. Prob. Major Prov. 24. 24. He that saith to the wicked thou art Righteous Nations shall Curse him People shall abhor him Prob. Minor He that hath fully satisfied for all Sin is Righteous But according to this Doctrine the wicked have fully satisfied for all their Sin Therefore c. Prob. Major He that hath satisfied for all oweth nothing as to punishment and therefore is Righteous What Law can require more then all Or what justice can refuse to acquit him that hath paid all that was due Or to justifie him if he be accused as liable to punishment If any on the old grounds shall say that besides the Righteousness Negatiue which is not guilty of punishment there is requisite a positive righteousness to give Right to the reward and this they want I reply 1. One righteousness doth both I think 2. If it were not so yet Christs satisfaction is meritorious of the reward 3. If
which expresly assert Universal Satisfaction or Christs Dying for all And then I shall answer the contrary Arguments This First Argument shall be A conditionali remissione Jure ad Regnum caelorum omnibus per Testamentum Christi donatis Argum. I. If all men have a Conditional Pardon Justification Adoption and Right to Glory given to them by the New Testament then Christ suffered and satisfied for all But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the consequent I add by way of Explication that the Condition is no Natural impossibility or unreasonable thing but Faith in Christ or the accepting of the good that is bestowed and offered them which is such a condition that many Learned Divines who incline to the Antinomian way say it is no condition but it is equivalent to an absolute gift and that it is so Naturally necessary that in the most absolute gift acceptance is still supposed and that it is all one to say I will give thee this benefit and I will give it thee if thou wilt take it I am not of their mind as to the case in hand but hereby it may appear how reasonable Gods condition is when Learned Men do take his gift to be absolute or equivalent The Antecedent is proved by multitudes of express Texts of Scripture John 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave c. That whosoever believeth c. 1 John 5. 10 11. He that believeth not God hath made him a Lyar because he believeth not the reccord that God gave of his Son And this is the record that God hath given to us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life Mark 16. 15 16. Go ye into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature He that Beeth and is Baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned John 7. 37 38. If any man thirst let him come to me and Drink He that believeth on me c. Acts 13. 39. By him all that believe are Justified c. Acts 16. 31. Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Rom. 3. 22 23 24 25 26. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare c. That he might be the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Rom 4. 24. To whom it shall be imputed if we believe c. Rom. 10. 6 7 8 9. But the Righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wiâ—e c. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God raised him from the Dead thou shalt be saved Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will let him take the Water of Life freely Act. 10. 43. 1 Pet. 2. 6. John 5. 24. and 6. 35. 40 47. and 7. 38. with many the like Where note that these are in several respects called a Gift a Promise and an Offer They are Christs Testament and so properly his Deed of Gift and do confer Right to the mentioned Benefits conditionally first and actual and absolute when the condition is performed And this is the principal consideration of them that they are the Premiant act of the New Law and the Testament of Christ and his Deed of Gift They are an Offer of Christ and these benefits when they are applyed by promulgation to particular Sinners And this Application or Offer is either by the meeâ— terms of the Written Deed of Gift in Scripture or else by the further proclamation by Christs Ministers and Officers In the former sence the Gift and the Offer are materially the same but formally it is first Gods Conveyance or Deed of Gift and then afterward in order of Nature it is his Offer It is Gods Written Instrument constituting a Conditional Right to Christ and his Benefits but such an instrument is a proper Conveyance or Deed of Gift And the conditional Right must be constituted before it can be offered Or else the Offer should be an act without its Object But in regard of Actual Absolute Right the offer is antecedent and supposeth the thing offered not to be his to whom it is offered but that the Condition of Acceptance must first be performed Yea every man that is the owner himself who doth seriously offer a benefit to any man without any meritorious or retaliating condition but meerly to be accepted doth Eodem actu convey or give Right to that Benefit on the said condition Now God doth offer his Son 1. By his Written Instrument or Word which must needs be his own act and consequently his Gift as well as offer 2. By his Messengers whose act is morally his own act in that he hath bid them say what they say and commanded them to proclaim it to every Creature It is called a Promise not in respect to the Conditional Right but the Absolute because it promiseth them that if they will accept Christ he shall be theirs with his benefits And it doth not Promise that God will perform any other Natural Act for Conveiance of the benefit but that by that same promising Instrument the Right shall be conveyed 2. It is undeniable that this gift offer or promise If thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved or Whosoever will let him take c. is made to unbelievers as the Subject We may not say to a Believer If thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved Except we speak of the continuance or renewal of Faith It is properly to Unbelievers that God offers or gives Christ so be it they will accept his gift Now if it be to unbelievers then it must needs be to all Elect and Non-elect For the Promise makes no difference nor the Minister knows no difference God saith not Thou Elect person shalt be saved if thou believe For then no Man could apply the promise nor know whether he have warrant to believe as not knowing whether he be Elect But he saith to any Man If thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved 3. Either Christ and his benefits are given conditionally on condition of believing to all or to none To the Non-elect or not to the Elect. But rhey are given to some even to the Elect Therefore to all The Major is evident in the tenour of the promise 1. It is Universal Whosoever will Whosoeve believeth It is no where limited to the Elect. 2. If it were limited to the Elect it were useless because none could know before believing whether he be Elect. Indeed the thing promised is proper to the Elect and so is the Effectual Actual Donation or Conveyance of Right by the promise But that is not as to the Sense of the promise as they are Elect but as believers or performers of the condition And in this Sence only Believers are Heirs of the promise that is its effectual conveying act and so to the thing promised But the Great doubt is of the Minor
the same Again that this sorrow of his is joy and rejoycing to thee if thou wilt believe in him When thou readest that in the Garden he prayed lying grovling on his Face sweating Water and Blood begin to think seriously what an unspeakable measure of Gods wrath was upon thy blessed Saviour that did prostrate his Body upon the Earth and cause the Blood to follow and think that thy Sins must needs be most hainous that brought such bloody and grievous pains upon him Also think it is a shame for thee to carry thy Head to Heaven with haughty looks to wallow in thy pleasures and to draw the innocent Blood of thy poor brethren by oppression and deceit for whom Christ Sweat Water and Blood and take an occasion from Christs agony to lay aside the pride of thy Heart yea even to bleed for thy own offences c. When thou readest that Christ was taken and bound think that thy very Sins brought him into the power of his Enemies and were the very bonds wherewith he was tied Think that thou shouldst have been bound in the very same manner unless he had been a surety and pledg for thee Think also that thou in the same manner art bound and tied with the Chains of thy own Sins c. Lastly think and believe that the bonds of Christ serve to purchase thy liberty from Hell death and damnation When thou hearest that he was brought before Annas and Caiphas think it was meet that thy surety and pledg who was to suffer the Condemnation due to thee should by the High Priest as by the Mouth of God be condemned And wonder at this that the very Coessential and Eternal Son of God even the Soveraign judg of the World stands to be judged and that by wicked Men perswading thy self that this so great confusion comes of thy Sins Whereupon being further amazed at thy fearful state humble thy self in dust and ashes and pray God to soften thy stony Heart that thou maist turn to him and by true Faith lay hold on Christ c. When thou readest that Barrabas the murderer was preferred before Christ c. Thy very Sins pulled on him that shameful reproach and in that for thy cause he was esteemed worse than Barrabas c. When thou readest that he was openly and judicially condemned to the cursed death of the Cross consider what is the wrath and fury of God against Sin and how great is his mercy to Sinners and in this Spectacle look on thy self and with groans of Heart say O good God what settest thou before mine Eyes I even I have sinned I am guilty and worthy of damnation Whence comes this change that thy blessed Son is in my room but of thy unspeakable mercy Wretch that I am How have I forgotten my self and thee my God O Son of God how low hast thou abased thy self for me Therefore give me grace O God that beholding my own Estate in the person of my Saviour thus condemned I may detest my Sins that were the cause thereof and by a lively Faith embrace that absolution which thou offerest me in him who was condemned in my stead and room O Lord Jesus Saviour of the World give me that Holy Spirit that I may judg my self and be as vile in my own Eyes as thou wast vile before the Jews Unite me unto thee by the same Spirit that in thee I may be as worthy to be accepted before God as I am worthy in my self to be detested for my Sins c. When thou readest that he was script of his cloathing think it was that he being naked might bear thy shame ou the Cross c. When thou readest of the complaint of Christ that he was forsaken of his Father consider how he suffered the pangs and torments of Hell as thy Pledge and Surety c When thou readest of his Death consider that thy Sins were the cause of it c. Thus far Mr. Perkins whose words I have thus largely set doown both as a pattern for Ministers how to Preach the Doctrine of Redemption and to shew the necessity there is that Ministers and People do see and discover to others their Sin in this great aggravation as they were the crucifiers of Christ and to shew you what English Ministers Preach to the People whatever they speak in Disputes and what kind of Preaching it is which hath succeeded so in England for the conversion of Souls If this be not a plain Preaching of Universal Redemption or Satitfaction as to all that hear the Gospel whom he requires so oft to consider that Their sins crucified Christ then I know not what is And if any quirke may be produced to wrest so plain words to a contrary sense I am sure the poor sinners to whom it is Preached know not ordinarily those evasions but receive it in the plain sense I could fill a Volume with the like passages as this out of our most powerful and successful Preachers Here then are two distinct aggravations of sin both necessarr to every penitent Soul both which are denyed by the denyal of Universal satisfaction The first is that our sins killed Christ as being the cause of his Death Is not a man bound to mourn over him whom his sins have pierced before he knoweth himself to be Elect How few then of the Elect themselves should do it 2. The second aggravation is that all our sins against recovering mercies are committed against him that Died for us He that denyeth both these aggravations of sin doth not a little wrong Christ and mens Souls Lastly I argue thus If without those forementioned aggravations of sin no man can truly and savingly Repent then all men are bound thus to aggravate their sins in their self accusations But without these there can be no saving Repentance Ergo c. The consequence of the Major is proved in that all men are bound truly to Repentance even with that which is called Repentance unto Life The Antecedent or Minor is proved 1. In that else it can be but a Legal Repentance and not an Evangelical if it be not for sin as the crucifier of Christ and for sin as against our Redeemer 2. From the description of true Gospel Repentance Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn over him c. Or if it were proved that there is besides this a true Repentance foregoing yet it is but part of that great work seeing this Evangelical Repentance must go close with it And if any say tha tmen are bound first to believe before they are bound to this evangelical repentance for sinning against the blood of Christ I answer 1. They are bound to both at once and the Apostles prest both at once on men To Repent and Believe 2. Most Divines make Repentance with Faith to go before Justification 3. Some have writ whole Volumes to prove that it goes before Faith it self 4. All acknowledge
cap. 10. Videtur declarare non est eis reliqua hostia pro peccato postquam unicam Christi hostiam semel abjecerunt conculcarunt Impossible igitur est eos resipiscere servari So Calvin also Porro haec ratio est cur iterum dicat Christum crucifigi quia nos hâc conditione illi commorimur ut meditemur perpetuam vitae novitatem Qui◠ergo in mortem recidunt opus habent secundo sacrificio ut capite decimo habebimus Crucifigentes sibi hoc est quantum in se est Yea Beza himself who seeing what might be said for Universal Redemption from this Text endeavours to put in a bar yet concludeth thus Et fortasse sic potest ista sententia explicari acsi declaretur istos non posse rursum renovari quoniam rursus oporteret Christum crucifigi illis ludibriis exponi quod fieri amplius non potest illo semel pro mortuis credituris crucifixo nec in gratiam istorum apostatarum rursum crucifigendo quam sententiam si amplectamur uti sane probablis commoda mihi videtur c. I will add no more though many more might be added Now according to this exposition it is evident that it is implied that Christ died for these men or else there seems no force in the Argument to prove their sin unpardonable and themselves unrecoverable For the Holy Ghost here plainly intimateth that this unrecoverableness is the fruit of their Apostacy and that they were not unrecoverable before they were Apostates and yet the reason of their uncureableness lies in this that it is necessary to their pardon and cure that Christ should die again which cannot be Now it implieth that he died for them as they were in their state before Apostacy or else on this reason it might be said as well that their recovery and pardon was as impossible then and so their Apostacy should not be the reason but Christs not dying for them at all should be it Which is plainly contrary to the Text. But if any will needs deny this most probable interpretation and expound it efficienter that they do as much as they can to kill Christ again by their malice and contempt and making him to be but as a malefactor do approve of the Jews crucifying him as Grotius and many more expound it still it intimates that their sin did put him to Death once before or else what force is there in the Argument For it seems to run thus they that as much as in them lieth put Christ to Death twice or a second time are remediless But so do these Apostates Ergo c. Now if their sin as the pro-causa meritoria had no hand in his Death at first how can they be therefore remediless for endeavouring it a second time For it was but once by them And if the same sin was pardonable in those that not only in desire but in act did put him to Death viz. the Jews then it appears that it was a pardonable sin And that the same sin nay the Conatus or meer desire of it which was pardonable then should become unpardonable since as it is a fancy and hath no Scripture proof so it is apparently false seeing it supposeth that the Law of Christ is not now the same as then which is false A second Argument for Universal satisfaction this Text affordeth us Christ satisfied for all those who are inlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost c. But some Non-Elect are such Therefore Christ satisfied for some Non Elect and consequently for all This Argument is urged before therefore I shall say little to it Some answer to the Minor that it is to be denied because this Text doth nihil ponere sed tantum supponere Answer But it doth not suppose that which never was nor will be nor is possible Most Interpreters almost all that are against Universal satisfaction do expound this Text of those gifts which may and oft are really lost The number is so many that I will cite none 2. It is further said by some that these benefits presuppose not Christs dying for them Answer This is answered already They that can prove that God can will and doth give all these without satisfaction to his Justice first made are but a step from Socinianism and may next say he can and will give pardon without satisfaction And then they are within a step of infidelity and next in danger of saying that Christ Died in vain surely the Holy Ghost is given by Christ Crucified and I think only to them for whom he was Crucified The Devils are not therefore uncurable for ought any Scripture reveals because they would put Christ to Death through malice if it were in their power nor had they ever these fruits of his Death But according to their sense against whom I argue the Devils might hence be said to be unpardonable as well as Apostates Which is no Scripture Doctrine The 7th Text which I shall urge is Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three Witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden nunder Foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight to the Spirit of Grace Hence I raise two Arguments 1. Those who receive the mercies here mentioned are of the number of them for whom Christ diéd But such are some Non-elect Ergo c. The Blood of the Covenant is shed before it is sprinkled or Sanctifieth shed Physically or morally and it cannot sanctifie Men before it is shed for them For Sanctification being some degree of application presupposeth it shed for them I mean If by Sanctification be meant either separation relative from the World to the Church and to Christ secundum quid Or else Sanctification real by giving Men a temporary Faith and other Graces proportionable and their escaping the pollutions of the World by that Faith But some think that by Sanctification is meant that cleansing which immediately followed the Sacrifice the word being used from the Jewish Sanctifyings and so by Sanctification should be meant that conditional justification or cleansing which all Men have immediately from Christ crucified before any further Personal application And if this be so then the Case is plain and past question The 2d Argument is from those words there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins but c. Here the Apostle proveth the uncurableness and desperateness of their Case in that there remaineth no more Sacrifice And this is proper to them when they are Apostates Now if there were never
non invenient ullam Marlorat adds talibus ergo contemptoribus nulla sâ—es veniae relinquitur So that they had a Sacrifice for sin till they Apostatised So Dickson also in loc Piscator and many more for I will name none but who are known to be against universal Redemption lest their exposition be rejected To all this I find no more objections of our opponents but to the first argument which we draw hence they return many words Which was both from all those benefits which here Apostates are said to partake of which only Christs Blood hath procured them and specially in that they are expresly ascribed to Christs Blood for they are said to have been sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant Now to this they say to give you the Sense briefly For if I should recite and answer the maze of words which some here use I should provoke the Reader to throw away all in weariness or loathing 1. This speaks only of some that were professors of the Faith of the Gospel separated from the World brought into the Church c. but these are not all Men. Answ Grant that it is some Non-Elect and it is as much as I desire from this Text. And if that be granted I think there is few would question but that it is for all the Non-Elect in the Church that Christ died And for those that never heard of him though I am past doubt that Christ satisfied for the sins of all Mankind yet the use of the point is so small that I will not contend much about it with any 2. They say the Apostle doth neither declare what hath been nor assert what may be but only adds a commination upon a supposition of a thing c. Ans This I answered before I 'll stand to the Judgment of almost any learned Expositor on this Text though against Universal Redemption See Calvin Beza Paraeus Piscator Perkins Dickson Bullinger c. 3. They say It is certain that these Men made profession of all these things c. and therefore the open renouncing them was a sin so hainous as deserved all this Commination though the Apostates themselves had never interest in Christs Blood Answ What 's this to the point The Text saith they were sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant and not only they professed that they were 4. They say it was the manner of the Saints and Apostles themselves to esteem of all baptised initiated persons ingrafted into the Church as sanctified persons So that speaking of Backsliders he could not make mention of them any otherwise than as they were commonly esteemed to be and at that time in the Judgment of charity were to be considered c. Answ 1. How much doth it differ from the language of Men when they are pleading for Separation Then they cannot endure to hear that all the baptised are called Saints by the Apostles and Churches 2. Indeed only those are so called that seem probably to be so 3. And therefore what is this to them that by Apostacy into a remediless misery shew themselves not to be so The Apostles will not encourage known falshood in the Speeches or Opinions of others much less be the Authors of it and lead them into it doth the Apostle here pronounce their Case hopeless and remediless and tell them there is no Sacrifice for their sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment c and doth he at the same time perswade People to believe that they were sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant c. if it were not true Even then when it openly discovereth it self false or is supposed so to do 5. They say if the Text be interpreted positively and according to the truth of the thing it self in both parts thereof viz. 1. That these of whom the Apostle speaketh were truly sanctified 2. That such may totally perish then these two things will follow 1. That faith and Sanctification is not the Fruit of Election 2. That Believers may fall finally from Christ Answ 1. These were truly sanctified though not with that Sanctification which is proper to the Elect and saved 2. No doubt such may and do fall away and perish He that denieth this must deny to believe Christ who hath expresly affirmed it in Mat. 13. That they in whom the Word is not deeply rooted do believe for a while and in the time of temptation or persecution fall away What else is our distinction between Temporary Faith and saving 3. When common Faith and Sanctification is antecedent to special Faith and Sanctification and so found in the Elect it is then a Fruit of Election But when it is found in others it is no Fruit of Election And why should they wonder at that who deny it to be a Fruit of Satisfaction or Ransom which is a more Universal cause then Election is 6. They further say there is nothing in the Text to perswade that the Persons here spoken of must needs be truly justified and regenerated Believers much less that Christ died for them c. Answ 1. That they were illuminated and partakers of the Holy Ghost and sanctified by Christs Blood the Text speaks without strained consequence with Heb. 6. 6. But that they had true special saving Faith Regeneration or Sanctification I affirm not Yet was it true 2. Is it a strained consequence to conclude 1. That he who by Apostacy is fallen into that misery which he was never in before and other sinners are not in that now there is no more Sacrifice for his sin had before a Sacrifice And so have other sinners that be not fallen so far as he is 2. Or that he who is sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant was one whose sins caused that Blood and for whom it was shed If you had proved that it sanctifieth those for whom it was never shed then you had done something so much for this Text. I had thought to have answered all the objections of the contrary-minded which the Books at hand afford but I shall do far less than I thought to do in it as finding that they are so disordered wordy and weak in many that I shall but fill Paper with needless Lines and be tedious and ungrateful to the judicious Readers The 8th Text which I will insist on is Matth. 22. 2 3 4 12 13. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King which made a Marriage for his Son and sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding and they would not come And he sent forth other Servants saying Tell them that were bidden saying Behold I have prepared my Dinner My Oxen and my Fatlings are killed and all things are ready Come unto the Marriage c. Then said he to his Servants the Wedding is ready but they which were bidden were not worthy So 12. 13. Here it is agreed on that God is the King The Wedding feast is Christ and the benefits of his
And as Dr. Ames saith in the place before cited Anti-Bellarm it is to the work of Grace as Creation is to the work of Nature And therefore as none can deny but the Non-Elect have common grace as Conditional Pardon Illumination the Holy Ghost c. else how do they turn grace into wantonness so none can well deny but they have it from the general Fountain of Redemption Let us then consider what is the proper use of satisfaction as such and what it was that made satisfaction necessary And it is evident that it was the justice of God Creator as Rector according to the Law of Works and the misery of Man that haâ— offended God by the breach of that Law and was become liable to the Penalty which he could not bear without his everlasting undoing These made satisfaction necessary God's Justice required that either the Sinner must perisâ— or satisfaction by an Expiatory Sacrifice must bâ— made by which the remote and main ends â—â— the violated Law might be as well attained â— by the Sinners Damnation they would have been so that it was the death which was become due to Mankind which required the death of Christ their Sacrifice as on Man's part and God's Justice which would not remit sin but on a valuable consideration for the demonstration of its self and of God's Holiness which required it on God's part so that you see that on our part which required a Sacrifice was guilt that is obligation to everlasting punishment And it doth not belong to the satisfier as such to see that the guilt be actually done away quoad eventum or that the Damnation be actually escaped but that a sufficient Sacrifice or satisfaction be given on consideration whereof Remission and Salvation may be given on the terms as the Legislators and Redeemers Wisdom shall appoint How Christ doth give out this Pardon we shall shew you anon de quadruplici Remissione so that it is apparent that the want of the act or habit of Faith or the want of the Holy Ghost to effect Faith is not the thing that required satisfaction to God's Justice directly but that Faith is only a remote effect of this satisfaction and such an effect as hath no such Natural Connection with this Cause but that the Cause materially may be and oft is without that effect in many and the effect might have been without that cause from another if God had so pleased To manifest this that it is not want of Faith that required satisfaction as such and that satisfaction may be made for those that shall never believe observe these things 1. That Man's Suffering is not a thing pleasing to God in and for it self but for its end viz. The Demonstration of Justice and Right Governing of the World God professeth that he hath no pleasure in the death of a Sinner Ezek. 18. nor in the death of him that dyeth Ezek. 33. but rather that he repent and live Much less hath he pleasure in the death of the innocent and least of all in the death of his own Son God is not blood-thirsty who abhorreth the blood-thirsty man 2 It is not therefore for Christ's Sufferings as in themselves considered that God doth give men either Faith or any Mercy God doth not sell his mercies for blood as if he would give the World Remission of Sins on condition he might put his Son to so much torment And therefore Faith is not the immediate effect of Christ's death in sensu morali It comes not from his death as death or suffering nor may it without Blasphemy be conceived that ever God made such an agreement with his Son as to give Faith to Men meerly on Condition that Christ would suffer death without first considering somewhat else that required that suffering and something that put a value upon it 3. So that the thing which did require Christs Suffering was as is said before the obligation to punishment called guilt on mans part and vindictive justice on God's part Unbelief as Unbelief did not necessarily require it but the guilt of unbelief or any other sin did require it if ever it be pardonable 4. So that the following effects of Christ's death do all presuppose the satisfaction of Justice and hence Christs death becomes so pleasing to God not as death but as satisfaction and so a means fitted to the attainment of his ends And because this means so pleaseth him he esteemeth Christs satisfaction meritorious of further benefits joyned with his meritorious obedience upon which estimation and his own will called the Covenant with Christ he annexeth further benefits thereto For the end why he satisfied his justice by the Sacrifice of his Son was that he might honourably wisely and justly give out the following benefits which he giveth out hereupon So that Christs death is as to God first satisfactory and then meritorious of further benefits Now Faith very remotely followeth all this as shall be shewn 5. The thing that God could not do without satisfaction was the remitting of sin and freeing the delinquent from punishment it was not directly nor in its self the bestowing of Faith 6. For I would desire any Judicious Man to consider whether if Christ had by his death satisfied God's justice for mans guilt and had not at all done any more by his death for the meriting of Faith might not God have given man Faith at his own pleasure without the least shew of injustice or any other prohibiting inconvenience though Christ de facto did merit more yet we may well in dispute for searching out the truth separate in our thoughts guilt of sin and want of Faith in Christ and we may suppose that Christ had done no more by his death than to satisfie God's justice for man's guilt by bearing that which was due to man Now I would fain know this being once done why God or the Redeemer might not give Faith to whom he will Is there a further necessity of any new death or suffering to merit Faith for us If there be what is that necessity It is no injustice in God to do it There is no Law standing in the way by which he is obliged to the contrary Perhaps some will object that the same may be said of Pardon and Salvation that there needs no new suffering to merit them if once Justice be satisfied and yet Christ dyed for our Justification and Salvation To which I answer All this is true but then observe the difference separate in your thoughts Remission Justification and Salvation on one side from Faith in Christ on the other side as we by supposition may well do in disputation and you will find that God could not give Remission Justification and Salvation from Punishment without Christ's satisfaction but he could have given Faith in Christ if you will suppose it to go alone without the former benefits without satisfaction I say he could not give the former not by reason of any
impotency or imperfection in God but by reason of the perfection of his Wisdom Justice and Holiness For them that deny this as Twisse and some others do to the great hardning of Socinians and Infidels at present I refer them to the Writings of Divines that have proved it As Voetius in Thesibus Camero Passim specially excellent well by Mos Amyraldus in Thesib Salmâ—riens Vol. 1. de satisfactione and Essenius Joh. Junius and most against the Socinians on that point say somewhat to it and something I have elsewhere said my self and therefore will not now so far digress But on the other side that God might have given Faith separated from these benefits without satisfaction is evident 1. In that there is no injustice or other prohibiting inconvenience in it 2. God doth give the Devils a belief that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him diligently and that Christ is the Son of God and the Saviour of the World and that he was Incarnate dyed for Sin Rose and Ascended and sitteth at the right hand of God and shall come again to judge the World some to life and some to death and that all the Scripture is Gods word and all true and that whosoever of Mankind believeth shall be saved for the Devil believeth the connection between Faith and Salvation all this Faith God giveth to those that look to the nature of things more than to bare words and can see through the vail of metaphorical expressions will not make any question of this especially if they have so far studied the Civil Law and Politicks as is requisite for the right understanding of the nature and extent of these two relations Indeed Christ is called a Father but that signifieth but 1. His special propriety in us as Fathers have in their Children which is a branch of propriety in general 2. And his Authority over us as a Father hath over his Children which is part of his Rectorship And withal it signifieth that special love of Christ to those to whom he is thus related So he is called a Husband which expressed the same special Propriety and Rectorship with the singular love accompanying them He is called a Prophet but that term expresseth but the manner of his applying himself to men in the exercise of his Dominion and Rule for he that teacheth them doth not teach them as a private man but with Authority and as their rightful King whether they acknowledge him or no even as a King doth offer mercy to Rebels and perswade them earnestly to accept it shewing them the danger of standing out against him Or as he teacheth his Subjects their duty you may call this Man a Teacher but the meaning only is this he is a Teaching King and so his Teaching is part of his Ruling or subordinate to it It signifieth but the manner of his applying himself to them so Christ's Prophetical Office in its self belongeth to his Rectorship Not that all Teaching is Ruling but in all his Teaching he doth it as their Ruler in right at least if not in exercise For that Teaching by which he converteth Sinners is not properly an act of moral ruling those Sinners but yet it is the Act of a King perswading Rebels to come in that they may be Ruled and as their King doth he perswade them And then the diversity of the degrees of Gospel Light and Motions some having more some less some none is from Christ as absolute owner of all that may do with his own as his list It were easie to manifest how all his other Office-Titles and Relations are reducible to these two at least as he is signified in relation to the Creature For in his intercession he stands in a double relation The one is to God with whom he intercedeth and so he intercedeth as the Son of his Love who having satisfied his Justice hath all delivered up to him and therefore is Owner and Ruler of all The other Relation is to the Creature for whom he intercedeth and that is as their Owner and Ruler and for his own chosen as their Owner and Ruler in a stricter sense than the rest even as they are his Jewels and specially beloved More is said of this in another place peruse the Table of the effects of Christ's death Now let us see how it is that Christ hath purchased Faith and how he giveth it having satisfied God's Justice by dying for all Mankind God giveth up all men to him as their Owner and Ruler by Redemption-Title and giveth up also into his hands the former obligation as is said hereupon Christ hath full power 1. To alter the Law or to make new Laws for them and by these Laws to confer Salvation and other Benefits by ordaining on what terms they shall be obtained and so giving right to them 2. To give further mercies over and above what he giveth right to by that Law being absolute Lord he may do with his own as he list still supposing that his Fathers Will is his Will Now Christ having received this Plenipotency as Rector per Leges he makes a free Universal Conveyance or Grant of Pardon Justification Reconciliation Adoption Sanctification in the common Scripture sense and Glorification to all Men on Condition they Repent and Believe But he hath no where made any Conveyance of the first effectual Grace or of Faith to any Man He hath indeed prophesied or foretold us that he will infallibly give it to his Chosen but he hath not named or described them by any antecedent distinguishing Character so that no man can beforehand say this belongs to me nor hath he by this Prediction made over to them any right to the thing but only foretold that he will give them right hereafter Only he hath prescribed certain means to all men either for the immediate obtaining of Grace to believe or at least for the obtaining of Grace conducing thereto which may bring them into a nearer capacity who before were further off than the rest of the World And he hath given them sufficient encouragement to use those means without despairing of success even so much as that no man that hath the use of Reason can be named by the tongue of Man that did his best in the use of means to get Faith or to get nearer to Christ and yet lost his labour Yet hath not Christ thought meet to engage or oblige himself to any Unbeliever to give him Faith but when he doth it he will do it as Dominus Absolutus and as not obliged and indeed doth it only to those whom he had an absolute purpose to save and were given him to be infallibly brought home to God So that Christ gives not Faith the first Faith as Rector per Leges but as Dominus Absolutus Those Mercies if special that are thus given are said by some Divines to flow from Predestination alone as did the gift of a Saviour to fallen Mankind
or offered to them nor any satisfaction ever made for them by Christ then should they escape all the sorer punishment of the new Law and never suffer at all for Abuse of that mercy or rejecting a Redeemer or any fruit of his satisfaction which he made for them And this would be an easie Hell in comparison of theirs that refuse Christ offered them Prop. XXVIII We must in all our Controversies try the Minus nota pro notiora minus certa per certiora non contra We must reduce uncertainties to certainties and dark points to clear ones and not certainties to uncertainties Seeing therefore it hath pleased God to leave his final dealing with Pagans that hear not the Gospel Ideots and Infants so uncertain and dark the Controversy of Universal Redemption is not to be tryed hereby nor all the plain Scripture for it to be reduced to the uncertainties herein So much to this Argument Let the Reader note that since the writing of this I am clearer than I was then in the assurance of this Truth that the Covenant or Law of Grace as it is the Rule of Duty and Retribution was made with all Mankind in the first Edition in Adam and Noah and is not repealed to any that have not the second Edition in the Gospel but the rest of the World are still under it When I had gone thus far Dalleus's Defence of Universal Redemption and Grace came out with Blondels Preface where are so great a number of Witnesses cited of all Ages that I not only stopt my work but cast away a multitude of Testimonies which I had collected even of English Anti-Arminians such as Davenant Ward Hall Carlton Rob. Abbots Bishop of Salisbury Dr. Preston Whately Will. Fenner Ezek. Culverwel and many such DISPUTATION OF Special Redemption Whether Christ Died with a Special Intention of bringing Infallibly Immutably and Insuperably certain Chosen Persons to Saving Faith Justification and Salvation THE Question is so cautelously and clearly expressed that I need not say much for the explication of it but shall directly determine it Affirmatively only in brief take notice of these things as the Reasons of the Terms First We mean here the Intention of Christ as God for so he knew all things and Willed all the Good which he knew But whether as Man he that knew not the day nor hour of his own coming to Judgment did know the number and names of his own Elect that ever were and should be and consequently whether he had a special Intention concerning the Salvation of each of them in particular this I shall purposely leave undetermined Secondly It is therefore implied by us that the Father and Holy Ghost had the same Intention which we affirm Christ to have had Thirdly By the word Intention we mean that Act of Christ's Will which is resembled by Intention in mere man and so is Analogically called Intention And we confine it not to the Will alone but take it as comprehending that Counsel of the Understanding or that simple Knowledge which the act of the Will supposeth Nor do we take it in the strict sense as it is terminated only on the End and so Intentio Finis is distinct from Election of the means but more largely as it may comprehend either of these for that which we commonly call a Purpose or Resolution Fourthly We call it a Special Intention because it is about a Special Object and is not General or Common to all Fifthly We call it an Intention of Bringing men to Faith c. because it is Christ's own Work to give these things which he Intendeth and so we difference it both from his Intention to Permit if such there be in case of Sin and from that imagined Intention of a Partial Causation of a Concurse determinable by the Will of Man But tho' it be an intention of Effecting that we mention yet the Manner of this effecting or bringing men to Believe we here meddle not with Sixthly It is an Infallible effecting of this that we mention thereby differencing it from a mere Velleity or a conditional willing so as that the very act of willing should depend upon some uncertain condition as distinct from this we may call it Absolute And in the word Infallible which respecteth the act of the Divine Understanding we imply also Immutable which respecteth Gods Will and Invincible as to his operation and had we one word that comprehended these it would contain our full sense It is the same thing which our Divines mean by the word Irresistible or Insuperable Seventhly It is Certain Persons or Individuals that are the objects of this Purpose which we mention as against the Arminian Conceit that it is only Believers in General or All men Conditionally if they will Believe that Christ Decreed to Justifie and Save without determining infallibly of any certain Individuals till he foresaw that themselves would make the difference by Believing Eighthly We call them Chosen Persons not a Posteriore upon the foresight of their Faith but a priore before and without any moving cause or condition in themselves It is the same act which we here call Chusing as considered in Eternity determining of the future difference of Persons and which we before call Special Intention there considering it as respecting the time of Christ's Death Ninthly The Intended effect is 1. Saving Faith such as is not common to the Unjustified This we express against the Pelagian Conceit that giveth Justification and Salvation on condition of Faith but not Faith it self or at least not Certainly and Infallibly to any we say both that God Decreeth us to Faith as well as to Salvation by Faith and that Christ dying did purpose Infallibly to bring his chosen to Believe and this as a fruit of his Death 2. When we speak of Justification as the second Intended effect we take it in Connexion with the foregoing Faith and subsequent Salvation meaning that all the Elect that are at Age and Believe and they only have that Justification which follows their personal Faith We own not their opinion that think that many persons that were never Elected to Salvation were yet Elected to Faith and Justification and do fall from these at last and perish Tho' yet we reverence many that have maintained or owned this opinion as precious Servants of God and think not so hardly of their opinion as of their's who maintain the Apostacy of the Elect if now there be any such Austin himself seems fully to go that way who yet maintaineth the perseverance of all the Elect And so doth Musculus and some others among the Reformed Divines called Calvinists But for the Justification of Infants which hath no such connexion to a personal Faith of their own whether it may cease when they come to the use of Reason for want of personal faith to continue it which was the Judgment of Davenant Dr. Ward Amyraldus and many of our own this
I intend not here to determine or meddle with 3. We anumerate Salvation that is Glorification to these intended effects of Christ's Death for his chosen this being the End of all the former and therefore we imply that Perseverance in Faith and a State of Justification was intended infallibly and certainly to be given them Tenthly Observe that we do not here enquire after the present immediate effects of Christ's Death as a satisfaction to Justice For I doubt not but the sins of the Non-Elect did lye upon him as the pro meritorious Cause of his Suffering as well as the sins of the Elect and consequently that he made Satisfaction for them to God and purchased them by his Blood Eleventh and Lastly Observe that in affirming this Infallible Immutable purpose of God to save his Elect and them only we do not deny his Purpose of giving Pardon and Life in Christ Conditionally to those that are not Elect For that which he hath done in Time he Purposed before Time and so did Christ at his Death But in Time he hath made such a general Conditional Grant or Gift of Christ and Life as is legible in the Gospel beyond all exceptions Ergo c. And therefore according to his Legislative Will antecedently God would have all men to be saved tho' consequently considering many as finally Impenitent Unbelievers he Wills as a Righteous Judge their Damnation Nor will I dispute whether as we ascribe a Volition to God as the cause of his Effectual Grace so we may ascribe a Velleity to him as Lud. Crocius and other of our Divines do as the cause of that Grace which proveth not-effectual in both speaking of him from the manner of man Upon this very cursory explication I proceed to prove the Thesis thus Argum. I. If Christ Died with a Special Intention to bring his chosen Infallibly to Believe and to give them Justification and Glorification on condition of believing then he died with a special Intention of bringing infallibly certain chosen persons to Faith Justification and Salvation But the Antecedent is true therefore so is the consequent That which we have to prove therefore is that he had a Special Intent to give Faith to some Infallibly and then there will be no more question of Justification and Glorification And that I prove thus Whatever Grace Christ giveth absolutely and infallibly that he purposed before to give absolutely and infallibly But Christ giveth the Grace of Faith and Repentance to his chosen and them only absolutely and infallibly Ergo c. By giving in this Argument I mean the actual Causation or Collation of faith it self and not merely a Legal giving a right to it of which anon The Major I think no sober Christian will deny For how can the Omniscient Immutable God be suddenly surprized with a new purpose which never came into his mind before our being Believers The Minor is proved 1. From the visible Event 2. From Scripture 1. We see undâ—niably that some men have Faith and others have not therefore we know that God giveth it absolutely and infallibly to those only Obj God gave it to all alike but the rest refused it Answ I. If that were true of God's Moral Civil way of giving yet it cannot be true of his Physical gift or operation which we now speak of for that giving is ever connexed with receiving As God never giveth a Soul to any Body nor health to any Sick man but those that receive them so he never thus gives Faith Repentance a New-heart to any but those that receive them Obj. He offereth Christ and Grace to believe in him to All and offering is conditional giving and he doth no more to any but on supposition of their Reception or performance of the Condition Answ I. It 's false that he actually offers Christ to all tho' as to the tenour of the Gift he doth which without the Promulgation which extends not to Millions of Heathens is no actual offer II. Much less or as little doth he offer them Faith III. It 's false that he doth no more but offer Faith conditionally to his chosen For he effecteth it absolutely To offer Conditionally is a Civil act and we are speaking of a Physical Causing This objection therefore flatly denieth that God is the Author of any man's Faith We therefore prove it out of Scripture Eph. 2. 8. By Grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God The Expositors that are most against the Doctrine which I defend do confess that it is Faith and not Salvatiin only that is here called the Gift of God but they say God giveth it by giving the object Christ and the Gospel Answ That is somewhat towards the giving of Faith but that is not the giving of Faith if there be no more Do these men think that the unrenewed faculty hath need of no Grace but an object or perswasion from without to cause it to believe Many have the Gospel that have not Faith therefore God hath not caused such to believe 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation God's Power is exercised in keeping us in Faith as the means to Salvation the end And he that by his mighty Power keeps us in Faith no doubt did cause it 2 Pet. 1. 3. According as his Divine Power hath given to us all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Virtue If he give us all things pertaining to Life then he gives us Faith Obj. Faith is expresly excepted in the Words through the knowledge of him that hath called us that is through our own believing Answ I. It is distinguished from the rest as a Gift which is a means to the other gifts but not excepted II. Our following acts of Faith seem to be included in the All things here mentioned viz. Through our first believing God giveth us Christ the Spirit and all following Grace And if the following acts of Faith are the gifts of God then no doubt the first was so which was required of us when we were less able of our selves to perform it then when we are Sanctified Heb. 12. 2. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our Faith Obj. That 's meant of the Doctrine of our belief and Objects of Faith the Christian Religion Answ I. Then to be the Finisher and to be the Author would be all one For as soon as Christ was the Author of Christian Doctrine he was the Finisher but not so about our own Faith II. If it were so yet may it be meant of Faith as it contains both even the whole work of our Christianity and Salvation Phil. 1. 29. For to you it is given on the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake From this Text Grotius himself confesseth that it is proved that Faith is the
gift of God Joh. 3. 27. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from Heaven If nothing then not Faith If they say they received it not the Apostles question may shame them What hast thou which thou hast not received Obj. That 's meant of gifts that were for Edification Answ I. Much more of Faith which is a special Grace II. It is General implying that we have nothing that we received not that thence he might conclude Therefore not such Gifts Joh. 6. 44. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him ver 65. Therefore said I unto you No man can come unto me except it were given to him of my Father Obj. God drawing Morally those that will not follow him Answ I. The Drawing here mentioned is the same with giving to come to him II. It is given as the Reason why some Believed not because none can come except it be given them and they be drawn Those that believed not had your Moral drawing which was uneffectual but it is evident they had not the drawing which Christ mentioneth Luk. 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith Therefore he must give it Obj. That is a Faith of Miracles Answ Saving Faith is as much Gods Gift as that and the Soul as unapt to it till he give it Mark 9. 24. Lord I believe help thou mine Unbelief He that must Help our Unbelief that is give us more Faith must help our total Unbelief by giving us our first Faith which we are most unable to perform of our selves Gal. 5. 22. The fruit of the Spirit is Love Faith c. Obj. That 's meant of Fidelity Answ I. That 's unproved that it 's only meant of that II. If common fidelity must be wrought by the Spirit much more Saving Faith in Christ To all these it 's further objected that God giveth Faith equally to All that is his help to Believe but it is only the Materia Disposita that receiveth it and the reason why some have it not is because they are not disposed or prepared Ans 1. If this be so that this is the Reason of his denying faith to some yet the contrary disposition is not the Reason of his giving faith to others And therefore the Undisposedness is only a Reason sufficient to Justifie God's denial of Grace but not Disabling him to give it or necessitating him to deny it Else all men should perish who are undisposed unless they dispose themselves And this is plain Semi-Polagianism that Grace is tyed to such Dispositions of our own 2. Prove if you can that ever God hath made a Promise of Faith to men on condition of any prerequisite Dispositions I find no such thing in the Word 3. Are those Dispositions Gods Gifts or not If not then all is ultimately resolved into mans will and we have something that we have not received If they be then they are given Absolutely or Conditionally If Absolutely then they are not so given to All else All should have them and so Believe If Conditionally 1. What is the Condition They say our Non-resistance But our Resistance is either Habitual or Actual The Actual is our Actual Niâ—ing The Habitual is our Habitual Unwillingness Deadness c. Must we cure all this of our selves before God will give us Faith I will not say as Dr. Twisse that Non-resistance is Credere that is Faith it self that is the contrary to this Resistance or Unwillingness because you may tell me that to be unwilling of Christ as offered and to be Unwilling that God should make me willing of Christ or give me Faith by the means of my hearing is not all one But this I say that the best did resist and were unwilling both of Christ and Faith till God did overcome their Resistance And that God hath not promised Faith on condition of mans Non-resistance that I know of 2. Is this Non-resistance or Willingness to Believe the Gift of God or not If not then we have somewhat which we did not receive and then all Grace still is ultimately resolved with the Pelagians into mans will and man makes himself to differ which I disproved in the last days Exercise If it be Gods Gift then either Absolute and so proper to some Or Conditional and then that must have a Condition and so in infinitum till you stop in some Absolute Gift not common to all Object God is not the total but partial Cause and therefore he doth quantum in se give Faith to all and that some are yet without it is long of themselves Answ I. I confess that it is long of themselves that any are Unbelievers II. Though man believe yet it seems to me that God is not to be called Causa partialis but totalis in that Supream Causality which he exerciseth III. That God doth quantum in se give all men Faith may be understood either 1. Quantum in se quoad potentiam as much as â—e can But that 's Blasphemy 2. Quantum in se quoad Decentiam as much as is meet for him to do But who dare say that it is unmeet for God to give men such effectual grace as shall Infallibly cause them to Believe He giveth such to his Elect and therein doth not any thing that is unmeet 3. Or else it is meant that God giveth so much help to unbelievers as leaves all the blame of their unbelief upon themselves and justifieth him from being the culpable deficient or efficient Cause And this I grant but this is no advantage to the Adversary But I have been too long on this first Argument Arg. II. Jesus Christ dying intended the Infallible Glorification of Gods free grace in the certain Regeneration Justification and Glorification of certain men therefore he intended the infallible certain Regeneration or Faith and Justification and Glorification of those men That Christ came into the World with a certain intention to accomplish the glorifying of God as his end is undoubted For to say either that he undertook so great a work without an end or that the glory of Gods grace and love was not that end are both impious And as certain is it that it was the glory of Gods grace in the certain Salvation of some men that was intended For as there is no other way of this full glorification of Gods grace manifested to us but only by mans Salvation so the Scripture most frequently tells us that this is the way and this was God's design and therefore Christ is stiled the Saviour which certainly implyeth that he hath some infallibly to save and that he came to seek and to save that which was lost And if it were not the Salvation of Determinate Persons that God intended to glorify himself in then was it not in the Salvation of any man at all for all Salvation is some ones Salvation Accidents exist not without a Subject And if it were not a certain obtaining of this end by
this means that Christ intended then Christ came upon an uncertain errand into the World and intended not the certain attainment of Gods glory herein which is unreasonable to imagine So admirably was this design of Redemption laid such a wonderous Mystery is it to Angels and Men that it is apparent God intended infallibly the attaining of his blessed ends thereby And so precious was the blood of Jesus Christ that it is impious to imagine that he had no certain end in the sheding of it or that it might have been lost as to the glory of Gods grace and the Salvation of any persons for any thing that he intended to the contrary Arg. III. What Christ intended from all Eternity that he intended in dying which was yet future but Christ did from all Eternity intend the certain justification and glorification of his Chosen and giving them faith to that end therefore he intended it on the Cross and at his undertaking This Argument divolves the whole Controversie to the point of Predestination where it is plain that it lyeth which because our Divines have fully vindicated I will now pass by Arg. IV. God hath made an ab olute Promise that he will infallibly Convert Pardon and save some viz. his Chosen which he hath not made concerning others therefore he intended the certain Conversion Remission and Salvation of those some and not of others in giving Christ and so did Christ in giving his Life Jer. 31. 33. This is my Covenant c. I will put my Law in their minds and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People So I will take the hard heart out of their body and give them an heart of flesh a new heart one heart c. And I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Such Promises are not to all nor Conditional If they are what is the Condition Now what God Promiseth â—he Performeth and intended to Perform Arg. V. If Christ intended not the certain Conversion Justification and Glorification of his Chosen more than of others then those in Heaven are no more beholden to his intention or his death than those in Hell nor the Regenerate than the Unregenerate But the Consequent is intollerable therefore so is the Antecedent At least it will follow that they are no more beholden to him for their Faith than they that never had it Arg. VI. Either God Purposed in giving his Son and Christ in dying the certain Salvation and so Conversion of All of None or of Some only Not of All for then All should be Saved Not of None for then either None should be Saved or else they should be Saved without or against Gods Purpose Not against it as will be acknowledged Not without it for 1. He who Saveth them in Time Purposed it from Eternity for he worketh all things after the counsel of his own Will 2. He whose Providence extendeth to the falling of a Sparrow and the cloathing of the Grass doth sure provide and regard the Salvation of Mankind and saveth not man without his own purpose to save him 3. If it be a Performed Act and not a Purposed Act for God to Convert and Save then it would be either an Irrational Act which had no end or else that purpose must be new in him which was not at Christs dying both which are intollerable If they say that he purposed it Conditionally or quantum in se determining nothing Absolutely of the Event I have answered enough to that before Arg. VII Ad hominem The Adversaries grant in effect the substance of our Conclusion for 1. They grant That God Infallibly decreed to Save all that would believe c. 2. That God knew from Eternity who would Believe and who not and that Christ knew this at his undertaking to dye and at his death 3. They grant that he doth not absolutely purpose the saving of any other 4. They grant That as Christ dyed not from Eternity so we are to look on him as undertaking to dye for us and entring upon the Mediatory work not from Eternity upon his meer decree but presently upon Mans fall when the Promise was made for the Relation and Extrinsic a Denomination might then begin tho' no new Act of Gods Will. Lay all this together that God resolved to save all Believers and knew each of them by name that would believe and who would not and intended to save no other than Believers and that after this Christ undertook and performed the satisfaction by his death and I think the main that we plead for is granted as to the Intent of Christ infallibly to justifie and save some determinate Persons only Nor can they deny this with any modesty in consistency with their concessions But then its true that they yield not that he Intended the giving of Faith infallibly and Absolutely to some only because they say he intended not so to give it to any but only offer them sufficient help to believe and leave it to their own wills whether to make it effectual or to frustrate it And withal they say that it was upon the foresight that some would Believe and others not that he intended the Salvation of some determinate Persons and condemnation of others But having spoke to this already I only now add 1. Yet still this grants that Christ dyed with a special intent of saving those determinate Persons and them only tho' they suppose this Intent to be upon a foresight of their own Faith or Unbelief 2. I demand whether God could not without wrong to any of his Attributes have caused those to Believe whom he foresaw would be Unbelievers and so having decreed to cause them to believe as well as others have foreseen that they would Believe They that dare say God could not have given any such Unbeliever Grace to Believe infallibly do most audaciously abuse Gods power goodness and wisdom 3. And doth not God do more for Peter than for Judas for the Elect than the Reprobate antecedently to their Faith all the Arminians are not bold enough to deny it 4. Arminius himself grants that after the abuse and rejecting of grace God gives up some as Pharaoh Ahab c. to fill up the measure of their sin and penally forsakes them and I think they will grant that some others as bad are not so forsaken nor given up but Converted as Manasseh And if God shew this undeserved Mercy to a Manasseh which he denyeth to a Pharaoh is it not his free grace that makes Manasseh to differ And if God may do so in one why not in others Lastly The Schoolmen and most Papists will acknowledge that Christ dyed for all men as to the sufficiency of his death and for some men only efficiently that is to effect some mens Salvation And doth not this grant that he dyed not for all alike and that he had a special intent of Saving
some which he had not as to others We easily grant that he hath effected satisfaction for all but he that intended only the Saving of Believers could not intend to save those Persons actually by his death who he knew would not believe but perish in unbelief From these Reasons we proceed to some from particular Texts of Scripture First John 17. 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him Here Christs Authority as Redeemer is said to be over all flesh and so all are his purchased ones but the purpose of giving actually Eternal Life is expresly restrained to those that are specially given him by the Father Object By Giving is not meant absolute Electing from Eternity but giving them by Vocation to Christ as true Disciples Answ Suppose that be so 1. That Giving them to be true Disciples can import no less than God's making them Disciples that is Believers And so it is not Man that gives himself to Christ primarily or makes himself a Believer And God makes not all Disciples which he could do if he pleased 2. And if God give men to Christ by effectual Vocation in time then no doubt he decreed so to do from Eternity Secondly Eph. 1. 22 23. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church Here the intent of God in giving Christ is expressed to be that he might be the head over all but not the Head of All but of the Church only And it is he that makes his Church and not the Church itself principally Thirdly John 10. 15. I lay down my Life for the sheep which implyeth that it is laid down with a special intent for them more than for others Object The Sheep are Believers undeterminate as to Individuals Answ 1. Men are Believers before Christ's Pardoning of them but not before Christ's laying down his Life for them nor so considered else the Act of Faith should be before and without its Object 2. It 's confessed that God knew who the Persons were that would believe therefore his purpose was of determinate Individuals Fourthly Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works 1. If he did not intend to purifie every man and make them zealous of good works eventually then he intended this much more to his chosen than to others But c. Ergo c. 2. If he intended the separating of some as a peculiar people from others then he dyed not with equal Intentions to all But c Ergo c. Fifthly John 11. 51 52. He Prophecied that Jesus should dye for that Nation and not for that Nation only but that also he should gather together in one the Children of God that were scattered abroad Here is expressed a peculiar intention of gathering God's Children which was not of others Object God's Children are Believers Answ 1. It seems rather that they are called Children because they are decreed to be actually Children and will be such and not as Grotius of them and of the Sheep Joh. 10. 16. as if it were from some disposition of mind antecedent to Faith 2. However still it is Determinate Individuals else it were indeed none at all Sixthly Acts 13. 48 And as many as were ordained to Eternal Life believed The wriglings and shiftings of those that would pervert this Text and their new devised strained expositions of the word Ordained I shall not now stand to detect and confute Seventhly The instances of the Conversion of Manasseh Paul the Thief on the Cross and other particular Sinners do plainly tell us that Faith and Conversion proceedeth from God's differencing grace Acts 26. 16. 22. 14. Paul was called because first chosen So Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he called c. But in the Conclusion I must say that even in this point of notable difference between the Remonstrants and the Contra-remonstrants the difference is not so great as some imagine or pretend It is confessed by the understanding sort on both sides that Christ at his death had a special intention to bring certain individual persons to a state of Justification and Salvation But then they say that this was only upon the foresight of their believing yea some of them say that God purposed to give the grace of Faith to some individuals only but they say that it was upon the foresight of their non-resistance or of their voluntary disposedness to receive it or of their right use of former preparing grace so that the same decree as to these gifts is confessed on both sides and it cannot be denyed but that the foresight which they presuppose is from Eternity and therefore Mans fall or Christs Mediatorship and that there is no priority or posteriority of Time between the foreknowledge and the Decree but only in Nature And then it is commonly confessed that though Knowledge and Will in Man are two things yet in God they are but one and are only distinguished denominatione extrinsecâ by Man for the accommodation of his narrow imperfect apprehension Therefore though I confess that a difference still remaineth yet let it not be thought to be greater than it is Yea more not only many yea most of the Schoolmen confess an Absolute Election to Faith and so to Salvation and so hold in this the same that we do but also many of the Jesuites and Moderate Lutherans and Arminians hold the same though not an Absolute Reprobation which was also Augustine's Prosper's and Fulgentius's Opinion And I have elsewhere yet more contracted this Controversie FINIS BOOKS Printed for John Salisbury at the Rising-Sun in Cornhil THe End of Doctrinal Controversies which have lately troubled the Churches by reconciling explication without much Disputing The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits fully Evinced by unquestionable Histories of Apparitions and Witchcrafts Operations Voices c. proving the Immortality of Souls the malice and misery of the Devils and Damned and the blessedness of the Justified both by Mr. Richard Baxter The Protestant Religion truly stated and justified by the Late Reverend Divine Mr. Richard Baxter Whereunto is added by way of an Epistle some account of the Learned Author never before published by Mr. Matthew Sylvester and Mr. Daniel Williams The Christians Converse with God or the insufficiency and uncertainty of Human Friendship and the improvement of Solitude in Converse with God with some of the Authors Breathings after him by Mr. Richard Baxter Recommended to the Readers serious thoughts when at the House of Mourning and Retirement by Mr. Matthew Sylvester A Plea for Scripture Ordination or Ten Arguments from Scripture and Antiquity proving Ordination by Presbyters without Bishops to be valid by J. Owen Minister of the Gospel To which is prefix'd an Epistle by the Reverend Mr. Daniel Williams The Harmony of the Divine Attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of Mans Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ or Discourses wherein is shewed how the Wisdom Mercy Justice Holiness Power and Truth of God are glorified in that great and blessed work by William Bates D. D. The Christian Laver or a Discourse opening the Nature of Participation with and Demonstrating the Necessity of Purification by Christ by T. Cruso The Duty and Blessing of a Tender Conscience plainly stated and earnestly recommended to all that regard acceptance with God and the prosperity of their Souls by the same Author Four Sermons on various Occasions by the same Author Some Passages of the Life and Death of the Right Honourable John Earl of Rochâ—ster written by his own direction on his Death-Bed by Gilbert Lord Bishop of Sarum Practical Reflections on the late Earthquakes in Jamaica England Sicily Malta c. 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Halley Fellow of the Royal Society Barbarian Cruelty being a true History of the Distressed Condition of the Christian Captives under the Tyranny of Mully Ishmael Emperor of Morocco c. by Francis Brooks ERRATA PAge 43. l. 3. r. violated p. 45. l. 4. r. as p. 129. l. 8. r. foreknown or p. 139. l. 15. r. to do so p. 157. l. 17. del not p. 160. l. 5. r. lovingly p. 171. l. 18. r. per. p. 198. l. 7. del the paid p. 203. l. 29. r. summus p. 224. l. 33. r. conversion convesiron p. 234. l. 20. r. objecto objectio p. 254. l. 6. r. I am l. 21. del but. and l. 22. r. But the punishment c. p. 303. l. 29. r. sense are p. 331. l. 24. r. 〈◊〉 p. 338. l. 28. r. effectum p. 470. l. 2. r. and of the. p. 479. l. 23. r. per. Quod percipitur ita est Obedientiae materia proxima est Agere vel Non agere non Pati sid Pati potest esse materia remota