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A48584
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A treatise of election and reprobation in vindication of the universal grace and love of God to mankind by B.L.
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Lindley, Benjamin, d. 1723.
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1700
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Wing L2312; ESTC R28788
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51,533
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but be it so or not there is a great Misunderstanding of them amongst many People who from hence 1. Distinguish all Mankind into Elect and Reprobate 2. The first they make but a very small Number 3. The latter an huge Number and abundance of Infants and young Children among them 4. They conclude all the first under Salvation 5. And all the last under Damnation 6. And that the first can in no wise miss of Salvation nor the latter escape Damnation by any endeavours whatsoever they are both so fixed and unavoidable upon them 7. And they also hold That the Salvation of the one and Damnation of the other are by an absolute Decree without any respect to their Good or Evil Deeds All which resolves into this 1st That God loved but a few and hated the far greater part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or at least from before they were Born 2dly That those few whom he loved he ordain'd to Salvation so positively and absolutely as that they could never in any wise or by any means miss it 3dly That that great Number whom God hated he ordain'd to Damnation after the same positive and arbitrary manner and so absolutely as they can never in any wise by what means so ever avoid it 4thly That as God of his own free-will and choice loved those few without respect to any thing in them either Good or Evil when as yet they had done nothing to deserve or procure it so after the same manner he hated the other great Multitude without any cause or respect but to his own Will having yet done nothing to procure or deserve it Now it is hereby intended to detect and remedy and to expose the Evil Tendency and Consequence of such Abuse and Misunderstanding of these and several other Scriptures of like import The First Part. Treating Principally of Reprobation CHAP. I. Wherein is laid down Two Positions opposing the Doctrine of Reprobation and the same demonstrated by sundry Arguments 1. From God's Work of the Creation in the beginning and from his Divine Nature and Attributes 2. From Solomon's Observation of that great Work 3. From the Rejoycing of the Heavenly Host over that Blessed Work 4. From the Creature made the Vniversality of Christ's Death and of the Gospel and God's Grace and Love to Mankind 5. From sundry Destructive and Pernicious Consequences naturally and clearly resulting from this Doctrine 6. From sundry clear Texts and Authorities of Scripture AND for the better ordering the Argument to treat of Election and Reprobation severally to avoid the inconvenience of keeping no Method by handling them Promiscuously I shall begin with Reprobation and shew 1. That God did not Hate and Reprobate the greatest or any part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or from before they were Born 2. But that we came forth into this World free and clear from any such fix'd Decree accompanied with the Grace and Love of God being God's Delight and so far from the wretched Condition this false Doctrine represents us in crawling under the Burden of a Decree of Destruction which let us struggle under its weight never so long and do our utmost endeavours we must at length be overcome of it and fall inevitably under Ruine thereby Both which are demonstrative § 1. From the Work of Creation that great and first of the Works of God in time that began with the beginning of Time and is the Date of Mankind in which we come to our Spring Head and are Streams from thence If this was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love in a most comprehensive and intire Sense then no part of Mankind was Predestinated to Damnation or Hated of God from all Eternity for that would be an exception to its being a Work of Grace and Love Destruction and Misery are not from thence that sweet Fountain sends forth no such bitter Streams But that this Work of Creation was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love is shewn From the Divine Nature and Attributes of God the great and blessed Author of it by whom we are taught That as is the Workman so is his Work A good Tree bringeth not forth corrupt Fruit neither doth a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit c. Luke 6.43 45. A good Man out of the good Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is good and an evil Man out of the evil Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is evil As is the Man so is his Work and as is God so is his Work But God is good in the greatest Eminency the Treasury of Blessing is with him he is abundant in Goodness Grace and Love which the Beloved Disciple makes his Definition 1 Iohn 4.8 in so many express words saying God is Love Then his chief Motive in the Creation of Man must be his own Benignity Goodness Grace and Love and his End that Man might partake of his Glory and enjoy Him for ever Which shews God did not Hate Man nor put him under any such unavoidable Decree of Destruction from all Eternity § 2. From the Observations of Solomon upon this great Work of Creation which are first Negative That God made not Death neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Wisd 1.13 14. Then Affirmative That he created all things that they might have their Being and the Generations of this World was healthful and there was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth But we were made in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4.24 or Holiness of Truth And to have our Being as such is to have or injoy God the Divine Life for a Man cannot properly be said to have what he doth not in some measure possess or injoy so this End to which we were made is an high State of Glory above Death Destruction or Misery all which made their Entrance through the Fall Neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Then he hath not from all Eternity had pleasure in Decreeing their Destruction for otherwise he was not a free Agent in so Decreeing but under some necessity of working against himself of acting and doing contrary to his pleasure which subjects him to Misery shewing as if He who is the most Soveraign and free Agent of all received Controul from some other which is absurd and blasphemous as are all the Consequences of this false Principle There was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth Then there was no Curse but all was in the Blessing then God had not Hated or Decreed the Destruction of any number of Men for if so there had been some Poison of Destruction and there had been some Kingdom of Death upon the Earth And if God had not then done it in the beginning of the World which was in Time being computed about Five Thousand Seven Hundred Years since much
of so great difference sheweth as if they were not all made to the same End Answ The Vessels of Wrath are them that become such through Degeneration and Sin and even towards these God exerciseth great Patience Goodness and Mercy gives them time and space of Repentance indures them with much long Suffering till the Day of their Visitation is over then they are Vessels of Wrath fitted for Destruction but that they were so from before they were Born or fitted to Destruction in their first Structure neither this or any other Scripture holds whosoever are saved it is through Regeneration and Regeneration supposeth Generation and Degeneration going before Regeneration is a restoring our Generation bringing us into our first State and Image and all such are Vessels of Mercy And the Vessels of Wrath are the Unregenerate them in the Degeneration but no Man was made a Vessel of Wrath in the Day in which he was made Object 3. The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my Power in thee and that my Name might be declared throughout all the Earth therefore hath he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardeneth From whence some conclude Pharaoh to be made for a purpose of Destruction c. Answ This Scripture refers to Exodus 9.16 where the words in the Lattin are Veruntamen propterea feci ut restares nevertheless therefore I made that thou mighest remain c. or that thou remainest and in the Margent is put Made thee stand instead of which is put in the English Bible For this cause have I raised thee up and in Romans 9.17 For this same purpose where in the Latin both Tremellius Beza c. use the Verb Excitavi and in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the same Signification None of all which Expressions relate to the Creation of Man or Pharaoh's being made to such an end but to something done to him or permitted or suffered after he was Man Nor is it deny'd but God may Judicially harden People after so long and manifest Opposition and Rebellion against him Now were past already Seven of the Plagues of Egypt and the Eighth about to be poured forth so no question God in his Justice sooner might have cut Pharaoh off Yet Time was lengthened to him and his Punishment further deferr'd for God's greater Glory that he might multiply his Signs upon Egypt and so his Power be manifest and Name declared throughout all the Earth and this is all that place imports But not that Pharaoh was made on purpose for this End of Destruction and no other nor doth Temporal Destruction always imply Eternal the terms in the Argument for instances not a few may be collected in Scripture where God pardons the Sin as to the Eternal Punishment of it and yet inflicts an heavy Temporal Punishment I come now to the second part of the Objection Therefore hath he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardeneth As to this and such Passages though our Opposers would have them carry their Sense yet read but as they should be read this Apostle's Epistles through and they explain themselves and shew in what manner and order and for what cause God declares his Wrath on the Vessels of Wrath and the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy and also teach us That every one who is a Vessel of Wrath becomes such by slighting the Mercies of God graciously tender'd him in the Day of his Visitation For there is such a Day to every one in which they may be saved and wherein God works upon them in order to this End This is a Day of Days an entrance into Life and Glory to them that know and improve it And these are them God will have Mercy on who in the time of their Visitation receive his Grace and Love and through the Power and Work of the Divine Word attain the New Birth And those that God will Judicially harden are they who despise the Riches of his Goodness and Forbearance and Long-suffering as did Pharaoh not knowing that the Goodness of God leadeth to Repentance these through their hardness and impenitent Hearts treasure up Wrath against the Day of Wrath. And the others do not harden their Hearts but obey the Truth Now these different States have different Rewards and thus is Mankind distinguish'd into Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy Thus is it that some find Mercy and some are Hardened And as to such Expressions as Whom he will he hardeneth and God hardened Pharaoh 's Heart c. they are not to be understood as if hardening Men were simply of God until they have rejected the Tenders of his Love or without long and great Provocation on their part Nor are we to suppose they might not have avoided the cause of such Provocation from any fore-designed Hardening on God's part For during the time of any one's Visitation God freely offers them Mercy and what he doth afterwards hath no influence upon this Argument but even that seems rather a leaving them to themselves a giving them over to a Reprobate Mind to Impenitency and Hardness of Heart than active Hardening of them And so concerning the Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart it is said Exod. 4.21 and 7.13 and 10.27 That God hardened it and in the same Book Exod. 8.32 and 9.35 it is said That Pharaoh hardened his Heart So in the Scriptures first quoted the hardening Pharaoh's Heart is spoken of as God's Act and in the latter the same is spoken of as Pharaoh's Act Which seeming Difference is thus Reconcil'd Hardening in Scripture-sense is to be understood as a Searedness and Insensibility of things concerning the Glory of God and our Happiness which Condition is an effect of a customary and habitual Sinning according to that Saying Consuetudo peccandi Peccati sensum tollit The custom of Sinning takes away the Sense of Sin So Pharaoh persisting in a course of Sin and Wickedness unto great Obdurateness thus it is said He hardened his Heart and God ceasing to strive with him by his Spirit and relinquishing him to that Obdurateness thus it is said God hardened his Heart For as his Provocation was the cause of his Plagues so his Rebellion was the cause of his being Judicially Hardened By all which we may learn in what a Qualified Sense such Scriptures are to be understood and the ill Consequence of a partial taking them which may suffice to this Objection Object 4. Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet find fault For who hath resisted his Will Nay but O Man Who art thou that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another unto Dishonour Answ God doth not find fault where his Will is not resisted