judgement he will come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made marvelous and wonderful in all that believe He will invest his Saints then with heavenly glory and manifest his rich grace and abundant mercy upon them and that to the admiration and astonishment of all the world that shall looke upon him and be eye-witnesse of it in 1 John 3.2 Dearly beloved saith the Apostle We are now the Sonnes of God yet it doth not appear what we shall be is not now apparant nor evident to the eye of the world but the time shall come when it shall be apparant and manifest and that shall be when Christ shall come in glory unto judgement then the Saints of God then the true believers and the Chosen of God shall be made like unto him in fulnesse of grace and in fulnesse of glory not equal unto him but like unto him a plain Text evidencing and confirming this Truth That God will one day manifest his exceeding greatnesse and mercy to his chosen and make it appear to all the world to men and Angels that he is a merciful God to the confusion of the wicked and the admiration of the Angels Now beloved if so be we desire to be further enformed touching this what shall make men and Angels to admire the wonderful mercy of God to his Chosen Beloved it shall be not onely in respect of the abundant greatnesse of Gods mercy to his Chosen but also in respect of the freeness of Gods grace and of Gods glory that God bestoweth abundance of grace and of mercy and that freely for when as the wicked and reprobates shall at that day have justly according as they have deserved inflicted upon them even everlasting wrath and vengeance so on the other side God hath revealed the greatnesse of his mercy upon his chosen not for any merits or deserts of theirs and herein appeareth the wonderful admiration of Gods mercie in that he giveth it not in respect of any merit or desert of theirs for they have deserved the same wrath with the Reprobates but onely of his free mercy this shall make men and Angels to wonder at it that God vouchsafeth such a weight of glorie which they have not deserved freely out of his own mercie and it must needs be so for these Reasons Because the glorie of his mercie is as dear unto him as the glorie of his Reason 1 Justice and he will no more loose the glorie of his mercie then the glorie of his Justice Because God having promised grace unto his Chosen yea fulness of Reason 2 grace and fulness of mercy according to their measure The Lord will be justified in his Word and in his sayings and in his promise he will make it good yea the most wicked in the world shall one day justifie the goodness and the mercie of God to his Chosen and he will make them one day will they nill they to confess his goodness and this is not done in this world but in the world to come then he will wring a confession from them howsoever now they will not confess it yet then they shall manifest the riches of Gods grace to his Chosen The due consideration of this yieldeth matter of sweet and excellent comfort to Gods Children two waies First in respect of the cause and estate of Gods Children as it standeth with them when they are under some great and grievous affliction or under some strong temptation and violent assaults by Sathan in that he feels such a weight of sinne and such a burthen of corruptions lying and pressing down his heart and soul as for the present he hath no apprehension of the special love of God unto him nay he concludeth the Contrarie even against himself as that God hath forgotten him and left him though there be no such matter but God is pleased to exercise his Faith and to trie the soundness of his grace and he will have him to know that his faith and grace is even as pure gold tried in the furnace 1 Peter 1.7 That the trrial of your Faith is much more precious then gold Now in this case a Child of God may call to minde in this miserable estate he thinketh himselfe may call to minde what comfort and what mercie the Lord hath vouchsafed upon me and what pledges of his saving goodness the Lord hath vouchsafed and then he may consider that though the saving mercy of God be now hid from him for a time and that he can finde no comfort yet he having had experience of his saving grace formerly he may resolve that he will again return and manifest his mercie unto him for consider to reason thus Will God one day make it apparant to all the world that he is a merciful and gracious God to his Children and will not the same God make it manifest and apparant to thy soul here in this life at one time or other it cannot possibly be thou having had love tokens of his favour though they seem to be lost yet the Lord will come with abundance of grace and goodness Romans 15.13 Yea the Lord one day so exprest his grace as that the Child of God shall himselfe wonder and magnifie the grace of God unto his own soul yea he shall be ravished with the wonderful mercie of God unto his Chosen in general and to himselfe in particular For though when the Devil opposeth the godly by temptations they feele not the mercie of God to them yet the time shall come when it shall be manifest to all the world much more then to themselvess and to their own souls Again will God one day manifest his abundant mercie unto his Chosen Vse 2 making it to appear to the view of men and Angels it yieldeth a matter of comfort to Gods Children in respect of the censure and judgement that they pass upon Gods Children The men of the world seeing Gods Children walk humbly before the Lord and looking upon their humble and low carriage and behaviour which they account baseness they presently shoote out their fools bolt that they are the Reprobates they look upon the outside and see not what is within they are not able to see what mercy the Lord vouchsafeth unto his Children even in this world in that he giveth them assurance of his love unto them in Jesus Christ and a feeling of the sweetness of his grace and of mercie and the pardon of their sinnes this they are not able to see through the darkness of affliction and the cloud of their miserie Now this is to be remembred and to be thought upon for our comfort that are Gods Children in respect of this censure that howsoever the grace and the mercie of God be obscured and they cannot see it yet comfort thy self the time shall come that God-wil make it appear to men and Angels that he is a gracious God and that he is rich in mercy unto them and that the love of God is
That the glory of God and the glory of Christ ought to be most dear to us yea dearer to us then our own salvation we ought to prefer the glory of God and the glory of Christ before the best good thing we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before heaven it self and we are to be willing rather to lose our part of happinesse and glory in heaven if it were possible we being the Children of God then that God or Christ should lose any part of their glory And thus it was with the blessed Apostle in this place and thus also it was with Moses the servant of God Exod. 32.32 we there find that Moses desired the Lord if he would not pardon the sin of his people Israel but proceed in wrath against them and destroy them as they had deserved by their sins that then he would blot him out of his book of life that he had written Moses knew that with the preservation of the people of Israel who were then the visible Church of God was Gods glory joyned both in respect of the promises made to the Fathers which it was not for Gods honour to frustrate and in regard of the blasphemies which the Egyptians and other spiteful enemies to God would have been ready on the ruine and destruction of the Lords people to cast out against him Moses therefore did not onely look to the preservation of the people but to the glory of God also and in respect of that he was even carelesse of his own salvation and he preferred Gods glory before his own eternal happinesse and salvation indeed we find not any other example in the Scripture to this purpose saving onely these two of Moses and Paul but these do sufficiently shew that though we cannot attain to that measure of zeal to Gods glory that was in them yet we must aym at it and we are to labour and strive to the uttermost of our power to come to it and these examples do evidence to us that thus it ought to be with us that we ought to esteem the glory of God and the glory of Christ most dear to us and to prefer that before the best good thing we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before our own happinesse and glory in heaven it ought to be dearer to us then our own soules and the Reasons and grounds of it be these First the glory of God is the end of all the creatures of God and for Reason 1 his glory were all things made we live and move and have our being from God to this end principally to yeeld him glory and all our thoughts words and actions are to tend to this that God may have glory by them it is that we are taught to pray for in the first place Hallowed be thy Name 1 Cor. 10.31 And secondly the glory of God is the chiefest good it 's better worth Reason 2 then all things in heaven or earth And hence it is that the Angels and Saints in heaven make it their whole joy and felicity to sing praise and glory to God yea they are so ravished with the love of Gods glory that they never faint nor grow weary in sounding forth the praise and glory of God they cease not day nor night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and which is to come Revel 4.8 and therefore on these grounds it followes directly and necessarily that the glory of God and the glory of Christ ought to be most dear to us and we are to preserve that before the best good things we do enjoy or hope to enjoy yea even before our own happinesse and glory in heaven and it ought to be dearer to us then our own soules A duty to apply it and to lay it a little nearer to our consciences a duty I say wherein most of us come far short for consider it Vse are we so affected to the glory of God and to the glory of Christ as we hold that dearer to us then our own lives yea then our eternal good and comfort and the everlasting salvation of our own soules alas if we examine the matter we shall find that many of us prefer a little worldly pelf a little ease or pleasure or a little vain credit in the world before the glory of God and the glory of Christ Do not some who have abundance of wealth wherewith they might do much good and honour God and Christ exceedingly as Solomon exhorts Prov. 3.9 honour God with thy riches they might imploy their wealth to many good uses to the promotion of Gods glory and to the furthering of the Gospel of Christ And do they not prefer the keeping of their wealth after a base and sordid and miserable manner before the doing good with it to the advancement of the glory of God and the glory of Christ and do not some love their ease and the contentment of the flesh so well as they prefer that before the enduring of a little hardship or a little pains or a little suffering for the name and glory of Christ Jesus They will rather as they say sleep in a whole skin though it be with a breach a wound and an hole in their Conscience then they will undergo any trouble or hard measure from the hands of men for doing such things as ought and might bring glory to God and might advance the name of the Lord and whereby Christ might be magnified as Philip. 1.20 And so for the matter of vain credit and good liking of men in the world Be there not many so poysoned with the love of that as they prefer it before the glory of God and the glory of Christ Are not many ashamed to professe the name of Christ and to be sound and sincere in the profession of the Gospel because they shall be disgraced in the world and be counted Puritanes they will not adorn the doctrine of the Gospel they professe Tit. 2.10 they will not endeavour to be blamelesse and pure and the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a naughty and crooked nation and to shine as lights in the world as the Apostle exhorts Phil. 2.15 Though God and Christ might be thereby much glorified because then they shall be out of favour and credit with men yea haply with their best friends as they account them with those on whom their preferment depends yea are there not many in the world and amongst us so far from accounting the glory of God and the glory of Christ so dear to them as they could be content for that to part with the best good thing they do enjoy or hope to enjoy even to part with heaven for it if it might be as that indeed they will not part with any one beloved sin for the glory of God and for the glory of Christ They will not for the glory of God and for the honour of the Lord Jesus part with their pride their
vanity and garishnesse in apparel their drunkennesse their whoredome their covetousnesse their usury or with any other darling sin no though it be so that together with leaving of their sin they might both glorifie God and also enjoy comfort to themselves here and happinesse and glory hereafter in heaven yet they will not for the glory of God and for the glory of Christ and for obtaining of heaven too forsake their pleasing sins We see then if we duly examine our selves how far short many of us are from that affection to the glory of God and the glory of Christ that ought to be in us I might lay forth our coming short in this in many other particulars but take we notice of our failing by that which hath been spoken and now take we notice of our duty how dear the glory of God and the glory of Christ ought to be to us and though as I said we cannot come to such a measure of love and zeal to the glory of God and the glory of Christ that was in Moses and Paul yet we must aym at it and we must endeavour to come to it and let neither profit nor ease nor pleasure nor honour nor credit in the world nor the dearest thing we enjoy or hope hereafter to enjoy be dearer to us then the glory of God and the glory of Christ if God call us to do or to suffer any thing for his name and glory and for the glory of Christ Let us be ready to prefer the doing or the suffering of it before the best good thing we enjoy in this world yea before our dearest blood and before our own lives And to that purpose consider we that Gods glory is most dear to his own most blessed Majestie Esay 48.11 ãâã I will not give my glory unto another And hence it is that the Lord ââeven jealous of his glory and he cannot abide it should be any way touched or impaired Wicked Nebuchadnezzar was suffered to go on in sin a long time but when he thought by the Majestie of his person and Palace as it were to outface God he became a miserable and silly beast Dan. 4.27 And wicked Herod had a long time vexed the Church and escaped unpunished but when he took to himself the glory of God he was suddenly smitten by the Angel of the Lord and eaten up of worms Act. 12.23 Vse 2 And again consider we if Gods glory be dear to us and we prefer that before the dearest thing we enjoy it is an undoubted evidence that we truly love God as if a good child tender the credit of his father and cannot endure any contempt or disgrace to be cast on him we hold it a sure argument of his love to his father Look we then to it that as Gods glory is most dear to his own children so it must be most dear to us and if it be so and we prefer it before the dearest good thing we enjoy or hope to enjoy we shall thereby evidence to our comfort that we truly love God and are truly beloved of God and as his glory is dear to us so we are dear to him and as we honour him so will he honour us according to his own promise 1 Sam. 2.30 yea he will not onely honour us with the glory of heaven but he will give us honour here in this world so far as he sees meet for us yea he will give us honour in the hearts of those that hate us and deal harshly with us the Lord will force them to honour us in their hearts And these things duly considered ought to stirre us up to be so affected to the glory of God and the glory of Christ as that we prefer that before the best good thing we do enjoy or hope to enjoy and to hold that dearer to us then our own soules Now the Apostle in this verse subjoyns one cause moving him to wish himself separated or accursed from Christ for the conversion of the Jewes namely this because they were his brethren his kinsmen according to the flesh hence note we thus much That we are to love our kindred in the flesh and to respect them Doctr. and to wish them good yea spiritual good saving grace here and salvation hereafter in heaven because they are our kindred and because they are knit to us and we to them by the bond of flesh and blood Deut. 23.7 saith God thou shalt not abhor an Edomite for he is thy brother Luke 4.16 we find that Christ beginning to preach he preached first at Nazareth where he had been brought up because it had been the place of his education in recompence of that he preached there first 1. Tim. 5.4 the Apostle saith that children or nephews must learn first to shew godlinesse toward their own house and to recompence their kindred for that is an honest thing and acceptable before God and verse 8. he saith he that provideth not for his own and namely for them of his houshold he denyeth the faith and is worse then an Infidel So doubtlesse he that loves not his kindred and those he is tyed to by the bond of nature and doth not wish them good even spiritual good saving grace here and salvation hereafter in heaven because they are his kindred he failes in his duty and there is good reason for it namely this Nature it self by the very light of it teacheth this duty and binds to the performance of it to love our kindred and to respect them Reason and to wish well to them because they are our kindred and much more Religion teacheth the same and binds to the performance of it for Religion takes not away natural affection but perfects it and piety doth onely order and qualifie natural affection and not extinguish it But haply some may object Object that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.16 Henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we had known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more Therefore it seems we are not to respect our kindred in the flesh because they are our kindred I answer Answ The Apostle in that place sets himself against false Teachers who stood on outward and corporal prerogatives and legal and carnal ceremonies and the generation of Christ after the flesh these things would the Apostle no longer know that is trust unto before his conversion he stood on such outward things that he was circumcised an Hebrew of the Hebrews by the Law a Pharisee Philip. 3.5 but now he counted all these things losse Philip. 3.8 and will not now know Christ onely according to the flesh that is his meaning And so it makes not against this That we are to love our kindred and to respect them and to wish them good because they are our kindred And to apply this Vse It 's a common thing with wicked and gracelesse persons to love them least to whom they are tyed by the bond of
doth limit and restrain the mercy of God to them to whom the Lord vouchsafeth mercy and therefore mercy is not a natural property in God Answ To this I answer First of all this Cavil is grounded upon a mistaking and misconstruction of the words of the Apostle For the Apostle doth not here intend and mean the natural property and essential attribute of mercy in God but he meaneth the act exercise and work of that property which is extended and reached out unto man and that is ever guided by the holy will of God Again it is false and utterly untrue that this heretick affirmeth that all the natural properties of God are ever in use to us for justice mercy goodnesse and power and the like be essential and natural in God and yet God doth extend and reach them out to whom he pleaseth according to his own purpose when he will and where he will and how it pleaseth him so that it is false and blasphemous to say that mercy is not natural and essential in God for the testimony of Scripture contradicteth it in Exod. 34.6 the Lord there proclaimeth himself in this manner The Lord the Lord strong merciful gratious and abundant in goodnesse and in truth yea this might be illustrated by many testimonies of Scripture but I forbear it in so pregnant and plain a truth And come we then to that which may be truly concluded from these words I will have mercy upon whom I will And compassion upon whom I will These words being understood as heretofore I have explained them That the act the exercise and the work of Gods mercy and pity and compassion it is ever by God extended to them to whom he pleaseth Hence then we are given to understand thus much Doct. That Gods mercy reached out unto his chosen it is most free and voluntary it dependeth upon nothing out of God but cometh onely and merely out of his own good will and pleasure That the Lord is merciful unto any or that he sheweth any fruit of his love or mercy to any one it is merely from his own good will and pleasure and not depending upon any thing out of his holy and blessed Majestie the Lord being the author of mercy pity and compassion he extendeth his mercy pity and compassion to those to whom he will Or more briefly thus The reason why the Lord doth extend and reach out mercy unto any is his mere will and nothing else And to clear this a little further mark what the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 1.3 the Apostle there calleth God Pater misericordiarum the Father of mercies shewing that God is the Father and begetter of mercy and that mercy and love are as it were his children coming from him and in Joh. 1.15 saith the Evangelist of him we receive grace for grace one grace to another And Christ Jesus saith Luke 10.12 Father I confesse Lord of heaven and earth thou hast hid these things even the things of thy Gospel from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes even so because it pleased thee It was so of thy good will and pleasure nothing moving thee thereunto so that the reason why the Lord doth vouchsafe mercy unto any it is the free will and favour of God nothing else moving him But haply then some may say to me It seemeth not to be true Object that God vouchsafeth mercy unto his chosen and pardon for their sins for the sake of Christ if he shew mercy of his own free will then not for the sufferings of Christ which were a grosse errour to conclude To this I answer that these two things are subordinate Answ as we speak in schooles they do and may well agree and stand together God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ and merely out of his own will how can these two stand together yes very well for why God vouchsafeth mercy to his chosen for the sake of Christ the will of God is that his chosen should have the pardon of their sins through Jesus Christ and that pardon of sin should not come without Christ as Christ affirmeth John 6.40 for this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the son and believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Now if any do object that of the Prophet Esay 43.25 Object I am he that hath put away all thine iniquities for mine own sake therefore it seemeth it is not for Christs sake but for his own sake as the Lord professeth I answer Answ God doth therefore pardon the sins of his chosen for his own sake because he doth it for Christs sake for all the works of every person is the work of the whole Trinity that which the Son worketh the Father and Holy Ghost worketh in Unity of Godhead so that mercy cometh only from God the Father And the reason why God vouchsafeth mercy to any is nothing else but Gods free will This first meeteth with a false conclusion of Arminius and of the Arminians Vse 1 that say God may decree to shew mercy unto such as believe and repent and such as persevere in grace and sanctification Now this is to restrain Gods shewing of mercy to mens qualification And to make something in man to be the cause and reason of Gods shewing mercy Where as these two stand together never they can possibly agree being contraria contraria sine medio That Gods will is the cause of his mercy to man and that God sheweth mercy because of their faith vertue and qualification in good things they are two opposites but to leave them Farther this being so That Gods mere Will is the cause of his mercy Vse 2 unto us and nothing else hereby then we must learn to magnifie the mercy of God vouchsafed unto us in any kind whatsoever hath God vouchsafed mercy unto us in regard of our bodies but especially in respect of our soules hath he converted our sinful soules from wickednesse to himself hath he reached out his mercy so far as that he hath extended his saving grace unto our soules Oh then learn we to acknowledge that it is most free and that it hath been vouchsafed merely from God himself nothing in us as a reason or cause to move him why he should shew us the least mercy And thus meditate and think with thy self whosoever thou art that hast found Gods mercy and his saving grace reached out unto thy sinful soul Oh consider surely I was in the common estate and condition of all men I was guilty of damnation by reason of the sin committed by Adam I was begotten and brought forth in sin and lived therein in a miserable estate and condition and I had no feeling of my misery no desire to be saved and when God sought me I desired him not I closed mine eyes against him and would not see the light I stopped mine eares and would not hear his voyce But the
Objection in the beginning For the Papists they say eluding the evidence of this text in this manner It is not in him that willeth or runneth after the flesh and according to Nature but by your leave say they it is in him that willeth and runneth by Faith which is grounded upon Gods mercy may agree with Gods mercy A poor shift and thus they seek to shift off the Evidence of this text directly contrary to the meaning of the Holy Ghost in this place For the opposition here is not between man willing and running after the flesh and mans willing and running by faith they are not here opposed But mark the opposition it standeth thus Between mans willing and running and Gods shewing mercy these are the things that be here opposed and set in Contradiction one to the other mans willing and running in a good way and in the way of sanctification and salvation and the Lords shewing of mercy so that neither the willing of good nor the working of good by any though a regenerate person is the thing that is available to election or salvation As in 2 Tim. 1.9 The Apostle there denyeth that either himself or any other true believer and regenerate person that they were either called or saved by their own works for saith he He hath called and saved us Not according to our own works but according to his own grace whether they were works natural or supernatural so also in Titus 3.4 5. verses he saith in the fourth verse when the bountifulnesse and love of God appeareth then in the fifth verse he subjoyneth not according to the works of righteousnesse which we have done but of his own mere mercy he saved us so that the willing or working of good is not the cause of any mans election or salvation The Reason is Because the goodnesse which is in the will of man Reason and the goodnesse which is in the works of man it proceedeth from Gods election it is an effect and a fruit of it It proceedeth from that root and so is the fruit of holinesse and righteousnesse as the Apostle saith expresly in Ephes 1.4 God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world was laid that we should be holy so that holinesse followeth Gods eternal election And therefore the willing or working of good by regenerate persons cannot possibly be the cause of Gods eternal election it being the effect for it is not possible that the same thing can be the cause of the same thing and the effect in one and the self-same thing For Application First of all this meeteth with that opinion which Vse 1 some do hold That it is of God a man may be saved But that men are saved That particular persons amongst men come to be saved that is of themselves This do some hold and affirm And it is their tenent That the possibility of the salvation of man that it is possible for men to be saved that is of God But that this possibility becometh profitable and effectual to some men that is of their own free will A foul and a grosse errour directly contrary to the truth now handled and delivered unto us if it be so that the possibility of the salvation of man becometh profitable to some particular persons amongst men from the freedom of their own will surely then it must needs be from the goodnesse of their own will and from their well-willing And then a believing soul a soul that shall be saved and now is in the state of grace and of salvation hath ground to boast of in himself And may lift up himself even against God himself in ostentation and may thus magnifie himself say unto God Lord that there was any possibility for me to be saved it was of thee I freely confess it but that this possibility proveth not an impossibility to me as it doth to many thousands in the world that was my own doing I did that of my self That I could be saved the thanks of that belongeth to thee Lord but that I am now in the state of grace and salvation And that I am sure to be saved the thanks of that belongeth to me my self For thy love to me was no more then to them that are damned till my willingnesse to receive grace and faith put a difference between me and them till the inclination of my soul made me thine I might for all thy love have been damned eternally as well as Cain Judas Saul or any other Reprobate had not I out of the righteousnesse and freenesse of the freedom of my own will chosen grace it was not of thee Lord but of my self that I chose grace And damnation had been mine had I not of my own free and voluntary will chosen and used grace Oh beloved is not this intolerable and monstrous pride and ambition thus in ostentation for a man to lift up himself against God Is this a thought to come into any Christians heart no it is to be renounced For this boasting and ostentation doth naturally follow upon this their tenent that they teach the possibility of salvation cometh from God but that that possibility cometh into Act is of mans free will And this ought by every Christian to be abjured renounced and cast away as blasphemous erroneous and false Vse 2 Again This being a truth that no mans willing or doing of good is the cause of election or salvation Then let this teach us to take heed that we ground not our salvation upon any thing willed or done by us be it never so good yea though it proceed from the root and radix of true sanctifying grace It is mere madnesse in the Papists enemies to Gods grace to ground their hope of salvation as they do upon the performance of those good things that God requireth of them so far forth as they are able to perform them thus they ground their hope of salvation Now they so grounding their hopes they have no reason in the world to hope for any good at the hands of God for who seeth not unlesse he be wilfully blinded and blindfolded by his own self-love self-will and self-conceit who seeth not I say how far short we come of doing those good things we ought to do either in the state of nature or in the state of grace And the Papists themselves to joyn with them when they deal against that comfortable and holy truth of God that is held and taught in our Church That a Child of God may in time of this life be infallibly assured of our own salvation the Papists when they deal against this holy and comfortable truth then they plead and say alas we are frail and we are weak creatures and we fail in the manner of doing good duties and therefore we cannot assure our selves of salvation What say they do you say we may be assured of our salvation upon our faith and doing good duties Alas we are full of imbecillity
tumbleth down into them Hence it is that the Lord Jesus in Acts 9.15 speaking of Saul afterwards called Paul saith unto Ananias that his purpose was to send him unto the Gentiles and he calleth him a chosen vessel a vessel fit to receive grace and to bear the Name of Christ to all Nations And of the reprobate Heathen the Apostle saith in Romans 1.29 God gave them up to a reprobate sence to receive the fulnesse of all uncleannesse when the Lord did poure out the tokens of his wrath they were full of all uncleannesse And also the Apostle speaketh of the reprobate Jewes in 1 Thess 2.15 16. That they killed the Lord Jesus and their owne Prophets persecuted us and they are contrarie to all men and they forbid us to preach to the Gentiles and they fill up the measure of their sins because the wrath of God is come upon them unto the uttermost Vse Vessels of mercie how known This being so that Gods Elect are Vessels fit to receive mercy and the reprobate vessels to reeeive all manner of filthinesse and uncleannesse then learn we to trie our selves whether we be the vessels of mercie or no I conceive well of you and every one conceiveth well of himself then trie whether we be in the number of Gods vessels of mercie or no looke to thy own heart and soul If thou finde the Heavenly liquour the Heavenly moysture of Faith Repentance Love to God love to his Children a care to please God a desire to feare God Humilitie Patience and all other adorning Graces here then is comfort but if thou find thou art an ignorant person ignorant of the wayes of God hard hearted thou art full of Pride Hypocrisie self love a desire of earthly things thou art a vessel of wrath and fitted to destruction and if thou goe on and remain unreclaimed though I will not determine of thy final estate if thou so live and die thou art appointed unto everlasting destruction trie then thy selfe which of these thou art deal truely with thy selfe and by that which floweth from thee thou maiest know it as a bottle of sweet water sendeth forth a sweet savour so if thou have this heavenly moisture of grace and of sanctification in thee it sendeth forth holy and gracious words thou canst speak comfort to those that are sick it sendeth forth sweet Actions of love to God mercie and justice to men thou art readie to every good work Now then to conclude If we have these sweet graces in our hearts it shall spring up to everlasting life as in John 4.14 It will ever be ejaculating and casting up and springing unto life and as a stream of water will rise as high as the fountains so will grace now the head of this fountain where is it in Heaven thither will thy grace climbe and thou shalt certainly bee saved but if otherwise woe bee unto thee thou art in a miserable estate What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known indured with long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction COme we now to the proposition What if God willing to suffer the wicked for a long time to escape his punishing hand and thus forbearing towards men what if the Lord be thus patient when he might strike them suddenly down and send them unto Hell Now then this propoposition laid down thus before us by way of interrogation What if the Lord would thus spare them doth note unto us this position or conclusion viz. That God is very patient toward sinners yea even towards the Reprobates Doct. 2 God is not onely patient in forbearing as we have it in 1 Pet. 3.9 But he also beareth with wicked and ungodly persons though they goe on adding sinne unto sinne provoking him to wrath and to their destruction daily when he might suddenly send them to the pit of Hell And for proofe of this we have not onely evidence here but in Psalme 50. The Psalmist bringeth in God speaking to the wicked and ungodly and expressing their wicked and lewd behaviour from the 16. verse to the 21. verse in this manner that they hate to be reformed cast the Word of God behind them run with the adulterer and the theefe sit with the slanderer and joyn hands with all manner of wicked persons and no sinne came amisse unto them And then he subjoyneth these things hast thou done and I held my peace forbearing to punish thee and was patient towards thee while thou rannest on in all manner of sinnes thus patient and thus forbearing was the Lord toward Cain that wicked reprobate who as the Text saith in 1 John 3.1 Was of that evil one the Devil that slew his brother yet he having done this vile act and villanie in shedding of innocent bloud the Lord was patient with him and suffered him still to live the Lord suffered him to grow rich and wealthie to beget children and to be the father of a great Nation thus patient was the Lord with him and thus patient was the Lord with Saul to Judas to Herod though they were branded and marked for Reprobates the Lord suffered them to live a long time and as we have it in Acts 14.16 saith the Lord he suffered the Gentiles to walke in their own wayes and that for many thousand yeares together and yet the Lord was patient with them in their grosse idolatrie and did suffer them many thousand yeares to continue in their sinnes and in Acts 13.18 Paul saith that the Lord suffered the evil manners of the people of Israel fourtie yeares in the Wildernesse together And beloved the Lord doth not onely forbear to punish wicked and ungodly persons and reprobates whilest they are sinning against him and provoking him but so abundant in mercie and goodnesse is the Lord that he suffereth them to enjoy many outward good things as we see in Esau the Lord permitted him to enjoy many outward good things yea he was the father of many sonnes of many Dukes many great and mightie men in the world yea wicked Ahab who sold himselfe to work wickednesse in the fight of the Lord 1 Kings 21. Of whom the Text saith in 1 Kings 16.30 He did worse then all that were before him and in the 33. verse it is said he provoked the Lord God of Israel more to anger then all the Kings of the people that had been before him he sold himself to work wickednesse yet the Lord suffered him to enjoy a flourishing Kingdome for a long time in the 29. verse He was the King of Israel two and twentie yeares together yea come but to our own experience and we may see it many wicked vile abominable sinners are advanced to high dignitie and worldly promotion and the Lord powred upon them an overflowing cup of worldly glorie and they have good successe in everie thing they put their hands unto and they enjoy an overflowing cup though they be gracelesse and wicked persons
spread abroad in thy heart yea the time shal come that men and Angels shal se thee Crowned with a Crown of glorie and a Crown of mercie that they shal be driven to an admiration of it and then they shal befool themselves and say we fools thought these mens lives to to be madness yea we accounted them contemptible and base fellows but now behold the riches of Gods mercie that he is wonderfully gracious and merciful unto his Children they shal befool themselves to see the greatness of Gods mercie unto his Chosen which shal be so great that they shal admire at it yea the verie Angels shal wonder at it Angels that are able to understand more then all the men in the world they shal be amazed and wonder at the riches of Gods mercie unto his chosen Therefore let the calumnie and the slander of the wicked pass by unregarded for the Lord wil one day manifest his mercie to the admiration of Men and Angels And that he might declare the riches of his glorie unto the vessels of mercy prepared unto glorie AGain observe we here the Apostle putteth glorie for mercie and maketh them both tending to one end from hence the Doctrin is this viz. Doctrine That God in shewing of mercie unto his Chosen intendeth the glory of his grace and the glorie of his mercie The Lord in shewing of mercie unto his Chosen doth it to this end that he might have his praise and glorie by it he aimeth at this end that it might be known and admired and spoken of and magnified and that he might have glorie by it as good Kings and Princes next after the things that concern Religion they doe esteem this above all the honour of their name that they might be respected of their Subjects for their Clemencie and bountie unto their Subjects so it is with the Lord the great King of Heaven and Earth all the graces and favour and mercy that he vouchsafeth unto his Chosen from the first mercie to the last from their Election to their glorification in Heaven it tendeth to this end that his grace and mercy unto his Chosen may be manifested and appear and that he may have the praise and the glorie of his grace and of his mercie In Ephesians 1.5 God saith the Apostle He hath Predestinated us to be Adopted through Jesus Christ in himself nothing moving him thereunto out of his own blessed Majestie according to the good pleasure of his Will to what end To the praise of the glory of his grace of his rich and abundant grace and mercie And as glorifying of the riches of his grace and mercy is that which the Lord delighteth in so he aimeth at it as the supream and highest end in shewing of mercy And the Lord may safely seek his own glory and praise without any danger of pride in it as it is in man for they looking at their own praise and estimation among men they are tainted with pride but it is not so with the Lord because indeed he is the highest and there is none above him And hence it was in Exod. 34.6 7. when the Lord shewed himself unto Moses he magnified his mercy above all other attributes and he proclaimeth his mercy by many several titles and passages The Lord the Lord strong merciful and gracious slow to anger abundant in goodnesse and in truth reserving mercy unto thousands forgiving iniquities transgressions and sins there is mention of Gods power in a word very sparingly but there is nothing sufficient to extol the glory of his mercy explicating that in variety of expressions and setting it out to the full Now this being a truth first of all this serveth to stir us up to give God Vse 1 the praise and glory of his mercy vouchsafed unto us in any kind whatsoever this is the main thing the Lord aymeth at in shewing of mercy unto his chosen that it might be known and glorified Oh then surely we ought never to let the grace and the mercy of God to be out of our mouthes this is that he delighteth in and therefore we must have his mercy in our mouthes especially we professing our selves to be his children and servants for consider I beseech you how will those servants that belong and appertain to bountiful Lords and Masters how will they be ever setting forth and extolling the bounty and beneficence of their Masters in what company soever they are commending their frank House-keeping and good hospitality in being beneficial to the poor and good to their followers And so indeed they are not the children of God that do not thus magnifie the riches of Gods mercy unto them and have them in their hearts and mouthes continually crying out Oh the mercy of God to us is large else they are bastards and not the children of God for such as belong unto Gods grace God giveth them grace unto this end that his grace and mercy might be known and magnified that they may say Oh what hath God done for my soul this is the practise of a holy servant of God therefore we are to be stirred up for any mercy the Lord hath vouchsafed in any kind not onely for health restored or for any such things that are temporal but also for things that are spiritual or for any mercy that he hath bestowed upon us we are to be thankful and especially we are to give praise and thanks unto God for his great and wonderful mercy bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus in that he gave Christ Jesus to be a Saviour for our soules this we ought to be thankful unto God for above all other mercies Again is this so that Gods shewing of mercy unto his chosen it tendeth Vse 2 to the glory of his mercy surely then it cannot be that life and glory is given unto Gods chosen from the hand of Justice as a thing due unto them by their meritorious deserts this cannot possibly be for mercy is given for the magnifying of his mercy for if it were so as the Papists teach given for their merit by the hand of Justice surely then God should aym at his Justice as the main and highest end of all in their glorification which is not so for he aymeth at the glory of his mercy for indeed as God intendeth and aymeth at the glory of his Justice and power as the highest end in the destruction of the Reprobate and wicked and so he aymeth at the glorification of his mercy as the highest end in the salvation of the Elect and godly And whereas the Papists say that life and glory is given as an act of mercy and of Justice and so they would make a hotch-potch and a compound of that which cannot be compounded for it is as possible that God should send a man to hell and condemn a man out of his revenging Justice and saving mercy at the same time as that God should give a man mercy and salvation out of his hand
The Great MYSTERY OF Godlinesse Opened BEING AN EXPOSITION UPON The whole Ninth Chapter of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the ROMANS By the Late Pious and faithful servant of Jesus Christ Mr. EDWARD ELTON Bachelor in Divinity and sometimes Preacher of the Gospel at Mary Magdalens Bermondsey neer London Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Rom. 9.13 O the Depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God Rom. 11.33 Great is the Mystery of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world and received up into glory 1 Tim. 3.16 Licensed Entred Printed and Published according to Order LONDON Printed by J. L. for Christopher Meredith and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard 1653. To the Courteous and Christian Reader Good Reader THis Book which the good hand of God hath put into thy hand to read is such of which thou mayest justly say as Jacob did of his pretended venison a Gen. 27.19 20. the Lord hath brought it to thy hand rise up therefore and eat of this savory meat such as thy soul loveth or should do at least It was the work of a most Pious and skilful Scribe excellently instructed to the Kingdom of God b Matth. 13.52 he was a burning and a shining light c Joh. 5.35 burning with zeal for Gods glory and shining as a light in that crooked Generation wherein he lived d Phil. 2.15 but he is now triumphing in heaven and therefore standeth not in need either of thy prayers or my praises who being dead yet speaketh e Heb. 11.4 so that his own works may justly praise him in the gates f Prov. 31.31 Leaving therefore the Author who is now at rest with the Lord I come to the book it self wherein if thou do not meet with new Truths yet thou shalt find old Truth confuting old and new Errors sin sharply rebuked holy Duties earnestly and seasonably pressed the power of Godlinesse advanced and the great Mystery of Godlinesse sweetly opened evidences of Election cleerly discovered here thou mayest know whether thy name be written in heaven g Luk. 10.20 onely let me advise thee to follow the Authors method who beginneth first with the Complaint of a Sinner combating and conflicting then cometh to the Christian Triumphing and so cometh to open the Great Mystery of Godlinesse so do thou read the first Treatise to learn to complain of thy corruption and then thou mayest be sure at last to Triumph with the true Christian and so be the fitter to look into the great Mystery of Godliness for to such is the promise made by our Saviour that to them it shall be given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven h Matth. 13.11 and again if any man be a doer of Gods will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God i Joh. 7.17 so that he that is ready to imbrace the power of Godlinesse and is daily conversant in the practise of it is most likely to be skilful in the mystery of it get thy heart therefore stored with the graces of the Spirit that accompany Salvation add to thy Faith Vertue and to thy Vertue Knowlege and to Knowledge Temperance and that Patience and to that Godlinesse and to that Brotherly kindnesse c. For so an entrance shall be made unto thee abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of Jesus Christ k 2 Pet. 1 5â c. 11. besides let me recommend unto thee a fit Treasure for a Christian to be laid up in heaven where the Rust and Mothes cannot corrupt nor Thieves break through nor steal l Matth. 6.20 In a word let me advise thee to store up in thine heart soundnesse of Knowledge strength of Faith purity of Heart clearnesse of Conscience holinesse of Life assurance of Gods favour contempt of the world many sanctified Sabbaths fervent prayers holy Conferences Heavenly Meditations dayes of Humiliation sincere love of the Saints righteous dealing with the Brethren a sincere love of Jesus Christ m Ephes 6.24 an universal hatred of every known sin and of all alse waies n Psal 119.104 the true fear of God and the power of Godlinesse o 2 Tim. 3.5 This counsel observed and followed will enable thee to live Christianly and to dye comfortably with full assurance that when the earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved thou shalt have an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens p 2 Cor. 5.17 where you shall be ever with Lord q who sitteth at the right hand of his Father where there is fulnesse of joy and pleasures that last for evermore r Psai 16. ult such as eye hath not seen nor ear hath heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the excellencies of those joyes that God hath prepared for them that love him s 1 Cor. 29. let me earnestly entreat thee and affectionatly beseech thee good Reader speedily to fall to work and first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousnesse t Matth. 6.33 for herein delayes are most dangerous for the longer thou stayest thou shalt finde that God groweth more angry Satan more strong thy self more unable to repent sin more unconquerable thy conversion more difficult and thy salvation more impossible a ruinous house the longer delayed the more costly will the repairing be the nail of sin the more strokes are given to it by frequent acting the more difficult to get out of that precious soul of thine oh then begin speedily because delayes are so dangerous and continue constantly having once begun in the spirit do not make an end in the flesh lest you labour and suffer all in vain u Gal. 3 3 4. give me leave therefore to presse thee effectually in the words of the Apostle that having such glorious hopes and so many precious promises w 2 Cor. 1.4 endeavour to cleanse thy self from all filthinesse of the flesh and Spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God x 2 Cor. 7.1 alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as I can assure thee that thy labour shall not be in vain in the Lord y 1 Cor. 15.58 onely be sure to fight a good fight and keep sound in the faith till thou finish thy course and I can assure thee of an immortal crown which Jesus Christ that righteous judge wil be ready to set upon the head of all such as love his appearing z 2 Tim. 47 8 9. against whose glorious coming that thou mayest be the better prepared let me advise thee once more to a serious perusal of this and the two former Treatises in the reading whereof my hearty prayers shall be with and for thee at the throne of grace that hereby thy judgement may be rightly enformed
us by six priviledges vouchsafed unto them as that unto them was vouchsafed the adoption the glory the covenant the giving of the Law the service of God and the promises Thirdly and lastly he sheweth the reason and ground of his wish because of that people of Israel the fathers came yea Christ Jesus according to the flesh came of them and was of their seed and line of the seed of Abraham even the Lord Jesus the Lord of life and glory whom the Apostle further describeth that he is God over all and blessed for ever unto whom the Apostle assenteth Amen Now before we come to open these words and to handle them particularly I hold it sit one generall thing be observed and that may be thus grounded the Apostle being about to speak of a thing which would be very harsh and hard and odious to the Jewes that they were rejected of God In wisedome he useth as you see a patheticall insinuation of his love unto them it was out of his love and not of hatred he would have them to know and to take notice of it that his speech was from the grief of his heart and soul he had no pleasure in it but with a desire of their good yea he speaketh it with a desire to be severed from Christ for their salvation Now then herein appeareth the wonderfull wisedome of the Apostle to be imitated of the ministers of the Gospell and the observation is this That though Ministers of God must speak such things as they have to speak that are hard and harsh and unpleasing and distasteful to the hearers as just occasion is offered unto them yet it must be with a signification of their love unto them and so as their hearers may discern that those harsh hard things delivered are out of love and to do them good Ministers of the Gospel they must not be men pleasers or daubers to daube with untempered morter and draw a fair skin over a foul ulcer and soothe up men in their sins for if they so demean themselves they are not the servants of Christ Gal. 1.10 saith Paul If I please men I am no true servant of Christ but they must tell men plainly of their sins and of their miserable estate and condition which they are in in regard of their sinnes yea they must set things close unto their hearts and souls and speak such things as be harsh and hard to their hearers yet so as it be with an insinuation of their love and that their hearers may perceive that it cometh of love We read in Luke 19.43 44. Christ Jesus uttereth a very sharp sentence and heavy doom that should befall the City of Hierusalem he telleth them that the time should come when their enemies should cast a trench about the City and compasse it on every side and should lay the City even to the ground and all her children in her and not leave a stone upon a stone a heavy doom yet withal even in the pronouncing of this heavy doom he spake these heavy things how the Evangelist saith in the 41. and 42 verses he spake it with trickling tears in his eyes and shewed his pity and compassion for he wept for them saying Oh I wish that thou hadst known these things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes And in Gal. 3.1 The Apostle uttereth very hard and harsh things he calleth them fooles and bewitched Galathians that they would not obey the truth revealed unto them yet in the 15. verse he sheweth this was out of his love he called them brethren which before he called fooles and bewitched and in Gal. 4.19 he calleth them little children with whom he travelled in birth like a mother and thus are the Ministers of God to do in dispencing of harsh and hard things they are to deal roundly with hearers and to tell them of their sins and to speak unpleasing things to their hearers as just occasion is offered yet so as their hearers may discern that they love them and that it cometh out of the love of the Minister and out of the pity and compassion and tender care that they have of them though they pronounce harshly Ministers must thus do because their hearers being carnal Reason will else take occasion to quarrel with their affection and to carp against them saying they speak out of malice and hatred and spleen and out of a distempered humour unlesse they be mitigated with their love and so they will reject the reproof that may be for their good and not profit by it because it seemeth harsh and displeasing to them We know a wise Physitian when he giveth a bitter pill lappeth it up in sugar that the patient may more willingly receive it and the better retain it in his stomack so must the Ministers of God in this case even in delivering harsh and hard things telling them of their sins and publishing Gods judgments lap them up in the sugared expressions of their love and good will and desire and tender compassion of them that they may be the better received and their hearers profit by the same This concerneth us that are Ministers of the Gospel Vse that we thus deal in dispensing of hard and harsh things such as be displeasing to the eares and hearts of the people with a signification of their love unto them we may and ought to teach hard-hearted impenitent sinners that they are in the way that leadeth to hell and that if they go on in that way without repentance it is not possible for them to escape the damnation of hell they are going on in that way and are sure to come to hell without repentance yet it must be with some insinuation of love and testification of it as we must say I am grieved at the very soul for your miserable estate oh that you had hearts to consider and eyes to see that your miserable estate and fearful condition and the Judgment of God against you and to beseech them earnestly that they would labour to come out of that miserable estate and condition Vse 2 And for you that are Hearers for the use of your part onely to pray unto God and to intreat the Lord for us and to be earnest with God that the Lord would vouchsafe to guide us by his good Spirit that we may shew our selves such as are faithful to the Lord that hath sent us and not such as are studious to speak that which pleaseth men and soothe them up in their sins But that the Lord would give us to shew our studious care and indeavour of the peoples good by a signification of hearty love unto them and tender affection And as the Prophet saith Esay 58.1 We are such as must cry aloud and lift up our voyce like Trumpets this you must pray for us Vers 1 Come we now unto these five Verses as they lye in order I say the truth in Christ I lye not
much as they can the very Conscience that is placed in the heart of man it is a plain evidence that there is a God and so let this suffice to stop their mouthes Is this so that the conscience is thus placed in the soul of man as a Vse 2 witnesse to whatsoever it is that man doth will or think or speak or affect or do surely then it must follow that it cannot possibly be that any man or woman should sin without witnesse though they sin never so secretly though it be in the very secrets and inwards of their own hearts that none can discern but God alone the Conscience discerneth it and seeth it and taketh notice of it and will manifest it in time if they have but an evil thought against God his Church or Children the conscience is a witnesse to that very thought indeed men presume upon it and do account it no sin if they can do it in a secret corner and have a dark place to act it in from the sight of men as Job 24.15 The eye of the Adulterer waiteth for the twilight and then disguiseth himself and saith none eye shall see him Alas though thou couldest hide thy sin from all men and Devils yet thou canst not hide it from God nor from thine own conscience that will one day come in as a witnesse against thee and lay thee open to the sight of men and Angels unlesse God give thee repentance The Conscience of man is a tell-tale it will lay it open and witnesse against thee Indeed I confesse that the mouth of the conscience may be muzzeled and sometimes be choaked and fail in doing the office of it to bear witnesse or a man may lay violent hands upon his own conscience and as it were cut the throat of it for a time his conscience being asleep or benummed for custome in sin taketh away the feeling of the conscience for a time and as One saith well The light of the Conscience may be shadowed because it is not good but quite extinguished it cannot be because it cometh from God and is of him in the heart by the hand of God it may be asleep and benummed but it will awake either in the day of affliction or in the hour of death when the Conscience will be raised and awakened and will then not spare to witnesse against thee or if it be so that thou dost dye without any sense or feeling of sin thou dyest like a senselesse stone as it is said of Nabal his heart dyed within him so it may be thy heart may be so hardened as that in the hour of death it hath no touch of conscience at all yet know this though thou dyest so yet thy conscience dyeth not it is a natural faculty of thy soul it cannot dye and though it touch thee not in the hour of death yet the day will come when the Judgment of the Lord cometh it will come and appear before thee and then it will speak and not spare it will witnesse against thee the sins that thou hast done in hugger-mugger and in secret and thy dissembling and close dealing either with God or man thy Conscience will not then spare to speak against thee And therefore in the fear of God take notice of it and let this ground of truth teach us to take heed of presuming to sin because we are in the dark whether Usurers or those that travel up and down from Ale-houses to Taverns in the night to commit sin their consciences go with them And in this respect take we heed of dissembling of hypocrisie of double dealing in the sight and presence of the Lord thou mayst blear the eyes of men and deceive them but thy own conscience will not be blinded it will bear witnesse even of thy bosome sins and although it may be mute for a time yet it will speak and that aloud too before the Judge of all the world Let this therefore work inward soundnesse and truth in the heart that our Consciences may witnesse good before God of us who knoweth the inwards of thy heart and soul The Apostle addeth further That the Holy Ghost did testifie with his Conscience My Conscience witnesseth with me in the holy Ghost that is as it is rectified and guided by the holy Spirit of God to witnesse with me holily and truly as it is ordered by grace and sanctified to that end and purpose so then the Conclusion is this Doctrine That the Conscience of man doth then onely witnesse with him holily and truly and to his comfort touching the things that is said or done by him when it is rectified and guided by the holy Ghost it is the conscience and the conscience sanctified that is a true a holy and a comfortable witnesse to man when I say with the Apostle the Conscience beareth witnesse in the Holy Ghost it is that conscience that is a true and a holy witnesse touching good thoughts words or actions the Conscience regenerate holy and sanctified is only a conscience that is a comfortable witnesse Reason For why such as the Conscience is such is the witnesse and testimony of it now a natural conscience is impure polluted and defiled Titus 1.15 to the unbelieving and defiled is nothing pure but the mind and conscience is defiled even the conscience of a natural man witnesseth impurely unsound and uncomfortable onely the conscience regenerate and sanctified that is purged and purified by faith Act. 15.9 faith purifieth the heart and that conscience so purged and purified is only a true and a holy witnesse and that Conscience that is so regenerate and sanctified by grace it giveth witnesse and testimony of that righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of the conscience and is ever joyned unto it namely it giveth witnesse of a true and sound and constant purpose in the heart seconded with a holy endeavour and careful use of all good means not wittingly nor willingly to sin against God in any thing but to labour to please God in all things whatsoever this is the witnesse of a pure conscience Heb. 13.18 We are assured that we have a good conscience in all things desiring to live honestly and this was the witnesse of the Conscience of the good King Hezekiah that he was able his conscience being regenerate even upon his death-bed to say Now Lord remember how I have walked before thee-with an honest and a good heart Esay 38.3 he had walked before God with a perfect heart in the truth of his soul here was a regenerate heart that thus testified how he endeavoured not to sin against God but to please him in every thing so that by this it appeareth to be a truth that the Conscience of man then doth only witnesse holily and truly when it is rectified by grace then is it a holy witnesse of our thoughts words and actions Vse This serveth to discover unto us that many deceive themselves even touching this witnesse the
he going to hell they might go to heaven and the greater glory thereby come to God and Christ For without question the Apostle here in this speech of his had not onely respect to the salvation of the Jews but he had respect to the glory of God and of Christ that Gods glory might be advanced and his Kingdome amplified and inlarged now it must needs be that the Apostle speaketh with a condition if it were possible For otherwise the speech of the Apostle had been clean contrary to the purpose of God yea to that purpose which the Apostle was acquainted withal that the Lord did purpose to save him which is manifest in the two last Verses of the former Chapter where he saith nothing should separate him and yet now doth he wish separation absolutely Rom. 8.38 39. no sure it is with condition for my brethren which are my kinsmen an usuall phrase among the Hebrews to call them brethren that were of the same bloud Gen. 13.8 Abraham said unto Lot we are brethren who was his nephew according to the flesh This the Apostle addeth to signifie that they were his kinsmen according to the flesh not by the Spirit because they were not converted though they were his brethren by flesh and blood descended of the same Parents yet not by grace or by the Spirit and indeed the Apostle meaneth the Jewes which he setteth out that they were his kindred according to the flesh so then thus briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said Even I my self and no other for me could wish that I were removed and even set apart from salvation purchased by Christ and all hope thereof yea I could wish my self to be damned in hell and to perish if it might possibly be provided that I being damned the Jews might be saved the Jewes who are my brethren I mean my kinsmen according to the flesh according to the bond of flesh and blood that they might come into the Faith of the Gospel I wish it that the glory of God in their salvation might be increased So much for the meaning of the Apostle First of all here cometh a question Quest to be answered viz. Whether the holy Apostle did well in thus wishing himself if it had been possible to be accursed from Jesus Christ to go to hell for the salvation of the Jewes this seemeth a thing not tolerable For there is or ought to be in every Child of God a holy self-love and a sanctified self-love whereby they are bound to love themselves above all others and to use all good means for the good estate of their own bodies and soules and that above the estate of any other howsoever as the Apostle John saith 1 John 3.16 That as Christ laid down his life for us so are we one for another yet a Christian is not bound to deprive himself of a temporal life for the safety of the temporal life of another no nor yet to deprive himself of eternal life for the eternal good estate of others did the Apostle then do well thus to wish Yes the Apostle doth well in this wishing Answ even in wishing himself to be accursed from Christ for the conversion of the Jews because in this wish and desire of the Apostle he had not onely respect to the salvation of the Jews and their conversion but also to the glory of God and of Christ and he knew that indeed the glory of God and the glory of Christ would be wonderfully inlarged by the conversion of the Jews and the glory of God and of Christ ought to be procured if it were possible even with the eternal confusion of our soules though we be the Children of God Quest But it may be some may further say Admit it were for the glory of God that the Apostle wished himself to be separated from Christ or to be accursed or anathema from Christ May a man wish himself separated from Christ and so an enemy to Christ and Christ an enemy to him as the Devils and damned in hell are I answer Answ again the Apostles wish is not so to be taken he wished if it had been possible to be separated from Christ not in love but in punishment he wished not to become an enemy to Christ nor to be deprived of Christ his love to him and to have Christ an enemy to him but to want the fruition of the fruits of Christ his love that is everlasting happinesse and to lose his part in heaven and to undergo the torments of hell if it had been possible yet still to love Christ and still to be beloved of Christ Christ himself was made a curse for us as Gal. 3.13 yet was he not then when he was under the curse an enemy to God his Father nor his Father an enemy to him but he only out of his love to Gods chosen of his own accord underwent the curse for their sins to redeem them from the curse And so doubtlesse the Apostle wished to be separated from Christ or accursed from Christ yet so as that he would still love Christ and still be beloved of Christ and so we are to understand his wish and so this question is answered Now in that the Apostle doth here manifest his love to the Jews in his earnest desire of their good expressing that in wishing himself to be separated and accursed from Christ for their conversion and salvation it points out to us plainly thus much Doctr. That we are to desire every way the good of those whom we love and are bound to love and especially the good of their soules we are to wish and desire that it may go well with others whom we love and are bound to love in respect of their bodies and outward estate but especially that it may go well with their soules that they may have saving grace in their soules and an increase of it and that their souls may be possest of saving grace here in this life and eternally saved hereafter in heaven that is the thing we are most earnestly to wish and desire in the behalf of those whom we love and are bound to love And to this purpose we find that the Apostles do usually in the beginning and fronts of their Epistles wish to those Churches and persons to whom they writ out of their love to them especially spiritual good things concerning the good of their soules even grace and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ as Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.3 2 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.3 And so in other Epistles they wish the same particular good things to the soules of them whom they writ to not onely in effect but in a manner word for word and we find that the Apostles do likewise usually give thanks to God especially for good things bestowed on the soules of those to whom they writ as for their faith their hope their love to God and to the Saints their
patience and such like And thereby also they do give to us to understand that we are especially to wish and desire the good of the soules of those whom we love and are bound to love that they may have saving grace in their soules and an increase of it here in this life and that they may be eternally saved hereafter in heaven And there is good reason for it Reason Because indeed saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven is the most excellent thing that can be desired or enjoyed saving grace in the soul is proper to those whom God loves in special manner and gives it to none but to such as belong to Gods election And it sweetens all other good things of this life and makes them truly comfortable without which they are but accursed vanities and vexations of spirit Eccles 2.11 as the Preacher speaks yea saving grace in the soul yeelds comfort and rejoycing of heart when all other things in this life can yeeld none at all as in the midst of trouble sorrow and perplexity and in the hour of death And therefore doubtlesse saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven are the things that we are especially to wish and desire in the behalf of those whom we love and are bound to love But may some say It may be that those whom we love Quest and are bound to love belong not to Gods election Are we bound to wish saving grace and salvation to them I answer Answ That they belong not to Gods election is a secret and unknown to us and we are not to meddle with that we are to follow the Will of God revealed which enjoyns us to desire the good of those whom we love and are bound to love especially the good of their soules even to wish them saving grace here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven We see then a Duty that concerns us laid before us Vse and we are to take notice of it and to put it in practise it is a duty little thought on or little regarded by many we can many of us wish well to such as we love and are bound to love to our children and friends in respect of their bodies and outward estate we can wish them health and wealth and outward prosperity that they may live in health and may thrive and come forward in the world and may prosper in their outward affaires these things we can wish them out of the strength of natural affection which indeed we are bound to wish unto them that they may so live and so do by the use of all good means But alas here is our failing and fault few there be that make it the earnest desire of their hearts and the chief wish of their soules That their children servants brethren friends and such as they love and are bound to love may have saving grace wrought in their soules that they may come to have saving knowledge of God saving faith and saving repentance and may come truly to fear the Lord. Indeed sometimes men for form and fashion break out and say God give grace to my child to my servants and such like and God blesse them with his grace and God make them his faithful servant which are good speeches but this is but a flash and a vanishing wish it ends with a breath and in speaking of it it is not seconded with a careful use of all the good means as it ought to be Now then know it whosoever thou art thou must especially wish and desire the good of the soules of those whom thou lovest and art bound to love that they may come to saving knowledge saving faith and saving repentance and may come truly to fear God and thy desire must be true sound settled and constant seconded with the careful use of all good means within the compasse of thy place and calling that serve to work saving grace in them as teaching and instructing them counselling them comforting them and praying for them and sending up thy wishes to heaven for them And to help us forward in this duty consider we these two things First If we make it the earnest desire of our hearts and the chief wish of our soules that those whom we love and are bound to love may have saving grace wrought in their soules we are therein like to God himself and we follow his example for thus doth the Lord himself wish to his people Deut. 5.29 Oh that there were such an heart in them or who will give them such an heart as to fear me and to keep all my Commandements alway as if he should have said It is the chief desire of my soul that they had such an heart Secondly If we earnestly and heartily wish saving grace to the soules of those whom we love and are bound to love it is a good evidence that we have true saving grace in our own soules and that we feel the sweetnesse and comfort of it in our own soules For certainly they that find the sweetnesse of saving grace in their own soules Act. 11.23 24. cannot but wish it to others and delight to see it in others they that truly fear God themselves cannot but wish that others did as Paul said to Agrippa Act. 26.29 would to God that not onely thou but also all that hear me to day were both almost and altogether such as I am If then we would be like to God himself and a better example we cannot follow and if we would have good evidence that we have true saving grace in our own souls we must be mindfull of this duty not onely to wish good to the bodies of those whom we love and are bound to love but especially that they may have saving grace in their soules here in this life and salvation hereafter in heaven and carefully use all good means serving to that purpose Let us now go on to further matter offered to us from this Verse For I could wish my self to be separated from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh We are further to consider that the Apostle as I have shewed in this wish of his to be separated or accursed from Christ had respect not only to the conversion and salvation of the Jews out of his love to them but he had also therein respect to the glory of God and to the glory of Christ He could have wished himself if it had been possible separated and cut off from salvation purchased by Christ and from all hope of it and to have been damned for ever in hell not onely for the good of the Jews that they might have been converted and saved but also for the greater glory of God and of Christ That God and Christ might thereby have had the greater honour and glory whence we are given to understand thus much and the point further offered to us from this wish of the Apostle is this Doctrine
Gods presence amongst them and was their glory who had also the Moral Law written in two Tables by the finger of God himself called the tables of the Covenant And the Judicial Law The Metaphrase for the government of their Common Wealth which was an excellent Law having God the Author of it and full of equity And likewise the Ceremonial Law touching the outward worship of God which was also an excellent Law distinguishing them from all other Nations in the worship of God And they had also the Promises of God touching Gods favour and touching good things temporal and spiritual and the promises Legal and the promises Evangelical many sweet gracious and comfortable Promises Now thus understanding the words of this Verse come we to such things as are hence offered for our further instruction And in that the Apostle makes this a further ground of his wish to be separated or accursed from Christ for the conversion of the Jews because they were the Israelites the ancient people of God I might stand to shew that the Jews are to be respected and that we ought to wish them good spiritual good even because they were the ancient people of God but of that we shall speak more fitly when we come to the next Verse We see the Jewes are here set out by the Apostle as a most honourable people endowed with many excellent and worthy priviledges vouchsafed to them and yet all their priviledges did nothing avail them they did them no good at all in regard of Gods favour towards them and of Gods acceptance of them because they did not imbrace the Gospel and believe in Christ they rejected Christ and refused to imbrace the faith of the Gospel and so their excellent priviledges did nothing profit them to commend them in the sight of God and to make them pleasing to God And therefore the Apostle here wisheth himself to be separated or accursed from Christ that they might come to be converted and to believe in Christ notwithstanding their great priviledges hence then we are given to understand thus much Doctrine That no priviledge whatsoever be it never so great or excellent is available to make a people or a person wanting faith and saving grace accepted of and pleasing to God it is not the greatest priviledge or excellency in the world that is of any force or worth to commend either people or persons wanting faith in Gods sight to make them accepted with God Rom. 2.25 we find that the Apostle reproves the great folly of the Jewes who being breakers of the Law yet held themselves acceptable to God because they were circumcised they stood on the outward priviledges of circumcision who saith the Apostle to the Jew if thou be a transgressour of the Law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision thou art no more pleasing to God then the Gentile without question it was a great priviledge to be of Christ his kindred in respect of the flesh it was more then to be of the Blood Royal of the greatest Monarch in the world yet mark what the Lord Jesus himself speaks of it Matth. 12.48 Who is my mother and who are my brethren as if he had said What is it to be of my kindred according to the flesh is that the thing that makes any one more pleasing to God no no saith he behold my mother and my brethren pointing to his Disciples they are my mother and my brethren that do the Will of my Father which is in heaven Alliance in faith is nearer and dearer to me then that which is in the flesh Who ever had greater honour then was vouchsafed to the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of the Lord Jesus yet as One saith well had not Mary her self carried him in her heart by faith her conceiving and carrying him in her womb had nothing availed her nor made her any thing at all pleasing in Gods sight And the Reason is this Reason Because the best good things in the world without faith are but vanishing and transitory things things common to the Reprobates as well as to the Elect and chosen Children of God they are not things coming from the eternal Spirit of grace and sanctification nor agreeable to the nature of God things that are of esteem with God are spirituall and eternal even things agreeable to the nature of God Vse 1 Now then to make use of this truth first it meets with an errour of the Papists who hold and teach that some outward state and condition of life is of force to commend men in Gods sight and to make them pleasing to God as single life and voluntary poverty yea they say that Virginity and single life is a state of perfection far excelling Marriage and of such worth in it self as it commends a person before the Judgment Seat of God and deserves Gods grace and life eternal a position blasphemous and full of contumelie and derogatory from the blood of Christ and it cannot stand with this truth I leave it and for the use of the point to our selves Vse 2 Is it so that no priviledge or excellency whatsoever be it never so great or excellent is available to make a people or person wanting faith acceptable and pleasing to God Oh then learn we not to bear our selves on any excellency any good thing we enjoy whatsoever nor to trust to it as able to commend us in Gods sight and to make us accepted with God we wanting faith no not on the Word and Gospel and holy Ordinances of God nor on our profession of Religion nor on our good gifts and qualifications as wit memory learning and such like It was the conceit of the people of God the Jewes that they were highly in Gods favour because they had Gods Temple and his outward worship amongst them Jer. 7.4 They cryed out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and is it not the conceit of too many in our dayes do not many blesse themselves and think that they are highly in Gods favour only because they have been baptized and they live in the bosome of the Church and enjoy the Ministery of the Word and they have good preaching amongst them and they are made partakers of the holy Ordinances of God they come to the Church and they partake in the holy things of God in the Word and Sacraments Oh deceive not thy self whosoever thou art these things are excellent priviledges which thou enjoyest and haply others want But alas these things do not make thee pleasing to God or nearer to heaven thou wanting faith in Christ and saving grace in thy soul No thou mayst enjoy these priviledges and yet perish and be damned yea they may be to thee seales of deeper condemnation And indeed know it for a certain truth the better means of salvation thou livest under the heavier shall be thy Judgment and the deeper thy condemnation in hell thou not profiting by them to the working of faith
the great Lord and King of heaven and earth and God hath promised to do good to them and to their posterity for many generations Exod. 20.6 To shew mercy unto thousands to them that love him Psal 112.2 The generation of the righteous shall be blessed yea they are his Jewels Mal. 3.16 Vse 1 See then for the Use of this in the first place see I say and take we notice of the great force of true piety of what account it is with the Lord it 's sufficient to get honour not onely to those that have it with all that are able to judge aright but also to their kindred and to their posterity and such as be of kindred or any way allied unto good and godly men may rejoyce in it and after an holy manner boast of it that they are the kinsmen of such worthy servants of God or that they are the children of such godly parents yet so as that by the example of their kindred they be stirred up to tread in their steps and to become holy and religious themselves otherwise that honour will turn to their shame as Solomon saith Prov. 16.31 Age is a crown of glory when it is found in the way of righteousnesse so to be descended of good and godly parents is a crown of glory if it be set on the head of such as are godly and religious otherwise it is a dishonour to them and without Gods mercy shall encrease their condemnation and on this ground let parents learn how they may estate their children in that which may be for their honour and best good namely thus they are to labour to bring themselves within the Covenant of grace and to become holy and religious themselves and then though they cannot derive their holinesse to their children because they beget them not as they be holy men but as men simply by the power and strength of nature yet by vertue of the Covenant God will be good to their children Gen. 26. we read of many blessings promised to Isaac and why because saith the text vers 5. Abraham his father obeyed the voyce of the Lord. Holinesse in the Parents seales up Gods favour not onely to themselves but to their children also This cannot raking and scraping together of wealth do it is a common saying but a wicked and cursed saying Happy is the child whose father goes to the Devil It is rather a comfort to the children when they can remember that their parents are or have been godly and in the favour of God they may then say as Jacob said Gen. 32.9 Lord thou hast been or thou art the God of my father good and gracious to him shew thou mercy to me his child according to thine own sweet promise Last of all Is it an honour and dignity to be of the race or kindred of Vse 2 such as have been holy servants of God and to be the children of good and godly Parents what an honour then is it to be the children of God and to be born of God and to be the adopted sons and daughters of God without question that is the highest degree of honour that can be vouchsafed to any worldly men esteem it a great honour to be of the race or kindred of Noble men and great men in the world but alas it is but a shadow or rather not so much as a shadow compared to the true honour of the least or meanest of Gods Saints They are the adopted sonnes and daughters of God the great Lord and King of heaven and earth they are brethren to Christ heires to the Kingdom of heaven they have Angels for their guard all things for their good and the whole world is theirs and this honour ought to affect our hearts and we are to be ambitious in seeking this honour above all things in the world Now further it is not to be passed by without noting that the Apostle here saith the Jewes who lived in his time at the time when he writ this Epistle were the posterity of the holy Patriarks and no doubt they were then able to fetch their pedegree from those holy Fathers and to prove themselves to be the seed and children of Abraham and to come of his line as they alledge for themselves and brag of it to Christ Joh. 8.33 VVe be Abrahams seed and verse 39. Abraham is our father yea doubtlesse they could then shew a perpetuall succession of their high Priests from Aaron to the time of Christ yet for all this they were rejected and were not the true Church of God the Jewes now rejecting Christ and refusing to imbrace the faith and doctrine of the Gospel are not the true Church of God though they be descended from Abraham and from the holy Patriarks and though they can derive their pedegree from them See then I note it to this purpose the vanity and weaknesse of that argument that is used by our adversaries the Papists that forsooth the continual succession of Bishops is an evident argument of the true visible Church and they will needs have their Romish Synagogue to be the onely true Church because as they say their Pope is the successour of Peter and they have had a continual ordinary succession of Bishops Pastours and Doctors from the time of the Apostles which indeed is a vain brag and can never be proved it is questionable whether Peter ever sate as Bishop at Rome And the Popish Church hath no succession from the Apostles for many hundred yeares after Christ at the least for five or six hundred years And admit they could shew a continued succession of their Bishops from the time of the Apostles without interruption yet that is but a sandy and a weak ground to build the truth of their Church on unlesse they can also shew a continual succession of true doctrine and that their Church hath succeeded the Apostles in truth of doctrine for indeed they cannot be said to succeed them whose doctrine they renounce An outward succession of persons in any place without succession of true doctrine from the Apostles which the Papists cannot shew is nothing worth It helpeth not the Bishop of Rome to have as they say Peter for their predecessour and that they are his successours so long as they swerve from the true Doctrine of Peter and are become such grosse Idolaters that personal succession if they could prove it can nothing avail them It followeth verse 5. and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came that is of which Jews Christ also descended concerning the flesh as touching his humane nature This is also added as further matter of honour and dignity to the Jewes that Christ came of them concerning the flesh as touching his humane nature that he that was the Sonne of God and that from all eternity should have the same Ancestors and Progenitors with them Whence we see then Doctr. That the Jewes are a very Honourable people having many excellent priviledges and prerogatives
and honour to his name his name must be honourable and pretious unto us and when we either think upon or have any occasion to make mention of the holy name of Jesus Christ we are to do it with honour and reverence and to give unto it due praise and due glory yea we are to mention it with fear and trembling And to illustrate this point hence it is that we find many excellent epithets given unto Christ importing the glory of his name 1 Cor. 2.8 the Apostle saith he is the Lord of life and glory and in 1 Tim. 6.15 The Apostle speaking of Christ saith thus he is blessed the Prince of princes King of kings Lord of lords blessed for ever and in Heb. 1.2 3. the Authour of the Epistle saith he is the heir of all things the Lord and Governour of heaven and earth the brightnesse of his glory the ingraven image of the Person of God yea he hath a more glorious name then the Angels These titles do point unto us the excellency of his name and do manifest unto us that indeed the name of Christ must be honourable unto us and we must look that we think and speak of it with reverence and honour And there is good Reason for it Reason 1 Because he is God and Man in one Person and as he is God his name is great and glorious honourable and fearful Psal 111.9 he hath commanded his Covenant for ever holy and fearful is his name as he is God and in respect of his Manhood surely he is more excellent then the very Angels and doth exceed all of them in wisdom holinesse goodnesse power Majestie and glory and as the humane Nature the Manhood of Christ is received with his Godhead it is to be adored and worshipped with Divine and religious worship not apart by it self but as it is considered as united to the second person it is to be adored with the same worship wherewith we adore God Heb. 1.6 even then let all the Angels worship him even when his Manhood is received into unity with his Godhead and therefore the name of the Lord Jesus ought to be honourable and pretious and we are to give him praise and glory due to his name Justly then are they to be taxed and reproved that do abuse and abase Vse 1 the name of the Lord Jesus you will say Is there any so vile and so debauched as to abase the name of the Lord Jesus Yes many do First of all the Papists when they repeat the name Jesus after the manner of exorcisme to drive away the devil and to put away some evil from them or to bring some good and thus do witches and wizzards when they use the name Jesus in their charms and inchantments and think there is vertue in it and are able to work a feat or wonder by the name Jesus they prophane the holy name of Jesus Yea is it not a common thing with many ignorant persons amongst our selves to abuse the name of the Lord Jesus what more common then with many to swear by the name of Jesus and of Christ and what more usual then for some upon every trifling occasion out of a foolish admiration or in merriment or laughter to say oh Jesus oh Christ Jesus God they abuse his name what is it but an abusing of the holy name of God a thing little thought upon yea some will say what shall we not have the name of God in our mouthes must we name the devil but let these know that they take the name of the Lord their God in vain and prophane it and assure thy self the Lord Jesus will not hold thee guiltlesse that so takest his name in vain and there is no other name to come to life and salvation but onely this Act. 4.10 and doest thou look for salvation by it thou deceivest thy self the Lord Jesus will not suffer that sin to escape his punishing hand we are not to name it upon every trifling occasion of laughing and merriment for know that the hand of the Lord will one day overtake them and therefore break off this sin before the revenging hand of the Lord light upon you for assuredly that hand will crush thee both body and soul to hell without timely and hearty repentance And in the second place learn we every one of us to acknowledge the Vse 2 greatnesse and the glory of the blessed Name of the Lord Jesus the best of us all howsoever ignorant persons are taxed herein come far short in acknowledging the honour due to this Name Learn we therefore to magnifie it and give him the glory and the praise and say blessed for ever assenting unto it Amen And to this purpose consider if so be the name of the Lord Jesus which is pretious and honourable in it self if it be not honourable and pretious to every one of us when we either think upon it or have occasion to make mention of it that we have not our mouthes opened in lauding and praising of it it is a sign that our hearts are not right within us our hearts are rotten and corrupt we are not affected with the greatnesse of the holy Name of God as we ought we have not a lively sense and feeling of the comfort to be found in Christ the name of Christ to us is not a pretious oyntment poured out Cant. 1.2 For without question every honest and good heart is ready upon the consideration of the comfort to be found in Christ to break out in magnifying and praising that holy Name so if our eyes be opened and we see the sweetnesse found in Christ Jesus to be the Fountain of all happinesse how can we but blesse him and praise him and give him the honour and glory due to his blessed Name all generations do call the Virgin Mary blessed because she found favour with God so far as to bear in her womb the Lord Jesus and those whose hearts are truly affected unto Christ cannot but praise and magnifie the Instruments of publishing the name of Christ the very feet of such are beautiful unto them Esay 52.7 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring the glad tydings of peace and of reconciliation between God and man Now then if we would be sure of it that our hearts are right within us and that indeed we are heavenly minded and that we are such that have Jesus Christ in a due admiration and have a lively sense and feeling of the comforts in Christ then let us whensoever we name Christ do it honourably and reverently and when we do speak of it either in publick or private take heed of abusing his name but speak of it honourably for if we do not love the name of the Lord Jesus let him be had in execration let him be accursed 1 Cor. 16.22 Therefore let us be stirred up to the practise of this duty to praise the name of the Lord Jesus saying Blessed praised magnified and
to the ground and not be accomplished to whom it belongeth it is impossible but that they should be accomplished and made good unto those that have title to them whatsoever standeth in opposition against them or gainsayeth them For the further confirmation of this point read Matth. 5.18 the Lord Jesus speaking of the Law of God and thereby meaning the whole Word of God he maketh it more firm and stable then the whole frame of heaven and earth heaven and earth shall passe away they shall perish but not one jot or tittle of the Law shall escape unfulfilled every tittle of the Word of God whether promise mercy threatning or Judgment and especially the Promises it shall not escape unfulfilled and in 2 Sam. 2.28 we read the Lord having promised to David to build him a house David doth assuredly rest upon the accomplishment of it and he groundeth his assurance thus For why thou are God and thou canst not change thou art most true and Rom. 3.3 4. The Apostle speaketh thus of the Jewes Though some of the Jewes do not believe shall their unbelief make the Word and Promise of God of none effect God forbid Let God be true and every man a lyar God is certainly true and in Josh 23.15 saith Joshua Now all things are come unto you which the Lord your God hath promised so in Act. 13.32 33. Paul saith to the Jewes the promise made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled unto us their children evidence of Scripture might be plentifully brought for the clearing of this truth That all the Promises of God touching good things of this life or that to come they cannot possibly be frustrate but shall come to passe in Gods appointed time The Reasons and grounds of it are these two Reason 1 First from the Nature of God because God himself is unchangeable and therefore this word is proportionable and answerable to himself yea God is truth it self al-sufficient and able to make good his word and to fulfill his promise and to make it good in despight of all oppositions whatsoever whether it be men or devils he is the truth it self the God of truth and he is also infinite in power Reason 2 Secondly because all the promises of God they are made unto his in Christ he is the ground and foundation of all the sweet and comfortable promises unto his in him they are made good unto his children as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 1.20 In Christ Jesus all the promises are yea and in him amen they are ratified and confirmed in him now Christ Jesus is a most sure and firm foundation all the devils in hell cannot shake this foundation and therefore doubtlesse upon this ground we may resolve that all the promises of God concerning this life and the life to come they are firm and stable and shall certainly in Gods appointed time be fulfilled Object I but say some God promiseth many excellent temporal blessings unto his children we read in the Book of God of abundance of promises that God doth promise unto his children in this life which many of his children never come to see Answ It is true indeed but yet withal know thus much that even these temporal things are fulfilled as they are propounded they are propounded conditionally with the condition of obedience and with the exception of a Crosse if his children do fear and obey him or if otherwise the Lord see it good to exercise them with some crosse or some affliction and therefore if that many of the children of God do not enjoy the Promises it is because the Lord is pleased to chastise them for their sinnes and he is pleased so to do for their good because the Lord seeth it better and fitter for them to be exercised with afflictions and yet the promises of God are fulfilled according to the tenour that it is made unto them so they are fulfilled with condition of obedience and exception of the Crosse Psal 34.10 Gods Children shall want nothing that God hath promised that he seeth to be good concerning their temporall estate or the good estate in the life to come thou shalt want nothing now for the Application of it First of all this truth that you have here delivered That the Promises Vse 1 of God shall certainly be accomplished whatsoever seemeth contradictory unto them this discovereth unto us what a foul sin it is to be discouraged and daunted to be dejected and cast down and to walk uncomfortably heavily sadly and unchearfully either because they be under some great affliction already or because some great tryal is like to come upon them and hereupon they begin to be sad whence cometh this unchearfulnesse in a Child of God that he walketh thus sadly surely from the bitter root of unbelief because Gods Children consider not as they ought to do the truth and the stability of the comfortable promises of God they trusted not God barely on his Promises where God hath promised I will be with thee when thou walkest through the water and passest through the fire Esay 43.2 in the time of their greatest distresse God will be with them they do not believe and trust this promise of God that he will deliver them in all danger to uphold them and assist them he hath made this promise and this they believe not but withdraw their trust and affiance from this promise of God and so they greatly dishonour God for he that resteth upon the bare promise of God and stable word of God when he hath nothing else to rest upon he doth assuredly honour God wonderfully if we rest upon God when we see all things opposite to us then to rest upon the stable promise of God hereby we shew our zeal unto God but he that withdraweth his heart back from trusting on God dishonoureth God and robbeth him of his truth and maketh God no better then a lyar for if we trust not God when means seem to be with us much lesse will we trust him when all things seem to be contrary unto us therefore we ought carefully to avoyd this sinne This truth in the second place That all Gods Promises are certain Vse 2 this truth duly considered and thought upon may afford matter of strong comfort and great consolation to as many of us that find our selves to be such that have right and title to the gratious Promises of God but if we find our selves to be none of those here is no comfort belonging unto us wicked and ungodly persons that go on in a course of evil howsoever the Doctrine is most sweet and comfortable thou that art an ignorant and a gracelesse person if so be thou findest not thy self qualified aright thou hast no right nor title to the gracious Promises of God but if thou findest thy self to be called to faith and holinesse seconded with a holy and godly life and conversation thou findest thy self now believing in Christ thou art not a debauched wretch or
little nearer to our selves Is it so that all that live in the bosome of the Church are not members of the true Church of God Upon this ground learn we to take heed of a strong delusion that deludeth thousands in the world Many in the world have this conceit and are strongly possessed with it that because they have been bred and born in the visible Church they breathe in it and joyn with it and make the same profession that we do they partake in the holy Ordinances of God they come to the Ministery of the Word they have been partakers of the holy things of God the Word the Sacraments they come to the Table of the Lord therefore certainly they are true Members of the Church of God they are Christians true Christians and who shall say to the contrary and yet we shall find these men that thus believe their phantasies they are ignorant of God and of the truth of God and of the Word of God yea many of them though they be old men and women understand not the grounds of Catechisme nor the Fundamental points of Religion their hearts are full of unbelief and of Covetousnesse and of disordered passions of pride of lust of envy and anger they perform good duties in publick carelesly both in publick and in private never care to examine how they thrive in grace and goodnesse no not so much as perform the duty of prayer or if they do they perform it customarily and with dull and dead hearts they are asleep in hearing the Word and very untoward in performing of holy duties and yet they hold themselves to be in very good case they are good Christians why do they not come to the holy Word and Sacraments and yet are ignorant of the grounds of Catechisme The truth now delivered maketh known unto you that you are in the wrong yea in the case of Judas and Saul they were in as good case as thou art men may joyn themselves to the Church even to the visible Church of God and may participate in all the holy Ordinances of God and yet be no true members of the Church of God and therefore take we heed of deceiving our selves and be stirred up to labour not to rest in this formality labour to find your selves not only in the visible Church and professe the same truth but that we find our selves to be true Christians such as know God and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Apostle telleth us 2 Thessal 1.8 that Jesus Christ shall come in flaming fire rendring vengeance upon all that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ yea let us never rest untill we find we be such as Nathaniel was Joh. 1.47 that we are true Israelites in whom there was no guile no coverers nor clokers of sinnes but that we are upright hearted both in regard of good things and also in regard of sinne for herein we must shew that we are upright and sound hearted if that in doing of good things we seek not the pleasing of men or of our selves to avoid the danger of the Law and such Sinister and by-respects but in a simple obedience unto God because God commandeth them and with a due respect to the glory of God And also in respect of sinne labour we to be sound hearted that there be no regarding of sinne Psal 66.18 If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me if I cleave unto it so that there must not be in us any regarding of sin and cleaving unto it as by favouring of it either in our selves or in others or by lessening and cloking of sin or a little extenuation of sin oh we are guileful and deceitfull hearted if we do thus extenuate and lessen and cloke sin account some sins little and trifling but to resolve against it accounting them to be vile and odious yea we finding our selves to be guilty to be forward in the acknowledgment of our sin without covering and cloking of sin with God but soundly and freely and throughly acknowledging and confessing our sins and with a resolution to leave it and to break it off and confesse it with grief of heart if we be thus upright hearted we are true Christians and true members of the Church of God without this we can have no assurance that we are in the favour of God we may have a conceit that our sins are done away and that we are in the favour of God but we must labour to be sound hearted therein standeth the assurance of the pardon of our sins Psal 32.1 2. saith David Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven and whose wickednesse is covered and then he subjoyneth as a qualification he is one that hath no guile in his heart Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin and in whose spirit there is no guile whereby we may demonstrate that we are in the number of those blessed people if there be no guile in our hearts Oh then labour we to perform holy duties not to please men or to please our selves but out of obedience to God not to cloke and cover sin and to say for breaking the Sabbath what is it so great a matter to set things in order against the next day On these are not sound hearted therefore if we would have comfort to our soules labour to be true Members of the Church VERSE 7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called IN this Verse the Apostle maketh a distinction of the seed of Abraham and having affirmed that all they that are of the seed of Israel are not Israelites so here in this seventh Verse he instanceth in Abrahams Family and here the Apostle affirmeth how that not all they that came of Abraham by natural generation are the true seed of Abraham to whom the promise belongeth and this he doth in the first part of the verse Then in the second place the Apostle maketh known by way of opposition and of particular instance who were the true seed of Abraham to whom the promise belongeth namely Isaac which the Apostle putteth down in the words of Scripture alluding to that in Gen. 21.12 where we find the true seed of Abraham that should inherit the promise that God would call it was Isaac so that the reasoning of the Apostle considered with that place in Genesis may be thus illustrated why Ishmael was of Abraham as well as Isaac he was his son yet onely Isaac was the true seed and the true son of Abraham therefore all that are of Abrahams seed by carnal generation are not the true seed of Abraham children of God But now if any should object and say If Ishmael was the seed of Abraham then Ishmael was his child It is true but how according to the flesh the child of the flesh verse the eighth but Isaac onely was the child of the
promise this is also confirmed by a testimony of Scripture in the ninth verse thus we see then the Analysis of the verse Come we now to the meaning of the words neither are they all children That is neither are they all children of God children of Abraham to whom God made the promise of life and of salvation because they are the seed of Abraham Or because they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh by carnal generation therefore they are not children of Abraham and so consequently of God But in Isaac shall thy seed be called This is a place of Scripture cited out of Gen. 21.12 where God speaketh unto Abraham to his comfort against his heavinesse because he was grieved exceedingly that he should cast forth his son Ishmael and Hagar his mother and these words carry this sense Be not grieved Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother but do as Sarah thy wife would have thee for I tell thee that Ishmael thy son shall not be thy son and heir but Isaac is the child in whom I will make good my promise concerning righteousnesse life and salvation and therefore be not grieved to cast out Ishmael for Isaac is thine heir So then thus briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle Neither are they all the children of God or of Abraham to whom God hath promised salvation that come of Abraham according to the flesh for I tell thee saith the Apostle in the name of God Ishmael thy son shall not be thine heir but Isaac is the son of the Promise and in him will I fulfill saith the Lord the promise of grace life and salvation Come we now to the Observations And first of all in that the Apostle saith all they are not Gods children or the children of the promise to whom salvation belongeth that are of the race and linage according to the flesh hence the observation is this Doctrine That men are not therefore Gods children and have not therefore right and title unto the Promises of mercy and of grace life and salvation because they are the children of godly parents and of true believers The very coming and discending from holy parents by the course of nature is not sufficient to intitle a man or a woman into the promises of God touching life and salvation because a man is the child of a holy parent or holy parents therefore to have right and title to the promises of God no no such matter Hence it was that the Lord Jesus did so often check the Jewes for standing so much upon their birth and parentage that they were the children of Abraham as if that were sufficient to estate them in the promise appertaining to Abraham and was appropriated to Abraham and his seed saith Christ Matth. 3.9 think not to say within your selves We have Abraham to our Father do not think that this is sufficient to intitle you into grace and salvation you are his children but by nature so in Joh. 8. The Jewes boasting that they were Abrahams seed in the 33. verse of the Chapter and that Abraham was their Father in the 39 verse and that therefore God was their Father in the 41 verse yet Christ saith that notwithstanding their coming from the loynes of Abraham that they are of their father the devil in the 44 verse and the lusts of their father they would do And hence it is we find both in the Book or God and by experience in our own times that many gracelesse children have discended from God and godly holy and religious parents Ishmael came of Abraham Esau of Isaac Manasses of Hezekiah that made Jerusalem to swim with blood and therefore this demonstrateth that men are not Gods children and have not therefore promise to life and salvation because they come of good and godly parents and are of true believers for gracelesse children have come of godly parents Reason Because good and godly parents do beget their children not as they are godly holy and religious men but merely by the power and strength of nature as they are men And godly parents do convey and derive natural affections into their children from their loynes yea and with their nature the putrifaction and infection of nature and that which is common to the stock and nature of mankind though the parents be good and godly not that children have in themselves by imitation a pronenesse to evil and a pronenesse to good no it cometh from their parents they recive it from their stock race and line and hence it is that we are said in Ephes 2.3 to be the children of wrath by nature by nature and birth we are so bornâ so that this is certainly a truth that the coming and discending from holy parents is not sufficient to intitle us to heaven Object But the Lord hath promised in Exod. 20.6 that he will shew mercy unto thousands to them that love him and keep his Commandements yea to their children after them to a thousand generations Answ It is true that the Lord will be good and gracious to those that truly fear him and to those that tread in their steps if they be good and gratious to a thousand generations but the Lord saith Ezech. 18.10 if a good man beget a gracelesse child saith the Lord that wicked child shall dye in his sins and his blood shall be upon him the righteousnesse of his father shall never be imputed unto him Object The Apostle here saith in 1 Cor. 7.14 that the children of believing parents though one of them be a believer whether father or mother then the children are holy therefore it seemeth that the coming and discending from those that are true believers is sufficient to intitle them that are children unto the promise of God concerning righteousnesse life and salvation and therefore they are holy Answ The meaning of the Apostle in that place is this That the children of believing parents those children are holy not in regard of any internal or inherent holinesse in the children themselves for then the Apostle would have said they are pure in opposition to the former sentence then they are unclean And again if the children coming from true believers have inherent holinesse in themselves then they belonged to Gods election which they do not by reason of their birth how are they then holy they are holy by vertue of the covenant by a holinesse that cometh from the Covenant vertually they are to be esteemed federally holy and such as belong unto Gods election coming unto them from the covenant For the covenant is of such a great reach and so far doth extend as that they that have right unto it and true interest in the Covenant by true faith they are thereby not onely sanctified in themselves and in their own persons but in their good actions their eating sleeping talking and walking yea the very creatures of God they enjoy their meat and drink gold silver and oxen and sheep they are
them his sons Ishmael and Isaac Isaac was the chosen seed Ishmael was not Isaac belonged to the election Ishmael did not Isaac was the child in whom God would fulfill his promise Ishmael was not but Abraham respected both alike untill the Lord did cast out Ishmael hence we are to understand thus much That there is no manifest difference between Gods chosen and others Doctrine in regard of their spiritual estate untill God put a difference between them by his Word and the works of his Spirit I grant there is a difference between Gods chosen and others even from everlasting and before they have a being in the world but it is not known unto us and there is no difference between them touching their spiritual estate manifested known and discernable either by our selves or by others untill God do put and make a difference between them by calling and converting the one by his Word and the work of his Spirit and leaving the other uncalled effectually Before the effectual calling of Gods chosen they are in the same estate and condition with those that belong not unto Gods election they are prone unto evil as well as others they are as vile in the practise of sinne as any other unlesse God do restrain them No man can say this is one that belongeth to Gods election and this is not untill God do put a difference between them And this truth hath not onely ground here but also plentiful evidence in many places of Scripture in 1 Cor. 6.9 10. The Apostle having reckoned up many grosse sinners and given them their doom that they can never come to inherit Gods Kingdome as neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Wantons nor Buggerers nor Theeves nor Drunkards nor Raylers nor Extortioners shall never inherit Gods Kingdome living and dying so he subjoyneth vers 11. such were some of you you were no better but now you are washed and justified and sanctified now God hath put a difference between you and others by the work of his grace and power of his Spirit you were as vile as any debauched sinner untill you were cleansed and in Ephes 2.1 2 3. The Apostle saith of the believing Ephesians they were now believers but in times past they were dead in trespasses and in sinnes yea they walked before their calling and conversion after the fashion of the world and followed the Prince that ruled in the ayr that is the Devil that now worketh strongly in the children of disobedience you were dead and you walked how could that be you had the life of nature and you walked after the Fashions of the World yea I and other believing Jewes we had our conversation in the lusts of the flesh and were by nature children of wrath as well as others there was no difference untill God put a difference Thus the Apostle speaketh of the believing Romans Romans 6.17 That they had been servants of sinne and slaves thereunto but ye now God be thanked through grace have obtained a form of godlinesse whereunto you are delivered So likewise the Apostle speaketh of himself and other true believers in Titus 3.3 4 5. We our selves were in times past disobedient deceived servers of lusts and pleasures hateful and hating one another But when the bountifulnesse of God appeared through Christ Not by the works of righteousnesse that we have done but of his mercy he saved us by the washing of the new birth and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost now there is a difference but before there was none So that this doth manifest unto us that there is no known difference between Gods chosen and others in regard of their spiritual estate and condition untill God put a difference between them by the work of his grace and Spirit The Reason Reason is manifest because Gods Children have no priviledge above others in regard of their birth they are born and brought forth in sinne as well as others they are tainted and stained with the pollution of sin as well as others and Nature in them is as vile and corrupt as in the vilest sinner upon the face of the earth yea it is as predominant and powerful in them as in any so that we see that Gods Children have no manifest difference between them and others till God put a difference Vse 1 Upon this ground in the first place learn we to take heed that we take not upon us to determine of the Final estate of any man being yet in his natural estate and condition we may not be so bold as to say this man or that woman is a Reprobate and a cast-away it is bold presumption in any Abraham could not discern that his son Ishmael was one that had no right and title to the Covenant of grace till God saith I have cast him off And there is no manifest difference between Gods chosen and others touching their spiritual estate untill God do difference them by working upon the one and leaving the other unwrought upon and therefore judge not of the future and final estate of any man by his present condition we may lawfully judge a carnal man to be a carnal man and in the way that leadeth to hell and damnation and if he do hold on in that way and not repent he shall be damned but to go beyond this is to break into Gods several and secret counsel what a carnal man may be in after time leave that unto Gods determinate counsell Vse 2 In the second place the truth now delivered is to be thought upon by as many as find tnemselves to be effectually called by the Word and the holy Spirit of God the consideration of this ought to stirre them up to blesse God and magnifie the mercy of God for that great mercy and benefit bestowed upon them they are bound in this respect so to do what were they before they were so wrought upon they were in the same estate and condition even with others that belong not unto Gods election there was no manifest and known difference between them and others either in the eye of the world or the judgment of others neither could themselves judge themselves in a better estate it was not discernable unto them or unto others they were as prone to evil as others as vile in the practise of evil as others they were wallowing and tumbling in sin and had no more desire of good then the vilest miscreant upon the earth Now who hath put a difference between thee and them that remain uncalled surely onely the Lord and that of his mere goodnesse and mercy and if thou throughly consider it thou canst not be sufficiently thankful to God and therefore when thou seest them wallowing and tumbling in sin and taking much delight and pleasure therein passe it not by without consideration but consider of it not to insult over them but to pity them and thereby call to mind what thou wast before the Lord wrought upon thee by his Word and holy Spirit
and consider that thou seest in them that so go on in their sins a lively image picture and proportion of thine own former natural estate and miserable condition such a one was I once I took as much delight as they do posted as fast to damnation as they do how much then am I bound to magnifie the goodnesse and mercy of God to me who of his mere goodnesse and mercy hath turned my feet another way even the Lord of his rich and abundant mercy hath put a manifest difference between my self and many others he hath put now a new mind in me and hath given me a delight in good things what shall I render unto the Lord what thanks what glory what honour and obedience shall I render to my God This ought to be the meditation and consideration of thee whosoever thou art that findest thy self wrought upon by the holy Word of God when thou seest other run on in sin with delight and pleasure to post to destruction as if they meant to come thither with all speed hasting to damnation Oh then lift up thy heart in Serious contemplation upon the free grace and goodnesse of God in calling thee out of that number and electing thee to salvation Further in that God saith here unto Abraham in Isaac shall thy seed be called Isaac being one that belonged unto Gods eternal election I might here stand to shew that God doth effectually call none but such as belong unto Gods election but I stood upon that in the 30 verse of the eight Chapter onely one thing now that is this We are to mark that God here saith not unto Abraham in Isaac will I make good my Covenant in Isaac will I make good my promise but he saith in Isaac shall thy seed be called Isaac shall be called and his seed and so will I make good my Covenant in Isaacs calling The doctrine is this That Gods effectual calling of men out of the state of nature Doctr. into the state of grace by the Word and work of his Spirit Effectual calling is an evidence of a mans being in Covenant with God it is a sure evidence unto them that are so called that they are in Covenant with God and God with them that God is their good and gracious Father yea it doth infallibly evidence unto them that God hath loved them from everlasting God now hath set upon them a seal of his special love and that now they have right and title to the promises of God concerning righteousnesse life and salvation 2 Pet. 1.10 saith the Apostle Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure You see he putteth down calling before election not that it is so in the order of nature but if a man be called he is certainly elected if we be sure of our calling we may be sure of our election we may certainly and infallibly conclude that we are in Covenant with God and have right and title to the promises of God we may so conclude not doubtfully or conjecturally but certainly conclude I have right and title to the Promises of God Know then what an excellent and sweet comfort may this be to them Vse that find themselves effectually called hast thou good evidence of thy effectual calling hath the Word a kindly working hath it wrought upon thee a change and set thee out of the state of nature into the state of grace thou art certainly in a most blessed and happy condition this doth evidence that God did love thee before the world was before it had a being now thou art in Covenant with God and God hath now set his seal upon thee thou art one of his good Isaacs one of his beloved think upon it therefore the meditation of thy effectual calling is more comfortable unto thee then to think upon thy election or redemption by Christ these are matters of great comfort but thy effectual calling is more comfortable unto thee it sealeth up that thou art one of Gods chosen that thou art redeemed by the Blood of Christ look to thy effectual calling or else it appertaineth not unto thee but thou being called here is wonderful comfort for thee VERSE 8. That is they that are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seed IN this Verse our Apostle doth deliver by way of Explication that which he put down in the verse foregoing and having in the seventh verse before affirmed that not all they that came of Abraham by the course of nature are the true seed of Abraham because Ishmael was the seed of Abraham but God said he should not inherit the promise but in Isaac should the seed be called he should participate in the promise now this being brought by the Apostle and set down in the verse foregoing In this verse the Apostle explaineth himself and layeth open his meaning a little further shewing what he meaneth by children and by the seed of Abraham here he explaineth his meaning Neither are they all children in the verse before because they are the seed of Abraham but in Isaac shall thy seed be called then he subjoyneth in this eighth verse That is they that are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seed And in this eighth verse we have laid before us an opposition between the children of the flesh and the children of the promise First of all denying them to be the children of God who are the children of the flesh and secondly affirming that they onely are accounted the true seed who are the children of the Promise Now for the explication of this verse lesse need it to be stood upon and spoken of if so be some erring spirits did not wrest and pervert it and labour to draw it to a wrong sense I will therefore endeavour to lay open the true sense of it viz. That is my meaning is they which are the children of the flesh The Arminians and the Anabaptists joyn together hand in hand and do understand by children of the flesh those that seek for righteousnesse and salvation by the righteousnesse of the Law and so seek for it by a carnal and fleshly course after the law and the flesh and so such as are Justitiaries and seek to be justified by the Law this say they is meant by children of the flesh this is their conceit But this cannot be the true sense of the phrase flesh though I grant indeed by children of the flesh we note out such as are Justitiaries in some places of Scripture and such as seek for salvation by their own righteousnesse the righteousnesse of the Law and that in and by the Law yet here in this place the literal sense and the literal meaning is to be taken and by children of the flesh we are to understand those that discended of Abraham according to the course of
nature and by carnal generation we are not to take it in a Metaphorical sense but in the very literal sense of it For to confirm the Exposition it is most evident and clear that the thing which made the Jews to stand upon and to think themselves that they were within the Covenant and had right and title to it which is made to Abraham the very cause they so thought what was it the seeking of righteousnesse by the Law no such matter that he beateth against in the next Chapter But because they were the Israelites because they were of Abraham in regard of carnal generation and were Abrahams seed according to the flesh this they vaunted and stood upon what may we think to be meant by Abrahams seed which the Apostle speaketh of in the verse foregoing and here doth explain that term but such as came of the seed of Abraham and that by nature not such as sought righteousnesse by the Law no his meaning is no such matter because the matter they stood upon as a priviledge and prerogative belonging unto them are not the children of God That is they are not such children as God bound himself unto by a special promise to do good unto in a special manner as he said unto Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed such as he had bound himself unto in a Covenant but the children of the promise For the understanding of this phrase and form of speech we must know that Isaac Abrahams son was a child of the promise what is that why surely such a child as the promise gave birth unto Abraham begot Isaac of his wife Sarah indeed according to the course of Nature but not by the force strength and vertue of nature he was born merely by a special promise made unto Abraham and by vertue and strength of that special promise cited by the Apostle made in Gen. 18.9 Sarah thy wife shall have a son and so though he was begotten by Abraham according to the course of Nature but not by the force of Nature For when this promise was made unto Abraham Sarah thy wife shall have a son Abraham and Sarah were old and both strucken in years and not of ability by nature to have a child so that in regard of the force of nature it was as impossible for Abraham to beget or Sarah to bear a Child as for a stone to flye upward so that he was begotten by vertue of the Promise for she was past childbearing and Abraham very old so that the force and strength of Nature in Abraham and Sarah was not the cause of Isaac's birth but by vertue of the promise so that we are to understand by children of the promise such as after the manner of Isaac are children of the promise Gal. 4.28 Now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of the Promise That is all such as by vertue of the promise of grace of life and salvation are adopted and made the children of the Promise by the vertue and force of the promise the Gospel being a quickening Gospel it being published and they believing in it they come to be the children of the promise and born anew not by nature but by the Promise The meaning of the Apostle is this That is or my meaning is that not they that are descended from Abraham onely by the course of Nature and according to the flesh and by carnal generation they are not such children as God hath bound himself unto by promise in a special manner that is to do good unto by a special promise according to the speech unto Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed But all such that belong unto Gods election in time to be called to be the sons and daughters of God the promise being published unto them and are wrought upon by vertue of the Spirit and the Promise They onely and none but they are accounted and reputed for the true seed and children of Abraham to whom the promise of mercy grace righteousnesse and salvation belongeth Come we now to the Doctrines And here observe That the Apostle doth expound himself touching that which is put down in the verse foregoing and delivereth his mind more plainly then in the seventh verse the conclusion is this That the holy Prophets and the holy Apostles of God Doctrine the Pen-men of Scripture they do explain the things that are needful for the Church and people of God and make them more easie that are hard to be understood expressing them more plainly in one place then in another an usual thing in the Book of God for the Pen-men of Scripture to explain such things as is necessary for the people of God to expresse things that seem to be doubtful obscure and ambiguous more in one place then in another and not to leave it obscure and ambiguous For the further manifestation of it I might insist on divers places of Scripture but take these few in Gen. 17.10 we read that circumcision is called the Covenant and in the 11. verse he explaineth it and saith it is the sign of the Covenant so in Exod. 12.11 The Paschal Lamb is called the Lords Passeover that should be eaten in destroying the Egyptians then in the 27 verse it is said to be the sacrifice of the Lords passeover more plainly expounding it so in 1 Cor. 10.4 Christ is called a rock and by and by he subjoyneth unto it a spiritual rock so that phrase used by Christ which the Papists so much abuse as the ground of their transubstantiation and would prove it that the Body and Blood of Christ are really and corporally in the Sacrament under the form of Bread and Wine it is expounded by the Holy Ghost and by the Apostle in 1 Cor. 11.26 For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords death untill he come doth not this set out the meaning of that speech abused by the Papists Take eat this is my body For these are memorials and visible signs and representations of the Body and Blood of Christ I might further instance in divers passages of the Scripture to shew that this is usual in the Scripture to explain in one place what is difficult in another the Reason is Reason Because it is Gods purpose the very purpose of the Lord in his revealed Will to make his will known unto man by Scripture so much as he would have man to know necessary to salvation And in the Scripture to give man a perfect rule of holinesse of righteousnesse of faith and of good life of all things to be known or believed and to be practised and therefore he maketh known in one place what is difficult in another to make man wise unto salvation as in 2 Tim. 3.15 thou hast known the Scriptures of a child which are able to make thee wise unto salvation to make thee to come to the understanding of it at least
upon his promise and mercy in Christ for salvation unlesse we rest upon the main promise of Christ we cannot rest upon him for outward good things with any comfort for the promises of God whether of this life or the life to come they are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 in Christ they are ratified and confirmed Come we now to the Promise it-self In the same time will I come and Sarah shall have a son or at this time twelve moneths shall thy wife Sarah have a child Here we see that God doth promise to Abraham a temporal thing and limiteth and setteth down a certain time when he would accomplish his promise and the time set down he broke not the day with him as appeareth in Gen. 21.2 where the text saith that Sarah conceived and bare a son in her old age according to the very time of God that he had appointed did Sarah conceive and bear Abraham a son hence the Doctrine is this Doctrine That the Promises of God that are made to his concerning good things of this life or the life to come are fulfilled and made good in Gods own time in the time that God hath appointed hath God fulfilled and will fulfill his promise I shewed you a point formerly like unto this That Gods Promises are firm and stable But now the point is That God doth perform his promise in his appointed time he keepeth his time strictly in the very nick and point of time will he accomplish it Gen. 15.13 14. God told Abraham that his seed should be a stranger in a land not theirs and should be in bondage and thraldome for a long time but when that time shall come to an end I will judge that nation and they shall come out with great riches how was this fulfilled read Exodus 12.41 when that the very time was expired in the same day in the very self-same day all the power of Pharaoh and Egypt could not hold them but they were delivered and Pharaoh and his host destroyed So the Lord threatened that Israel should be in Babylon 70 yeares as we read Jer. 25.11 12. they should be in thaldome there so long But when the time was come and the very day Daniel understanding it by books he goeth unto God by prayer Dan. 9.23 and in the very beginning of his humiliation and supplication unto God did the decree come forth in the peoples deliverance in the very day that the time was expired and in Habbac 2.3 saith the Prophet The Vision is for an appointed time the time shall come and not lye though it tarry long and not to heap up many places indeed all the Promises of God are of an appointed time and when that time is come God doth fulfil and make them good to his children what is the ground of this Reason Because the Lord is most wise and he knoweth the fittest time for the fulfilling and accomplishing of his Promises and what in his decree he hath set down not all the power in earth or hell can hinder him from performing it in the very season Vse This serveth as a ground of Instruction to all that are Gods children for the Promises are made unto them and it serveth to teach us that we are to believe the promises of God not only in the general in the matter and substance of them but we are to believe them with the particular circumstance of the time that there is a set and an appointed time of God for the accomplishing of all his Promises and we are to wait untill that time come when we are under any distresse of body or mind we must not onely believe that God hath promised ease and comfort and refreshing and deliverance but that he hath promised an appointed time for their deliverance Not onely to say I am a child of God and God hath promised me deliverance why doth he not deliver me but let me lye under the affliction surely God hath forgotten his promise No no the Lord hath set his time yea consider also that not onely dayes and minutes of comfort are not onely known to the Lord but are most strictly and precisely known and kept of the Lord and as we cannot come in particular to any comfort for our bodies or soules till the time come so when the time is come we may assure our selves God will not passe one minute of an hour he will not break with thee but will give it thee in his time therefore wait untill that time come Hester 4.16 when Hester denyed to go unto the King saith Mordecai breathing and deliverance shall come but thou and thy fathers house shall perish Mordecai was sure deliverance should come in his appointed time Oh learn we then in time of trouble and distresse to carry the Lords leisure till the good hour be come Gods good hour is not yet come when he will send deliverance to his people certainly deliverance will come and take heed that thou dost not limit the Lord nor tye him to thy time and find fault that God hath forgotten thee and respecteth thee not take heed of this seek unto the Lord earnestly by prayer and if the Lord seem to deny thy prayer and will not hear thy prayer though thy throat be hoarse and dry yet do thou believe that God will fulfil his promise Esay 28.16 he that believeth maketh not haste he that believeth not onely the Promise in general but the particular time that when the Lord seeth it fit he will perform it Oh this is an excellent comfort to consider that the Lord will make his Promise good in his time when we are under Afflictions to consider oh Gods time is not yet when his time is come he will send ease refreshing and deliverance and will not passe a minute of his time VERSE 10 11 12 13. And not onely this but when Rebekah also had conceived by one even by our father Isaac For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger As it is written Jacob have I loved But Esau have I hated FRom the ninth verse in that God saith to Abraham Sarah shall have a son Sarah who was now 90 years old past child-bearing A woman of fourscore and and ten is past bearing of children I might here stand to shew That nothing is hard and impossible to God he is the God of Nature he is not tyed to nature or the order of nature he can give children and power to one to bring forth children that have no natural power at all God can bring things to passe when there is no probability in nature But to passe by this as not intended by the Apostle here in this place Come we now then to the tenth Verse and so to the verses following to the 14 verse for they all make
but one context neither onely this but Rebekah when she had conceived by one even our father Isaac c. In these words our Apostle falleth upon a new instance and example and he giveth another instance and example to prove That all they were not true Israelites the true seed of Abraham to whom grace life and salvation belongeth that came of Abraham by the course of nature but onely the elect seed of Abraham the chosen of God that came of Abraham they onely were the persons to whom the promise did belong And the instance that he bringeth it is of the children of Isaac and Rebekah which were Jacob and Esau and he sheweth that onely one of these namely Jacob was the true chosen seed of Isaac and the child to whom the promise of mercy and grace life and salvation belongeth and that Esau was not Though Esau came both of Isaac and Rebekah as well as Jacob by natural generation yet Jacob was the chosen seed and Esau was not Now the Apostle addeth this example to the former for this Reason as more strongly proving that which he had in hand For some exceptions might be taken by the Jews against the former example and instance of Isaac and Ishmael Object As they might say What do you tell us of Isaac and of Ishmael they were born of two Mothers one of Sarah and the other of Hagar and those two Mothers of far different conditions the one a free-woman and the other a bond-servant Ishmael was the son of a bond woman and therefore rejected but Isaac the son of a free woman and therefore received Now the Apostle preventeth this exception of theirs in putting down this example of Jacob and Esau which were both of them of the same parents begotten by one namely Isaac conceived of one namely Rebekah is born both at a birth they were twins and of the two Esau the elder for he came out before his brother and yet Jacob the younger is the chosen seed of God and elect vessel of God and Esau is not even these two born of the same Father and Mother and both at one time and of the two Esau the elder yet Jacob was the true and chosen seed and Esau is not therefore this maketh strongly for the purpose of the Apostle to prove that the promise of God of mercy life grace and salvation belongeth not to those that are born of the same parents Now the general matter of these four Verses to take them all in one context may be thus Illustrated and laid forth unto us In the tenth verse the Apostle falleth upon this example this instance of Jacob and Esau and he sheweth it appeareth plainly not onely in the former example of Isaac and Ishmael but in these Children of Isaac and Rebekah namely Jacob and Esau that were begotten of one and the same Father Isaac and born of one and the same mother Rebekah at one and the same time yet the one is rejected and the other received so that this is a strong conclusion that grace life and salvation belongeth not to all that came of Abraham Then unto this our Apostle yeeldeth a proof he proveth it and that from the voyce of God himself which is most sure and certain amplified by the circumstance of the time namely that before these two children were born when they were in the womb and had neither done good nor evil it was said that the elder should serve the younger even then when they were in her womb she going to ask counsel of the Oracle of God why the children strove in the womb Answer was made the elder should serve the younger and then he setteth forth the end and cause of this why the elder should serve the younger namely that all things might depend upon the election and purpose of the Lord and that not by works but of him that freely called for before the children were born when they had neither done good nor evil that the purpose of God might be fulfilled not of works still he preventeth that it was said the elder should serve the younger then this is further proved unto us by the Prophesie of the Prophet Malachy Mal. 1.2 3. as it is written I have loved Iacob and hated Esau by which testimony of Malachy the Apostle expoundeth the 25. of Genesis and sheweth the reason of the difference between the two brothers why God was pleased to put such a spacious and wide difference between them surely the reason of it was because God loved the one and hated the other loved Jacob and hated Esau why should Jacob have the preeminence above his brother being younger God answereth I have loved Iacob and hated Esau Jacobs dominion over Esau was from Gods love Esau's subjection unto Jacob was from Gods hatred this is the testimony and oracle of God himself this is the cause of Jacobs domination and Esau's subjection Come we now to stand upon them in particular And first of the tenth Verse This verse it is diversly read some read it thus neither he onely meaning Abraham or Isaac some neither she onely meaning Sarah The words in the Original are but not onely with a reservation Now these words having reference to the former example they will very well have this supply neither onely this that is neither onely the example of Abraham and Sarah or Isaac and Ishmael and so the meaning is it was not onely proved in the former example but in this of Rebekah's children in the instance and example of Jacob and Esau who was begotten both by one father and born both by one mother and born both at one birth it appeareth plainly that Gods promise belongeth not to all that come of Abraham so we are to understand the meaning of the Apostle in this tenth verse Even Rebekah when she had conceived by one even our father Isaac from whom we came that are Jewes one of her children was received and the other rejected Come we now to the Instructions Observe we the Apostle here bringeth an instance and example stronger and more free from exception then the example of Isaac and Ishmael out of which they could not winde themselves though if they would cavil never so much namely of Jacob and Esau whereby he proveth That Gods Promise that he made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed did not belong to all that came of Abraham by the course of nature which indeed the Jews held very stifly and were very resolute in this opinion out of their misconceit and they thought it strange yea to this day they think it strange that they that came of Abraham by the course of nature and were of his loynes and of his seed should not have part in the Promise made to Abraham what they rejected that came of Abraham by the course of nature as the Apostle did seem to intimate and they thought they had ground for themselves and their conceit from the promise
passe that God giveth them over to strong delusions to believe lyes it may be they come to some understanding of the truth but they have no love unto it and therefore God sendeth them strong delusions that is such delusions as doth deceive them and hold them fast when they are deluded the Lord will not send unto them only such errours that do prevail but shall hold them and keep them and they think themselves in a very good case and in the right way when they are most perverse and so go on in a stubborn rebellion against the truth and their own salvation Therefore let us receive the truth in love to the truth and to testifie our love unto the truth by hating all contrary errours not only thinking indifferently of them and judging well of them but hating of them thus did David Psal 119.104 hate all wayes of falshood and thus it ought to be with us not onely to receive the truth after a slubbering manner but to hate all errours and assuredly it is a worthy speech of One to this purpose Unlesse we hate Atheisme and Irreligion we do not love the truth of God and his holy Religion nor God himself so unlesse we hate Papisme Anabaptisme and Familisme and Brownisme and other separations we do not love the truth as we ought to do we see the Papists can well endure the Familists and the Familists well indure the Papists they can live together quietly Oh say the Familists what need you make such ado against the Papists we can live amongst them and not be tainted I believe them for they both hate the truth But let us testifie our love unto the Gospel while it is amongst us and be well affected with every Sermon every threatening every comfort every promise published and hate all Papisme all Anabaptisme all Familisme all Brownisme all separations though they say we are too hot against the separation no if we love the truth we hate all errours and separations Neither onely this but when Rebekah also had conceived by one even by our father Isaac IN that the Apostle here bringeth an example and instance of Jacob and of Esau being an instance and an example more strong and free from all exception and cavils sufficient to answer the Cavils of the Jewes and to silence them they having nothing to say against it touching their Objection that all that came of Abraham by natural generation are heirs of salvation Hence we may note thus much That the Scripture hath sufficient ground of truth in it self Doctrine it hath evidence of truth and example sufficient for the clearing and resolving of all doubts all difficulties and questions and cases of Conscience and for the convincing of all manner of errours it is sufficient in it self to answer all false conceits and erroneous opinions in respect of the positions and examples of it even to answer all cavils and opinions whatsoever and convince all manner of errours 2 Tim. 3.16 saith the Aposile the whole Scripture is given by inspiration and it is profitable and useful not onely to teach and to instruct in the truth but also to improve and exhort And indeed in the Scripture is found the good acceptable and perfect will of God is revealed in the Scripture even that will in the Scripture 2 Tim. 3.15 which is able to make us wise unto salvation it containeth the perfect will of God that is able to make us wise to our comfort here and salvation hereafter what can we have more Vse Therefore wickedly and most injuriously deal the Papists in this point in that they charge upon the written Word of God imperfection and insufficiency and they say it is not a sufficient ground and rule of truth it is not able to clear all doubts and questions and cases without some addition without we adde some unwritten verities and therefore they joyn unto the Word of God and equal and match with it the Books Apocryphal and their traditions unwritten even the Popes Decretals and the constitutions and Canons of the Church they tender to the people to be received with the same reverence and the same affection as the true and perfect written Word of God is to be received So the Councel of Trent hath thus blasphemously decreed and set it down That they ought to receive upon pain of damnation as well the Decrees of the Pope and Canons of the Church with like love affection and reverence as they do the written and perfect Word of God thus blasphemously they deal But further come we now to consider the example of Jacob and Esau particularly as it is here laid before us And first of all the Apostle maketh known unto us in this tenth verse they being understood as before That Jacob and Esau were the children of the same parents they were begotten of the same Father and born of the same Mother and at one and the same time they were twins yet the holy Word of God doth further make known unto us that there was a large and a wide difference between these two brethren Jacob and Esau he maketh known they were of different dispositions and qualities and of a different life and conversation in other places of Scriptures as that Jacob was a plain man Gen. 25.27 a simple innocent a harmlesse a downright honest man a good man a holy man a man fearing God But the Holy Ghost saith of Esau and setteth this black mark upon him to be a prophane person a vile man one that sold his birth-right for a portion of meat Heb. 12.16 yea the context saith Gen. 25.34 that Esau contemned his birth-right which was a great honour and dignity he contemned it in respect of a portion of meat to satisfie his hunger for the present thus you see a large wide difference between these two men the one holy the other irreligious so that children of the same parents and born at the same time may differ one from another exceeding much and the observation arising hence is this Doctrine That the coming of the same Parents and blood and being born at the same time even under the same position of the heavens and stars and constellations these are not the things that do make children of the same mind and of the same disposition and quality children are not of the like qualities carriage and behaviour because they come of the same parents and blood and are born at the same time and under the same positions of the heavens and constellations and stars as we see in this example of Jacob and of Esau And to adde some further ground for the proof of this point we find that the Lord did forbid his people continually and from time to time to observe times and to mark the constellations of the heavens as if so be that either the manners or dispositions of men and the affaires of men and the successe of things were over-ruled and overswayed by them Deut. 18.10 Let there be
Patriarks Abraham and Isaac we see Isaac had two sons Jacob and Esau the one good and the other gracelesse and though parents desire to do good to all their children that they have begotten and are of their flesh and blood and indeavour alike to do them good yet if they find not the same answerable successe and answerable fruit of their pains they must do as Christ saith Consider the wind bloweth where it listeth as in Joh. 3.8 the Lord worketh by his Spirit where it pleaseth him all the pains we can take notwithstanding the wind bloweth where it listeth and so they may rest in Gods counsel which may be hidden and secret but assuredly never unjust God is just in all his providences and administrations all men may take notice of it and though it be harsh and hard yet it is never unjust and so rest contented in the good will and pleasure of God VERSE 11 12. For the children being not yet born and when they had neither done good nor evil that the purpose of God might remain according to election not by works but by him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger IN these two Verses our Apostle bringeth proof to that point and position put down in the verses foregoing and the thing delivered was that it appeared plainly in the two children of Isaac and Rebekah That the Promise of God touching mercy grace righteousness life and salvation did not belong to all that came of Abraham and Isaac by the course of Nature this was the Conclusion which the Apostle proveth in these two verses and he proveth it from the voyce of God himself In that God saith to Rebekah that the Elder of her children should serve the Younger Gen. 25.23 she coming to consult with the Oracle It was told her that two Nations strove in her womb and the elder should serve the younger And this the Apostle amplifieth by the circumstance of the time before the children were born when they had neither done good nor evil And this is further enlarged by the end of it to what end namely that the purpose of God might remain and abide firm and stable and unmoveable according to election and that not by works but by him that called Now this being the general drift of these two Verses Come we to the sense and meaning of them which are full of difficulty For before the children were born It is most plain by the context that the Apostle meaneth Jacob and Esau for they are specified in the context were born that is while these two children were in the womb of Rebekah their Mother and not yet brought forth and had done neither good nor evil That is actually sinned for here Original corruption is not specified for originally they were guilty before the Lord and in their typical consideration Original corruption is excluded they being considered as types of the Elect and of the Reprobate and in that consideration they are laid before us as having done neither good nor evil That the purpose of God might remain according to election Or rather thus That the purpose of God according to election might remain So that by the purpose of God in this place we are to understand Gods eternal decree that which he purposed from everlasting within his own blessed Majestie out of the good pleasure of his Will or according to the counsel of his Will Ephes 1.11 that which God in himself from everlasting purposed freely according to election Or concerning election that is touching his free choice of some to grace and glory and his rejecting of others for under election is included the contrary namely reprobation that purpose which was touching free grace and glory according to election according to the act of election and reprobation that it might remain Or rather might be firm and stable and might abide unshaken not by works but by him that calleth That is say the Arminians and the Anabaptists if you will believe them not by the works of the Law but by faith obeying him that calleth not by seeking righteousnesse and salvation by the works of the Law but by faith obeying him that calleth And upon this they would ground their grosse errour and false conclusion that Esau was a type of those that are rejected of God because they seek righteousnesse and salvation by the works of the Law and Jacob was a type of such that are then chosen of God when God doth see faith in them with perseverance and are then chosen of God actually God purposeth to choose them upon foreseen faith and doth actually choose them upon the faith that he seeth in them with perseverance But this is a misconstruction for consider how could Esau be a type of such as are rejected of God Esau considered without works either good or evil as he was being in the womb how could he be a type of such that seek righteousness by the works of the Law Again how could Jacob being considered without faith as he was when he was chosen before he was born how could he be a type of those that are then chosen of God when God seeth faith in them with perseverance Can these things possibly agree and jump together that are contraries unlesse they will have that there is no analogy no resemblance or proportion between types and the things typified how could Jacob be a type of those that are chosen upon their faith with perseverance he then having no faith or how could Esau be a type of those that seek salvation by the works of the Law he having no works neither done good nor evil this cannot be there must be an analogy between types and the thing typified But the meaning of the word is not by works that is not any thing depending upon the works of these two brethren but upon him that calleth That is upon the free grace of God calling his elect in time effectually It was said unto her That is it was said unto her by God himself Gen. 25.23 The elder shall serve the younger That is the Elder shall be under the Younger shall be in subjection to the younger and the younger shall rule over the elder Now this being the meaning of the words we must consider that this is to be understood of Esau and Jacob first personally that this oracle of God should be fulfilled in Jacob and Esau's persons that Esau should be subject to the person of Jacob. And also it is to be understood Historically in their posterity the Edomites and Israelites which were indeed the children and off-spring of Jacob and Esau so that it is to be understood both personally and historically Object Now if any say unto me in the speech of God to Rebekah Gen. 25.23 two Nations are in thy womb and two manner of people shall be divided out of thy bowels the one shall be mightier then the other and the elder shall serve the younger therefore these words are
persons and not of all generally Reason And the ground of it is only the good will and pleasure of God it hath so pleased him to make this difference to chuse some and to refuse others Ephes 1.5 who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the riches of the glory of his grace Vse This serveth to shew unto us the errour of such Divines and their opinion to be false that do hold that God for his part hath elected all men to salvation and so the Arminians say also and that man is reprobated is from himself for when we do ask them if God hath elected all for his part why are not all saved they answer because they will not it is their own default man is the cause of his reprobation but this is erroneous and false and contrary to the truth yea this opinion of theirs maketh mans will to over-rule Gods eternal counsel and the purpose of God to depend upon the will of man if man will he may be saved if not he may be damned this is like bills of the Chancery but there is no unablenesse in God for the will and counsel of God is the chiefest cause of all causes and we may certainly conclude that because all men are not saved therefore God doth not appoint all men to salvation And upon this ground learn to renounce this also as erroneous that Christ dyed for all universally effectually as some Divines teach universal redemption for Gods eternal election being not universal Christs redemption is not universal for Christ dyed only for the chosen of God only for the elect and he is the Saviour of his body Ephes 5.23 This is a common thing when men are convinced of their sins to say we are sinners but Christ dyed for all this is a staffe of rest to rest upon and will fail in time of tryal thou must have a better ground if thou wilt look for salvation how is that Thus thou must not only find thy self freed by Christ from deserved condemnation but also from thy vain conversation for certainly whomsoever Christ is a Saviour to by the merit of death to them he is also a Saviour by the power of his death and by the works of his Spirit turning them from sin to God Titus 2.14 Christ gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity that he might purge us to be a peculiar people to himself therefore if thou findest not thy self purged from sin from the rottennesse of thy heart thou art not wrought upon by the Spirit of God Therefore rest not upon that ground that Christ dyed for all For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger COme we now to stand upon these two Verses more particularly and in that the Apostle here saith Before the children were born when they had neither done good nor evil it was said unto Rebekah by God himself that cannot lye from his Oracle it was said the elder shall serve the younger thereby implying the words having respect to spiritual things that the one of the children of Rebekah which she had in her womb was elected to life and salvation and the other rejected and refused this being the implication of that speech the Apostle pointeth out unto us thus much That Gods fore-appointing of some particular persons amongst men to life and salvation from everlasting Doctrine and his refusing and rejecting of others it is most free most absolute it dependeth not upon any thing in man or done by man but onely upon the good pleasure of God it dependeth upon nothing out of God himself but upon God merely and onely the Lord from everlasting appointing some to life and salvation and refusing others did it out of the good pleasure of his will merely without respect had to any thing in men themselves any quality good or bad or any thing done by them good or bad as a cause moving him hereunto Indeed to prevent an Objection in the beginning I deny not but I may safely speak it and hold it that there was reason and cause in the general why God would appoint some to life and salvation and why he would refuse and reject others why God would have some to be saved and others to be cast off and refused never to attain salvation I grant that why Because both the mercy of God in pardoning sin and the Justice of God in punishing sin might appear and be glorified God is a just God and a merciful God that these two might be manifested and declared for if all had been saved there is no place for his Justice but that his mercy and justice might appear the one is saved and the other rejected this is the reason in the general but why this or that particular man or woman was appointed to life and salvation and not the other man or woman why Peter and not Judas the onely reason of this is the good will and pleasure of God Gods fore-appointing of some amongst men to life and and salvation it did wholly and onely depend upon the good will and pleasure of God it had respect to nothing in man no difference between man and man arising from men themselves that the one was of a better nature and temper or thus and thus qualified or any thing done by them good or evil but onely in God himself Ephes 1.4 saith the Apostle God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundations of the world was what for any goodnesse or holinesse that was in us or he foresaw would be in us no but that we should be holy and without blame He hath chosen us not for foreseen holinesse but that we should be holy this is the language of Canaan then he subjoyneth in the fifth verse who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Iesus Christ himself according to the good pleasure of his will without respect had to any thing in us or any thing done by us so also in 2 Tim. 1.9 the Apostle speaking of God saith thus he hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works still he renounces that but according to his own promise and grace which was shewed unto us through Iesus Christ when before the world was before Jesus Christ was incarnate yea before there was a world and before we had a being And in Jude 4. verse we read that the Apostle speaking of some which were ordained of old when was that surely from everlasting before the world was or they had a being they were ordained of God to this condemnation these places doth sufficiently evidence unto us the truth of the point that God from everlasting foreappointed some particulars amongst men to life and salvation and refused and
rejected others out of the mere good pleasure of his will without any thing in man either good or bad quality or any thing done by man either good or evil No doubt God did foresee these things in man but not as a cause moving him thereunto but his election is free And indeed it is an act of Gods soveraignty that he hath over the creatures which is altogether independent upon any thing in the creature or done by the creature as the cause of it as for example In the first Creation of all things when God created the world he first made the matter of all things a confused Chaos and out of that he made the distinction of several things and creatures in their several kinds Now as in that first Creation when that the whole matter of it was alike a confused heap then there was reason why one part of that matter should become fire another water another the ayr and another earth Because this was necessary both for the beauty of the world and the use of the creatures that they might be useful both to man and beast but why this or that part of the first matter should be fire and not water why God would make that part water and another part earth a baser element no reason can be imagined of this but onely the will of the Soveraign Creator because it pleased God to make one part of that first matter water and another fire and another earth and another ayr he might have made that part fire which was water but it pleased the Almighty Creator to make them so So in the general there was Reason why the Lord would receive some to salvation and reject others to damnation both for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy and justice but why God would appoint this or that particular man or woman to life and salvation and not another man why Peter and not Judas not any reason can be imagined rightly and truly but the good will and pleasure of God Vse 1 First of all this truth serveth for the confutation of some erroneous opinions that are contradictory unto it as namely that of the Papists in that they hold and affirm that God indeed foreappointed some to life and salvation from everlasting no doubt say they but how upon his foresight of their free will working together with his grace upon a foresight that their free will would co-operate and co-work with his grace to the doing of good works and thereupon and in respect of that did God fore-appoint them to life and salvation a mere device and shift to delude silly people withal And likewise this truth now delivered meeteth with the erroneous opinions of the Arminians and Anabaptists for they are near one to the other The Arminians hold and affirm that God did decree the choyce of some to life and salvation not actually chuse them but decree some to life and salvation upon the foresight of their faith with perseverance and so say the Anabaptists it was upon the foresight of their faith and obedience to the Gospel so that they jump together in the matter the one upon foreseen faith and the other upon foresight of obedience to the Gospel the Lord did foresee that some would imbrace the Gospel some would believe in Christ some would seek salvation by faith in Christ upon the promises of God and thereupon did he decree the choyce of some to life and salvation or at least say they mincing the matter it was the rule which God did follow in his choyce we will not say they stand upon it to be the cause but it was the rule A frivolous distinction to distinguish between cause and rule or cause and reason But for the opinion it is most false for if so be the foresight of faith and of the obedience to the Gospel was the cause working God to decree the choyce of some to life and salvation then this will surely follow that that which hath onely a being in time was the cause of that which was altogether before time then faith which hath no being in nature but in time it shall be the cause working God to decree the choyce of some to life and salvation before all times a most grosse and absurd thing that the thing in time should over-rule the decree of God from everlasting Again if so be Gods fore-appointing of some to life and salvation had faith foreseen for the cause of it what need then had the Apostle to bring that question or make that Objection that he doth in the 14 verse of this Chapter What shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God there would be no shew nor semblance of any injustice or unrighteousnesse with God if so be this were true that Gods fore-appointing of some to life and salvation had faith foreseen for the cause if any had moved this question that it seemeth hard that before the children were born God should receive one and reject the other and so should conclude then God is unjust and unrighteous Then we might answer speaking in the language of the Arminians God did foresee long before that Jacob would believe and Esau would not and this would clear God from any suspition of injustice and this cavil would be quite taken away and so we should make the Apostle to speak very absurdly to move a question that needed not and make an objection needlesly which were most wicked and blasphemous once to suppose such a thing of the blessed Apostle which was guided by the holy Spirit of God infallibly who had cause to move this question so then let the Arminians and Anabaptists passe away with their idle fictions of their idle brains contrary to the truth of God Is this so that God hath fore-appointed some to life and salvation Vse 2 and rejected others merely of his good pleasure and will here then is ground of sweet comfort to thee that hast good evidence of it that thou art in the number of those whom God hath appointed to life thou art sometimes troubled it may be with the consideration of thine own unworthinesse of thy own great unworthinesse and the sight thereof doth many times perplex and trouble thee and make thee walk on very heavily and very uncomfortably and doth much trouble thy Conscience Oh then remember and consider this to thy comfort that the Lord hath set thee apart thou having evidence of thy election to life and salvation before thou hast done any thing without respect had to any thing done by thee either good or evil and will the Lord now reject thee and cast thee off because of thy unworthinesse which thou complainest of no surely he respecteth it not he respecteth neither thy worthinesse or unworthinesse he hath freely chosen thee to life and salvation before thou couldst do any thing and assuredly to thy comfort he will freely save thee he will passe by thy infirmities and pardon all thy sin he will hide them
all and have respect onely to his mercy and eternal love And take heed that in regard of thy unworthinesse thou do not conclude God will cast thee off no God doth it not for any thing foreseen or done by thee but onely of his free grace and mercy and he will freely save thee Again upon this ground of truth learn we to acknowledge and to magnifie the wonderful and unspeakable goodnesse of God if we be such as shall find our selves in the number of Gods chosen we must learn to extol and magnifie the mercy of God for why the Lord out of his mere good pleasure without respect had to any thing in us or done by us merely out of his free love hath fore-appointed us to life and salvation for which we cannot sufficiently magnifie the goodnesse of God consider it there was no difference between thee and others as thou diddest lye in the sight of God no difference between thee and such a one as is rejected and refused and if so be God had not severed thee by his eternal election from others thou hadst been in no better estate then Esau or Judas or Saul or Jezebel or the vilest Reprobate that liveth upon the face of the earth Oh then be stirred up to magnifie the Lord who out of his free mercy hath elected thee and rejected others In the 2 Sam. 6.21 we read that David danced and leaped and rejoyced in his spirit exceedingly before the Ark of God what was in Davids mind was he a mad-man as Michael his wife told him no he considered that God had chosen him and rejected the house of Saul so he saith to Michael the Lord hath chosen me and my fathers house and rejected thee and thy fathers house Oh then how should we rejoyce in Spirit and blesse and magnifie his mercy that he hath chosen us not to a Temporal Kingdom but to an eternal Kingdom in heaven this should make us rejoyce from which he hath rejected many thousands as good as thy self how can I be sufficiently thankful unto God if so be men of eminency and place should shew us a common kindnesse and courtesie we little regard it but if so be those eminent persons do admit us unto their special favour and do yeeld unto us such a kindnesse as they will not communicate to any but their dearest favourites and friends then we highly esteem of it Oh then consider the Lord hath done us that favour wherein the greatest part of the world and of mankind have no share no part nor portion how should this teach us to magnifie praise laud and blesse the holy name of God Oh holy holy holy Lord God ever praised and magnified be thy great name who hast set us apart to life and salvation and rejected many others in the world Yea beloved as God hath put a difference between us and others we belonging to his election so let us manifest and make it to appear that there is a difference between us and them in the course of our lives and conversations that we differ from the wicked manners of the world for they that follow the course and manners of the world they believe not that God hath set them apart to life and salvation if they had hearts to believe it they would manifest it and make it appear in their lives and conversations our life must be a visible disallowing and disavowing of their lives we must confront the wicked we must shine as lights in the world and carry our selves as children of the light and not follow the swaggering fashions of the world for as God hath made a separation between us and them and will make a final separation at the day of Judgement so now there should be a separation I mean not a separation from the Church but from the cursed courses of the world even as Lot did in Sodom Oh therefore in the fear of God let us ever magnifie and blesse the Name of God for choosing us to salvation and let us labour to be answerable in some measure by our obedience unto him For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her The elder shall serve the younger THe next thing to be considered is the Apostles amplification of the speech of God unto Rebekah and it is amplified by the end of it It was said unto Rebekah by God himself The elder shall serve the younger to what end to this end that the whole matter might depend upon Gods election touching his free choyce not by works but by him that calleth So then the next words to be handled in order of the Text are these that the purpose of God touching or concerning election might remain or abide that is as I shewed you That the eternal purpose and decree of God touching his free choyce of electing some to life and salvation and his rejecting and refusing others might remain firm and stable immoveable and unshaken here then you see we have a ground of the infallible certainty and immutability of Gods decree before we shewed you the freenesse of it here we have a certain ground of the infallible certainty and immutability and unchangeablenesse of his decree in choosing some and rejecting others hence the observation is this That Gods eternal decree and purpose Doctrine touching his free choyce of some particular men to life and salvation and his fore-appointing of some to life and glory is most sure certain and unchangeable and remaineth firm and immoveable God hath from everlasting fore-appointed some particular men to an heavenly inheritance to the Kingdom of heaven and that certainly and infallibly so as that they cannot misse of coming to life and glory in heaven in Gods good time it is not possible that they should come short of it Indeed if we consider one that belongeth to Gods election apart from Gods decree then such a one may perish But if we consider him with Gods decree as we ought ever to do it is impossible that such a one should perish considering him as a chosen vessel of God in his eternal purpose it is not possible that he should misse of salvation And for the confirmation of it to this purpose is the speech of Christ himself in Matth 24.24 There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and they shall shew great signs and wonders so that saith Christ if it were possible they should deceive the very elect As if he had said False Christs and false Prophets arising in the Church of God shall come with such powerful working even with the working of Satan and with all power and lying wonders as the Apostle describeth Antichrist himself his followers 2 Thess 2.9 that they shall come with such a powerful working with the lying wonders of Satan that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect but that
cannot be that they should be drawn aside finally into any fundamental errour or wicked life and so go on and perish everlastingly and come short of life and salvation though they come with great force as the Imps of Satan and followers of Antichrist do bear down weak ones yea if it were possible to deceive the very elect yet they cannot in the 2 Tim. 2.19 The Apostle speaketh expresly that the foundation of God standeth sure and hath this seal the Lord knoweth who are his that is Gods eternal decree in saving his chosen upon which their election is built as upon a foundation remaineth sure and certain and unchangeable for ever And there is good Reason for it Because God is almighty he is of infinite power and he having from Reason 1 everlasting willed and decreed the salvation of some he is able to bring them into the possession of it in despight of Satan and all the power of hell opposite unto it for he is a God of infinite power and can bring them into possession none can frustrate and make void and disappoint what God hath decreed Again God is in his own nature unchangeable yea and in his love which is essential unchangeable and therefore that purpose and decree in saving some must needs be suitable to his nature and answerable to his love which are essential in his holy Majestie and therefore his decree is immutable and unchangeable Reason 2 Take the sufferings of Jesus Christ the bitter passion of the Lord Jesus and they are a sufficient evidence and proof that God is unchangeable in his decree touching the salvation of some did the Lord Jesus descend down from the highest glory in heaven it self so low as to take upon himself the form of a servant and humble himself to the cursed and shameful death of the Crosse and felt such agony and pains as his sweat was drops of blood Luke 22.44 did he in his very soul indure the wrath of his Father that made him cry out under the weight and burden of it My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27.46 Did he thus suffer the wrath of his Father for the sins of Gods chosen And yet did not the Lord for all this determine that any should be saved infallibly but left that at randome to depend upon the will of man that if man would imbrace Christ and believe in him thus suffering he should be saved if not be damned Can we with reason judge this or imagine this that Christ should thus shed his blood upon such uncertainty that the whole fruit and benefit of his suffering should depend upon the frail will of man that if man would imbrace it he should be saved if not he should be damned no the bitter sufferings of Christ do strongly evince this and do clearly manifest that God hath certainly concluded the salvation of some and the damnation of others so that we may conclude upon this as a certain truth that God having fore-appointed some particular persons among men to life and salvation they cannot misse of it but God will certainly and infallibly bring them to the possession of it Object But it may be some will object and say unto me If Gods decree and his eternal purpose be as you say thus certain and unchangeable and cannot be disanulled then you bind God by his decree to do that which he hath decreed of necessity yea so as that God cannot do otherwise whereas God is a free worker will you bind the hands of God that he cannot chuse but do it and not do otherwise To this I answer Answ If so be God be bound by his decree who bound him but his own blessed Majestie Again more fully what absurdity is there in it to say that God cannot deny himself and that he cannot lye they are the words of the Apostle Titus 1.2 That which God hath purposed and decreed to be done he doth it of necessity of infallibility not of constraint or compulsion but of necessity of certainty why God is good he is onely good and cannot be evil he is good of necessity necessarily good he cannot be evil yet he is not constrained to be good no he is a voluntary and a free worker and no inconveniency or absurdity will follow upon this to say that God doth that upon necessity of infallibility which he hath decreed and purposed to be done Nay rather if we should say as some do that the purpose of God were alterable and changeable we should derogate from the wisdom of God and impeach it as if so be God by some after wisdom did see something whereof he before was ignorant which caused him to alter his mind and change his purpose and decree this were monstrous horrible and fearful blasphemy Object Again some will say If so be this be true that Gods eternal purpose and decree be thus unchangeable then those that God hath appointed to life and salvation must needs be saved this will follow then they must needs believe and if they must needs be saved they must needs believe and so they are forced to believe they believe of necessity they cannot otherwise choose and faith is forced upon them Answ I answer Gods elect they shall believe in time and that certainly and infallibly but not whether they will or no not by any inforcing of their wills not by any violence offered unto them the will of man is free no violence can force it but the Lord by the secret working of his holy Spirit doth cause it to be willing Ex nolentibus facit Deus volentes and doth alter and change the course and motion and work of the wills of men and makes them fit to receive grace and this is that Christ speaketh of Joh. 6.44 None can come to me except God the Father draw him what drawn by force no there is an alteration wrought by the inward work of the Spirit of God altering the motions of the will making the will willing to receive grace and faith and so when Gods elect do receive faith they receive it willingly when they come actually to believe the motion of their will is turned another way by nature they cannot but will and choose evil but the motions of their will is turned another way by the secret working of the holy Spirit of God and made willing so that we may resolve upon this that God hath from everlasting foreappointed some particular persons amongst men certainly and infallibly and so as that they cannot misse of coming to life and glory in heaven First of all let this teach us to savour this truth aright and to receive Vse 1 it into honest and good hearts take heed of abusing of it that we rightly conceive it and rightly apply it for many there be that do pervert and wrong this holy truth of God and grosly abuse it and like the spider suck poyson from sweet flowers many in the world do thus
reason upon this ground If so be I be appointed of God to life and salvation I shall surely be saved howsoever I live though I live most wickedly and be a a Drunkard a filthy person and a Usurer be I what I will be my sins cannot damn me Gods decree is certain and unchangeable Oh this kind of reasoning is all one in effect as if a man should speak thus why God hath given unto us his holy Word as the rule of holiness and yet hath therein opened unto us a gap for all manner of wickednesse and prophanenesse and lewdnesse which indeed is horrible blasphemy against the infinite wisdom of God we must know as God hath appointed some to life and glory in heaven so hath he appointed the means by which he will bring them to the possession of it what is that the way of Faith the way of holinesse without which no man shall see God to his comfort Heb. 12.14 what a foolish thing is it for men then thus to reason If I be appointed to life and salvation I shall be saved howsoever I live men will not so reason in the matters of the body will a man having received a grievous and sore wound in some part of his body say why if God hath appointed this wound shall be cured and healed it shall be healed though I never apply means salve or medicine to it And if God hath appointed me to live to such a time I shall live so long though I never eat nor drink nor use any thing for the preservation of this life were not this a madnesse and a folly So what madnesse and folly is it for men to reason thus in respect of their soules I am sure a child of God dare not so reason the seed of grace that is in the heart of a child of God will not suffer him and if thou so reason surely it is a fearful sign that God never appointed thee to life and salvation nay it is more then a probable sign though I will not determine of thy final estate that thou art a reprobate and in the estate of reprobation this is the devils logick and his manner of reasoning and used indeed by none but such as are irreligious and prophane Is it so that God hath from everlasting fore-appointed and fore-ordained Vse 2 some amongst men to the inheritance of heaven certainly and infallibly so as that they shall certainly come to the possession of it here is a ground of sweet and excellent comfort to as many as find themselves to be in that number they may assure themselves of it that they shall be eternally saved for God himself is sure with him there is no variablenesse nor shadow of changing Jam. 1.17 and this ought to stirre us up to labour to find our selves to be in that number in the number of Gods chosen and to give all diligence to make our election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 not sure in it self for so it is already but sure unto us in our assured knowledg of it that we know it certainly and infallibly that we appertain to God to give all diligence to this this is a matter of weight if we come near to that assurance that we are in the number of Gods chosen happy are we then though tryals and troubles and persecutions come as we may justly expect for great troubles and persecutions are ready to break in upon us they are at the door in evil and dangerous times we live and we may justly look that the fiery tryal should come upon us in regard of our sins to be bound at the stake now if we be out of the gun-shot in the state of grace and in the number of those that appertain to life and salvation what need we fear it no though our implacable enemies the blood-sucking Papists though they should prevail so far which the Lord avert and turn away from us yet if they should prevail to take away our lives by fire and faggot and most cruel torments we need not fear if we be in the number of Gods chosen then our everlasting good the good of our soules and bodies cometh to us they cannot hurt us our everlasting good of soul and body standeth upon a sure ground Gods foundation not mans foundation which is tottering and wavering and rotten so saith the Apostle the foundation of the Lord remaineth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 and all the devils and powers in hell cannot shake that foundation Quest I but some will say How shall I know and be assured of it that I am built upon this foundation hoc opus hic labor and that my estate is settled hereon and that I am in the number of Gods chosen Answ I answer there be many infallible notes of it onely take this one special note of it Gods eternal election of some to life and glory in heaven doth imprint the very image and stamp of it self in the souls of those that be elected the print and impression of it remaineth there and what is that why surely it worketh in them another Election God hath chosen them for his and it maketh them to choose God in Christ for their God and to choose the Saints of God the houshold of God above all others in the world to be their Companions and to delight in their Communion and society and fellowship Psal 16.2 above all other men in the world these be their darlings try then if thou find this effect in thy heart and soul that thou doest choose God to be thy God the Lord is thy lot and portion and the delight of thy soul Psal 16.5 and thou doest resolve to cleave fast unto God and to keep fast unto the truth and profession of it though all the world divert from it and follow Popery and Antichristianisme Josh 24.17 and to resolve even with good Joshua I and my house will serve the Lord Let all the world run after Baal after the Pope and after whom they will thou art resolved rather to shed thy dearest blood then to shrink from the sound profession of the Gospel yea God assisting thee in the very flames of fire thou wilt imbrace the profession of God and God for thy portion happy art thou then thou mayst certainly conclude thou art in the number of Gods chosen and though they rend and tear thy body in a thousand pieces they cannot pull thee from thy inheritance that is firm and stable therefore comfort thy self upon this evidence Not by works but by him that calleth THese words shew unto us that the purpose of God touching Election and Reprobation might not nor did not depend upon the works of Jacob and Esau but upon the free grace of God calling his elect in time effectually Here then we see the Apostle maketh an opposition and a contrariety and a flat Antithesis between these two things grace and works hence the observation is this That not the works of man
whatsoever they be Doctrine no not the good works of men have any hand or stroke in Gods election of some to life and glory in heaven and his effectual calling of some in time these two things they are merely and onely of the free grace of God and not of the works of man whatsoever their works be be they never so good or excellent works in themselves And this being the proposition that it may rightly be conceived and that we erre not in the beginning we must know that Gods grace in Scripture hath a threefold acception First it is taken for Gods free favour which is of the nature of God and essential unto him the places of Scripture are obvious and plain unto us Secondly The grace of God in Scripture it is taken for the working of grace so some Divines take it for the operation extending and reaching out that free favour unto others Thirdly it is taken for the gifts of grace whether those gifts be habitual or actual as faith love joy hope peace patience and the like these are stiled by the name of grace now the proposition that we deliver is That Gods election is of his free grace my meaning is it is not the gifts of grace but by grace we are to understand the free grace and favour of God and the reaching and extending of that grace in time so that this being premised the point is to be thus conceived That Gods eternal election of some to life and glory in heaven it is of the free grace and favour of God being extended and reached out to his chosen and not of the works of man be they never so good or excellent though they be the works of grace and for the proof of this it is manifest in Rom. 11.5 The Apostle saith that at this very day there is a certain remnant of the Jews under the election of grace then he subjoyneth in the sixth verse Now if it be of grace then not of works for then were grace no grace and if of works then not of grace for then were works no more works so that the Apostle maketh a flat opposition and a contrariety between works and grace that the one of these being admitted and granted the other cannot stand but must fall grace and works cannot stand together in the same case Ephes 2.8 9. saith the Apostle by grace you are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God and then he subjoyneth not of works lest any man should boast 2 Tim. 1.9 The Apostle speaking of God saith he hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own eternal purpose and grace and Titus 3.4 5. VVhen the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by the righteousnesse that we had done but of his own mere mercy he saved us These and many others do sufficiently evidence unto us the truth of the point That Gods free grace and favour is the cause of eternal election and not the works of men which are but splendida peccatam glittering sins Because God will have all the glory of all the good that cometh to his Reason 1 chosen or is done to them he will not impart his glory unto any other he will have the beginning the increase and consummation of it to come of his free grace and not of the works of man lest any man should take any part of the glory to himself Ephes 2.9 no not of the best works lest they should pride presume and magnifie themselves in their own good works and so detract from the glory of God and so mans mouth might be stopped Reason 2 The Lord will have his chosen to have sound and solid comfort in the certainty of their election and of their effectual calling not a comfort upon a rotten ground but sound comfort when Gods chosen come to be assured of it that they are in the number of Gods elect and have evidence that they are effectually called God will have that evidence and assurance of theirs to be built upon a sure ground namely upon his own free grace which is indeed unchangeable as his own blessed Majestie and essential in him and so a ground immoveable not built upon any works of theirs because they are variable and changeable in their own Nature it is true indeed Faith shall never fall away not by any immutability in faith it self but because grace doth continually support and uphold it but faith and good works of men in their own nature are variable and changeable weak and imperfect corruption cleaving unto them and unchangeablenesse belongeth neither to Saint nor Angel nor any thing but God himself it is his Attribute so that upon these two grounds we may resolve that Gods election and effectual calling is onely of his free grace and not of mans works Vse 1 First of all this truth is of great force and beareth strongly against the merit of good works which is held and taught by the enemies of Gods grace those of the Antichristian Synagogue of Rome whether it be merits of congruity or merits of condignity for this is their tenent the good things done by men before their conversion those do merit ex congruo but such as are done after calling those they magnifie and say they merit ex condigno by a kind of dignity equal to the works of glory that it is just with the Lord to give them salvation for it yea the point now delivered meeteth directly with that Popish conceit that grace and works do concur say they and so make a mingle mangle and hotch-potch grace and works do concur and meet together in the justification and salvation of a sinner they are good friends and at amity in flat opposition to the words of God which do teach that in the matter of justification and salvation these two are at odds in matter of good life faith and good works must be but not in matter of justification or salvation as they teach Again we find that justification and salvation they are by the Apostle derived and fetched from the very same beginning and cause namely the free grace and eternal love of God as well as election and vocation Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated them he called whom he called them he justified whom he justified them he also glorified so that election vocation justification and glorification come all from the same grounds Object 1 But yet further the Papists do seek to elude and to put out the clear light by many shifts as first of all say they the places alledged in Rom. 11. Ephes 2. and others where the Scripture maketh an Antithesis and opposition between grace and works you must know the meaning of the Holy Ghost his meaning is Ceremonial works not Moral works Ceremonial works have no hand in Justification Answ To this I answer The Apostle speaketh indefinitely shutting out all works whatsoever they
God Now these words our Apostle bringeth to prove that Gods promise of mercy grace righteousnesse life and salvation did not nor doth not belong to all that came of Abraham and Isaac by the course of Nature and that all Gods promises appertained not to the Israelites for saith the Apostle before those children which Rebekah had conceived in her womb by Isaac our Father before they were born when they had neither done good nor evil It was thus said unto Rebekah The elder of thy children shall serve the younger therefore those promises of God belong not to all that came of Abraham and Isaac by course of nature Now the words of this verse they are thus to be conceived That it was said unto Rebekah even by God himself that the elder of her children should serve the younger and should be in subjection to the younger and that the younger should rule over the elder And that this should be made good both personally in their persons and also historically in the Idumeans or Edomites which came of Esau and in the Israelites which came of Jacob yea I withal farther shewed you in laying open these words that these words had not onely a respect to a temporal Dominion and servitude the one should be a lord and the other a servant but they had a spiritual meaning and had respect to things concerning salvation and damnation and under these words the elder shall serve the younger we must understand that the one of Rebekahs children was chosen to salvation and the other refused and cast off to damnation so that we are thus to conceive the meaning of these words Now to come to stand upon the verse more particularly you see here our Apostle affirmeth it was thus said unto Rebekah even by God himself who cannot lye the elder of thy children shall serve the younger I will not curiously stand here to search in what manner or how the Lord made this known unto Rebekah touching the different estate of her children whether by dream by vision by Urim or Prophet a certain truth it is she received such an Oracle from God the Apostle affirmeth it that it was thus revealed by God who cannot lye he did manifest and make known thus much unto Rebekah when she was thus with child with her two children that the elder should serve the younger and that the one was received and the other rejected which thing without question when Rebekah heard it no doubt it troubled her much she not being without natural affection for a woman having two children in her womb and receiving this Answer from God consulting with him that the one was received of God and the other rejected and cast off it would be a hard Answer For a woman to consider surely one of my children is an elect child of God and the other a reprobate so doubtlesse it was a very unwelcome and a harsh and a very unpleasing answer unto her and yet we find that this good woman did not once mutter or reason against that Answer which was given unto her we find not one such thing in the Book of God she might have thought alas what one of my children reprobated to be damned in hell but she never uttered a word against this Answer of God but quieted her self in the good will of God revealed unto her and contented her self in the good will and pleasure of God thus delivered unto her Indeed we find that afterwards she set her love upon Jacob chiefly and used means though she failed in it as appeareth in Gen. 27.6 to the 14. she used means to get the special blessing she took away her chief love from Esau and set it upon her son Jacob her youngest son that should be lord over his brother and therein she followed the good will of God yet we find she did not once open her mouth to mutter against the good will of God for her son Esau's rejection Her example is imitable it is to be imitated and followed of us we are according to the example of this holy woman Rebekah to rest and to quiet our selves in the good will of God made known unto us touching the things that concern our selves or our children or those that belong unto us and not answer or open our mouthes to mutter against this good will of God though it seem clean crosse and contrary to our corrupt reason but to quiet our selves in God and not to repine against him for it is a bitter fruit of our cursed corruption for a man or a woman to mutter and reason against the good Will of God in such things as are harsh and hard and unpleasing unto us As to keep to the point if so be a Mother looking upon her little Infant lying in her lap born of her body have thus thought Alas my poor Babe I make much of thee I tender thee I nourish thee I dandle thee and yet it may be thou art a reprobate it may be thou art rejected of God it may be thou shalt one day become a firebrand of hell this is impious and monstrous and not to be thought on for it is a secret and secret things belong to the Lord Deut. 29.29 nay what do I propound this For some women there be that have discovered thus much this hath been their very thought they have thought I nourish thee my child and cherish and dandle thee and yet it may be thou art not a child of God but a reprobate this is wicked and impious and this is to go beyond our compasse to know whether the poor infant belongeth unto God or no for secret things belong unto God Deut. 29.29 and we are not to meddle with them what if the Lord should say unto a mother as he said unto Rebekah this little infant of thine that thou doest make so much of I have cast it out and have refused it it is a reprobate it is out of my love and favour we are then after the example of this woman Rebekah to trust confidently in this Will of God revealed with contentation and not to mutter no not in our very secret thoughts for the Will and Counsel of God though it be many times secret yet assuredly it is ever just yea that that is revealed unto us in the holy Word of God concerning the matters of duty or practise or faith or whatsoever it is we must rest upon it and not mutter against it Come we now to stand upon the speech of God himself the elder shall serve the younger these words being understood as before we have heard they do afford unto us two things of special good use and consequence as first of all it being thus spoken to Rebekah and that according to Gods eternal purpose and unchangeable Decree even of him that cannot lye the Doctrine hence is this Doctrine That not only the everlasting and heavenly estate and condition of men but also the different estates and conditions of men
here in this world are ordered by Gods decree and by his appointment some to be superiours and some to be inferiours even the several conditions of men in this world they are ordered by the decree of God and by his will and appointment some are Kings some are Princes some are Magistrates some Ministers and others in place of inferiority some rich some poor some publique persons some private persons it cometh not by hab nab by hap or chance but by the will and appointment of God and every mans several estate and condition in this world is allotted unto him according to the good will and pleasure of God one shall be a servant and the other a lord And to this purpose speaketh Hannah in the 1 Sam. 2.7 8. saith she The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth low and he exalteth he lifteth up the poor out of the mire and raiseth the needy from the dunghill and hence it is Paul saith he was an Apostle by the will of God in Col. 1.1 6. Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God and Gods eternal counsel And in Gal. 1.15 he saith God did separate him from the womb and set him apart to the office of Apostleship yea from everlasting and thus the Lord Jesus was called from the womb and set apart to be the Mediatour of the new Covenant Esay 49.1 Joh. 6.27 conferred together God the Father set him apart from everlasting to the office of Mediatourship and sealed him and Jer. 1.5 the Lord saith he sanctified Jeremiah from the very womb of his mother and ordained him in his decree before he came out of his Mothers belly to be a Prophet unto the Nations and in Gen. 45.5 it is said of Joseph that God sent him unto Egypt before to be the preserver of his Father and brethren you sold me saith he indeed but it was the Act of God that sent me to relieve you Dan. 5.21 saith Daniel the most high God of heaven and earth he appointeth over the Kingdomes of men whomsoever he pleaseth he setteth up and pulleth down the Scripture is plentiful to prove that the different estates of men are ordered and changed by God himself Reason Because Gods will and appointment and providence hath a hand in all things that come to passe in this world even the coming to passe of sinne it self is ordered and guided by the Lord to a good end yea the wonderful providence of God doth clearly shine and manifestly appeareth in that inequality that is amongst men that some are in high place some in low some are Magistrates some Governours some Kings some beggers herein appeareth the wonderful providence of God for God he is able and doth out of the several and sundry degrees of men gather a sweet harmonious agreement for the maintaining of civil society and fellowship between man and man with which it could not stand that howsoever they be all of one nature flesh and blood Kings with slaves yet it is the wisdom of God thus to dispose them into a sweet harmony and agreement without which it would fail First of all this may serve unto us as a prop unto our faith even to Vse 1 strengthen our faith in the providence and goodnesse of God touching Gods protection and assistance of us in our lawful callings and particular calling and conditions of life this may tell us and teach us that the Lord having called us and set us into any honest state and calling and condition of life we going on in it with a good conscience we may be assured that the Lord will protect and defend us and help and assist us so far as he seeth good for the doing of the duties of it the Lord severed us from the womb and set us apart to this particular estate of life he hath given us gifts fitting for it and willing minds to practise it will not he then strengthen us in our calling assuredly to the end he will so far as may be for his glory and our good it is an excellent speech of David Psal 22.9 10 11. thou diddest draw me out of the womb thou gavest me hope at the mothers brest I was cast upon thee from my mothers belly therefore now do not fail me when troubles are at hand thus may we pray unto God and say Lord thou hast sent me and severed me to this place and calling I am a Magistrate a Minister of this trade or that calling now Lord draw near unto me and strengthen me and defend me in this my calling this we may pray with much confidence and assurance Upon this ground we must learn contentment with the state and condition Vse 2 of life in which we are whatsoever it be for beggers must not be choosers and we are all no better yea also we must learn patience and contentment that we do practise the duties of our callings in which we are though we find many blocks and stones and rubs in the way go on in thy duty comfortably it may be thou art in a mean estate and condition in the world an underling it may be thou art a servant and under a very hard Master as Jacob was under the churlish Laban who saith he was pinched with the frost by night and burned with the Sun by day and broke his sleep and Laban changed his wages ten times it is Gods good will and pleasure thou shouldest serve such a Master Oh learn to lay aside all muttering and murmuring as to say why should not I be made a Master as well as a servant but remember it is Gods appointment of thee to that service Again art thou poor in regard of the outward good things of this life thou hast scarce from hand to mouth to feed thy body and belly withal know it is the will of God thou shouldst have but little and thou art to be contented with it and be as thankful for this as thou wouldest for a richer and ever rest contented take heed of whining and repining Oh I shall come to beggery I shall come to the almes of the Parish but learn thy duty to be contented with the estate and portion that cometh by the appointment of God and withal consider two things First the estate and condition of life in which thou art being appointed unto thee by the Lord it is doubtlesse the best estate and best condition for thee be it poor or rich thou being a child of God for God willing thy eternal and everlasting good he doth will that that is fitting for thee in this transitory passage in the world Again consider the good things of this life being no sure signes of Gods favour now then if thou be discontented with that part or portion of the good thing thou enjoyest in the use of lawful means and art ever whining and repining and sayest I shall come to misery and beggery I shall come to the almes of the Parish or such like it is
working of a change in him it will alter the corruption of his heart and turn him and make him a new man it will turn him from his stiffnesse and rebellion and make him pliable to the will of God and change him and bring him from the state of ignorance and unbelief rebellion and hardnesse of heart unto the state of saving faith saving knowledge and holy obedience to the will of God yea the Lord hath a time of calling and working upon the souls of men some at one hour some at another converting some at the third hour some at the sixth hour some at the ninth hour yea some at the eleventh hour Matth. 20.3 4 5. so that this must teach us not too rashly to condemn any man unconverted or uncalled Vse 2 Again Is this so that Gods eternal election is so powerful and so effectual as that it altereth the corruption of nature in time surely then upon this ground it followeth necessarily that a man may come to know and to be assured of it that he is one belonging to Gods election and that he is in particular in the number of Gods chosen would any man know it no doubt every man desireth it would any man know he belongeth to Gods election surely a man need not in this case to climb up into heaven and pry into the secret closet of the Lord and search the Court-Rolls of heaven whether he be there written or no no he may take a shorter course let him look into himself and dive into his own heart and soul try and examine how the case and state stands with him in respect of his own soul and if in his own soul he find that upon due tryal and examination this effect is wrought in him that he is now changed from what he was wont to be in his will in his affection in his mind and in the course of his life now not a drunkard or a proud person as he was wont to be now he is set out of the state of Ignorance and unbelief and disobedience to the will of God into the state of saving knowledge saving faith softnesse and pliablenesse to the will of God more particularly if so be now he find that he hath a new light set up in his mind his mind is inlightened with A glorious light by which he is able to understand the will of God and the wayes of God and the things of God which the natural man perceiveth not and he findeth his will disposed otherwise then it was heretofore he was stout and stubborn and disobedient to the will of God revealed in his Word but now he findeth in his heart plyableness yeelding to the Word of God no sooner can the Lord command a duty to be done but his heart answereth Lord this is my duty I ought to do it and I will certainly do it so when God forbiddeth a sin be it what it will be pride covetousnesse Sabbath-breaking he answereth I confesse it is my sin and I will forsake and leave it when the Lord forbiddeth his pride his garishnesse of apparel and long shaggy hair he will leave it off and also he findeth whereas it was odious and hateful for him to recapitulate and repeat the Word of God after publique exercises now he findeth it delightful to him and is made able in some measure he being truly set at liberty to follow the holy will of God or whatsoever the Lord revealeth in his Word he will imbrace the duty and omit and hate the sin be it whatsoever it will be here is a good evidence and upon this ground a man may certainly conclude that he belongeth to Gods election he yeeldeth obedience to all the Commandements of God no Commandement is hard unto him but he intirely yeeldeth to the whole though imperfectly Object Indeed the Papists deny this that a man in the time of this life can come to be assured that hr is in the state of grace and salvation by any ordinary course by Extraordinary course and Revelation they say he may but not by any ordinary course Answ Herein they are deceived for a man may by an ordinary course by secret examination of his own heart and will searching his Illumination Faith and Obedience he may know it infallibly Let us therefore hereby try and examine our selves and not presume that we belong unto God when indeed there is no such matter and never find this alteration and change wrought in our hearts and soules but men are the same to day as they were before still the same Ruffians yesterday the same to day Drunkards yesterday the same to day Sabbath-breakers the last Sabbath and Sabbath-breakers still And onely live as they are led by the light of Reason and the state of Nature to live a civil honest orderly life And for men or women upon this ground to perswade themselves that they thus belong unto Gods election they deceive themselves For there must be a further change wrought it is not thy civil honesty that will serve turn thou must have thy old rotten and corrupt heart taken out of thee Oh what striving will there be before that this be done but this thou must find even an alteration and a change that thou art now changed from the state of ignorance and unbelief into the state of saving knowledg and faith and obedience to the wole Will of God and then thou mayst conclude certainly I am in the number of Gods chosen if thou rest upon thy Civil honesty it is a rotten ground and foundation it will plunge thy soul into the bottom of hell when thou hast most need of comfort labour therefore to find this change wrought in thee Come we now to the thirteenth verse VERSE 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved But Esau have I hated OUr Apostle in this Verse maketh known whence it was that there should be such a great difference between these two brethren Jacob and Esau he giveth this reason of it namely that it was from the love of God to the one and Gods hatred of the other the Apostle citing a Text of Scripture to this purpose Mal. 1.2 3. so that in this verse our Apostle doth explain and expound the place of Genesis the elder shall serve the younger by this place of Malachy shewing the reason of the difference that it pleased God to put between these two brethren proceeding from Gods love and hatred In a word in this thirteenth verse there be two things in general to be considered First the Apostles citing of Scripture As it is written Secondly the testimony of Scripture which he alledgeth in the words following I have loved Iacob and hated Esau First in that he alledgeth Scripture As it is written yet the Apostle doth not cite either Book Chapter or Verse but putteth it down in the general whence I might stand to shew that we ought be so well acquainted with Scripture that when the text of Scripture
in the 1. of Malachy speaketh of things appertaining to this life it cannot be denyed but yet he speaketh not of those things onely he speaketh of those external things but not onely of those things For the drift of the Apostle in that place was to reprove the Jews for their unthankfulnesse to God In that they did neither honour God nor fear him for saith God Mal. 1.6 If I be a Father where is mine honour If I be a Master where is my fear who had indeed loved them effectually and testified his love in giving them a fruitful Land even the Land of promise and in the sequel he goeth on in a further matter and sheweth that God was angry with Esau for ever but he would be glorified and magnified in Jacob and in the borders of Israel as appeareth in the fourth and fifth Verses And therefore that testimony of the Prophet is not to be so applyed onely to things outward and temporal for the Lord saith he would be glorified in Jacob and he had hated Esau for ever but it concerneth the matter of eternal election and reprobation of which the Apostle in this Chapter treateth Come we now to the particular unfolding of these words I have loved Iacob and hated Esau Gods love it is essential in God it is of the same Nature with himself God is love saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 4.16 and so Gods love it is free even as his own blessed Majestie and it being extended and reached out unto man it is the free and eternal motion so I may describe it the free and eternal motion of Gods good will and pleasure the free motion and the eternal motion of Gods good pleasure touching the eternal and everlasting good of man God freely purposing and determining the everlasting good of man out of his good will and pleasure as the Apostle saith expresly in Ephes 1.5 we are predestinated to be adopted through Christ and that through the good pleasure of his will so then when God saith I have loved Jacob what is his meaning I have freely out of my own good will and pleasure nothing moving me thereunto I have freely and voluntarily from everlasting decreed the everlasting good of Jacob and his eternal salvation And I have hated Esau saith the text Now here some stumble and do think that this was spoken not simply but comparatively not simply I have hated Esau but comparatively and for this they say God indeed loved Jacob and Esau both though he loved not Esau with the same degree of love as he loved Jacob but with a lesse love and therefore it is said I have hated Esau and they instance in Deut. 21.15 where the Lord saith by Moses If a man hath two wives as in the Old Testament many of the Patriarks had the one is loved and the other hated this God speaketh not that a man that hath two wives hateth either but that he loveth the one not so well as the other as Jacob had Rachel and Leah he loved Leah with a lesse love then he did Rachel so that in comparison of Gods love to Jacob Gods love to Esau was a hatred But beloved these are exceedingly deceived for the Apostle calleth those whom God hateth in the 22. verse of this ninth Chapter of the Romans vessels of the wrath of God and his vengeance and therefore they are hated simply being vessels of his wrath to destruction And if we look in that text of Malachy alledged and duly consider it we shall find upon due examination that it will easily appear that God hated Esau simply Mal. 1.2 saith the Lord I have hated Esau and he doth exemplifie and make it appear that he hated Esau in that he laid his Mountain waste and a Wildernesse for Dragons as if he had said I have spoyled Esau of all his goods stripped him and turned him out naked and I have given his fair palaces and goodly houses for to be a den for Dragons if there had been any hope of Esau's coming to his habitation and palace and ancient possession then it may haply seem God did not hate Esau simply but comparatively but go on with the text Mal. 1.4 saith God Though Edom say we are impoverished and cast out and undone but we will return and build the desolate places yet saith the Lord of hosts they shall build but I will destroy and they shall be called The border of wickednesse and the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever that is against whom he proceedeth in wrath and Judgment for ever Oh see is this hatred but in comparison the Lord setting himself so purposely and professedly against Esau no it is simply Now for the simple meaning of the words I have hated Esau we must know hatred in Scripture applyed unto God it is not a disordered inveterate and distempered passion as it is in us but hatred applyed unto God in Scripture it signifieth three things First It signifieth a negation a denial of Gods love that God loveth not and chooseth not some to life and salvation that is the first signification of it Secondly hatred in Scripture applyed unto God it signifieth a just decreeing of punishment for sin and an inflicting of punishment for sin yea he hateth the wicked themselves Psal 5.5 thou hatest all the workers of iniquity Thirdly it signifieth Gods utter abhorring and disliking of that which is directly against Gods holy and righteous Law and so God is said to hate iniquity and sin as the breach and transgression of his most holy law so then the meaning of God in these words is this I have loved Jacob and hated Esau as if the Lord had said I have and that out of my good will and pleasure decreed and from everlasting purposed the eternal good of Jacob and his salvation and I have not out of that good will and pleasure of mine from everlasting so purposed and decreed Esau's eternal good nay I have before the world was in my secret counsel rejected him and have cast him off and refused him Come we now to such things as are observeable from hence and first of all observe the Apostle here maketh the ground of the advancement of Jacob over his brother Esau to be Gods love to Jacob in that he was preferred before Esau hence we may gather this conclusion Doct. That Gods free and eternal love is the cause of all the good that cometh unto Gods chosen both here in this world and hereafter in heaven all the good things in this life and the life to come even from a bit of bread to the glory of heaven they come from the good will and pleasure of God Jer. 31.3 the Lord saith unto his people Israel I have loved thee with â everlasting love then presently he subjoyneth therefore with mercy have I drawn thee And hence it is that the Lord maketh known that the good things he hath bestowed upon his chosen from time to time they have
issued and sprung from that ever springing fountain of the free love of God Exod. 19.4 he carried his people upon Eagles wings he did favour and do them good from time to time and so in Deut. 30.10 he chose Jacob and the seed of Jacob and brought his seed out of Egypt by a mighty power and Deut. 4.37 he turned the curse of Balaam to a blessing Numb 23.5 when Balaam thought to curse the people of God God turned it to a blessing so I might instance in many particulars how the Lord manifested his love unto his people one for all Joh. 3.16 where Christ saith God so loved the world or his chosen in the world that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life the free love of God was it that moved God to send his Son to be a Saviour unto them Indeed I grant that Gods chosen now believing in Christ they have the pardon of their sins and they have all good things vouchsafed unto them for Christ his sake even for Christ his sake God is pleased to vouchsafe unto them pardon of sin and all other dependents thereon for we must know that though God out of his free love decreed to make Christ a means and a Saviour by whom and through whom men should have pardon of their sins conveyed unto them that he should be the conduit and person that they should receive it by yet the fountain and chief ground is Gods eternal love so that the first cause the first ground of all good things that come unto Gods chosen here and hereafter in heaven it is Gods free love and his free good will and pleasure though Christ be the means of conveyance Because God being most free as he is liberrimum agens he will not have Reason 1 any good thing come from any thing out of himself Because no good can be given above the good will and pleasure of God Reason 2 Christ himself saith so that we have nothing but the free and eternal pleasure of God so that this plainly sheweth Gods free love is the ground of all good things First of all this Doctrine doth put down a main difference plain and Vse 1 manifest between Gods love unto us and our love unto others we love others in respect of some good some worth we see some good quality some excellent and worthy thing in them which doth attract and draw our love unto them we see some beauty some wit some learning some strength or the like that draweth our love unto them and knitteth our hearts unto them and indeed we are bound so to do to love others in respect of their beauty wit learning and the Image of God in them in any manner Now with God there is no such matter our love is bounded and grounded and set upon some excellency or worth in the creature even our very enemies but with God there is no such matter his love is not stirred up nor caused by any good worth or excellency in us or any goodnesse in us no not by any thing out of himself Indeed I grant God loveth his own Image being renued in us and the more we are renued of God the more holy the more religious the more pleasing to God and the more dear and pretious to him God loveth his own Image in us actually but the cause of that is his eternal free love so that though the Lord love us we being renued and holy and righteous yet the cause is his eternal free love which proceedeth not from any thing out of himself but onely his free good will and pleasure Is this so that all good things in this life and the life to come do proceed Vse 2 from the good will and pleasure of God Upon this ground we must learn then to indeavour in every good thing we enjoy yea in the good things of this life that we have and possesse to see Gods love unto us in them to see in the bread we eat the apparel we clothe our selves withal and the good things we enjoy to see Gods love unto us It is not sufficient for us to know that the outward good things of this life are good things in themselves blessings of God a man may go so far by the very light of nature to know that meat and drink and maintenance is a blessing of God and there is no comfort in this knowledge no we must be able to know that these good things come out of Gods free and eternal love and to be blessings unto us in particular and that they flow out from Gods free and eternal favour wherewith he had loved us before the world was and that they coming thus we may use the Apostles form of thanksgiving Ephes 1.3 blessed be God our heavenly Father who hath blessed us with all heavenly and with all temporal good things with this health with this wealth this apparel but some may say how is that to be done I answer Labour thou in the first place to get thy part in the blood of Jesus Christ labour thou to apprehend and apply the merits of Christ his death and obedience to thine own soul by a true saving faith and never rest untill thou hast a true and a saving faith to apply and to apprehend the merits of Christ to thy soul for in Christ alone is the spiritual right and title of all good things applyed to Gods chosen Secondly having gotten this labour thou to find that the outward good things of this life they do stirre thee up and provoke thee forward to love God to fear God to walk humbly before the Lord and to be thankful unto his holy Majesty the outward good things of this life thou hast a true right and title unto them and are means to help thee forward in the wayes of God and to walk humbly before the Lord thy meat thy drink thy apparel are means to help thee forward to thy salvation and to further thee in the way of salvation And it is not with thee after the manner of the men of the world to abuse the good things of this life to vanity and pride to set out their hearts in pride of apparel garishnesse of attire riot and excesse as some do that a man may say and easily discern there is a proud person however you will say under a russet coat may be a proud heart yet a man may say where there is smoke there is fire It breaketh out in their foreheads and foretops and in their long shag'd ruffian-like hair and in their exteriour parts a man may say they are clothed with cruelty and pride hangeth as a chain about their necks Psal 73.6 and their houses and lands are priviledged places for all manner of abomination impiety and ungodlinesse and no man may speak against them especially being men of place and authority great men their greatnesse doth priviledge their places and houses for all manner of impious and abominable courses
Oh take heed thou use not thy wealth as they do but the more bountiful the Lord is in pouring his blessings upon thee the more humble thou art the more holy thou art the more thy heart is inlarged with righteousnesse and in walking before God and in all thankfulnesse yea thereby thou art made ready and fit for every good work thy heart is not lock't up to choak the seed of the Word in thy heart but they open thy heart and thy hand and make thee ready to every good work to reflect upon the poor members of Christ the more thou hast the more abundant thou art in good works then certainly thou mayest conclude that God hath blessed thee with thy wealth and they are testimonies of Gods love to thee and God hath manifested his love unto thee which he bare before the world was and thou mayest certainly conclude God loveth thee indeed As it is written I have loved Iacob and hated Esau LEt us now proceed unto farther matter offered unto us from this testimony of the Prophet I have loved Jacob and hated Esau here cited by the Apostle and here we see that God did not onely love Jacob for the time present but also loved him from everlasting hence I observe thus much briefly Doctrine That Gods chosen they were alwaies beloved of God there can be no time given wherein Gods chosen were not beloved of God God loved his chosen before they had a being in the world yea before the world was and we cannot possibly prescribe a time when God loved not his chosen or when he began to love his chosen no his love was from everlasting Reason For as all other things were ever present unto God things past things present things to come they were all present unto him from everlasting he did look upon them uno intuitu with one full sight so were his chosen as many as belonged to his election he loved them before the foundations of the world was so that no time can be given wherein God began to love his chosen Object I but some may say doth not the Scriptures point out that though Gods children be now beloved of God yet there was a time when they were enemies of God as in Rom. 5.10 yea doth not the Apostle say in the Ephes 2.3 that they were children of wrath how can it be then that no time can be pointed out when they were hated of God It is true indeed the Scripture doth note out this unto us Answ that they are by nature children of wrath as well as others and we are to believe it to be a truth That Gods chosen before their effectual calling and conversion are enemies to God and God is an enemy unto them before their effectual calling and conversion in respect of sin and because of sin which is opposite and contrary to good and to God himself which is good yet even then Gods chosen are beloved of God in regard of election and even then God loveth his elect before their effectual calling as his elect uncalled and with that degree of his love which he beareth to his elect uncalled yea God maketh it appear manifestly that he loveth them as his elect uncalled in that he giveth unto them in time true repentance for if he did not love them he would not give them repentance and therefore they were then beloved of God as his elect in time to be called and he doth work upon them in time saving grace true conversion true faith and sanctification which are things tending to life and salvation and doth he give these to reprobates as testimonies of his love to them he loveth not no certainly he doth not and therefore certainly we may resolve upon this That God loveth his elect from everlasting and no time can be given when he loved them not Upon this ground it followeth that the Anabaptists and other such Vse 1 erring spirits are deceived in that they hold this as their tenent that God doth purpose and decree the salvation of some before the world was but God doth onely then actually choose them when he seeth faith and repentance in them For if this were true surely then God loveth not any sinner to life and salvation till he seeth repentance in them which is clean contrary to the truth of God now delivered That no time can be given wherein God loved not his chosen This being so that no time can be given wherein God loved not his chosen Vse 2 surely then upon this ground we may conclude to our comfort we being such that belong to Gods election that Gods love shall be continued unto us for ever as Gods love unto us unto life and salvation hath no beginning but is eternal so also it shall be without end as we cannot point out the time of beginning no more can we of the continuance but as God hath loved us from everlasting so doubtlesse he goeth on not only within his own blessed Majestie but in his love to us he goeth on continually without alteration or shadow of changing Joh. 13.1 whom he loveth he loveth unto the end so that this may be a ground of sweet and excellent comfort to as many as find themselves wrought upon by the Spirit of God and find Gods love shed abroad in their hearts that Gods love is everlasting for the beginning and continuance of it Now proceed we further I have loved Jacob and hated Esau here we see that as Gods love to Jacob was the cause of Jacobs advancement and preheminence so Gods hatred to Esau was the cause of Esau's servitude and subordination hence I might stand to shew that Gods hatred is the soveraign and chief cause of all evils of punishments that befall the wicked in this life and hereafter though sin be the next and subordinate cause yet the soveraign the main the chief the grand and Mother cause is Gods hatred but this I will not stand upon but rather note out the particular application of Gods hatred against Esau and observe we to that purpose it is here said God hated Esau that particular person Esau which being understood as before expounded affordeth unto us this conclusion That God hath from everlasting certainly decreed the rejection of some particular persons among men even of Esau and of such as Esau was Doct as God from everlasting decreed the election of some to life and salvation so hath he also decreed certainly the rejection and refusing of others for even as he loved the one so he hateth the other And this ground of truth hath evidence and proof of it in other places of Scripture in the 1 Thess 5.9 saith the Apostle he hath not appointed us to wrath but that we should obtain salvation by the means of Jesus Christ thereby implying that some are appointed of God to wrath and in his eternal counsel God hath appointed that some shall never come to life and salvation and in 1 Pet. 2.8 the Apostle
affirmeth that some there are that stumble at the Word of God which is indeed a common stumbling block Gods children walk evenly with an even foot in the waies of God according to the will of God but some there be that stumble being disobedient unto which before the world was they were appointed and ordained so in Jude 4. verse The Apostle speaketh of some that were of old before the world was ordained to condemnation denying the Lord Jesus the Lord of life and glory Indeed the Scripture is not so plentiful in this matter of reprobation as it is in the matter of election and why so surely because the purpose of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture is principally to make known unto Gods chosen Gods eternal good will and his eternal love to manifest and to signifie Gods good will and good pleasure to his chosen and the main and chief drift of the Holy Ghost in the written Word of God is to bring Gods chosen to certain hope of life and salvation 1 Pet. 1.3 that they may be begotten to a lively hope yet though this be sparingly set down in the matter of rejection and reprobation yet it is set down plainly and sufficiently that God hath certainly refused some and cast them off for ever And beloved this being a high mystery that we may not misconceive or misunderstand it we must know that there is a difference to be put and a distinction to be made between Gods decree of rejecting of some and the execution of his decree God hath decreed absolutely from everlasting and before the world was without respect to any thing in them or any thing he did foresee would be in them their rejection Now the execution of his Decree is with the respect of sin the decree is absolute but the execution is with respect had to sinne and for sin doth God execute his wrath in time upon those that were rejected before time for their infidelity and their sin foregoing which is the proper cause of damnation and no man is damned but for sin Object I but some will say if God hath thus decreed the rejection and casting off of some for ever surely such persons cannot possibly be saved they can never come to heaven and so consequently they must needs sin that they may be damned and therefore they sin of necessity Answ To this I answer Such as are rejected of God they do indeed sin necessarily but how by necessity of consequent not of antecedent by necessity of certainty and infallibility not by necessity of constraint or compulsion they being rejected of God God leaveth them to themselves and to the cursed corruption of their hearts and so they sin willingly and freely by the necessity of infallibility yet Gods decree doth not compell them to sin but it cometh from their own cursed corruption as the proper cause of it And so we are still to clear God that we do not make him the author of sin as the Anabaptists say we do now this being cleared come we to the use of it Vse 1 This being so that God hath from everlasting decreed the rejection of some and casting off for ever In the first place learn we to know this as a holy divine and eternal truth of God and we must be stirred up upon this ground to a holy reverence and holy admiration of the wonderful and unspeakable power of God over his creatures and take heed we cavil and reason not against it and labour not to bring this high mystery and point of divinity within our shallow brains and consider that we are but creatures and we may not presume to prescribe a law of Justice to the Creator we are creatures silly worms we must not take upon us to say Oh it is unjust cruel and hard for God so to do for he is Justice it self and whatsoever we imagine or think to the contrary yet Gods will maketh the thing willed to be good just and holy because it is willed of him who cannot will amisse though it be hard and harsh to our corrupt reason God hath willed the rejection of some and this thing willed by God is good for God cannot will amisse This being a truth Oh then it concerneth us to look unto it and to Vse 2 take heed that we see to our selves whether we stand in the mercy of God or no and have hope of Gods mercy vouchsafed to us Oh labour we to find our selves not in the number of those whom God hath rejected and cast off for ever for some such there are but labour to find that we be in the number of those whom God hath received to mercy And consider howsoever Gods mercy is infinite and endlesse yet Gods mercy admitteth of a limitation and a restraint in respect of man for it shall not be reached out and extended to all men in the world without exception no nor to many that make full account of it in their own imagination and flatter themselves that Gods mercy belongeth unto them And therefore in the fear of God take heed we do not in this case deceive our selves labour we to find our selves to outstrip and go beyond a reprobate and to find in our selves that that cannot possibly be found in a reprobate this is that we should chiefly aym at and intend to reach to and never rest untill you come to find such things in your selves that cannot possibly be in one whom God hath cast off But you will say Quest. What are those things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate a needful question Beloved they are many Answ yet I will onely commend unto you two special things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate What are those The first is a thorow and true change both of the heart and life Two things which are never found in any Reprobate from evil to good as you heard not long since Gods eternal election bringeth forth an alteration so the first thing must be this a sound thorough and true change wrought in the whole man not in the memory the understanding or the tongue onely but in the rest and throughout not as many that have onely left some sins as the beastly adulterer for want of ability to follow it but they are changed throughout and have the power of grace wrought in them by the means of grace the Word Prayer and the Sacraments they have true grace wrought in every part of their body and power of the soul by the use of the means for howsoever God is not tyed to means he can work without means yet God doth ordinarily work where he vouchsafeth means And they that live under the meanes and have not grace they are in a fearful case The second thing that cannot be found in a Reprobate Psal 38.3 Rom. 7.24 is a groaning under sin and that because it is sin not for fear or shame or by-respects and especially under such sins as no eye of man
God and wrest wrong conclusions especially if that doctrine be applyed home particularly and brought home to our soules if we touch their carelesse bands or the long shaggy hair of their heads then they startle and flye and fume out against the truth of God surely beloved this concerneth us for if the Word did not flye home to our hearts to the particular sins we are guilty of then they would lye still but because it doth Oh what a stir what a striving what a combustion there is about such a matter as the shaggy hair carelesse bands and such like And therefore we must come to the truth of God with holy and sanctified hearts as God saith Luke 8.15 the good ground that receiveth seed receiveth it with an honest and good heart and that thou mayest have it indeed observe these two things First labour to empty thy self of all pride Directions how to hear profitably 1 Pet. 2.1 2. and self-conceit of thy own Judgment of thy own will and come to the hearing and reading of the Word of God with an humble heart with meeknesse of spirit lay aside pride and swelling conceits and lifting up of the mind that thou canst understand it better then the Preacher yea trembling at the holy Word of God for as the Prophet saith Esay 66.2 To this man will I look to him that trembleth at my words not to him that sitteth as a Judge and in Psal 25.9 and the 14 verse The secrets of the Lord shall be revealed to them that stand in fear and reverence of his holy Majestie Sequitur superbos ulter à tergo Deus and for the want of this fear and reverence and awe of this great Majesty of God it is that men do dare to be so bold as to draw such conclusions from the Word of God for then are men onely fit to hear and read the Word of God aright when the pride of their heart is brought down and the swelling of their reason is brought down and humbled when carnal reason and natural affections are laid aside and brought under by some afflictions a man that is under the hand of God in some affliction in some great distresse then he is most tractable and then he will hear you when at another time he will kick and spurn against you in time of health and scorn the Minister and the Word but in time of sicknesse now send for the Minister now call him then they are fitted to receive his counsel therefore learn to lay aside all pride of heart Secondly Direct 2. we must come to the hearing and reading of the Word of God with a heart lift up unto God in prayer as we must come empty of pride so also lifted up in prayer never touch the Book of God but lift up thy heart unto God in prayer to give thee a right understanding of his Word not as many do rush upon the book of God carelesly and never pray unto God to guide them in the truth of it for no man doth know the will of God unlesse God giveth his Spirit the book of God is a sealed book and a book locked up impossible it is to understand it unlesse God by his Spirit open it 1 Cor. 2.11 No man knoweth the mind of man but the spirit of man so no man knoweth Gods spiritual mind but his Spirit a man may be diligent in hearing and reading the Word of God and yet understand it grosly because the Lord doth not guide him and because he prayeth not unto God to be guided and directed in the hearing of it remember to lift up thy heart unto God in prayer for want of which many hear read from time to time and after much reading and hearing are never the better It may be thou art a man of great knowledg and wisdom in the world yet in comparison of Gods wisdom in his Word thou art a fool and must cast away all conceit of thy own righteousnesse and understanding and come trembling to the Word of God and not read it as many do to jest and make themselves merry at it shall the Lyon roar and none of the beasts tremble shall the Word of God be read and we jest at it for our merriment Oh rather labour to come with an humble heart and hearty prayer unto God and then thou shalt be kept from perverting the Word of God VVhat shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid IN these words our Apostle stoppeth the mouthes of carnal Reasoners VVhat shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God is therefore God unequal and partial is God therefore unjust in his dealing no saith the Apostle far be it from us You see then the Apostle doth utterly disclaim that direful conclusion that because God hated Esau and loved Jacob and that freely without any respect to the one or the other or any thing foreseen in them therefore God is unjust and partial and unequal in his doings with men this the Apostle renounceth and disclaimeth I will not here as some would do run out into the common place of Gods Justice to an extravagant discourse and stand to avouch that God is just holy and righteous and we are so to acknowledge him But keeping my self as near as possibly I can to the Apostles meaning and not to flye out to that which is not pertinent to the text And hence note we thus much Doctrine That God is most just in his free and in his absolute and eternal decree both of election and reprobation The Lord having from everlasting e're the world was freely without respect had to any thing either good or evil purposed and decreed some particular persons amongst men out of his mere good will and pleasure to life and salvation and as freely rejected others for ever he is therein most just and that free and eternal decree of God is also most just and holy and righteous for why we must consider God in this act in this businesse of his decree of salvation and rejection not as a Judge but as a Soveraign Lord as having mere and absolute power over his creatures to do with them what he will and as being not bound to any creature in any kind whatsoever not respecting the fall of man or this or that particular whatsoever no he hath absolute power and authority to choose some and reject others without any injustice or any wrong at all whatsoever flesh and blood or the carnal reason of man doth imagine he hath soveraign power over his creatures and that he holdeth God is God alone and it is his prerogative royal and belongeth to no creature in heaven or earth to do with his own what he will Matth. 20.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own this is Gods prerogative and peculiarly belongeth unto him so in the 15 verse of this Chapter he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy The
Lord at the last opened mine ears and eyes and enlightened my mind gave me understanding and made me see what I would not see he touched my heart with his grace and the power of his Spirit and changed my Affections whereas before I had no mind of heaven no desire of salvation untill he made me see what I have not he hath not dealt thus with all many thousands there be that go on without this touch of heart and remorse of conscience without this powerful work of grace they go on in their sins though they hear the Word from Sabbath to Sabbath what was I better then they surely nothing at all by Nature Oh then how am I bound unto God nothing moving the Lord to shew mercy unto me but onely his mere good will and pleasure how am I bound to magnifie the goodnesse of God And indeed this is that glory of the free mercy of God which the Lord would have us to yeeld unto him he would have us to yeeld unto him this glory of his free mercy and how pleasing this is to God and how the Lord esteemeth of this magnifying of his mercy may appear by that description Exod. 34 6 7. The Lord the Lord strong merciful gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth Reserving mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. Thus the Lord doth proclaim himself for this is that wherein the Lord doth take delight to have the glory of his free mercy given unto him And this is the name by which the Lord Jesus will be known to his Elect and chosen in all ages I am a merciful God this is the name by which I will be magnified and in which he delighteth that we should give him the glory of his mercy that we can say when the Lord vouchsafeth mercy unto us that it proceedeth onely from the Lords free will And know that it is not more vile pride in a Begger to attribute the almes that is given unto him unto his own deserts then it is for us to ascribe any the least mercy that God vouchsafeth unto us to our own worthinesse it is monstrous pride in a beggar to ascribe the almes that are given him to his own deservings But it is far more for thee to ascribe and attribute that to thy self which is freely given of God Let us therefore consider that every rag we have it is of the free mercy of God Oh did proud persons consider this they would not so gorgiously adorn themselves and disgrace the holy profession of God if they did consider they have nothing but from the free Fountain of Gods mercy nothing moving him they would not be such carelesse fellowes in their careless bands which sheweth their carelesnesse as they be Vse 3 Again Is Gods mercy reached out unto his chosen most free and depending upon nothing out of God himself surely then a child of God one to whom God hath reached out saving mercy may conclude and gather to his comfort that Gods saving mercy it shall never be removed from him but abide with him for ever for why it dependeth upon the free will of God and that is unchangeable even as God himself And I may say as Pilate saith in Joh. 19.32 when he had written a superscription over Christ and they demanded why he writ so he answered quod scripsi scripsi what I have written I have written so may the Lord say I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Mal. 3.16 I am Jehovah I change not Mercy is mine and who shall take it from me shall the devil no nor all the powers in hell can hinder or frustrate the will of God Oh then consider to thy comfort God hath reached out his mercy to thee and he will never take it from thee for he hath said I will have mercy on whom I will VERSE 16. So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth But God that sheweth mercy THe Apostle in this Verse determineth the point touching Gods Justice in his free choyce of some particulars amongst men to life and salvation In the Verse foregoing he proveth it by the speech of God unto Moses that God hath free liberty and absolute power to shew mercy unto whom he will and compassion to whom he will without respect had to any thing in them Now the Lord having thus described his shewing of mercy merely to depend upon his good will and pleasure hereupon our Apostle in this 16. verse doth bring in a consectarie and infer this conclusion that therefore Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation is not to be ascribed unto the will or unto the works of any man but unto Gods free grace in shewing of mercy So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy In this 16. verse the general things are two First a removal of that which is not the cause of Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation and what is that mans willing and mans running it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth Secondly the describing and the assigning of the onely true and proper cause of Gods choosing of some to salvation and that is Gods shewing of mercy but in him that sheweth mercy Now I will lay forth the sense and meaning of the words of this verse So then or So therefore it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã In the text Original these words it is are not to be found but they are necessarily to be supplyed So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth what is that that is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth surely that which the Apostle had spoken of Gods eternal election of some to life and salvation that is not in him that willeth nor runneth Some do here understand Jacobs willing and running particularly but by their favour that is too narrow and too strict for the purpose of the Apostle is more large and general these words being a conclusion of the verse foregoing I will have mercy on him on whom I will And this word him must have as large a sense as the words in the verses foregoing yet Jacob is not to be excluded but rather included and so the meaning is it is not in Jacob or in any other man that willeth or runneth in him that willeth That is in him that willeth and desireth good and endeavoureth after that which is good and that by the power and strength of his mind will and affections or any part or all the powers and faculties of his soul nor in him that runneth We are not to understand as some do Esau's runing onely no nor yet Jacobs running to the fold to fetch a Kid for his father Gen. 27. but the meaning is it is not in him that worketh as it is not in
throughout all the earth That is the praise and glory of my power and my Justice appearing in the destruction of thee so mighty a King might be published and might be spread abroad in every part and corner of the world and might be every where spoken of in every part and corner of the world So then thus conceive the meaning of the Apostle in these words as if he had said For God said in his written Word in his holy Scripture unto Pharaoh Exodus 9.16 For this very cause for this very purpose have I with-held my grace and hardned thy heart a fruit following the rejection of thee and I have stirred up my messengers to come to deliver my judgements unto thee and have caused thee not to profit by my judgements and my messengers and I have caused thee to harden thy heart and to exalt thy selfe against me that I might make thee to see and feel the force of my hand and of all my power in the bottome of the Sea and that all other my people and all in the world may see and take notice of thy destruction and my power in destroying so mighty a king Come we now to matter of Observation and Doctrine and first of all observe the Apostle here he speaketh and alledgeth Scripture as he had done heretofore and as he doth frequently and often in this Chapter to ground the matter that he hath in hand upon the Scriptures hence followeth this conclusion Doctrine That the Scriptures the written Word of God hath sufficient ground touching all fundamental Truths of God It is a sufficient rule and ground to guide us in all things and all matters both of Faith and of good life the holy Scriptures they doe contain in them all things needful to be known to be believed and to be practised of us to life and salvation to this purpose is that in 2 Tim. 3.16 17. where the Apostle Paul saith to Timothy Thou hast known the holy Scriptures of a childe which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through the faith of Iesus Christ For the whole Scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable to teach to improve to correct in righteousness and to make the man of God absolute and perfect in every good work it is able to make a man intire in godliness I know the Cavil of the Papists against this clear evidence of Scripture for they seek to illude the evidence of this Text in this maner It is true indeed say they the Apostle saith the Scripture is profitable but where doe you finde he saith it is sufficient A meer shift and easily answered for the Apostle saith not barely that the Scripture is profitable and there stay himself and goe no further but he doth point out unto us to what use it serveth it is profitable and it is profitable to to teach to instruct and to improve and to make a man absolute and intire in every good work Is it not then sufficient a foolish cavill so in the 15 verse of the same Chapter saith the Apostle the Scripture is able to make a man wise unto salvation Is not the Scripture then sufficient it is able to bring a man unto Heaven and yet say the Papists it is not sufficient certainly it cannot be denied but that the whole Scripture containeth all things needful to life and salvation and to make a man to come to Heaven would any man desire more sufficiencie then this the reason is Reason Because the written Word of God it is the breath of the holy spirit of God so saith the Apostle it is given by inspiration from whom from the Devil No from the holy Spirit of God the holy Ghost And in the Scripture Gods will is made known unto his chosen and as I have often said Gods Word is his Epistle and love-letter sent unto his children to guide them in the way of life and salvation Psalm 119.105 It is a lanthorn to their feet and a light unto their paths to guide them in every step they tread as a lanthorn and light doth guide a man in dark and obscure places so doth Gods Word guide them in the way of life and salvation And hath God bestowed upon his Church and chosen a guide insufficient that is not able to lead them to Life and salvation but to suffer them to wander into by paths of errors and sinnes no it is blasphemous so to think for the holy Scripture doth contain all things needful to be known and practised both for life and manners Wickedly then deal the Papists in this in that they joyne to the written Applicat 1 Word of God their own unwritten traditions their unwritten verities to make up and supplies as they imagine the imperfection in the holy Word of God the Word is not a sufficient rule unless the unwritten verities of the Church be joyned to it what is this but to offer injurious dealing to the great Lord of Heaven and earth and to his Word that we must supply his wisedome as insufficient with something of mans foolish brain Is the Scripture the written Word of God sufficient to guide us in all Vse 2 matters of Faith and good Life and in all things necessarie to be known to salvation learn we then to acknowledge it so to be and learn we to cleave fast unto it as the onely sufficient rule to guide us in the way that leadeth unto Life and salvation in all matters of Faith and good manners and take heed we be not carried away from the Truth of God 2 Thess 2.2.1 either by spirit by letter or by word or to speak plainly take heed we be not deluded neither by vision nor revelation besides the Word of God as the Anabaptists and Familists teach nor by the traditions of Rabbins and great learned men neither by the writings of those that are ancient Fathers and Doctours For this is an ancient device of the Papists to wrest into the Church such and such speeches tenents and bastardly writings and father them upon the ancient Fathers and Doctors of the Church thereby to draw men to errour and sinne Now we know not how soon we may be tried in this very kind and therefore it concerneth us we had need to look unto it and to hold fast to the written Word of God And take heed we admit not of everie thing whatsoever or whosoever bringeth it under what counterfeit soever they offer it Though a great Rabbine or a great Doctor bringeth it yet if we find him to swerve and dissent from the written Word of God and have no ground nor footing there disclaim it For this is that they triumph in they have they think the great Rabbins and learned men of the world and above all take heed of practising what they teach contrarie to the written Word of God Object I but some will say how shall I be certain that the Scripture is Scripture you tell me that I must
of God melt within him for joy When he considereth the infinite love of God unto him in his election it maketh his heart to break within him and especially when he considereth it together with the rejection of others comparatively that he poyseth his salvation was so dear and precious to the Lord that the Lord preferred him before many thousands in the world equal to him and every way comparable and in his saving mercy vouchsafed to choose him to life and salvation and rejected others Oh this maketh the heart of a childe of God to break within him for joy Oh the comfort of this Doctrine is wonderful great to consider it arightly it stirreth up a child of God by all means possible to magnifie the great and unspeakable goodness of God and therefore the Doctrine of Reprobation is not to be kept secret but ought to be taught and published Again The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh for this purpose have I stirred or raised thee up That is as I shewed you in opening the words for this same purpose have I withheld my grace and hardened thy heart even in my just Judgment hardened thy rebellious heart and made thee not to profit by my messages sent unto thee by the mouth of my servant Moses and by my Plagues and Judgments Now Gods hardening of Pharaoh it was without question a manifest sign of Pharaohs Reprobation that Pharaoh was a Reprobate and a cast-away and that God hath rejected him for observe it and you shall never find in all the Scripture read it from the beginning to the end never shall you find Gods hardening applyed unto any in Scripture but unto Reprobates so then the observation hence is this Doctrine That God hardeneth Reprobates and none but reprobates are hardened by God As saving faith is proper to Gods elect and therefore called the faith of Gods elect in Titus 1.1 So Gods blinding and hardening are things proper and peculiar to the Reprobate and whomsoever God doth blind and harden by the malice of the devil out of all question those persons are in the state of Reprobation I meddle not now with the manner of Gods hardening for that belongeth to the next verse but onely I point out the subjects of Gods blinding and hardening and I say they onely are Reprobates and none but Reprobates are hardened of God And hence it is that we find in Scripture that it is said that God departed from and forsook some particular persons being Reprobates Indeed the Lord doth many times withdraw himself from his Chosen withdraw the light of his countenance from his best children but he doth never depart from them altogether never forsake them utterly Now we read in Scripture of some that God departed from finally in the 1 Sam. 18.12 it is said that the Lord departed from Saul and not onely forsook him but sent an evil spirit a Devil to torment him and gave him up to be tormented of his own vile lusts to anger and fear to envy and hatred to envy David And thus also we find God gave up the reprobate heathen unto their own hearts lusts in Rom. 1.21 God gave them up to their very hearts lusts and in the 26. verse he gave them up to vile affections and in the 28 verse he goeth a step farther he gave them up reprobate to minds to do things not comely And in the 2 Thess 2.10 the Apostle saith expresly that those persons whom Satan by Antichrist shall seduce and draw into errours by his lying wonders and signes who are they such as perish whose comeing saith the Apostle it is with the working of Satan and in all power of signes and lying wonders and in all powers of the Devil and shall deceive whom those that perish those that shall be damned those that shall be strongly deluded and drawn into the errour of Papisme Beloved I will not affirm all Papists shall perish I doubt not but God hath some of his chosen in Rome in Babylon in the chief seat of Antichrist as it is said in Revel 18.4 Come out of Babylon my people you that are there come out so that I will not say all that are seduced shall be destroyed but the living and vital members of Antichrist such as are relieved by him whom God hath given to be seduced and to be the peculiar limbs and members of the Devil and of Antichrist such as they are shall perish and utterly be destroyed in the 2 Corinth 4.3 4. If the Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish to them that shall go into hell and be damned whom the god of this world the devil hath blinded their eyes that they should not see the glorious Gospel undoubtedly shewing that such that are blinded by Satan and are hardened by God and are given over to a Reprobate sense they are such that shall perish and be damned Reason 1 Because God never blindeth any but to this end that the truth of God to salvation might not be seen of them nor be acknowledged by them And God hardeneth not any but it is to this end to deprive them of all possibility of repentance to remove from them all possibility of amendment to this end the Lord doth blind that the means of salvation might not be seen and to this end the Lord doth harden that they might not have any amendment Esay 6.9 10. saith the Lord to his Prophet Go and say to this people you shall see and not perceive you shall hear and not understand but your hearts shall be hardened so this is the cause why the Lord doth blind and harden lest they should see and understand and so become righteous to salvation so that the Lord doth harden none but Reprobates and whosoever the Lord doth blind and harden by the malice of the devil undoubtedly they are in the state of reprobation First of all this being a truth it discovereth unto us the miserable and Vse 1 fearful estate and condition of all that are given over to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart to do whatsoever their own hearts doth lead them unto without check or controlement they are under the heaviest hand and judgment of God that can possibly befall man in this world they are under such a hand of God that doth point out unto them to be reprobates Beloved many please themselves in this in that they are free from outward plagues and punishments they are neither sick nor sore but are well and wealthy not under any calamity in the world and yet they live under a heavy Judgment of God they are blind and hard-hearted and do every thing that their minds doth lead them unto and to follow their lusts they think it is happinesse whereas herein the hand of God is heavy upon them in this very particular in that God sitteth upon them in Judgment already he doth not stay till the Judgment day but now they are under the Judgment of God yea the heaviest Judgment
that can befall man in this world and yet they see it not Oh here is the hand of God already they are blind in their minds and hard in hearts And take notice of it the Lord doth not now in this latter age of the world stand over men with his Judgments and whips and his sword of vengeance in temporal plagues and punishments but rather in spiritual plagues and Judgments upon the soules of men in hardnesse of heart and blindnesse of mind and the nearer the general day of Judgment is at hand wherein the Lord will render to every man according to his works the more the Lord doth surcease from temporal Judgments and plagues and lets them go on filling the number of their sins and then he layeth load upon them so that the nearer the day cometh the more the Lord surceaseth temporal punishments and punisheth with blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart and therefore let none think that they are well and in good case as many do because they are free from temporal plagues and punishments nor sick nor molested with these and these troubles and yet in their soules they lye under the heavy hand of God in blindnesse and hardnesse in ignorance and obstinacy for herein God hath begun to execute his Judgments already God now sitteth in Judgment upon him his heavy hand of wrath and vengeance is now over him and doth now point and mark him out for a cast-away and seal up unto him his own everlasting damnation the fearfullest and miserablest estate and condition that can befall a man Doth God harden none but Reprobates and such as are fitted for Reprobation Vse 2 Oh learn we then in the fear of God to take heed of that which provoketh God to give us up to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart the ten plaguess of Egypt were not so great unto Pharaoh as the hardening of his heart and if we would know what that is it is this Custome in sin continuance in known sins wittingly and willingly and a going on in known sins after many Instructions many admonitions many exhortations used to the contrary when men are come to this passe and to this height of sin that they are obstinate and wilful and they will not be reclaimed nor reformed from evil they will swear and swagger and be drunk and run into every idle and new fangled fashion they will live and continue in the damnable sin of Usury in the prophanation of the holy Sabbath of the Lord whosoever speaketh against it surely when men come to this passe and are thus obstinate in sin then the Lord cometh in Justice against them and giveth them over to blindnesse of mind and to a filthy life and so to passe on to their own destruction And to presse it a little nearer take heed whosoever you be that darest justle with the threatening and denunciations of the Word of God that are applyed to your particular sins as in particular that are applyed against your pride and vanity in apparel you that are so shamelesse and so impudent that say we have no warrant to speak against it no have we no warrant and if we have no warrant we are false prophets and deliver visions of our own braines Oh it grieveth my soul to think that you of whom we should have better hopes do speak so wickedly and so shamelesly have we no warrant for it take heed God is stronger then you it will be to the confusion of your soules because you stand in defence of your pride I will not go so far with you as to say that you are already given over to blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart but take this with you you are at the very next door and near unto it to be given over of God and blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart to go on with a full swing and full wind and tyde to hell I grant you the best of Gods children may sometimes through the corruption of their minds cast away wholsome admonition as David did 2 Sam. 24. yea though he was dutifully admonished by Joab not to number the people yet David through the pride of his heart would do it so the servants of God may refuse reject and cast off wholsome admonitions and counsels but when men are come to that height that the Prophet speaketh of in Zach. 7.11 12. that they will not hearken but they will have brazen faces and whores foreheads and they dare stand to outface the Preacher and they will not be reformed they are swearers swaggerers Usurers Sabbath-breakers and filthy persons and they will be so they do then provoke the Lord to give them over to Reprobation yea to give it them under the great Seal of Heaven thou art a Reprobate which indeed is a condition fearful and miserable and to be considered with trembling Vse 3 Last of all Is it so that God hardeneth reprobates and none but reprobates are hardened do not thou whosoever thou art imagine or once think that God will ever give thee up to blindnesse of mind or hardnesse of heart altogether that art a Child of God I grant God doth sometimes withdraw his grace from his dear children but in part and a child of God may sometimes in some measure and in some degree be blinded in his mind and hardened in his heart yea a child of God may feel in him the grace of the holy Spirit of God wonderfully decayed but not utterly extinct Psal 51.10 11 12. Oh cast me not away from thy presence with-hold not thy Spirit from me c. What do these prayers argue but that he felt his heart rotten and corrupt and yeelding unto lust and some of his light gone but yet God never blindeth their minds and hardens their hearts altogether for this is proper to Reprobates and such as belong not to God It is the complaint of the dear children of God sometimes Alas I feel such a deadnesse and dulnesse in my heart and soul that I doubt God hath left me forsaken me and given me up to hardnesse of heart I can mourn and weep for other things but I cannot mourn and weep for my sins that I fear I am given up to hardnesse of heart Oh take comfort in it thou that fearest the hardnesse of thy heart it may be a testimony thou art not altogether given to the hardnesse of heart because thou feelest it where there is feeling there is life Corruption feeleth not corruption grace feeleth corruption and if there be a feeling of hardnesse of heart and a groaning and a sighing under it thou art not altogether given up to hardnesse of heart and blindnesse of mind therefore comfort thy self For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh Even for this very end have I stirred thee up that I might shew my power in thee And that my name might be declared throughout the earth ANd beloved it is not to be passed by without noting that the Lord saith his
neither the Word of God which is as a piercing fire and as a sword to divide between the joynts and the marrow Jer. 23.29 cannot humble them Nor the exhortations of the Word of God which are as soft rain and dewe Esay 55.10 11. cannot mollifie them nor afflictions can better them surely then the Lord hath a purpose to destroy and root them out and they are near unto utter destruction when the Lord withdraweth the grace of repentance and of amendment that they are not humbled by the denunciation of the Word of God nor mollified by the exhortations nor bettered by afflictions nor by any means the Lord vouchsafeth unto them surely the Lord maketh it apparant that their destruction is present and at hand and this is to be considered by every one of us It is a point that we have stood upon formerly for the matter and substance of it that those whom God doth harden it is a sign of their reprobation and therefore I passe by it onely upon occasion of this truth some Objections are to be answered Object As happily some may say why the Lord doth not will the death of a sinner he doth so make it manifest by his Prophet Ezechiel in the 18. chapter and the 23. verse Have I any desire that the wicked should die no He rather willeth that they should live if he return from his wickednesse And so in the last verse Have I any delight in the death of the wicked saith the Lord God no cause him to return and live I have no delight nor desire in his death And again the name ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is given in Scripture to God it sounds forth nothing but Essence and being yea and everlasting being He is called Jehovah because he hath his being of himself and the Nature of God is Essence and being and he giveth Essence and being to all things Now death and destruction make things cease to be that already are death in man utterly overthrowes destroyes and ruinates life how can it then be that God doth purpose to destroy and extirpate any man seeing death and destruction come not from God Answ To answer this first we must know that the Prophet Ezechiel in the place alledged speaketh of penitent sinners mark what is precedent and in the sequel verses and you shall easily see it and then death and destruction God willeth it not neither shall they die eternally And again we must distinguish between the absolute will of God and Gods recompencing will simply God doth not will death for death came by sinne as Rom. 5.12 But God doth will death as a Just judgement for sinne As a Judge simply willeth not the death of an offender as he is a a man but as he hath committed the fault and the offence so God in his just Judgement doth will the death of a sinner as a recompence for their sinne Again it is true that the Name of the Lord doth send forth nothing but essence and being and an absolute subsistence The Lord is life and being of himself and from him every thing hath life and being yet notwithstanding the Lord can withdraw and withhold life and being at his own good will and pleasure Psalm 104.28 29. saith David If thou take away their breath they perish and die life is in thy hand and man returneth to dust again but to passe from that Again For this purpose have I stirred thee up that my name might be declared throughout all the earth That is that the praise and the glory of my Justice appearing in the ruine and Destruction of so mighty a King rebelling against me might be propagated and spread abroad throughout all the Corners of the world and every where spoken of getting my self a name in thy destruction the point hence is this That God will have glory in the confusion of wicked hard hearted Doctrine and impenitent sinners they that live in their blindnesse of mind hard heartednesse and impenitency the Lord will have glory and glorifie himself by them such as go and walk on stifly stubbornly and rebelliously in their sins God will have glory in their everlasting confusion and utter destruction Psal 50.17 Consider this you that hate to be reformed so he describeth them for saith he in the 22. verse he will tear you in pieces he giveth it them as a Caveat and forewarning Consider this you that forget God for he will tear you all to pieces Again in Rom. 2.5 Thou saith the Apostle after thy hardnesse and heart that cannot repent heapeth unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the indignation of the just Judgment of God As if the Apostle had said Thou hard-hearted wretch that goest on and continueth in thy sins thou dost but heap up wrath against the day of wrath when the Lord will revenge himself upon thee and execute his wrath and vengeance to the full thou whose heart is as it is said in Jer. 5. as hard as a stone and as Adament the Lord will get himself glory by thee and in Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for his own glory sake yea even the wicked for the day of evil as if he had said howsoever hard-hearted and impenitent sinners do contemptuously rebel and refuse to yeeld glory to the Lord yet even those wicked reprobates are made for the glory of God as well as others and they are appointed to the day of vengeance the Lord will have his glory in their Destruction they will not glorifie God in their lives he will have glory in their confusion and destruction and good reason there is for it Because the good which God aymeth at in the doing of all his actions Reason intentions and purposes is the advancement of his own glory and the Lord doth delight in that as in his chiefest glory yea the Lord can bring good out of evil glory out of shame he can bring glory in the confusion of the wicked and assuredly the Lord will not lose his glory by them he will not lose his chiefest happinesse but he will be glorified one way or other Oh then consider it you that dare go on in your sins and do continue Vse 1 and daily increase in your grosse evils and fearful sins that live in most unnatural and wicked evils as in pride and in swearing their mouthes are full of oathes and of unclean and debauched evil speeches and in their drunkennesse and Sabbath-breaking and usury and the like though they do not say with Pharaoh VVho is the Lord yet they kick against the holy Word of God and they set light by the threatenings of it when they are denounced against their particular evils they make put a pish and a tush of it and so they live in open contempt of the great honour and glory of God and this is the lives of many amongst our selves they hate to be reformed though they hear their sins beaten against and they told of them
time after time yet still they will continue in them and be reprobate to every good work and go on in their sinful lives the Lord will not lose his glory by those persons no not by the vilest wretch and miscreant that lives upon the face of the earth though they live in open blasphemy against his holy name think upon it then thou that art a drunkard a swearer a proud person a Sabbath-breaker an Usurer one that goest on in thy vile courses and debauched sins the Lord will have glory in thee thou that so goest on yea in thy destruction Consider this you that still go on in your pride and vain glory assure thy self if thou so going on do live and die in thy sins as commonly such persons do thou shalt assuredly be damned as God will be glorified and it is as impossible for thee to escape damnation as for God to lose his glory which is impossible and well were it for thee if so be the Lord would vouchsafe so much grace and mercy unto thee as to make thee now to tremble and to make thy heart to ake within thee and to humble thy soul for thine evil courses Vse 2 Is this so That God will have glory in the utter confusion and overthrow of wicked sinners and that God will not lose his glory this therefore ought to teach us to prize Gods glory as dear unto us before the best good thing we enjoy yea even before our own best good and everlasting salvation and happinesse a very hard lesson this is to learn but this we must labour to come and to attain unto even to prefer the glory of God before our own salvation and to set the glory of God before us as the main chief and principal good to be aymed at in all our thoughts words and actions And when we are about to think speak or do Consider will this be to the good of my body and soul and also bring glory to the name of my God Oh then let me so think speak and do and then we may with comfort so think speak and do And if I find it will not tend to the glory of my God though it tend to the salvation of my soul I dare not do it and hereby we shall have good evidence that we love God and are truly beloved of God for if we honour God God will honour us in the 1 Sam. 2.30 they that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be despised Yea the Lord will not onely honour us here but give us salvation he will give us honour and glory in the hearts of those that hate us and force the wicked that do hate and condemn us with their mouthes when they smite us with their tongues to honour us in their hearts and we shall not onely be honoured of him here but when we cease to be Prov. 10.7 the memorial of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot when the body of the righteous is raked up in the dust then shall his name be sweet and he eternally blessed Oh then the consideration of this should stirre us up to glorifie the name of the Lord and to prefer it before our own good yea the salvation of body and soul for this is our Duty the Lord will have his glory and therefore give it him willingly in this life VERSE 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy And whom he will he hardeneth NOw come we to the 18. Verse Therefore saith the Apostle he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth This Verse beloved is a conclusion of the whole matter handled by the Apostle in the three verses foregoing In the 15 16 and 17. Verses our Apostle having made it clear that God hath absolute power and free liberty of shewing mercy to some by the speech of God unto Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy And having made it manifest that God hath the like absolute power and free liberty in passing by some others and rejecting them to the glory of his own name and proving that by the example of Pharaoh whom God hardened as a manifest sign of his reprobation the Apostle having thus proved both these parts upon this premises the Apostle in this verse bringeth in this Conclusion that God hath free liberty and absolute power to shew mercy on whom he will and to harden whom he will and this is the relation of this verse to the foregoing matter Now in this verse observe we a double act of God the one is Gods shewing of mercy unto some and the other Gods hardening of some others and then from whence this double act of God proceedeth namely from the mere good will and pleasure of God so that the double act of mercy and hardening proceedeth from one ground Gods good will Now a little to lay open the meaning of the words Touching the phrase and form of speech that God hath mercy we had the same phrase in the 15. verse where I shewed you what we are to understand by mercy namely not the properties of mercy which is essentially in God but the Act the exercise and work of Gods mercy God hath mercy upon some the act the exercise and the works of God is extended and reached out unto some particular persons unto them to whomsoever he will and on whomsoever he pleaseth merely out of his own free will and absolute good pleasure and whom he will he hardeneth that is whomsoever pleaseth him out of the same free and absolute will he hardeneth and the word harden here is put in opposition to Gods shewing of mercy before spoken of for these two are opposed God hath mercy and he hardeneth so then the meaning of it is whereas before is meant the shewing and extending of Gods mercy to some so here by hardening is meant that God doth harden and withhold his mercy from some and in his just Judgment doth leave them to themselves and to their natural hardnesse for hardening must be understood as a Judiciary act and act of Gods Justice whereby God doth inflict Judgment upon men as a manifestation of their reprobation and rejection called a Judiciary act So then briefly conceive we the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said Therefore God doth extend and reach out the act the exercise and the work of his mercy and of his grace unto whomsoever it pleaseth him even meerly out of his own free and absolute will and out of his own good pleasure and also out of the same meer free will and absolute good pleasure the same God doth deny his saving mercy and withhold his grace and mercy from some and leave them in his just judgement in their natural hardnesse as a manifest sign of their reprobation so thus God hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardenneth Come we now to matter of Observation and Doctrine And
first of all from the first act of God that God hath mercy on whom he will the words being understood of the extending and reaching out of Gods mercy Here again the same point is offered unto us which before we handled in the 15. verse namely Doctrine That Gods mercy reached out and extended to his chosen is most free and voluntary it dependeth upon the free will of God and upon nothing else it dependeth upon nothing out of God but upon his meer love yet this point is not to be passed over without some further use and applicacation then heretofore was made Vse And for the Application of it we are to consider it as a guide and rule unto us in our shewing of mercy to our brethren in our reaching and extending of mercy here is a rule and guide to direct us Doth God extend and reach out his mercy to his chosen freely and voluntarily nothing moving him but his own free will and good love surely then we must thus do we must be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful Luke 6.36 Now how is he merciful freely out of his own free love and mere goodnesse nothing moving him thereunto but his own free love thus must we do we must shew mercy and exercise the works of mercy towards our brethren freely not respecting their merits nor their deservings yea beloved our mercy and doing of good and the comfort we administer and yeeld to any either in word or in deed must proceed from the inward movings of our hearts and the yearning and tendernesse of our bowels towards those to whom we do any good out of pity and compassion towards them even as God doth freely nothing moving us thereunto in Esay 5.10 the Prophet saith if thou pour out thy soul to the hungry mark this you that are fast fisted the Lord doth not onely require the pouring out of food but of our very hearts and soules to feed the poor with the Affections of thy heart And indeed it is not an act of mercy pleasing to God that the Lord delighteth in that cometh either from our abundance and superfluity or else the importunity of those that are in great want and need nor yet from the example of others inviting us thereunto or for the desire of praise and seeking of Commendations amongst men that we would be well thought on no these are not works of mercy pleasing unto the Lord nor yet a work of mercy that is forced from men by some torture and torment to stop the mouth of an accusing and guilty conscience as for example when wicked rich men that are guilty to themselves how they have gotten their goods by evil meanes and have hoarded up abundance of wealth by the damnable sin of Usury by griping and oppressing the poor and such unlawful means And when they lye upon their death-bed gasping for breath then they are forced to bestow something to religious uses they give nothing before they dye but when they lye upon their death-bed and their Consciences flye up in their faces then they will give to an Hospital or an Almes-house or to the poor or Church to stop the mouth of the Conscience But this is no better then Sauls sacrifice of which we read in 1 Sam. 15. when he had transgressed the Commandement of God in reserving the best sheep and oxen he thought he would stop the mouth of the Lord with a Sacrifice so when men have gotten their goods by oppression and usury then when they are upon their death-beds then they will give unto the poor But the shewing of mercy that is pleasing unto God must come out of a tender and free heart as God is free in mercy so we must be free in exercising the works of mercy the works of mercy must come from the tendernesse of our hearts and without that surely all our shewing of mercy and doing of good though we build Hospitals as it is 1 Cor. 13.3 If I feed the poor with all my goods it is nothing without the heart the Lord looketh rather at the inward affections of the heart then the outward actions and duties of love and mercy 2 Cor. 9.7 every one as he is able must give not grudgingly because he is compelled to do it but the Lord loveth a cheerful giver And consider what moved the Lord to have mercy upon me or upon thee or upon any nothing so must we have mercy upon others freely and out of the tendernesse of our bowels pitying and commiserating their estate then thou art like unto God and this will yeeld thee true comfort else thy shewing of mercy is no better then Sauls sacrifice 1 Sam. 13. Again in that the Apostle faith God will have mercy upon whom he will The Apostle sheweth plainly that Gods shewing of mercy is indeed limited and reached out unto some and not unto others even to whomsoever it pleaseth him he hath mercy upon whom he will and not upon all the Apostles speech implyeth a limitation the point hence lyeth plain before us viz. That Gods will it is to extend and reach out his saving mercy Doctrine not to all men generally without exception of any but onely unto some amongst men The Lord out of his own free will and good pleasure doth extend and reach out his saving mercy in the act and exercise of it onely unto some amongst men and not to all men generally without exception And this may appear to be a truth by considering the saving mercies of God the mercies of God that are extended and reached out from the hand of God to men As first of all the saving mercy of Election unto life and glory it is according to the good will and pleasure of God extended and reached out onely unto some the Text is clear Ephesians 1.4 5. where the Apostle saith God hath chosen us not all the world but us in in Christ and hath Elected and Adopted us through Christ himself how according to the good pleasure of his will so also the saving mercy of God touching effectual Vocation and Calling it is according to the good will and pleasure of God extended to some amongst men in Matth. 11.25 I thank thee saith Christ O Father God of heaven and earth I thank thee that thou hast hid these things what things the saving comforts of the Gospel to be called to know thee through me thou hast hid these things from the wise and revealed them unto babes thou hast hid them from some and revealed them unto others and he subjoyneth even so it is O Father because it so pleaseth thee and in 2 Tim. 1.9 God hath called in by an holy calling according to his purpose and grace Rom. 3.24 we are Justified freely by the free grace of God without respect had to any thing in us thus the Holy Ghost speaketh in James 1.18 of Sanctification out of his own free will we are begotten and sanctified and renewed And touching Glorification the
consummation of all Rom. 6.24 it is the special gift of God bestowed upon some and not upon all according to the will of Christ Joh. 17.24 Father saith the Lord Jesus I will that those whom thou hast given me be where I am and behold my glory and be everlasting partakers of my glory so then we see that the saving mercies of God from the beginning to the consummation they are reached out according to the good will and pleasure of God Hence it followeth in the first place that they erre grosly who do hold Vse 1 and affirm that God hath elected all men to life and salvation if they will and that God would have all men to be saved and to come to life and salvation if they will and that men are not saved that cometh to passe because men themselves will not This was the opinion of the Pelagins and now of the Papists in part Anabaptists and Arminians and others Now this opinion is not onely erroneous and false in the ground making the absolute and unchangeable will of God to depend upon the will of man that if man will be saved God hath chosen him but also this opinion of theirs cannot stand with the truth now delivered that God giveth his saving mercy to whom he will Object I but say they now they take hold of the Scripture the Apostle in Rom. 11.32 saith that God hath shut up all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all so in 1 Tim. 2.4 God willeth that all shall be saved and come to the knowledge of his truth therefore your doctrine is not true Answ To this I answer it is true indeed God hath shut up all men in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all what all without exception of any upon every man without exception no but upon all that believe upon all the faithful ones among the Jewes and Gentiles of whom the Apostle speaketh in this 11. Chapter of whom he speaketh of the estate of the Jewes and Gentiles I but say they this is a false interpretation mark then and to this purpose read a paralel place unto this in Gal. 3.22 where the Apostle saith The Scripture hath concluded and shut up all under sin that the promise of God what promise the promise of mercy and faith in Christ Jesus might be extended and reached out what to all without exception no saith the Apostle unto them that believe so the Apostle doth there limit the universal particle all to all believers and so the place is to be taken Again for the place in Timothy that God will have all men to be saved First to answer to it the word all in that place is not taken Collective but Distributive as they speak not collective and gathering all men in the world but distributive by way of Distribution some of all sorts of all states conditions and degrees and calling in the world and that this is a truth mark what the Apostle saith in the first verse of this Chapter I do exhort that prayers and supplications be made for all men what shall we understand all mankind no he subjoyneth by way of distribution for all men in all callings and conditions for Kings and Magistrates he ranketh them into their several degrees so when God saith I will have mercy upon all his meaning is not all men shall be saved but some of all sorts and again as One saith God will have all men salvos fieri to be saved but God will not salvos facere make all men to be saved but he reacheth out his mercy to some of all sorts Vse 2 Is this so that Gods mercy is to be reached out not to all but onely to some amongst men surely then it behoveth us to look unto it and to take heed that we deceive not our selves touching Gods saving mercy as many there be that live in their known sins and go on in the practice of them wittingly and willingly and presume upon this ground Oh say they God is merciful but they deceive themselves and build upon a rotten ground God is merciful and pitiful It is true indeed God is infinite and endlesse in his mercy but remember what hath been delivered that the Lord will not extend and reach out his saving mercy unto all but onely to some amongst men he will not save the soules of all men generally because he is a merciful God but to some of all sorts And therefore we must labour to find our selves in that Number of whom God will vouchsafe saving mercy and save their soules Quest Alas some will say how shall we come to know that God will reach out his saving mercy unto us Who knoweth the mind of God how can we be acquainted with the will of God that God will reach out his saving mercy unto me Answ Yes we may know the mind and the will and the purpose of God to us in particular how by the Spirit of God even by that Spirit of God which searcheth the deep and hidden things of God and maketh known the gracious purpose of the Lord 1 Cor. 2.12 we have not received the Spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit which is of God whereby we know the things that are given unto us of God even the love and the mercy and the favour of God unto us in Christ And if we have that Spirit of God when we find and feel that Spirit in our hearts and soules working there convincing us and doth check us in our hearts and soules and we are able to expresse and shew forth the fruits of the Spirit in our life and conversation Gal. 5.22 23. Whose effects be joy peace love meekness long suffering patience and we are able to expresse it in our lives and conversation And hereby we may come to know that Gods good will is towards us in Jesus Christ even by the work of Gods Spirit which testifieth what God hath Purchased indeed if men live in their known sinnes and fancie unto themselves the Gospel and the saving mercies of God in Christ they deceive themselves and it is a true saying as one saith as they that have the fruits of the Spirit against them is no Law so they that have not the fruits of the Spirit there is no Gospel for them therefore in the fear of God labour we for this for the Spirit of God making known unto us the good will of God what he hath sealed unto us from everlasting convincing us of our known sins and showing forth the fruits in our lives and conversations then we may assure our selves that God will bestow upon us life and salvation and hath conferred his graces unto us Therefore he hath mercy upon whom he will and whom he will he hardneth THe next thing observable and to be stood upon in this point of Gods reprobation that God hardneth whom he wil the Lord out of his own good pleasure denieth mercy and saving grace and withholdeth it
from some amongst men and leaveth them unto themselves in their naturall hardnesse letting them goe on in their blindness of mind and hardness of heart as a manifest sign of their reprobation from hence then I will note briefly thus much That Gods act of hardning of some is a free act Doctrine as his shewing of mercy is most free so his hardning it most free also he hardneth whom he will the Lord hardeneth whom he will he denieth saving grace and saving mercy to some amongst men and with holdeth it from them meerly out of his own good will and out of his own free and absolute good pleasure for beloved as Gods hardning which is a manifest sign of Reprobation is most free surely so it must needs follow and be a truth that Gods rejecting and reprobating of some is as free and without respect had to any thing in man or foreseen in them as a cause moving him thereunto but meerly out of his own free absolute good will and pleasure This point beloved I often have had occasion to note for the holy Ghost in this Chapter often offereth it unto us And I still note it against the Armenians and the Anabaptists those pestilentious spirits who hold and affirm that God doth then onely actually reject men for they make a double rejection purpose and act and they say God doth then actually reiect men when men reject Christ and refuse the Gospel then say they God rejecteth men yea say the Anabaptists the Apostle in this Chapter bendeth his face against those Jewes that were zealous of the Law of God and rejected Christ that sought righteousnesse in the works of the Law then God rejected them when they rejected Christ and sought salvation by the Law against those say they the Apostle bendeth his face and beateth Now this conceit of theirs cannot stand with the plain evidence of this whole Chapter and especially with the evidence of this verse the example of Pharaoh maketh directly against them for consider it was Pharaoh a a Jew can Pharaoh be so considered as one zealous of the Law of God can this possibly be see how absurd and grosse they are in their opinions they cannot observe and mark that the Apostle bringeth not onely the example of Esaw a Jew but the example of Pharaoh a Gentile thereby shewing that the Lord hath rejected some amongst men as well Jewes as Gentiles so that you see the Apostle meaneth that God freely and out of his own good will and pleasure without respect had to any thing in men hath rejected some amongst men both of Jewes and Gentiles Again in that the Apostle saith God hardneth whom he will here you see that the Apostle doth limit that Act of Gods hardning to some amongst men so that the observation is plain viz. Doctrine That Gods will is to harden some amongst the sonnes of men The Lord is pleased to deny his saving grace and mercy and to with hold it from some amongst men the places before alledged shewing that God out of his meer pleasure reached out his saving mercy not unto all but onely to some that very point doth evidence the truth of this point that God doth with hold saving grace and saving mercy from some amongst men and doth harden them but this may be further proved more particularly We finde in the Book of Exodus it is often said that the Lord did harden the heart of Pharaoh as in the 7. chapter and 3. verse saith God I will harden Pharaohs heart and in the 9. chapter and 12 verse and also in the 10. chapter and the 20. verse The Lord hardned Pharaohs heart and so in divers places and also in Deuteronomy 2.30 Moses telleth the people of God that the Lord their God hardened the heart of the King of Moab that he should not give passage to the people of Israel God made him an obstinate heart and in Joshuah 11.20 Joshuah speaketh thus That it came of the Lord to harden the hearts of the wicked enemies of the Church of God and in Psalm 81.12 the Psalmist saith That the people yielded not unto God for he hardened their hearts this may sufficiently evidence unto us that Gods will is to harden some amongst men and he is pleased to deny his saving mercy unto them How God hardeneth the heart But happily here some not so well conceiving this point how God is said to harden men it being difficult to their capacitie may desire to be further enformed touching this point And therefore for their satisfaction know beloved that God is said to harden some men not by infusing or putting of hardnesse in their hearts or making some mens hearts hard that were soft as the Papists falsly charge us to affirm no nor yet by a bare permission by a bare permitting and suffering men so to be as if the Lord were but a Spectator and a looker on in the hardening of their hearts and had no hand in it this is the dream and opinion of the Papists but it is neither of these wayes neither by infusing hardnesse nor by a bare permission But surely God hardeneth some amongst men two wayes First by a spiritual disertion by forsaking of men and not vouchsafing his softning grace unto them so that it is truely said indurit quos non emollit he hardeneth whom he softneth not Secondly by punishing men for their former sinnes by greater sinnes by punishing their former hardnesse by a further hardnesse adding one hardnesse to another for it is a just thing with God to inflict sinne for sinne And God doth this either by leaving men to the power of the Devil as Gods executioner and tormenter or the Lord leaveth them over to the lusts of their own hearts and to their own corruptions and so the point is thus to be conceived That Gods will is to harden some amongst the sonnes of men by forsaking of them and not vouchsafing his softning grace and that by spiritual disertion and as a just Judge either giving them over to the power of the Devil to be wrought upon by him as Gods executioner or giving them over to the lusts of their owne hearts Object I but may some say obduratenesse and hardnesse in man is a sinne and an evil thing how then can God be said to harden men Answ It is true indeed hardnesse in men is an evil and sinne and a fearful sinne but hardning is not so hardnesse is a sinne but to harden is not the one is a qualitie and the other an act hardnesse is an evil qualitie in mens hearts but hardning is an act of the just judgement of God infflicted upon the souls of men and so it is a good thing and no sin in him First of all this being duly considered that Gods will is to harden Vse 1 some amongst men this in the first place may keep us from wondering and thinking it strange that when the meanes of grace the means that serve to
work grace in the soules of men to mollifie and soften the hearts of men are vouchsafed and yet all are not softened but some continue in their hardnesse living under the means of softening because the powerful meanes of grace are uneffectual unlesse it please God to put life unto them and to give efficacy by the work of his grace Now the Lord is pleased sometimes to withhold his saving and softening grace from men and to inflict hardnesse upon them as a Judgment and then no marvel it is that they continue in their hardnesse and sins and stiffe-neckednesse And beloved upon this ground the Preachers and Ministers of the Word may stay themselves when they see that after their labour and pains taking with the soules of men they see little or no fruit of their labour he seeth that the profit of the same Word delivered by him to one and the same people is so divers and different that some are bettered by it and yeeld obedience to it and do according to it and some do clean contrary unto it it is a savour of life unto some and a savour of death unto others thus it was in Exod. 9.20 21. with the preaching of Moses those whom God gave grace unto yeelded others yeelded not The Lord is pleased sometimes to withhold his softening grace from men and to leave them to themselves And beloved the Lord commonly dealeth thus with hypocrites and such as come unto the means of grace onely out of form and of fashion and of custome and are asleep when they come unto it they come without any longing desire to profit by the means they have no more desire to profit by it then the seats they sit upon then when they so come without a desire to profit and onely for form and fashion then the Lord suffereth them to go on in blindnesse of mind and hardnesse of heart that though they hear a hundred Sermons yet they are dull and dead and have no more good by them then the seats in the Church And hereby the Minister may cheer up himself that the Lord hath hardened their hearts and will not suffer them to profit by the means but permits them to post on the way to hell Is this so that Gods will is to harden some amongst the sons of men and Vse 2 inflict hardening upon their hearts how are they then to magnifie the goodnesse of God to them to whom the Lord hath given soft and melting hearts and such as are flexible pliable and yeelding to the will of God in the admonitions and threatenings of it yea such a heart as good Josiah had in 2 Chr. 24.27 that when he heard the Book of the Law read his heart melted and dissolved with tears so dost thou when thou hearest the threatenings and denunciations of the Word against thee tremble and is thy heart humbled when thou hearest the sweet comforts of the Word of God even as the matter is so is thy heart affected if matter of comfort thou rejoycest if matter of threatening thou art humbled yea though it be against a sin thou art not guilty of when thou hearest the threatenings of God against sins thou art not guilty of thou tremblest considering he is a just God thy heart is flexible pliable the text is clear in Ezek. 36.25 26. Here we find that those whom the Lord doth please to justifie and sanctifie and to pour the clean waters upon their soules and to cleanse them from the filthinesse of their sins to them he giveth a heart of flesh this is a work of God vouchsafed to such that God doth cleanse mollifie even a flexible plyable and yeelding heart to the Word of God and the means of grace and of salvation Oh hast thou such a heart blesse God for it this is a special mercy of God for of all the plagues that befall men in this world hardnesse of heart is the worst none worse then that that is the most dreadful so softnesse of heart assuredly is a special blessing of God and given to none but those whom God loveth Oh then labour to have this bowing bending yeelding heart to the good hand of God labour to cheer it up and to have a plyable heart yeelding not stubborn and to that end use these meanes that may mollifie thee more and more namely be frequent and often in hearing and reading of the holy Word of God and when thou hast heard and read it second it by meditation Oh what enemies are they that hear the Word and do not respect to call to mind what they have heard but let it slip away and secondly be often and frequent in thinking upon the sweet and comfortable mercies of God in Jesus Christ that will soften thy heart and keep it soft the heart of the prodigal when it began to relent to yeeld and to be moved and to come to himself and to consider the tendernesse and love of his gracious Father Oh saith he I am a poor wretch here and an outcast but I have a good father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Luke 15.17 18. he will entertain and receive me again so the consideration of the tender mercies of Christ Jesus to consider what the Lord hath done for thee hath he not vouchsafed his mercy in Christ Jesus And last of all be thou earnest above all be earnest with God in prayer that he would be pleased to vouchsafe unto thee the Spirit of grace and of softening and continue in thy breast a soft heart Oh Lord never suffer me to be given over to hardnesse of heart Lord keep this heart of mine soft plyable and yeelding to the Word of God Thus we are to hear it and to read it and to meditate upon it and to pray unto God to keep the heart in us for it is the greatest blessing of God that can befall a man in this world as hardnesse of heart is a great curse so softnesse is a great blessing therefore labour for to get and increase it VERSE 19. Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet complain Who hath resisted his Will OUr Apostle having cleared God from the imputation of inconstancy and of unfaithfulnesse in his promises notwithstanding the rejection of the Jewes for the body of them from the sixth verse of this Chapter to the 14. verse and having proved from the 14 verse to the 19. verse that God is not unjust in that he hath out of his own absolute good will and pleasure chosen some to life and salvation and hath passed by and rejected others and that without respect had to any thing in them or foreseen in them having I say cleared God from this slander He now in this 19. verse falleth upon a new and a further Cavil and reasoning of the flesh namely such a Cavil as doth charge God with no lesse then cruelty and with Tyrannical dealing with some men and from this the Apostle cleareth God also Now
sticketh in the rine barke and outside of Spiritual and divine Truths it cannot find out the pith and marrow of it carnal reason sticketh in the very letter of the truth and never looketh to the Divine mysterie of it so that it is no marvel that carnal reason is sticking in the rine and outside of truths because it is blind Hence then take we notice of it whence it is that erring spirits do commonly Vse 1 fasten foul and false conclusions upon the Holy and Divine truths of God because they look upon them with a carnal eye As from that sound and Holy Doctrine of God touching his absolute Decree to life and salvation of some and his rejection to damnation of others hereupon some erring spirits do conclude and they think it followeth necessarily that therefoe God is a Tirant and dealeth tirannically with his people So again some hearing this Holy Truth of God that God hath a hand in every act of man that cometh to passe and in the act of every creature that Gods providence is in every thing that cometh to passe in the world then the carnal reasoner bringeth in this false conclusion that then God is the authour of sinne and he thinketh in his judgement it followeth necessarily that God is the authour of sinne because sin is an act And beloved do not the Papists deal thus in the matter of Justification of a sinner in the sight of God They hearing that a sinner is justified in the sight of God onely by faith then say the Papists this Doctrine hath a foule taile coming after it for it doth dispossesse mans heart from all care and indevour of good works and hereupon slanderously they give out this false report of us that in this Doctrine that men are justified onely by Faith they say we are utter enemies to God utter enemies to Gods Law and utter enemies to all good works this they think they may lawfully charge upon us Thus these and many others doe wrest false conclusions from the Holy Truth of God and why Because they look upon them by the rule of natural reason which is the ground of all Atheistical conclusions there catching and snatching and carping against the Divine Truths and mysteries of God because they stick in the rinde and dive not into the depth of them Again beloved is this so that carnal reason doth wrest false conclusions Vse 2 from the holy and Divine truths of God Then this must teach every one of us our dutie to take heed that we measure not divine Truths by the meatyard and rule of our own carnal reason especially such holy Truths of God as are of a high nature and strain such as are transcendent such as goe beyond and extend the compasse of natural reason such truths as are matters of Faith and above reason Oh take heed of measuring these by the rule of natural reason For if we seek to bring these Truths within the model scantling and rule of our natural reason we shall run into many by-paths and erroneous conceits and opinions as he must needs lose his way that knoweth not the way and followeth blinde guides So Fides est oculus animi Faith is the eye of the soul and if we in matters of Divinitie and high points of God follow your own blind reason we shall assuredly run into many gross errours yea beloved let me tell you it is a dangerous thing to hear or read the Word of God with a carnal understanding and an unsanctified wit for if we so doe we shall abuse the holy word of God and wrest from it such conclusions as are not there to be found doth yet experience shew it to be true Are there not some who looking upon that place of the Apostle in 1 Timothy 5.8 where he saith He that provideth not for his own and namely for them of his Family is worse then an Infidel doe not some I say looking upon this with a shut eye and carnal understanding gather and conclude that therefore they may pinch and spare and scrape together by all means and live a base and sordid life and not part with a farthing token to the poore or to any good use but niggardly utter these words they must provide for themselves and they may come to live by the almes of the Parish themselves and will not spare a pennie more then by the Law they are enforced and compelled and so pervert the Scripture Again some others looking upon that place in Ezekiel 16.11 12 13. verses where the Lord saith He decked Hierusalem with Ornaments with Bracelets with goodly Jewels with golden Crowns and with Gold and silver and Imbroydered works Doe not some hereupon gather that therefore they may be vain in their Apparel and may follow every new fashion and may goe like ruffians in their long haire and foretop and think this is their warrant whereas they are deceived for the Lord there speaketh by way of similitude tropically that the Lord had blessed them with all good things and so expresseth it after that manner figuratively and they would have him speak properly and so they draw a false conclusion from the holy word of God Thus I might instance in many particulars that it is a dangerous thing to hear or read the Word of God with a carnal eye yea I dare boldly affirm that we shall never rightly conclude from any part of the Word of God whether touching manners or touching heavenly things if we consult with flesh and bloud unlesse our eyes be annointed with the eye salve of the spirit of God Therefore to conclude learn we in reading the word of God to lay aside our own reasons to come with the eyes of the minde shut and to look with the eye of Faith and of the Spirit of God lay aside thy owne reason yea thy owne wisedome for the wisedome of man is enmitie to God Romans 8.7 Yea the best act and exercise of the mind of man not sanctified it is enmitie to the will of God therefore let us yeeld our selves to be guided onely by the will of God and then we shall certainly tread the paths that lead to true happinesse and salvation Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet complain Who hath resisted his Will IN these words Why doth he yet complain is something to be observed generally For they being considered as an Objection of carnal persons they make directly against that opinion of the Arminians who hold that God did decree to reject some amongst men upon a foresight of their wilful obstinacy in sin and their wilful rebellion against him Now beloved if this were a true Position and a truth of God then God justly complaineth of such as were hardened and that in the Reason of man for though God did decree their rejection and consequently their hardening yet the reason and the cause of Gods decree was his foresight of their wilful obstinacy and rebellion in a course of evil
creatures in heaven in earth or hell are able to frustrate and make void the will of God Indeed to prevent an objection in the beginning the will of God revealed is and may be daily withstood and resisted the Jewes did resist the Holy Ghost in the Ministry of the Prophets as their Fathers did Act. 7.51 And the Prophets do continually complain of this that they are brazen-faced stiff-necked of iron sinews rebelling and resisting the will of God But the secret will of God the purpose of God that cannot be withstood And to this purpose read the prayer of Jehoshaphat in the 2 Chron. 20.6 O Lord God of our Fathers art not thou God in heaven dost not thou reign over all the Nations and Kingdomes of the heathen in thy hand is might and power and none is able to withstand it None can resist thy will it must needs take effect And to this purpose speaketh Job Job 9.4 who ever withstood the Lord and prospered none was ever able to stand against the will of the Lord and prevail And in Esay 46.10 11. the Lord speaketh by his Prophet that he doth whatsoever he will as if he had said What is he that can withstand my purpose and hinder me from effecting what I have purposed Thus Nebuchadnezzar after he had been cast out from the fellowship and society of men and restored to his understanding again then confessed to the glory of God that according to his will he ruleth in heaven and in earth and none can stay thy hand in any thing thou purposest to do in Dan. 9. 32. And in Psal 33.11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever and ever And thus we may see it made good by plentiful evidences that neither men nor Angels good nor bad are able to make the will of God void and not to take effect Reason Because God is a God of infinite power able to do whatsoever he will so speaketh the Psalmist Psal 115.3 yea the Lord is able to do more then either he doth or will do he is Almighty and therefore his will is irresistible and cannot be withstood Object If Gods will be irresistible and cannot be withstood then if Gods will be to bestow grace upon some men they cannot choose but receive grace it cannot be withstood and they receive grace of necessity and if Gods will be to harden men they are hardened of necessity and so the will of man is made of necessity to yeeld to the will of God and the freedom and the liberty of mans will is quite taken away and the will it self quite overthrown for take away the liberty of the will and you destroy the will how is this Answ To this I answer it is not true that because the will of man is determined to one part either to good or evil by the will of God that therefore the liberty and freedom of mans will is taken quite away and overthrown No for these two may well stand together the determination of mans will to good or evil and yet the freedom of will remain some mens will is limited and determined of God to receive grace by the will of God and so he cannot but of necessity receive grace and cannot withstand nor resist the receiving of grace But mans will in this respect receiveth not grace by compulsion but freely the will of man being then inclined and then moved so to do by the gracious will of the holy Spirit of God and so it receiveth grace freely and voluntarily being made willing by the work of grace and power of the Spirit As God himself is by an absolute necessity the willer of good and his will cannot but will good yet when he willeth good he is not constrained to will good but he willeth good most necessarily and freely So on the contrary some mens will is limited and determined to do evil so as that he willeth evil of necessity yet this mans so willing of evil is free and not by compulsion it coming from the natural propension of his own will so that though mans will be limited and determined to evil by the will of God and to good yet the will of man is free because in the very Act of willing he is not compelled either to good or evil so that this we are to hold as a certain truth notwithstanding this objection that the will of God is irresistible and cannot be withstood either by men or Angels This must therefore teach us to learn to be resolved upon this truth of God Vse and to take heed of abusing it some there be that do abuse wrest and pervert the holy truth of God if it be so the will of God be irresistible what will it avail us to use any meanes for the attaining of good or the eschewing of evil when Gods will and his purpose cannot be by any means avoided but must needs stand and take place what need we then to use means for the obtaining of grace or avoiding of evil and this is the reasoning of flesh and blood but we must know that God willeth and worketh nothing ordinarily but by ordinary means that are effectual to that purpose and we are to think and to hope our endeavours shall be prosperous and leave the issue of that secret unto God yet admit that some men did use the means of grace and the eschewing of evil in vain and the will of God is that their endeavours shall not be blessed what then do they fail altogether of obtaining any good from the hand of God though the will of the Lord be so that they shall not obtain grace nor avoid evil yet they lose not their labours they come not short of their reward for by using the ordinary meanes of salvation surely many of them procure many temporal blessings upon them from the hands of the Lord yea hereby they come to have restraining grace wrought in them and to be restrained from the outrage and extremity of sin and to have an outward external formality and so they escape many fearful plagues and many fearful Judgments that are poured out upon such as are contemners and are rebellious in their sins take the example of Ahab Ahab upon his hypocritical counterfeit humiliation brought a temporal blessing upon himself that he should escape the Judgments which God had denounced 1 King 21.28 29. for as he shall that walketh in the sun receive some change in the colour of his face so for his counterfeit humiliation the plagues should be brought in his sons dayes so also those that use the means of grace shall have some blessing and thereby shall escape the Judgment that falleth upon other wilful rebellious persons yea hereby they shall escape the greatest torture in hell they shall have no such great damnation as they that wilfully run on in sin they shall have some lesse torture and some lesse pain then the other And therefore let us labour to use the means of salvation and
not refuse it saying let God work his will but use the means carefully Again Is this so that Gods will doth determine and limit mans will Vse 2 consider then hast thou used the means and got some assurance of Gods good will unto thee in Christ Jesus Oh then comfort thy self upon this ground Gods good will unto thee cannot be frustrated let the world let sin and let all the enemies of salvation do what they can thou shalt not perish Gods will is revealed unto thee and thou hast assurance of it therefore thou maist resolve thou shalt never be pulled away for the will of God cannot be made void and so thy salvation is built upon a sure ground more firme and stable then heaven and earth it standeth upon the good will and purpose of God this wee see that Gods will is irresistible and cannot be withstood so that this point may yeeld much comfort to those that are assured of salvation that they shall certainly be saved for the will of the Lord cannot be made frustrate 1 Pet. 1.8 VERSE 20. But O man who art thou that replyest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus OUr Apostle now falleth upon his Answer to the Cavil and to the objection of mans Reason propounded in the Verse foregoing And the answer unto it is twofold 1. Personally and 2. Really his personal answer to the Cavil and carnal Reasoner is in the 20 and 21 Verses his Real answer is in the two verses following in the 22 and 23. Verses First of all touching the personal answer wherein he doth check the presumption of the Carnal Reasoner and laboureth to take down his pride and swelling by bringing him to a consideration of his own basenesse and nullity to God saying O man what art thou that reasonest against God rebuking and checking his insolency and pride wherein we may observe the person reproving and the party reproved noted unto us in these words O man c. then he amplifieth this reproof of his of the Carnal Reasoner by a comparison and a similitude and by that he sheweth what a Carnal Reasoner is As if so be a peece of wood framed by the Carpenter should rise up and quarrel with the Carpenter for framing of him to this or that purpose or the Iron rise up and quarrel with the Smith why he did beat him to this or that fashion were not this insolency and pride in the creature Hereby implying that man being framed of God ought not to question and to dispute with God and say Why hast thou made me hard-hearted Then hereupon the Apostle directeth a particular instance adding weight and force unto this similitude and comparison namely upon the power of the Potter over the clay shall the clay rise up against the Potter hath not the Potter power over the clay to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour And thus standeth the Reason as the clay may not reason the cause with the potter for making out of the same lump one vessel to one use and another to th' other for the potter hath full power and authority over the clay to frame of it what vessel he thinketh fit so man is not to question God man is not to quarrel with God or to call him to account for framing of him thus or thus for the Lord hath absolute power to dispose of man even at his own good will and pleasure some to honour and some to dishonour So that in the 21. verse God is compared to a potter and man to the clay that is wrought upon by the potter and as it is lawful for the potter to frame out of the same lump of clay one vessel for better use and service at the Table and another for baser use in the Chamber you know what I mean so and much more is it lawful for the Lord to frame out of the same lump of earth one man for salvation and another for damnation and dishonour so standeth the Apostles reason and so much for the general matter of these two Verses the 20. and 21. verses Now to enter upon these two verses more particularly something is needful to be spoken touching the sense and meaning of these words and first of the 20. verse O man saith the Apostle who art thou that speakest against God O man here the Apostle speaketh marvellous emphatically he putteth it down with a great emphasis and hereby he calleth man to a consideration of his own basenesse as if he had said O thou man what art thou or who art thou consider with thy self thou man thou carnal Reasoner that takest upon thee to quarrel with God why thou art a vile base wretch a lump of earth a piece of clay a worm lesse then a worm nothing in comparison of the great Majestie of God Darest thou quarrel against the will and counsel of the Lord art thou so malapert so saucie so shamelesse so far past all shame as to call into question the will and doings of the holy God to call him to account and to bring him within the compasse of thy carnal reason O man full of impiety do but consider and premeditate what thou art a base wretch and what the Lord is the great God of heaven and earth and then judge what a malapert saucinesse it is in thee Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me so do but consider with thy self were it not an unbeseeming thing that a piece of Wood or some such like thing framed by the hand of some cunning Artificer should rise up and say Why hast thou made me thus thou art but a bungler were it not preposterous and a monstrous thing in Nature And what is it but as absurd and grosse for thee to argue and reason the cause with God thy Creator thy Maker touching his disposing of thee according to his will and say O Lord why hast thou made me thus or thus herein thou hast shewed thy self a bad workman So that we may easily conceive the meaning of the Apostle in this verse to be thus as if the Apostle had said But O thou carnal Reasoner what art thou a man and therein consider who thou art being a man and thou shalt find thy self to be a base man a vile man a worm and lesse then a man nothing in comparison of the great God and darest thou then question God and cavil against the holy will of the Lord art thou so audacious so bold so malapert as to quarrel with him darest thou that art but a silly worm make thy carnal arguments against God do but think with thy self were it a meet thing in nature for a piece of wood to rise up against him that hath formed it and to say to the Mechanical Artificer why hast thou made me of this base fashion thou art but a bungler it is much more grosse for thee to
reason and to argue the case with God for disposing of thee according to his will Come we now to matter of Observation and Doctrine Observ And first of all observe we that our Apostle making answer to the carnal Reasoner laboureth to bring him to a consideration of his own vilenesse thereby checking his presumption in taking upon him to quarrel with the Lord O man saith he who art thou a prophane wretch a worthlesse thing a worm lesse then a worm nothing in comparison of God Hence then the observation is plain before us That the due consideration of what we are Doctrine being compared to what God is is a notable means to beat down insolency presumption and pride in us we entring in a due and serious consideration of our own basenesse and our own vilenesse and indeed of our own nothingnesse in comparison of the infinite greatnesse and glory of God it is a special means to humble us to beat down and throw down the swelling pride of our own hearts and that this is so it is farther clear unto us we find it so to be in the practise and lives of the Saints and holy servants of God that the nearer they have approached to the presence of the Lord the more they have been humbled and the more have they abased themselves in consideration of their own vilenesse and basenesse in comparison of God they drawing near to the great Omnipotency and Omnisciency of God thus did holy Abraham in Gen. 18.22 he drawing near to the Lord in praying for the Sodomites was brought into an humble conceit of himself and thereupon he broke out in the 27. verse of the same Chapter Behold I have begun to speak unto my Lord and I am but dust and ashes he breaketh out into this perturbation acknowledging he is but dust and ashes who am I that I should open my mouth to the great holy and glorious God even as nothing in comparison of him as it is said of all Nations in the world that that in respect of God they are vanity and lesse then nothing Esay 40.15 17. the drop of a bucket vanity and lesse then nothing And to the same purpose we find the servants of God have been wonderfully troubled cast down and affrighted and brought to a great astonishment in consideration of their own basenesse and vilenesse yea they have even trembled and shaken when they have had but a glympse of him Thus did Manoah Judges 13.22 who having seen but an Angel of God cryed out alas we shall surely dye we have seen God And the Prophet saith Esay 6.5 VVoe is me I am undone I am undone why what is the matter I am a man of polluted lips and I dwell among a people of polluted lips and mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts I have seen the great God of heaven and earth so that we see this hath been made good unto us by evidence and testimony of Scripture that the due consideration of our vilenesse together with Gods mightinesse is the onely meanes to work humility in us Because as the due consideration of our own meannesse and basenesse Reason in comparison of man himself in regard of some greatnesse some excellency in gifts it is a notable means to bring us to an humble conceit of our selves as in David David comparing himself with the magnificence of Saul who was a wicked man he saith VVho am I or what is my fathers house the least of all the Tribes of Israel in the 1 Sam. 18.18 Then to argue à minore ad majus we considering the basenesse of us in regard of the mightinesse of God of his greatnesse and his glory should be a means to beat down the pride of our hearts hereby we come to see our own vilenesse and nothingnesse more clearly Contraria juxta se posita magis illucescunt which is in direct opposition and contrariety unto it According to the ground of Logick Contraries opposed one against the other maketh them appear more clearly in their true natures Vse 1 This may shew whence it is that men do swell in their pride and in their conceit of themselves thinking as Simon Magus did Acts 8.9 that they are something nay give it out to others that they are something when they are nothing this is the cause because they measure themselves by a false rule either they compare themselves with themselves or they compare themselves with others inferiour unto them saying I am not so bad as such a one they look to such that are baser then themselves never look to such that are better then themselves in grace and goodnesse unlesse it be to despise and to hate them but comparing themselves with such as are vile and debauched in themselves but they never have a due and serious consideration of their basenesse and vilenesse and nothingnesse in regard of the infinite Majesty of God which if they did it would pull down their peacocks feathers and make them not to be so haughty and proud would you have a rule how to order your selves here is a rule compare your selves with God your vilenesse and nothingnesse in regard of God and it will make your peacocks plumes to fall down Vse 2 If this be so that we are to compare our selves to God Oh then let us labour to get to our selves a dejected estimation of our selves for this is the lesson of Christ Learn of me for I am meek and lowly and therefore we must get into our selves an humble conceit of our selves and to this end we must often think upon and enter into a serious consideration of our own basenesse vilenesse and nothingnesse in comparison of God walk with God draw near unto God compare your basenesse and vilenesse to the glory of God and this we are to do especially when we come near unto God as when we either think or speak of God or when we hear his name mentioned or when we draw near to God in his holy Ordinances in hearing his Word in prayer in performing holy duties for when we come to the holy Ordinance of God we come into the Chamber of the presence of God and we draw near unto God and then consider what am I or who are we and what is the Lord who do we come before and hereupon we shall be kept from our pride in coming to the house of God and then we shall be kept from gaping and staring when we come to the house of God at this or that mans apparel or at this or that womans attire and never give attention to the Word of God this is for want of considering what we are and what God is Oh then learn we in the fear of God in drawing near unto God either in publike or in private to consider what a dreadful and great Majesty he is and to hear him with trembling and fear and then we shall find comfort as the Psalmist saith Psal 25.17 the Lord
hell is and where it is What are the parts of hell Whether the fire in hell be materiall or not with divers other curious questions Alas these doe little imagine that they provoke the Lord to wrath to anger and displeasure against their soules We reade in 1 Samuel 6.19 That the Lord slew fiftie thousand threescore and ten men of the Bethshemites for looking into the Arke of God And will the Lord suffer such curious persons as these are to prie into his secrets unpunished no surely he is able by the breath of his nostrils to throw these curious questionists into the pit of hell we know that even an earthly King will not indure it that every base peasant and mean subject should meddle with the weightie affairs of his Kingdome and question him about the ponderous things that are of importance and will the King of Heaven and Earth suffer base silly and simple men to question his unsearchable wayes and to seek to finde out those things that God hath kept close to himselfe assuredly no he will not suffer them so to doe without punishment if they repent not Again is this so that it is a great impudencie and wicked boldnesse for Vse 2 men to question and to cavil against the Will of the Lord and to seek to bring the hidden and secret Will of the Lord within the compasse of their reason Oh then take we heed of so doing learn we to reverence Gods secrets and not to inquire into the reason of them there be many things which the Lord hath kept and inclosed to himselfe and which God hath not revealed and if we take upon us to search into them to and question God about them we rush upon the Lords right and it is a fearfull impudencie and shamelesse boldnes for us so to doe as for example not to hover in the generall The Lord suffered the Gentiles to walk in the darknesse of their minds and in the vanity of the flesh Acts 14.16 and that about the space of two thousand years together and then the Lord revealed unto them his Gospel may we then question God touching this particular and demand the reason of it why the Lord did suffer them so long to live without the light of his Gospel why would the Lord suffer our Parents and Ancestors the Gentiles of whom we came to live in darknesse and reveal his will unto us no no it is a secret and we are not to question God about it So again touching infants shall we aske the reason why those infants that die before they come to yeares of discretion are not all saved but some go to Heaven and some to Hell some belong to Gods Election and some doe not some are saved some are not Shall we question and say Oh Lord why wouldst thou have it so that poore infants shall be damned No no the reason is hid from us though it be true that some infants are saved and some are not yet the cause of it is kept close from us and therefore we are not to seek into the secret Counsel of the Lord we see in the world many things fall out wonderful strangely yea we see as Salomon saith he did see in Eccle. 7.17 I have seen a just man perish in his justice and I have seen a wicked man prosper a long time in his malice and we may see it goeth ill with the good and well with the bad yea many times it goeth ill with the good and that because they are good and it goeth well with the bad because they are bad therefore they are countenanced and things seem to goe quite contrary as if God had no providence over man and we see many strange judgements and afflictions to befal other men what then Shall we hereupon dispute with God arguing the case with the Lord and take upon us to demand of him the reason why these things come to passe that it goeth ill with the good and well with the bad and these things seem to goe out of order as if God had no care of them No no for if we so doe it is most monstrous boldnesse and we run into the just censure of the Apostle in this place What and who art thou Oh Man wilt thou take upon thee to demand the reason of God Indeed I confesse some of the deare and holy servants of God have stumbled and taken a fall at this stone as the Prophet Jeremiah in the 12. Chapter and 1. Verse saith O Lord if I dispute with thee thou art righteous yet Lord let me talke with thee about thy judgements why is it that the way of the wicked prosper and they are in wealth that rebel and transgresse thy Law And at the same stone David stumbled in Psalme 73.2 His foote was almost gone when he saw it to goe well with the wicked This was the weaknesse and infirmitie of the holy Saints and servants of God we must learn both to thinke and to speake with reverence of the secret wayes and judgements of God and to adore them not to cavil against them but to acknowledge them to be just though the cause be secret And that indeed in the middest of the confusions and disorders that be in this world when we see all things turned topsie turvie as it were there is one that sitteth at the stern even the Lord of Heaven and Earth he sitteth guiding the stern and he will in his due time set things streight and bring them into order and square thus we are not to reason but to reverence the secrets of the Lord. Indeed we are not to passe by the strange works of God and the strange things we see or heare of in the world without a due and serious consideration of them that is senselesse blockishnesse and the fault of many men that they passe over the works of the Lord and never thinke of them nor make use of them to see the wonderful power and greatnesse of the Lord. But we must take heed of being too quick sighted and eagle eied to search into the cause of things that fall out upon such and such people and persons Men account it a degree of sharpnesse of wit that they are able to finde out the cause of hidden things But the Apostle calleth this meer dotage in the 1 of Timothy the 6. and the 4. If any man consent not unto the Doctrine of godliness he doteth about questions and is a meer questionist As the common Proverb is One foole may propound more questions in an houre then a thousand wise men can answer truely in a yeare So that these questionists are dolts and meer fools Let us therefore labor to be quick sighted in searching unto those things that concern faith and a good Conscience leaving the matters of needlesse and curious questions touching the secret things of God as some doe saying Why am I thus or thus and why are these times harder then the former Oh saith Solomon Thou
hath the Lord done this to bring us to this Land to fall upon the sword Is it not better for us to return into Egypt and to make a Captain over us the Lord hath mistook himself to bring us hither to fall by our enemies he hath took a wrong aym and so they thought themselves wiser then God And we shall find that Joshua calleth this rebellion in the ninth verse O my brethren saith he how long will ye rebel against the Lord And this sin of theirs made them hateful and odious to God so that we see that it is a thing odious monstrous and abominable for men to find fault with God touching his will in making and disposing of them and this is also proved by two Reasons Reason 1 Because this is a great dishonour to God it tendeth exceedingly to the dishonour of God thus to be found fault withal touching his will in framing of them this way or that way it is an impeachment to the wisdome or power of God or both as if the Lord were not wise enough to dispose of men or had not power enough to dispose of them As we know it tends to the disparagement of a Workman and his disgrace when men find fault with a piece of wood that the Artificer hath wrought for thereby men do argue the Workman to want wit or skill or to want ability and much more doth it tend to the disgrace of the Lord to quarrel with him Reason 2 Again it must needs be most odious for men to quarrel and find fault with God because God being most just his will is the highest and most perfect rule of all righteousnesse and the Lord performeth the act of his will most holily and most purely as Moses saith Deut. 32.4 Perfect is the work of the mighty God all his wayes and Judgments they are just and righteous God is righteous with him there is no unrighteousnesse and therefore it must needs be a great impudency for men to quarrel with the Lord. Vse 1 This being a truth confirmed by Scripture and averred by reason This first lets us see the danger they run into whatsoever they be that mislike the works and the will of God in disposing of them this way or that way they run upon the rock of Gods anger and vengeance and such persons do make themselves odious monstrous and abominable to God But you will say Is there any one so wicked to find fault with God in making of them this way or that way so wicked so shamelesse so impudent Yes there be many in the world what else do they but even find fault with God touching his will in making and framing of them to this or that fashion in that they take upon them to mend Gods work and to make themselves better then ever God did make them taking upon them to mend the work of God as they do that colour their hair and paint their faces and disguise themselves in antick disguised and new fangled attire they will make themselves peacock like in their top and top gallants that bring their hips up to their shoulders surely such persons they are monsters amongst men and such as are to be wondered at and as they are now so proud that they know not themselves they may justly fear that when the Lord cometh to Judgment the Lord will not know nor acknowledg them without speedy repentance but will say unto them Away hence who gave you this coloured hair this complexion on your painted cheeks this antick disguised body did I no you would mend my work and therefore away I 'le none of you begone into utter destruction depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Matth. 7.22 Again in like sort is it not a common thing beloved with some to dislike the works of God upon themselves and to find fault with Gods disposing of them and a casting of them into this or that estate and condition of life as they being poor lame weak feeble and deformed in their bodies do not they sometimes utter these words Oh it were better for me that I had been made a rich Merchant a Noble man a strong man or a fair man and not as I am what is this but to flye in Gods face and to pick a quarrel with him that hath formed them this is for man a silly creature a worm lesse then a worm to turn against God and as a worm being trod upon doth turn again so doth man bring upon himself a curse and a woe pronounced in Esay 45.9 he that doth quarrel with his Creator doth even dash himself upon the rock of Gods heavy wrath and upon his furious vengeance and so runneth into a dangerous estate Again this being so learn we our duty to hold our selves contented in Vse 2 all estates and conditions of life it pleaseth the Lord to place us in learn we to submit our selves to the good will and pleasure of the Lord the Creator though it be a thing that goeth contrary to reason yet learn we to say with holy David 2 Sam. 15.26 Behold here am I thy poor creature the work of thy hands thou art my Maker and Creator And to help us herein consider first of all that the chiefest thing that the Devil aymeth at when we lye under distresse is to make us flye in Gods face and to quarrel with God and to find fault with him Job 1.11 saith Satan unto God Do but touch him and he will flye in thy face Again secondly consider we that the will of God is the rule of all his actions and his goodnesse is the rule of his will and his will is ever holy and just and good and we being in the number of his children he is most merciful in disposing of our estate and our present estate though it be harsh and hard it is the best estate to us whether it be poverty or prosperity because God our Father seeth it so to be and he is most holy wise just and good and we are to give him the glory of his goodnesse justice wisdom and mercy in what estate soever we be Oh learn we then to rest contented in all estates and conditions of life and to submit our selves to the good will of God the Creator in disposing of us remembring we are his creatures he the Creator we are the formed he the former he is our Maker and it is our duty to be contented VERSE 21. Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour IN this Verse our Apostle goeth on in his personal Answer to the Caviller and Carnal Reasoner and having in the verse foregoing brought a general comparison to prove the grossenesse and absurdity of the Reasoners argument now here in this 21. verse the Apostle subjoyneth a particular instance adding weight and force to his former similitude as if he had said Doubtlesse it is a most
Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour IN the next place consider we God is here compared to a Potter in respect of the Potters power over his clay that as the potter hath lawful power over his clay and may lawfully make of his clay what he will even several vessels to several uses even such power and such authority or rather greater power and greater authority hath God over mankind to make and appoint men to several ends even some to honour and some to dishonour You see then this being the ground of the comparison that man hath lawful power over the clay to make of the same lump different vessels to divers uses so Gods power is far greater to make out of mankind some to honour and some to dishonour the Observation from this implication is thus much That God hath lawful power and authority over man to ordain and Doct. 2 to appoint them unto several ends at his own good pleasure as the potter may put upon his clay what form or fashion soever he will and may make and frame of it vessels to divers purposes and uses by the same right and with greater reason it stands that God may ordain and appoint men to several ends as it pleaseth him And to this purpose in the very same comparison speaketh the Lord to the house of Israel by the Prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 18.6 O house of Israel cannot I do with you as the Potter doth with his clay as the clay is in the hand of the Potter so are you in my hand O house of Israel As the Potter may do with his clay what he will so may I with you and in Luke 12.6 The Lord Jesus forewarning of us whom we ought to fear as namely God onely he describeth that God to have power to cast into hell fire fear not him that can kill the body but fear him that can kill both body and soul and the same word is used there ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifieth lawful power as is here thereby shewing that God hath lawful power not onely to take away the life of the body but to cast it into hell And it must needs be so that God hath greater power and authority then the Potter to appoint and ordain men to several ends then he hath to make vessels of the same lump of clay to several uses why The Reason is because the Pottter he is but a creature himself Reason and the clay is as much and the potter hath the clay made to his hands but God he made all men of nothing as Psal 100.3 The Lord hath made us and not we our selves and in this respect the Lord hath Sovereign power and authority over all men yea his right over all men is absolute yea such and so absolute is the right of God over all men as that the Lord might have made man and he might not have made man and the Lord now having made man of nothing so he may at his pleasure bring him to nothing suddenly the Creator out of the liberty of his will and absolutenesse of his power may do with his creature what he will which power the potter hath not because he is but a creature and the clay is a creature also it is made to his hand This serveth as one special ground to clear God of injustice and wrong doing that he hath appointed some men to life and glory in heaven Vse and others to everlasting shame and confusion this ground of truth cleareth God in this cause though carnal Reasoners do go about nothing else but to quarrel with God as the Arminians and Anabaptists say they herein you do go about to prove God a tyrant and that he doth deal tyrannically with men in destroying of them But they are deceived for why we know tyrants they do their own will either with men or against them onely because their pleasure is so they respect neither law nor equity nor Conscience so he may do his will and have his pleasure this is the manner of a Tyrant Now God he ordaineth men to several ends not onely according to his own good pleasure but according to the lawfulnesse of his good pleasure as he may lawfully do and as he hath lawful power and authority whereas the Tyrant careth not whether it be right or wrong he will break through all the bounds of truth and law there is no such matter with the Lord but the Lord he doth it according to his lawfull power and lawful authority to dispose of men to do with them as he will the tyrant hath not so And again there is a large and wide difference between God and a Tyrant both in respect of their wills and also in regard of their ends As first of all the will of Tyrants what is it according to their own lusts and their own pleasure and they being wicked and sinful make their wills as wicked and sinful but the Will of God God being most holy it is according to his nature and his nature being holy and pure his Will is most holy and pure Again Tyrants respect wicked ends in dealing hardly with their subjects in taking away their lives and their liberties and that is to satisfie their own cruel and bloody minds But now the purpose of God in dealing with men respecteth the praise of his glory and of his mercy which two ends are ever holy and good the ends of Tyrants are according to their Tyranny but the end of the Lord in ordaining some to shame and some to honour is the glory of his Justice and mercy and therefore it doth not follow from hence that we make God cruel and Tyrannical because we affirm that God hath out of his mere good will and pleasure appointed some to shame and some to honour because the Lord hath power so to do And this should teach us to be so far from charging God with Tyranny and indeed to drive this further we are not suffer once such a thought to arise in our hearts that God dealeth hardly with us in any thing whatsoever no not when thy estate seemeth unto flesh and blood to be most desperate nay we are to be far from this to think that God dealeth hardly with us nay when we are under the hand of God in some great and grievous distresse let us then remember thus much and think with our selves the Lord hath lawful authority to appoint men to everlasting destruction now if the Lord hath not thus dealt with us but given us a better and everlasting estate to life and glory Oh how can we think that God dealeth hardly with us in any thing he having evidenced his love unto us in Christ Jesus no though our distresses be but at the height and we in the deepest mire of misery We are to be thankful unto God in our deepest distresses and to give him the glory of
his mercy and Justice In massa pura non corrupta we are then to be thankful unto God even when we are plunged into the deepest Afflictions we can think of we are though it seem harsh and hard to blesse God and to consider in the time of our afflictions O Lord if thou shouldest deal with us as we have deserved we had been long since in hell now if the Lord do mitigate our Judgments and hath appointed us to salvation we are to magnifie his mercy considering his lawful authority over us to do what he will with us Again we considering that the lump of clay is here to be considered untainted free from tincture and pollution so we are to conceive of mankind in the making of him free from corruption That Gods will in appointing men to their several and final ends is absolute Gods will is dependent on nothing out of God Doct. 3 and independent it dependeth upon nothing in man good or evil God had not respect to man at all either to sin original or actual neither to his fall nor to his works good or evil but as the Potter maketh of the same lump being not tainted with any tincture so the Lord in appointing men to their final ends and everlasting estate did it out of his free will depending upon nothing in man it was absolute And hence it is that the Apostle determineth Gods predestination his choosing of some to life and reprobating of others in the good will and pleasure of God in Ephes 1.5 and in the 11. verse he saith God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will not unadvisedly but with counsel Because the Will of the Lord is the highest cause of all things and when we are come to that we are not to search any further nor to reason Reason about it but to rest in the will of God Gods will being the Supream cause of all things This being a truth Vse it beareth strongly against the opinion of some erring spirits as namely those that say that God in appointing men to their final ends had respect to something in man as either to their faith and good works or to their unbelief and obstinacy in sin Now this doth not onely make the will of the Lord dependent upon mans will that if men will be saved they shall if not damned but this opinion of theirs if we mark and observe it it maketh a dissimilitude between God and the Potter which are here put together in affinity and agreement But this doth overturn and contradict it And if this be true then this text is not true for if God had respect to something in man surely then God need not appoint any person definitively nor certainly to be a vessel of honour but conditionally if they did believe And so they make God to frame divers persons diversly qualified to divers ends and that with respect had to their qualification all men if they believe shall be saved if not none And so this disannulleth and overthroweth this similitude of the Apostle of the Potter who maketh of the same lump vessels to honour and vessels to dishonour so God out of the general lump of mankind not corrupted maketh some men to honour and some to dishonour I but may some say the Apostle saith Object in 2 Tim. 2.21 if any man purge himself from evil he shall be made a vessel of honour so that it dependeth not upon Gods will but upon our purging of our selves and our purifying of our hearts and lives To this I answer The Apostle in that place alledged Answ he speaketh not either of the decree of election and fore-appointing of some men to life and salvation nor yet of his effectual vocation and effectual calling But in this place the Apostle speaketh of the office and duty of Christians and he sheweth how a Christian must carry himself different from a Reprobate and answerable that he may be a vessel of honour sanctified and purged from the drosse of Corruption and from the sin and sinful courses of the world And this is the duty of every believing and elect Child of God thus they ought to demean and purge themselves and to carry themselves even as sanctified vessels fitted and prepared for glory so that this still remaineth a truth that Gods will in appointing men to their final ends it is absolute And we are to hold this as a certain truth for if we be in the number of Gods chosen we are built upon a sure foundation namely the absolute will of the Lord and that standeth more firm and stable and immoveable then the frame of heaven and earth the very frame of heaven and earth shall be turned upside down before this shall be shaken Oh what an excellent ground of comfort is this to as many as know themselves to be in the number of Gods chosen that they shall never lose it it being built upon so sure a foundation as Gods most absolute will which can never be moved VERSE 22. What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction IN these two Verses our Apostle he maketh a real Answer to the Caviller and Carnal Reasoner the Caviller reasoneth thus from the words of the Apostle that some men are hardened it is the will of God so saith the Apostle he hardeneth whom he will what reason is there then that God should complain of such men that are hatdened the will of God is irresistible it cannot be withstood and you teach us God hardeneth whom he will what then saith the Caviller hath God to complain of Now herein first our Apostle doth check the Cavillers saucinesse and malapertnesse in the 20. verse Who art thou O man shewing the absurdity of the reasoning against God and it is as if the formed thing should say to the former why hast thou made me thus amplifying that by a similitude of the Potter whereby the Apostle implyeth that as the Potter may lawfully do with his clay what he will and frame out of it several vessels to several uses so may the Lord ordain some men to life and glory and some to shame and confusion Now the Apostle having thus made way to the Real Answer now he cometh to it and sheweth that God may lawfully punish Reprobates for their hardnesse And that God is just in threatening and punishing men for their hardnesse of heart this he proveth by the Lords manner of dealing with Reprobates because saith he the Lord suffereth them with long patience as if he had said though the Lord had decreed their rejection and casting off for ever yet before the Lord hath executed any degree of his punishment he suffereth them with long patience to continue that he may the better declare his just wrath and Judgment upon them and his power in them and may make known the riches of his mercy toward his chosen
and the reason why the Lord is thus pleased so to do is this Because that so they might have both space and time of repentance given vnto them Reason and that they might hereby be stripped of all excuse and may have nothing to plead for themselves they shall have their mouthes stopped in the day of the Lords visitation Therefore the Lord is pleased to vouchsafe the means of mercy of grace and of repentance that they might have nothing to plead for themselves and they still despising the riches of Gods mercy of his patience and of his bountifulnesse Romans 2.4 which is manifested in the means of grace that leadeth unto repentance which is still sounding in their ears and still goe on in sinne so that when they come before the Judge of the World they can have nothing to say they cannot say if we had had such and such means and such time we would have amended but they have all means and they despising the bountifulnesse of God are left without excuse Object But happily some may say it seemeth it is but in vain that God giveth wicked men a time and space of repentance and sendeth his Gospel unto them and invites and cals them to amendment because the Lord having decreed their everlasting destruction they can never come to repentance therefore it seemeth a vain and an idle thing in God may some say to give unto them time and space of repentance and to crie out unto them come out of your sins turn to God repent of your sins and here is mercy for you God having decreed their destruction they can never come to repentance Answ It is true indeed God having decreed the everlasting destruction of reprobates they can never come to repentance and yet it is not in vain that God is pleased to give them space and time of repentance and to invite and call them and crie unto them Oh sonnes of Men when will you turne unto God For though the Lord is not bound together with the means of grace to give grace and to make the means effectual for the conversion of Reprobates yet thereby the Lord doth manifest and make it to appeare that he doth approve of the worke of Conversion and of Repentance in all men yea the Lord doth approve of the work of Conversion in Reprobates as a good thing in it selfe and hence it is in 2 Peter 3.9 it is said God will have all men to come to repentance Hath God decreed some to destruction and yet will have all men to come to repentance in his will approving and it is not in vaine that God calleth for it thereby approving of the work of Conversion in Reprobates as a good thing in it self and thereby he leaveth them without excuse Object But if any plead and say alasse they cannot doe otherwise God denying his grace unto them what can any man doe They cannot but continue hard hearted and obstinate If God denie his grace they cannot doe otherwise but continue hard hearted and obstinate To this I answer Answer it is true indeed that God denying his grace men cannot possibly come out of their sinnes to Repentance and amendment of their lives yet for all this God doth reprobates no manner of wrong at all in calling upon them and approving of that work in them he is not to be taxed because in the beginning before man was created God was not bound to create man in holinesse in the estate of Innocencie which he made them and much lesse is the Lord bound to restore these things unto them they having lost them they having forfeited the bond they having wilfully and rebelliously deprived themselves of these things having wilfully broke the Covenant and made a defection and a falling away from God so that God is still cleare and doth them no wrong at all Vse Is it so that God is so patient toward wicked sinners and such as are appointed to everlasting destruction that he forbears them and of a long time they provoking him to anger everie minute of an houre when he might throw them down to Hell Oh then let men and women whosoever they be that go on in their sins let them not thinke that they are in no danger of the wrath of God and punishing hand of God because God beareth with them and doth not speedily execute his vengeance upon them and cast down his thunderbolt upon them Oh let them not think that therefore they are free from the wrath of God though beloved it is a common Conceit of wicked and ungodly persons even of such as goe on in the practise of known sinnes of drunkennesse of uncleannesse to imagine within themselves that they are in no such danger as the Preacher will make them believe no saith a wicked and gracelesse wretch let the Preacher speake his pleasure and threaten me with the curse and the vengeance of God to light upon my soul and bodie and threaten me with damnation What need I fear Why for all this I am sure I thrive I goe on and I prosper I have good successe in the world he telleth me of the curse of God because I break the Sabbath yet I thrive I goe forward I have good successe in my businesse Oh let them take heed you are onely under Gods long patience and Gods long suffering and there is but a step between thee and Hell if death come you must to hell without repentance there is but a hairs breadth between you and hell It is a common saying forbearance is no acquittance you are but spared as the Amorites Genesis 15.16 Vntill your sinnes be at the full and you fil up the daily measure of your sinnes and then commeth the hand of God down upon you in a fearful manner and the longer that God is a striking the more fearful is his blow and the more deadly after long forbearance as Solomon saith Eccles 8.12 13. Though a sinner doe evil an hundred times many times together yet it shall not be well with him in the end howsoever he may thrive and grow great and prosper in the world and have blessings powred upon him abundantly yet it will not goe well with him in the end Nay I beseech you remember Gods patience abused it turneth into fury and into rage and Gods mercie despised and neglected Patientia lasa fit furor not leading to repentance becommeth judgement mercilesse Now is the day of grace and mercie is offered unto thee while the Lord giveth thee means of grace and of mercie but there will come a day of wrath and of vengeance upon thee it will come certainly and without mercie and without pittie now is the time of patience and of long forbearing Now is his voice calling upon you if you make a pish and a tush at it the time will come when the Lord will rise up in wrath and vengeance and bring woe unto your soules Again for a second use this being so that God
33.21 that can consider the wrath of God against sin and not tremble at it Therefore in the fear of God consider it and do not mock and scoffe at it lest the wrath and vengeance of God break out upon thee to thy utter Destruction What and if God would to shew his wrath and to make his power known suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction COme we now to the second end of Gods long suffering and patience to wicked men and that is not onely to shew his wrath The second end to make his Power known but to make his Power known The Lord is patient and long suffering to reprobates to this end that they abusing his patience being obstinate and not being bettered he may at the length make it appear that he is a God of Power He makes it appear that he is a God of Power able to pull down the stoutest sinner in the world how soever he may seem to wink at it able to beat down the most stubborn hearted wretch that is living upon the face of the earth and able to bring upon them utter ruine and destruction to the praise and glorie of his own Power Now then from hence we may easily gather this conclusion That God will one day shew forth his Power in punishing of wicked and ungodly persons such as goe on wilfully in their known sinnes Doctrine and continue obstinate in their evil courses and will not be bettered by his patience and kindnesse toward them Though the Lord doe suffer obstinate and rebellious sinners to goe on a long time yet at the last he will rise up and then manifest his Power and make it appear to all the world that he is a God of Power in their just vengeance thus the Lord speaketh in Deuteronomie 32.22 That when once he taketh hold of his sword of vengeance he will pay them home As if he had said though I may suffer vile and obstinate sinners to escape my Power a long time yet at the length I will whet my glittering sword and take hold on judgement then will I shew forth my Power in executing vengeance upon the wicked and obstinate sinners In the 50. Psalme the Psalmist in the 16. verse bringeth the Lord reckoning up the sinnes of the people of Israel and in the 21. verse He shutteth up all in a word These things hast thou done and I did forbear thee and because I did forbear thee therefore thou diddest think that thy course of life was pleasing unto me but saith the Lord The time will come that I will call thee to account and set thy sinnes in order And then mark that which my speech aimeth at in the 22. verse there is added a very pithie and powerful speech by way of Exhortation Consider this you that forget God the great God of Heaven and Earth least he will teare you in pieces and there shall be none to deliver you which is verie emphatical wherein we see the Lord compareth himself to an hungerie Lion that having gotten his prey rendeth and teareth it in pieces and none can rescue or take it off from the paw of the Lion so will the Lord one day rise up in judgement against those that are wicked obstinate and rebellious sinners and then he will shew himselfe even as an angrie Lion that crusheth the bones of a poore sheep between his teeth so he will manifest his Power in punishing wicked sinners and none can be able to free them from his punishing hand And in Revelation 11.17 We finde that the Saints gave God thanks and praise in this manner VVe thanke thee O Lord God Almightie that art from everlasting and shalt continue for ever c. Then in the latter end of the verse they render a reason of this their thanksgiving unto God in these words and terms For thou hast received thy great might and thou hast obtaind thy Kingdom Why is God stronger then then he is now No but the meaning is That though God be a great God in respect of Power and alwaies retaineth fulnesse of Power and Might and shall not at the day of judgement receive any greater power or might then now he hath yet at the day of judgement shall exercise and shew forth his Power in the utter overthrow of his enemies and deliverance of his Church and therefore he is said to receive his mightie Power and then shall the 24. Elders sing their song Now is thy Might and Power come So that we see though God doe for a long time suffer the wicked to goe on in their sinnes yet he will shew forth his Power in punishing of them and it must needs be so for these Reasons Reason 1 Because the Lord having in divers places of the Book of God threatned and denounced plagues and fearful punishments and judgements against wicked and rebellious sinners and he being able to make good what he hath threatned he will not suffer his threats and denunciations alwaies to be in vain and to lie dead and never be brought to execution but in his due time appointed he will make them good upon the bodies and souls of those that live and die in their sinnes Reason 2 The Lord will be known as he is a God of Power here he sheweth himself to be a God of Patience but he will be known to be a God of Power in executing judgement and vengeance upon the wicked Psalme 9.16 For this is one proof that there is a God That he will execute his Power in bringing destruction upon the wicked rebellious sinners though the Lord suffer them to goe on in their sinnes for a long time yet he will one day make it apparent that he is a God of Power in their just punishment howsoever he seemeth to see as if he saw it not yet he will one day make his all-seeing Power known Object But now if any doe object against this that of the Apostle in 2 Thessalonians 1.9 where the Apostle saith That Christ Jesus at his comming unto judgement shall come in flaming fire and rendring vengeance to punish the wicked in everlasting perdition from the presence of his Power So that we see the Apostle saith he will separate the wicked from his Power they shall have nothing to doe with it how is this answered Answ To this I answer the Lord will execute vengeance upon the wicked and put them from his Power what Power not his destroying Power but his saving Power God hath a saving Power and a destroying Power his glorious Power James 4.12 There is one Law-giver even God who can save and destroy so that they shall be severed from the saving power of God but not from the destroying power that shall fall upon them heavily and fearfully Vse 1 Upon this ground of Truth take we notice of the miserable and woful estate and condition of all wilful and rebellious sinners that goe on in their sinnes with
every one will say so we are therefore to look unto it that we be thankful unto him indeed how shall we know that we may know it by this if so be we find that we are truly thankful unto God for his mercy unto us in outward good things and thereby we are moved to walk humbly before the Lord and the more the Lord openeth his hand and giveth good things unto us the more we do prove thankful unto him and walk before him humbly Mich. 6.8 and then we may assure our selves we are truly thankfull But on the contrary part if so be we find that we are not thankfull unto God for the things of this life but after the manner of the world the more the Lord doth open his hand unto us and give them riches the more they increase in pride in vanity in scorn in disdain and contempt of others because we are richer then others therefore we will be prouder then others and disdain and scorn our brethren let us pretend what we will we can never make it good that we are thankful unto God as David in 2 Sam. 7.18 considering the mercy of God in advancing him to the Kingdom saith O what am I that the Lord should vouchsafe such a mercy unto me so where that spirit is that was in David it will cause thee to be thankful unto God for every bit of bread and not to be proud and scornful considering it cometh from the free mercy of God so that this doctrine is not a doctrine of liberty but it is a special means of thankfulnesse to stirre us up to be truly thankful unto God VERSE 24. Even us whom he hath called not of the Jewes onely but also of the Gentiles OUr Apostle in this Verse entreth upon the third and last part of this Chapter and the sum and substance of this part is a declaration of that great work of calling the Gentiles and refusing and rejecting the Jewes which was foretold by the Prophets and this from the 24 verse to the end of the Chapter and the Apostle falleth upon this matter upon occasion of that which he put down in the Verse foregoing that the vessels of mercy are prepared of God unto glory now he descendeth from the general to the particular and that which he had before spoken in ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the general he applyeth in ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in the particular and he sheweth who they are that he had ordained to mercy and they are the called of God the elect of God calling being an effect of Gods predestination and a fruit and effect of Gods eternal election and the Apostle doth appropriate this to the particulars Even us whom he hath called and he reduceth it to the subjects of it Jewes and Gentiles and he putteth down that distribution touching the subjects of Gods calling not barely but if you mark it very cautelously and very warily that his distribution might be free from all manner of exception for he saith not us whom he hath called Jewes and Gentiles but even us whom he hath called not of the Jewes onely but also of the Gentiles and now because Gods calling of the Gentiles it was a thing odious and hateful to the Jewes a thing seeming very absurd and incredible the calling of such as were dogs and without therefore the Apostle dwelleth upon this point and confirmeth it by a double testimony out of the Prophet Hosea in the 25. and 26. verses and then after this the Apostle doth further amplifie the calling of the Gentiles by an Antithesis by the rejection of the Jewes and that not of the body of the Jewes but a remnant of the Jewes onely and this our Apostle also confirmeth by a double Testimony out of the Prophet Isaiah in the 27 28 and 29. verses And last of all the Apostle maketh a Collection and he putteth it down by way of Answer to an Objection that might be made touching the calling of the Gentiles and rejection of the Jewes from the 30. verse to the end of the Chapter Now then to come to the particular handling of the 24. verse In this verse for the general matter contained in it we may observe two things First an instance given by the Apostle touching the persons that are vessels of mercy prepared of God unto glory he instanceth in himself and others who are called even us And secondly a distribution of the subjects of this calling Jewes and Gentiles the Apostle ranging the subjects of Gods calling into these two sorts Jewes and Gentiles and he putteth it down so warily and so cautelously that no Objection might be made against it not of the Jewes onely but also of the Gentiles There is no great difficulty in the words Even us whom he hath called Or according to the text Original those whom he hath called namely us whom he hath called that is whom God hath called now Gods calling it is an act of his eternal love whereby he doth please to call and invite men to salvation this is the definition of Gods calling in the notion and generality For when men are called by the preaching of the Word and the Ministry thereof and they hear it onely with the ears of their body that is the external and outward calling they are called to come to hear and obey and they hear it and answer not as Christ speaketh Matth. 16.20 many are called but few are chosen or else Gods calling is inward and effectual namely this when men are called by the voyce of God and the preaching of it and they answer to it their hearts answer they are called effectually by the working of the holy Spirit which bringeth them from Ignorance and unbelief to true knowledge and faith in Christ and they are called out of darknesse into a marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 the holy Spirit of God doth bend their hearts to yeeld to the call of the Lord to receive the promise of mercy offered unto them and he doth cause them to yeeld to the will of God revealed in their hearts and lives this is Gods effectual calling and this is the calling here meant not of the Jewes onely That is not those onely who are descended of the line of Abraham of Jacob and of Israel but of the Gentiles also Which was indeed a hard thing for the Jewes to believe that is even us who are descended of another line and come of another nation of the world and are termed Gentiles and are aliens from the Common wealth of Israel even us who are strangers from God Ephes 1.12 so that we may easily conceive the purpose of the Apostle here to be this viz. Even us whom God hath called effectually and by the work of his Spirit brought from ignorance and unbelief even us whom he hath wrought upon by the preaching of his Word and made it effectual for our calling to believe in him even us not onely us who have descended according
in the world wonder not nor be not amazed forr these things must come to passe and be fulfilled And it argueth a true and a sound faith to see through the thick mists of errour and iniquity and abundance of evil the bright resplendant shining beames of the Majestie and purity of the Word of God And therefore we are to be so farre from being offended at the Combustions and Uproares of the world as that we should be strengthened so much the more and settled and grounded in the holy Word of God seeing God hath Revealed it in his Word and foretold it long before As he saith in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved c. COme we now to the words of the Testimonie it selfe in these two verses And herein the Apostle doth invert the Order of the words of the Prophet putting that which is first last yea the Apostle doth something alter and change the words of the Prophet and keepeth not strictly and precisely to the very words of the Prophet citing word for word yet he keepeth the scope sense and meaning of the Prophet sound and intire without any alteration or change hence then note we thus much That it is not alwayes necessarie that the very words of the Scripture Doctrine should be strictly orderly and precisely kept in the preaching of the Word so that the sence and scope and meaning of the place be kept sound and intire without wrong change or alteration The Preachers of the Word must look unto it that they neither deprave nor corrupt the places of Scripture that they doe not cut them off and leave out something needful this was the sinne of the Devil in Matthew 4.6 He shall give his Angels charge over thee and leaveth out to keep thee in all thy wayes Nor that they doe not wrest and wring the places of Scripture to a wrong sence and wrong purpose and make them as a nose of waxe and draw them to a wrong purpose and vex the Holy Word of God which is the dealing of all hereticks and especially such as doe turne the places of Scripture and the plain Stories of the Bible into Allegories and so wrong the sence of the Scripture yet Ministers of the Word they may alledge and cite places of Scripture with some alteration so they keep the sence safe sound and intire John 7.38 He that believeth in me as saith the Scripture out of his belly shall flow rivers of water Where doth the Scripture say so Surely in no place that we finde in the Old Testament expresly totidem verbis in the very same words yet for the matter and substance of these words they may be collected and gathered out of the holy Prophets as out of Esay 44.3 and 49.10 Joel 3.18 in all which places mention is made of pouring water upon the drie and thirstie ground and of diving into the Waters of Life and of a fountain that should issue out from the house of the Lord. Now the Lord Jesus doth apply these words of the Prophets having respect to Christ who is the Fountain of Life and of all Spiritual graces he doth apply them to all those that truely believe in him that though they were drie and barren yet out of them shall flow the rivers of water of Life so that though he doth not set down the words of the Prophets expresly yet he keepeth the sence and meaning of the words So that it concerneth the Preachers of the Word to be very well acquainted with the scope and drift of the Scriptures that howsoever they may misse of the words yet they must keep the sence intire and see that they doe not swerve from the intent and purpose of the Holy Spirit of God in the Text. And as they must be careful that the places of Scripture be fit and pertinent to the purpose they have in hand so also that the places they doe alledge be truely understood and rightly applied according to the meaning of the Word and then they are the true Word of God and are a notable means to beate down the strong holds of sinne and of Sathan to pass by that Come we now to the Testimonie it self recorded by the Prophet and here alledged by the Apostle I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved These words are a plain Text and doe evidence unto us the vocation and calling of the Gentiles which was long agoe foretold and now fulfilled the Gentiles are called the Gentiles embrace the faith of Christ which is one of the great mysteries of the Gospel and of Religion 1 Tim. 3.16 VVithout controversie great is the mysterie of godliness what was that God manifested in the flesh seen of Angels justified in the Spirit preached to the Gentiles a high and excellent mysterie Now touching this mysterie of calling the Gentiles observe the Lord saith I will call them my People which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved Hence appeareth the free mercy and the free grace of God in calling the Gentiles out of the estate of ignorance and unbelief into the estate of true knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ into the estate of grace hence then ariseth this point viz. Doctrine That God calleth men effectually out of their natural estate into the estate of grace and doth work grace in them effectually by the power of his Spirit through the preaching of the Word out of his meer good will and free mercy nothing moving him thereunto but onely his free mercy the Lord he is pleased to reveal the Gospel to none but to those who out of his meer good will hee pleaseth to cause to understand it and the light of the Gospel though it shine most clearly and resplendantly yet it doth enlighten none nor worke upon none but onely such as it pleased God to illuminate and enlighten by the preaching of the Word though it fall upon their eyes and sound in their eares and shine about them yet the hearts are shut up of all such unlesse those whom God doth illuminate Eph. 1.9 The Apostle speaking of himselfe and other true believers saith expresiy God hath opened unto us the mysterie of his Word the secrets of his Gospel according to his own good pleasure And in the same Chapter the 17. verse He prayeth that the Ephesians might have the Spirit of Revelation and the Spirit of Wisedome Oh Lord open the eyes of their understanding that they may clearly see the riches of his calling and the sweet comforts of the Gospel And hence it was that the Apostle saith in 2 Cor. 4.6 That God by the same Almightie power whereby he brought light out of darkness causeth them to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ yea the Lord doth afford the outward sound and preaching of the Word out of his free mercie where it pleaseth
to God by prayer as thy Father which is in heaven but as a God ready to pour out his wrath and vengeance clothed with Justice and Judgement yea thou canst not hear the voyce of God against thee Oh that Civil honest persons would but consider this their miserable estate and condition thou wouldest be so far from being pleased with thy self in respect of thy estate and so far from blessing thy self therein that thou wouldest fall a bewailing of thy miserable estate and condition in considering thy case is miserable and damnable Again in that the Apostle saith I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved hence we may observe thus much viz. Doctrine That the called of God such as are wrought upon by the Spirit of God and the preaching of the Word hath a kindly working upon their soules they are in a most happy peaceable and blessed condition besides this the Scripture setteth their estate out in many notable places in Ephes 2. saith the Apostle they are made near unto God whereas before God was an angry Judge now they are at peace with God yea at peace with all the creatures of God yea the very stones in the streets and beasts in the field are at peace with them yea such as are in the estate of grace they may have accesse to the Throne of grace to see the face and favour of God with boldnesse they may come into the house of God with comfort and joy and rejoycing they may eat bread at the Lords Table and feed on the Gospel yea they may praise God for assurance of happinesse hereafter yea the Scripture maketh known that they are dear unto the Lord of heaven and he maketh special account and reckoning of them they are a royal Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people 1 Pet. 2.9 yea they are the sheep of his pasture the Saints of God and of his Family they are of Gods Houshold Ephes 2.19 they are dear and tender to him as the apple of his eye he that toucheth them toucheth the very apple of his eye Zach 2.8 yea they are the Lords own proper inheritance Deut. 32.9 all the world is the Lords but his people are his inheritance Vse If this be so how ought we to seek and labour to find our selves in this estate out of the estate of Nature if we find our selves in this estate we are beloved of God to the acceptation of our persons our good works and services yea our weak and imperfect service are pleasing unto God through Christ yea we are in such a blessed estate and condition that nothing can make us miserable how should this affect our hearts for if a child of God were in hell and within the compasse of Gods love he were in a blessed estate whereas otherwise though they were in heaven and yet not beloved of God thy case would be miserable Oh what a blessed condition is a Child of God in And as the Heathen man saith If thou didst see the beauty of vertue thou wouldest desire it above all so if thou didst but see the beauty and lustre of Gods love it would make thee admire it and to labour to get out of the estate of nature into the estate of grace and then happy art thou for thou hast right and title to everlasting happinesse and assured possession of heaven As he saith also in Hosea I will call them my people which were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved And it shall come to passe in the place where it was said unto them You are not my people There shall they be called the Children of the living God WE are now to come to stand upon the last of these two verses the 26. verse where we see the Apostle doth double his testimony and doth bring two places both of them to one and the same purpose one of them had been sufficient but he bringeth two and indeed doubling of speeches in Scripture is not idle nor superfluous but it is of excellent use and purpose it serveth both for more certainty and for more plainnesse and perspicuity in Gen. 41.32 Joseph said unto Pharaoh his dream was doubled and why because the thing should certainly come to passe so likewise it maketh things more evident plain and perspicuous as in Phil. 3.1 The Apostle saith It grieveth not me to write unto you the same things again for they are sure and certain The point needs not to be inlarged onely I note it to teach us that we must double our regard and our respect of things that are often repeated and often beaten upon in the holy Scripture God having a mouth to speak we must have an ear to hear a mind to attend and a heart to yeeld obedience unto him and the Lord doubling his speech and repeating the same things again we must double our hearing double our apprehension and double our care to profit by it and make use accordingly As in particular Doth the Lord double his threats against thy sins hast thou often heard of thy particular sinnes thy drunkennesse thy whoredome thy pride thy Sabbath-breaking thy Usury hast thou heard of it again and again hath the Lord directed his Ministers to denounce his Judgements often against thee for thy sinnes Oh then it behoveth thee to double thy care and respect in reforming of thy sinnes hath the Lord often threatned thee for thy pride thy garishnesse in apparel and is it not amended certainly the Lord will deal with thee proportionably thou resistest the holy Spirit of God that hath doubled his threatenings against thee for thy sinnes and thou not amending but going on he will certainly one day double his plagues and Judgments upon thee without reformation Now touching the matter of the Apostles speech And it shall be in the place where it was said they are not my people there they shall be called my people Here we see the Lord doth set forth the Calling of the Gentiles by the circumstance of the place the meaning is as if the Lord had said In those Nations those Kingdoms those Countries of the world where I have none that do fear nor worship me nor are called by the name of my people but are Heathen and Pagans there will I raise up some to call upon me and to offer unto me So that we may see that Gods calling of men to the estate of grace it respecteth no place but in any place in any Countrey of the World the Lord will call them in due time but this point for the substance we have formerly handled But hence we may gather briefly thus much viz. That distinction of place in regard of holinesse Doctrine is now taken away in the time of the New Testament it is now abolished one place is not now holier then another but in every nation in every place God will have people to worship him neither is the worship of God now