and not to another Remarkable to this purpose is that Rom. 11.7 But the Election hath obtained it The question is propounded vers 1. Hath God cast away his people No He proves it first in himselfe I am a Jew therefore all are not cast away Secondly God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew What then how stands the matter Why this is the conclusion the election hath obtained it the rest were blinded the elect have a preeminence above the rest the God of grace doth shine into their hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ But the God of the world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4.6 Reason 2 Of the event per accidens occasionally it provesa savour of death to some Quest Now let us consider what those occasions are or what those distempers are in the parties themselves seeing the difference cannot be in the ordinance it selfe which is the same to both it must be sought elsewhere Answer 1 The Gospell therefore proves a savour of death First sometimes on the Ministers part when they doe not deale faithfully when by flatteries they say to the soules that shall die yee shall live This the Lord complaines of Jer. 6.14 They dealt falsely they healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there was no peace Thus it comes to passe that the poore soule is hardned when men preach the free grace of God and mercy without laying before people the conditions whereupon mercy is promised when we promise them life and doe not presse upon them the necessitie of holy walking in the path of life mercy without repentance People must be sound in repentance in faith in puritie of conscience else we can promise them no peace of conscience we must put a difference betweene pretious and vile Jer. 15.19 We must not preach as if all alike should be saved as if the outward ordinances and communion therein were sufficient unlesse yee be circumcised in the heart as well as in the flesh baptized with the spirit inwardly called really converted c. Ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven we must deale clearely in this point else we delude the people Wee must tell you that 't is not all your moralities nor all your civilities nor all your formalities in prayer and comming to Church that makes a sound Christian yee must be humbled brought into covenant with Christ whatsoever is short of regeneration is short of salvation Thus Mat. 7.22 profession of Christ's name will not serve the turne A distinguishing Ministry is the savory saving Ministry which lets you see in what state you are whether in nature or in Grace Sheepe or Goates c. A promiscuous preaching of Christ's mercy to all without any other distinguishing markes doth cause a mis-application of the Gospell men that are sons of death thinke themselves Children of life Poore souls are blinded to their destruction through Ministers fault we must not warrant repentance to be true without faith nor faith to be true in any that see not their cursed state in nature that feele not their need of faith by reason of sin and misery Nor can we warrant faith in any Body that is not become a new Creature and the new-borne desire to grow by the sincere milke of the word c. The Gospell preaching mercy to the Lumpe is a truth But that word must be rightly divided and mercy applyed to whom it is promised On the peoples part foure waies 1. By reason of their carelesnesse customarinesse in religion not Examining Trying and Applying to themselves in particular the markes and truths deliver'd when the faithfull Ministers shew the world how their sins are pardoned and how they must get into the Covenant of Grace to have their deadly woe removed people doe not marke it nor take paines about it but esteeme of it as a light matter as if God were beholding to them for hearing the Gospel of Salvation This Customarinesse you discover by carelesnesse in hearing and after hearing some lay them to sleepe others play with their Children others place themselves out of hearing c. people plainly shew that they come not as people that are to deale in matters of salvation and damnation If our Gospell be hid 't is hid to them that are lost the light thereof shines cleare but the fault is in your selves you are content to be blindfolded and holden back from so great a treasure as is cōmunicated in the Gospell O Is it not a sad thing and yet too true that in many houses not one of the familie knowes himselfe to be saved All such saving knowledge is a mysterie to them you think you have repented because you have sorrowed for some particular sin and that you have faith because you hold some doctrines of faith the Divels doe the same But how to know your selves to be the elect of God though it be clearly laid forth by your Ministers yet that heavenly truth is not understood because you are not carefull to trie your selves and to prove your estate to be good All is but a dead and unsavorie thing upon your spirits Whereas the conscionable hearer doth finde spirituall life in such distinguishing truths he is comforted and quickned finding his name to be written in the book of God 2 Secondly it proves a deadly savour to you by reason of the discontent pride selfe-love and contentiousnesse of your spirits that will not endure to be reproved or searched you stumble at the word through disobedience be angry with that which should doe you most good quarrell at the Light Now when people be thus settled on their Lees when they have such stumbling-blocks of iniquitie in their hearts now I say that word which brings life to others brings death to you you see no good in it As if you stir a dunghill it stinks the worse so if you rake in a fowle heart the mud and filth that 's in it doth arise and corruption works the more O what reasonings and sidings with sin and Satan ô what anger and opposition against the Light Sin taking occasion by the Commandement saies Paul wrought in me all maner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 The Law did put no evill motion into his heart but wrought that is did stir it up it was there before it set corruption aworke If the word doe not prevaile to subdue and purge out corruption then it stirs it up and sets it a working and so proves a savour of death to you Whereas the same doctrines reproofes and searching trialls to the saved ones do yeeld a savour of life Good is the word of the Lord I am vile I am uncleane thy word is truth Hic ure hic seca ut in aeternum parcas Let thy word cut
unto thee now at last Is not my Gospell worth thy Tenths Thou owest to thy Minister even thy selfe also Philem. v. 19. and dost thou begrudge them of thy Temporalls O England art thou become a land of Gadarens that to save thy Tithes wilt send away thy Preachers Is thy soule worth no more then the price of these perishing things Consider what the change will be hast thou forgot thy blessed Sabaths and the fruitfull solemnities of them thy comfortable Communion with God in the Sacraments in prayer and praise Would it not be a sad time to see a famine not of Bread but of hearing the word of the Lord To see the songs and solemnities of the Temple turned into howlings To see those holy and beautifull houses where our Fathers praised God to be burnt with fire and all our pleasant things to be laid waste Esa 64.11 It was the Churche's complaint there what is it an honour to thee that thy Ministers be of the basest of thy people To starve them that feed thee yea that spend themselves to feed thee Will it not be griefe of heart to see the Candlesticke without a light The Table without Bread That there be neither Light nor Food in the house of God God be mercifull to an unthankfull people O our God however it shall please thee to afflict us doe not take thy Gospell from us Though thou dost feed us with Bread and Water of Affliction yet let not our Pastors bee hid in a corner but let our eyes see our Teachers and our hearts heare the secret voice of the Spirit accompanying it This is the good way walk in it And according to thy good promise be with thy holy ones to the end of the world Let the blessing of Levi rest upon their heads Deut. 33.8 10 11. FINIS 2. Cor. 2.16 To the one a Savour of c. A Savour of death unto death that is a deadly savour an occasion of their farther hardning and impenitencie The Gospell is to them a dead unsavourie thing they gather poison out of the word of life To the other sort a Savour of life that is It is a quickning word they feele some life in it and this vitall Savour is unto life eternall It follows Doctrine 3 The same Minister and the same doctrine preacht indifferently to all hath not the same effects in all It worketh in a far different manner To the one it is savorie and fruitfull unto life To the other it is odious irksome and unsavorie unfruitfull and an occasion of their farther hardning it yeelds death unto them Even as the same sun doth harden the clay and melt the wax And as the same Star is to some a morning-Star bringing light and day to others an evening-star bringing darknesse night So the Gospell is a comfort to some a terrour to others bringing light and life to some to others darknesse and death Proofs 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified to the Jewes a stumbling-blocke to the Greeks foolishnes But unto them which are called both Jew and Greeke Christ the power of God and wisdome of God The Jews seek after signes they see Christ crucified through weaknesse therefore they stumble at him The Greeks seek after wisdome arguments of reason they discourse of sin and salvation and the life to come according to their wit and Philosophicall Principles T is foolishnesse to tell them of Justification by a condemned person Againe 1. Pet. 2.7 I lay in Sion a chiefe corner-stone But there be different opinions of him and accordingly different manners of receiving him to some he is pretious nothing so pretious as Christ nothing so honoured as Christ nothing so deare To the other he is set aside as a vessell of no use yea he is unto them a Rock of offence they dash against him and perish the one believe on him and are not confounded to the other he is a rock of offence to their fall and ruine through their owne disobedient hearts And thus Simeon said of Christ Luk. 2.34 That Christ is set for the rising and falling of many in Israel Some that stand in high esteeme in the Church shall fall others that be low shall be raised comforted one proofe more Act. 13.48 Paul's hearers some speake against the things which were spoken by Paul But as many as weâ—re ordained to life believed God who hath ordained the end eternall life hath prepared the meanes and makes the same effectuall to some which are not to others From this his place it 's cleare that when severall persons here the same Sermon see the same miracles enjoy the same word of life yet to so it proves a savour of life c. 1. The one is effectus per se the proper effect of the Gospell the other per accidens through the frowardnesse of them that heare it 2. These places shew what Christ and the word preached are occasionally to some men through their voluntary resisting against God and his ordinances And not what they are intentionally in God's purpose and thoughts when he first gave the Gospell He intended them for good though men pervert them to their hurt 2. Againe it is a deadly savour not as if the Gospell of its owne nature breathed out death to any for it is the ministry of life 2 Cor. 3.6 7. and the Power of God to salvation but by reason that impenitent sinners will not be healed they set themselves against it and so it turnes to their condemnation Q. What 's the Reason of this different manner of working why life to some and death to others why not death to all A. The Answer must be divided for there is not one cause of both Of the event perse which is unto life there is one cause of the event per accidens which is unto death there is another cause The Reason of the event perse is God's grace which opens the heart and bows the will to embrace the word of life so amongst Pauls Hearers Act. 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life Believed ordaining to eternall life went before their believing So when the seaventie returned and told our Saviour what good successe their preaching had abroad whereas the Jews which heard Christ himselfe repented not Christ breaketh out into an admiration of God's love I thanke thee O Father of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and what doe we learne froÌ„ hence ' It does not goe by wit or learning for it was hid from the prudent and wise Nor yet by the excellency of the Preacher for Christ was greater then the Disciples yet their Ministry was of greater efficacy Where then lies the difference God was pleased to reveale those mysteries to Babes Even so because it seemed good in thy sight Mat. 11.25 26. with Luk. 10.20 21 To know these mysteries is the Guift of God and being a gift it is free for him to give it to one
and not spare my heart my dearest corruptions Let it discover my ignorance my hypocrisie my unsoundnesse in repentance my formalitie in duties c. It shall not be unto me as an enimies sword but as a Surgion's knife that cuts to heale my wound my festered soule Although the word puts you to strong fightings to sad feares to doubtings and disputings within your selfe yea to lowd cries through depth of sorrow and bring you into combates with Satan yet you will see there is a savour of life in it you will not let goe your hold of it till it bring forth judgement unto victorie As one in danger of drowning will take hold of a naked sword though it cut him rather then sinke in the water it is better to be cut then drowned so the saved ones will keep and hold fast the word though with some great difficulties rather then give over their soule into the Divel's hands and themselves into perdition Thus the word is a savour of life to them though it cut and smart there is life in it it is good it 's sweet they rellish spirituall counsell in it it proves to them a true and faithfull word Thus by occasion of peoples frowardnesse and discontent at the word it proves odor mortis 3 Thirdly By reason of prejudices and hard conceits of the Preacher many a sound truth is lost and disrellished for the sake of him that brings it as Ahab said of Micaiah Here is one Prophet of the Lord but I hate him c. If the same truths were delivered by other men O how pretious would they be But such a man I cannot endure to heare though they cannot be charged with negligence or unsufficiency in their Ministry nor with scandall and disorder in their lives But some by-respects turnes away our hearts from them and from their Doctrine for their sakes As some are young and have no judgement some are old and they wax childish againe some are rich and they are covetous some are poore and therefore Contemptible and we will not be taught by such some tell the peoples faults in the Pulpit and meddle with that they have nothing to do withall and we doe not like that for they are malitious and at enmitie with us some are not of our side c. And though none of these things be faults yet people stumble at them It therefore much availes with what affections we come to heare The ignorant and scandalous the superstitious and factious are just offences unfit to be Teachers But doe not lay a stumbling-block in thine own way because the person is not in every respect such a one as thou desirest If thou wert on the Scaffold to be beheaded thou wouldst welcome a pardon though brought by the hand of a person not so well thought of so c. 4 Fourthly a savour of death because people doe not heare the words as the word of God but of man People doe not come to it nor look upon it as an ordinance of divine authoritie but an exercise of humane wit and charitie and accordingly they doe not receive it with reverence and faith but with the head with applause or dispraise according as the matter is carried See 1. Thess 2.13 Yee received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God that 's the right way of receiving heavenly truths not because we say it but because it is God's word and that 's the true way to profit by what we heare for then it worketh effectually in them that believe An ordinary retainer to a Kings Court may tell what the Embassadours message is but that 's of no respect unlesse the Embassadour doe deliver it as from his Master that sent him So c. I have seene it printed and heard it spoken by way of complaint that the ordinances now adaies have lost their converting power And well it may be so when as gifted men are heard with equal respect to God's Ministers Gifted men are like but a retainer to the Court they cannot preach in the name of the Lord they cannot lay obedience upon mens conscience and why Because the Lord hath not sent them the Lord speaks not by them they speake of themselves And since they are cried up and God's messengers decried the conscience of the hearer is at libertie to obey or not obey the word And doubtlesse much is to be laid to their charge for the generall contempt of the Gospell preached it 's made a matter of indifferencie whom we heare c. Beware of that errour See Mat. 7.29 For he taught them as one having autority So must we preach and so must you heare Vse 2 Signe 1 For Conviction Because some gather poyson from the sweetest flowers from the most wholesome truths frō the Doctrine it selfe such is the blindnesse of some and the perversnesse of other mens wits reasonings As for Example the Comfortable Doctrine of Predestination yeelds a deadly savour to some for thus they argue If God have appointed who shall be saved and that none shall be saved but the elect then say some To what end should the Gospell be preached to reprobates In vaine is all prayer preaching and holy Endeavours If we be not elected All our striving is in vaine if we be elected we shall be saved though we doe take such paines about salvation c. This Doctrine you see yeelds a deadly savour to some it 's made a cloack to carelesnesse and security Ans First consider the nature of God's decree it is not a simple absolute peremptory ordayning of an end without meanes God's Act electing is Relative and Copulative with respect unto Christ Eph. 1.4 He chose us in him that we should be holy and without blame before him in love with 2 Th. 2.13 We are bound to give thankes to God for you brethren Because God hath from the Beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit beliefe of the truth 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man therefore purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell of honour c. These things are conjoyned God's elect are not a profane berren uncleane kind of people good for nothing but holy pure fruitfull and by such good workes is our calling made sure 2 Pet. 1.10 And the proper result of this Doctrine is this I will strive to be holy to purify my conscience from all iniquitie They which make Religion their businesse c. have the seal of Election upon their hearts Hence they thus reason Is not the knowledge of my election unto life worth all the paines that I shall take to attaine it and worth all the sweete sins which I am to relinquish for it will all the world be able to recompence the losse of my soule of my God what stronger motive to Godlinesse can be proposed to an unconverted soule Secondly especially considering that this Doctrine does not tell any man in particular that he