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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65924	A vindication of the doctrine of Gods absolute decree and of Christs absolute and special redemption. In way of answer to those objections that are brought against them by Mr. Tho: Pierce, in his treatise, entituled, The divine philanthropy. By Tho: Whitfeld, minister of the gospel.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.	1657 (1657)	Wing W2011A; ESTC R222306	60,986	90

will of Gods purpose or his internal will and the will of his precept and command do really differ in their own nature is thus proved 1. The will of Gods purpose or his internal will is eternal all his Decrees are from everlasting but his commands are given forth in time the commands belonging both to the moral and ceremonial Law were not given out till the world was above two thousand years old and the word of the Lord came to the Prophets at several times yea there was a time when there was no Scriptures or written word of God 2. The Will of Gods purpose is immutable and unchangeable The counsels of the Lord stand for ever and his thoughts to all generations Psal 33.11 but his commands are mutable as we see in the example of Abraham who received a command to kill his son which afterwards was reversed and in all the precepts of the ceremonial Law 3. The will of his purpose cannot be resisted Who hath resisted his will Rom. 9. The will of his precept is dayly resisted by wicked men and too often by his best servants 4. The will of his purpose is alway fulfilled he doth whatsoever he will but the will of his command is not so This is the will of God even your sanctification 1 Thes 4.3 yet all men are not sanctified 5. The will of his purpose is an act within himself and therefore not really differing from himself the will of his command is something proceeding from himself so that these do as really differ as the Creator and the Creature the one being eternal immutable and irresistible the other temporary mutable resistible The command indeed by a Metonymy is called the will of God because sometimes not always it shews what the will of his purpose is yet it is not nor cannot be properly his will upon the grounds before named neither doth it follow hence that there are two wills in God but onely that there are two things that are set forth by one and the same name which is very usual in Scripture Neither doth it follow that one Will of God is contrary to another for contraria must be ad idem but these are not the same but do really differ as hath been already proved True it is that God doth properly will to give forth such and such commands but his will and purpose is one thing and his command another really differing from it Thus much to shew that Gods revealed will his precepts and commands are not properly his will 2. For the second thing namely That all those to whom God wills salvation voluntate propriè dicta with the will of his purpose and decree shall most certainly be saved needs no great proof for this will of his being an immutable irresistible omnipotent will it must needs take effect Our God is in heaven and doth whatsoever he will Psal 115.3 Whatsoever pleased the Lord that did he both in heaven and in earth Psal 135.6 There are two principles onely needful for producing any effect potentia voluntas and where these concur the effect must needs follow If God doth really and internally will and desire the salvation of men what should hinder the effecting it since his power is answerable to his will If mens power were answerable to their will they would do any thing that they have a minde to If it be said that he wills it conditionally 1. This conditional will hath been already refuted and it hath been shewed that conditions belong not to Gods will but onely to the execution of it 2. If he really wills the thing he is able to work the conditions to work effectual faith true repentance and other graces in all as well as he doth in some But that that place in Ezekiel and other like places cannot be understood of Gods will properly taken as Mr. P. confidently asserts may be proved 1. Because then this Scripture would cross other Scriptures for here it is said that the Lord hath no delight in the death of a sinner and elsewhere it is said that he would rejoyce over wicked men to destroy them and root them out Deut. 28.63 and he would laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh Prov. 1.25 which expressions shew that these things are not against his will 2. These things are works of his Justice and his Justice being an attribute as essential to him as his mercy he must needs be well pleased not onely with the works of his Mercy but of his Justice for all his works are well pleasing to him 3. He is well pleased with all things which make for his own glory but at last he shall have much glory from the just destruction of wicked men 4. If a desire of all mens salvation be properly in God then it is perpetually in him then when wicked men are damned in hell he still continues to desire their salvation and for want of enjoying his desire he is hindred from enjoying full felicity for what is full and perfect felicity but a full and perfect fruition of all our desires so that so long as wicked men suffer pains in hell God cannot enjoy full felicity in heaven but rather suffers some kinde of trouble and disquiet for it is a troublesome thing for one to have that perpetually withheld from him which he earnestly desires These are monstrous consequences yet such as directly follow from that doctrine which teacheth That when God saith he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner this must be taken properly without any figure To conclude there is this difference betwixt these two wills that God by his secret will and purpose determines what himself will do by his revealed will declares to us what is our duty to do Quest But may God command a man to do that which he doth not intend he shall do Answ He may for commands are not onely for performance but for tryal thus he commanded Abraham to kill his son when he did not intend it should be done Gods commands are not alway given to declare his secret intentions but to be the rule of our actions yea he may by his outward dispensations carry himself in a differing yea in a contrary way to his inward intentions He by his Prophet bade Hezekiah set his house in order for he should die Isa 38.1 when he did not intend he should die till divers years after He sent Moses to Pharaoh to command him to let the people go when at the same time he tells him that he would harden Pharaohs heart that he should not hearken to him Exod. 7.2 3 4. It is not necessary that finis operis operantis should be alway the same in God The Preaching of the Gospel in its own nature tends to life and salvation but it is not necessary that God should intend the salvation of all those to whom the Gospel is preached for then it could not be a sweet savor to him not onely

Lord turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people Psal 105.35 That when the false Prophet was deceived he had deceived them Ezek. 14.9 That he gave up the Gentiles to vile lusts Rom. 1.26 That he smote the Jews with the spirit of slumber that they should not see with their eyes nor hear with their ears Rom. 11.8 9. That he would send to those that loved not the truth strong delusions that they should believe lies 2 Thes 2.10 11. That God put into the hearts of the ten Kings to give their power to the beast Rev. 17.17 and many other like places there are that speak in the same kinde of language Now can we think that when the Scripture doth in so many places and so constantly set forth the maner of Gods working in sin ●y such expressions as denote action and very seldom if at all as signifie a bare permission onely as that in the selling of Joseph into Egypt in Pharaohs refusing to let the people go and the rest before named God should exercise a bare permission onely without any action that he should sit still as a Spectator without doing any thing at all Object To these places Mr. P. answereth Cap. 4. pag. 48. That by a common Hebraism verbs active in sound are onely permissive in signification Answ This indeed he dictates but he doth not demonstrate nor bring the least patch of an Argument to prove it neither will all his skill in the Hebrew enable him to do it and may he not by this shift evade the clearest and strongest Scriptures that are brought against him by telling us that they signifie quite another thing then the nature of the words do import if we will believe him 2. Why may we not then interpret other Scriptures in the like maner where the like expressions are used as when the Lord saith I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil Isa 45.7 I have made the earth and created man upon it my hands spread out the heavens Psal 12. Why may we not by Mr. P. his Hebraisms interpret these verbs that are active in sound to be permissive onely in signification and say that God hath permitted light and darkness to be created and suffered the earth to be made and the heavens to be spread out Object But he further objects That these expressions cannot be properly taken therefore they do not denote any action but onely permission Answ Though they cannot be so properly taken as to signifie that God worketh in the same maner in evil actions as he doth in good or as evil men themselves do yet neither so improperly as to signifie a bare permission without any action at all and though we be not able to apprehend his secret and wonderful maner of working in evil actions yet neither are we to deny that he hath any work at all in them since himself doth so often and so expresly affirm it though he doth it miro ineffabili modo as Austin speaks yet we are not to deny the doing of it And by those former Scriptures mentioned it may appear what little reason Mr. P. had to make such a clamor against those our Protestant Divines some of which God used as principal instruments in advancing that glorious work of Reformation as if they made God to be the Author of sin when he knows that they positively professed and some of them strongly proved the contrary and what expressions they used in this subject were but the same in effect with Scripture expressions yea not altogether so high Yet he labors magno conatu to maintain this charge against them herein complying with the Papists so that Bellarmine himself is not more eager and industrious in carrying on this charge against Calvin and Zuinglius then he is in carrying it on both against these and many others arraigning no less then twelve of them as guilty of the great sin of Blasphemy by making God the Author of sin when they speak but the very same things for substance which the Scripture speaks about it as if it were his drift and design to make them and their doctrine odious That God hath some hand in the acts of sinful men appears Argument 3 because the Substratum or subject of sin namely the natural motion or action whereto sin cleaves is that whereof he is the proper cause and efficient therefore he must needs have some efficiency in it Object Against this Mr. P. objects That it is as impossible to separate the wickedness of the act from the act which is wicked as to separate roundness from the Globe and to separate sinfulness from the sin Cap 4. pag. 48. as from the sinful act Answ God is little beholding to him for so denying him to be the Author of the evil that cleaves to the actions of nature as withall to deny him to be the Author of Nature for maintaining his Purity by denying his Omnipotency 2. Doth not the Scripture tell us expresly that in him we live move and have our being Acts 17.25 As he is the Author of our being so also of all those natural motions and actions that arise from our being as we cannot live without him so we cannot move without him As we cannot move our hand or foot so not our heart or tongue without him Omnes causae secundae sicut dependent à Deo in esse it a dependent ab eo in operari 3. Was not Natures work the same in Adam when he ate the forbidden fruit as when he did his necessary food and in David which is his own instance when he lay with Bathsheba as when he lay with his lawful wife in an Executioner when he murders a man out of malice as when he kills a man by the command of the Magistrate It is a true Rule That Deus agit iu peccato non tanquam causa moralis sed tanquam causa naturalis 4. Every new action and motion is a new entity now all entities and beings are from the first being and so far forth they are good De Vera Relig. c. 4. Ipsum quantulumcunque esse bonum est saith Austin quiasummum esse est summum bonum the smallest being of all is good because the chiefest or greatest being is the greatest good If M. P. will have any natural act quà actus not to proceed from the God of Nature he will have a creature without a Creator 5. Doth not Mr. P. by this Doctrine justly contract on himself that guilt which he unjustly chargeth upon others namely of making God the Author of Sin for if God be the Author of all natural actions as hath been proved and it be impossible as he teacheth to separate the sin from the action then he that is the Author of the action must needs be Author of the sin also which is unseparable from it But I suppose he is not so dull-sighted but if he pleased he could easily discern a

that are in darkness and under the power of Satan that are strangers from the life of God and are without God in the world and have no hope of salvation can these be in the state of salvation unless by the Gospel they be brought out of the darkness unto light and from the power of Satan to God can these be saved without a miracle 2. If the works of Nature were sufficient to bring men to the true knowledge of God in Christ then Nature should be a Preacher of Evangelical Grace as well as the Gospel and these two should differ onely gradu non specie in degree onely and measure and not in kinde and maner of manifestation Did ever any Orthodox Divine in any age of the Church once dream that the Sun Moon and stars the Trees and Plants the Corn and Cattel Oxen Sheep and such like should be preachers of Evangelical Grace 3. Man had this means of knowledge before the fall therefore this is not the way which God useth to bring men to the knowledge of his grace in Christ Object The Apostle saith that the bountifulness and goodness of God leads men to repentance and where there is true repentance there shall be remission and so salvation Answ Though these in their nature tend to this end yet it cannot be made to appear that these alone ever brought forth this effect and that by them onely any man was brought to repentance unto life they may be sufficient means for conviction and to render men unexcusable as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.1 but not for conversion Repentance is the gift of God Acts 11.18 which grace he conveys to men by his word as the proper means of effecting it and not by his works alone without his word The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 He commanded the Gospel to be preached to turn men from darkness to light c. Acts 26.18 Thus we see that there are many who never had sufficient outward means of salvation and it is evident that this came to pass by divine dispensation for the Psalmist saith that he gave his word unto Jacob his Statutes and Ordinances unto Israel and that he hath not dealt so with any Nation Psal 147.19 Our Savior forbade his Disciples preaching to the Gentiles and the Spirit forbade Paul and Silas to preach the word in Asia Acts 16.6 Now if either the Father had intended or Christ had purchased salvation for all upon condition that they would believe they would never have withheld the means of faith from them How can they call on him on whom they have not believed and how shall they believe as him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10.14 3. There are many that enjoy sufficient outward means yet God doth not bestow upon them inward grace or that efficacious work of his Spirit without which all outward means will be ineffectual The Israelites that came out of Egypt wanted no outward means for besides the teaching of Moses they had seen all the miracles and wonders which God wrought in Egypt at the Red-sea and in the wilderness and yet it is said that God had not given them a heart to perceive and eyes to see even to that day Deut. 29.3 The Scribes and Pharisees and wicked Jews wanted no outward means for they heard Christs heavenly doctrine and saw his wonderful miracles and yet the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were hid from them when they were revealed unto babes and this was done according to Gods good pleasure Mat. 11.25 which certainly he would not have done had he intended their salvation or sent his Son to purchase it our Savior saith that no man can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be born of water and the spirit John 3.5 and this winde blows not every where but where it listeth verse 7. Object Where ever God sends his word it is accompanied with such a work of his spirit as is sufficient for salvation if men did not resist it Answ 1. It can never be proved that where ever God sends his word it is accompanied with the work of his Spirit in every one that hears it What work had the Spirit upon those hearers whose hearts our Savior compares to the high-way side where the seed was wholly lost being either troden under foot or carried away by the fowls of the air 2. Though there may be some common work of the Spirit upon the hearts of such who are never saved yet not such a work as is fit to bring them to salvation for how can that grace be accounted sufficient for salvation which doth not remove that which hinders mens salvation and which if it be not removed it is impossible for them to be saved if the strength of that natural corruption be not removed and the power of that rebellious disposition subdued which makes us alway ready to resist the word of God and the work of his Spirit it is not possible for any man to be saved and if God should give such an efficacious grace to all men as would be superior to corruption as would subdue and conquer it then all men would be saved and if it be not sufficient to remove that which necessarily hinders salvation it is not a grace sufficient for salvation Now how can God be said seriously to intend the salvation of such from whom he withholds that without which it is impossible to be saved when it is in his power to give it yea he doth actually give it to all those who are saved Some Divines make mention of a three-fold resistance 1. There is Resistentia connata which is bred and born with a man for whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh wherein there is a natural disposition to resist the Spirit as being contrary it 2. Resistentia adnata a readiness to put forth this into act when ever it meets with that which is contrary to it self 3. Resistentia vincens a conquering resistance and this effectual grace always subdues and removes in those whom God intends to save Object But God hath given every man power to believe if be will for he hath given him an understanding whereby he is able to apprehend that object which is clearly propounded to him and a will that is fit and ready to follow the dictate of his understanding Answ 1. This Objection presupposeth that a man is able to understand the things of God which is contrary to scripture that telleth us the natural man doth not understand the things of God neither can he for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 His understanding is not onely darkned but also overspread with spiritual blindeness thou knowest not that thou art poor and blinde Rev. 3.17 the eyes of his soul are closed and he must first have them opened before he can see what is the hope of his calling c. Eph. 1.18 Let a thousand Torches be brought into a dark room where a

is the Savior of all men there is no necessity that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Savior should be understood of eternal salvation but rather of temporal preservation and the foregoing words shew that it should be so which speak not of Christ as Mediat●r but of God in general therefore we labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior or Preserver of all especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 and this well agrees with that the Lord preserveth both man and beast Psal 36.6 2. When it is said that Christ gave himself a ransom for all the former words shew of whom this is to be understood namely of all sorts of all ranks degrees and orders of men high and low rich and poor 1 Tim. 2.6 compared with verse 2. Kings and princes were then the greatest persecutors and therefore Christians might doubt whether they should be prayed for or not this gave occasion to the Apostle to bid them to pray for kings and princes and all that are in Authority because c. 3. When it is said that Christ tasted death for every man the following words shew of whom this every man is to be understood namely of every one of the sons of God Heb. 2.9 compared with verse 10. 4. When it is said that he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world it hath been shewed before of what world this is meant namely the world both of Jews and Gentiles the whole saved world that consisted of both these In what sense all men are commanded to believe shall be shewed by and by 5. When it is said that God would have none to perish 2 Pet. 3.9 the former words shew hovv it is to be understood vvhere the Apostle saith that the Lord is long-suffering towards us speaking of himself and those elect ones to vvhom he vvrites that had obtained like precious faith vvith himself cap. 1. verse 1. vvhom he opposeth to those scoffers mentioned verse 3. and says that though there shall be a day of destruction of ungodly men ver 7. yet the Lord is long-suffering toward us for it is so long before some of Gods ovvn elect come to repentance that they have need he should exercise much patience and long-suffering over them and of these he speaks vvhen he vvould have them account the long-suffering of the Lord to be salvation verse 15. a means to bring them to salvation Here now if we were furnished with Mr. P. his faculty in rhetoricating we might retort his reason upon himself and by the same maner of Argumentation we might tell him that if every particular man and woman in the world be not saved if every man and woman in Judea and the coasts round about were not baptized of John Baptist if every man in the world be not drawn to Christ if every man in the world hath not praise from God if every man in the world be not deceived by the devil if every man in the world lyes not in wickedness Cap. 3. Pag. 86. 87 88. then we shall make the plainest Scriptures most obscure and teach that God doth not speak in his word as he means and so teach the people to misbelieve him because these things are set forth by all expressions of universality as all men every man world yea whole world and the like so that we see this swelling Argument is but a bladder full of winde which being a little pricked it presently puffs out and vanisheth to nothing Object 2. All men are commanded to believe in Christ but they are not commanded to believe a lye therefore it is true that Christ died for all Answ 1. All men are not commanded to believe but those onely to whom the Gospel is preached which is the least part of the world 2. The work of believing is opus complexum such a work as to the right performance whereof many acts are required as 1 to believe that we are lost sinners and must perish for ever without we have a Savior 2. That there is no savlation to be had but onely in Jesus Christ the Son of God that became man 3. That it is our duty to deny our selves and to rest on Jesus Christ as our onely Savior and resign up our selves to him as our onely Lord. 4. To believe that he died for our sins and shall be our Savior Now though the Gospel requires the doing of all these things it requires they should be done certo ordine in a certain order It doth not require we should do the last without the first yea if we do the last before we have done all the former our believing would be a false believing for if we will truly believe in Christ we must so believe in him as the Gospel holds him forth to us otherwise we have no sure ground for our faith the Gospel no where bids us believe that Christ died for all men But Christ is held forth in the Gospel onely to repenting sinners to l●st sinners to sick sinners to humbled sinners when Christ calls those onely to come to him who labor and are heavy laden who are wearied with the burthen of their sins and are willing to take his yoke on them and to them onely he promiseth rest if an hard-hearted rebellious sinner such an one as is resolved to walk after his lusts and go on in his wicked ways should strongly perswade himself that Christ died for him his strong perswasion were no better then a strong presumption the Gospel yielding no ground at all for such perswasion but rather the contrary telling us that Christ is the Anthor of eternal Salvation onely to those that obey him Heb. 5.9 and that he will render vengeance to all those that obey not the Gospel 2 Thess 1.8 Hence John the Baptist Christs Fore-runner and Christ himself when they began to preach call upon men to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 3.2.4.17 to repent and believe the Gospel Mark 1.16 so that some acts of repentance are to go before believing that Christ died for us which is the last and highest act of faith Besides our Savior tells us that this is the condemnation of the world that men hate the light that is come into the world because their deeds are evil John 3.19 there is no unrepenting sinner but in some degree hates the light so far as he loves his evil deeds so far he hates the light which is contrary to them and this is the ground of his condemnation Object 3. But Mr. P. objects with much confidence that of the Apostle Cap. 4. page 28. 2 Cor. 5.14 15. where as he saith the Apostle thus argues If one died for all then were all dead but one died for all therefore all were dead Here the Apostle doth not onely plainly assert that Christ died for all but brings this as a medium to prove that all were dead Answ 1. The scope of