a course to justifie God herein by saying that God hath mercy on none but in respect to their former good works Nay much more contradictions for as much as no good works in the state of nature or grace can bee meritorious of reward But sins may bee and are truely meritorious of punishment In the 22 vers there is not the least mention of obduration much lesse any mention of the cause thereof least of all any reversing of the former cause expressed ver 18. and justifyed ver 20. from the authority of God the Creator having power to make his creatures of what fashion hee will and substituting a new in the place thereof And although all that are vessels of wrath are sinners and consequently deserve punishment yet obduration in opposition to shewing mercy consisting in the deniall of saving grace is no punishment for as much as God doth not thereby withdraw any saving grace from them which formerly they injoyed and as for inflicting evill that hath no place in obduration for as much as all confesse that God doth not obdurate any man infundendo malitiam but non infundendo gratiam Neither is it sin either originall or actuall that which constitutes a man a vessell of wrath as a vessell of wrath is opposite to a vessell of mercy For sin both originall and actuall is incident to the Elect as well as to the Reprobate but like as Gods shewing mercy makes a man a vessell of mercy so Gods denyall of mercy finally constitutes a vessell of wrath exposing him to finall infidelity or impenitency which sin alone is not found in any of the elect It seems you think they are fitted to destruction by themselves as if vasa the vessels did separate and not Herus the Master rather Sin alone makes a man obnoxious to condemnation as deserving it and so there is sin in the best of Gods children to drive them to confesse that if the Lord should bee extream to mark what is done amisse none were able to abide it Yet the sin of the Reprobates you confesse God could prevent and not preventing it yet could cure it by the blood of Christ so that though sin bee granted to bee a cause hereof yet a more originall cause though nothing culpable must bee acknowledged to bee the deniall of Grace as our Saviour budgeth not to professe to the faces of some Yee therefore heare not my words because yee are not of God and Joh. 12. 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because Esaias saith Hee hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and should bee converted and I should heale them All this while have I maintained the safenesse of that exposition which interpreteth Gods hatred of Esau of a lesse degree of love and the same word is also used in the same sense But yet so understand mee I conceive this lesse degree of Love to have somewhat in it of the true nature of Hatred For as the nature of Love standeth in affecting communion with one and communicating good unto him So likewise the nature of hatred stands in the contrary to this either in affecting separation from one or inflicting evill on him or at least in not vouchsafing communion or communicating good unto him So is a man said to hate his brother that will not vouchsafe him such an office of brotherly communion as that hee will communicate a kindly reproofe to him for his sin Now I would easily grant that before Esau had done good or evill God so hated him as that hee did not communicate to him that fellowship with Christ which by Gods election and donation the members of the body have with him their head in Gods account even before the world was Neither did God vouchsafe that plentifull communication of his free grace unto him as might in time by a reall actuall power draw him to Christ and to live by him Yea God was pleased to set him in a state further remote and separate from him then his elect brother Even in the estate of a servant to the elect and in stead of communicating free grace hee purposed to deale with him rather according to his works by a covenant of Justice For both these are implyed in Gods putting of Esau into the state of a servant First the denyall of such grace and fatherly love to him as is reserved for children Secondly the not refusing of him to just dealing such as is due to servants according to their works I look to receive from you some proofe that the word Hatred is used in the same sense to wit to signifie a lesse degree of Love for to my judgement it is a wilde interpretation for in this sense God might bee said to hate every one of Gods elect excepting Christ for hee loves them all in a lesse degree then hee loved Christ and one in a lesse degree then another according as degrees of Love attributed to God are to bee estimated that is not quoad affectum for undoubtedly there are no degrees to bee found in the nature of God but quoad affectum and undoubtedly God alots one degree of grace to one and another degree to another and as hee deales with them in communicating of grace so in the communicating of Glory also Love and hatred undoubtedly are opposite contrarily and not onely contradictorily And because quot modis dicitur unum oppositorum tot modis dicitur alterum as love of complacency consists in delectation so hatred opposite is of displicency or aversation And as love of beneficence consisteth in wishing or doing good So hatred opposite consists in wishing or doing evill to another Here at length I observe the place you stand upon to prove that hatred in holy Scripture doth sometimes signifie a lesse degree of love and that seemes to bee Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt plainely rebuke thy brother and suffer him not to sin And to serve your turn in this interpretation you shape a correspondent practise of Love consisting in vouchsafing communion which unlesse it bee a communion of reproofe is nothing to your purpose who desire to shape hatred in contradiction thereunto And yet hatred all conceive to bee much more then not to love But were all this yeelded unto you yet doth it fall short of your purpose for albeit hee that forbears to reprove his brother doth him harm yet if hee doe not intend him harm hee cannot bee said to hate him For in Scripture phrase hatred denotes an intention to harm as Deut. 4. 42. Where wee reade that certain Cities were appointed That the slayer might fly unto which had killed his Neighbour at unawares and hated him not in times past But if you measure hatred by the harm done why should the sparing of reproofe to preserve a brother from sin and consequently from incurring the wrath of God bee
to omit but not in a gracious manner which alone is not in his power to performe and say what justice is there in the damnation of such a man I answer as much as in the damnation of an infant for originall sinne considering that by reason of originall sin it is that a naturall man cannot performe any thing in a gracious manner to wit for want of the love of God Originall sinne being an habituall aversion from God and conversion unto the creature or more breifly an inordinate conversing with the creature either in enjoying it whereas hee should onely use it God alone being to be enjoyed or in using it but not in a gracious manner that is not for Gods sake to wit through want of the love of God which is brought upon us by the sinne of Adam as whereby our natures were bereaved of the spirit of God Thus in prosecuting mine answer unto a devised argument I have made bold to open my minde concerning originall sinne A point that hath seemed unto me of such difficultie that I have been wont to range it amongst those three whereabouts I could not expect to be satisfied whilst I lived Another was the very point wee have in hand To the fourth Doubt HOw may it appeare that Gods hatred of Esau is of a lesse degree of love since the making of him who by birth is superiour to be a servant to his underling argueth no good will at all but First rather a purpose to passe him by in respect of communicating grace and glory Secondly since the raising of Pharaoh which was to this intent to shew his power in his overthrow argueth the like Thirdly since hardning is an effect of hatred and depends on the will of God as the first cause thereof even as Mercy doth Fourthly since there is no cause of that objection why complaines hee Who hath resisted his will or at least of that answer Rom. 9. 20 21 22. I Answer as Jacob preferring Ephraim the younger brother to greater estate then his elder brother Manasses did not thereby declare a positive hatred of Manasses but a lesse degree of love to him in comparison of his brother So Gods preferring Jacob to bee a superiour and Lord to his elder brother Esau doth not argue that in him there is no good will at all to Esau but a lesse degree of love To subject Esau as a servant to Jacob doth not reprobate Esau but puts him into the condition of the world of mankind who together with the rest of the Creatures are made to bee servants to the Church of the elect and to the members of it But grant Gods hatred of Esau and making him a servant to his underling argueth no lesse then a purpose to passe him by in respect of communicating glory unto him out of grace And for my part thus farre I yeeld that it may well argue a purpose of God to passe by him in respect of communicating glory to him out of grace that grace I mean whereby hee hath made us accepted in his beloved for this grace or free love is made Jacobs preheminence and is denyed to Esau and though it put him into the estate of a servant to his elect brother and so into the condition of the world of mankind yet it doth not reprobate him or argue a purpose to passe him by in respect of communicating life or glory at all unto him but implyeth only a purpose to deale with him in justice viz. to give him life or death according to his works as I have already shewed in the answer to the former doubt and shall have occasion more fully to declare it in the end of this Surely Jacob in doing that which hee did to Manasses and Ephraim did neither preferre one to a greater estate then the other or love one lesse then the other But in the spirit of prophecy fore-signifyed what would bee the condition of each in their race and posterity But suppose a father in that which lyeth in his power preferres one son before another and accordingly in that way of Amor beneficentiae bee said to love one lesse then another will any sober man say that hee loves the one and hates the other is this a decent expression of lesse love Wee know full well that a lesse love in the way of beneficence may bee joyned with a greater love in the way of complacency As for example an earthly Father though hee suffer his eldest son to goe away with the Land yet hee may bear greater affection to a younger sonne though hee assigne unto him a farre lesse portion then to his elder brother And if it were decent to say hee hates him whom hee loves lesse in respect of beneficence then hee should bee said to hate him whom hee loves best Lastly if the hating of Esau bee interpreted lesse loving why may not the loving of Jacob by the same liberty bee interpreted the lesse hating of him Amongst Gods elect some are more beloved of God and some lesse according as hee ordaines one to greater grace and glory then another and is it fit to attribute that to Esau which wee attribute to Gods elect I grant that to subject Esau to Jacob as a servant is not to reprobate him for this subjection is made in time But reprobation as wee take it in opposition to election Ephes 1. 4. was made before all times It is your own phrase to distinguish the world of mankinde from the elect as if the elect were none of the world of mankinde For the very elect themselves are subjected as servants to the elect every one unto others though as great as Paul and Apollo as appeares by the very place your self have now in a contrary sense alledged more then once And who doubts that wee must all serve one another through love since Christ himself was content to wash his Disciples feete Lastly the yoke of Esau unto Jacob was at length shaken off as appeares by Isaacs prophesie it should bee but the yoke of subjection of all things unto the Church shall never bee shaken off But you perceive well enough that the discourse which you answer considered this temporall preferment which yet had course onely in their seed onely in a typicall manner as that which under temporall things prefigured spirituall and accordingly you proceed to shape your answer thereunto in that respect also The same is this Though God had no purpose to deale with Esau as hee dealt with Jacob that is to communicate glory unto him out of grace yet hee had a purpose of communicating glory unto him some other way and what can that bee but of communicating glory unto him not out of grace A very strange assertion and therefore no marvell you spared to set it down in so many words Onely you say that the putting him into the state of a servant did not reprobate him or argue a purpose to passe him by in respect of
the younger to the participation of his free love and to soveraignty over his Brother and depressed the elder to the condition of a servant and as a servant reserved for him just dealing but not fatherly love might not this seeme an unequall partiality with God to deale so unequally with persons equall To resolve this doubt the Apostle could not have cleered God from unrighteousnesse by pleading the sin of Esau which deserved that hee should bee so dealt withall for neither did Jacobs sin deserve better and besides the Apostle had said before God gave out these Oracles which pronounced his different respect of them without all consideration of good or evill in either of them viz. before they had done either good or evill Therefore to satisfie the objection and cleare Gods righteousnesse the Apostle wisely alledgeth testimonie of Scripture to prove Gods absolute power and ability to shew mercy on whom hee will and whom hee will to harden When you say this hardning of Pharaoh though an effect of Gods hatred of Pharaoh yet was not an immediate effect of the like hatred which hee bare to Esau before hee had done good or evill but presupposeth the sin of Pharaoh your meaning seems to bee this that it is not at all an effect of the like hatred which hee bare to Esau before hee had done good or evill yet it is no lesse then the not writing of his name in the book of life as touching the communicating of saving grace and glory neither do wee acknowledge it to bee any more like as Aquinas doth not now the consequent of this kinde or measure of hatred in holy Scripture is no lesse then the worshipping of the beast Rev. 13. 8. nothing lesse then the obduration of Pharaoh The obduration of the children of Israel was no greater then such as was consequent unto this that God did not give them an heart to perceive and eies to see and ears to heare Deut. 29. 4. And this of not giving hearts to perceive c. undoubtedly is a consequent even to that hatred which you are content to attribute unto God concerning Esau But you helpe your self with a complicate proposition and flie to an immediate effect which alone you deny in this case for as much as the hardning of Pharaoh as you say presupposed sin committed by him but very improvidently For if it bee not an immediate effect of the like hatred that God bare unto Esau then in accurate consideration it is to bee acknowledged an effect thereof Only there is some effect thereof more immediate then this and what I pray was that was it Pharaohs sin for of no other doe you make the least intimation the more improvident is your expression intimating thereby that Pharaohs sin was a more immediate effect in Pharaoh of the like hatred God bare to Esau then this obduration But how doe you prove that Pharaohs hardening was not an immediate effect of the like hatred which God bare to Esau to wit because it presupposed sin But I deny this Argument neither doe you discoursing at large give your selfe to the proving of it but onely suppose it By the same reason you might say that salvation is not the immediate effect of election unto salvation because salvation in men of ripe years presupposeth faith repentance and good workes Nay you may as well say that Gods giving of grace is not an immediate effect of Gods love to any man because in most men of ripe years it presupposeth many good works In Saul it presupposed his zeale and his righteousnesse according to the Law which was unblameable If you say that Sauls righteousnesse whatsoever it was before his calling was no fruit of his love I may with more probability affirme that Pharaohs sin which preceded his obduration was no effect of Gods hatred If you say that though such righteousnesse in Saul was no moving cause to God to give him saving grace In like manner I say that no sin in Pharaoh was a moving cause in God to deny him saving grace For if it were then either by necessity of nature or by the constitution of God Not by necessity of nature for undoubtedly God could have pardoned this sin of his and changed his heart as well as he pardoned the sins of Manasses the sins of the Jews in crucifying the son of God Act. 2. the sins of Saul in persecuting Gods Saints and changed all their hearts Nor by any constitution of God for shew mee if you can any such constitution of God And if you would but explicate wherein the hardening of Pharaoh did consist I presume it would clearely appeare that the meere pleasure of Gods will is the cause of it like as it is the meere pleasure of God that he doth not harden others in like manner But when we carry our selves in the clouds of generallties we are very apt to deceive not others onely if they will be deceived but our selves also Againe you seem to speake of Pharaohs hardening mentioned Exod. 9. 16. And indeed for this cause have I appointed thee to shew my power in thee c. Whereas from the first time that Moses was sent unto him hee was hardened and that by God according as God had told Moses before-hand that hee would harden him As for his sin before ever Moses was sent unto him you doe not take any speciall notice thereof at all but whatsoever it were as suppose the cruell edict of his in commanding the male children of the Hebrews to be cast into the River like as God answered him most congruously in his works first causing the waters of Aegypt to bee turned into blood and in the last place making the waters of the red Sea the grave of Pharaoh and of his Host was this horrible sin any lesse then a consequent to more then ordinary obdurationâ— for even heathen men are seldom exposed to such unnatural courses So that if this obduration were an effect of Gods hatred but not immediate supposing sin according to the manner of your Discourse then you must be put to devise some other sin as precedent to this obduration And whereas that sin also cannot be denyed to be a consequent to Gods denyall of effectuall grace to abstaine from sin we shall never come to an end till the cause of all these obdurations be at length resolved into originall sin And what share I pray you hath the world of mankind therein which Gods elect have not When you tel us the hardening is a punishment of sin it were very fit you should deal plainly tel us in what operation of God this work of hardening doth consist which I make no doubt would cleare all All confesse that God is not the cause of hardnesse of heart in any man but man being borne in hardnesse of heart Ezek. 36. 3. 1. God is said to harden not infundendo malitiam sed non infundendo gratiam By leaving him thereunto whereby it comes
A TREATISE OF Mr. Cottons Clearing certaine DOUBTS Concerning PREDESTINATION Together with AN EXAMINATION Thereof written by William Twisse DD. Pastor of Newbury Prov. 19. 21. There are many devices in mans heart neverthelesse the counsell of the Lord that shall stand 2 Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost LONDON Printed by J. D. for Andrew Crook and are to be sold at his Shop at the Signe of the Green Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1646. The Authors Epistle unto the Reader IT was my purpose and resolution at the first to let this piece in answer to Mr. Cotton passe without a preface for it was put into a Stationers hand ere I was aware Neither did I see the mans face untill the whole book was printed And for certaine yeares I knew not what was become of it which I imputed to the confusion of these times But so it was that a Knight of our County sent over unto mee the Minister who lived in his house to intreate me to communicate unto him my answer to a book intituled Gods love to mankind which I condescended unto willing to satisfie so noble a friend as Sir Francis Pile The Minister perceiving this answer of mine to Mr. Cotton lying with it desired that hee might take that also along with him that Sir Francis might have a sight of that together with the other whereunto I yielded upon promise made that both pieces should be returned into my hands very shortly within a moneth or two But evill times followed not long after and for a whole year we were full of distractions in the Countrey My chiefest care was for the preservation of my manuscripts which I brought with me to London at the first But this piece in answer to Mr. Cotton was wanting I had utterly forgotten what was become of it Sir Francis removed to South-hampton and took care of my copies to have them along with him It was somewhat long ere they were brought to London but in good time they arrived here safe and sound And Mr. Gilbert who brought me the first word of it shewed me withall that he was well acquainted with a Stationer who would undertake for the setting forth my Answer to Gods love to mankind Onely his desire was he might begin with the printing of my answer to Mr. Cotton because that was a small piece And thus ere I was aware I came to understand that my stray sheep which I gave for lost was found And since that considering certaine passages of divine providence causing some interruption in the proceedings of bringing forth this Treatise unto the light of the presse I have been moved thereby to prefixe this preface partly on mine owne behalfe and partly on the behalfe of Mr. Cotton For men may perhaps conceive me to be well pleased with an adversative dispotion and to affect a course of opposition as well to the friends of the Bridegroome as to his enemies As if I were like Ismael in part of whom it was said that his hand was against every ones which is enough to make me like unto him in the other part also and provoke every one to have his hand against me Truth it is all my writings both printed and manuscript that have an eye towards the presse are of a responsorious nature but the originall motive cause unto me was meerely mine owne satisfaction and that in the points of grace and predestination In arguments of this nature I promised to my selfe more comfort then I could expect in studying Transubstantiation or Purgatory And because truth is never sufficiently known in a scholasticall way unlesse we are able to maister the strongest oppositions that are made against it therefore I gave my selfe to take notice of the greatest sticklers in their oppositions against that doctrine which is maintained by our Divines and all this meerely for mine own better progression in the investigation of truth without the least thought at that time of publishing ought And for the same cause I set my selfe upon those passages which seemed to containe the greatest difficultie And therefore in examining Arminius I began in the midst of his answer to Mr. Perkins to ponder well his digression and discourse about divine permission for in that argument I had found no small difficultie and I made tryall whether by that discourse of his I could find satisfaction but I found no satisfaction at all from him neither was I able to worke out sufficient satisfaction to my selfe about that matter was the first digression I began with but it was one of the last that I finished Other discourses of mine many of them yea most of them were written by me onely at the instance of others My answer to Mr. Hords discourse which since is printed with Mr. Simsons additions and set forth under the specious title of Gods love to mankind was performed by me at the request of Sir Nathaniell Rich. My answer to the Synod of Dort after reduced to practise was penned by me to satisfie friends two copies thereof manuscript being sent unto me from scholar friends in Oxford but especially I was glad that I had so good an opportunitie thereby to quiet the spirit of my lord Say his honour being not a little moved with the scoffing carriage of Tilenus the Author of that piece who dyed shortly after as I was advertised and by his lordships honourable care it was brought forth to light I could give the like account of many other pieces written by me and imployed therein by others many of them being as meane in condition as my selfe This very piece of Mr. Cottons the answer whereunto is now put forth I undertooke meerely upon the motion of Mr. Bets a young Minister who at that time lived at Broughton in the house of my lord Say he intreated me to take it into consideration and shew my judgement concerning it And to gratifie him I undertooke it and my lord Say himselfe liked well of it and communicated it unto Mr. Cotton who carried it with him into New-England whereby I was put to my shifts to get a copy of it as I could for mine owne use Now concerning Mr. Cotton it may be his reputation will seeme to be touched in this but let the indifferent Reader consider what I say in my observation Both Austin and other great Divines have written freely and largely of Election but very sparingly of Reprobation the reason wherof I conceive to be this There appeares more seeming offensive harshnesse in the doctrine of Reprobation then in the doctrine of Election Secondly I am perswaded they manifestly perceived that by stating the doctrine aright in the point of Election the truth by just analogy and proportion did there-hence necessarily follow in the point of Reprobation to all judicious Divines Now Mr. Cotton as I have heard is very sound and orthodox in the point of Election and comes to this work with a gracious intent to clear
Christs humiliation was the meanes of Christs advancement and I prove it Those only are to bee accounted meanes to such an end quorum ratio petitur a ratione finis designati that is the means are onely such as the nature of the end duly considered doth bespeake But the advancement of Christ doth not bespeake any such meanes for undoubtedly God could advance Christ without any such humiliation nay having taken his manhood into an hypostaticall union with his Son even in this respect his advancement was far more requisite than in respect of his humiliation You will say God purposed to advance him no other way then this I grant it and if you consider it well you shall find the reason of it by considering the right ends hereof in the counsell of God And these are different one was in respect of others to wit that he might be a fit Saviour of Gods elect not that their salvation was the end of his humiliation but the glory of God in a certain kind the end of both to wit both of his humiliation and our salvation namely the glory of his free grace in the way of mercy mixt with justice This end required satisfaction as without which it could not be procured But here I confesse the advancement of Christ hath no place but in another consideration it shall find place and that as a joynt meanes together with his humiliation for another kind of glory would God the Father manifest in Christ And indeed the Nation of mankind is as a glasse wherein a very complete body of Gods glory doth appear in very great variety and that was the manifestation of his glory in the way of remunerative justice in the highest degree remunerating obedience I say in the highest degree both in respect of the reward deserved and also in respect of the desert it selfe the reward being the sitting in the Throne of his Father and to have all judgment committed unto the Sonne the desert being the obedience of the Son of God one and the same God with his Father humbling himselfe to death even to the death of the crosse for the salvation of Gods elect But perhaps you may further say It is not necessary that the means should bee only such as the end doth naturally require For God could have brought man to salvation the same way he brought Angels without faith and repentance yea hee could have made them and immediatly have translated them into glory yet wee commonly say Faith and Repentance are the means of salvation I answer granting not onely that wee commonly say so but that wee truly say so in respect of our selves namely that as salvation is the scope and end wee aime at so faith and repentance are the onely meanes to bring us thereunto but in respect of God it is utterly untrue for neither is our salvation the end of Gods actions but his owne glory Hee made all things for himselfe Prov. 16. 4. And if it were his end hee could have brought it about divers other wayes besides this but in that hee brings it to passe this way there is good reason for it as wee shall well perceive if wee take the end of God aright namely to manifest his glory in doing good to man in the highest degree and that in the way of mercy mixt with justice This end doth necessarily require a permission of sin again it doth require satisfaction as by the death of Christ and thirdly it doth require faith and repentance that so hee may doe him good by way of reward and lastly a glorious salvation which is the doing of him good in the highest degree And as mans salvation is not the end of Gods actions so neither is the glory of Christ as hee is man the end of Gods actions for such a glory inherent can but bee a created glory and no created thing can be the end of Gods actions but onely God himselfe For as he is the chiefe efficient of all so must hee bee the supreme end of all and as hee is most lovely and most good so must hee necessarily love that most which is most lovely even himselfe and aime at his owne glory in all 2 Now I come to the Apostles Text wherewith this Argument is backt 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. All are yours and yee Christs and Christ Gods that is say you The world for the Church and the Church for Christ and Christ for God thereby giving us to understand That God first intended his glory for which are all things and then Christ for whom the Church is and then the Church for which the world is and then the world last of all But I pray you consider whether this Interpretation and Collection thereupon be not more superficiary than sound First when he saith All are yours is the world only to be understood by all Is not the world expresly named but as a member of this universall Are not Paul Apollos and Cephas also joyned with it together with life and death and things present and things to come and joyntly comprehended under the word all Verse 21. Let no man rejoyce in men for all things are yours Verse 22. Whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come even all are yours 23. And yee Christs and Christ Gods As he was perswaded Rom. 8. 38. That neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature should bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and therefore wee need not feare them So here he goes further and tells us that all are put as it were in subjection unto us to worke for our good and therefore wee should not rejoyce in them but rather in Christ and in God who hath wrought this and ordered all this for our good through the merits of Christ not only Apostles and Pastours but even the very Angels also who pitch their tent about us and have charge given them to keep us in all our wayes and all of them are sent forth for the good of them that are heires of salvation Yet this subjection is onely of a spirituall and gracious nature nothing prejudicing their advancement above them whom they thus serve in love and that for this their service performed for Gods sake to whom rather they are in subjection then unto us yet so farre in subjection to worke our good that it becomes us not to rejoyce in any of them but rather in God who hath thus ordered them for our good and Christ for whose sake they are thus ordered An Argument like to that the Lord useth Deut. 4. 19. Take heed lest thou lift up thine eyes to heaven and when thou seest the sunne and the moon and the starres with all the host of heaven shouldst bee driven to worship them
Gods love to Christ especially when both are acknowledged to be eternall and to be toward both the man Christ and us before wee or the world had a being most of all when in the issue the priority seems to be for us rather then for Christ for it is confest that priority in Gods decrees consists onely in purposing one thing for another And again it is without question that all priority in this case is on the part of that for which another thing is purposed Now albeit wee are Christs servants and hee our Lord yet undoubtedly Christ was ordained rather for our good then wee for his good yet I doe not hence collect that our predestination was before Christs much lesse that Gods love was lesse towards him then towards us but I willingly acknowledge that albeit thousands had tasted of Gods love both in the way of nature and grace and glory before Christ-man had any being at all yet was the love of God to the manhood of Christ infinitely beyond his love towards us measuring the love of God by the effects thereof and that in two respects first for as much as the fruit of Gods love to him was the taking of his humane nature into an hypostaticall union with the Sonne of God secondly in making him the Captain of our salvation Heb. 2. 10. Least of all is it my meaning to extenuate the heinous nature of sinne by setting forth the purpose of God concerning the incarnation of Christ before the consideration of the fall of Adam It is enough to make sinne out of measure sinfull that God in his wisedome saw no meanes so sit as by the sinne and fall of Adam to make way for the humiliation of Christ and thereby for the manifestation of his justice and riches of his mercy and both in Christ although we grant so far as to conceive that God had never thought of humbling the Godhead or advancing the manhood of Christ but upon consideration of sin fore-seen Ex magnitudine remedii magnitudinem cognosce periculi saith Bernard this hath place in what order soever Christ was ordained a Sacrifice for sinne neither is there any colour of remitting ought of the heinousnesse of sin by the priority or posteriority of Christs predestination in comparison to Gods decree concerning the permission of sinne Sinne and the heinousnesse thereof is amplified according to the quality of the transgression in reference to Gods law so honourable a rule of mans perfection and to Gods deserts at our hands and plentifull motives from consideration both of rewards and punishments wherewith it is estadlished It is a common and just aggravation of sinne that it caused the Son of God to be humbled but to aggravate it in making way for Christs humiliation is a very odde conceit in my judgement Neither doe I comprehend how the manifestation of justice in punishing sinne or of mercy in pardoning it doth aggravate the heinousnesse of sin This I say I comprehend not The second DOUBT WHere have wee in Scripture ground for this That the Lords first and primary intention in his decree of Predestination was to set forth Grace and Justice That the declaration of his justice was intended is not doubted but by the Apostle it seemeth his primary aime was the declaration of the soveraignty freedom and dominion of God over the creature in that hee purposeth grace and power The Apostle throughout his whole discourse of Predestination doth no where oppose grace and power for God sheweth as much power freedome and dominion over the creature in his grace toward the elect as in his justice toward the world The Apostle sets forth the like power and soveraign will of God as well in shewing mercy on whom hee will as hardening whom hee pleaseth Doe not think hee opposeth Gods power and soveraignty over Pharaoh to his grace and love unto Jacob for the power hee there speaks of is not soveraignty but ability might and power shewing it selfe forth in the hardening and overthrow of Pharaoh in Moses called the power of his wrath Power naturall is one thing power civill which wee call soveraignty another the first is ability to doe a thing the second is liberty to doe what naturally hee can doe without sinne Undoubtedly the power of God shewed in Pharaoh was in his overthrow and answerable to the power of Gods wrath I like well that the power of God shewed in Pharaoh is extended also to the hardening of his heart onely this is not so congruously applied to the power of Gods wrath for as much as wrath hath alwayes reference to something in man as the cause of it so hath not hardening in that of Paul Rom. 9. 18. Hee hardeneth whom hee will like as hee hath mercy on whom hee will But withall I confesse hardening in this place seems to consist onely in denying of mercy But Pharaohs hardening was much more for undoubtedly mercy was no more shewed him when his heart releâ—ted to the letting of Israel goe then when hee detained them So likewise when God hardened him to follow after them to bring them back this was more than a bare denying of mercy even a secret impulsion of him to take such courses as should precipitate him unto destruction and this may well be accounted a fruit of the power of Gods wrath and accordingly I am verily perswaded that Gods power or soveraignty over Pharaoh are not opposed to his grace and love to Jacob Onely freedome in my judgement doth not so well consent with the execution of justice whether justice be taken in rewarding or punishing Neither doe wee ever read of Gods rewarding or punishing whom hee will freedome and soveraignty is seen only in giving or denying good according to common account Albeit there is a further freedom and soveraignty of God over his creatures in doing evill unto them as in annihilating the most righteous which Arminius acknowledgeth and in exposing his holy Son to suffer strange pains and sorrowes for other mens sinnes when hee had none of his owne Not to speak of the soveraignty wherewith God hath indued man over his fellowes though inferiour creatures That God in his decree of Predestination did shew forth the declaration of his soveraignty freedome and dominion over the creatures I easily grant yet that it was his primary aime rather then the declaration of his justice and grace I cannot beleeve without better proofe My opinion is That all the variety of Gods glory to bee manifested in the creature was intended at once and if they that are otherwise minded come to a particular expression of what glory was intended first and what next and so in order I am perswaded the incongruity of that order will soon appear It is granted on all hands that God first aimed at the declaration of his owne glory Now wherein doth God delight principally for to manifest his glory God himselfe declared it to Moses who
everlasting life for it And so on the other side Reprobatio as Aquinas speaketh includit voluntatem permittendi peccatum damnationem inferendi pro peccato It is the purpose of God both to deny the grace of obedience as afore-said or which is all one to permit them to persevere in sinne and finall impenitency and to inflict damnation for their sinne And unlesse Election on the one side and Reprobation on the other doe include the parts before mentioned wee shall fall into the Arminians definition of Election and Reprobation who make them meerly conditionate either in formall terms or though they avoid the formality of such expressions yet meerly in effect as by saying that Election is Gods purpose to save them that beleeve and repent Reprobation Gods purpose to damne them that doe not beleeve and repent as if there were no other purpose of God revealed in Gods word then these no decree of shewing mercy to whom hee will by giving faith and repentance no decree of hardening whom hee will by denying it Againe when I say God doth purpose to reward every man according to his workes let us understand it aright for indeed there neither is nor can bee any such formall decree of God and of an indefinite nature as if God in priority of nature or reason did make such a decree not knowing as yet what would bee the workes of each man in particular for of such a decree there can be no correspondent execution distinct from the execution of particular and definite decrees concerning all men in particular as I have already shewed in ransacking the absurd order of Gods decrees devised by Arminians to no other end but to catch the simple there being no common sense nor sobriety in them throughout Besides this if when God is conceived to make such a decree God did know particularly the workes of all then there is no reason to conceive that hee made any such indefinite decree but rather that the decree to save or damne every one in particular according to his workes well knowne to him in that very instant not of duration onely but of nature and reason But God did in the same moment foreknow all the particular workes of every man as already I have made manifest in ransacking the Arminian order of Gods decrees But the denomination of such an indefinite decree as to reward every man according to his workes ariseth from the consideration of other definite decrees in God As for example God did decree to have mercy on Peter in giving him faith and repentance and accordingly to save him and so of every one of Gods Elect of ripe yeares On the contrary God did decree to deny to Judas the grace of faith and repentance which is as much as to say that God decreed to permit him to continue finally in sinne and accordingly to damne him and so every one of the Reprobates Whence it followeth that it is true to affirme that God decreed to reward every one of ripe yeares according to their workes not that there ever was any such particular decree conceived by God distinct from the former as the Arminians feigne but that from the former particular decrees resulteth the denomination of such a decree as this as if you should say If God did decree to save Peter and Paul it followeth that God did decree to save some not that God did first indefinitely decree to save some and then decree that Peter and Paul should be two of them And to reward men according to their workes is no more a worke of hatred then of love but as it is indefinite so it is indifferent to prove in the issue either a worke of hatred or of love as that God Who worketh in us every thing that is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Heb. 13. 21. shall worke in some that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ and not in others Neither will it follow here-hence that God rejecteth and reprobateth some upon presupposall of disobedience more then that hee electeth and predestinateth others upon presupposall of their obedience for undoubtedly God purposed as well to reward the godly according to their workes as the ungodly according to theirs though I confesse there is a great difference betweene the condition of evill workes and good workes evill workes being meritorious of punishment good workes no way meritorious of reward but this nothing hinders the course of remuneration in generall And againe what is wanting of merit on the part of Gods Elect is abundantly supplyed by the merit and satisfaction of Christ It followeth I confesse that upon disobedience on the one side provided it be finall not otherwise for undoubtedly abuse both of means of grace in Christ and other talents and helps of the knowledge of God in nature is found also in the Elect though not finall for Novimus saith Austin that God hath converted non modo aversas à vera fide sed adversas verae fidei voluntates God damneth some for disobedience and it is no lesse true that upon obedience on the other side God saves the others But this opinion I confesse was heretofore shaped by Doctor Overall and perhaps taken from Caterinus but with a little variation and if I be not deceived first devised by the Author of the two bookes De vocatione Gentium all which notwithstanding are orthodox in the point of Election throughout excepting Caterinus whose orthodoxy therein is onely in part But in few words I will disprove this latter position of yours by your owne rules For thus I dispute If God did first fore-see mans disobedience and then ordaine them to condemnation then God did first decree to permit this disobedience before hee did decree to damne them for it Whence it followeth that the permission of this sinne was first in intention and consequently last in execution that is God must first damne them and afterwards permit their disobedience whereby they deserve damnation Yet I pray conceive not hereupon that I maintaine that God doth first purpose to damne men and secondly purpose to permit their disobedience both orders in my opinion are very dissolute though I confesse it is commonly so received that by denying the one wee must necessarily fall upon the other Herein two things are granted by common consent of our Divines 1. That the end of Gods purpose in his positive Reprobation of the world is to glorifie his justice power and wrath in their just overthrow and condemnation 2. That hee doth not purpose to condemne them but for sinne But two other things you see there bee wherein I confesse I dissent from them but with submission of my spirit to the guidance of the word and the spirit of my brethren 1. In the first act of positive Reprobation that I doe not acknowledge any unwillingnesse at all in God to reward the men of this world with life upon any condition whatsoever 2. In the
that is not till after one and another admonition neverthelesse this makes nothing for you unlesse you maintain that Gods Spirit convicts them also of this that it is in their power to beleeve which power of beleeving you seeme to attribute to a man unregenerate though you are loath to speake plainly in expressing so much And you seem to intimate such an Argument as this They sinne in not beleeving therefore it is in their power to beleeve But you may as well inferre that wee sinne in not keeping Gods Law therefore it is in our power to keep it Or if you dispute thus The world is convicted of sinne in not beleeving therefore they have power to beleeve You may as well dispute thus The regenerate are convicted that they sinne in that their flesh lusteth against the Spirit therefore it is in their power to keep the flesh from lusting against the Spirit Besides when men quench the motions of the Spirit and persecute the Ministers of the word how can they be said in so doing to resist the Holy Ghost if the Holy Ghost went not about such a worke as to bring them to Christ and to life by him Could they be said to resist the Holy Ghost if the workes of the Holy Ghost had never striven with them to worke this worke in them Thus then you see those three that beare witnesse in heaven the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost they all from heaven beare witnesse of this point in hand concerning the truth hereof The Father by the end of the creation of his workes and providence the Sonne by his end of enlightening the world and of his coming into it to dye for it the Holy Ghost by his inward wrestling in the hearts of men doe all of them really proclaime that it is the will and good pleasure of God as to save the Elect not according to their owne workes but his grace so likewise to save the world of mankind if their workes hinder not his good will towards them Thus you see also a sweet harmony between the Purpose and the Covenant or Promise and the Providence of God This Purpose willeth life unto the world upon the condition of their obedience and repentance the Promise in the Covenant of Workes offereth life unto them likewise upon the same condition the Providence of God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost provideth and applieth severall meanes of life unto the world upon the same tearmes And there is in every godly man renewed after the Image of God a just concord betwixt his Purpose his Covenant or Promise and his Performance So is there here the like in God You may read what Gods purpose is toward the world by his Covenant made with the world and you may see both what his Covenant with them and purpose of them is by his performance and axecution of them both in his actuall providence in the fulnesse of time If you ask how God may be said to purpose any thing that is not effectually accomplished I answer the act of Gods will which hee is pleased to put forth is alwayes accomplished There is no good thing possible to be though it never come to passe as that all men should in all things obey the word of God but God passeth upon it some act of his will hee at least approveth it to be good and good it is though it never come to passe This act is not disappointed for as hee will prove it so likewise doth hee approve it Doth God command this or that good duty to be done which is not done Yet that act of his will which hee puts forth is done as hee willed to command it so hee did command it Doth God purpose to give life to the world upon condition of obedience and accordingly give means to help them to the performance of this obedience so farre as it is meet for them to doe Surely God performeth it on his part although men performe it not on their part their salvation is indeed disappointed but not Gods will who never willed to give salvation to them but upon that condition The motions of the Spirit which are quenched are godly motions in the way of admonition perswasion exhortation and they are quenched not onely in the men of the world but too often in the children of God the flesh too often prevailing in their lustings against the spirit whereby are quenched for a time the motions of the Spirit that is the regenerate part lusting against the flesh and consequently the motions also of the Spirit of God admonishing and inviting unto good either by the hearing of the word or by the observation of Gods works This worke of morall motion and invitation is wrought sometimes with a purpose to worke obedience conformable thereunto sometimes with no such purpose as often as God doth not make them effectuall to the working of obedience whether in the unregenerate or regenerate for even these sometimes yea too oft erre from Gods wayes and have their hearts hardened against his feare for if God had a purpose to make them effectuall who should hinder him Who hath resisted his will cui nullum humanum resist it arbitrium saith Austin for ex nolentibus volentes facit Undoubtedly morall invitations if they be not yeelded unto are justly said to be resisted to what end soever they be made whether to convert them or to leave them without excuse even such an excuse as Austin speaks of when hee saith Dicere solet humana suporbia Si scissem fecissem I see no reason why you should deny the Elect to be saved according to their workes our Saviour doth manifest Mat. 25. that they are so Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you c. For I was an hungred and you fed mee c. and can it be denyed but that God rewardeth every man according to his workes I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith saith Paul Henceforth there is laid up for mee a crown of righteousnesse God is not unrighteous to forget the labour of your love c. Looke to your selves saith John that wee may not lose the things that wee have done but wee may receive a full reward Piscator a precise Divine spareth not to professe that fides is causa salutis They are not I confesse causa meritoria as sinne is causa damnationis but they are causae dispositivae according to the Apostles phrase God hath made us meet partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Neither doe I see any reason why you should oppose grace and good workes in the point of salvation howsoever they are opposed in the point of justification The place you point unto for proofe treats not of the salvation of glory but of the salvation of grace consisting in effectuall calling as the Text it selfe manifesteth Had you spoken plainly as you might and as
allusion you finde in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the common course of Judges and suits in the law or of wrastling in the Olympians or of Captaines in the warre who as you say but without any proofe were wont conscribere to designe aforehand or set downe in writing the names of such adversaries as were to have their causes or tryalls tryed before them I have no great edge to oppose it But Calvin goes no further then scripture to discover unto us this allusion Porro saith he haec metaphora inde sumpta est quod aeternum Dei consilium quo ordinati sunt fideles ad salutem liber vocatur And Revel 20. wee read of another booke besides the booke of life wherein the deeds of wicked men are written and is not there written thinke wee their condemnation also As for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of old I confesse there is no native force therein to extend it to the signification of eternitie Nay Mar. 15. 44. it is applyed to a very little time before for Pilate demands of Joseph of Airmathea that came unto him boldly to aske the body of Jesus whether he were dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 already yet it is applyable even to eternitie neither doth it signifie any desinite time rising upwards And although this phrase of old be distinguished from eternitie Jer. 31. 3. yet it is not Habac. 1. 12. And as the words are different in the hebrew so neither of them is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greeke but wee extend not the signification of it to eternitie by any force of the word but from the matter whereof he treates which is the ordination and decree of God which every intelligent and orthodox Divine acknowledgeth to be eternall and I finde it wondrous strange so worthy a Divine as your selfe should be of any other opinion And I pray why might not this designation be from eternitie as well as 4040. yeares before such ungodly men were crept in amongst the people of God Belike not till then was the divell assigned to be an enemie to the woman for it is expresly said God would put enmitie betweene the woman and the serpent betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent Surely that place onely signifies what Gods eternall purpose was in this particular then breaking out and manifesting it selfe not that then the Lord did begin to ordaine it For nothing in the nature of God is temporall And certainely the enmitie of the serpent against mankinde had broken out before this Amongst others I am one into whose hand this discourse of yours is fallen at length having heard some inckling of it in the generall before and truly by accident I lighted upon it without any enquiring of mine without any others offering it unto me and I am sorry to see the scandall and offence that is given thereby unto Gods people in the way of truth and that as I seeme to have just cause to suspect some have been hardned and confirmed in their errour and some I heare doe boast of this discourse of yours as no small credit and reputation to their cause yet I am perswaded this is no judgement of God upon you who are far from any hereticall animositie onely we all know but in part and the best are obnoxious unto errour but the judgements of God that have their course in these dayes doe astonish me in giving men over to illusions to believe lies by what meanes and after what manner he thinks good and all because we doe not embrace the truth the precious truth of God with love thereby making our selves most unworthy of it For when in vouchsafing unto us his holy truth he doth as it were cramme us against our appetite is it not high time for him to make us fast And amongst them of our selves onely this let me adde because verum bonum convertuntur every divine truth is rich in profitable use I have been confirmed in this truth by the holy usefulnesse thereof to all sorts 1 To the Elect it maintaineth and cherisheth the freenesse and largenesse of the riches of the grace of God to them whose salvation he carrieth along in all the wayes of it not according to their works but according to his purpose and grace given them in Christ before the world was under whom also are spread the everlasting armes of Gods almightie power and eternall love to guide and preserve them to his heavenly kingdome which grace to us is so much the more magnified when wee behold the severitie and yet equitie of his justice towards the world of mankinde who though hee love them as his creatures yet he dealeth with them according to their workes which in the end windeth up in their woefull and just destruction 2 To the carnall Christian that sinneth of ignorance or humane frailitie and not of prophane and wilfull contempt of the meanes and wayes of grace this doctrine offereth a serious exhortation to them to seeke after Christ whilst hee may be found and earnestly presseth on him those lively and quickning expostulations of the Prophets Why will you die O house of Israel What could I have done more for my vineyard that I have not done Turne yee turne yee that iniquitie may not be your destruction 3 To the prophance and malignant dog and swine that walloweth in sensuall and worldly lusts and snarleth against the meanes and wayes of his owne peace and trampleth the precious ordinances of God under foote to such this doctrine testisieth to their faoes that God is just in all that cometh on them and his way equall They loved the cursed wayes of sinne and are fallen into them they loved not the wayes of blessing and therefore are they farre from them 4 To the Lutheran and Arminian who refuse the excellent and heavenly benefit of the sound and comfortable doctrine of Election by reason of some hard saying which they observed in the usuall manner of handling the opposite decree of Reprobation to them this doctrine removeth such stumbling blocks out of the way as have hitherto turned them out of the way of truth and peace 5 To the cavilling froward spirit this doctrine cutteth off all occasions of reviling and slandering the orthodox truth of God and against them cleareth the equitie of the wayes of God 6 To all sorts of men yea to men and Angels it ministreth much matter of admiring and adoring the wonderfull riches of Gods grace to Christ the head of the Church and in him to all the elect his members the absolute power of his soveraigntie in dealing farre otherwise with the world the unsearchable depth of his wisdome in the order and end of all his wayes the unsearchable depth of his patience bountie and long-suffering towards all men and manifest equitie of his justice even to those who abuse his patience and bountie to their owne perdition I
damnation you seeme to say that God of his free grace doth save a man In my judgement it is an improvident speech For consider whom doth God save of ripe yeares Doth hee save any other but those that die in the Lord That is such as die in the state of grace in the state of faith and repentance Now judge I pray Is it fit to say It is free and indifferent with God either to save or damne them who die in the Lord in the state of grace in the state of repentance For hath not God made as well such a law that whosoever beleeves and repents he shall be saved As such a law Whosoever beleeves not nor repents shall be damned And in respect of the former law is not God as much obliged to save them that beleeve and repent as in respect of the latter law hee is obliged to damne them that beleeve not that repent not So that the comparison is miserably to blame made between the freenesse of Gods grace in saving the one and his severitie and justice in condemning others And the confounding of effectuall vocation and salvation on the one side and obduration with damnation on the other hath exposed you to this incongruitie ere you are aware So that whereas I thought to have least to doe about this use a greater businesse is made unto me in clearing the truth of God herein then I could imagine and yet I am not come to an end This may suffice to discover the unsoundnesse of the maine body of your comparison But there are some other things to be considered on the by First by way of amplifying the largenesse of the riches of the grace of God You tell us how the Lord carrieth the salvation of his Elect in all the wayes of it c. And forthwith by way of addition you say that under them also are spread the everlastig armes of Gods power and eternall love to guide them to his eternall kingdome Which is no different thing but meerely the same with the former of carrying their salvation along in all the wayes of it These expressions I confesse are momentuous to stir up gracious affections in the apprehension of the freenesse and power of Gods grace But if hereby our judgement in the meane time is not a little disturbed in discerning Gods truth so that wee embrace errour in stead thereof wee shall buy good affections at too deare a rate as is the losse of truth And hereby as I have shewed the freenesse of Gods grace is miserably weakned For if God be not acknowledged freely and of the meere pleasure of his will to deny grace unto some I cannot see how well it can be maintained that hee doth freely and according to the meere pleasure of his owne will bestow it upon others Againe that phrase of yours the equitic of Gods justice toward them that are damned seemes somewhat incongruous For equitie signifies the moderation of justice in such sort that the strictnesse thereof may not hinder mans good But what good the damned reap by this equitie you speak of you have not declared Lastly you say God loves the damned as they are his creatures And it is a phrase I confesse that hath ' its course with many hand over head In the very state of damnation in hell fire they are and still continue to be his creatures what I pray is that love of God that passeth upon them in that state Undoubtedly whatsoever it be it must consist with hatred in the highest degree I would willingly know whether it be Amor complacentiae or Amor beneficentiae If it bee complacentiae what is it that God likes in them unlesse it be his own worke the nature of men Or what good is it that God doth unto them in the state of damnation Can it be any other then the continuance of their being Yet most thinke that is nothing good to them in the state of damnation Whatsoever your meaning be if you did expresse it it may be you would fly from your owne caution in this place as Moses did from his rod when it was turned into a Serpent I am perswaded the apparent incongruitie thereof would little please you I come to the Consideration of the second Use 2 That the doctrine of our Church from which you swerve doth not offer as well as yours to carnall Christians a serious exhortation to seeke after Christ whilst he may be found Or that it doth not as earnestly as yours presse upon them those heartie and quickning expostulations of the Prophets Why will yee die O house of Israel Or What could I have done more for my vineyard that I have not done Turne yee turne yee that iniquitie may not be your destruction you doe not so much as goe about to prove But I have something more to except against this use of yours The description here given by you of a carnall Christian to wit That hee sinnes of ignorance and humane frailtie and not of prophane and wilfull contempt of the meanes of grace I had thought it had been proper to the regenerate and not at all belonging to the carnall Christians whom I thinke you make no better than naturall men to whom the things of God are foolishnesse and in whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is enmitie unto God in such sort that they are not subject unto the law of God nor can be But I presume you speak this of civill and morall Christians conforming to the meanes of grace and not giving any outward evidence of contemning them But herehence it followeth not that God who seeth their hearts finds not prophanenesse in them or vile estimation of the meanes of grace But howsoever whether they are prophane or formall wee exhort all wee presse the same expostulations upon all and dare you say that never any prophane or wilfull contemner of the meanes of grace is converted Though that these expostulations doe quicken any it is meerely of the spirit of God who bloweth where hee listeth But whereas you seeme to imply though you are not willing to deale plainly and expresse so much that a carnall Christian such as here you have shaped him hath power to yeeld to these exhortations and quickning expostulations a point that we dare not take hold of without much explication For to yeeld unto them in a gracious manner I conceive to be utterly out of the sphere of a naturall man or a carnall Christians activitie And I presume you will affirme as much but to yeeld unto them either hypocritically either according to the course of grosse hypocrisie or of that hypocrisie which is secret to him that is possessed with it or ad exteriorem vitae emendationem wee deny not such a power unto a carnall Christian as you describe him nor unto any prophane person whatsoever And I am perswaded it is onely a consideration of things in generall and in a confusaneous manner holds you on to imply such a power
so qualifyed as to bee accounted a lesse degree of love and not a fruite of hatred for consider I beseech you is not this farre worse then to mischiefe a man by cutting off an arm or limb So that albeit Scripture did plainely professe that not to reprove a neighbour but suffer him to sin were an act of hatred yet it followeth not hence that hatred in this case signifies onely a lesse degree of love For certainly such an act to wit in sparing reproofe is worse by far then to give a man a box on the eare yet I presume you will not interpret that to bee hatred onely in such a sense as signifying a lesse degree of Love For certainly the fruites of love are the communications of good and not any contumelious inflicting of evill But by your leave I doe not finde that this is the Scriptures meaning in the place you aime at but rather in my judgement it seems to meet with a corrupt course of the world prone to conceive none to bee their greater enemies then such as reprove them To prevent this the Lord forbids the one to wit the hating of our brother and as expressely commands the other to wit to reprove our Neighbour manifesting thereby that reproofe may bee performed without any just suspition of hatred in him that reproveth In fine this interpretation of hatred which here you make is imbraced by Vossius in his Pelagion Story but hee doth not betray that hee is beholding to Cornelius de Lapide the Jesuite for it in his Commentaries on the ninth to the Romans And hee brings other manner of instances to prove it then you doe And so doth Junius also in Gen. 29. 31. though hee were farre enough off from applying it in the same sense to Esau as his son in law Vossius doth and the Jesuite doth before Vossius In few words your meaning is God did so far hate Esau even before hee had done good or evill that hee did not destinate unto him any saving grace as hee did unto Jacob. May you not as well say that hee did not destinate unto him glory as hee did to Jacob And even this in Aquinas his language is to hate where hee interpreteth Gods hatred of Esau before hee was born Yet you might bee pleased to goe a little further and to affirm that God did not onely not destinate unto him any saving grace but also that God was purposed to deny him such saving grace as hee granted unto Jacob and consequently hee purposed to deny him glory also if you bee pleased to gratifie your self in yeelding to this truth wee will willingly gratifie you in acknowledging that notwithstanding all this God purposed to deale with Esau according to his works As for that phrase of yours of putting him into the estate of a servant though it bee of little materiall consideration in this place yet I have sufficiently discussed it in examining your Answer to the first Doubt The Fifth Doubt Question 5. HOw may it appeare that all have a sufficiency of comming to Christ since no man can come without drawing Joh. 6. 44. 65. and hee who is drawn shall bee raised to life or since no man can come except it bee given him of the Father Which speech is a reason why wee ought not to murmure or bee offended if some beleeve not Rom. 11. 7. and since none but the Elect by the meanes of helpe and power Revelat. 2. 15. I no where say nor ever thought that all men had a sufficiency of power to beleeve or to come to Christ Far bee it from mee to avouch such ungracious Pelagianisme But this I say God giveth to the men of this world this world I say as opposed to the elect such meanes and helps of seeking after the Lord and finding mercy from him that they are sufficiently enabled by him to doe much more then they doe that way they are deprived of those drawing and effectuall means without which none can come and with which none ever failed to come to Faith and Repentance Else how shall wee understand these and sundry such like places of Scripture Act. 17. 25 26 27. Rom. 1. 19. to 25. Rom. 2. 4 5. 14 15. Luk. 16. 11 12. Act. 1. 51 52. Act. 13. 46. Matth. 22. 37 38. Luk. 19. 41 42. Ezek. 24. 13. Prov. 1. 20. to 30. 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. Hose 11. 4. Esa 5. 3 4 5. Job 33. 14. to 18. Joh. 16. 69 From all which places I gather foure Conclusions pertinent to the point in hand First That God offereth to the men of this world helps and means either of the knowledge of God in Nature or of grace in Christ and that to this end to lead them to Repentance and Salvation Thus is God said to manifest to the Gentiles that which may bee known of him by his works and by his Law writen in their hearts and that to this end to make them to seek after the Lord to leade them to Repentance to withdraw them from their courses to heale their pride and to save their soules from the pit Thus God offered to the carnall Israelites means of grace to purge them to turn them Prov. 1. 13. to gather them Mat. 23. 37. to convince them Joh. 16. 8 9. To draw them with cords of man and bands of love Hos 11. 4. To dresse them to bring forth good fruit Esa 5. 4. Secondly That the meanes God useth for these good ends are in some measure sufficient if they bee not hindered by men to bring them to the attainment of these ends for when God saith himself hee useth these meanes for these ends for us to say these meanes are not sufficient for these ends seemeth to mee to derogate from the wisdom and sufficiency of God whose works are all of them perfect Deut. 32. 4. and so sufficient for the ends for which hee wrought them Yet God forbid I should doubt of that which our Saviour telleth the Jews No man can come to Christ except the Father draw him Joh. 6. 44. by the same Almighty power and authority whereby hee sent Christ into the world The whole tenour of your Answer in clearing the Fifth Doubt looks this way as if you maintained a sufficiency of power in those whom wee account Reprobates to perform such things upon the performance whereof they should bee saved I confesse you doe not make any expresse mention of Faith but of obedience in generall and of repentance which I presume you will acknowledge will bee inseparable from Faith And that you doe acknowledge a sufficiency in them to perform Obedience and Repentance requifite to Salvation I prove thus You maintain a true desire in God of their Salvation and how can this stand with the denyall of such sufficiency as is in his power to grant Againe You expressely maintain that there is in God a serious and fervent affection not concerning their Salvation only but their Conversion also
see whether this might not bee extended further also But let us examine it by your owne rules the best course to present before your eyes the strangenesse of these conceptions Three things are to bee considered as ordered by you one after another First Gods absolute decree to deliver Christ to death Secondly the foresight of mens corrupt dispositions Thirdly Gods decree to deliver Christ to death by the sins of men Now mens sinfull dispositions depending partly upon originall sin derived unto all from the sinne of Adam partly upon mens former actuall conversations as also upon Gods permission of it to continue uncured and uncorrected it followeth herehence that the foresight of these sinfull dispositions did presupose both that God purposed to permit Adams fall as also to bring these men forth into the world in originall sinne as also to permit their former actuall sins wherby they arrive to these vitious habits together with his purpose to deny grace whereby these vitious habits should bee corrected Before all these decrees was the decree of delivering Christ to death by certain sins of certain men according to your Opinion in this place Whence it followeth that the delivering of Christ to death by the sins of men being last in intention must bee first in execution to wit before Adam was suffered to fall or they suffered by an evill conversation to arise to so corrupt dispositions or God denyed them grace to correct such corrupt dispositions And though Christs suffering death in a speciall manner to wit by the sins of men were to bee first in execution yet Christs suffering death in generall and in an indefinite manner was to bee last in execution And this argumentation of mine throughout depends meerly upon your own rules delivered in clearing the first doubt But passe wee over these scrupulosities The course you take to explicate Gods providence in punishing sin with sin is nothing congruous to the examples thereof set down in holy Scripture For whereas Judas his betraying of Christ was a fruit of his covetousnesse you make Gods giving him over to the committing of this sin to bee the punishment of his covetousnesse Likewise whereas the High Priests and Pharisees conspiracy against Christ was a fruite of their envy for Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered him and of their ambition as appeareth Joh. 11. 48. you make Gods giving them over to the committing of this sin to bee the punishment of their ambition and envy In like sort that Pilate gave judgement against Christ being a fruit of his popularity and worldly feare of Caesar the giving of him over to the committing of this sin you make to bee the punishment of his popularity and worldly feare of Caesar So the Jews crying out against him being a fruite of their ignorance and infidelity the giving them over unto this sin you make it to bee the punishment of their ignorance and infidelity Now shew mee any example throughout the book of God in punishing sin with sin answerable unto this As if God did punish mens sinfull dispositions by giving them over to bring forth the proper and congruous fruites of those sinfull dispositions Rom. 1. Wee read God gave the Gentiles over into a reprobate minde to doe things inconvenient to commit horrible uncleanenesse But God hereby punished not the unclean disposition the fruites whereof were brought forth by Gods giving them over into a reprobate minde but hereby God punished their Idolatry 2 Thess 2. 20. Wee read of Gods giving men over to illusions to beleeve lies hereby hee did not punish their infidelity the fruite whereof was the beleeving lies but hereby hee punished their want of love to Gods truth So when God sent an evill spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sechem to set them together by the eares hee did not hereby punish their mutuall hatred one against another but rather their joynt conspiracy against the sons of Jerubbaal I doe not deny but it may bee said as Austin saith that God hath ordained Ut omnis inordinatus animus paena sit sibi That every inordinate minde should bee a punishment to it self but in my judgement it is a strange liberty of speech to say that God doth punish a man for his covetousnesse by not restraining it but suffering it to have his course What you mean by giving Judas over to betray Christ I know not Gods providence operative in evill is of an obscure nature You speak of obduration and of giving over unto sin but wherein it consists you explicate not Yet by declining these phrases you forsake the point in question Which is not at this present whether God gave Judas over to the betraying of Christ but whether hee decreed hee should betray him and the Priests conspire against him and the people preferre Barabbas before him and Pilate condemn him Which because you not directly deny the Question is transferred to the manner of this decree as namely whether it bee absolute or conditionall You will have it to bee conditionall to wit upon the presupposall of Judas his covetousnesse Yet this you doe not in plain terms expresse as indeed you seldome set down your meaning plainly giving your self too much liberty in speaking at large which is no way conducing to the investigation of truth but a sore impediment rather Having said that it is without warrant to say that the sinfull manner of Christs death was decreed by God by an unconditionall decree presupposing no condition in the creatures which were the wicked instruments of his death Whereas hereupon you should shew upon presupposall of what condition in Judas in the Priests in Pilate God decreed that Judas should betray him the Priests deliver him to Pilate and Pilate condemn him you decline this and in a new phrase tell us that it was the punishment of Judas his covetousnesse and hypocrisie that God gave him up to betray Christ and in like manner you speak of the rest Leaving to your Reader to expiscate your direct meaning and to explicate that which you involve It seems your meaning is that upon the foresight of Judas his covetousnesse and hypocrisie God decreed hee should betray him Now let us discusse this If God did in this manner decree it then certainly upon the covetousnesse of Judas hee brought this to passe Now I demand by what course of providence God brought it to passe that Judas betrayed him you say it was by giving him over to betray him Now what you mean by this I know not neither doe you expresse but I will indevour to explain it First I presume your meaning is God did not restrain his covetousnesse for this seems to bee the meaning of this phrase Psal 81. where it is said God gave them over to their own hearts lusts and by way of explication it is added And let them follow their own inventions Now this course of providence was not sufficient to bring it to passe that Judas should betray
the criticall point Pag. 115. l. 33. the outward works of the Trinity are indivisible Pag. 121. l. 2. such as should be saved Pag. 122. l 1 2. they encreased the errour concerning God they took away the feare of God Pag. 125. l. 11 12. into a mind void of all judgement l 20. from the beginning Pag. 127. l. 10. of old fore-written to this judgement Pag. 129. l. 28. the pure masse l. 29. the corrupt masse Pag. 132. l. 38. suits at law Pag. 133. lin 31 32 33. moreover this metaphor is taken from hence that Gods eternall whereby the believers are ordained to salvation is called a book Pag. 137. l. 24. righteousnesse of condecency Pag. 140. l. 20 21. The love of good liking the love of wel-doing Pag. 141. l. 10. the will of the flesh l. 25. to an outward amendment of life Pag. 146. l. 11. is not liberty but contumacy Pag. 147. l. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. what patience soever God shewes yet who shall repent unlesse God gives repentance None of these whom God hath not predestinated doth God bring unto true and wholsome repentance whereby man is reconciled unto God in Christ whether hee affords them greater patience or as great God brings to repentance but whom whom hee hath predestinated Pag. 185. lin 9 10. more helped l. 11 12. to be able if hee would to will what he could l. 13. helps or succours Pag. 187. l. 22. as touching the act of God predestinating l. 23. as touching the act of God reprobating l. 25. as touching the act of God willing Pag. 191. l. 4. not by infusing malice or naughtinesse but by not infusing grace Pag. 193. l. 15. no man becomes most foule at first l. 18. No old man fears God Pag. 195. lin 21 22. The same as the same alwayes works the same Pag. 202. l. 12. unequall heifers are not fit to plough under the same yoke Pag. 203. l. 17. by infusing malice but by not infusing grace Pag. 205. l. 3. not as touching the affection l. 4. but as touching the effect Pag. 212. l. 15. In the generall lurk many equivocations Pag. 224. lin 27 28 29. Thou art under the wrath of God therefore worship God who is easie to be intreated For upon thy prayers hee will pardon thee and his anger will be appeased Pag. 227. l. 27. of duty not of fact Pag. 229. lin 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. To God without doubt look how easie it is to doe what he will as easie it is not to suffer that to be which he will not have to be Unlesse we believe this wee must renounce the first article of our Creed whereby wee professe to believe in God the Father who is almighty For he is not called omnipotent but to shew that whatsoever hee will doe that he can doe neither can the effect of an almighty power be hindered by the will of any creature Pag. 230. lin 28 29. Exhortation not made but despised l. 32. if I had known it I would have done it if I had heard I would have believed Pag. 232. l. 33. on Gods part on mans part Pag. 258. lin 7 8. O Roman thou dost undeservedly suffer for the sins of thine Ancestors Pag. 262. lin 31 32. that they may profit to the outward amendment of their life to the end that their punishment may be the milder Pag. 263. l. 24. the will of suffering sin and inflicting damnation for their sin Pag. 283. lin 31 c. what is this that you say when they are said to be given over to their lusts they are to be understood as men left by divine patience not compelled into sins by Gods power as if the Apostle had not put both these together both patience and power when hee saith But if God willing to shew wrath and demonstrate his power suffered in much patience the vessels of Gods wrath fitted or prepared for destruction Yet which of these two doe you say is that which is written And the Prophet if hee shall erre and speake I the Lord have deceived that Prophet and I will stretch out mine arme upon him and cut him off out of the midst of my people Israel Is this patience or power choose which you will or confesse both Yet you see that the sin of him who prophecyeth falsly is also a punishment of sin And when it is said I the Lord have deceived that Prophet will you say here also that this is to be understood as if it were said I have deserted him that by reason of his merits he is seduced that he might erre Be it so if you will yet after this manner he was punished for his sins that by prophecying that which was false hee might sin But look unto that which the Prophet Micheas saw to wit The Lord sitting upon his throne and the whole army of heaven stood about him on his right hand and on his left And the Lord said Who shall perswade Ahab the King of Israel that he may goe up and fall at Ramoth Gilead and one spake on this manner and another on that And there came forth a Spirit and stood before the Lord and said I will perswade him And the Lord aid unto him Wherewith And he said I will goe forth and will be a lying Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets But this very thing was also a punishment of sin God judging God sending an evill Angel That wee may more clearly understand how it is said in the Psalme that hee sent the wrath of his indignation by evill Angels But did God erre in this did he judge or doe ought unjustly or rashly in this Farre be it from us so to think But the Prophet spake not in vaine when hee said Thy judgements are a great depth The Apost be doth not cry out in vaine when hee saith O the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out For who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellour or who first gave unto him that hee might be recompensed And againe in the same Chapter it followeth For this cause God gave them over to the lusts of uncleannesse You heare that for this God gave them over and you vainly inquire How it is to be understood that God gave them over taking much paines to shew that God gives men over in such manner by deserting them But after what manner soever God gives them over for this cause God gave them over For this hee deserted them And you see Gods giving of them over what kind of desertion soever it be and after what manner soever you understand the things which followed hereupon For the Apostles care was to shew how great a punishment it is to be given over of God to the lusts of uncleannesse whether by forsaking them or after what other manner soever whether explicable or inexplicable whereby God doth this who is both good and just in an unspeakable manner FINIS Answ Exam. Phil. 2. Answ 1. Exam. 2 Tim. 1. 9. Answ 2. Exam. Answ 3. Col. 1. 18. Rom. 8. 29. Col. 1. 16. Exam. Answ 4. Exam. 1. Vers 10 27. Eccles 3. 11. Answ Exam. Answ 1 Tim. 1. 16. Exam. Answ Exam. Answ Examin Answ Examin Answ Exod. 34. 6 7. Examin * Exod. 34 6. Exod. 31. 28 29. Answ Examin Answ Examin Answ Examin 2 Tim 4. 2 Thessa 1. Answ Examin Vindiciae gratiae ' Dei lib 3. dig 2. Answ Examin Answ Examin 〈…〉 10. Answ Examin Gen. â— Esa 1. Enchirid. cap. 95. Judg. 9. Answ Examin Jer. 13. 17. Answ Examin 2 Tim. 4. 1 Thes 1. 2 Tim. 1 9. Answ Examin Answ Examin Answ 2. John 8. John 3. Examin Act. 26. 9. Answ Examin Answ Use 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Examin 4 Doubt Quest 4. Answer Exam. 1 Cor. 2. 14. Rom. 8. Dent. 30. 6. Exam. Exam. Answer Rom. 11. 1. 8. 9 10. compared with Psal 69. 21 to 28. See also Rom 1. 26 27 28 Psal 81. 11 12. Exam. Rom. 9. 18. Exam. Jer. 32. 40. Answer Exam. Answ Exam. Psal 191. 1. Rom. 1. 20. Act. 14. 17. Act 17. 26 27. Esa 63. 17. Deut. 29 4. seems Ezek. 24. 13. Exam. Answ Rom. 1. 21. 28. Act. 7 51. Luk. 19. 24. Mat. 27. 21 22 Joh. 3. 43. Exam. Answ Rom. 1. 29. Luk. 16. 11 12. Acts 16. 46. Lukc 19. 42. Mat. 21 41 42. Exam. Col. â— Exam. Answer Col. 1. 3. Rom. 14. 9. John 3. 35. Mar. 28. 18. Phil 1. 8 9 10 11. Mark 10. 14. â—â—am The Examination must proceed according to this correction Exam. * Indeed it should bee not Covenant as my Copy had it but current as a friend shewed mee how to correct it Rom. 8. Analysis Exam. Exam. Exam. 1 Cor 7 Exam.
sin that was committed whereas God could undoubtedly restrain from the committing of it and that either in a gracious manner or in a meere naturall manner When it is committed his gracious restraint is not afforded but denyed rather What that other action is wherein this obduration consists and which is joyned with the denyall of grace you expound not Suppose it bee Gods moving a man to some course contrary to his corrupt nature either by his word as hee moved Pharaoh to let Israel goe or by his works or by the suggestions of conscience according to that Law which is writen in mens hearts is not this usually found also as often as sinne is committed contrary to light of Nature or light of Grace And hath not obduration consequently its course in all this And why you should pronounce of obduration indefinitely That it is both the heighth of mans sin and depth of mans misery I see no reason Do not the children of God sometimes feele it and in patheticall manner complain of it Lord why hast thou caused us to erre from thy wayes and hardned our hearts against thy feare Esay 63. 17. What saith our Saviour to his Disciples Mark 8. 17. Perceive yee not neither understand have yee your hearts yet hardned As for your phrase of inflicting obduration that doth much require explication which you doe no where perform that I know There is I confesse another operation of God besides those I mentioned formerly whereby men are given over by God whence it followeth that they will grow harder and harder and that is the suspension of his admonitions either by taking away his word or forbearing inward motives by his spirit or removing his judgements and giving outward prosperity whereby God is said to give men over to their own hearts lusts But how this or any of these can bee called the inflicting of abduration I understand not And whereas you say it is prejudiciall to Gods Justice to shew his power in hardning Pharaoh without respect to sin like as to condemn him I have already shewed the great difference between condemnation and obduration It being never said that God damnes whom hee will but the Apostle plainely professing that God hardens whom hee will even as expressely as it is said Hee hath mercy on whom hee will and no marvell For God hath revealed a Law according to which hee proceeds in damning men but you are not able to shew us a Law according to which God proceeds in the hardning of them For if the elect before their callings bee no better then reprobates it is impossible to assigne a Law according to which God proceeds in the hardning of men but that by the same Law the Elect of God must bee hardned also And hardning in the Scripture phrase is usually opposed to Gods shewing mercy It is one thing to speak of an heart hardned another to speak of a heart desperately hardned Yet if you were put to explicate your self and shew what it is to bee desperately hardned and that of God and there withall to prove how Pharaoh was at the time you speak of desperately hardned I am perswaded this phrase would cost you more pains then you are aware of for the satisfying of your self and perhaps somewhat more for the satisfying of others If then God purposed to fall upon Pharaoh in his utmost wrath c. Surely from everlasting hee purposed so to fall upon him for all Gods purposes are everlasting If your meaning bee onely to denote the precedency of such a condition of Pharaoh in sin to Gods falling upon him in bringing such judgements upon his back but not a precedency to Gods purpose I willingly concurre with you herein But then the like may bee said of God concerning Esau before hee was born to wit that God purposed to bring such a measure of obduration and confusion upon him after such a condition of sin But if your meaning bee as indeed hitherunto the genius of your opinion drives you namely that upon the foresight of some sinfull condition God did decree to bring obduration and condemnation both upon Esau and Pharaoh as this may bee said as well of one as of the other here you will give us leave to dissent from you considering how manifestly you are found herein to dissent from your self For if such a foresight of sin goe before Gods decree of obduration and condemnation then God did first decree to permit that sin before hee did decree to harden and condemne man for it so that the permission of that sin in Gods intention must bee before obduration and condemnation and consequently last in execution that is men shall first bee hardned and condemned and then suffered to commit that sinne for which they are hardned and condemned Again if Gods purpose to punish with condemnation must necessarily presuppose foresight of sin in God by the same reason Gods purpose to reward with salvation must necessarily presuppose a foresight in God of obedience and in this case what shall become of the freenesse of Gods grace in election not to trouble you with the profession of Aquinas that never any man was so mad as to introduce a cause of predestination quoad actum praedestinantis The case is the same with introducing a cause of reprobation quoad actum reprobantis For the ground of this is only because there can bee no cause of the will of God quoad actum volentis Now reprobation is well known to bee an act of Gods will as well as predestination Answer But say further that this hardning of Pharaoh bee an effect of the like hatred of Pharaoh as of Esau neither is it said to depend on the sin of Pharaoh but on the will of God as mercy doth as the first cause thereof I answer this hardning of Pharaoh though an effect of Gods hatred of Pharaoh yet it is not an immediate effect of the like hatred hee bare to Esau before hee had done good or evill but presupposeth the sin of Pharaoh viz. his malitious hatred of Gods Church comming between God hateth no man so farre as to harden him till hee hath fallen into some sin in which and for which hee may bee hardned Hardning being alwaies as far as I can perceive by Scripture not only a sin and cause of sin but a punishment of sin How can God bee said to punish sin with sin in hardning the creature if sin in Pharaoh bee not presupposed to goe before the hardning It is true indeed this hardning of Pharaoh is referred by the Apostle to the will of God as the first cause thereof For otherwise the answer of the Apostle had not been sufficient to the objection propounded ver 14. for there it was objected that unrighteousnesse might seem to bee found in God even respect of persons to deale so unequally with persons equall such as Jacob and Esau were for if Jacob and Esau had done neither good nor evill when God had exalted