saved yet the Lambe of God taketh away the sinnes of the world So Esai 6.7 Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sinne purged this is no halfe pardon such as Esaiah had before the Lord touched his lips 1 Joh. 3.5 And yee know that he was manifested to take away our sinnes Iohn speaketh of the taking away of the sinnes of us Iohn and the Saints who were loved Vers. 1. with a wonderfull love to bee called the Sonnes of God us whom the World knoweth not vers 2. us who shall be like Christ when he appeareth Arminians are obliged to give us parallel places where the redemption of all and every man and Christs naked power and desire to be friends with all men and to make any covenant of grace or works as he pleaseth is called the taking away the sinnes of the world and yet the whole world may possibly dye in their sinnes and not a man be saved the taking away of the worlds sinnes to us is the compleat pardoning of them Remission of sinnes in his bloud Ephes. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Blotting out of transgressions Esai 4â— 25 as a thicke cloud Esai 44.23 a not remembring of sinnes Isai 43.25 Ier. 31. â—4 Such a taking away of sinnes as is promised in the covenant of grace to the house of Iudah to the Church under the Messiah that heareth the Gospel Ier. 31.34 Hebr. 8.8 9 10 11 12. Rom. 11.26 27. Esai 59.20 This is the taking away of the sinnes of the world a new world in whose inner parts the Lord writeth his Law and with whom the Lord maketh an everlasting covenant never to turne away from them Jer. 31.33 34 5 36 37. in whom the Lord putteth his Spirit and in whose mouth he puteth his Word and in the mouth of their seed and their seeds seede Esai 59.20 21. The Arminian taking away of sins is of all and every one of Adams seed of such as never heard of a Covenant of a Word of a Spirit of a Seed a holy Seed of a new heart Finally the taking away of the sinnes of the world is the removing of them as farre from us as the East is from the West Psal. 103.12 bestowed on these that feare the Lord vers 11. and are pitied of the Lord as the Father pitieth the Sonne and the subduing of our iniquities and the casting of our sinnes in the depths of the Sea Mich. 7.19 â—0 a mercy bestowed only on the remnant of the Lords inheritance The Arminian taking away of sins is a broad pardon of sins to all the world let them shew Scripture for theirs as we doe for ours and cary it with them Object 15. Though Reconciliation bee purchased to all and every one yet it is not necessary that it bee preached to all and every one but onely it is required that God bee willing it bee preached to all now it is free to God before he be willing to make offer of the purchased reconciliation to all to require afore hand such acts of obedience and dueties which being performed hee may publish the Gospel to them or being not performed hee may bee unwilling to publish the Gospel to them Yea though reconciliation be purchased to all yet its free to God to communicate the benefits of his death upon what termes hee thinketh good And Christ died saith Master Moore to obtaine a lordship over all and a power to save beleevers and destroy such as will not have him to raigne over them as wee heard before Answ. 1. We have in this Doctrin that Argument yeelded God commanded to preach to all and every one Ergo Christ died for all and every one For 1. The consequence is true absolutely by the Arminians doctrine Christ absolutely died for all and every one without prescribing any condition to those for whom he dies he saith not my sonne dieth to purchase reconciliation to all upon condition all beleeve or perform some other dutie but beleeve they or beleeve they not the 〈◊〉 is payed and salvation purchased for all without exception but the antecedent is not true but upon condition God is not willing the Gospel bee preached to all but to such as perform such conditions 2. If they perform not the condition Christ should have said preach not the Gospel to all nations nor to every creature but onely to such as yee finde fit hearers of the Gospel and have performed such acts of obedience as I require for conditionall threatnings are set downe in the Gospel as well as conditionall promises he that beleeveth shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall bee damned But in Old or New Testament Arminians never shew us where the preaching of the word of Grace is referred to our free will Doe this O Ammonits O Indians and the glad tyding shall come to you if yee doe not this ye shall never heare the Gospel Arminians say God sendeth his Grace and Gospel both genti minus dignae indigniori negat to the unworthy Nation and denyeth both to the worthier 3. Arminians say in Script Synod Dordr pag. 6. Lex non lata aut non intellecta cum intelligi non possit non obligat a law not made or not understood when it cannot be understood doth not oblige then God cannot deny a salvation and the benefit of a preached Gospel to Indians though both were purchased in Christ if they never heard as hundreths of Nations could by no rumor heare or dreame of Christ and the Gospel of Christ. 4. How can God with the same naturall and half-will equally will that all bee saved when hee absolutly without merit or condition willeth the meanes of salvation to some and denyeth the meanes of salvation to the farre largest part of mankinde for want of a condition unpossible because it neither was nor could be known to them 5. By the Arminian way sinne originall is no sin it bringeth wrath and condemnation on no man God beginneth upon a new score and the reckoning of the covenant of Grace to count with all men and God is so reconciled to all mortall men and transacteth with them in such a way of free grace that hee will punish no man for any new breach except committed actually by such as are come to age as have the use of reason and are obliged to beleeve in Christ. pag. 285 286 287. Dordr scrip Synod Yet hath God decreed never to reveale any such gracious transactions to millions of men that better deserve to heare these secrets of grace then thousands to whom they are proclaimed in their ears ere they can discerne the right hand by the left This Arminians say was Gods dispensation Matth. 11. with Capernaum and Tyrus and Sidon But it will bee found that Arminians deny the prescience and foreknowledge of God 6. Most abominable and comfortlesse must the doctrine of the death of our Lord Iesus be if Christ died onely to bee a Lord and such a Lord as hee might have power without
righteousnesse and life then other strangers to Christ and Gentiles Rom. 9.30 31 32 33. Rom. 10.1.2 3 4. Rom. 11.1.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 c. rejected and there should be others as good as these by nature that the Lord should have mercy on now in both these first God is free in his grace secondly just in his judgements though he neither call nor chuse accoâ—ding to works thirdly the damned creature most guilty and fourthly the Lord both jâ—stly sâ—vere and graciously meâ—cifull fifthly none have cause to complaine or quarrell with God and yet God might have carried the matter a farre other way sixthly the head cause of this various administration with Nations and persons is the deep high soveraign innocent holy independent will of the great Potter and Former of all things who has mercy on whom he will hardneth whom he wil and this is the depth without a bottom no creature Angel or Men can so behave them selves to their fellow-creatures yet be free just holy wise c. but sure one creature can deal with his fellow creature according to the rules and road-way of an antecedent consequent will so may the King deal with his people the Governour with those he governes the Father with his children the Commander with his souldiers the Lord of a Vine-yard with his hired servants all these may order their goodnesse mercy rewards punishments in a way levill with the use industry improvement of free-will or the rebeâ—lion unjustice wickednesse and slothfulnesse of their underlings but no Master nor Lord can call Labourers to his Vine-yard and exhort obâ—est beseech them all to labour and promise them hire and yet keep from the greatest part of them the power of â—â—â—rring armes or legs of free consenting to labour and suspend his so acting on the greatest part of them as they shall willingly be caâ—â—ied on to wilfull disobedience and to be the passive objects of his revenging justice according to the determinate counsell of the Lord of this Vine-yard because so he willed out of his absolute soveraignty to deal with some and deale a just contrary way with the least part of the labourers because hee pâ—â—posed to declare the glory of his grace on them either there is here an unsearchable depth or Paul knew nothing and this calmes my minde and answereth all that reason can say for universall atonement and the 1. Vse I aym at is that no Doctrine so endeareth Christ to a soule as this of particular redemption and free-grace separating one from another Psal. 147 1â— Prayse the Lord O Ierusalem and amongst manâ— groundâ— here is one vers 19. he sheweth his word unto Iacob his Statutes and his judgements to Israel ver 20. he hath not dealt so with any Nation and he speaketh not of the measure as if God had revealed the same grace in nature but in an inferiour degree to other Nations for hee saith as for his judgements they have not known them and thâ—n being full of God for this separating mercy he addeâ—h prayse yee the Lord Christ esteems this the floure of grace the grace of grace and blesseth his Father for it Matth. 11.25 I blesse thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes now because Arminians say the pride of the self-wise and the humility of babes are the causes separating the one from the other and so free-will is to share with the Father in the praise of the reveiled glory of the Gospel and the discovered excellency of Christ to babes rather then to wise men a literall revelation no doubt was common to all babes and prudent the swelled Pharisees and humbled sinners Christ praiâ—eth the eminency the blossom of grace the bloom of free-love in that the free-wil of the humble and the proud made not the separation but the good pleasure of God ver 27. No man knowes the Son but the Father and he to whom the Son will reveale him 2. That which is common to all shall never leave an impression of wonder and thankfull admiration I and we are swelled lofty and proud things and the Spirit of God commends grace highly in that it falls upon pronowns and persons and not on others 1 Cor. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the least of of the Apostlâ—s vers 10. By the grace of God I am that I am and his grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 toward me was not in vaine but I laboured more abundantly then they all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not I but the grace of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in me Tit. 3.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for we our selves also were sometime out of our wits disobedient c. ver 4. but when the kindnesse and man-love of God our Saviour appeared ver 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saved us 1 Tim. 1.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the chief of sinners ver 16. but for this cause I obtained mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ but I live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet not I but Christ lives in me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who has lovâ—d me and given himself for me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes. 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and you who were dead in sins and trespasses hath he quickned ver 4. for his great love wherewith he loved us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses he hath quickened us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together with Christ ver 13. But now in Christ Iesus yee who somtimes were farre off are made neare by the blood of Christ the passing by my Father and mother and brother and sister neighbour and friend and taking me is a most indearing favour 3. Of all in Scotland and England all in Europe all Adams seed that ever were masters of a living soule in the womb or out of it the Lord passed by so many thousands and millions and the lot of free-grace fell upon me precisely by name and upon us and not upon thousands besides no lesse eligible then I was what thoughts will you have of the fâ—â—e lot of love that fell upon you ever since God was God when Christ shall lay such a load of love such a high weight and masse of love on you ye shall then think O how came I hither to sit in heavenly places with Christ that body that is trimmed cloathed and doubly embroydered with pure and unmixed glory is just made of the same lump of earth with the body of Judas or Cain that are now flaming and sinking to the bottom of the black and sad river of brimstone the Lord saith Ezek. 18.4 behold all souls are mine and
want nothing Mercy be satisfied Peace should kisse righteousnesse and warre goe on in justice against a sinlesse Redeemer Angels bowing and stooping downe to behold the bottome of this depth 1 Pet. 1.12 cannot read the perfect sense of the infinite turnings and foldings of this mysterious love O Love of heaven and fairest of Beloveds the flower of Angels why camest thou so low down as to be-spot and under-rate the spotlesse love of all loves with coming â—igh to black sinners Who could have beleeved that lumps of hell and sinne could be capable of the warmings and sparkles of so high and princely a Love or that there could be place in the brest of the High and lofty One for forlorne and guilty clay But wee may know in whose brest this bred sure none but onely the eternall Love and Delight of the Father could have outed so much love had another done it the wonder had been more But of this more else-where Wee may hence chide our soft nature the Lord Jesus his soule was troubled in our businesse wee start at a troubled body at a scratch in a penny-broad of our hyde First There is in nature a silent impatience if wee be not carried in a chariot of love in Christs bosome to heaven and if wee walk not upon scarlet and purple under our feet wee flinch and murmure Secondly Wee would either have a silken a soft a perfumed crosse sugered and honyed with the consolations of Christ or wee faint and providence must either brew a cup of gall and worm-wood mastered in the mixing with joy and songs else wee cannot be Disciples But Christs Crosse did not smile on him his Crosse was a crosse and his ship sailed in bloud and his blessed soule was sea-sick and heavie even to death Thirdly Wee love to saile in fresh waters within a step to the shoare wee consider not that our Lord though hee afflict not and crush not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his heart Lam. 3.33 yet hee afflicteth not in sport punishing of sinne is in God a serious grave and reall work no reason the crosse should be a play neither Stoicks nor Christians can laugh it over the Crosse cast a sad glowme upon Christ. Fourthly we forget that bloody and sad mercies are good for us the peace that the Lord bringeth out of the wombe of warre is better then the rotten peace that wee had in the superstitious daies of Prelats What a sweet life what a heaven what a salvation is it we have in Christ and we know the death the grave the soule-trouble of the Lord Jesus travelled in paine to bring forth these to us Heaven is the more heaven that to Christ it was a purchase of blood The Crosse to all the Saints must have a bloody bit and Lyons teeth it was like it selfe to Christ gallie and soure it must be so to us Wee cannot have a Paper-crosse except we would take on us to make a golden providence and put the creation in a new frame and take the world and make it a great leaden vessell melt it in the fire and cast a new mould of it Fiftly the more of God in the Crosse the sweeter as that free grace doth budde out of the black rod of God to the soule that seeth not and yet beleeveth and loveth the Crosse of Christ drops honey and sweetest consolations Wee sigh under stroakes and we beleeve The first Adam killed us and buried us in two deaths and sealed our grave in one peece of an houre he concluded all under wrath Now how much of Christ is in this Omnipotencie infinite wisedome when Angels gave us over and stood aloofe at our miserie as changed lovers free Grace boundlesse love deepest and richest mercy in Jesus Christ opened our graves and raised the dead Christ died and rose againe and brought againe from the dead all his buried brethren Sixtly we can wrestle with the Almighty as if we could discipline and governe our selves better then God can do Murmuring fleeth up against a dispensation of an infinite wisdome because its Gods dispensation not our owne as if God had done the fault but the murmuring man onely can make amends and right the slips of infinite Wisdome Why is it thus with mee Lord saith the Wrestler Why doest thou mis-judge Christ he who findeth fault with what the Creator doth let him be man or Angel undoe it and doe better himselfe and carry it with him Seventhly we judge God with sense with the humor of reason not with reason the oare that God rolleth his vessell withall is broken say we because the end of the oare is in the water Providence halteth say we but what if sense and humour say a straight line is a circle The world judged God in person a Samaritane one that had a devill if we mis-judge his person we may mis-judge his providence and wayes Suspend your sense of Gods wayes while you see his ends that are under ground and instead of judging wonder and adore or then beleeve implicitly that the way of God is equall or doe both and submit and be silent Heart-dialogues and heart-speeches against God that arises as smoake in the Chimney are challengings and summons against our highest Landlord for his owne house and land Secondly If Christ gave a soule for us hee had no choiser thing the Father had no nobler and dearer gift then his only begotten sonne the sonne had no thing dearer then himselfe the man Christ had nothing of value comparable to his soule and that must runne a hazzard for man The Father the Sonne the Man Christ gave the excellentest that was theirs for us In this giving and taking world we are hence obliged to give the best and choisest thing we have for Christ. Should wee make a table of Christs acts of love and free grace to us and of ouâ— sinnes and acts of unthankefulnesse to him this would be more evident as there was 1. before time in the breast of Christ an eternall coale of burning love to the sinner this fire of heaven is everlasting and the flames as hot to day as ever our coale of love to him in time hath scarce any fire or warmenesse all fire is hot Oh we cannot warme Christ with our love but his love to us is hotter then death or as the flames of God Wee were enemies in our minds to him by wicked workes Col. 1.21 Heires of wrath by nature Christ began with love to us we begin with hatred to him 2. The Father gave his onely begotten Sonne for us how many Fathers and Elies will not let fall one tough word to all the sonnes and daughters they have for the Lord God spared not his Sonne but gave him to the death for us all Earthly Fathers spare clap their Sonnes Servants Friends Magistrates flattering Pastors their people in their blasphemies for him 3. Christ gave his soule to trouble and to the horrour of the
saved by Faith as we are Heb. 11.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Gal. 3.10 13. Acts 11.16 17. Rom. 9.31 32 33. 5. Yea the Law was no lesse a Letter of condemnation to them then to us Rom. 8.3 Rom. 10.3 Deut. 27.26 Gal. 3.10 13. 2 Cor. 3 7 8.13.14 15. 6. They dranke of the same spirituall Rocke with uâ— and the Rocke was Christ 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. Heb. 13.8 and were saved by grace as well as we Acts 15.11 2. It 's true Josiahs tendernesse of heart Davids smiting of heart the Womans weeping even to the washing of Christs fâ—et with teares Peters weeping bitterly for the denying of his Lord as they were woundings and Gospel-affections and commotions of love issuing from the Spirit of adoption of love grace and nothing but the Turtles love-sorrow so it is most false that they were no soule trouble for sinne as if these had beene freed from all Law of God and these soule-commotions were not from any sense of the curse or the Law or any demands of Law to pay what justice may demand of the selfe-condemned sinner yet were they acts of soule-trouble for sin as sin and it shall never follow that the parties were under no transgression and no law because under no obligement to eternall wrath for such an obligation to eternall wrath is no chain which can tye the sons of adoption who are washed justified pardoned and yet if the justified and pardoned say they have no sin and so no reason to complaine under their fetters and sigh as captives in prison as Paul doth Rom. 7.24 nor cause to mourne for in-dwelling of sin they are liars and strangers to their owne heart and doe sleep in deep security as if sin were so fully removed both in guilt and blot as if tears for sin as sin should argue the mourning party to be in the condition of those who weep in hell or that they were no more obliged to weep yea by the contrary to exercise no such affection but joy comfort and perpetuated acts of solace and rejoycing as if Christ had in the threshold of glory with his owne hand wiped all teares from their eyes already 3. Nor see I any reason why any should affirme That the Law is naturally as a party in the soule of the either regenerate and justified or of those who are out of Christ. 1. For the Law 's in-dwelling as a party ingaging by accusing and condemning is not naturally in any sonne of Adam because there is a sleeping conscience both dumbe and silent naturally in the soule and if there be any challenging and accusing in the Gentile-conscience Rom. 2. as stirring is opposed to a silent and dumb conscience that speaketh nothing so the Law-accusing is not naturally in the soule a spirit above nature I doe not meane the Spirit of regeneration must work with the Law else both the Law and sin lie dead in the soule the very law of nature lieth as a dead letter and stirreth not except some wind blow more or lesse on the soule Rom. 7.8 9. 2. That the Law wakeneth any sinner and maketh the drunken and mad sinner see himselfe in the sea and sailing down the river to the chambers of death that hee may but be occasioned to cast an eye on shore on Jesus Christ and wish a landing on Christ is a mercy that no man can father on nature or on himselfe 3. All sense of a sinfull condition to any purpose is a work above nature though it be not ever a fruit of regeneration 4. It s true Christ teacheth a mans soule through the shining of Gospel-light to answer all the enditements of the Law in regard that Christ the Ransomer stops the Law 's mouth with bloud else the sinner can make but a poore and faint advocation for himselfe yet this cannot be made in the conscience without some soule-trouble for sin 5. It s strange that Gods people need more joy after sinne then after affliction and that in some respect they have most joy who have sinned most Sure this is accidentall to sin this joy is not for sin but it s a joy of loving much because much is forgiven Forgivenesse is an act of free grace sin is no work of grace Sin grieves the heart of God as a friend's trouble is trouble to a friend the beleever is made the friend of God Joh. 15.15 and it must be cursed joy that lay in the womb of that which is most against the heart of Christ such as all sin is Yea to be more troubled in soule for sinnes then for afflictions smelleth of a heart that keeps correspondence with the heart and bowels of Christ who wept more for Jerusalems sins then for his owne afflictions and crosse As some ounces of everlasting wrath in the Law with a talent weight of free gospel-Gospel-mercy would be contempered together to cure the sinner so is there no rationall way to raise and heighten the price and worth of the soule-soule-Redeemer of sinners and the weight of infinite love so much as to make the sinner know how deep a hell hee was plunged in when the bone aketh exceedingly for that the Gospel-tongue of the Physician Christ should lick the rotten bloud of the soules wound speaketh more then imaginable free-love Nor doe wee say that Gospel-mourning is wrought by the Law 's threatnings then it were servile sorrow but it s wrought by the doctrine of the Law discovering the foulnesse and sinfulnesse of sin and by the doctrine of the Gospel the Spirit of the Gospel shining on both Otherwise sounds breathings letters of either Law or Gospel except the breathings of heaven shine on them and animate them can doâ— no good Asser. 4. Sinnes of youth already pardoned as touching the obligation to eternall wrath may so rise against the childe of God as he hath need to aske the forgivenesse of them as touching the removing of present wrath sense of the want of Gods presence of the influence of his love the cloud of sadnesse and deadnes through the want of the joy of the Holy Ghost and ancient consolations of the dayes of old Psal. 90.7 Wee are consumed in thy wrath and by thy hot displeasure we are terrified Vers. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee and our secret sinne in the light of thy face This was not a motion of the flesh in Moses the man of God Antinomians may so dreame the furie of the Lord waxed hot against his people so saith the Spirit of God nor is this conceit of theirs to be credited against the Text that Moses speaketh in regard of the reprobate party Moses by immediate inspiration doth not pray for the beauty and glory of the Lord in the sense of his love to be manifested on a reprobate partie Antinomian Preachers in our times confesse sinnes in publike but it s the sinnes of the reprobate and carnall multitude that are in
mans doubting from signes inherent in the man and if hee be a back-slider in heart you fetch fire and water from beyond the Moone to cure him or you must fetch warrants to convince him from the mind eternall counsells of love and free grace within God and that is all the question between the poore man and you You cannot prove God hath loved him from everlasting because hee hath loved him from everlasting If Libertines in this Argument intend to prove that a chosen convert in Christ hath no ground to question that hee is not beloved of God and not in Christ 1. That is nothing to the Thesis of Antinomians maintained by all that sinners as sinners are to beleeve Gods eternall love in Christ to them and so all sinners elect or reprobate are to beleeve the same 2. It s nothing to the universall commandement that all and every one in the visible Church wearied and loaden with sin or not wearied and loaden are immediatly to come to Christ and rest on him as made of God to them their righteousnesse sanctification and redemption without any inherent qualification in them 3. It s nothing to the point of freeing all and building a golden bridge to deliver all who are oblieged to beleeve elect or reprobate from doubting whether they be in Christ or not that they may easily come to Christ and beleeve his eternall love and redemption in him though they be in the gall of bitternesse and bonds of iniquity and that immediatly Which golden Paradise to heaven and Christ Antinomians liberally promise to all sinners as sinners I cannot beleeve that it s so easie a step to Christ. For the second It 's a dreame that God loveth sinners with the same love every way wherewith hee loveth his owne Sonne Christ. And why Because God loveth us onely for his owne Sonne and for nothing in us Ergo Farre more it must follow it s a farre other an higher fountaine love wherewith the Father loveth his owne eternall and consubstantiall Sonne the Mediator betweene God and man and that derived love wherewith he loveth us sinners As the one is 1. Naturall the latter free 2. The love of the Father to the Sonne as his consubstantiall Son and so farre as it 's essentially included in his love to Jesus Christ Mediator is not a love founded on grace and free-free-mercy which might never have beene in God because essentially the Father must love his Sonne Christ as his Sonne and being Mediator he cannot for that renounce his naturall love to him which is the fundamentall cause why hee loveth us for Christ his Sonne as Mediator but the love wherewith the Father loveth us for his Sonne Christ is founded on free Grace and mercy and might possibly never have been in God For 1. as he could not but beget his Sonne he could not but love him nature not election can have place in either but it was his Free will to create a man or not create him 2. He cannot but love his Sonne Christ but God might either have loved neither man nor Angel so as to chuse them to Salvation and he might have chosen other Men and Angels then these whom he hath chosen God hath no such freedome in loving his owne Consubstantiall Sonne 2. It s an untruth that God loveth his chosen ones as he doth love his Sonne that is with the same degree of love wherewith he loves his Sonne I thinke that not farre from either grosse ignorance or blasphemie It possibly may bee the same love by proportion with which the Father tendereth the Mediatour or Redeemer and all his saved and ransomed ones but in regard of willing good to the creature loved he neither loveth his redeemed with the same love wherewith hee loveth his Sonne except blasphemously we say God hath as highly exalted all the redeemed and given to them a name above every name as he hath done to his owne Sonne nor doth he so love all his chosen ones as hee conferreth equall grace and glory upon all alike as if one starre differed not from anoâ—her starre in glory in the highest heavens Our owne good works cannot make our Lord love us lesse or more with the love of eternall election but they may make God love us more with the love of complâ—cency and a sweeter manifestation of God in the fruits and gracious effects of his love According to that John 14.23 Jesus said if a man love me he will keepe my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him The third reason is the same with the first and proveth nothing but a Major Poposition not denied by the disquieted sinner which is this Who ever is justified and chosen cannot be condemned whom ever the Lord once loveth to salvation he must alwaies love to salvation for his love is like himselfe and changeth not But the disquieted sinner is chosen and loved to salvation This Assumption is all the question and the truth of a Major Proposition can never prove the truth of the Assumption Saltmarsh Free Grace Chap. 4. Pag. 83.84 85. Because you feele not your selfe sanctified you feare you are not justified If you suppose that God takes in any part of your faith repentance new obedience or sanctification as a ground upon which he justifieth or forgiveth 1. you are cleare against the Word for if it be of Workes it is no more of Grace 2. It must then be the onely evidence you seeke for and you aske for sanctification to helpe your assurance of justification but take it in the Scriptures way 1. In the Scriptures Christ is revealed to be our sanctification Christ is made unto us righteousnesse sanctification I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Yee are Christs but yee are sanctified but yee are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus He hath quickned us together with Christ. Wee are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes Jesus Christ himself being the chiefe corner stone That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that new man which after God was created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Wee are members of his body of his flesh and his bones And being found in him not having mine own righteousnesse I can dâ—e all things through Christ which strengthneth me But Christ is all in all Your life is hid with Christ in God Heb. 13.20 21. All these set forth Christ as our sanctification the fulnesse of his the all in all Christ hath beleeved perfectly for us he hath sorrowed for sinne perfectly he hath obeyed perfectly he hath mortified sinne perfectly and all is ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods 2. The second thing is Faith about our owne sanctification we must beleeve more truth of our owne graces then we can see or feele the Lord in his Dispensation hath so ordered that here our life should be hid with Christ in God that we should
opposition to another known false god though all may oppose the Gospel The Lord complaines of a whorish heart that playeth the harlot with many lovers Jer. 3.1 and heaven and saving grace stands on an indivisible point like the number of seven one added one removed varieth the nature no man is halfe in heaven halfe in hell almost a Christian is no Christian. When Adam fell from one God hee fell upon many inventions not upon one onely Eccles. 7.29 Our wandering is infinite and hath no home either God is a thunder or then hee is an Angel speaking from heaven Consid. 5. Men think the supernaturall wayes of God a thunder in the aire which is a most naturall work the ebbing and flowing of the Spirit either naturall joy or melancholly naturally following the complexion of the body It s Grace that puts a right sense on the works of God as on the word wee are no lesse heterodox in mis-interpreting the wayes and workes of God then in putting false and unsound senses on his word Emrods plagues the Philistines they doubt if chance or if the God of Israel have thus plagued them Moses works miracles the Magicians work miracles and the Egyptians doubt whether their false god or the living God that made the heaven and the earth hath wrought the miracles When God and Nature both worke naturall men or Saints as naturall betake themselves to the nearest God As sicknesse comes the naturall man saith Neglect of the body health the moone humours the air cold weather did it but hee looks not to God And the beleever guilty of a breach of the Sixth Command in neglecting second causes and in needlesse hurting the body seeth not this but fathers all upon God onely in a spirituall dispensation and considereth onely dispensation in God not sin in himselfe 2. Mercies grow invisibly and wee see not wee are ready to sleep at mercies offered When Christ knocks in love wee are in bed Cant. 5. 3. Judgements speak in the dark but wee heare not the Lord fatteneth some slaughter-oxen for hell and death is on some mens faces even the second death on their person but they see not To heare the Lords rods and who hath appointed it is the man of Wisdomes part Micha 6.9 There is an Orthodoxe Wisdome and Will as there is an Orthodox Faith Will as well as the minde can frame Syllogismes every unrenewed man hath a faith of his owne in the bottome of his will 2 Pet. 3. Some are willingly ignorant Some Jer. 9. through deceit refuse to know the Lord whereas lusts puts out reason and takes the chaire Lust hath stout Logick against Christ a fleshly minde vainely puffed up is a badge of bastard wit out-reasoning all the Gospel O but grace is quick-eyed sharpe and a witty thing to see God vailed in under the curtaine of flesh to see Christ and heaven through words and the Gospel with childe of so great a salvation Consid. 6. What wonder that there bee divisions about Christ. Some will have the Lord speaking from heaven a thunder others an Angel Christ is the most disputable thing in the world Math. 16.13 14. there be five Religions and sundry opinions touching Christ the Scribes and Pharisees had many sundry opinions and one of them is the right way onely and tenne false Joh. 7.40 Many say Christ is a Prophet Vers. 41 Others said this is the Christ Others no Shall Christ come out of Galile and there was a division among them Luke 2.34 Christ is for a signe that shall bee spoken against And amongst Christs sufferings this is one Hebr. 12.3 He sustained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contradiction of sinners Math. 24. Many false Christs shall arise There is but one heaven and one way to heaven and there is but one hell but there be thousands of wayes to hell from one point to another you can draw but one straight line but you may draw tenn◠thousand crooked and circular lines The truth is one and very narrow the lie is broad and very fertile and broodie error is infinite It s a blessed thing to find wisdome to hit upon Christ and adhere to him there be some dicets and couseners Ephes. 4.14 that lye in wait to deceive the simple and they cast the dice for heaven and can cast you up any thing on the dice either one or seven do yee then resigne your selves in this wood of false Religions that now is to Christ to be led to heaven Many now teach there be some few fundamentals beleeve them and live well and you are saved And many false Teachers that turne the Gospel upside downe say it is the same Gospel though the head be where the feet should be and for errors we wrong not truth so long as we hold nothing against fundamentals Should a man remove the roofe of your house cut down the timber of it and pick out all the faire stones in the wall and say Friend I wrong not your house see the foundation stones are safe and the foure corner stones are sure in the meane time the house can fence off neither winde nor raine would not this man both mock you and wrong you He that keeps the foundation Christ shal be saved though he build on it hay and stubble 1 Cor. 3. It s true But it was never the intent of the Holy Ghost That a man beleeving some few fundamentals though he hold and spread lyes and false Doctrines is in no hazard of damnation or that hee hath liberty of conscience to adde to the foundation hay and stubble and untempered morter and to daube dirt upon the foundation Christ and not sinne the place speaks no such thing but of this else where Others said it was an Angel These come neerer to the truth for they conceive there is more in this voice then a worke of Nature such as a thunder is they think an Angel spoke to Christ and they are convinced that Christ keeps correspondence with Heaven and Angels Angels have been and are in high estimation among men alwaies and there is reason for it 1. There is more of Heaven in Angels and more of God then in any of their fellow-creatures Sinnefull men have been stricken with feare at the sight of them they are persons of a more excellent countrey then the earth John the Apostle did overvalue an Angel Revel 19. Revel 21. And fell downe to worship him 2. Angels elect and chosen never lost their birth-right of creation as Men and Devils have done they were created as the Lilies and Roses which no doubt had more sweetnesse of beauty and smell before the sin of man made them vanity-sick Ro. 8.20 but they have kept their robes of innocency their cloth of gold above five thousand yeares without one sparke of dirt or change of colour for they never sinned innocencie and freedome from sinne hath much of God Adam as many think kept not his garments cleane
awed by the Law 576.577 Antinomians oblige not beleevers to personall walking with God 578 The Law leaveth not off to bee a rule of righteousnesse because it giveth not grace 579 Every naturall man under the Law 581.582 A Mystery of Antinomians that all meanes not effectually moving the will are not meanes laying bonds on the conscience 582.583 Antinomians take away all use of teaching and exhorting 584 Faith looseth us not from the Law ibid. Obeying of God because of the direction of Law and Gospel is to Antinomians a controuling of the free Spirit 589 The Law as the Law required perfect obedience but the Law as Evangelized requireth not perfect obedience that we may be justified 589 The Antinomian doctrine propounded by the carnall Libertine Rom. 7. 590.591 The Law is not meerely passive 591.592 How Faith and new obedience are the meanes of our delivery from the body of sin the former from the guilt and that perfectly and at once in justification and the other from the blot and in-dwelling of sinne and that by degrees in Sanctification 593.594 How we are saved without works 594.595 How God accounteth the good works of the justified porfect 595.596.597.598 CHRIST DYING AND Drawing Sinners to himselfe JOHN 12. 27. Now is my soule troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this houre But for this cause came I unto this houre 28. Father glorifie thy Name IT is a question whether these words of our Saviours Soule-trouble be nothing but the same words and prayer which Matthew chap. 26. and Luke 22. relate to wit O my Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me when his soule was troubled in the garden in his agonie Some think them the same others not It is like they are words of the same matter for first when Christ uttered these words hee was neare his sufferings and on the brink of that hideous and dark sea of his most extreme paine and drew up against hell and the Armies of darknesse as the story sheweth But that the Lord uttered these same words in the garden and not before is not apparent because upon this prayer it is said Then came there a voyce from heaven c. A voyce speaketh to him from heaven now Mat. 26. Luk. 22. no voyce is like to have come from heaven for when hee prayed in his agonie there were no people with him as here because of the voyce the people being present Some said it thundered others said an Angel spake from heaven there being now with Christ in the garden when hee prayed O my Father c. none save Peter James and John the three famous witnesses of his extreme suffering and of his young heaven of his transfiguration on the Mount when hee acted the Preludium and the image and representation of heaven before them as is cleare Mat. 26. vers 37. And he was removed from them also Mat. 26.39 Luk. 22.41 and they were sleeping in his agonie Mat. 26.40 43 45. But now there is a waking people with Christ who heard this voyce But I deny not but it is the same prayer in sense even as suppose it were revealed to a godly man that hee were to suffer an extreme violent and painfull death and withall some fearfull soule-desertion as an image of the second death it should much affright him to remember this and hee might pray that the Lord would either save him from that sad houre or then give him grace with faith and courage in the Lord to endure it so here Christ God and man knowing that hee was to beare the terrors of the first and second death doth act over afore-hand the time being neare the sorrow and anguish of heart that hee was to suffer in his extreme sufferings as it were good ere the crosse come to act it in our mind and take an essay and a lift of Christs crosse ere wee beare it to try how handsomely wee would set back and shoulders under the Lords crosse I doe not intend that wee are to imitate the Martyr who put his hand in the fire the night before hee suffered to try how hee could endure burning-quick but that wee are to lay the supposition what if iâ— so fall out as Christ being perswaded his suffering was to come acted sorrow trouble of soule and prayer before-hand and to resolve the saddest and antedate the crosse and say with our owne hearts Let the worst come or to suffer our feare to prophecy as Job did chap. 3. vers 25. yet suppose the hardest befall me I know what to doe as the unjust Steward resolveth on a way before-hand how to swimmâ— through his necessities Luk. 16.4 The Lord acteth judgement and what they shall pray in the time of their extremity who now spit at all praying and Religion they shall be religious in their kind when they shall cry Revel 6.16 Mountaines and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. You cannot beleeve that a Lambe shall chase the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and every bond-man and every free-man into the dennes and the rocks of the mountaines to hide themselves But the Lord acteth wrath and judgement before your eyes Men will not suppose the reall story of hell Say but with thy selfe Oh! shall I weep and gnaw my tongue for paine in a sea of fire and brimstone Doe but fore-fancie I pray you how you shall look on it what thoughts you will have what you shall doe when you shall 2 Thes. 1.9 be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 1. Fore-seen sorrowes have not so sad an impression on the spirit 2. Grace is a well-advised and resolute thing and has the eyes of providence to say in possible events What if my Scarlet embrace the Dunghill and Providence turne the Tables 3. It is like wisedome grace is wise to see afarre-off to fore-act faith and resolve to lie under Gods feet and intend humble yeelding to God as 2 Sam. 15.25 26. In the Complaint wee have 1. the Subject-matter of it The Lords troubled soule 2. The Time Now is my soulâ— troubled 3. Christs Anxiety wrought on him by this trouble What shall I say or which is the sense What shall I doe 4. And a shoare is seen at hand in the storme a present rock in the raging sea What shalt thou say Lord Jesus what shalt thou doe Pray and hee prayeth Father save me from this houre 5. There is a sort of correction or rather a limitation But for this cause came I to this houre The Lord forgetting his paine embraceth this evill houre 6. Going on in his resolution to embrace this sad houre hee prayeth vers 28. Father glorifie thy Name Touching the first the Soule-trouble of Christ wee are to consider 1. How it can consist with
peace 2. How with the personall union 3. What cause there was 4. What love and mercy in Jesus to be troubled for us 5. What use wee must make of this 1. Pos. This holy soule thus troubled was like the earth before the Fall out of which grew roses without thorns or thistles before it was cursed Christs anger his sorrow were flowers that smelled of heaven and not of sinne All his affections of feare sorrow sadnesse hope joy love desire were like a fountaine of liquid and melted silver of which the bankes the head-spring are all as cleare from drosse as pure Chrystall such a fountaine can cast out no clâ—y no mudde no dirt When his affections did rise and swell in their acts every drop of the founâ—aine was sinlesse perfumed and adorned with grace so as the more you stirre or trouble a well of Rose-water or some precious liquor the more sweet a smell it casts out Or as when a summer soft wind bloweth on a field of sweet Roses it diffuseth precious and delicious smells through the aire There is such mudde and dregs in the bottome and banks of our affections that when our anger sorrow sadnesse feare does arise in their acts our fountaine casteth out sinne Wee cannot love but wee lust nor feare but wee despaire nor rejoyce but wee are wanton and vaine and gaudie nor beleeve but wee presume wee rest up wee breath out sin wee cast out a smell of hell when the wind bloweth on our field of weeds and thistles our soule is all but a plat of wild-corne the imaginations of our heart being onely evill from our youth O that Christ would plant some of his flowers in our soule and blesse the soyle that they might grow kindly there being warmed and nourished with his grace If grace be within in sad pressures it comes out A Saint is a Saint in affliction as an hypocrite is an hypocrite and every man is himselfe and casts a smell like himselfe when he is in the furnace Troubled Christ prayes Tempted Job beleeves Job 19.25 The scourged Apostles rejoyce Act. 5.41 Drowned Jonah looks to the holy Temple Jonah 2.4 2. Christs affections were rationall reason starts up before feare reason and affection did not out-run one another Joh. 11.33 when Christ sees his friends weep hee weeps with them and that which is expressed in our Text by a Passive Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is troubled is there expressed by an Active Verb Hee groned in the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hee troubled himselfe Hee called upon his affections and grace and light was Lord and Master of his affection's There was in CHRIST three things which are not in us First The God-hâ—ad personally united with a Man and a Mans soule had an immediate influence on his affections This was Christs personall priviledge and to want this is not our sinne to have it was Christs glory But the nearer any is to God the more heavenly are the affections Secondly When God framed the humane nature and humane soule of Christ hee created a more noble and curious piece then was the first Adam It is true hee was like us in all things except sinne and essentially a man but in his generation there was a cut of the art of heaven in Christ more then in the forming of Adam or then in the generation of men suppose man had never sinned as Luk. 1.35 The power of the most High shall over-shadow thee never man was thus to be borne Whence give me leave to think that there was more of God in the humane nature of Christ as nature is a vessel coming out of the Potters house then ever was in Adam or living man though man had never sinned And so that hee had a humane soule of a more noble structure and fabrick in which the Holy Ghost in the act of sanctification had a higher hand then when Adam was created according to the image of God though hee was a man like us in all things sinne excepted 3. Pos. Undeniably Grace did so accompany Nature that hee could not feare more then the object required Had all the strength of men and Angels been massed and contemperated in one they should have been in a higher measure troubled then Christ was So how much trouble was in Christs affections as much there was of reason perfumed and lustered with grace Hee was not as man in his intellectualls wise or desirous to be wise as Adam and Evah and men now are taken with the disease of curiosity above what was fit So neither were his affections above banks hee saw the blackest and darkest houre that ever any saw suppose all the sufferings of the damned for eternity were before them in one sight or came on them at once it should annihilate all that are now or shall be in hell Christ now saw or fore-saw as great sufferings and yet 1. beleeved 2. prayed 3. hoped 4. was encouraged under it 5. suffered them to the bottome with all patience 6. rejoyced in hope Psal. 16.9 Now our affections rise and swell before reason 1. They are often imaginary and are on horse-back and in armes at the stirring of a straw 2. They want that clearnesse and serenity of grace that Christ had through habituall grace following nature from the womb 3. Wee can raise our affecâ—â—ons but cannot allay them as some Magicians can raise the Devill but cannot conjure or command him or some can make warre and cannot create peace It is a calumnie of Papists that say that Calvin did teach there was despaire or any distemper of reason in Christ when as Calvin saith Hee still beleeved with full assurance And this extremity of soule-trouble was most rationall coming from the infallible apprehension of the most pressing cause of soule-trouble that ever living man was under 4. Pos. Christ had now and alwayes Morall peace or the grace of peace as peace is opposed to culpable raging of Conscience First Hee never could want faith which is a serenity quietnes and silence of the soule and assurance of the love of God Secondly Hee could have no doubting or sinfull disturbance of mind because hee could have no conscience of guilt which could over-cloud the love and tenderest favour of his Father to him But as peace is opposed to paine and sense of wrath and punishment for the guilt of our sinnes so hee wanted Physicall peace and was now under penall disturbance and disquietnesse of soule So wee see some have peace but not pardon as the secure sinners 1 Thes. 5.3 Secondly Some have pardon but not peace as David Psal. 38.3 who had broken bones and complaineth vers 8. I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart And the troubled Church Psal. 77.1 2 3 4. Some have both peace and pardon as some like Steven that are so neare to the Crowne as they are above any challenges of Conscience