A TREATISE OF Election and Reprobation In Vindication of the Vniversal Grace AND LOVE of GOD TO MANKIND By B. L. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle in White-Hart-Court in Grâ—â—ious-Street 1700. THE PREFACE IT is God's Will That Testimony should be born Age after Age unto his Truth and that Error and the Deceiveableness of Vnrighteousness as well as Vngodliness and Sin should be Testified against the one being an inlet to the other and the Gate in at which it enters and whoever is inveloped in the one is besmeared with the other But as Light springs up so will Holiness for they are coincident as Sin and Error Light and Truth goes together accompanying each other and so does Darkness and Error He that hath the clear Light and Knowledge of God and lives therein lives an holy Life and is a true Worshipper of Him Let him depart from this and Wisdom soon departs from him for into a malicious Soul Wisdom will not enter nor dwell in the Body that is subject unto Sin such an one shall have no fellowship with Her The Wisdom of the Truth cannot be held without the Obedience of the Truth nor the Light without the Life of it I have liv'd some Years and observed and never saw any Man swerve from Faithfulness but as the gathering together of thick Clouds he became darkened be his Vnderstanding never so clear before of which we have a miserable Instance in G. Keith But he that testifieth against Error and Darkness testifieth against the Root of Vngodliness and Sin and the Region of Evil in which all Filthiness of Abomination is committed for all these are Works of the Night And when these destructive Holds of Satan are discovered Men will flie unto God's Hold. Where it is Day it is Light they are not separable And it is Light 's Nature to discover and manifest things and these Discoveries are of the Truth and for the Information of Man in the things of God and the Vnderstanding being truly Righted draws the Will after it tending much to its righting also It is God's Will and Work that the Light of his Servants shine before Men there 's no cause to be afraid of or suspect the Day 〈◊〉 it 's Light this is concomitant with its warmth Light and Nourishing Heat goes together as Wisdom and Life for Wisdom is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold on her as is Ignorance and Error a Tree of Death And there 's scarce any Error to be met with so deep and depraved as this Man run into about Election and Reprobation which stubs up all Religion by the Roots and stands Dragon-like ready to devour the Gospel and evacuate all Godliness So it is here endeavoured to state and clear those Doctrines from Men's false Notions thereof Which when I had gone a pretty way thorough came accidentally to my hands a Book of George Keith's which he calls Truth Advanced whose Arguments upon this Subject falling quite contrary to mine and unto the Truth it appear'd to me necessary to give an Answer unto it which is accordingly done in the end of this Book B. L. A TREATISE OF Election and Reprobation c. The Introduction Reciting those Scriptures so frequently Vrged in Defence of Election and Reprobation and the Inferences usually though falsly drawn from them with some gross Absurdities that Doctrine naturally resolves into PEter the Apostle maketh this Remark upon the Epistles of the Apostle Paul That in them are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction And it is still so as it was then the things in his Epistles are the same the difficulty in understanding them and many others of which some are hereafter considered the same now as then and the unlearned and unstable like those of old make the same ill use of them now the others did then And which those places are seems to appear from the many great and continued Disputes that have arisen about them and filled the Minds of People unto this day as these following and some others Rom. 8. v. 29. Whom he did fore-know he also did Predestinate c. 30. Whom he did Predestinate them he also Called and whom he Called them he also Justified and whom he Justified them he also Glorified Rom. 9. v. 11. The Children being not yet Born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that Calleth 12 13. It was said unto her The Elder shall serve the Younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated 18. Therefore hath he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardeneth 22. What if God willing to shew his Wrath and to make his Power known endured with much long-suffering the Vessels of Wrath fitted to destruction 23. And that he might make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto Glory Ephes 1. v. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in love 5. Having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his Will 11. In whom also we have obtained an Inheritance being Predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the Counsel of his own Will Before I enter upon a particular Disquisition of these Scriptures there are a few things to be premised As 1st That for special and eminent Services God hath been pleased to choose out some particular Persons as peculiar Instruments as his choice Prophets and Ministers and hath attended preserved and supported them by his special Providence and divine Power for those eminent Services in his Work and Ministry As the Prophet Jeremiah before formed known of God and sanctified before he came forth of the Womb. Jer. 1.5 Luke 1.15 Acts 9.15 John Baptist filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mother 's Womb. And the Apostle Paul a Chosen Vessel 2dly These and the like being granted do not make for an absolute Election either of a certain definite number of Persons of all that are or shall be saved nor of a personal absolute unconditioned Predestination of the greatest part of Mankind to Damnation 3dly That we oppose the Notion of Reprobation as it opposeth Universal and Saving Grace as come by Jesus Christ and the Notion of a Personal Election absolute as it is set up to limit and confine Saving Grace only to a few Persons and indulge that few as secure in Sin c. Which being premis'd I observe That these Scriptures with several others which are herein after spoken to seem to me to be some of those places hard to be understood of which the Apostle made the Observation
Potter to make it Now it is a received Axiom Nullum simile currit quatuor therefore as no Work of God was marred in his hand Mankind came forth from him according to his designation in his own Image a Vessel of Honour c. Object 5. The Children not being yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth it was said The Elder shall serve the Younger as is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated c. Answ The Scripture speaks sometimes of singular Persons or Individuals when it is to be understood 1. Of Nations or People descending from them or 2. Of certain Spiritual States and Conditions We have instance of the first in Canaan the youngest Son of Ham Gen. 9.25 whom his Grand-father Noah cursed and denounced him a Servant of Servants to Shem and Japheth And in Esau and Jacob of whom it was fore-told The Elder should serve the Younger Gen. 25.23 And in Ephraim and Manasseh of whom it was said Gen. 48.19 The Younger should be the greater None of all which things were fulfilled in their Persons but in their Posterities c. For instance of the second Abraham had his Son Ishmae by Hagar Sara's Hand-maid a Bond-woman of Egypt of the Posterity of Ham this is said to be born after the Flesh And he had his Son Isaac by Sarah the Free-woman and this is said to be by Promise And these things saith the Apostle are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai Gal. 4.26 which is Hagar answering to Jerusalem that now is the other answering to Jerusalem from above The like Instance we have in Isaac Abraham's Heir and the Heir of God's Promise he had by his Wife Rebekah two Sons Jacob and Esau under whose Types are typified the Spiritual and Carnal Mind and Birth the Degenerate and Regenerate the Earthly and Heavenly c. So they are a double Instance to us in treating of this Text which is to be Mystically and not Literally understood as appears from the Blessing of Esau with the Fatness of the Earth Gen. 27.39 and the Dew of Heaven from above which is the same in effect with Jacob's Blessing only he had rule given over him but 't was only for a time for in the said Blessing the time is prophesied in which Esau should break Jacob's Yoke from off his Neck Now if God had hated Esau then Isaac could not at all have Blessed him in the Faith for whatsoever is done in the Faith is done in concurrence and accord with God but if God hated Esau and Isaac blessed him they would be contrary and repugnant the one to the other for all Blessing is of Love and so Isaac's Blessing of Esau had not been in the Faith for in it only things pleasing and acceptable to God are done and no works of jar and disagreement or contrariety to him these are not of Faith but the Scripture is express in it Heb. 11.20 That by Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come so it must needs be that these things are an Allegory and that God did not hate Esau's Person but spoke of what he hated under the Type or Figure of him Take this Scripture literally to relate unto Esau in a strict and proper Sense and it would be of absurd and blasphemous Consequence for if it represents God as at Variance with himself and in a great degree Unhappy working without Pleasure Grace or Goodness in the Production of wretched hated Beings to Eternal Misery even Nature shrinks and is in horror at any dissimulate and monstrous Birth much more it is contrary to the God of Nature and to suppose othewise of God is no Christian but an Heathenish Notion it is so remote from Divine it is not Humane that God should be imployed in the making so many Thousand of People for the Torments of Hell Fire Such Notions had the Heathens of old concerning their Moloch and other false Deities to appease whose imagined Fury they caused their Children to pass through the Fire and become Burnt Sacrifices Having shewed the Blasphemy and Error that attends a Literal Construction of this Text and that it should be Mystically understood I shall proceed to speak something of its Mystery before I pass from hence We read in Scripture of two Seeds Mystically the Seed of the Woman which Seed is Christ who is also the Seed of the true Church and of the Kingdom of God and the Serpent's Seed or Seed of Antichrist of which cometh the false Church and Kingdom of Darkness And as every Birth hath its beginning from some Seed so of the first of these proceedeth the Birth of the Spirit called in Scripture Regeneration the New Birth the New Man c. And without this be there is no Salvation and how pure and spiritual a Seed is this Seed of the Living God of which Souls and Spirits are born Of the other proceedeth the Birth of the Flesh called in Scripture The Old Man with his Deeds Degenerate or the Vncircumcision the Reprobate Birth c. And how filthy and polluted a Seed is this Seed of the Serpent whereby Men become as Dogs Swine Serpents Dung Filth c. Now as according to the first we are in Christ Branches of him and Christ is God's Elect in whom his Soul delighteth blessed above all for ever And according to the other we are of the Devil Children of him Sprouts out of his Stock and the Devil only is God's Enemy cursed above all Cattle and above every Beast of the Field So of the first of these Election is predicated and Reprobation of the latter We are in a State of Election or Reprobation as we are related to the one or other of these Births if we live according to the one we shall die or the other we shall live Note For the prevention of mistakes in the weakest Reader that this Birth called the Birth of the Flesh is not to be understood simply of the Natural Birth but as fallen into Carnal-mindedness And the Scripture teacheth That to be Carnally-minded Rom. 8.6 7. is Death but to be Spiritually-minded is Life and Peace that the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God it is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be so they that are in the Flesh cannot please God This Mind is Dead an Enemy a Rebel and can never be otherwise it 's not capable of being made better to please God or to be subject to him or live there is neither Life Salvation or Blessing belongs to it it is not Heir to or capable of any good it is none of God's Works but is of the Evil One This is the Reprobate's Description On the other hand That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit this Birth is willing to all good it is its
absolute without any respect to the Man's being good or evil Salvation were unavoidable to such Men live as they will But God's Saved Ones were pluck'd as Brands out of the Fire Zach. 3.2 Job 33. and delivered from going down to the Pit and brought back from the Pit to be enlightned with the Light of the Living and were brought up out of an horrible Pit And being straightned and seeing this danger prayed Deliver me out of the Mire and let me not sink let me be delivered from them that hate me and out of the deep Waters Psalm 69. Let not the Water-floods overflow me neither let the deep swallow me up and let not the Pit shut her Mouth upon me Object 1. Ay but say our Opponents They that are Predestinated unto Salvation as the end are also Predestinated unto Righteousness and Holiness as the means leading to that End Answ If it be thus and this Predestination soveraign and absolute then how is this Holiness or Salvation of Men effected It must be either 1. By a Super pondium of the Will and Affection c. 2. Or by Force To the first of these it would be contrary to God's Work of Creation in making us free voluntary Agents so as to will distinguish and choose for our selves and it un-Mans us depriving us of those Powers and Faculties so essential to a Rational Creature And as to the second then Men would be saved Nolens volens whethey will or nay which is contrary to Seeking Searching Inquiry Supplication Prayer Faith Obedience Love c. And overthrows all Divine Testimonies so that were it Truth it would be the most obstinate repugnant Truth that ever was heard of for it renders all the rest of the holy Scriptures not to be true and gives the lye to all those inspired Writings and therefore it is Self-erroneous in the Sense they urge it Object 2. Whom he did Foreknow them he also did Predestinate whom he did Predestinate them he also Called whom he Called them he also Justified and whom he Justified them he also Glorified But it doth not say He Predestinated any but whom he foreknew c. Answ This place indeed speaks only of such as love God and are foreknown of him as such and it is as the foregoing words shew a Declaration how all things work together for good unto such a People but it doth not say That none else are ever Predestinated or Called but such as are thus Fore-known But the contrary appears 1. From Christ's weeping over Jerusalem because in that her day she had not known the things that appertain'd to her Peace and then they were hid from her Eyes 2. From that Of the many that are Called few are Chosen § 3. And speaking on 't in a general Sense Predestination may be forfeited for if Justification can be fallen from and forfeited then may Predestination and Calling being lower Steps and in order to it But that Justification may be forfeited appears from that all True Justification is by Grace and Faith Rom. 3.24 28. and 5.1 Gal. 2.16 and 3.24 Tit. 3.7 And we read of some that turn'd the Grace of God into Lasciviousness and some Jude 4. 1 Tim. 1.19.6.10 that made Shipwrack of Faith and have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows So if Justification be by Grace and Faith and if Grace and Faith by which we are Justified may be fallen from and lost then may Justification also be fallen from and forfeited and if Justification then also Predestination and Calling This is further manifest from Ezek. 18.24 which saith When a righteous Man turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth Iniquity in his Trespass that he hath trespassed and in his Sin that he hath sinned in them shall he dye Which shews a possibility of falling from Righteousness and even of a total and final Apostacy from it And if from Righteousness then from Justification for they are equivalent A righteous or justified Man is the same § 4. Then Predestination is imply'd in Calling Election and Adoption so if these can be lost and forfeited Predestination may being imply'd in them And as it is shewn before concerning Calling that it may be fallen from and lost the same I shall shew concerning Election and Adoption The first appears from 2 Pet. 1. where we are exhorted To use all diligence adding to our Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience to Patience Godliness to Godliness Brotherly Kindness to Brotherly Kindness Charity for he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgot that he was purged from his old Sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Which shews though they were Called Elected and Brethren c. yet there was a possibility of their losing that State again and of forfeiting what God had done for them in purging them from their old Sins and of their falling into Blindness c. On the other hand If we do these things we shall never fail Here 's a Conditional Assurance If we do them we shall never fail if we do them not we shall fail For what signifies Faith without Vertue Religion without Holiness And 't is plain this our not failing or preservation depends upon something we are to do but yet not so as of our selves but by the Grace of God by and through this Grace we may do these things upon which depends our Preservation And for want of this doing we fail so our Destruction is of our selves and in God is our Help But he helps us by our selves not without our selves if we do these things it is left upon that whether we fail or never fail The second is shewn in the Instance of Israel to whom appertain'd the Adoption and the Glory c. and yet they would not receive Christ but crucify'd him and fell away and lost the Holy Land and became Fugitives in all the Earth Esau answer'd in the Type unto this State he fainted and lost his Birth-right and Fainting spiritually is understood of Vnbelief and it was through Unbelief those Israelites whom the Apostle renders as the Natural Branches in Christ the true Vine were broken off from him and fell from the Adoption So in the Mystery that which Fainteth is Esau and this loseth the Adoption and Spiritual Birth-right CHAP. III. Shewing 1. That Election and Reprobation are of the Two Seeds and that Predestination Election Adoption Justification c. are all in Christ 2. That Election according to Scripture is not strictly to be understood of particular Persons without respect to their being Good or Evil and the same evinc'd by sundry Propositions with their Affirmative Proofs laid down concerning the falling away of some and not falling away of others of the Elect according to Scripture § 1. ELection and Reprobation are of the two Seeds or Principles before spoken of whosoever is
Elected it is in Christ the heavenly Seed and for his sake and not otherwise He is God's Elect in whom his Soul delighteth He is God's Oath and Covenant unto Mankind and them that go out of him break the Covenant and lose their State and none are in Christ otherwise than as they keep God's Covenant and perform their Duty to God in and through his Spirit inabling them So Predestination Election Adoption justification c. are all in Christ and import on the one hand the Acts of God towards Men and on the other Men's Spiritual States and Conditions in him and are thus to be understood because the contrary would run us into Confusion For instance § 2. If we understand Election strictly and properly of Persons without any other respect to Good or Evil how shall we reconcile these following Passages deduced from Scripture 1. That there is a State of Election from which Men may fall away It is clear from Scripture all Mankind was made Good was God's Chosen Creature and his Delight made to an end of his Glory and to enjoy Him for ever and yet through the Fall all Mankind suffer'd loss according to which the Scripture saith We have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God That in Adam all dy'd that Man that was in Honour and abode not therein became as the Beasts of the Field that perished Adam was thus Elect and fell the People of Israel were God's Elect People and many of them fell 2. That this State of Election though Men may fall from it yet may be restored again Israel was a peculiar and chosen People an Election out of an Election to whom appertained the Adoption and the Glory c. And yet those the Natural Branches were some of them broken off through Unbelief Rom. 11. notwithstanding of them it was said If they abode not in Vnbelief they should be grafted in for God is able to graft them in again This the Apostle cleareth by the following Instance If thou wert cut out of the Olive-Tree which is wild by Nature and wert graffed contrary to Nature into a good Olive Tree How much more shall these who be the Natural Branches be graffed into their own Olive-Tree So here is evinc'd the possibility of some of the Elect's falling and of their being restored again 3. And also That some who are Elected may fall away and cannot be restored again It is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift Heb. 6.4 5 6. and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come if they fall away to renew them again unto Repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame 4. That some Elected may finally and totally fall away It is manifest from the above-mentioned Scripture and from Heb. 10. v. 26 17. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins but a certain fearful looking for of Judgmen and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries So here 's a possibility of the Elect Ones Graduates in Election falling away finally and totally so as never to be restored again 5. That there is such a State or Degree of Election from which there is no falling away Such a State of certainty and fixedness is attainable from which there is no apostasie or falling away because we are exhorted unto it To use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure wherein we shall never fall And there is no Spiritual Exhortation in vain or ill grounded which this would be if it could not be made sure The Apostle Paul was perswaded concerning himself and some others That nothing should be able to separate them from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8.38 39. Now this Perswasion being of the Truth makes it evident That he and those concerning whom he was so perswaded had attain'd this State And of such he affirms That they could do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth 2 Cor. 13.8 And of himself he saith I have fought a good Fight 2 Tim. 4.7 I have finished my Course I have kept the Faith henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day c. So here 's the Race run the Rest enter'd into the Fight fought the Victory obtain'd the Wicked One overcome and so the Fixation the durable State the Assurance for ever 1. For Christ hath promised He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God Rev. 23.7 and he shall be my Son and if he shall inherit all things he shall inherit this good State from whence there is no falling 2. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out Rev. 3.12 So here 's no more falling away from this degree these are God's Sealed Ones com'd higher than the first Adam before the Fall into a State in the second Adam from whence there is no falling These are called The Election that hath obtain'd and it 's said The rest were blinded But the reason is evident Rom. 11.7 they gave not diligence to add to their Faith Vertue c. and he that hath not these things is blind c. And those are called by way of Pre-eminence the Very Elect whom neither false Christ's nor false Prophets with all their lying Wonders shall ever be able to deceive For to this State must these and such like Scriptures relate or else they would contradict those Scriptures which shew the possibility of falling from Grace Faith Righteousness c. Thus all these Propositions are expounded and demonstrated from Scripture and their co-incidence and agreement clearly shewn which otherwise taken run into Confusion and Contradiction And there is no more ground left to presume of our being absolutely or unconditionally Elected than there is to Despair lest we be Reprobated because there are things to be done by us which if we do we shall never fall and if we do them not we shall fall and through the Spirit of Christ helping us we are all enabled to do these things during the time of our Visitation So if we persevere we are happy If thou return then will I bring thee again and thou shalt stand before me and if thou take forth the Precious from the Vile thou shalt be as my Mouth Jer. 15.19 c. So take thy Number O Sion and shut up those of thine that are clothed in white which have fulfilled the Law of the Lord. CHAP. IV. Containing an Inquiry touching the Two select and principal Tribes of Israel to wit 1. Levi. 2. Judah Whom of all the rest had the Precedence both in Honour and
but be it so or not there is a great Misunderstanding of them amongst many People who from hence 1. Distinguish all Mankind into Elect and Reprobate 2. The first they make but a very small Number 3. The latter an huge Number and abundance of Infants and young Children among them 4. They conclude all the first under Salvation 5. And all the last under Damnation 6. And that the first can in no wise miss of Salvation nor the latter escape Damnation by any endeavours whatsoever they are both so fixed and unavoidable upon them 7. And they also hold That the Salvation of the one and Damnation of the other are by an absolute Decree without any respect to their Good or Evil Deeds All which resolves into this 1st That God loved but a few and hated the far greater part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or at least from before they were Born 2dly That those few whom he loved he ordain'd to Salvation so positively and absolutely as that they could never in any wise or by any means miss it 3dly That that great Number whom God hated he ordain'd to Damnation after the same positive and arbitrary manner and so absolutely as they can never in any wise by what means so ever avoid it 4thly That as God of his own free-will and choice loved those few without respect to any thing in them either Good or Evil when as yet they had done nothing to deserve or procure it so after the same manner he hated the other great Multitude without any cause or respect but to his own Will having yet done nothing to procure or deserve it Now it is hereby intended to detect and remedy and to expose the Evil Tendency and Consequence of such Abuse and Misunderstanding of these and several other Scriptures of like import The First Part. Treating Principally of Reprobation CHAP. I. Wherein is laid down Two Positions opposing the Doctrine of Reprobation and the same demonstrated by sundry Arguments 1. From God's Work of the Creation in the beginning and from his Divine Nature and Attributes 2. From Solomon's Observation of that great Work 3. From the Rejoycing of the Heavenly Host over that Blessed Work 4. From the Creature made the Vniversality of Christ's Death and of the Gospel and God's Grace and Love to Mankind 5. From sundry Destructive and Pernicious Consequences naturally and clearly resulting from this Doctrine 6. From sundry clear Texts and Authorities of Scripture AND for the better ordering the Argument to treat of Election and Reprobation severally to avoid the inconvenience of keeping no Method by handling them Promiscuously I shall begin with Reprobation and shew 1. That God did not Hate and Reprobate the greatest or any part of Mankind from all Eternity or from the Fall or from before they were Born 2. But that we came forth into this World free and clear from any such fix'd Decree accompanied with the Grace and Love of God being God's Delight and so far from the wretched Condition this false Doctrine represents us in crawling under the Burden of a Decree of Destruction which let us struggle under its weight never so long and do our utmost endeavours we must at length be overcome of it and fall inevitably under Ruine thereby Both which are demonstrative § 1. From the Work of Creation that great and first of the Works of God in time that began with the beginning of Time and is the Date of Mankind in which we come to our Spring Head and are Streams from thence If this was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love in a most comprehensive and intire Sense then no part of Mankind was Predestinated to Damnation or Hated of God from all Eternity for that would be an exception to its being a Work of Grace and Love Destruction and Misery are not from thence that sweet Fountain sends forth no such bitter Streams But that this Work of Creation was a Work of Blessedness Goodness Grace and Love is shewn From the Divine Nature and Attributes of God the great and blessed Author of it by whom we are taught That as is the Workman so is his Work A good Tree bringeth not forth corrupt Fruit neither doth a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit c. Luke 6.43 45. A good Man out of the good Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is good and an evil Man out of the evil Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth that which is evil As is the Man so is his Work and as is God so is his Work But God is good in the greatest Eminency the Treasury of Blessing is with him he is abundant in Goodness Grace and Love which the Beloved Disciple makes his Definition 1 Iohn 4.8 in so many express words saying God is Love Then his chief Motive in the Creation of Man must be his own Benignity Goodness Grace and Love and his End that Man might partake of his Glory and enjoy Him for ever Which shews God did not Hate Man nor put him under any such unavoidable Decree of Destruction from all Eternity § 2. From the Observations of Solomon upon this great Work of Creation which are first Negative That God made not Death neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Wisd 1.13 14. Then Affirmative That he created all things that they might have their Being and the Generations of this World was healthful and there was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth But we were made in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4.24 or Holiness of Truth And to have our Being as such is to have or injoy God the Divine Life for a Man cannot properly be said to have what he doth not in some measure possess or injoy so this End to which we were made is an high State of Glory above Death Destruction or Misery all which made their Entrance through the Fall Neither hath he pleasure in the Destruction of the Living Then he hath not from all Eternity had pleasure in Decreeing their Destruction for otherwise he was not a free Agent in so Decreeing but under some necessity of working against himself of acting and doing contrary to his pleasure which subjects him to Misery shewing as if He who is the most Soveraign and free Agent of all received Controul from some other which is absurd and blasphemous as are all the Consequences of this false Principle There was no Poison of Destruction in them or Kingdom of Death upon the Earth Then there was no Curse but all was in the Blessing then God had not Hated or Decreed the Destruction of any number of Men for if so there had been some Poison of Destruction and there had been some Kingdom of Death upon the Earth And if God had not then done it in the beginning of the World which was in Time being computed about Five Thousand Seven Hundred Years since much
Relation who careth for the Life of his Children nourisheth and provides all things necessary for them and if they be wicked and go from him Luke 15. and abuse his kindness and spend their substance upon Harlots as the Prodigal Son if they do but consider and return he seeing them afar off hath Compassion and runs to meet them and kisseth them and brings forth the best Robe and kills the fatted Calf and feeds and clothes them and rejoyceth over them c. Now if our natural Fathers know how to give good Gifts unto their Children how much more shall our Father which is in Heaven give good Gifts to them that ask him Mat. 7. A natural Father declining from this Rule comes under the Reproach of being Unnatural Careless Senceless c. But should he not only omit the Fatherly Love Care and Provision becoming him but also inhumanely Slay the most of his Children how odious a thing would this be amongst Men He would incur the Infliction of Death And yet the Tenents I 'm opposing lay even harder things than these at the door of the Almighty and most Merciful Father the Slaying his Children not only with Temporal but Eternal Death for the Praise of the Power of his Wrath. § 3. Jesus Christ is our High Priest and as such it is his Office to Bless us to offer up our Sacrifices to Attone and Intercede for and in our Behalf Heb. 5.1 2. Every High Priest taken from among Men is ordained for Men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sins who can have compassion on the igrant and on them that are out of the way c. And if Men had such great Benefit and Blessing by the High Priests after the order of Aaron how great Blessing and Benefit then have we by our High Priest after the order of Melchizedec who was before Aaron and is greater than Aaron c. Great was the Love of God unto us in giving his Son to be our High Priest to have the oversight and cure of our Souls and ineffable the Benefits Mankind receive by him who being exalted by the right Hand of God and having received from the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost hath shed forth this in some measure upon all O how wonderfully did he when he took our Nature upon him shew how great was his Goodness to the Sons of Men So if under the Cure of such an High Priest we come to any miscarriage it must be through our selves But what for a Priest do the Priests of these times make him with their Reprobate Doctrine which renders him shutting the Gates of Heaven against the greatest part of the Flock committed to his Cure and instead of interceding to God for them delivering them over to Satan and to Eternal Ruine and this not because of their Wickedness and that they will not be Reclaimed but for the Pleasure of his Father's Will even because God hath Will'd and Decreed it as they say See here how injurious is this Doctrine of Reprobation unto God and Christ in those general Relations of King Father and Priest c. CHAP. III. Reassuming the Substance of those Scriptures and Inferences mention'd in the Introduction most usually Vrged in pleading for Personal Reprobation with particular Answers and Explications to each according to their true and genuine Sense in which is clearly Refuted those false Senses and Meanings which the Predestinarians commonly impose upon them The whole comprised in Ten Objections and their respective Answers HAving thus far gone upon General Reasons I shall now come to a Particular Examen of sundry Scriptures most used in pleading for Personal Reprobation which I shall put as Objections not that they are really so to the Argument I 'm Advancing but the Misunderstanding or that false Sense put upon them So what I put down under the Head of Answer is the Explication of their true genuine Sense and Refutation of those false and foreign Senses and Meanings impos'd on them Which having for avoiding of Cavils premised I proceed Object 1. Though God be Love Good Gracious Merciful c. yet is he Excellent in Power and in Judgment and in plenty of Justice and the Scripture tells us of the Fierceness of his Anger and of his Indignation and of his Wrath and Vengeance c. Deut. 9.7 22. and 13.17 Josh 7.26 Job 37.23 Jer. 50.7 Mic. 7.9 Rom. 12.19 Answ All such places in which God's Anger and Wrath c. are spoken of have respect to Provocation and Offence given and not otherwise for all his Attributes are resolvable into Goodness and Love Mercy and Truth meet together or are united in him and Justice and Peace kiss each other or agree in one in him so speaking of God simply as what he is in himself or what is Primary and Spontaneous in him and he is all Goodness and Love Deus est primario bonus atque ex indole Naturae secundario ex accidente severus idem est ex populi peccato God is primarily good out of the inclination of his Nature but secondarily and accidentally he is severe by reason of People's sins So Anger Wrath Fury and Vengeance the executive part of Justice are consequential from God and not primarily in his Being but stirred up by the Devil and wicked Men proceeding according to his Lusts and the Inclination of their depraved Nature it is the Fruit of their Doings but the Fruit of the Spirit is Love Gal. 5.22 and God is Love God is slow to Anger it is not kindled in him nor repays he Vengeance or Wrath without great Provocation and cause given on our part take away this and Justice is our Friend and Advocate and is as sweet as Mercy It 's Transgression puts the Rod into the Hand of Justice or she Chastizeth not She never smites the Innocent or wounds the Mind that is Guiltless if so it would cease to be it would be no more Justice but it 's the Wicked that are slain at her feet and Transgressors are wounded by her And as Anger Wrath c. are not primary or voluntary in God but as effects of Provocation and Offence so neither is he inclin'd or prone thereto which is an ill Character in a Man and denominates him crabbed peevish angry implacable c. which by no means may be spoken of God Thus the Race of Mankind could not offend their Maker before they were made neither could it be consistent with him to make such a number of Living Souls so Good so Honourable and Resembling Himself to an End so Miserable as the Torments of Hell Object 2. The Scripture mentions Vessels of Wrath fitted for Destruction and also Vessels of Mercy and it is plain some Men are intended by Vessels of Wrath and some Men by Vessels of Mercy Now there is a vast difference betwixt Wrath and Mercy and the Scripture speaking of Mankind under the terms