friend to the world he must be an enemy unto God James 4.4 Joshua having put it to the Israelites choice whether they would serve the Lord or the gods that their Fathers had worshipped Chap. 24.15 And they having in answer thereunto declared That they would serve the Lord only vers 18. He replieth unto them vers 10. in these words Ye cannot serve the Lord wherein his meaning is not that it was impossible for them to serve the Lord for then he would not have put it to their choice whether they would serve him or not but his meaning is that they could not serve him acceptably unlesse they did wholly cleave unto him and reject Idols vers 14.19 So likewise in this place when the Apostle saith That this natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God that is to say approve and subject himself to the wisdome and instruction of God contained in the doctrine of the Gospel we may not suppose that thereby he concludeth it absolutely impossible for them so to do but impossible only so long as they retain and nourish in themselves the vicious wisdome of the world whereby they are instructed to gain-say resist and oppose all godlinesse vertue and honesty The third Text is Ioh. 6.44 The words whereof are these No man can come unto me except the Father that sent me draw him From whence it is ordinarily supposed That no man can believe in Jesus Christ except that he be necessarily enforced thereunto by an immediate exercise or operation of the power of God upon his soul For answer whereunto I desire that it may be observed that this word draw whereupon the whole weight of this Objection standeth is diversly understood in the Scriptures and is not alwaies taken for a necessary compultion as it is here supposed but ordinarily for an argumentative perswasion only as appeareth by Act. 5.37 Where speaking concerning one Judas a seducer of the people it is said That he drew away much people after him As also by the words of the Apostle in Act. 20.30 where he declareth to the Church That from amongst themselves men should arise speaking perverse things and should draw away Disciples after them And that God only draweth men to the love of himself the Faith and Obedience of Christ by the discovery of his goodnesse towards them and of the danger of their ingratitude towards him doth evidently appear by these following Scriptures Hosea 11.3 4. where concerning backsliding Israel whose goodnes like the morning dew passed away the Lord thus speaketh I taught Ephraim also to goe taking them by their arms but they know that I healed them I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as one that taketh of the yoke on the jaws and I laid meat unto them And in Heb. 10.38 39. The just shall live by faith but if any man draw back saith the Lord my soul shall have no pleasure in him But we are not of those saith the Apostle that draw back to perdition but of those that believe to the saving of their soul In which Scriptures are discovered besides the means whereby God draweth men these two things 1. That God draweth all men the backsliding and those that draw back to perdition as well as those that believe to the saving of their souls And 2. That he so draweth none but that possibly they may draw back to perdition as Ephraim and those others supposed in the later Text it being otherwise to no purpose to present men with the danger of drawing back nor would it be any matter of commendations either in the Apostle or that number wherewith he joyneth himself that they did not draw back as well as others For what praise is it not to draw back when as it is impossible so to do Secondly The words of the Text compared with the former and following verses doe clearly import That the drawing of the Father whereof Christ speaketh consisteth only in external means and doctrinal instruction delivered unto men by his preaching In vers 41. Christ declaring himself to be the living bread or bread of life come down from heaven which giveth life unto the world and that by eating thereof a man should live for ever of which he had spoken before vers 33.35 And the Jews carnally weighing his words therein and not considering that he spake not unto them concerning material bread wherewith their natural lives should be sustained In vers 41 42. Murmur against him saying Is not this Iesus the son of Ioseph whose father and mother vve know How then saith he I came down from heaven Whereupon in vers 43 44 45. Christ that he might remove from before them the occasion of their stumbling at him by reason of his parentage and instruct them by vvhat means they should attain to the Belief and Obedience of his Doctrine answereth them to this effect Although that my father and mother be known unto you yet notwithstanding murmur not against me because I said I am the bread which came down from heaven to give life unto the vvorld For it is not my bodies descending from heaven but the promised Grace of God touching your Redemption Resurrection and eternal Salvation thorow my Death and Obedience to my doctrine which I intend vvhen I so spake unto you the vvhich you cannot receive except my Father vvhich sent me draw you according as it is vvritten in the Prophets They shall be all taught of God Every man therefore which hath heard and learned of the Father viz. received his instruction and submitted themselves thereunto cometh unto me And then in vers 46. least that he should be mistaken in vvhat he had here said concerning the Fathers drawing and teaching and be thought thereby to affirm That none could believe him to be the bread of life Saviour of the vvorld except that the Father immediately in his own person or by his spirit should instruct them therein enforce them thereunto He subjoyneth these vvords Not that any man hath seen the Father at any time save he that is of God he hath seen the Father intimating thereby That although that the Father teacheth men yet he teacheth them not personally or immediately but mediately by the Ministery of his Sonne vvho is God vvith us Mat. 1.23 and sent into the vvorld to the end that we may be taught of God by him according to these plain Scriptures Ioh. 1.18 Heb. 1.2 Ioh. 7.16 Ioh. 12.49 50. So that when it is said That none can come unto Christ except that he be drawn thereunto by the teaching of the Father The meaning thereof is only this That no man can receive Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the vvorld and become obedient unto him except that he hear and learn be drawn and perswaded thereto by the instruction of the Father in the Ministery of his Son The fourth Text alleadged to prove men incapable of improving the
means of salvation is 2 Cor. 3.5 The words whereof are these Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 1. To which I answer first That this Scripture is least of all to the purpose for which it is alleadged seeing that it is not pleaded that of our selves as of our selves or as we are men simply considered without either having the Law vvritten in our hearts or some discovery made unto us of our deliverance from mortality and happinesse in the vvorld to come to thinke any good thought either towards God or of reforming our selves according to the rules of vertue or Christianity It being according to the testimony of the Apostle if that the dead vvere not raised and consequently no felicity to be expected after death our only vvisdome to eat and drink to free and acquit our selves from all manner of troubles and sufferings vvhatsoever in this vvorld as for conscience sake 1 Cor. 15.32 with the 19.31 32. To fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and to let no flower of the spring passe by us to crown our selves vvith Rose-buds before they be vvithered and to leave tokens of our joyfulnesse in every place it being our portion and only lot Wisd 2.7 8 9. It s thorow Faith only in the Resurrection and eternal Salvation that we overcome the vvorld 1 Iohn 5.4 The crosse of Christ crucifieth us to the vvorld Gal. 6.14 The bloud of Christ or the bloud of the Covenant sanctifieth us in the world Heb. 16.29 And vve love God and keep his Commandments because he hath commended his love unto us by sending his Son into the world that we might live thorow him 1 Ioh. 4.19 with v. 9 10. cap. 5.3 But the intent of the Apostle in this place doth manifestly appear to be only this viz. That neither he himself nor any other of the Apostles vvere of themselves sufficient to think or conceive that glorious Ministery that was committed unto them For having in the 3. verse declared That the Corinthians were the Epistle of Christ ministred by them not written with inke but with the Spirit of God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of their hearts least that they should think of them above that which vvas meet 1 Cor. 4.6 And ascribe the honour of this ministration unto them as if that they had not received it 1 Cor. 4.6 7. In the fifth and sixth verses he addeth these vvords Not that vve are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the letter but of the spirit And therefore in 1 Cor. 4.1 desireth that they should account of them only as Ministers and Stewards of these things So that all that can rationally be inferr'd from hence is only this That like as the Apostles of themselves vvere not sufficient to conceive that Ministerie that vvas given unto them nor to accomplish any such things as vvere effected in men thereby So neither are any men sufficient of themselves to conceive or believe the things declared therein or to purifie their hearts thereby unlesse that the same be revealed unto them Faith herein and the effects thereof being by hearing and hearing by the vvord of God Rom. 10.17 Some other Scriptures there are of this nature but the answers to these duly considered may be sufficient to enlighten any indifferent mans understanding therin And therefore I shall proceed to answer to the second main Objection and to such principal Scriptures vvhich belong thereunto CHAP. IX Containing severall Answers for the clearing of such Scriptures which seem to import faith to be necessitated in men by the irresistable power of God THe Scriptures alleadged in favour of the second main Objection are such as these Rom. 8.28 29 30. Phil. 2.13 Phil. 1.19 2 Tim. 2.25 Rom. 11.5 6. Jer. 31.33 1. From the first of which the words whereof are these And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the chosen according to his purpose for whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he justified c. It s conceived that of man-kinde fallen in Adam God in that estate before the world chose a certain number thereof unto himself for his sons and daughters And that in reference thereunto in time begetteth them to faith in his Son justifieth them c. 1. To which I answer first That none are chosen to Adoption or Salvation before the world otherwise then in relation to their obedience to those duties which God in the Scriptures by Iesus Christ and his Apostles requireth of men unto those ends 2 Tim. 1.9 with the 10. Tit. 1.1 2. with the 3. 2. Secondly The Scriptures doe positively declare That election is only in Iesus Christ Ephes 1.5 with the 2 Thess 2.13 God hath chosen you to Salvation from the beginning through sanctification and belief of the truth 3. If that God should choose men to Adoption and Salvation before the world otherwise then in relation to their obedience to his will made known unto them Then the will of God in this respect should be two-fold and contradictions in it self The one whereby he chooseth and accepteth to Adoption and Salvation the wicked disobedient and impenitent The other whereby he will not choose nor receive to adoption or Salvation any other then the godly Philip. 4.3 the rich in faith Jam. 2.5 The penitent 2 Cor. 6.17 18. And obedient Matth. 22. the third to the fourteenth which contradiction is impossible to be in God 4. Nor doth the words of the Text prove the contrary Wherein first is laid down the happy estate of those that are called according to purpose ver 28. And 2. the ground thereof which in ver 29. is declared to be this viz. That all those whom God fore-knew that is to say before the world beheld in his Sonne through obedience unto him who are therefore in verse the 28. described to be such as love God least that we should conceive that God knew the workers of iniquity before time whom he refuseth to own or know in time Mat. 7.23 those he predestinated that they should be conformable to the Image of his Sonne in glory Phil. 3.21 For the accomplishment whereof he administreth unto them the means for their calling and upon their obedience thereunto receiveth them to justification and in the end to glory The second text is Phil. 2.13 the words are these For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure From whence it is conceived That whatsoever any man willeth or doth acceptable unto God and tending to his Salvation he is necessarily enforced thereunto by God Answ For the
otherwise been according to the saying of Christ though here they had gained the Dominion of the whole World good for them that they had never been born Mat. 16.26 In which regard there cannot possibly be any thing of greater concernment unto men than to be informed what it is that God requireth of them in this World to the aforesaid end and how they may be inabled to the doing thereof because that what a man knoweth not or knoweth not how to performe he can in no wise dispose or apply himselfe to the performance thereof And yet there is not any thing wherein most men are more wanting than in this so necessary knowledge to the great disquietnesse and perplexity of their mindes all their dayes apprehending themselves in the greatest danger and not understanding how or by what meanes they may avoid the same which misery as may justly be supposed happeneth unto them chiefly by reason of their dependance for information in the things of this nature upon those persons only who unduely arrogate unto themselves to be the infallible teachers of the ignorant and dispensers of the Oracles of God appointed and sent into the World for all men to aske counsel of in their Spirituall affaires Whose principals are such as these First That by Adams transgression all men were brought under the guilt of Temporall Spirituall and Eternall death The first consisting in the miseries of this life and the dissolution of mans nature in the end thereof The second in the depravation of the inward man whereby al men are disabled from descerning spirituall things or choosing the things that are good or doing any thing pleasing or acceptable unto God The third in the destruction and perdition of the whole man body and Soul in hell fire for ever and ever Secondly That of man-kinde thus considered God in his eternall counsell was pleased to choose and elect for his sons and daughters onely some few persons in comparison of the whole whom also he decreed to deliver from the fore-said guilt to call them to the knowledge of himselfe to worke in them faith by the effectuall operation of his Spirit and in the end to give them salvation But decreed to leave all the rest of man-kinde in that estate wherein they were fallen and that although by the doctrine of the Gospel he decreed outwardly to cal them to repent believe c. yet to the intent that they might not escape the damnnation of hel whereunto they were design'd by reason of Adams transgression by answering his call giving obedience thereunto he further decreed not onely to deny them the benefit of such meanes which he knew to be necessary to enable them to repent believe c. but he also decreed to blinde their eyes harden their hearts and to make their ears dul of hearing least at any time they should see with their eyes hear with their eares and understand with their hearts come unto him and be healed or be converted and have their sins forgiven them By which opinions pressed received as fundamental points in Divinity men are generally brought to believe that as the damnation of some persons is altogether impossible God having decreed so as of necessity to worke in them faith c. and to bring them to eternall life so on the contray That the salvation of the greatest part of men is as impossible to be obtained God having denyed unto them all necessary meanes for that purpose The evill of which belief so necessarily diverting and disabling all men from the prosecution and obtaining of these ends that God proposeth unto them to wit an exemption from everlasting death and from the enjoyment of eternall life discovereth unto us the errour and false-hood of these doctrines before recited whereby these opinions are begotten and fostred in them in regard that it may not be conceived that God who is truth it self should require all men to believe his love and favour towards them manifestly implyed in his frequent fervent and pathetical exhortations unto them in the Scriptures to hearken unto wisedome to choose his feare to choose life to worke out their own salvation with feare and trembling c. When as in his eternall counsell for Adams offence he hath utterly excluded them from his love and irrecoverably sealed them to everlasting destruction And also although it be a most certaine truth that God before the World did elect and choose some men unto salvation appoint others to be punished yet this may justly leade us to conceive that neither the one sort were elected nor the other rejected upon the grounds that these men pretend or upon any other than those grounds whereupon God in the Scriptures promiseth unto men adoption and salvation and denounceth unto them death and reprobation or those where-upon Christ at the last day will graciously reward some men with eternall happinesse and punish others with everlasting paines except we will set the secret and revealed minde of God at an irreconcilable variance or fancy two mindes in God opposite each unto the other one whereby he hateth and abhorreth in time those persons whom he loved and elected before time and the other whereby he loveth in time those persons whom he hated and abhorred before time which may not be imagined And therefore originally or as men were considered under the fall of Adam we are to conceive that God maketh no difference or distinction betwixt them but of his great and abundant grace in Christ Jesus maketh and openeth unto them all a doore of salvation excluding none who through their own wilfull and voluntary disobedience and contempt of his goodnes exclude not themselves nor saving any but those who from a thankfull apprehension of his rich mercy revealed unto them in his Word and workes or both doe chearfully and willingly submit themselves to the obedience of his will known and understood by them For the Probation of which two general heads joyntly discoursed the detection of the contrary opinions exhibited in sundry objections reasons and texts of Scripture the summe of that which followeth is applyed beginning with the first CHAP I. That God being no respecter of persons cannot choose one man in his disobedience and reject another or enforce one man to believe and not another IF that God should necessitate the salvation of some men and not others then he should be a respecter of persons contrary to the Scriptures As will appeare by severall texts thereof As first by Acts 10.34 Where Peter when he perceived that God had received unto adoption Cornelius a Gentile as well as himselfe and others that were Jewes he thus expresseth himselfe Now I perceive of a truth that there is no respect of persons with God but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is eccepted of him Arguing plainly that if God should accept of one person working righteousnesse and not of another as righteous and just as he that
that are saved but of those also who through contempt of his goodnesse dye in their sins and perish as we may reade in Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live Turne ye turne ye from your evill wayes for why will ye dye O House of Israel And herewithall accordeth the testimonies of his servants in the 2 Tim. 2.3 4. This is saith Paul good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour to wit That we should pray for all men vers 1 2. because he would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth And Peter in his Second Epistle the 3. chap. 9. to the same effect saith The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slacknesse but is long suffering to us wards not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and consequently to Salvation as the end thereof Now as there is nothing more opposite than yea and nay which as the Apostle informeth us in the 2 Cor. 1.19 20. Is not in Jesus Christ or in the promises of God made in under the New Covenant so can there be nothing more repugnant to the Doctrine of Gods Love to mankinde expressed in sending his Son into the Word that the world through him might be saved and in his oath whereby he professeth that he would not have any thereof to perish c. Then this Doctrine which saith That God doth necessarily enforce some men to believe to the end they may bee saved and denieth sufficient meanes unto others to enable them to believe to the end they may be damned The First saith That he loveth and desireth the Salvation of all alike and would have none to perish The latter saith That he desireth but the Salvation of a few in speciall and willeth the damnation of many The first saith That through the mercy of God vouchsafed in Jesus Christ every man may possibly be saved The later saith That no man can possibly obtaine Salvation thereby without a speciall assistance vouchsafed unto him to enable him to believe c. and so deny Jesus Christ to be the Doore and way to eternall life and concludeth man-kinde whom he came into the world to save as incapable of obtaining the end of his comming as if he had not at all come into the world to be their Saviour And so in a word maketh the Death of Jesus Christ in relation to the Salvation of man-kinde of none effect And the solemne Oath of Almighty God as touching his desire of the Salvation of all and the death of none with reverence be it spoken worse then jesuiticall delusion and equivocation which alone may serve as a sufficient evidence against this Opinion CHAP. III. How the Doctrine of Gods enforcing men to believe leadeth the Reprobates to Blasphemy against God and maketh them excusable in their condemnation IF God should necessitate the Salvation of some men and not others it would fill the Reprobates with Blasphemy against him by reason of their condemnation contrary to the Scriptures From this consideration That in the point of Salvation he doth that for others which he refused to doe for them and yet professeth that he hath done as much for them in that behalfe as he could That God professeth that he hath done as much for the Reprobates to make them fruitfull to Salvation as he could The words of the Prophet Isay in his 5. chap. doe plainly declare I will sing to my wel-beloved saith he a Song of my beloved touching his Vineyard My wel-beloved hath a Vineyard in a very fruitfull hill and he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choisest Vine and built a Tower in the midst of it and also made a Wine-presse therein and he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth wilde Grapes And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah judge I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard what could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done to it Wherefore when I looked that it should have brought forth Grapes it brought forth wilde Grapes And now go to I will tell you what I will doe to my Vineyard c. Under which similitude the Prophet declareth unto the Inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem whose destruction for their unfruitfulnesse disobedience towards God he denounceth in the following part of the chapter from the 8. v. c. That God to make them fruitfull unto all good workes to prevent their destruction and to bring them to eternall life had vouchsafed and granted unto them all convenient and necessary means conducing to those ends Insomuch that when hee appealeth unto them for judgement therein before he proceedeth to pronounce his definitive sentence against them they are left altogether speechlesse not having any thing to reply unto God in their owne behalfe whereas if their understandings had been informed that any necessary meanes had been wanting unto them without which they could not possibly render unto God that which he requireth of them or that he had not vouchsafed unto them as effectuall meanes as he did unto others in the like case their answer might have been ready in words to this effect Lord we are poore helplesse Creatures who alone by reason of thy decree in reference to Adams transgression which we could no wayes possibly prevent are made altogether uncapable by any such meanes as thou affordest unto us to doe any thing pleasing or acceptable in thy sight no not so much as to thinke one good thought and this Lord thou knowest and from the consideration thereof thou givest unto such and such men and women thy good Spirit whereby they are enabled to the doing of those things that thou requirest of us without which Spirit our inflicted condemnation is altogether unavoydable And therefore if that we must perish it 's only for thy wills sake and neither for omitting or misdoing any thing that we were able rightly to doe Whereas therefore the Scriptures informeth us that when the greatest enemies of Almighty God shal take into their most strict and severest examination all his sayings and proceedings against them that forth of their owne mouthes like unto those wicked Husband-men in the Gospel Matth. 21.40 41. they shall fully acquit and justifie him in them all Rom. 3.4 And that we are thereby also plainely informed That if our consciences doe not accuse and condemne us we have peace with God 1 Iohn 3.21 And so consequently that then he will not condemne us we are hereby necessarily led to this conclusion That Salvation is not confered upon men through necessity nor that it is any otherwise to be obteined than through mens improvement of the meanes granted unto them for that purpose Object Gods not doing so much for the Reprobates as he doth for
O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Masters cribbe but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Ah! sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquty a seed of evill doers Children that are corrupted they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel unto Anger Ierem. 13.27 Woe unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean When shall it once be How much more of this nature might be added Such as reade the Scriptures know Now that the goodnesse of God should thus cause him to lament the wickednesse of men and endeavour their repentance and yet the glory of his Justice in opposition thereunto should cause him to delight in their wickednesse and from thence to deny them the means of repentance cannot be supposed because that this would quite invert the testimony of S. James chap. 2.13 And make judgement in God to glory and rejoyce against mercy nor yet can it stand any better with the purity of God to lament the wickednesse of those whom he delighteth to have wicked then for him to lament the damnation of those whom from eternity he hath excluded from his favour and appointed thereunto But secondly I answer That it is inconsistent with the nature of Gods justice to delight in the wickednesse of any man because that justice it selfe can neither occasion nor take delight in any thing that is unjust or contrary to it selfe as all such things must needs be which are reprehended and punished thereby Rom. 2.1 3 21 22. Rom. 3.3 6. Therefore seeing that the justice of God is declared to be angry with and provoked to wrath by the wickednesse hardnesse of heart and impenitency of men Marke 3.5 Mat. 22.4 5 6 7. It cannot possibly be pleased or delighted therein or be any waies accessary thereunto Either by working wickednesse in mens mindes Jam. 1.13 As some men too rashly affirme from these and such like Scriptures Rom. 9.18 Acts 4.28 Ioh. 12.40 or by prohibiting meanes sufficient for the prevention thereof Object God could have prevented both Angels and men from falling and could recover all and every one of men as well as any which argueth that he would have some to perish Answ What God as he is Almighty and Omnipotent might have done we will not dispute nor is it necessary to the present point It is sufficient to our purpose to prove that God vouchsafed both to Men and Angels means sufficient to prevent their falling the which I suppose no rationall man will deny seeing that whatsoever God hath imposed upon his Creatures by the Law of nature and necessity as hunger drought wearinesse eating drinking sleeping c. are neither offensive nor displeasing to him it being impossible that he should blame or finde fault with what himselfe doth or necessitateth his Creatures for to doe so that if the fall of Men or Angels had been unavoidable by them by the Law of their Creation their falling had not been sinfull in them nor should they ever have incurred the displeasure of God in any respect by reason thereof no more than we now do by our eating drinking c. God Created both Angels and men in a mutable estate sufficiently able to doe whatsoever he required of them and furnished them abundantly with arguments of his love and goodnesse to endear and engage them to the perpetuall love and obedience of himself and yet withall subject or incident through the want of consideration of his goodnesse towards them to fall into ingratitude and disobedience against him because that otherwise neither the one nor the other could have been capable of manifesting their fidelity and thankfulnesse unto him their Lord and Creator as it was most necessary they should for how should he expresse his subjection and obedience who cannot possibly disobey And how God could have made a creature in such an estate wherein his love and goodnesse towards him and soveraignty over him could not thankfully be acknowledged by him cannot reasonably be imagined In which respect it may justly be questioned Whether God could have done any more to prevent the fall of angels and men then what he did 2. Whereas it is implied That God hath not recovered by Jesus Christ all and every of men as well as any from under the curse of Adams transgression it is not to be admitted because the Scriptures do informe us That as in Adam all die so in Christ all are made alive 1 Cor. 15.22 And that as by one mans offence judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousnes of one the free gift came upon al men to the justification of life Rom. 5.18 And that as the first man Adam was made a living soul so the second man Adam is made a quickning spirit 1 Co. 15.45 But I suppose that by these words God could recover all and every man as well as any is to be understood only That God could if he were pleased enforce the salvation of all and every man as well as some wherin that is taken for granted which is denied to wit that God doth necessitate the salvation of some particular men and not others which hath already and shall hereafter be further disproved And although that it cannot be denied but that some men doe perish yet is it not therefore to be conceived that they so perish for want of means sufficient to accomplish their salvation but by reason of their contempt thereof All the waies of God being mercy and truth the goodnesse of God is alwaies first exercised in providing means sufficient for the Salvation of men but when his goodnesse therein is despised and his Grace turned into wantonnesse then and not till then doth his righteousnesse and justice call for judgement and vengeance against the despisers and contemners of him as the Scriptures doe witnesse Jud. 3 4 5 6. Rom. 2.4 5. 2 Chron. 26.14 15 16. In which respect it is that God is said to be slow to anger Nahum 1.3 That he doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the Children of Men Lament 3.33 That mercy glorieth against judgement Iames. 2.13 And that his tender mercies are over all his workes Psal 145.9 CHAP. V. How the opinion of enforcing Faith and Repentance in men opposeth the Wisdome of God IF that Repentance Faith c. were through necessity and not attainable only by the improvement of the means afforded viz. the workes and Word of God it would not stand with the Wisdome of God to expect and wait for the Repentance of men as the Scriptures declare he doth Because that herein hee should not looke for Figs of a Fig-Tree according to the practice of Christ But for Figs of Thornes and Grapes of Thistles which is much below the wisdome of men and therefore much more of God That God doth expect and wait
In vers the 4. and 5. thus replieth in his own defence Lord wilt thou also slay a righteous Nation Said he not unto me she is my sister And she even she her self said He is my brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands I have done this the which grounds also serve plainly to demonstrate the truth of the later position viz. 2. That whatsoever was required of them to their Salvation was within their power to be performed by them For by the same reason that some performed them by nature others in the same condition might have done so likewise and consciousnesse that they could not performe them being known unto them would quiet their mindes both in this world and at the day of Christ as much as consciousnesse of their ignorance thereof could For the conscience of a man in the omission or misdoing of his duty not understood acquitteth him therein only upon this ground That the doing or right performance thereof was impossible unto him notwithstanding his utmost endeavours the which ground of impossibility to performe his duty will appease his conscience in the omission thereof in any other case whatsoever And thus this Objection with the ground thereof is taken away The second text is 1 Cor. 2.14 the words whereof are these But the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnes unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned from whence it is supposed that no man in the estate of nature not endued with the Spirit of God can possibly understand or doe any thing required of him to his Salvation 1. The groundlesnesse of this supposition was clearly disproved before by the testimony of the Apostle concerning the Gentiles their doing by nature the things required of them to their Iustification and Salvation 2. But yet the more fully to take away the ground thereof By the things of the Spirit in this place must needs be understood either such things which are peculiar to the Spirits revelation to those which after their believing have received the same according to Iohn 16.12 where Christ telleth his Disciples That he had many things to say unto them which they could not then viz. before the Spirit was given unto them bear How be it saith he the Spirit of Truth when he is come he will guide you into all Truth and will shew you things to come Or else secondly By the things of the Spirit must be understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in generall mentioned chap. 1.17 18.21.2.4.5 By the wisdome of the World is accounted foolishnesse If that the things of the Spirit be taken in the first acceptation as may be conceived from the 12 and 13 verses where the Apostle intimateth that the things whereof he here speaketh were none other then what was revealed or taught unto himself and others by the Spirit which they had received then this text pretendeth not at all to prove that men in the estate of nature cannot perceive or doe any thing required of them to their Salvation but only that none can understand the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdome of God untill first they believe the Gospel Mat. 13.11 and are Baptized with the Holy Ghost which the World cannot receive Iohn 14.17 Nor yet secondly If that by the things of the Spirit are understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in general it will not thereupon follow that a man in the estate of nature by the exercise of his understanding cannot perceive or receive the knowledge thereof when it is plainly preached and by the evidence of the Spirit demonstrated unto him Seeing it is manifest by the Scriptures that the very worst of naturall men The Rulers Scribes and Pharisees have attained to the knowledge of the most fundamentall points of Christianity under which the whole Doctrine therof is comprehended As 1 They believed that there was a God 2. They believ that Jesus Christ was the Messias and Saviour of the World and so consequently that his whole Doctrine was none other then the undoubted Oracles of God Iohn 2.23 24 25. Iohn 12.42 43. And thirdly They believed the resurrection of the just and of the unjust Acts 23.7 9. Acts 24.15 And the Gospel being thus understood by men they are thereby sufficiently enabled to the obedience thereof whence it is that the Scriptures unto such persons speaketh on this wise Receive not the grace of God in vain having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and perfect holinesse in the fear of God He that knoweth to do wel and doth not or that knoweth his masters wil and doth it not to him it is sin and he shall be beaten with many stripes Such manner of speech alwaies presupposing an ability in the persons to whom it is directed to improve the same to the end thereof Wherefore we are not to conceive that because it is said The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit nor can receive them that therefore no man destitute of the spirit can possibly understand or give obedience to the Gospel of Christ when it is evidently in the preaching thereof demonstrated unto them But we are thereby given to know That no man whatsoever measuring the Gospel of Grace teaching him to deny al ungodlines worldly lust to live righteously soberly godly in this present world c. Tit. 2.11 12. by the natural earthly sensual principles and wisdom of the world * S. John in his 1 Joh. 2.15 exhorting not to love the world nor the things that are therein in ver 16 teacheth us what he would have us to understand thereby viz. the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life whereby we are also taught to understand whereunto the wisdome of the world so often spoken of in the first second and third Chap. of the 1 Cor. is to be confined viz. to the promoting and accomplishing the fore-said ends because that it cannot extend beyond it self or direct men unto any thing that is not comprehended therein the which may serve to admonish all men to beware of branding the vertuous and just principals whether of the Heathens or any other persons whatsoever though learned in the book of Creation only with the odious infamy of worldly wisdom An evil too ordinary in our times teaching him to deny all godlinesse and goodnes in this world and to live according to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and pride of life 1 Joh. 2.16 can possibly receive the same and become obedient thereunto but must reject it as foolishnesse God and the world the wisdome of God and the wisdome of the world being so directly opposite and contrary each unto other That whosoever will love the one must hate the other or that will embrace the one must reject the other If any man saith James will be a