it is an invincible evidence of power when the greater number are by him preserved For the clearer understanding of this Suppose two Princes one whereof without all Law or provocation save that of his own exorbitant will sought the ruine of his people and bent all his intentions to destroy them the other used all industry care and diligence though they were ungrateful to preserve them should not the greatest power be judged to be in him the Protector C. Yes indeed M. What if he preserved but a greater part would you suppose him to be a more powerful Prince than the other C. Why not Truly both the more powerful and also the more merciful for if he could have saved all he would have saved all M. I do not think so where then is his justice for without it there can be no exercise of virtue for the punishment of and his severity unto a few doth exalt and magnifie his clemency to the rest C. I confess it but we must be circumspect least whilest we praise his clemency and augment his power we diminish his justice But if these attributes be equal in God then the number of the blessed and the number also of the damned are equal M. Such an equality is not to be required where there is neither debt nor merit here onely the true bounty the free mercy of God are discerned for God oweth to no man and it is lawful for him to do what he pleaseth with his own creature the work of his own hands and fashioned for his glory unless that the nature of all men especially that of a Prince should be more propense to clemency and pardon than addicted to punishment and revenge as God himself witnesseth of himself saying The Lord the Lord God merciful and gratious long-suffâ—ring and abundant in goodness and truth Now no motive is so prevalent as the promise of salvation to win souls to God nothing is so magnificent so princelike so highly liberal as to succour the afflicted to pardon the suppliant and to deliver men from dangers on the contrary nothing is more abject vile and deformed than to make the highest cruelty to cohabite with the greatest power C. If God loweth nothing to man why is it said in the 20. of Matthew that the Master of the house bid his Steward call the labourers and give to every one their hire Also our Lord Christ saith to those that suffer reproach and persecution for his Names sake Rejoyce and be exalted in joy for I say unto you great is your reward in Heaven M. Our Lord out of his meer goodness and benignity calleth that a reward or recompence which is the effect of his own liberality and this by the sequâ—l of that parable is manifest The good man of the house went out to seek labourers not they to seek him as he saith in Isaiah I am found of them that did not seek me I was made manifest to them that asked not after me He calleth them he hireth them he sendeth them he sendeth for them and he payeth them Some acknowledge the goodness of the Master and murmure not others complain using many objurgations taxe him of unjustice and boast their own works and day-labours all these the Lord thus satisfieth Friend I do thee no wrong didst thou not agree with me for a penny take what is thine and be gone I will give unto this last even as unto thee is it not lawful to do what I will with mine own aâ—t thou envious because I am good and libâ—ral What I pray thee do all these things import but the bounty of the Master of the house which is most plainly proved by those words that it was lawful for him to do with his own as bâ—st pleased him For he now calleth those things his which before he called by the name of a hire that we might understand his wonderful goodness for he adorneth his own gifts with the name of a reward that he might cherish and rowse up our sluggish natures to the lively performance of our duties For otherwise hath not the Lord stampt it as a Law saying when you have kept all the Commandments say of your selves You are but unprofitable servants for you have pâ—rformed but your duty C. What is there intended by the word penny M. The penny signifieth the Covenant which he hath made with us offering to us life or death honour or ignominy felicity or misery All these things Life Honour Felicity are by his Fatherly indulgence promised to them that do not attribute them to their own works or merit but to the proud and such as boast of their own works as did the Jews or those that despaire of the loving kindness of God nothing is due but reproach and confusion For as Paul saith The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. C. Can life and death then be called a recompence or reward M. Yea life in reference to the promise death in respect of sin may be so called For reward beareth an indifferent signification and is appliable in good and bad things to good and bad men Of bad men and vain-boasters the Lord saith They have received their reward And this is the same which the good man of the house saith Take what is thine and be gone Peter also saith That the wicked find the reward of their unrighteousness C. I now plainly perceive that the Doctrine which you raised from that Parable in our morning discourse is properly to be understood of the calling of the Jews if you please therefore pursue your purpose M. My purpose was to declare the infinit power of God by which we might conjecture of the largeness of his Church and Kingdom For if the Majesty of a King is best conspicuous in the abundance of riches in the multitude of people and a great number of Kingdoms Provinces and Nations we must necessarily conclude That the Kingdom of God who onely can be truely said to be powerful great and wonderful is much bigger than that tyranny of the devil For I will never call that Prince great who hath a great multitude of enemies but I will term him powerful to whom many pay subjection and in this I â—â—â—e Solomon on my side In the multitude of the people saith he is the Kings honour but in the scarcity of men is the destruction of a Prince C. This cannot be denyed when those things are abstracted from persons and â—lmes but when I consider them more nearly and look upon them in the lives and customs of men I confess I am puzled what to think for do you not see that Satan doth possess the greatest part of the world which as John saith is covered with evil therefore not without cause is the devil called The Prince of this world and lord thereof M. What my CAELIUS Know you not that John saith Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement
do you forget what you confess in the Symbole of your Belief when you say I believe the Holy Catholick Church which is the Communion of Saints which had it been subjected to sense had not been put into our Confession which consisteth simply and absolutely of the objects of our Faith Let it not therefore move thee that this Kingdom of Christ this Commonwealth of the Saints is not visible to the eye for it is better believed and comprehended in the mind than discerned by the sense C. But seeing it consists of men what is the reason it should be invisible M. Because God in the administration of his Kingdom differeth from the conduct of humane reason or the Methods of that old beguiler And here now we may contemplate the wonderful and admirable wisdom of God The devil filleth all placeâ— with sin death and desolation God disposeth all things in justice life and healthfuâ— salvation Now observe with what inexpressible art God doth this to deceive thaâ— Deceiver Under sin he covereth justice under death life under condemnation salvation under infirmitie strength under folly wisdom From hence it is said that all the World is overspread with evil from hence Satan is said to be the Prince of this world because he seemeth to govern all things according to his own sensualitie as though there were no providence but it is not so by no means so the true and legitimate Prince is he to whom the Father said Ps 2. Ask of me and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession He is the true Lord who conquering death and the Authour of death saith in the 28 of Matth. All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth C. You have proved these things very fully and the matter is strengthened by the nature and definition of faith for faith is defined by the Divines to be a firm comprehending of those things in the understanding which are not seen M. I rejoyce that you have so well profited by our discourse that you can assist the cause I maintain But to make it yet more clear unto you I will propound a similitude We are in this life as in a Citie which of right belongeth to some good Prince but this Citie is usurped and oppressed by a certain Tyrant with severe bondage as for example Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites in that memorable calamity now if any man enter this Citie and observe the Customs of it he will say it differs very little from that of Aegypt which with outward appearance and seeming willingness followeth and obeyeth the Tyrant but inwardly consenteth with the true and lawful Lord and although they can contribute nothing else yet they sigh and wish for him expect him and bewail the burthen of their servitude and when he shall come with power to chase and subdue the enemy and to restore the Citie to freedom then the Tyrant shall feel of what force the Faith and Love of this people is to their Lawful and merciful Prince for in stead of many Subjects he shall then find many Enemies for that old saying is a true one He that hath many servants hath many Enemies What are we not all Subject and mancipated to sin even against our wills Fitly therefore may we say with Paul With the mind I serve the Law of God but with my body I am Subject to the dominion of sin Add also that many men commit many errours through ignorance and those will admit excuse and pardon for a difference must be put between sins of weakness and sins of malice and presumption But wherâ— our King Christ Jesus accompanied with might and Majesty shall come to sight the last battel with the Devil then that infinite multitude of the Elect that innumerable company of celestial Citizens shall appear Now they are not discernable because as I have said either through force or ignorance they are compelled to wear the Tyrants colours In the mean time till the expectation of that time be satisfied our prudent and abundantly wise Prince hath some secret and clandestine conferences with them heartens them and comforts them and bids them continue faithful to him and he will accept this their desire of him this Faith for perfect obedience And although he can deliver us he delayeth it suffers us to undergo the Discipline of afflictions to kindle in us a greater desire of his coming These are the Divine stratagems the royal arts which do deceive both the narrow judgement of men and also elude the deceits and snares of the Devil for who would say that in so many sins there should be any righteousness in such a perturbation such a trifluctuation of miseries any quiet rest or peace in so much folly any wisdom in so much servitude any liberty or in so many dangers any safety who would ever have thought the thief who was even buried alive in all wickedness and brought to be crucified for his notorious and flagitious offences had been one of the Sons of God and of the number of the Elect On the other side who would have imagined that Judas Isâ—ariot chosen to the Honour of an Apostleship and daily and hourly a continual hearer of Divine truth and heavenly wisdom should not have been a Citizen of Heaven O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out Here is the new Art here are new reasons of heavenly administration this is the mysterious way of God alone who onely is wise powerful and good Great is our Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite Psal 147. C. By this way of judging according to the shallow judgement of man I suppose Elias was deceived when he made his complaint that he onely was left of all those that did worship God but what answered the oracle of God to him I have reserved to my self seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal Rom. 11. M. You gues right and if in one place in one nation there were so many althougâ— to a definite number be here put for an infinite multitude and those unknown to â— greater Prophet how many may we suppose then to have been and now to be iâ— the whole World C. Verily I think an innumerable company M. Let us then believe that this our heavenly King is able and knoweth how to purchase to himself a greater kingdom than the Enemy who hath neither wisdom nor power C. But upon what reason do you refuse the ascription of wisdom and power to the Enemy when it seems repugnant to his name to deny him those attributes for you may call to mind they were termed Daemones or evil Spirits from their great power or wisdom by many of the Ancients for Plato who followed Hesiod and other Poets doth conceive them to be called Daemones quasi Daimones which signifieth prudent or
two there is no third Then he saith Those that are worldly do continually vex and persecute those that are Spiritual and Heavenly yet they are servants these are free Therefore in reference to their final condition he conferreth an everlasting inheritance upon the sons of the free-woman those of the bondwoman being abdicated forsaken and rejected These things being so learnedly and so plainly disjoyned by the Apostle we ought not to conjoyn or rather to confound them And if any man will by that married wife or by that daughter of the bâ—nd-woman understand the Nation of the Jews neither can he by that means detract from the multitude of the Elect for as he that treads the steps of the faith of Abraham is the son of Abraham and belongeth to the number of the Saints so he that followeth the contumacy and abideth in the unbelief of the Jews is deservedly called a Hagaren and an Ismaelite Here is therefore no place for tergiverlation for he plainly affirmeth that the number of the Citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem is much greater than that of the earthly Jerusalem and this is the reason of that great admiration of the celestial Citizens when they behold their own multitude as you read at large in the Prophesie of Isaiah C. It is so but why is one called barren and forsaken the other the married wife M. First because she is not so fruitful pompous and illustrious in the ceremonies of the Law as the other Secondly because she appeareth little and regardless in the eyes of the world For she boasteth not of good works and merit doth not make ornament magnificence and splendour to be inseperable notes of her purity and Lastly is not celebrated for diversity of Sects and variety of rites and ceremonies Therefore she is termed barren without children solitary little despisable and forsaken of God by them that judge according to the specicious outside of things But on the contrary the other said to have a husband because she surpasseth in the pomp of outward worship for the Prophet hath opposed the married woman to the barren and her that is forsaken and speaks of both of them after the manner of men C. I will not here demand who is the husband of the Church for I know it is Christ the Lord but who besides will they have to be her husband M. The very Synagogue it self boasts of Moses but very falsly as Christ sheweth in the 5. of John saying Had ye believed Moses ye had also believed me for he wrote of me but if ye believe not his writings how will you believe my words Also our Lord saith in the 2. of the Apocalypse that such are not Jews but blasphemers and the Synagogue of Satan Moreover they who ordain and pretend Moses for their Law-giver if they seek salvation by any other Law than that of Christ whether it be of Moses or Mahomet or Pope or any Seperatist whatsoever they may be said to have a master a husband and they that are such are all servants bond-men and as many as are begotten of them that is perverted by them and if they be servants they shall not abide in the house for ever but the son abideth ever But Christ and his Spouse the Heavenly Jerusalem have children and those free from the Law as our Saviour told the Jews If the Son shall make you free then you are free St. Paul also telleth us that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 1 Cor. 3. Therefore these are heirs not by the observation of the Law but only as sons sons of the free-woman which is the Holy Catholick Church not the synagogue of the bond-woman held under fear and servitude For he that is a son doth not imagine that he shall therefore become an heir because he serves the father keeps his commandments but because he is born in true and lawful wedlock or else called into the family by adoption C. These things are so plain that he is wilfully blind that seeth them not But can you produce any testimonies out of the New Testament M. I can Behold St. Paul comparing the calamity brought into the world by the transgression of Adam with the benefit of Christs resurrection that is those which were damned in Adam with those that are justified sanctified and saved in Christ saith thus But not as the offence so is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many Rom. 5. Now the sense of the words is this That the gift of one man Jesus Christ hath abounded to many more than the fall of Adam and the offence by that fall did extend Here you see the Apostle saith in terminis that more are saved by the advantage of Christ than are damned by the sin of Adam C. I do see it and I understand it but how in the same place are those words to be understood For he saith As by the offence of one man judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousness of one man shall all men be absolved Here he saith all men are damned and yet all men are saved and seems to speak things repugnant For if all be condemned there is a necessity none can be saved and there is a necessity none can be damned if all men be saved M. You have propounded a question somewhat perplexed and knotty but by Gods assistance I shall untie it I know there are some that say all are condemned that is all that are born under original sin are obnoxious to condemnation that all are absolved and set free that is that Christ died for all men and that his death was effectual to expiation of the sins of the whole world if all men had applied unto themselves the benefit of his death by saith but this opinion tottereth in regard that all men are born in original sin yet all men are not justified all men are not saved and by this it would seem that the efficacy of the passion of Christ was not so diffusive as the transgression of Adam was destructive whereas if you consider the words onely the reason should be the same in both You have not forgotten the old Axiomes Paria paribus contrariis omnibus contraria conveniunt But this seems more plain to me to affirm that all which are condemned are condemned for the offence of one man and so also all that are saved have salvation by the benefit of one but it is true that all are condemned that came of the old Adam and all which are born of the second Adam which is Christ are saved but they are few these are many otherwise the righteousness of Christ will be found less than the disobedience of Adam Thus we shall with the Apostle harbour thoughts correspondent to the Office Divine virtue of Christ And whereas