sins of all mankind as they are against the Law of works Of this are meant those Scriptures which say Christ having purged away our sins ascended c. Heb. 1. 3. And that he took away the sins of the World and that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing to them their iniquities c. 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Concl. 2. In the second remitting act by which Christ first gives out pardon according to the power given him Christ the Redeemer and the Father by him doth forgive conditionally all sins to all men except what the very nature of the Condition excepteth viz. The Non-performance of the said Condition Concl. 3. Neither of these Acts or any following do remit the proper viz. final non-performance of the Conditions of remission Concl. 4. In the third act Christ doth actually remit to every true Believer all the destructive Penalty of all his sins past or present and all that Penalty whatsoever which proceedeth from the intention of demonstrating Justice above Mercy or prevailing or rigorous Justice commonly called vindictive in a more rigid restrained sense Concl. 5. It is not only the Eternal punishment but all the temporal punishment which is of the fore-described Nature which Christ remitteth to every Believer Concl. 6. At the same time he disposeth him to the daily receiving of a daily pardon for daily sins both in that his former sins being all pardoned his person is Accepted and Adopted and his Soul habituated to that Faith and Repentance which is the Condition and possessed of the Spirit which maintaineth these Graces Concl. 7. Yet are not his sins actually pardoned before they are committed Concl. 8. Inceptive Remission is actual and equal to absolute as to the present possession of it as soon as men believe but as to the continuance of it both Universal and particular Remission are still but Conditional till death and the Condition of Continuance as is beforesaid is more than the Condition of our first obtaining Concl. 9. That Men lose not Justification or Remission therefore comes not from the Nature of the thing nor the Tenor of the Remitting-Grant which being Conditional supposeth ever the possibility of the Non-performance of the Condition alas more than possibility but it comes from the good pleasure of God to maintain that Grace in his Elect which he hath given them so far as to see infallibly that they perform the Condition of continued and renewed Remission and Justification by causing them to persevere and overcome and therefore God as Legislator in Precepts Prohibitions Threats and Rewarding Promises doth still deal with all Men as defectible and supposeth the possibility of their falling away from Grace and perishing But God as Eternal Elector and Determiner of Events by his Decrees dealeth with all his Elect as Men whom he resolveth infallibly to Save and whose Apostacy is though possible yet non futura a thing that never shall be yea in respect to the power of any Enemy to deceive them by overcoming God's preserving grace so the deceiving or perverting of them is properly impossible as well as not future as Christ himself tells us Concl. 10. It is evident therefore that Remission and Justification are not perfect in this lifie both in that many sins are still behind to be remitted and from whose guilt a particular Justfication is necessary to be added and also because the very continuance of the Justification and Remission received is but Conditional and a Conditional Grant is not so perfect as an absolute or when the Condition is all performed Concl. 11. That punishment which man was sentenced to Gen. 3. after his fall and the Redeemer inflicteth in this Life on merciful terms where there is a greater demonstration of mercy than vindictive Justice which is commonly called corrective punishment or chastisement is never wholly remitted to any even of the Elect themselves in this Life All Men must eat their bread in sorrow and be sick and dye and the Earth is still cursed with barrenness for our sakes and the remnants of God's frowns and want of Communion with him and want of more Grace and Spirit from him and of mortification of our Sins are all sad punishments which the Elect must here undergo As for those that say that none of these are punishments I have elsewhere confuted them at large 1. They contradict express Scripture 2. And Orthodox Divines 3. They understand not the definition of Punishment else would they know that Chastisement is a Species of it Nor is it true that they say that God hath taken away all the evil of Affliction but only he hath taken away the Destructive Evil and introduced or added a greater prevailing good which yet this Evil must and that but by accident produce It is essentially quoad materiam malum naturale still quoad formam it is propter malum morale So that quoad Receptionem peccatoris patientis as to our Reception Remission of Sin is not omnibus numeris perfect in this Life there being still some unforgiven Punishment to be suffered here Hence you may see how to judge of the Controversie so much agitated between us and the Papists Utrum Remissd Culpa remaneat poena temporalis Whether Temporal Punishment remain when the Sin is forgiven And how indistinctly that question is commonly handled etiam per magni nominis Theologos Detur Venia censurae necessariae As merciful corrective Punishment is not all remitted in this Life to any of the Elect so Sin it self is to them so far unremitted as the punishment is unremitted I weigh not the Clamours that some will make against this Assertion who use more zealously to assert the Dictates of their Leaders than the words of God and to search and learn what the Orthodox say than what God saith or the Nature of the thing containeth Hear the Scripture Lam. 3. 42. We have transgressed we have Rebelled thou hast not pardoned This was spoken by the Prophet in his own name and the name of all God's People the Jews because of their Temporal Sufferings Abundance of the like importance might be cited from Scripture but this is not the place Methinks those Antinomians should not be against this Doctrine who falsly teach that that it is only Temporal Punishment or Chastisement that Believers Pray against when they daily Pray forgive us our Trespasses as the most moderate of their Books do affirm Concl. 12. This imperfection in Remission of Sin here comes not from any deficiency in Gods Love or Christs satisfaction but from God's Wisdom in the right giving out of his Mercies and Man's State and the nature of the work Yea in sensu activo in respect of God as meer Legislator of the Law of Works Remission may be said to be perfect that is quantum in se in illa Relatione he hath perfectly pardoned it by quitting all his right of punishing into the hands of the satisfier From whom he
which is their Master Argument may as well say that God is an imperfect Creator because he maketh not Worms to be Men or that he is an imperfect Conservator because he preserved not man from Mortality Damnation and Antecedent Calamities especially from Sin Or that he is imperfectly Merciful because he permitteth Men to sin and Condemneth them Or that Christ is an Imperfect Redeemer of the Elect because he suffereth them after his Redemption to Sin Suffer and Die Or that the Holy Ghost is an imperfect Sanctifier and Caller because many wicked Men are Sanctifyed and Believe imperfectly so as will not suffice to Salvation and because they resist and quench the Spirit and fall from that Faith and Sanctification which they had Or that the Spirit is an imperfect Comforter because so many Saints Live and Die in such unconformitable sadness Or that Scripture is an imperfect means because the Effect is so imperfect In a word they may as well say that where God doth not overcome mens wicked dispositions he is an imperfect God to them in regard of his Mercies All which beseem not the Tongue of a Christian Prop. LX. That Argument commonly brought against Universal Redemption that where Christ doth the work of a Mediator for any man in one of his Offices he doth it in all is undeniably destructive to the cause it is brought for For it is undeniable that Christ as Prophet and King Teacheth Calleth Illuminateth many Non-elect giveth some Faith some Taste of his word and the powers of the World to come sanctifyeth them by the Blood of the Covenant and washeth them from their former pollutions Mat. 13. Heb. 6. and 10. â—2 Pet. 2. 20. Therefore in his Priestly Office he must at least be as far their Mediator CHAP. IV. The First Proposition Asserted Prop. I. CHRIST in Sufâ—ering did not strictly and properly bear and represent the person of the Sinner so as Civiliter Moraliter Legaliâ—er it might be said that we either satisfied or sufferâ—d in or by Christ Explic. I am not willing to make the meer â—ords here any matter of quarrel If any dislike â—ny term of mine or like his own let him apâ—ly himself to the matter in Question and let â—…e words pass 1. I deny not that Christ Sufâ—ered nostro loco in our place or stead suffering â—…at which we deserved and should else have unâ—voidably suffered 2. I acknowledge and mainâ—â—in that our Sins were the quasi Causa Meritoria 〈…〉 loco causae meritoriae of his sufferings and that 〈…〉 became Sin for us that is a Curse for Sin â—…at is he made himself by his own Sponsion obâ—â—xious to the Curse and Punishment due to us for 〈…〉 Sin And so far Sin was imputed to him But Christ was neither really a Sinner nor eâ—â—eemed of God so to be and in that sence sin â—as not imputed to him 4. All know that 〈…〉 Physico Christ did not bear our persons Some will needs extend the phrase of bearâ—â—g or representing the person of another civiliter so far as if it were applicable to every sponser surety or one that alterius vice loco doth do or suffer any thing And so they say Christ bore our Person But as I think they abuse the phrase by extending it so far so I am content they use their liberty to express themselves as they please only I intreat them that they misunderstand not me but know that my meaning is that the Law doth not look on any Man no not the Elect as having either satisfyed or suffered in or by Christ nor doth the Law-giver and judge so look on him And so Christ did not strictly in Law-Sense bear the person of any Man in suffering so as that person might be said to have in him suffered 6. Some think Christ in suffering the penalty as penalty did strictly bear our persons as Sinners but not as this suffering was a satisfaction to Gods Justice which is the effect of it much less as it was meritorious of further Grace and Salvation The Authors or owners of this opinion of whom Arminiâ—â— himself seems one discerned the inconveniences that would follow the opinion of strict Representation but while they discerned not the right way of avoiding them and feared lest they should swarve by a full denial of it they seem to me to fall into the same place from which they leaped Though I confess that at the first view I began to incline to this opinion as most moderate which now I see to be unsafe The most of my Arguments are drawn from those intollerable consequences of the Doctrine which I oppose as being such as overthrow the very substance of the Gospel Though to the inconsiderate it may seem a small matter 1. Argument That Doctrine which consequentially denyeth all Pardon of Sin is not of God But such is the Doctrine which I here oppose Therefore c. The Minor only requires proof Where the proper debt is discharged or penalty undergone in Law-Sence by the person himself who was obnoxious there is no room for Pardon to such a Person But according to the Doctrine which I oppose the proper debt is discharged or the penalty undergone in Law-Sence by the Person himself who was obnoxious Therefore according to that Doctrine there is no place for Pardon to such The Minor needs no proof it being the express terms of the assertion which I deny that Christ so represented our Persons in suffering or â—atisfying as that Legaliter vel Civiliter we may properly be said to have suffered or satisfied in â—im so that though it was Christs Person naturally yet it was ours Legally Morally or Impuâ—â—tively The major I prove thus He that oweth nothing or to whom no penalty is due can have â—one forgiven him But he that hath paid all the â—ebt or undergone all the punishment that was â—â—e by himself or another that in Law-Sence is himself doth owe nothing or to him no penalty â— due Therefore he can have none forgiven him â—ob Major Remissio est Debiti Remissio Thereâ—â—re where there is no due there can be no reâ—â—ssion Prob. Minor To have paid or suffered all 〈◊〉 to owe some are contradictory and inconstent Therefore he that hath paid all owes noâ—â—ing The Antimonians Answer is this It is true that no punishment is due to the Elect and none is properly forgiven them now since Christs Death But Christs assuming their Persons in satisfying was a Remission to them Or God did in one instant remit it to them and transfer it on Christ Reply 1. Christs assuming our Persons is not remission of Sin 2. If God did remit it to us when he transferred it on Christ and yet we Legaliter suffered in Christ then God did both remit the whole debt to us and receive satisfaction in Law-Sence from us at the same time But that is a contradiction Therefore c. From hence I may therefore further argue 2. Arg. That Doctrine
as not being far from the Kingdom of God and some with Agrippa are almost perswaded to be Christians Those that be not come so far must ordinarily by degrees be brought to this before they can go further If you be in a higher room and call your Servants to you you intend they shall come up the stairs step by step and if one be two stories distant from you and another but one the former must go up all the first stairs before he come as near you as the latter is The Gentiles that believed not are further off and more strangers to God than the common Jews were Now God hath not given them that hear not of Christ sufficient means or help to Believe nor hath he given any believer sufficient Grace for Salvation till he saveth him But he prescribeth some means to all men in the World which they are to use to bring them nearer Christ and Faith and to remove impediments As to consider of what the Book of Nature and daily providences teach them of God To study him in his mercies and Judgments To study their own hearts till they find their Sin and misery To use all their interest and utmost endeavours to enquire what remedy God hath revealed to the World To continue in Prayer fasting and Alms deeds as Cornelius did and to break off their Sins by repentance These are their duties And for not doing these in the improvement of their Talents they shall be condemned by Christ the Redeemer at the Bar of grace as opposed to that of Justice according to the sole Law of works And though that belong not to this controversie I doubt not but they have sufficient help which is not effectual to the doing of more in these means then they do and so they will be left unexcusable at Judgment Even as the Ignorant and ungodly where the Gospel is preached have sufficient power which is not effectual through their own wilfulness to hear the word to come into better company and to use more means to get Faith then they do though they have not power or grace sufficient to believe And the duty of hearing c. Goes in order before that of believing All this being thus evinced That God hath prescribed to all Men means of recovery I come to the Argument And for the Minor I think I need not stand to prove it That God hath not appointed Men delusory means which if used according to his appointmennt would not do any thing towards the attainment of the end so apparently is such a conceit injurious to the Wisdom goodness and faithfulness of God And for the Major it seems to me as plain That no means can do any thing to the recovery or Salvation of that Man for whom Christ made not satisfaction by his Death Supposing this means were used never so rightly For 1. The use of all means is but to apply or convey the benefits of Christs Satisfaction Therefore where Christ hath made no satisfaction for a Man there it is impossible that any means should give him to participate of the benefits of his satisfaction At least of Pardon and Salvation 2. Else you make a Saviour of the means or make them more necessary then Christs Satisfaction For if by means that Man may be saved that Christ dyed not for then he is saved without Christs Death And if God might do so by all the Non Elect why not by all the rest If any say It is certain that they will not use the means rightly and therefore will not be saved I answer 1. This shall be anon further considered 2. That is nothing to the matter The question is Why these Men are not saved Whether it be not for want of a right use of the means But according to the Doctrin opposed it is not For no means could save them if they were never so well used 1. No Prayer can be heard if satisfaction be not first made for the Sins of the Petitioner 2. Repentance can be no means but only a Concomitant of desperation if satisfaction for Sin go not before it 3. Faith is but resting for Salvation on one that never redeemed the Person and so cannot save him if satisfaction for that Person go not before it 4. Hope would be wholly ungrounded and deceitful like the hopes of the wicked if there were no satisfaction 5. Love to Christ as our Redeemer and gratitude for satisfaction would be a mistaken Act as being for a mercy never received 6. Nay should the Non-redeemed live as holily as any Saint on Earth yea as innocently as an Angel it would not save him because of the guilt which he hath already contracted So that by this Doctrin all the means which God hath appointed most Men for their pardon and Salvation would be delusory and vain if never so well performed Which is not true nor tollerable Arg. 7th A veritate promissionis fidei conditionalitate If Christ satisfied not for all those to whom God promiseth pardon and Life on condition of believing then God maketh promises which he would not nor could he fulfill though the condition were performed But the consequent is false Therefore so is the Antecedent There is nothing here requires any proof but the consequence of the Major proposition And that is proved thus God would not nor could give pardon and Life to any Man for whom Christ hath not satisfied Therefore the consequence is good 1. Else God should give pardon and Life without a Redeemer Which he will not 2. And he should do that which in the Judgment of most Divines he cannot do Not through impotence but because of the inconvenience and unfitness of the thing For though he can alter the nature of the Creatures and so make that to be fit which now is unfit yet stante rerum naturâ he cannot make those things fit which ex natura rei are unfit Nor can God do that which is unfit And if it had not been unfit for the supream Rector of the World to pardon Mans Sin without satisfaction God would not so dearly have satisfied his own justice Yea all say that quoad potentiam ordinatam God would not forgive Sin without satisfaction whatsoever he might have done quoad potentiam absolutam Now how gross is it for any Man to imagine that God should make so solemn a promise in form of a Law of Grace that he will pardon and save Men if they will believe when if they could and should believe he neither would nor could pardon or save them for want of satisfaction to his Justice Yea that he should require his Ministers so importunately and unweariedly to intreat Men in his name to believe and be reconciled to him and to tell them from him Man by Man If thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved When yet if he did believe he should not be saved Object But if he should believe then he is one that Christ satisfied for and
these are given according to the Law of Works If not then it must be according to the Law of Grace and the New Covenant or according to no Law If the former then none will question I think but it must come from Christs Blood For the New Law and Testament is founded in his Blood and Sealed by it If the later then at least the Law of Works must be first relaxed and they so far pardoned seeing according to that Law they should have lived not among these mercies but in misery And Scripture assures us that it was the Blood of Christ that delivered us from the Curse of the Law and that on the Cross he took down the hand writing that was against us c. And without his suffering there is no Relaxation of the Laws obligation They that set open so wide a door of mercy to all the World beside Jesus Christ do not lightly wrong him and do dangerously deceive themselves and others I am sure Christ will expect repentance thanks and obedience for these mercies and condemn Men for not improving these Talents which he committed to them however Men may now tell Sinners that all comes but from common providence and not by the Blood of Christ 3. Yea that which they call common providence is the disposal of things by the Redeemer For all things are delivered to him of the Father and all power given him and to that end he died rose and revived that he might be Lord of the Dead and Living And therefore if Men have any mercy now it must come through the Redeemers Hands and consequently is a fruit of his Blood But this will yet further be proved in the next which is 3. That it is Christs dying for those same persons to whom he gives these mercies that is the ground of them And this further is proved thus 1. Some of the mercies given are such as could no other way be procured and given as is ordinarily granted Such as are the Universal Remission Justification Adoption and gift of Christ himself on condition that Men will accept them Christ given as Redeemer supposeth his Redemption as to paying of the price to be past Without Blood there is no Remission neither conditional not absolute as is proved in the first Argument But a conditional Remission to all is given in the New Testament Ergo c. The Remission also of their punishment for the time of this Life or at least of so much of it is actual though not plenary Remission and wicked Men partake of that Of one of these two Christs speaks in the parable of the ungrateful unmerciful Servant Mat. 18. 27. 32. 35. The Lord of that Servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt c. His Lord said O thou wicked Servant I forgave thee all that debt c. So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also by you if ye from your Hearts forgive not every one his Brother their Trespasses But of this Text more hereafter So that God doth remit to the Non-Elect most of the temporal punishment of their Sin actually and all the Eternal punishment conditionally That he remitteth the temporal punishment is further proved Psal 78. 38. But he being full of compassion for gave their iniquity and destroyed them not Yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath He that reads out the rest of the Psalm will not believe that all these dissembling Israelites were Elect. So for the legal forgiveness of Sin upon the use of Ceremonies See Lev. 4. 26 31 35. and 5. 10 13 16 18. and 6. 7 and 19 22. Numb 15. 25 26 28. It shall be forgiven all the Congregation of the Children of Israel and the Stranger that sojourneth among them seeing all the People were in ignorance but all Israel were not Elect Numb 14. 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this People according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this People from Egypt even until now 20. And the Lord said I have pardoned according to thy Word Dev. 21. 8. Psal 85. 2. Isa 40. 2. So the Example of Ahab the Ninevites c. Shew clearly For that which God did in mercy in respect to their humiliation was some kind of Remission 2. And further I prove it as by these express Texts of Scripture so by this Scripture reason Either God remitteth much of the temporal punishment or else he shews them no mercy And consequently they are not beholden to him nor owe him any thanks but God doth shew them mercy Ergo c. He that remitteth none of the punishment due sheweth no mercy in this case And he that sheweth mercy remitteth part of the punishment for it was part of the punishment to be deprived of the mercies which wicked Men enjoy Who dare once imagine that Health Strength Friends Liberty Peace Riches Honour Food Raiment Houses Accommodations Cattel all Creatnres to serve us Publick Peace Sun Rain Fruits of the Earth prospering of our Labours c. Knowledg Parts Motions of the Spirit excellent means and offers of Grace Godly society and Examples Admonitions Tast of the good word of God and the powers of the World co come Illumination Partaking of the Holy Ghost working Miracles casting out Devils hearing the word with joy believing for a time clean escaping the pollutions of the World by the knowledg of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be sanctified with the blood of the Covenant to be loved of Christ as the man was Mar. 10. 21. to have the easiest place in Hell c. who dare say that none of all these are Mercies Or that the enjoyment of these may stand with the full execution of the sentence of the Law If the Curse lay in the deprivation of these then the enjoyment of them is a remission of that curse or Penalty But c. Ergo c. read Deut. 28. Now that this Remission is granted to none but by virtue of Christs dying for him I will now but refer you to the whole multitude of Reformed Divines in their Writings against the Papists about Purgatory Indulgences and Humane Satisfactions where they argue with greatest Zeal and many Arguments that temporal punishments are remitted only for Christ's Satisfaction even the same men that deny Universal Satisfaction not remembring how this overthroweth their own cause The reason I conceive is that here the evidence of truth constraineth them but in the denial of Universal Redemption they constrain themselves to it meerly because they have not found out the way of reconciling Universal Satisfaction with Special Predestination and therefore think they are necessitated to deny the former though against the clear light of many express Texts of Scripture for fear of contradicting the later 1. Amesius saith Bellarm. Enervat To. 2. li. 5. c. 2. p. mihi 158. Christus per spiritum suum nihil in nobis operatur
the living Bread which came down from Heaven If any Man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever And the Bread that I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World So verse 33. 34 35. Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sin of the World 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. For as by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 8. 11. And through thy knowledg shall thy weak Brother perish for whom Christ died Heb. 9. 15. 16. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the Death of the Testator Col. 1. 20. And having made peace through the Blood of his Cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven Col. 2. 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross Act. 3. last unto you first God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Hos 7. 13. Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me Destruction to them c. Isa 53. 6. He laid on him the iniquity of us all Rom. 14. 9. For to this end Christ both died rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and of the living Isa 45. 21 22. There is no God else beside me a just God and a Saviour there is none beside me look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth Joh. 1. 7. The same came for a Witness to bear Witness of the Light that all Men through him might believe See 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. to the 13th John 3. 17. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Eternal Life Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will let him take the water of Life freely Col. 2. 28 whom we Preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus John 5. 22 23 26 27 28. For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father c. For as the Father hath Life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself and hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of Man Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation Acts 3. 22 23. A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every Soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People Luke 20. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Then said the Lord of the Vineyard what shall I do I will send my beloved Son it may be they will reverence him when they see him c. The Stone which the Builders rejected is become the head of the Corner whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to Powder 1 Cor. 6. 20. And ye are not your own ye are bought with a Price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods Deut. 32. 4 5 6. They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his Children they are a perverse and crooked Generation do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee ver 15. Then he forsook God that made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation see Psal 78. throughout ver 35 36. They remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity c. Isa 63. 8 9 10 He said surely they are my People Children that will not lye so he was their Saviour in all their afflictions he was affâ—icted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old but they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit wherefore he was turned to be their Enemy and fought against them see Rom. 10. 6. to the 14th Acts 13. 23. 26. 32. Of this Mans Seed God according to his promise hath raised unto Israel a Saviour Jesus Men and Brethren Children of the stock of Abraham and who ever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent and we declare unto you glad tidings c. see ver 38 39 40 46. before cited And compare this with Luke 1. 67 68 69 c. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People and hath raised up an horn of Salvation for us in the Honse of his Servant David c. Mat. 25. throughout Mat. 28. 19 20. All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore and Preach c. Acts 10. 36. 43. And this contains power to forgive Sins Mat. 9. 6. So that you see what the Scripture saith to this point 3. And then there is neither one Text of Scripture nor one solid Reason against it nor any ill consequence at all that followeth on it 1. There is not one Text of Scripture that saith Christ died not for all or Christ dyed only for his Chosen or any thing equivalent The Texts commonly alledged are John 17. 9. I pray for them I pray not for the World 19. and for their sakes I sanctifie my self Joh. 10 11 The good Shepherd giveth his Life for his Sheep Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his Son but gave him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things 1 Cor. 5. 18. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing to them their Trespasses Rom. 5. 8 9 10. For if when we
your cannot and will-not is all one As for those men that open their mouths against the most High and say that if God give not willingness and faith to men he doth but delude them to tell them that Christ died for them and to give them Christ if they will I intreat them to consider 1. God hath laid the cause of mens perdition on their own will still in his word and will do at Judgment 2. God hath taught all men naturally to accuse themselves when their wilfulness was the cause 3. The light of Nature teacheth all Nations under Heaven to lay the blame on the wilful and to make all their Laws and execute all their Judgments on that ground acquitting men so far as they can be discovered to have been forced and involuntary excusing him that can say I did it against my Will condemning those that did it willingly Deny this therefore and you deny 1. The Law of God in Scripture 2. The Law of natural Conscience 3. And overthrow all Laws of Nature and Nations and all Churches and Commonwealths Did ever any sober Prince say I will not condemn a man for wilful Murther because he hath not free-will nor power to forbear it except God give it him Or did ever wise Judge absolve an offender on that ground If a VVhore-monger or Drunkard so accustom themselves to those sins that they have contracted a habit and cannot forbear them did ever any Law-giver Judge or Wise man take that for an excuse Or rather for the most hainous aggravation of his fault God and Nature hath taught all men in their enquiries after the cause of sin to stop at mans Will and lay the blame there In intreat wise godly men therefore that they would not shut the very eyes of Nature it self and overthrow all order of things for their by-conceits and when they have done to fly in Gods Face with such horrid desperate unreverence and presumption as to say God deceives and deludes men if he give a Ransom for them and give them Christ and Pardon on condition of their willingness except he also make them willing I have before shewed it without any participation with Pelagius that all men that perish do suffer for abuse of Grace sufficient to its immediate use and end and if God will not suffer all so to perish but compel some to come in when he doth but invite others our Eye must not be evil because he is good He deals mercifully with all but more mercifully with some those therefore shall for ever glorifie his Mercy and the rest be left without all just excuse and be speechless The 9th Text is Mat. 18. 27 32 34 35. Then the Lord of that Servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the Debt c. Then his Lord after that he had called him said unto him O thou wicked Servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow Servant even as I had pity on thee And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also to you if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his Brother their trespasses Here it 's plainly said by Christ himself that the debt was forgiven him who afterward perished Whence I argue ab offectu ad causam therefore Christ died for him For without Blood there is no remission Two things are said against this 1. That Theologia parabolica non est Argumentativâ— Ans And I am sure that Christ's Theology is not delusory or false If he taught by Parables then his Parables were and are teaching and if teaching then we may argue from them But consider though it 's certain that nothing in Parables is to be stretched beyond the intent yet this is the plain sense and intent Christ shewing that those that have received mercy for their own sins must forgive others or else they shall perish as ungrateful for what they had received and as unmerciful to others 1. It is twice over expresly said that he forgave him the Debt 2. The effect followed he loosed him viz. from Prison 3. It is the aggravation of his following sin to be ungrateful for his own pardon and there is no ingratitude possible if it had not been true that he received that mercy himself 4. Christ expresly openeth and applieth all this to his own Disciples saying so also will my Heavenly Father do to you if you from your Hearts forgive not c. so that it is past doubt that this forgiveness was real 2. The other objection is this Those that are forgiven never fall away or perish and therefore this parable is not so to be understood Ans The text saith plainly the debt was forgiven and therefore it is certainly true There is a fourfold forgiveness of sin which I desire may be well observed First upon Christs undertaking to suffer and so his moral satisfying God the Father as the offended Legislator of the Law of Nature remitted his right of punishing and advantage of honouring his Justice meerly on that ground and in that Relation suspending the obligation of that Law and delivering up the sinner and all his Debts into the full power or hands of him that Redeemed him giving him authority to give remission to whom he pleased on terms of Grace so that as Christ and not man did satisfie Justice so it seemed most meet to the Wisdom of God that Christ and not man himself should be the first receiver of the pardon and other benefits but with this difference 1. Christ receiveth them eminenter in potestate conferendi as he hath power to confer them on the Redeemed But we receive them from Christ formaliter in themselves 2. Christ receiveth them for our good It is not the pardon of any sins of his own that he receiveth But we receive them for our own good So that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son and he that hath the Son hath life God hath put a Pardon for us into Christs hands in giving him this Power and Christ must be the conveyer to us in the exercise of his Power For as the Father Judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son so he Absolveth no man but hath committed all Absolution to the Son For Absolution is one half of Judgment That is God as the Rector according to the meer Law of Nature and as meer Creator on the first ground judgeth no man But now he judgeth all as Redeemer on terms of Mercy by him that Redeemed us and so Absolveth So then the first pardon of sin was in Potentia Remittendi virtual put into the hand of Christ only for his Sacrifice and Satisfaction and not to the sinner immediately himself 2. The second Pardon is by Christ thus Authorized and it is by him as
receives to him he delivereth But Christ seeth it meet to give it out to us on Conditions and by Degrees and we are not at the highest Degree 'till the end of all at Judgment even the Remission it self and not only the manifestation is thus given by Degrees And so it may be longer coming to us and be still passively imperfect through our incapacity As a King receiving a Ransom for a Prisoner may agree when all the Ransom is paid that yet he shall be delivered but by Degrees or upon Conditions Concl. 13. Yet some and many Degrees of the foresaid Corrective Temporal Punishment are remissible and Christ hath Conditionally promised to remit them in this Life He having now the inflicting of all Punishment committed to him John 5. 22. hath threatned more in his new Law to some yet disobedient than to others and promised more forbearance and tender dealing to some than to others Concl. 14. But this is not by so Universal and unreserved a promise as the Remission of Destructive punishment and as Salvation is given by But it is by a Promise with Exception or Reserve As if Christ should say Ordinarily you may expect to smart most when you sin most and to be remitted and eased most Consideratis Considerandis taking one thing with another when you please me best But yet I reserve my Jus Dominii yea and power of punishing even the best as shall seem meet to my wisdom for publick good or prevention of Sin not yet committed or manifesting my Wisdom or Power or Goodness c. So that mark here 1. That still this is punishment and for Sin if we had nothing but Original Sin when it is absolutely considered why God punisheth the best it is for sin But when it is asked comparatively why he punisheth Job more than another it is not for Sin and therefore in the Comparative Sense that is oft rather to be called Affliction Persecution as from Men Tribulation c. which in the Absolute sense must still be called Chastisement or Punishment 2. Mark that this Gospel Promise of Mercy and remission of Temporal Corrective Punishment in part is properly a Conditional Promise as it respecteth God's ordinary dealing with Men but it is not an infallible ascertaining Promise as to this or that particular Person though they do perform the Condition because as is said it hath besides the Condition on our part certain Exceptions and Reserves on Christ's part from hence you may see how to answer the Question whether we must pray for temporal Deliverances Absolutely or Conditionally Concl. 15. As all Punishments on the Elect before Conversion while yet God hateth them as Workers of Iniquity and they are Children of wrath are not of the first sort in demonstration of prevailing Rigorous Justice but most commonly Merciful Chastisements for they are oft the happy occasions of their Conversion yea powerful means thereto So the like must be said of the Non-Elect themselves who are but in the same state even they are the subjects of tender Chastisement and in a gracious sense God is oft called their Father in Scripture tho' not in that special strictest sense as he is the Father of the Adopted as not giving them that special Grace but common only The Reason is because though God have unequal Intentions de eventu in Chastising the Elect and the Non-Elect yet 1. He doth demonstrate more Mercy than Rigorous Vindictive Justice even in the punishments of the Non-Elect and therefore their Punishments are such Chastisements Proved 1. Else they should not be guilty and accusable for losing the Fruit of merciful Corrections when indeed it is a main mercy that they shall perish for not improving 2. Else God would not make it the matter of a threatning to correct them or smite them no more that is in that sort because they revolt more and more which yet he doth Ergo c. 2. Punishment being the Action of a Rector as such and not of Dominus Absolutus an Owner as such and so not formally and directly the act of God as determining of events by his secret Decrees therefore they are to be specified and denominated from Rectoral ends which I call the ends of God's Legislative Will rather than from the ends of God's Secret Decrees de rerum eventu Concl. 16. Hence it follows that God may and doth remit much Temporal Punishment both destructive and corrective even to the unregenerate both Elect and Non-Elect taking an easier way to give the same mercy which else he might have given in a sharper way and so far he may be said to remit or forgive their sins Though yet the Destructive Eternal Punishment being not forgiven it is not fit in ordinary Speech to say that such mens Sins are forgiven without a limiting restrictive explication because they are forgiven only secundum quid and in the weakest Sense I have on occasion of this Text run quite beyond my first intentions in opening the nature and sorts of remission but yet I hope not unprofitably From all this now it may appear that as there are several sorts of Remission so divers of them are Reversible and common to those that perish for ever And now to the Text in hand 1. It is apparent that this Text speaks of some of these sorts of Remission 2. And that it speaks of a Remission reversible or which may be conferr'd on those that afterward perish And though I presume not to determine which of them it is that is here meant yet 3. It is certain that which ever it be it is the fruit of Christs blood shed for them to whom it is given for without blood there is no Remission The Law of Works remitteth not for it relaxeth not its own obligation And God relaxeth it not but upon satisfaction as a valuable Consideration And therefore it is relaxed by the New Testament in the blood of Christ for that Testament is founded in his blood But for the sense of the Text I judge that the Forgiveness there mentioned is the second and third sort that is the Conditional Universal Grant of Pardon by the New Covenant for the Covenant is the same in its Tenour to Unbelievers and Believers there is no real change in it when men believe only the same instrument doth then morally act that is actually remit sin which before it did not because it was suspended on a Condition which was not performed But Christ hath done his part as Testator Donor and Legislator before in making the Grant And so it is applicable differently to different Persons To those that have only the Conditional Remission and have not yet performed the Condition it tells them eventually what shall be their miserable case if they do not perform it which too oft comes to pass To them that do believe and so are inceptively Justified and Pardoned Christ speaks as a Legislator and Teacher supposing the possibility oâ— their not performing the
is not found in those he suffered for but it is directly à volunt ate Dei Redemptoris ◠Natura peccati because God would not accept nor Christ give any satisfaction for that kind of Sin or for any sin so qualified or circumstantiated but the Antecedent is certain therefore I prove the Antecedent thus It is the very Nature of every Condition added to any Donation Condonation Premiant Law c. that it be or contain an exception of the Non-performance of that Condition from among the 〈◊〉 of those things that are given forgiven constituted due c. Because the Condition is to suspend the Gift 'till it be performed But the New Law or Testament as made to all Elect or Non-Elect doth constitute this its Condition viz. That all that will be Justified Repent and Believe and take Christ affectionately and thankfully for their only Lord and Saviour and that all that will be Saved do persevere herein and in adding further sincere Obedience to God's Laws Therefore by making these the Conditions the Law excepteth the non-performance thereof from among the number of those things that are given forgiven or granted thereby And Consequently these sins are excepted from among the sins that Christ bore on the Cross or satisfied for For whatsoever kind of sin he hath satified for he bestoweth the Pardon of it Conditionally at least and that in his Law to them to whom his Law is made so far is he from making an express exception of that from among the number of pardonable sins But these he excepteth from among that number If a Man by Legacy give you 1000l per annum on Condition you pay his Heir out of it an 100l per annum Rent Here this 100l per annum is expresly excepted from the Sum given because the payment of it is required as the Condition of enjoying the rest If a Man to whom you owe 1000l make you an Acquittance and Discharge on Condition you pay him a Penny in token of thankfulness here that Penny is plainly excepted from among the number or from the Sum given or forgiven If a King pass an Act for the pardoning of all Offences committed against him on Condition Men will thankfully acknowledge his Clemency here the not acknowledging it thankfully is plainly excepted from among the number of Faults Pardoned 2. Moreover this Law being thus constituted for all Elect as well as others it is undoubted that if we may suppose an Elect man to be guilty of final unbelief or impenitency it would be to him an unpardonable sin and consequently Christ dyed not for it If you say this is not to be supposed I Answer 1. It is supponendum though not ponendum 2. The Holy Ghost supposeth it possible etsi non futurum in that the Law is made to them as well as others and in that he expresly requires them so oft to take heed lest they fall and come short of the Promised Rest through unbelief c. And therefore we also may put such a Supposition Do not those that oppose us in this use so to Expound such Scriptures frequently both about Redemption and when they Dispute against the Apostacy of the Saints and say it is supposed only but Suppositio nil ponit in esse Moreover the Scripture makes it plain that these Sins of Total Apostacy and other unpardonable because uncurable Sins are in them for whom Christ dyed For they bring on themselves swift Destruction by denying the Lord that bought them They tread under foot the Blood by which they were Sanctified and do despite to the Spirit of Grace and so there remaineth no more Sacrifice for their Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment So that is is plain that Christ dyed not for all the Sins of all Men for whom he dyed excepting by his new Law the final Non-performance of the Conditions of the Promise in whomsoever without exception Yea Christ's real giving all Men under his hand the Pardon of all their Sins on Condition they Repent and Believe shews beyond all doubt that he bore on the Cross all their other Sins but bore no Man's final Impenitency or Unbelief 2. And the other Principle which is supposed in this Argument of Christ's satisfying God to a full Reconciliation is as false as the former and in the best Sense needs cautelous explication 1. It is certain that no Man is actually reconciled to God Pardoned or Justified 'till he believe or others Believe for him as Infants at least so far as is revealed God still hateth all the workers of Iniquity and we are all by Nature the Children of Wrath. By receiving Christ we receive power to become the Sons of God and by Faith only are we justified and not before we believe And who but the Antinomians will say the contrary 2. The end to which God as Legislator of the Old Law accepted satisfaction was that the impediments of Remission being taken out of the way he might without any derogation from the honour of himself or his Law and without frustration of the ends of that Law give out in a New Law a Free Pardon and Salvation with Christ to all that will accept them So that the end of satisfaction as such and not any accidental or collateral effect must direct us to judge of its extent and sufficiency 3. To this end Christ hath made full satisfaction to God's Justice and Mens After-Sufferings are not from any defect in Christ's satisfaction God hath granted a Pardon under his hand to all that will accept it in and with Christ and for Mens final rejecting of Christ and Mercy he received no satisfaction God may not be said properly to be conditionally satisfied He is satisfied actually and absolutely as far as ever he required satisfaction But the Benefits of that satisfaction are only conditionally given out to the Ransomed and not absolutely If it be objected that God is so far satisfied as to give Faith it self which is the Condition to all for whom he is satisfied I answ 1. It is untrue and never was proved nor ever will be 2. Faith is a remote effect of Satisfaction and not the proper direct effect It floweth not from Satisfaction as Satisfaction but from Satisfaction as connexed with Election as I shall anon more fully open and therefore desire the Reader to peruse what we shall purposely write of that point by it self I deny therefore their great Medium that God cannot in Justice punish one sin twice that is for one sin for it is not the sin that is punished but the man for the sin Though I easily grant that if the violated Law be once fully executed it cannot be again or in a double measure executed for that 's impossible as being a contradiction for it is no execution of the Law which goes beyond the sense of the Law But consider 1. The Law was not executed on Christ in his sufferings and therefore may well be executed on
in an infallible prevalency to his chosen And that none might perish merely on the old score or be judged meerly by the Old Law but all stand or fall according to their improvement or abuse of recovering Mercy And all this God hath hereupon granted to his Son And so he hath satisfaction for his satisfaction though many that he hath satisfied for do perish 6. Besides consider though men be punished for the same sins that Christ suffered for yet as to God the same do become new sins and so men suffer for them as it were as for new sins For 1. The old Obligation was so far made void or disabled that of it self it could never more bind them to punishment by reason of the addition of a remedying grant 2. God did quantum in se as Legislator of the old Law forgive them all the debt except the sins of non-performance of the Gospel conditions which God still excepted and Christ never suffered for for God hath delivered the obligation out of his own hand as standing in that first Relation of Rector secundum Legem Naturae sâ—lum and given it up into the hand of the Redeemer to give Remission to whom he please He hath also made a free Deed of Gift of an Universal Pardon to all that will accept it So that though men be not actually pardoned yet God may conveniently be said to have pardoned them in that he did his part as Rector secundum Leges As he saith to Israel I have healed thee and thou art not healed When a true Believer is actually Pardoned God doth put forth no new act to Pardon him but doth it by the general Grant or Act of Oblivion whereby he Pardoned All men conditionally as well as them The Law saith a man hath done a thing or given a benefit when he hath done his part though the effect follow not and the Work be yet undone For Moral Causes may do all their part and â—et the effect not follow for want of the performance of conditions in the receiver or because con-causes do not their part And therefore if the effect follow not the Law enquires Who it is long of Whose fault was it if of the Patient or Receiver then the Donor or Agent is said to have done the thing though yet it be not done For as to him moraliter vel Civiliter it is done There being no default on his part If any say that God followeth not the Rules of Humane Laws I answer God is the Fountain of all right Laws and Reason and Justice and I speak not of any unjust or mistaking Laws This is an ill pretence for men to judge their Maker by when they will not allow him that reasonable apology nor make that construction of his ways according to common undeniable equity as they will do of the ways of men Right Reason and the Laws made thereby are a beam of Gods perfect Wisdom and Justice If any say that God doth not Totum quod ad se attinet all his part in making a Deed of Gift of Christ and Pardon and Glory to all that will accept it unless he also give Faith which is the acceptance it self I shall now only say this much till we come to the point by it self that God doth Totum quod ad se attinet ut Legislatorem vel Rectorem juxta Leges all that belongs to him as Rector according to Laws though not all that belongs to him as absolute Lord and Disposer of events and all Creatures And it is in that Respect sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rectoris that Christ made satisfaction to him and not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Relation of an Eternal-Elector or Absolute Proprietary and Disposer of all So that you see now that quoad Deum all men are pardoned all their sins except those excepted in the conditions of the Grant though quoad delinquentis Receptionem they are still unpardoned They may have Christ and Pardon if they will And when they are deprived of the Gift meerly because they will not have it no Reason can say God did not give it or Christ did not procure it or that God is unjust in that they are without it So that it is not now meerly the obligation of the first Law as unremedied that binds them over to punishment nor as it is in the Hands of God as Creator or Rector secundum Legem operum but it is the Obligation of the new Law primarily He that believeth not shall not be forgiven nor be saved and consequently of the Old Law as the obligation is in the Redeemers hands to be charged only on the Rejecters of Grace It is not primarily for sin as sin according to this Law Whosoever sinneth shall dye but it is primarily for Rejecting the Remedy and then that sin by necessary consequence remains unpardoned so that it is not directly because they were guilty of Death by the first Law but propter rejectam Remissionem for despising the Remission of that guilt So that quoad Deum it may be called the return of Sin or Guilt Remitted and so to be more properly ex novd obligatione from the New Obligation of the Law of Christ binding all their sins again upon them though as to them and their reception it is both from the New Obligation and the old And therefore Jude calleth such twice dead and pluckt up by the Roots If an hundred Traytors be condemned and the Prince Ransom them all at a Price agreeing in the payment of it that they shall now be all his own and none of them be delivered for all that who will not thankfully own him and acknowledge his favour Here it is just that all the Refusers of Pardon yet perish And their Death is directly for the refusing of the Remedy and secondarily from their old crime because they would not have it remedied So that though Materialiter they lose but one Life yet it may be said that the Life they now lose Civiliter is not the same that before they lost but it is vitam de novo donatam a Life newly given them for they were dead in Law and the King gave them a new Life Moraliter etsi non Naturaliter And it is the rejecting of the Gift by which they lose their former Natural Life and their New-given Mortal Life And will any man be so ill advised in this case as to say that it is injustice in the King or Prince to punish the same persons that were before Ransomed Yea if it were not by Money but by suffering publick shame that the Prince had Ransomed them Having thus Explained the Case and Answered the Argument I will looking at Edification and not the usual form of Disputing go beyond the task of a meer Respondent and give you two or three Arguments to prove that it is no injustice in God to punish those for whom Christ hath satisfied or for whose sins he was a sacrifice
that fell in his favour or placed them not in happiness or set them not in the way to a further happiness because he did not infallibly cause them to keep his Law which was the condition of further happiness No more can it be truly said that Christ did not Redeem them because he did not cause them infallibly to believe Indeed it may be said of both that God in Creating or in Redeeming had not the same Decree or Absolute Resolution to save them as he had to save the Elect whom he causeth to perform the condition And yet our Divines use commonly to say that God created all Mankind in Adam in a state of happiness and to a further happiness that is as Legislator set them in a way to a further happiness and conditionally promised it to them whether it were any greater happiness or only the perpetuation of the same I will not now dispute And so hath Christ done all for men that pertains to a satisfier of Justice and setteth them in a way to full deliverance from the misery that they were fallen into and conditionally promiseth it to them with an additional happiness 6. And Lastly Besides all this let it be well considered that if there be any man on Earth that hath the use of Reason of whom only actual Faith is required that doth not actually Believe in Christ it is their own fault and is not long of Christ He will not condemn them meerly for their sin against that Law of works which saith obey perfectly or dye but for rejecting recovering Grace and that sufficient in its kind and to its own work I say it again confidently all men that perish who have the use of reason do perish directly for rejecting sufficient Recovering Grace By Grace I mean mercy contrary to merit by recovering I mean such as tendeth in its own nature toward their Recovery and leadeth or helpeth them thereto By sufficient I mean not sufficient directly to save them for such none of the Elect have till they are saved nor yet sufficient to give them Faith or cause them savingly to Believe But it is sufficient to bring them nearer Christ than they are though not to put them into immediate possession of Christ by Union with him as Faith would do It is an easie truth that all men naturally are far from Christ and 2. That some by custom in sinning for want of informing and restraining means are much further from him than others as the Heathens are 3. And that it is not Gods usual way nor to be expected to bring these men to Christ at once by one act or without any preparation or first bringing them nearer to him It is a similitude used by some that oppose what I now say suppose a man in a lower room and another in a room below him and you stand at the Stair head and call them both up to you and offer them somewhat if they will come It is not your intent that they should leap up at one leap but come up step by step nor do you mean that he in the lower room should go no more steps than he in the middle room He must go many steps before he come to be as near you as the other is Now suppose you offer to take them by the hand when they come to the upper Stairs and give them some other sufficient help to come up the lower steps If these men will not use the help given them to ascend the first steps though intreated who can be blamed but themselves if they come not to the top It is not your fault but theirs that they have not your hand to lift them up at the last step So is our present case Worldlings and sensual ignorant sinners have many steps to ascend before they come to Justifying Faith and Heathens have many steps before they come as far as ungodly Christians as might easily be manifested by enumeration of several necessary particulars Now if these will not use that sufficient help that Christ gives them to come the first or second or third step who is it long of that they have not Faith Obj. But here you vent two points of Arminianism one that there is sufficient Grace which is not effectual The other that God will give men Spiritual Blessings on the good use of natural Answ No Arminianism at all I. I say not that God giveth all men sufficient Grace to Salvation or to Believe II. That there is such a thing in rerum naturâ as sufficient Grace not effectual as it is confessed by Dr. Twiss so it is undeniably proved 1. In the case of Adam who had sufficient Grace to have stood or else all the sin and misery in the World must come principally from Gods denial of sufficient Grace before ever man did trespass Yet the event shewed that hat Grace was not effectual 2. From the Case of the Godly who have sufficient Grace to think speak and do more good and less evil than they do 3. From the Case of the Wicked who have sufficient Grace to enable them to do less evil than they do and use more means for the geting of Grace to Salvation They might pass by an Ale-house Door and might go to a Sermon when they go to a Whore and might go among good company when they go to bad To the second point I answer I. I say not that God gives Spirituals on our right use of Naturals but that God gives Special Grace on our right use of Common Grace Or rather that he may most justly deny men special Grace that will not make that use of Common Grace as they might II. And I do not say that God hath any where promised to give men Special Grace if they will use well their Common Grace For God hath not thought meet to make any such Covenant with Unbelievers nor to engage himself to them but when he giveth the first Special Grace for Repenting and Believing he doth it as not pre-engaged to do it and therefore as Dominus Absolutus and not per legem premiantem And therefore the Papists in their Language say the first Grace is not of merit at least of Condignity Obj. Then they that come not the first step are excusable for if they had come to the step next Believing they had no assurance that Christ would have given them Faith Ans No such matter For though they had no assurance they had both Gods Command to seek more Grace and sufficient encouragement thereto They had such as Mr. Cotton calls half promises that is a discovery of a possibility and high degree of probability of obtaining as Peter to Simon Pray if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven They may think God will not appoint men vain means and he hath appointed some means to all men to get more grace and bring them nearer Christ than they are Yea no man can name that man since the World was made
little know we of the History of those remote parts of the World that have not now the Gospel among them that it is very hard for any man to know that those Countries never had the Gospel in any measure revealed to them We may discern that now they want it and that they know not themselves that ever they had it But how far their contempt of it may in many places cause God to give them up to that Barbarism and Sottishness as may obliterate all former Revelations and bury them in oblivion this we cannot tell the rather because that the Apostles and many other Christians of that Age did travel so far in execution of their Office and the Gospel is then said to be Preached to all Nations and the sound of it to have gone to the ends of the Earth and through all the World and because there hath been so much entercourse between some Christians or other and most of these Nations since then yet is it most probable that there are many savage parts where the name of Christ was never revealed with a competent sufficiency yea or at all Prop. VIII The Heathens that never heard the Name of Jesus have yet sufficient means afforded them to know among many others these following Truths 1. That there is a God and only one God 2. That this God is Infinite in Being Immense and Eternal and Infinite in Wisdom Omniscient Goodness and Power and so Omnipotent 3. That he is the Maker Preserver and Governour of all and therefore that all men do by the strongest obligations owe him the most perfect obedience 4. That he being Ruler must needs give us a Law that is some sign of his Will constituting our duty and determining what shall be our reward and punishment 5. That God being perfectly Holy and Just he must needs make a wide difference between the Righteous and the Wicked and cause Malum Passionis vel Physicum ordinarily to follow Malum Morale vel Actionis vel Omissionis ut benè tandem sit bonis male malis And that the same Cause which was for the enacting of his Penal Laws requireth the execution of them ordinarily at least in as high a measure as Worldly Princes are engaged to execute all their Laws 6. That the Soul of Man shall in another World everlastingly partake of exceeding misery or happiness according to what they have done in this World 7. That therefore it should be every mans chief care to provide for his Everlasting Salvation and to escape everlasting Damnation or Misery and that all things in this World are vanity and will not satisfie the Soul or make men happy and therefore that our care and labour for this World and our Love of it should be nothing in comparison of our love to that to come and of our care and labour for it and that no man can be too diligent in seeking after his Everlasting Happiness 8. That God is to be loved honoured obeyed trusted feared and that above all Creatures whatsoever and that he is the most happy man that is most in his favour and that we should Worship him frequently reverently and heartily and that according to his own will and that we should honour our Superiors and love our Equals also and do no wrong to any man in Soul Body Friends Name State or Chastity but do as we would be done by 9. That all men are Sinners and every man for himself may know by experience not only that he hath broke these Laws but often and heinously broke them yea breaketh them every day 10. That a very grievous punishment is due to them for these sins 11. That God being the Righteous Judge and Governour of the World it beseemeth him to do Justice on those that so offend him and to adjudge them to their deserved misery except on some valuable Consideration he forgive them 12. That it is past their reach to discover of themselves what such a valuable Consideration may be or what God will accept of as sufficient to be a ground for Remission of this Sin and Punishment 13. That it is past their own power to make any satisfaction seeing all that they can do which is good is but the remainder of their duty which yet is depraved by the daily mixture of Sin and all that they can suffer here is but part of their desert All this the light of Nature may shew them as is evident by the clear deductions and inferences of Reason and all this is Antecedent to any thing Evangelical But besides all this God's Providential dealings may teach them some things of another Nature even concerning God's mercy and their own Recovery As particularly 1. That God doth not deal with Mankind in general or themselves in particular according to their desert This they may find by his patience and the multitude of mercies that they enjoy 2. Nay that he dealeth with them so much contrary to their desert as to give them abundance of precious mercies through all their lives when they had deserved the greatest misery 3. That therefore God hath found out some sufficient means grounds or terms on which he both may and doth actually dispense with the rigour of exact Justice 4. That therefore their case is not utterly desperate and remediless 5. That they cannot of themselves discover what those satisfactory grounds are on which God so suspendeth the rigour of Justice and dealeth with them so contrary to their deserving 6. That therefore they should use all possible means and industry for the fuller knowing of these great things and therefore send to enquire of all others in the World as far as is possible who are likely to know more of them than they 7. That they should for the time to come repent unfeignedly of all their sins not only as they are hurtful to themselves but as against the publick Ruler of the World to whom they were so many ways obliged and that for the time to come they should to the utmost of their power sin no more 8. That they ought frequently and fervently to pray to God both to reveal to them fully their Case and his Will concerning their Recovery and Duty and importunately day by day to beg mercy at his hands 9. That all this must not be done in desperation but as a means to their own deliverance and God is to be sought and worshiped by them as a merciful God as having proved him so to be and that the use of his means is not like to be in vain 10. That ◠careful seeking and diligent obedience they should continue to the death against all Temptations to the contrary All these Truths may those come to know by the use of Reason from the Creatures and Providences and specially their own experiences who never heard of Christ or Scripture And how much Socrates Aristotle Plato Plotinus Seneca Cicero Plutarch c. did know may partly be seen in the Monuments of their
that if they neglect them they are left without excuse Prop. XV. It belongeth to Christ in drawing men towards Salvation by his Rectorship to reveal-oft times some of the forementioned Gospel Truths by way of preparation and to draw men nearer him before he reveal the full substance of his Covenant or fully promulgate his Law As the Sun sendeth forth some light before it appeareth it self at its rising which light yet comes from the same Sun So doth the Gospel oft-times Prop. XVI Those that have the forementioned truths revealed to them with hearing the Gospel are bound in all reason for the safety of their Souls to use all possible diligence to make a fuller discovery which is not likely that any Indians or others have done Had they been as diligent in improving the truth received till they had been civilized and then in sending to all others for information where there was a probability of receiving information even as men are diligent in trading tedious Voyages for Merchandize and Worldly Gain it 's like there is no Nation under Heaven but might have had the Gospel ere now Prop. XVII If men will wilfully reject and abuse that measure of light and help which they do injoy which was sufficient to that end whereto it was given to have brought them nearer Christ than they were And if they will not use the means for getting of the Gospel which they have sufficient help to use then it is apparently just with Christ even as Rector according to the Law of Grace to condemn such men after he hath Died for them And if his Death prove in vain as to their Salvation the fault is only in themselves and themselves shall they blame for ever And this is the case of these men Prop. XVIII Nay in this case the very Law of Grace commanding Faith in Christ Crucified doth oblige these men remotely to the Duty and to punishment for neglect of the Duty For though a Law not promulgate cannot oblige yet the Question is Who it was long of Or Who was the faulty cause that it was not Published If the Law-giver then it cannot oblige But if it were the subject then it doth actually though remotely oblige For no man is to receive benefit saith the Civil Law by his own fault Who knows not that among us if a Man will lie in an Ale-House and never come to hear the word God will judge him guilty of being Ignorant of all the Truths which he might have there learnt And of neglecting all the Duties which he might have been informed of And if a man know some few preparatory Truths here as that he is a sinner and miserable and ought to seek out for remedy and should come to hear the word and forsake his known sin and keep good company c. and yet he despise or disobey these shall we say this Man was never bound to believe I say he is bound remotely that is first to do some other Duties which tend towards the obtaining of the Gospel and then to believe For the obligation to both Duties lyeth on him at once but not an obligation to perform both Duties at once Object But if they should improve their degree of Light and sufficient Grace they have no certainty ty because no promise that the Gospel shall be given them Answ That 's no excuse as long as they have so full encouragement as is before expressed Should a man in danger of Death do nothing for his own safety without a certainty of success Should not the least hope of probability much more so high a probability be enough to excite men to seek the saving of their own lives Suppose a King having past an Act of Oblivion upon a ransom to that end for a whole Nation of Traytors as Ireland should send his Herald to proclaim it to all But to some of them he sendeth before hand some inferior messenger telling them in the Kings Name that he is placable and their case remediable and he requires them to use certain means as Submission Petition Laying down Arms c. and try what the King will do If these men reject unthankfully this favour and abuse the messenger and persist in Rebellion is it not just with the King to forbid the Herald that he proclaim not to them the act of oblivion And is it not long of themselves if they never hear it nor have any benefit by it so is it in the present case By the abuse of sufficient Grace to have come nearer Christ do the Pagans forfeit all other fruits of his blood So that Christ may truly be said to have done his part even as Legislator and to have promulgated his new Law among them in that he did his part and so it's promulgate moraliter vel Reputativè though it was not actualiter perfectè through their own fault It is not long of Christ but of themselves that it was not done fully in that they ungratefully rejected his Precursors or Harbingers that came before the Gospel Seeing they would not make use of the Twilight or Day-break Christ justly denieth them the Sun-Rising Prop. XIX It seems most probable that it was not only Adams first sin that is imputable to his Posterity but that we are all still guilty of all our Parents sin to this Day and that therefore God may justly deprive a whole Nation of the light of the Gospel for their Progenitors sins and that not only according to the Law of Works but even according to the Law of Grace I will not stand now on the proof of this any further than to tell you 1. That the same solid Arguments which prove the imputableness of Adams sin seem to me to prove this and by denying this we overthrow the grounds of the Doctrine of the said Imputation 2. And that the Second Commandment with all those Examples of Gods destroying the Children with the Parents and for their sin do seem fully to prove it together with the practice of Godly men to humble themselves for their Fathers Sins Yet understand me thus that though according to the Law of Works we are guilty of all our Parents Sins yet the Law of Grace Promiseth that no man shall be destroyed for them who disowneth them by true Repentance and taking a contrary course in obedience when he comes to Age. This is the sense of Ezek. 33. and 18. And so the guilt is cut off and the Child by the Covenant of Grace taken in with its Parents and so is looked on as in his immediate Parents and the sin of former Parents forgiven him though yet that guilt will return if when he comes to Age he ungratefully reject the mercy by renouncing the Covenant of Grace I do but propound this to Divines to consider For certainly if we prove all guilty of all our Parents Sins it is sad that the Church hath no better understood it and that we have none almost that ever bewailed