the proper sence But I do not see how so learned a man as Dr. Owen can excuse himself from dishonesty for making this construction of it which must appear ridiculous to any considering man However I hope the Reader will acknowledge that I have given a plain and reasonable account of the use of these Metaphors by shewing wherein the Similitude lies between the proper and figurative significations of them And hereby I may have helped our Author to conceive it a very possible thing that the Scriptures mean nothing more by those grand and Hyperbolical expressions as he calls them of being Regenerate c. then becoming a sincere Disciple of Christ which is his Adversaries notion of a Regenerate man Thus also I have shewn how far we may argue from these Scripture metaphors If any man can go further and finde out more Similitudes between the Metaphors and that which is meant by them I shall not be his Adversary provided he keeps himself within the bounds of Sense and Reason But to argue from the proper signification of any one or all these Metaphors to conclude something parallel in the state of a Believer to every thing which can properly be affirmed of them is to run upon such wilde and absurd consequences as any wise man would be asham'd to own and any good man would be afraid to fasten upon the Scriptures How our Author argues from them we shall see hereafter In the mean time we have proceeded thus far as to state the true notion of Regeneration SECT 10. Though I have as I conceive sufficiently proved that to be born again is to become a true Disciple of Christ yet for further confirmation and because it may be of some use to the ordinary Reader I shall make it plain that this notion is agreeable to the scope and designe of our Saviour's discourse to Nicodemus Joh. 3. which is the most famous place in the whole New Testament where this phrase is used It is one of the best ways of interpreting any difficult passage in Divine or Humane Authors to observe the designe of that whole discourse to which it belongs and then to fix such a meaning upon that passage as is apparently suitable to the scope of the Author if the words will bear that meaning That the Phrase of being Regenerate will bear that sence which I have assigned to it I have shewn and that it is the true sence thereof I have proved by clear Arguments from other Scriptures wherefore if I shew also that this sence of the Phrase is consonant to the plain scope of our Saviour in that discourse where he made the first mention of it that we read of nothing can be further desired to demonstrate that this indeed is the true meaning thereof The designe of our Saviour's discourse may easily be gathered from the plain passages of it and then it will appear to be this 1. To shew that faith in Christ and obedience to him were the means by which God had appointed to bring men to eternal Happiness 2. To shew the unreasonableness of the Jews who would not believe in him The former we finde vers 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life i. e. this is the way by which God hath determined to save Mankinde viz. by faith in his Son who was to be lifted up upon the Cross as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness a rude Salvage place and so fit to be the figure of that corrupt state of the World in which Christ came to die for us that whosoever believed in him should not perish but c. vers 14 15. Now this was so great a demonstration of God's Love to man thus to give his onely begotten Son that no man could hope to escape the anger of God who should refuse the benefit of this Sacrifice For though indeed God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved vers 17. yet he that believeth not is condemned already vers 18. is in a state to which condemnation belongs and that a more severe one for refusing so gratious an opportunity of Salvation as was now offered 2. Our Saviour shews the unreasonableness of those men that believed not and that by noting 1. The Evidence of that Truth which they disbelieved 2. The true cause of their unbelief The former he admonished Nicodemus of in these words Verily verily I say unto thee We speak that we do know and testifie that we have seen and ye receive not our testimony vers 11. i. e. Ye believe not my Doctrine concerning that onely way by which you must come to see the Kingdom of God although it be evidently true for this is that very Message which I bring you from God this is that Counsel and Decree of God which I come from him to testifie unto you that there is no other way but that Now this you acknowledge that I am a Teacher come from God for no man can do those Miracles that I do except God be with him v. 2. how strangely incredulous therefore are you that yet you will not believe me delivering that Doctrine which by these Testimonies of my coming from God I confirm For I prove that I have seen and known what I testifie I prove the truth of what I say by those Arguments that convince you that I am a Teacher come from God Hence we may probably gather the meaning of those words And no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of Man which is in heaven vers 13. to be this No man hath known the secret purposes of God concerning the way of saving Mankinde viz. by the death of his Son No man hath thus ascended into Heaven but he that is come from Heaven whom God hath sent to reveal this to you even he who now speaketh to you who am in Heaven who know the purposes and intentions of my Father concerning the way of Salvation This I take to be a more probable interpretation of this difficult place than that which supposeth our Saviour to speak here of his local ascension into Heaven afterward because 1. The words themselves seem not well able to bear the notion of a future ascension 2. As Grotius hath well shewn the phrase of ascending into Heaven is in other places of Scripture to be taken in the former sence viz. of gaining knowledge from God as in Prov. 30.3 4. And 3. if thus it is understood in this place then what our Saviour saith here hath a clear connexion with vers 11. where he rebuketh the Jews for not believing his Revelations taxing them of unreasonableness for it since he delivered nothing but what he had seen and known from God and also with the precedent verse where by the heavenly things our Saviour
they must be discerned that 't is impossible to discern them without that new light And now that I have taken this pains to bring the Doctor out of the clouds I challenge him to show that this Paraphrase is not the just sum of his talk concerning the Text before us now although the naked representation of this Paraphrase were enough to expose it yet because this is the Text which these men perpetually rely upon when they set themselves to cant down the use of reason in Religion I shall briefly let the Doctor see that his notions of it are either groundless or absurd and inconsistent with themselves and incoherent with the Context SECT IV. 1. WHereas he makes the natural man to be one in whom spiritual Light is not created by the Almightiness of God 't is altogether groundless for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not of it self signifie one who wants that light nor doth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denote any Almighty Act whereby a man comes to be spiritually enlightned Nor can the Doctor shew from the circumstances of the place any reason for this his notion for those words neither can he know them do not infer that a man cannot know them without such an irresistible light as he supposes nor is there the least mention of any such thing in the whole Context He tells us indeed that St. Paul plentifully shews elsewhere that this Light must be created in us by Almightiness and he instanceth in 2 Cor. 4.6 I shall in due place prove that St. Paul shews no such thing in that Text But admit he did yet it does not presently follow that St. Paul does in this place mean by the Natural man one in whom this Light is not created for 't is certain he does not speak one word of it throughout the whole Chapter Wherefore the Doctor ought at least to have proved by comparing both these Texts that he designed the same thing in them which he has not once attempted and yet this arbitrary supposal is the foundation of his whole Comment upon this place 2. His granting that the Natural man may assent to the truths of the Gospel and his denying that he can discern their agreeableness to the Divine Perfections and their fitness to promote the ends of the Gospel is palpably absurd For how is it possible that a man who exercises his rational faculties about divine things which he grants the natural man may do should believe the Revelations of the Gospel to be divine and yet see no consistency in them with the Divine Attributes and no suitableness in them to the ends of Gods Glory and Mans Good The Doctor whatever he says about those improvements of the natural mans minde which he allows to him seems rather to take him for a natural fool than a rational man A great part of that evidence upon which we believe the Doctrine of Christ is that it is a Doctrine worthy of God and a means conducible to the recovery of man and if the literal sense of the Christian Doctrines themselves is not more evident to a man that can consider than that they are so why may not a considering man who believes the Doctrines believe this of them Or how can he believe the former without believing the latter I know not which way the Doctor can hope to escape but by pretending it is possible for a man to assent to a Doctrine or Proposition the true reason whereof he doth not discern For example that a man may assent to the Creed upon the Authority of his Spiritual Guide and not discern the true reasons of those Propositions which are contain'd in it But this will not serve him For the natural man is by him granted to be one who may have an improved Reason and may exercise it in the consideration of divine things and of such a man viz. who is thus improved and considering I say 't is absurd to affirm that he may assent to the revelations of the Gospel and cannot discern that they are agreeable to the Divine Attributes c. The reason is because this is to suppose him as dull and ignorant as he was allowed to be knowing and rational before Since 't is plain that they are agreeable to the Divine Attributes c. As for those who believe the Christian Doctrine upon that meanest motive of the Authority of their Teachers though for want of considering they do not discern its agreeableness to the divine Perfections yet they do believe it it being not only unreasonable but impossible for a man to assent to any Proposition as a divine Revelation which at the same time he believes to be inconsistent with the Perfections of God But men that can tolerably well use their Understandings in Divine things as the natural man may do to abate the Philosophical Improvements which the Doctor is willing to cast into the bargain may not only believe but discern this Agreeableness and it is nonsence to suppose they have exercised their Rational Faculties as they might have done in this matter and withal to affirm that they assent to the truths of the Gospel but cannot discern that they are consistent with the Divine Perfections To put this out of question I will instance in these Propositions of the Gospel That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life This a natural man according to the Doctor may assent unto But I demand This Proposition being revealed is it not very discernible that God's giving his Son for Mankinde is very agreeable with his Goodness And that his purpose of saving Mankinde by the Sacrifice of his Sons death is agreeable with his hatred of Sin and his Justice And that the demonstration of his Justice and Mercy this way is agreeable to his Wisdom 2. That no unrighteous person shall enter into the Kingdom of God This also the Natural Man may assent to But I demand Is it not very discernible that this Doctrine is agreeable with the Holiness and Righteousness of God Is it not discernably agreeable with his Wisdome and Soveraignty And then why may not the wise and knowing man that believes these Doctrines to be divine Revelations discern them to be agreeable with the divine Perfections Take the same Doctrines again and I demand concerning them Are they not manifestly suitable to promote the ends of the Gospel These ends the Doctor saies are the Glory of God and our deliverance from a state of Sin and Misery As for the Glory of God they plainly tend to the promoting thereof because they manifest the Divine Wisdom Goodness and Holiness and the Perfections of God which was observed before As for our deliverance from Sin Is not that Doctrine plainly suited to that end which assureth us there is room for Repentance since God hath given his only Son c. and which acquainteth us
we finde in vers 22 23. For the Jews require a signe and the Greeks seek after wisdom But we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness Here are two sorts of men concerning whom the Apostle speaks and he shews concerning each of them why they rejected the Gospel 1. The Jews were offended at it because it required the belief of a crucified Messias but their pretence was that they wanted a Sign i. e. some Prodigy from Heaven or some such amazing appearances as accompanied the delivery of the Law to Moses upon mount Sinai 2. The Greek Philosophers of those days were offended at the simplicity of the Apostles preaching who nakedly represented their Doctrines without any such Philosophical Subtleties and Reasonings as they used themselves For that which they sought after which they pretended to want in the preaching of the Gospel was wisdom or demonstration from natural Principles and therefore 't is of these peculiarly said that the Gospel was foolishness unto them viz. because they looked for Wisdom or Discourses merely Philosophical Now it is plain that the Apostles chief designe in the second Chapter is to vindicate his way of Preaching the Gospel against the fault which the Greeks found with it For to this purpose he begins directly thus And I Brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God i e. I answered not their expectation who looked for Eloquence or Philosophy For I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified v. 2. not to make known unto you any other Doctrines but those which God had revealed and particularly that the crucified Jesus was the Son of God And my Speech and my Preaching was not with enticing words but in demonstration of the Spirit c. i. e. and these Doctrines I proved by Miracles and other Divine Testimonies Now this way of proving them the Apostle justifies from the nature of those things which he had preached unto them shewing that they had depended altogether upon the free and Sovereign Will of God and therefore could not be known but by Revelation and therefore could not be proved to those unto whom they were not immediately revealed otherwise than by sufficient testimony that God had revealed them to others such as Miracles and this was enough to shew why he rejected excellency of speech and wisdom viz. because it was an improper way of proving things of that nature which he had delivered to them Thus saith the Apostle We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom which God ordain'd before the world unto our glory v. 7. i. e. we declare those counsels of God concerning the Salvation of Mankinde which were concealed from former ages and which God hath now honoured us with the clear revelation of Which none of the Princes of the world knew for had they But as it is written Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man what things c. vers 8 9. i. e. if it could have been found out by natural Sense or natural Reason that God would send his Son into the world c. the chief men among the Jews could not have been ignorant of it and instead of crucifying him they would have become his Disciples themselves But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit vers 10. But these things to the knowledge whereof no man by meer natural reason could attain God hath made known to us by revelation of his Spirit so that this contrivance of Divine Wisdom is no longer hidden now being revealed to us by the Spirit For the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God for the Spirit of God is acquainted with all the secret Counsels of God and we may therefore be sure that we are acquainted with as many of them as the Spirit reveals unto us For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God vers 11. i. e. what man knows the secret purposes of another man till he thinks fit to discover them himself So the things of God i. e. his Counsels concerning the Salvation of man which depend meerly upon his own Will and Choice none can know but the Spirit of God And that these are the things which the Apostle means is plain from the Argument which he useth here for those things of a man which are common to humane nature one man may know concerning another without being acquainted by him what they are In like manner without particular Revelation a man may understand the Natural Perfections of God and those Divine Truths which by the meer use of Reason may be thence inferred wherefore the things of God here meant are those intentions and designes of God which by natural reason cannot be inferred from the consideration of the divine Perfections because they depend only upon the Will and Pleasure of God and are therefore only to be known by Revelation And this is further expressed by the Apostle in the 12 vers We have received the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God to instruct men in the knowledge of those things that could not otherwise be known Which things also we speak not in the words which mans wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual i. e. there is then no reason why they should be offended that we pretend not to prove these divine matters by Philosophical Arguments but by such Arguments only as are proper to prove them by The truth of our Revelation we prove by the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power vers 4. The sense of Revelation we prove by comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual i. e. one divine Revelation with another the Revelations of the Old Testament with the Revelations of the New Then the Apostle addes But the natural man receiveth not c. which is the Text to be explained Now if we will allow the Apostle to speak consistently we are 1. By the Natural man to understand one who rejects Revelation not excluding him that never had it offered to him But the former seems principally to be intended though upon the matter it comes all to one viz. he who rejects the testimonies whereby any thing is proved to be divinely revealed which is above the reach of Philosophical wisdom Thus did the Greek Philosophers who counted the Doctrine of a crucified Saviour foolishness as here the natural man doth the things of the Spirit of God and it is he to whom the Apostle offers the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power against the excellency of speech and wisdom wherefore the Natural man is he against whom St. Paul was proving the necessity
shewing what we are taught in the Scriptures concerning these things I hope the Reader who hath not so well considered them may gain a profitable knowledge of this part of Christian Doctrine And that is a profitable knowledge of it which will incite him to the study of Godliness and Virtue For this promise is made to encourage men to be good and the principal end which I aim at in this undertaking is to make it appear what great reason they have to endeavour earnestly after true goodness since God hath promised to give his Holy Spirit CHAP. II. Concerning those effects for the producing of which the Holy Spirit is given to Believers SECT I. DOctor O. saith well that when we treat of the Operations of the Holy Spirit we are exercised in such a Subject as wherein we have no rule nor guide nor any thing to give us assistance but pure Revelation For I suppose he means by these words that all our knowledge concerning this matter depends upon Revelation For the promise of the Spirit is a branch of the New Covenant which depended upon the pleasure of God therefore our knowledge of this part of the Covenant must be grounded upon the Scriptures which contain the revelation of it And by God's assistance I shall endeavour to govern my self by that rule while I am debating those Questions I have propounded concerning the Operations of the Holy Spirit The first whereof is this What those effects are for the producing of which the Holy Spirit is given to men And this I the rather begin withal because the end of his Operations being well understood we shall be the better able to judge of the meaning of those Texts which tell us who they are to whom the Spirit is promised and what is the manner of his Operations What the effects themselves are for which the Spirit is given may be known 1. In great part from that promise of the Holy Spirit which our Saviour made to his Disciples Luke 11.13 2. They may be fully known from those other places of Scripture which mention the several Graces of the Holy Spirit I begin with the promise in St. Luke whereby we may understand for what purposes the Holy Spirit is promised to those that believe in Christ. The Text is this How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him These words deserve our attention the more because they are the first wherein we finde our Saviour mentioning the Gift of the Holy Spirit to his Disciples and therefore let us consider their connexion with the precedent part of the Chapter to come by that means to their true meaning and hereby also we shall plainly see what those effects are for the producing of which the Holy Spirit is promised to us in this place We finde vers 1. that one of his disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray whereupon he taught them that Form of Prayer Our Father c. Having thus answered their desire he takes this occasion to require them to pray fervently and importunately urging his Command with this Argument that if they did so they should certainly be heard and their requests should be granted for thus he speaks to them vers 9. I say unto you Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened to you for every one that asketh receiveth c. This argument is enforced by two similitudes whereof the former makes way for the latter to proceed with more strength towards the proving of this thing that God will hear our earnest Prayers The first is that of a man that goes to his friend at midnight to beg three Loaves for the entertainment of another friend of his vers 5 6. Now it is here observed that the request was very troublesome and unseasonable vers 7. Trouble me not the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed and withal the trouble was so great that the bare friendship that was between them would not have prevailed vers 8. He will not rise and give him because he is his friend Yet on the other side 't is observed that two considerations prevailed with him viz. that of the necessity and that of the importunity of his friend Yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth Now from hence our Saviour concludes vers 9. that if we ask we shall have i. e. God will give us whatsoever things we ask of him importunately if those things are needful for us And this with great reason for 1. God is our best Friend and greatest Benefactor 2. We are never unseasonable to him and the giving of what we ask is never uneasie to himself Wherefore if a man will grant to his friend what he is importunate with him for if it be needful for him though he cannot do it without trouble and uneasiness to himself much more will God who loveth us more than a man can do his friend bestow such things upon us as are needful if we earnestly desire him since he can without any trouble to himself grant our requests In the next Similitude the Argument is improved If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a serpent Or if he shall ask an egg will he offer him a scorpion vers 11 12. Now here 1. The Son asks of the Father where on the one hand the natural affection is greater between a Father and his Son and on the other the dependance greater in the Son upon his Father than in one Friend upon another 2. The Son requests food necessary to sustain himself not for the entertainment of another as in the former Similitude wherefore seeing here is greater love on his part that is asked greater dependance and necessity on his that asks our Saviour concludes he will prevail so that the Father instead of giving that which is necessary will not give that which is unprofitable as a Stone instead of Bread much less will he instead of that which is profitable give that which is hurtful as a Serpent for a Fish and a Scorpion for an Egg. From hence our Saviour argues If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The Argument proceeds à minori and the force of it lies in this That earthly Parents who may be tenacious towards others and envy what they enjoy for in that sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken Is thine eye evil because mine is good will not yet be so towards their Children when they ask such things as they need much less will God who is in this Similitude affirmed to be our Father as in the former he is supposed to be our Friend and who
Saviour argues from the Fatherly Goodness of God that he will grant our request Now we cannot argue against that Goodness of God if he doth not grant every particular request of this kinde 1. Because he may grant me the effect of my request which is to obtain something profitable for Salvation though he doth not give me that particular which I ask for he may give me another thing more profitable than that instead of it and then he is far from being less good for so doing As if a Child asks his Parent for such a Fish and he gives him a better or another sort of food more proper for him he is not the less bountiful and though perhaps he doth not please him so well yet he doth not deny him the effect of his request Thus I may pray for knowledge in some point of Religion which I would fain be satisfied in while in the mean time I may lie under a greater need than at present I am sensible of not having improved that knowledge which God hath already blessed me with to those degrees of Goodness which I might and ought to have attained by it and in this case the knowledge I ask might probably puff me up rather than edifie me Wherefore if God doth not bless my endeavours after it with the thing itself but instead thereof give me a better knowledge of my self helping me to rectifie some disorder in my Will and Affections he gives me that which is more profitable than that which I ask in particular 2. God may grant me all those profitable things which are suitable to that place and condition which he hath appointed to me and then I ought not to question his paternal goodness if he denies my particular request of some profitable thing which is more suitable to anothers condition than mine own If a Father should allow a more liberal maintenance to one of his Sons who serves him in a more expensive employment than the rest they are not to take it ill that he has not made them all equal but on the other hand to acknowledge his goodness if every one of them have a convenient allowance proportionable to their needs Thus if I that am but a private Christian labour to know as much in divine things as my spiritual Guide and pray for Gods blessing upon my endeavours do yet fail of my desire I must not conclude that God is wanting in his kindness to me if upon my industry in searching for knowledge with a sincere intent he grants me that measure of profitable Understanding which is suitable to my state education and calling and abundantly sufficient to all the purposes of Christian Life as to my own particular or for the Government of my Family if that be my case also To this it must be added that God knows what profitable things are most suitable to us better than we our selves Though Children are humbly to acquiesce in the allowance of their Parents yet they may not alwaies be bound to believe that it is made with good judgment and proportioned wisely to their needs But here 't is otherwise for as we may conclude from the Goodness of God that if we are sincere and diligent he will give us such profitable things as he judgeth to be most suitable to our condition So we may likewise argue from his Wisdome that he cannot be mistaken in judging what that is though we may and thereupon ask some profitable thing in particular which his Goodness may very well consist with the denial of Finally It is consistent with the Fatherly Goodness of God in bestowing what is profitable for Salvation upon every one that asketh to use his Sovereign Power in giving to one more than to another for though upon my sincere endeavours and prayers I may promise my self from that his Goodness besides the necessaries what is abundantly profitable in answer to my Needs I may not every profitable thing which I can think of or which I see another of my own rank in other respects favoured withal Wherefore I have no reason to complain if I see another man wiser than his Teachers while I need to be instructed by them or if I am a Teacher to see my self so far excelled by those of my own profession that it is fit for me to be a Learner under them For these Reasons it doth not follow in every particular that if I ask something that is profitable God will grant it Yet 3. We are to remember that a great difference is to be put between things profitable viz. between degrees of improvement in Goodness on the one hand and in Knowledge on the other There is this difference between them that the former do of themselves recommend us to the greater Love and Favour of God the latter not so but onely as they are the fruit of sincere Love and study of the Truth which is a branch of Righteousness and accompanied with an upright care to do the will of God more perfectly Therefore let a sincere Christian pray for any degree of Righteousness and Holiness which his imperfect condition in this world will admit of though he cannot conclude that God will grant that particular request merely because he asks something that is profitable for so is every degree of Knowledge too yet he has this reason to conclude which is not common to praying for profitable Knowledge that he prays for something which God loves for it self and which he will be the more pleased with him for obtaining That delight which God takes in the persons of men is not founded upon the mere improvements of their Understandings but upon the sincerity of their Obedience which the Scripture doth often witness to us in such places as these The Righteous Lord loveth Righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright Psal. 11.7 The prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord but he loveth him that FOLLOWETH after Righteousness vers 9. Whence we may conclude that the more we grow in Grace and Virtue the more God loveth us and therefore that he will give the Holy Spirit to encrease all Christian virtues in us to such degrees towards Perfection as are proportionable to our Prayers and Endeavours in Following after Righteousness From which we may see what encouragement we have to study the defects and infirmities of our Wills as particularly as we can and to observe the several Irregularities of our thoughts and affections with our best attention since by this means we may employ our care and prayers against them more effectually for the more particular and importunate we are in so doing the more is God pleased with us and therefore he will not fail to answer the sincerity of our intention with a proportionable gift of the Holy Spirit But as for other sorts of profitable things such as greater measures of knowledge which do not of themselves recommend us to
think may take Sanctuary in that Ignorance which will I hope make some abatement for the mistakes of the people but as for the rest they would do well to consider those dreadful words of our Lord Luke 17.1 2. It is impossible but that offences will come but wo unto him through whom they come It were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea than that he should offend one of these little ones SECT 5. I should come next to consider that Argument of the Doctor which lies particularly against the supposal of Regeneration to be a Metaphorical expression of reformation of Life according to the Scriptures which he takes to be his Adversaries notion of Regeneration But it is fit their notion should be better understood than as 't is lamely represented by him Wherefore my next business shall be to state what I conceive to be the true meaning of Regeneration which being done I promise the Doctor not to forget his Objection against it The meaning of being Regenerate or born again will be fully known if we know what it signifies as a State and what as an Effect I shall first consider what is the meaning of being Regenerate as that phrase implies the state or condition of that man who is said to be Regenerate and then I shall offer those reasons which make it evident that that meaning is fit to be expressed by this Metaphor 1. As Regeneration denotes a State I affirm that to be regenerate or born again signifies in its utmost meaning to become a sincere Proselyte or Disciple of our Lord Jesus I shall first briefly shew what I mean by a sincere Disciple of Christ. Secondly I shall prove that to be the meaning of a regenerate state To be a sincere Disciple of Jesus consists in these two things 1. In being baptized as our Saviour requires 2. In making good the profession of Baptism which is to believe in Christ and to obey his Commands This is clearly answerable to that rule which our Blessed Saviour gave to his Apostles according to which they were to make men his Disciples Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost i. e. admitting them by Baptism into the Church and thereby engaging them to believe and to profess their Faith in the Father Son and Holy Ghost and of that Doctrine to which they have born record Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you i. e. and by the same Baptism engaging them to obey all my Commands That therefore which makes us sincere Disciples is thus to believe and obey as we are by Baptism engaged to do Now because to obey the Commands of Christ whatever we lose or suffer by it is the clearest proof we can give to our selves or others that we own him in good earnest to be our Lord and Master and that we do heartily believe him to be the Son of God therefore we finde that our Saviour speaks of this obedience to him as if it were the onely thing in which our being his true Disciples did consist Thus John 15.8 Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit that ye be fruitful in Piety and good works so shall ye be my Disciples The same thing is affirmed of obedience to one but that a very remarkable Precept of our Saviour John 13.34 A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if you have love one to another i. e. such love as Christ had to us Now we are not to think that this last saying of our Saviour concerning that one instance of obedience to him or that the former concerning obedience in general do exclude either the one obedience to the rest of his Laws or the other believing him to be the Son of God from being necessary to make us his true Disciples But that by such an high act of Vertue as to love the Brethren as Christ loved us it may strongly be concluded that we will not stick at any thing he requires of us and that our yielding a sincere obedience to all his Commands does clearly suppose that we believe him to be the Son of God and all his promises to be true Hence our Saviour does not admit that we can be his Disciples if we do not entirely submit our selves to him If any man come to me and hate not his Father c. and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple i. e. unless he loves God and Truth and Goodness so much more than all his worldly Interests even his Life it self that he may be said to hate these things when his love to them is compared with his love to Christ he cannot be a Disciple of Christ He cannot be so if he be not willing to part with all earthly things in obedience to Christ. The meaning is he cannot be a sincere Disciple he cannot answer the profession of Baptism while it is thus with him Thus are we taught to interpret those words by our Saviour himself in another place If ye continue in my word to do according to it whatever betides you for so doing in this world then are ye my Disciples indeed St. John 8.31 So that the best notion we can frame of a true Disciple of Christ and that to which we are guided by Christ himself is this that he is one who doth so firmly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that all his promises are true as to love God above all things and yield an hearty obedience to all the Commands of Christ. Now Secondly I am to prove that the state of Regeneration means no more than to become such a Disciple of Christ as I have described and my first Argument is this 1. It is acknowledged that unless we be Regenerate we cannot see the Kingdom of God and withal that if we be Regenerate we have thereby all that is necessary to qualifie us for his Kingdom It is I think likewise acknowledged that it is equally necessary and sufficient for that end that we be the sincere Disciples of Christ. Let these things be granted and I am much mistaken if it does not follow that to be Regenerate and to be a sincere Disciple of Christ are the same thing If the latter be not readily granted it is clearly proved from all those Scriptures which suppose Faith and Obedience to be necessary and sufficient qualifications for eternal Happiness such as these He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Christ is the Author of salvation to them that obey him He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Blessed are the pure in
purpose it is observable that God's dwelling thus in the Most Holy place is called his dwelling amongst the Israelites Thus when he commanded the building of the Ark Let them saith he make me a Sanctuary that I may dwell amongst THEM Exod. 25.8 And after he had promised to sanctifie the Tabernacle with his Glory he tells Moses And I will dwell amongst the Children of Israel and will be their God Exod. 29.45 Now that the presence of his mercy and favour towards them was meant in this promise appears by the following words And they shall know that I am the Lord their God that brought them forth out of the land of Aegypt i. e. he would so manifest his power in protecting and defending them from all their Enemies that they should know he had the same care of them which he shewed in delivering them from the Aegyptian bondage But this is yet more clearly signified by those words In all places where I record my NAME I will come unto thee and BLESS thee Exod. 20.24 For the Name of God as we find in 2 Sam. 6.2 was The Lord of Hosts that dwelleth between the Cherubims And this is that account which the Psalmist gives of God's dwelling in Sion where the Ark of his presence was The Lord hath chosen Sion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it I will abundantly satisfie her poor with bread I will cloath her Priests with salvation and her Saints shall shout aloud for joy Psal. 132.13 Thus in times of distress and danger they began their prayers for deliverance by invoking the Lord God of Israel that dwelleth between the Cherubims 2 Kings 19.15 and Psal. 80.1 By all which it appears that Gods dwelling there signified the peculiar favour which he had towards the house of Israel before all other people And accordingly we may observe that the Scripture doth use to express the presence of God amongst them when they were punished for their sins not by dwelling with them but by visiting them which you know is a word that does not imply continuance and long abode as the other does and is therefore much fitter than that to express the presence of his angry Justice who delighteth not in Vengeance but in Mercy and who is more easily prevailed with to withdraw his displeasure than his favour and kindness Thus saith the high and lofty One I DWELL with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit which that it signifies the lasting presence of his favour is plain from the following words For I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made Isa. 57.15 16. Although God is said to visit men both when he is present to punish them as in Exod. 32.34 Psal. 89.36 c. and when he is present to deliver and bless them as in Exod. 3.16 Psal. 106.4 yet 't is in respect of the latter onely that he is said to dwell amongst them Now as I observed before the Apostle cites that promise of God made to the Israelites that he would dwell in them applying it to the state of the Christian Church as you may see 2 Cor. 6.16 Wherefore God's dwelling in men as this phrase is used in the New Testament signifies also his peculiar grace and favour toward them as the Apostle himself explains it by subjoyning that other place thereto And I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord God Almighty And this is that testimony which he hath given us hereof that the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth John 1.14 By whom we have received God's blessings and favours and the clear revelations of his Will more freely than the Israelites ever did by the dwelling of the Ark amongst them They prayed towards their most Holy place where God was extraordinarily present that he would stir up his strength and come and save them But we look up to the more Holy Mercy-seat where God is more gloriously present than he was between the Cherubims even to Jesus whom all the Angels of God worship and in whom the fulness of the God-head dwelleth bodily that through him we may have help and salvation The Name of God which he hath now recorded amongst us is The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and by this name we invoke him that he would come unto us and bless us And there is as great difference between the Blessings that God's coming to us and dwelling amongst us implies and those which were promised to the Israelites as between the testimonies themselves of God's presence amongst them and amongst us They were temporal favours and deliverances which they promised to themselves from God's presence in the most Holy place But we look for a salvation incomparably more excellent God having blessed us through Christ with all spiritual blessings in things that concern Heaven Eph. 1.3 The Enemies we are to subdue by the strength of the Lord and the power of his might are those which would hinder us of our heavenly Canaan viz. our sensual Lusts and earthly Affections and the temptations of the World and the Devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickednesses in high places Eph. 6.12 against all the suggestions of evil spirits whether to more gross and sensual or to more refin'd and spiritual vices And they are Enemies so much more dangerous than those which the Israelites had to deal withal that theirs do not deserve to be called Principalities c. when they are compared with those here mentioned by the Apostle Thus by the Spirit of God dwelling in us twice mentioned by St. Paul Rom. 8.9 11. we are to understand the presence of his Grace whereby we are constantly enabled to mortifie the deeds of the Body vers 13. For then our Bodies shall have a blessed Resurrection vers 11. and the Spirit is life because of Righteousness vers 10. our Souls shall then be qualified for eternal Life and Happiness Now this being certain to come to pass if the Spirit of God dwelleth in us it is plain that the peculiar grace and favour of God towards us which is signified thereby is that by which we may be kept from living after the flesh which if we do we shall die and enabled to mortifie the deeds of the Body to subdue our spiritual Enemies more perfectly and to prevail finally against them that we may live vers 13. Therefore to conclude this point as God's dwelling amongst the Israelites signified his peculiar favour to them in protecting and defending them and bringing them to the Land of Canaan and blessing them with plenty and increase c. so is the peculiar presence of his Grace
Saviour thought it was needful for us and therefore we have good reason to believe that God will not be angry with us because we are afraid to provoke his angry Justice nor disregard our care to do his will ever the more because we are moved thereunto by Fear since it is an argument that he himself perswades us withal especially since the Scripture makes those divine benefits which challenge our utmost gratitude and that goodness of God towards us which is so powerful an argument to make us love him with all our hearts a reason also why we should fear him For if we may believe the Psalmist we are to fear God because there is forgiveness with him Psal. 130.4 i. e. because the abuse of his Mercy will yet more provoke his Displeasure and bring a more dreadful punishment upon us Lastly since the Scripture tells us that we are not onely to begin but to perfect holiness in the fear of God and that too in consideration of those promises whereby we are encouraged to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 all this makes me wonder at your presumption in saying that by the want of your absolute Assurance Duties are discouraged spiritual Endeavours and Diligence are impaired Delight in God weakened and Love cooled when the Scripture is so plainly against you And for your saying that we bewray our Ignorance while we make the fear of God's threatnings lest they fall upon us needful to quicken our industry in all duties of obedience might we not requite you by saying more justly that you do but bewray your confidence in making your self wiser than Christ who thought we stood in need of this argument and would have it take impression in our mindes as I have already shewn you It is you say very sad that any man should so far proclaim his inexperience and unacquaintedness with the nature of Gospel-grace the Genius of the New Creature c. as to be able thus to argue viz. that the â—â—â—â—rance you speak of tends to carelesness c. But it is more sad that men under a pretence of greater acquaintance with Gospel-grace should take upon them to undermine the usefulness of so excellent a Grace of the Gospel as the fear of God's threatnings Now as to that experience you have of the nature of Gospel-grace and of the New Creature and which makes you so confident I have a good while considered what it should be and cannot finde a more probable sence of your words than this That you finde your selves made new Creatures and put on to good works by an irresistible grace which is the darling opinion you contend so fiercely for in your Book And if that be your meaning and your meaning be true then I confess there is no need of the Argument of Fear to constrain such as you And I will adde also neither can there be any need of any motive whatsoever to make you as good as you say and as we hope some of you are 3. Neither is this Assurance needful to encourage and comfort us while we are performing our duty nor must the want of it needs cast us into Perplexities Discouragement and Despondency as the Doctor will have it For the Scripture supposeth that the conditional promises of the Gospel are a sufficient ground of comfort while we are careful to keep the Commandments of God and if we are not Comfort is a thing that belongs not to us St. John saith We declare the Gospel unto you that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be FVLL If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth 1 John 1.3 4 6. Now that joy which is full is encouragement enough to our duty and yields sufficient comfort in the performance of it but if we may believe the Apostle this fulness of Joy may be grounded upon the conditional terms of the Gospel viz. that if we do not walk in darkness we have fellowship with God if we obey the Gospel God will love us and if we persevere therein he will save us eternally wherefore it may be had without absolute assurance that we shall be saved The Gospel will afford us no other comfort than that which depends upon the performance of our duty and seeing it hath given us abundant encouragement by the promises of God's Grace to be diligent in our duty it hath also abundantly provided for our comfort But 't is a most unreasonable thing to pretend that we cannot begin to serve God with any comfort till we have a comfortable assurance as the Doctor very truly calls it that we are personally elected and that it is absolutely impossible for us to miscarry for this is a comfort proper onely for them that have finished their course and are now ready to receive the Crown of Righteousness Suppose a good man should employ his Servant in a business of some difficulty promising him sufficient means to go through with it and for his reward a considerable inheritance in his Family If after he has taken the charge and before he has well begun it he should come to his Master and fall down at his Feet intreating him to settle that Inheri-upon him beforehand and to give him an absolute Estate in it promising upon his ingenuity that he would not be the less careful of his work but think himself rather the more obliged to perform it to the utmost of his power sure his Master would tell him that he desired an unreasonable thing since he had never found him worse than his word and there was some reason to suspect that his impatience was a signe of no honest intention in him but that for his own part he would give him no better assurance of his reward than upon condition lest afterward he must get somebody else to do his work Now if for all this the loitering Servant should lie groveling upon the ground wringing his Hands and beating his Breast protesting that he cannot go about his work nor so much as think of it with any joy till he hath full assurance that fair Estate he is so enamoured withal shall be his whether he doth his service required of him or whether he doth it not that nothing will comfort him and keep up his Heart from sinking within him but such a comfortable Assurance that he is all over lame and stiff and cannot stir a foot nor move a hand in his Master's service as long as he hath any the least fear of missing that Reward By this time we may suppose the good man to have a better opinion of his Servant than to think him a Knave but he would certainly conclude that he was not very wise The Parallel is so easie that I need not make it Indeed if a man be
ready to submit to and then I desire Dr. Hammond's interpretation may be considered But if they neither use this way nor the other nor any like it it is an absurd thing to produce those testimonies of Scripture at all to convince us by them because upon these terms it is utterly impossible they should convince us till we have received that New Light which they themselves pretend to And this is all that I can hope to bring them to viz. to confess their own impertinency in offering any testimony of Scripture for the justifying of their pretence and that when all is done they have nothing to say but the Spirit tells them this is the true sence and meaning of Scripture without enabling them to make it appear to any body else And so we are to let them go either for errant Hypocrites or rank Enthusiasts whom the State hath reason to be jealous of lest they should have some dangerous design against the Government or be prompted to Sedition and Rebellion by the heats of their own fancies or the suggestions of the Devil which by an Enthusiast may be so easily mistaken for the Impulses of the Holy Ghost If last of all it should be said that although God hath not promised this Inspiration we are speaking of yet for ought we know he may do more than he hath promised and reveal the true sence of what passages in Scripture he pleaseth to whom he pleaseth I answer that as I am no way obliged to contradict this supposition so withal I must adde 1. That supposing a man to be thus inspired he cannot prove to another that he is so otherwise than by Miracles which if he doth not neither can he justly expect to convince another that the sence revealed to him is the true sence otherwise than by such rational means as he must have used if it had not been revealed and 2. That therefore if one man hath nothing to say in conclusion for his interpretation of a place of Scripture but that the Spirit led him to it and that to put any other sence upon it is the fruit of carnal reasoning and of the wisdom of the flesh and a signe of Vnregeneracy and the state of a natural man that hath not the Spirit of God which is always Dr. Owen's last refuge and another plainly shews either by the words themselves or by the designe of the discourse to which they belong or by some other way apt to convince a rational man that the foresaid meaning does not belong to them but one that is different from it In this case I say the former is convinced to pretend falsly to Inspiration and in plain English he must be a very Fool that will prefer his interpretation before the other And so much for that matter SECT 5. 2. The principal passages of Scripture which seem to imply Assurance to be a gift bestowed upon the regenerate by the Holy Spirit are two The first I shall mention is that of St. Paul to the Ephesians Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4.30 Now by the Believers being sealed c. some have thought that a testimony of the Spirit whereby they are absolutely assured that they shall be saved must needs be meant But first the words are fairly capable of another meaning viz. that the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Believers were an evidence that God was now preparing them for the Kingdom of Heaven since upon their believing he had blest them with so many advantages in order thereunto and therefore that he had now a peculiar right to their obedience For this we know is one use of sealing to distinguish that which of right belongs to our selves from what is common Thus are all Believers marked out for God's portion and peculiar by the eminent advantages of the Gospel which he hath made them partakers of and therefore are they said to be sealed by the Holy Spirit because the Gospel is a divine Revelation and the ministration of the Gospel is the ministration of the Spirit Thus when it is said that God the Father hath sealed Christ John 6.27 the meaning is that by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him he owned him to be his Son that great Prophet who was to declare the will and pleasure of God to men In like manner God's giving his Holy Spirit to them that believe in Christ is as St. Chrisostome speaks excellently upon this place his marking them out to be a Royal Flock it is a token of their peculiar designation to the service and obedience of God and a pledge of that Inheritance 2 Cor. 1.22 they shall be rewarded with if they walk as becomes the Gospel But all this is very far from inferring an absolute assurance in them who are thus marked out for God's people that they shall infallibly persevere in that duty which belongs to their peculiar relation to God and the performance whereof is the condition of receiving the Inheritance And therefore such assurance cannot be proved to be spoken of in this place But 2. The words are not onely capable of that sence which I have offered but their coherence with the foregoing and following verses and the force and reason of St. Paul's Exhortation requires it Let him saith he that stole steal no more and let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth c. Let all bitterness and wrath c. be put away The Argument wherewith he enforceth these Exhortations is this that otherwise they would grieve the Holy Spirit by which they were sealed c. i. e. they would plainly contradict the end for which God had bestowed the gifts of the Spirit upon them who were thus marked out to be his Servants and Children This would be to grieve the Holy Spirit i. e. to bereave themselves of his gracious presence and to come in danger of being excluded for ever out of the Rest of God as it was with the Israelites in the Wilderness with whom God was grieved forty years and he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Heb. 3. And the note which the Apostle makes thereupon is this that we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end vers 14. i. e. if we hold on resolvedly and patiently in the course of a Christian life It is the like Argument which the Apostle useth more concisely to the Ephesians when he disswades them from impure and evil courses lest they grieve the Holy Spirit of God and by consequence never enter into that Rest God had designed for them But this consideration could have been of no force at all if they had been absolutely sure of their Inheritance as some from these words have pretended they were whereas it must be granted to be very prevailing on supposition that by sealing is here meant their being as it were