to move the Lord God to do them good Hence it is that Samuel saith to Israel (r) 1 Sam. 12.22 the Lord will not forsake his people and the reason he gives is this because it hath pleased him to make you his people Thus it is with God upon the account of any mercy he bestoweth upon the Creature of any nature whatsoever David declareth the same (i) Psal 44.3 for they got not the land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arm save them but thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them Thus we read in the Gospel when the Lord Jesus worked a Cure of any bodily or spiritual Disease he made it wholly depend upon his will as in the Miracle upon the Leper he said (k) Matth. 8.3 I will be thou clean and in the case of working Faith (l) chap 11.27 neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him So (m) Joh 5.21 the Son quickneth whom he will Thus as of our Election so of our Regeneration and Conversion there is no other cause but the will of God for (n) Jam. 1.18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth In few words the whole work of Salvation is an effect of his free-grace (o) Ephes 2 â— ad vers 8. When we were dead in sin he hath quickned us the reason he giveth there is this by grace ye are saved in both verses for he repeats it three verses lower by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of God We further say there was no foresight or consideration of any work faith or merit in us why God should Elect us (p) Ezck. 16.6 And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live What sign of Faith or comeliness in that condition was there in us what ornaments in us there have been since they are the work of God in us whether repentance faith holiness or any other grace For after God said to us live he washed and anointed us clothed and decked us c. as may be seen in the following verses vers 8 9 10 11 12 13. We add that sin is the only cause of damnation as in St. Matthews (q) Matth 25.42 43. Gospel by me quoted already (r) Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil In another place of Scripture he says positively (s) Rom. 6.23 the wages of sin is death But here by the by this I must take notice of how though Damnation be the reward for Sin it doth not follow that Salvation should be the reward of Faith or good Works the just reward of Sin is Death it is its due but the Apostle doth not say that Eternal Life is the wages of Faith or Righteousness as Death is of Sin (a) Ver. 23. but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is a great disparity between the rules and means of Justice and of Mercy as hereafter we shall have occasion to shew as also why God leaves and Elects one and not the other as in the ease of Esau and Jacob. (b) Malach. 1.2 3. I have loved you saith the Lord yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us Was not Esau Jacob's Brother yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau of which no account but God's pleasure for St. Paul makes to the same purpose use of the place in Rom. 9. as already quoted But now we must come to the proof of our 3d. Article namely that the Elect do constantly obey God's call when the time is come when (c) Cant. 1.4 God draweth they follow nay they run draw me we will run after thee and (d) Lament 5.21 turn thou us unto thee and we shall be turned The Elect obey the call When St. Paul heard the voice from Heaven he said (e) Acts 9.6 Lord what wilt thou have me to do This inward call for St. Paul's was such as well as outward makes a great change in Man how willing how ready to obey (f) Gal. 1.16 he confered not with flesh and blood but submitted So did the Jailour he said to Paul and Silas (g) Act. 16 30. Sirs what must I do to be saved The new Converts willing to be directed said unto Peter and other Apostles * Acts. 2.37 men and brethren wha shall we do though at first all know not what to do ye are prepared to obey and desirous to be instructed when the Lord said unto Paul arise and go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou must do he complied and went So Samuel assoon as (h) 1 Sam. 3.4 6 8 10. the Lord called Samuel he answered Here I am and though he at first did not well know the nature of the voice nor whose it was yet he ran to the place whence he thought the voice came disposed to obey and when heat last was better informed then he said Speak Lord for thy servant heareth For though may be at first God's people do not distinctly understand the call yet God never gives over calling till we are come to him God makes known unto us the mystery of his will to this end saith St. Paul (i) Ephes 1.10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him But God is never disappointed of his ends he worketh effectually and unresistibly Ver. 19. wherefore this is called the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power Observe the Emphasis This dealing of God in and towards Believers is in one and the same verse called the working of Gods power yea his Mighty Power and in the beginning of the verse not only his Power but the greatness and the exceeding greatness of his Power The effectual preaching of the Gospel to People or Persons is an effect of their Election as the Cause is known by the effect so a posteriori Election is by a powerful preaching of the Gospel (k) 1 Thes 1.4 5. Knowing beloved your election of God saith St. Paul for our Gospel came not you unto in word only but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance c. to the Elect ever it comes so in the due time and by its coming so they may judge themselves to be Elect for he saith also in much assurance We add further that the Elect neither do nor can finally and totally resist the inward powerful and effectually calling of God's spirit in the very
far from a Free will to receive good as evil This I shall conclude with an observation upon the remedy which God proposeth to prevent their death and ruin namely to repent v. 30. and to make them a new heart and a new spirit Here God speaks as one who insists upon performance of Articles thus Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul Deut. 6.5 and with all thy might But saith God that ye have not done wherefore make you a new heart and a new spirit to enable you to perform what hitherto hath been wanting for why will ye die O house of Israel He commands them to do 't themselves which they are able to do no more than to repent because all is a gift of God Psal 51.19 which David knew well when he prays thus Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Let us take notice of two different methods of God upon this account here God commandeth things to be done as they ought as performance of conditions but he promiseth nothing Do your duty which for them 't is impossible to perform wherefore he hath another way of speaking for those whom he is graciously pleased to favour he doth not command to do but promiseth himself to do for them (a) Ezek. 11.19 And I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh Which is repeated with this addition (b) Chap. 36.27 And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them To the same effect speaks another Prophet (c) Jer. 32.39 And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever Here are the most gracious promises of a Gospel-Covenant what we cannot do our selves he will do for us he will give us that heart and that spirit whereby we shall be enabled to keep and do his judgments and fear him for ever hereby we are secured from the danger of a final Apostasie The same Prophet just the Chapter before saith (d) Vers 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people and they shall not teach c. and that this is the true Evangelical sence of the place it appears out of the application of it made by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who doth quote the very same words and concludes all in these (c) Heb. 8. from 6. to 13. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more This is God's way with those whom he is pleased to save from dying and perishing as all must do whom he leaves to make themselves a new heart and a new spirit for Man's Will far from being free and able to contribute to Conversion the new Creation and Salvation is a perfect Slave to Sin till God be pleased to work upon and turn it which once being effected there is no danger of a final Apostacy for thereby we are secured against a total falling from grace and that is the Subject of the following Chapter CHAP. VIII About Amissibility of GRACE AS one depth calleth to another so doth one Error to another our Adversaries are not satisified to make Man if he be willful and obstinate stronger than God when he hath a mind to take possession of a Soul but they go farther and assert That after God is actually in possession of that Soul he may be turned out of possession which is their true sence of the point we are now going upon The Question is Whether a Man truly converted and regenerated can to the end persevere in the state of Salvation he is actually in And whether it be possible for such a one who is Elected in Christ called with an effectual Calling totally and finally to fall from God and be Damned This is the true state of the case and not whether the Elect and true Believers can fall into great sins which they do too often as it appeareth out of Scripture and Experience We say That God makes to persevere and go on to the end all the Elect and true Believers whether their Faith be strong or weak provided it be true that when once they are in the right way of Grace they shall infallibly come to Glory it being not possible for the Elect to become Reprobates to Apostatize and finally fall to Damnation Our Adversaries affirm the contrary though Arminius himself finding the stream of Scriptures and Fathers run so strong against the total and final Apostasie of Saints durst not openly declare for it yet his Followers have strongly set themselves against this Article which is the chief ground of all the comfort the Soul hath in this World to know 't is not in the power of the Devil or any other creature whatsoever to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now to prove this Doctrine we can begin no better than with that place of St. Paul's who in (a) Rom. 8.30 ver 31. that Chapter from verse 28. to the last giveth us the greatest grounds of assurance that can possibly be expected grounded upon our Election Calling Justification c. whence he proceedeth to a defiance to all (b) Vers 33 34. which is taken out of Isai 50.7 8 9. If God be for us who can be against us And (c) Ver. 32. who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth Now if Christ hath loved us which is clear in that he hath given himself for us and (d) Ver. 35. God delivered him up for us all After this the Apostle argueth from a thing impossible Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword (e) Vers 37 38 39. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors Take notice with what assurance he speaketh in the two next verses for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord I would be loth to lose one word of these wherein the Apostle speaks so fully so clearly and so much to the purpose that if to confirm this Doctrine we had had the penning of the words we could not have done it with so good effect to prove that God's Elect and Believers cannot finally fall and totally be separated from Christ and we know (f) Joh. 13. whom Christ loveth them
The temporal Faith spoken of here is only an outward profession and not the power of true Religion in this same sence is to be taken what St. Paul saith (d) 1 Tim. 1.19 of some who concerning faith have made shipwrack They made an outward profession of the Gospel which at last they fell from so that whensoever mention is made of falling from Grace from Faith from the Truth 't is only mentioned of the outward profession of it or of a temporal Faith but not of true saving Grace when 't is said (e) 1 Cor. 10.12 Rom. 11.20 Let him that thinks he standeth take heed lest he fall The Apostle doth not say that any fall from the Faith but he teacheth them how they ought and can prevent falling from it namely to have a care not to run into Carnal security such warning are effectual means whereby the Holy Ghost keepeth Believers upon Duty and doth preserve them from falls Though our first Parents fell it doth not follow the Saints should do so too the reason is God gave them only the Grace whereby they might continue in Innocency if they would but the Will he gave them not but to Elect and Believers is given Grace whereby not only they can but also they are (f) Philip. 2.12 willing to persevere But St. Peter speaks of some (g) 2 Pet. 2.21 who have known the way of righteousness and depart from it but there is a great difference between turning from saving Faith and Grace and turning from the way of righteousness which the Apostle in the same verse calleth the holy commandment that is the Doctrine of the Gospel CHAP. IX About Vniversal Sufficient GRACE NOW we must proceed to another Head wherein also Arminians joyn with Papists against us this Vniversal Sufficient Grace the whole Fabrick of Arminianism doth center upon Though several Sects are combined to assert such a thing yet they somewhat differ when they come to say what it is to Pelagians it is Nature to Papists Free-will to Quakers the light within to Arminians 't is a general influence superadded to the Natural faculties of every Man whatsoever whereby without any particular concurrence of God's Spirit and without any special Grace they are sufficiently enabled to embrace Jesus Christ and apply his Death and Merits to themselves in a saving manner which are offered alike indifferently to all Men to convert regenerate and to save their Souls if they will themselves which is meerly Free-will baptized with the Name of Grace a thing unknown to Scripture but if it be Grace in Truth as in Name how is it equally derived unto all Men and in the same measure When Grace is that which maketh one Man to differ from another Mercy distinguisheth one from another for (h) 1 Cor. 4.7 What hath a man more than another but what he received There is much to be said upon this matter but I will endeavour to restrain it within as narrow bounds as I can and I state the question thus Whether there be any such Universal Grace indifferently given to all Men at all times and in all places sufficient to convert to regenerate and to save We say no they say yea Let us examine who is in the right and let Scripture be the Judge The Word of God not in one but in many places taketh away from an unregenerate Man the power of doing good and of being converted (a) Jer. 13.23 Can the Aethiopian change his skin and the leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil (b) Mat. 7.18 Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit (c) ch 12.34 O generation of vipers how can ye being evil speak good things (d) Joh 3.5 Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (e) Joh. 6.44 No man can come unto me except the father which hath sent me draw him (f) Joh. 15.5 And without me ye can do nothing (g) Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Farther (h) 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned (i) 1 Cor. 12.3 No man saith the same Apostle can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost (k) 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think much less to do any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God All these places are so clear and positive to shew there is no such a power in Man as to convert himself that it were needless to make any enlargement upon them therefore we proceed and say how can there be such a power in men dead in trespasses and sins for such were the Gentiles before God had quickened us together with Christ Nay (l) Ephess 2. â— 5 12. we were strangers from the Covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world (m) Ephes 2.3 And we are by nature children of wrath even as others Therefore what Will and Power to do good is in us it comes from God and those whom he is not pleased to bestow it upon they never have it this is the reason assigned why the People of Israel had not well seen and perceived the great things God had done for them (a) Deut. 29.4 Yet saith Moses the lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear unto this day If without the gift of God they could not well know and perceive things obvious to their sences so palpable and visible to them how could they or any other see and understand things of a Spiritual Nature of an eternal concernment to be seen only with the eye of Faith (b) Joh. 3.12 If I have told you earthly things and you understand and believe not how shall ye believe and understand if I tell you of heavenly things This they must own Men cannot be saved without a Saviour then they also must grant there is no other Saviour but Christ no means to come to him but by Faith what then will become of those who never heard of Christ as the wild and ignorant Americans before the discovery of that Country and of so many Millions both before and after but chiefly before his coming who never heard one word of a Saviour and so could not believe in him for (c) Rom. 10.14 15. how shall they believe in him of whom they never heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they Preach except they be sent Before Christ's time we do not hear of any general Mission indeed after his Resurrection he gave his Disciples Commission but their number was but small they could not at once Preach all the
as others do we presently are by them branded with the name of precise and morose Puritans If they do well they attribute it to themselves to the right use they make of their free-will to their own will and inclination But if in us there be any thing better than in others we wholly as 't is most due attribute it to free-grace the glory of all we return to God and not to any will of ours for no good is done in or by us but what comes from God's free-grace to which specially in matter of Salvation we can never attribute too much nor too little to our own strength So that whilst their principles lead them to looseness and licentiousness ours or rather Gods in us lead us to holiness and vertuous practices and if thorough the corruption of our nature they do not as it should we confess it ought so to be Let them shew us their faith by their works for by the fruit we judge of the Tree Now bad actions and a vitiout life do naturally and necessarily flow from their principles and whilst as I said before (a) 2 Pet. 2.19 they promise others liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption Now if there be such an universal sufficient grace imparted to all men whereby they may be saved if they will why then from the Creation till now have not the effectual means of saving grace been imparted alike which if so then all or most had been saved which not being it must proceed from a want either of will or of power I cannot believe it is for want of a will for though people out of their own corruption be willing enough to procrastinate repentance and like Sampson be lulled a sleep in their Dalilah's bosom yet when they hear or see the Philistines (b) Judg. 16.19 the approaches of death dangerous sicknesses heavy afflictions and terrors of Conscience are coming upon them surely none are so prodigal of their own Souls or so desirous of damnation but would unfeignedly desire to be saved (a) Numb 23.1 let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his was the desire of that wicked false Prophet Balaam And as Sampson would have drawn up together all his forces to have overcome his Enemies he found his strength was gone The Lord was departed from him So those sinners who were lulled a sleep with those pretty fancies of a power to repent believe and be saved when it comes to the push they find there is no such thing in them as they were made to believe In Sampson his strength was gone for once he had it but that free-will and power which Arminians do brag of no man ever had Therefore at last they must be convinced how in man is no such a power whereby to be saved when he will Now to sum up all in few words Horrible absurdities follow on the Arminian opinions some whereof they acknowledge and others are bound on their back by unavoidable consequences Namely that the fruit of Christ's death doth absolutely depend upon the accidental assent of man's free-will that notwithstanding his death it was possible and very contingent that all men had perished That no soul had been free from Hell by his Blood That God should never have had any Church at all That now by vertue of his death true grace is given to all That all Pagans as well under the Law as the Gospel who never heard of Scripture are truly reconciled to God by the death of his Son That all Infants even of Heathens who die before the years of discretion are saved by Christ That in no man is any original sin but every one when he is born is put in the state of Innocency That Baptism is not necessary for no sin is therein remitted because there is none then to be remitted CHAP. XV. How Arminianism is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England WIth a sort of men namely those that are zealous for the Religion of their Fathers and true Sons of the Church of England I make no doubt but that this will be a weighty and prevailing Argument which for their sake and information before I have done I hope by the grace of God to make good and thereby to shew the disingenuity and design of those who to impose upon several people have the face to affirm Arminianism to be the Doctrine of the Church of England which is so contrary to truth To understand this well it must be explained what is meant by the Doctrine of the Church 't is not the opinions of some corrupt Members of the Church whom that Mother disowns as spurious because fallen from her Principles and having set up Errors of their own which she never taught them though they would father them upon her she hath fed them with pure and sincere milk which their own ill constitution hath turned into Poyson But what we call the true Doctrine of the Church is that which was received believed and taught in the very beginning of the Reformation from errors and abuses of the Church of Rome and without alteration by her self lasted for above threescore years after till a party here combined to bring in erroneous innovations of their own In few words we call that the Doctrine of the Church of England which concerning these controverted points is contained in the 39 Articles in the Common Prayer Book the Book of Homilies and the Catechism of Edward the 6th These are the general publick and authentical Records and Evidences of the Faith and Doctrine of the Church of England and we shall not want the Testimony of the most Eminent and famous Doctors thereof to prove what we say So then we shall make it appear how Arminiamsm is contrary to all this I mean in every one of these we shall find Testimonies against it First of all to begin with the Articles of Faith We have the 17th about Predestination in these Words Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the Foundation of the World was laid he hath constantly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ and to bring them unto everlasting Salvation c. Let the whole be read with Attention and what we have asserted about that Point will be found therein to be contained as the eternity of God's Decree everlasting Purpose its immutability hath constantly decreed c. But because if I should point at every Word confirming what I am about proving out of this Article it would take up too much time To do it more effectually I shall make use of another Man's Pen I mean of Mr. Thomas Rogers a Man beyond exception in the Case who was a Chaplain to Archbishop Bancroft He hath written an Analysis upon all the 39 Articles which he doth dedicate to the Archbishop and the Book is licens'd and printed by Authority