love of Benevolence but a so with a love of Complacence and liking For this ia the voyc of the Father from heaven This my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3.17 Here is a revelation of the love of liking I am well pleased The Father is well pleased in his Son With whom Surely with those unto whom hee had given his Sonne that is all his elect Againe this answer if it were beyond all exceptions yet it is very impertinent to the obiection For the Text doth not onely say that God loveth them not with such or such a love but in plaine terms it saith that the Lord hateth them that work iniquity Now what shall we say that God loves a person with infinit a love beyond expression or conceit and yet at the same time hateth the same person with that perfect hatred wherewith hee hateth all the workers of iniquitie Let us take heed that we draw not a vaile before the face of God and delude our selves and others with such frothy and impertinent distinctions But I have by this time bred a kinde of wonder in you what I shall speak seeing that which other men have said thus far liketh me not I answer therefore that this clause God hateth all the workers of iniquity and God loveth the ungodly are both in Scripture and therefore both true yet in a different sense The first The Lord hateth all the workers of iniquity is the voyce of the Law the other the Lord loves sinners is the voyce of the Gospel Now the Law and the Gospel speak divers things the one being the manifestation of Gods iustice tells us what we are by nature the other being the manifestation of Gods mercie tells us what wee are by grace in Iesus Christ The Law saith that every sinner shal be accursed The Gospel saith Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners The Law saith God will by no meanes cleare the guilty Exod. 34.7 The Gospel saith God justifieth the ungodly The Law declareth wrath without forgivenesse The Gospel Mercy grace and peace in Iesus Christ Thus farre is the obiection answered but yet all difficulty and scruple is not removed For the Law you will say is an eternall veritie whatsoever it saith is true I confesse it so and one iot or tittle thereof cannot faile But I say with the Apostle that whatsoever the Law saith it saith to them only who are under the Law and to none other I say again that the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled by Christ for us all yea in all that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.4 So that although the elect of God are sinners in the iudgement of the Law Sense Reason yea and oftentimes Conscience yet having their sinnes translated unto the Sonne of God in whom they were elected they have the righteousnesse of the Law fulfilled in the Mediatour and so become to be accounted righteous in his sight that as God on the one side delivered the innocent to death as though hee had been a sinner being made countable for our sinnes So on the other side God loveth justifieth cleareth the guilty and sinners as if they had been holy righteous and blamelesse The summe is this that as Christ was no sinner indeed and yet a sinner by imputation so they that are Chrisis are no sinners by imputation and yet sinners indeed Thus much for the first Obiection The second followes Objection 2. If God be reconciled unto us before all condtions c. How is it that our Saviour saith Matth. 6.15 If you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses Vnto which may be ioined that which we have Matth. 18.35 So likewise shall my heavenly doe also unto you if yee from your heart forgive not every on his brother their trespasses In which place we see first that unlesse we forgive God will not forgive us Nay more that God will reverse the act of his mercy if after hee hath forgiven us 10000. talents wee shall not forgive 100. pence wee shall bee delivered to the tormentors until we pay the whole due For answer to this Obiection we must lay down two grounds the first That God rever reverseth the acts of his mercy communicated to his Elect. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 112.9 God is not a man that he should lie neither the sonne of man that he should repent 1 Sam. 23.19 The second ground that Gods forgiveness of us is a fore-runner of our forgivenes of our brethren And we cannot truly forgive our brethren untill wee doe apprehend Gods forgivenesse of us Shouldest not thou have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pitie on thee Matth. 18.33 And upon this ground the Apostle presseth the Ephesians unto kindnesse and tendernesse of heart forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4.3 But then if this be so what meane the foresaid places which strengthen the objection I answer That forgivenesse is there to bee taken for the manifestation of forgivenesse Except ye forgive men neither will your heavenly Father so fully declare and manifest himselfe unto your consciences and so this place pertaineth properly to our reconciliation with God not unto Gods reconciliation with us That this is not a subtile evasion but the truth appeares first by a place of Scripture secondly by the judgement of Interpreters upon a like place The place of Scripture is found Luke 7.47 Her sinnes which are many are forgiven her for shee loved much What have wee here that this womans great love was the cause of remission or that it went before her obtaining of remission as Bellarmine contendeth Verily no but it is plaine that her remission obtained was the cause of her love Simon saith our Saviour A certaine creditor forgave two debtors frankly whereof the one ought five hundred pence the other fifty which of the twain wil love him most Simon answereth well He to whom he forgave most Our Saviour maketh the application Seest thou this woman Thou lovest me a little Thou hast bidden me to dinner But when I came into thy house thou gavest me no mater for my feet but shee hath washed my feet with her teares and wiped them with the haires of her head My head with oyle thou diddest not anoint but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment Thou seest that I have forgiven thee a few sinnes and thou lovest mee a little but this woman hath much forgiven her Therefore she loved much whereby we understand two things first that her love was not the cause of forgivenes but forgivenesse a cause of her love Secondly That forgivenesse in this place includeth the manifestation of forgivenesse many sinnes are forgiven her the sense is this it appeareth unto this woman that I have pardoned a multitude of sinnes for her This is the Scripture The judgement of
Interpreters in the Protestant Church upon a like place is occasioned by an argument urged by Cardinall Bellarmine and other poplings against the Protestants on this wise If saith he the Protestants have pardon of all their sinnes in such wise as they say they have why doe they yet pray forgive us our trespasses if they be already forgiven The Protestants answer with one consent that they doe beg at the hands of God greater certainty and assurance of his grace towards them the Petition forgive us our trespasses may well stand with assurance of pardon The condemned person that is upon the ladder having received the pardon of a gracious Prince heares it read is assured of it and rejoyceth in it yet this person being called into the presence of the King if he should fall downe and say Pardon mee my Lord the King who could lay folly to his charge So we having received the free pardon of sinne at his hand already yet as oft as wee come into his presence wee cry to the glory of his grace forgive us our trespasses for while we beg at the hands of God that which we have before received we doe magnisie his grace that hath freely given it Againe who so sure and certain of pardon but that he either needeth a greater assurance or at least that assurance to be by Gods mercy continued Thus much for the second objection The third followeth If God love us in bloud and pollution as well before conversion as after conversion then to what purpose serve our faith and good workes First I answer this objection indirectly by propounding one question whether thou thinkest that thy faith and good workes can obtaine or procure the love and favour of God If thou sayest no then why doest thou make this objection If thou sayest yea then I demand who shall give thee faith and good workes Shouldst thou expect them from any other then from the hand of a loving God Secondly I answer directly by shewing thee the true office of faith Although faith do not procure Gods love and favour yet is it to very good purpose and exceeding precious That you may know the love of God and be sealed with the holy Spirit of promise In whom after yee beleeved ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory Eph. 1.13 14. The Originall reades it In whom beleeving ye were sealed so that beleeving is sealing and an earnest of the inheritance Secondly that beleeving you who were under darknesse and in the shadow of death and saw no light yet I say beleeving yee might rejoyce with ioy unspeakable and full of glory receiving the end of your faith 1 Pet. 1.8 Rom. 15.13 The God of hope fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeving Thus you see your faith is to very good purpose and yet not to that purpose to obtaine the love and favour of God Thus much for the office of faith yet doe I not undertake to set out unto you the whole office of that most precious gift but on 〈◊〉 so much as may serve to answer the present obiection But secondly to what purpose serve our good workes I answer to very good purpose also namely to expresse our thankfulnes to God and our Lord Iesus Christ who hath delivered us from our enemies That we being delivered might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Luke 1.74 75. We doe not serve God to obtaine deliverance by serving of him But of his free grace obtaining deliverance wee serve him Wee doe not serve God to obtaine salvation but obtaining salvation freely by Iesus Christ we offer up our souls and bodies a living sacrifice of thanksgiving I answer further Thy good workes may bee profitable unto men Tit. 3.8 but not unto God who is of absolute perfection and needeth not any thing which thou canst doe Can a man be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitable unto himselfe Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous or is it any gaine to him that thou makest thy wayes perfect Iob 22.2.3 Thus you see the office of your faith and workes Because we say that God loves us as well before conversion as after doe wee therefore make faith and workes void God forbid Must I needs put out my fire because I will not set it on the top of the house No I will keepe it within the chimney which is the proper place Woe be to that Citie where the sire shall overtop the houses fire is precious in the chimney bur dangerous elsewhere Precious is the gift of faith if kept within his own sphere but if we shall begin to lift it up and place it in the throne of Christ what rock more dangerous to the soul The Brasen Serpent was a great blessing so long as Israel looked at it by Gods appointment to be healed of the bitings of the fiery Serpents But when once Israel shall burne incense unto it let it be Nehushtan a peece of old cankred brasse 2 Kin. 18.4 Thus for the third obiection the fourth follows If God love us with as great a love before conversion as after then what need we take care what we doe If we repent and beleeve the Lord will love us never the better If we neither repent nor beleeve the Lord will love us never the worse Answer I can hardly vouchsafe to give an answer to this obiection because the wise man adviseth Pro. 26.4 Answer not a Foole according to his folly lest thou bee like unto him And yet I must give an answer because the wise man commandeth verse 5. Answer a Foole according to his folly lest hee bee wise in his owne conceit Lest if I should passe by this obiection thou shouldest triumph as if thou hadst gotten the victory I answer therfore with the Apostle Shall we sin that grace may abound and shall we sin because wee are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid Ron 6.15 This obiection was moved by cavelling spirits even in the Apostles time well nigh 1600 years agoe and you see the answer And now the same spirit rageth in thee But I thought what a customer vvee should have of thee Thou vvouldest make men beleeve that thou art no Iusticiary no Papist not one that seekes to bee iustified by thy workes And yet if thy workes cannot obtain Gods favour if they cannot procure an increase of his love thou will presently cast off all and give liberty to thy flesh Give me leave to speak plain Thou art hee that turnest the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ into wantonnes whose end is destruction whose God is thy belly whose glory is thy shame who mindest earthly things Philip. 3.19 But bee it known unto thee that the grace of God teacheth other things namely to deny alungodlines
yet I will endevout to speak what I am able And I shall commend unto you a twofold Peace the first Descending The second ascending The first is the tidings of the love and reconciliation of the everliving God unto the sonnes of men The second declares the reconciliation of the sonnes of men to the everliving and everloving God To speak plain first I will shew how God comes to be reconciled unto men Beare with the term reconciled although improperly spoken of him that was never an euemy Secondly I will shew you how we come to be reconciled unto God For the first How doth God come to be reconciled to men I conceive now the drooping conscience that sits in darknesse under the cloudy apprelhension of an angry Iudge under the fearfull expectation of a terrible account to be given unto the consuming fire wil be very attentive to heare that which his heart so thirsteth after How God may be reconciled Oh what shal I doe saith the soule to obtain the favour of God What shall I doe to turn away his wrathfull displeasure from me wherewith shall I come before him or how shall I appease him Attend therefore and I shall declare that which thou wilt hardly believe when it is told unto thee for Lord who hath believed out report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed Isa 53.1 And yet that which I shall declare if thou canst believe it will fill thy mouth with laughter and thy longue with singing Psal 126.2 Take this proposition God is freely and fully reconciled to the elect and loveth them in Iesus Christ without any previous dispositions without any qualifications without any performances of conditions on their parts unlesse to be polluted and finful be a previous condition or qualification This is a bold proposition will the pharisee say this is too good newes to be true will the distressed soul say But I say the Lord break your stony harts give you an heart of flesh that you may submit to his righteousnes And I make no question but the glorious grace of the father of our Lord Jesus Christ shal abundantly be manifested The method I intend is 1 To prove the truth of this proposition 2 To answer six obiections 3 To make application 1 For the proof When Eve and Adam in whose loins we all sinned had eaten the forbidden fruit and were now become guilty of condemnation They hear the voice of God walking in the garden which voice was this thou haste at en and thou shalt dy they hide thmselves from the presence of God amongst the trees of the garden when man had sinn'd was in a despairing condition having not so much wit as to think of a saviour much lesse the boldnes to ask one at the hands of an offended God Now in this case behold the exceed-Love of God towards man in giving and manifesting the promised seed aswell to the terrour of Satan as to the consolation of mankind And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed and it shall bruise his head and thou shalt bruise his heel Gen. 3.15 See if I may compare the Creator with the creature how the Lords bowells doe yern upon man And he cannot refraine himself but that least man should have been swallowed up with sorrow the blessing of the promised seed shall be first declared before the Lord pronounce the least curse against man Father Abraham receiveth the promise in the uncircumcision of his flesh And unto Adam is the promise revealed in the uncircumcision of his heart but lest you should think that some qualification in Adam did forerun the manifestation of the promise I will referre you unto that place of Scripture which I am resolved shall never slip out of my remembrance and I hope the like of you 2 Tim. 1.9 VVho hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began What 〈◊〉 there that is not comprehended in this word grace here you see that grace was given before the world began Now what conditions or qualifictions were there in us before the world began We may safely therefore say that the grace of our God was before all conditions c unto this we will adde in the next place one text that like a diamond casteth his lustre in the dark and ministreth a great measure of the spirit Eph. 2.4.5 God who is rich in mercie for his great love wherewith the loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved What if I shall now prove so bold as to make such a stop at sinnes as shall shew that that part of the sentence is referred to that which went before so that we may say in plain terms that God loved us with his great Love even when we were dead in trespasses and sins If I shall read it thus the text will bear it either in the originall or in other translations But if any froward person shall say that I doe iniurie in reading it thus and that this clause dead in trespasses sins ought rather to be referred to quickened which followes after then to the verb loved which goeth before Let this man know that the sence will be one and the same for when God quickened us then he loved us with his great love His love being the cause of quickening the effect of his Love But thou sayst we were quickened when we were dead in trespasses and sins Therefore we conclude we were loved with his graet love when we were dead in trespasses and sins For further confirmation I must intreat you to consider what is written by the Apostle Rom. 9.11.12.13 verses For the children being not yet born neither having done good or evill that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her the elder shall serve the yonger as it is written Iacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Now you see Gods love set upon Iacob where were Iacobs qualifications he had neither done good nor evill Therefore it is plain that God loved him before any qualification But some may confesse that the Lord loved him indeed before he had done good or evil And yet may perchance ask a question upon a supposition saying suppose that after Iacob was born he should have led a wicked and perverse life suppose that for some yeares he should have been a notorious and prophane person would or could the Lord have continued his love to such a person as this I answer boldly yea for Gods love and mercy are mercies of eternity the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him Psal 103 17 not only to everlasting as eternall in respect of time