receive the Holy Ghost Acts 2.38 Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed Acts 19.2 In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Ephes 1.12 13. For ye are all the Sonnes of God by Faith in Christ Jesus Galat. 3.26 And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Galat. 4.6 By the first of these wherein the Spirit by doctrine with signes and wonders for the confirmation thereof Heb. 2.3 4. Speaketh to the eares and eyes of men graciously and lovingly striving thereby to convert them from their evill wayes Gen. 6.3 beseeching them by all the mercies of God to present themselves living sacrifices unto him holy and acceptable which is their reasonable service Rom. 12.1 hee enforceth none in any such sort but that possibly they may resist and rebell against him therein according as the Israelites are often charged Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and eares saith Steven speaking unto them ye doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your Fathers did so doe yee Acts 7.51 They rebelled against and vexed his holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them Esay 63.10 Yea so far may the wickednesse of men heerin be extended as not only wilfully and stubbornly to resist and oppose but most maliciously to blaspheme him and to attribute his very doctrines and wonders to Beelzebub the prince of Devils Matth. 12 24-27 John 8.48 Nor yet in the second place are any of those who are actually possessed with the holy Ghost necessitated thereby to the obedience thereof as is manifestly implyed first in those many exhortations contained in the Scriptures To walke in the Spirit Gal. 5.16 Not quench the Spirit 2 Thes 5.19 Nor grieve the holy Spirit whereby ye are seal'd to the day of redemption Eph. 4.30 But secondly more especially in those Scriptures wherein it is clearly supposed by the Apostles of Jesus Christ taken for granted that those persons who have been made pertakers of the Holy Ghost may fall away from the obedience of it Hebr. 6.4 doe despite unto it heb 1.29 and so defile their bodies the temples of it as to bring the sorest destruction condemnation upon themselves by reason thereof Know ye not saith the apostle that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy 1 Cor. 3.16 17. compare here with Heb. 10.29 And this more evidently may serve to demonstrate that the Spirit in the Ministery thereof doth not enforce regeneration and purity in any for if that it should enforce purity in the uncleane much more should it preserve purity in those that are clean and become temples thereunto And therefore when it is said That the Cretians were renewed by the holy Ghost it must be understood that they were renewed thereby no otherwise than through their diligent hearkning unto receiving the blessed doctrine thereof revealed unto them by the Apostles preaching From whence it is that the Apostle Peter in his first Epistle the second chap. verse 22. writing unto Believers thus expresseth himself Having purified your own souls in obeying of the truth through the Spirit Plainly intimating that no man is renewed by the Spirit any otherwise than through their applying themselves unto the doctrine and instruction thereof The other Text is 2 Tim. 1.9 the words whereof are these Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his own purpose and grace that was given us in Christ before the world Which will not prove that God doth necessitate the faith and salvation of any man seeing that that the grace that was given to the persons heer spoken of before the world by which they were called and saved in verse the 10. is declared to be none other than the grace that was manifested by Christ at his appearing so also in Titus 1.1 2 8. and therefore by the latter we are to measure the former by the grace manifested judge determine what that grace was that was given them before the world Now the grace of God towards man-kinde manifested by Christ at his appearance is by Paul in Titus 2.11 12. before cited thus discribed The grace of God saith he that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts c. to looke for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ which generall description in other Scriptures is unfoulded into these particulars viz. That God so loved the world that he sent his Son to be a Saviour thereof Joh. 3.16 17. And on purpose by his death to destroy death Heb. 2.14 and therely deliver man from the curse of the Law consisting therein Gal. 3.13 of which all men stood guilty Rom. 3.23 And by his resurrection to bring life immortality to light 2 Tim. 1.10 And in that estate to prepare mansions of glory and happinesse to be possessed of all those that repent believe c. That is to say That love God for his grace and mercie manifested towards them 1 John 4.19 Which consisteth in keeping his commandments 1 John 5.3 Or in loving of Jesus Christ being revealed unto them and keeping his precepts John 15.10 And that thus repenting believing c. men are required with confidence to hope and with patience to waite for the promised Salvation 1 Iohn 3.19 20 21. 4.17 Titus 2.11 12 13. 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Heb. 10.36 This then being the substance of the grace of God manifested by Christ at his appearing the grace that was given to men before the world is to be understood as followeth viz. That God forth of his rich grace pity and compassion considering all mankinde fallen from their first estate and become guilty of everlasting death resolved to send his Son into the World to redeem them from thence to restore them again to immortality to prepare for them therein a heavenly Kingdome to open unto them a way thereinto to invite them to walke therein and walking therein in the end to give them the possession thereof According to which grace Paul and Timothy were called and saved and not according to their workes of righteousnesse by the Law which is all that can rationally be inferred from this Scripture And this is further confirmed by that which followeth in the 13. verse where Paul exhorteth Timothy To hold fast the forme of sound words which he had heard of him in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus which exhortation seemeth to be grounded upon the turning away from the truth of many in Asia mentioned verse 15. the which would be altogether inpertinent as also that caution which he giveth him 1 Tim. 1.19 To hold faith and a good conscience whereof some had made shipwrack If that
In vers the 4. and 5. thus replieth in his own defence Lord wilt thou also slay a righteous Nation Said he not unto me she is my sister And she even she her self said He is my brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands I have done this the which grounds also serve plainly to demonstrate the truth of the later position viz. 2. That whatsoever was required of them to their Salvation was within their power to be performed by them For by the same reason that some performed them by nature others in the same condition might have done so likewise and consciousnesse that they could not performe them being known unto them would quiet their mindes both in this world and at the day of Christ as much as consciousnesse of their ignorance thereof could For the conscience of a man in the omission or misdoing of his duty not understood acquitteth him therein only upon this ground That the doing or right performance thereof was impossible unto him notwithstanding his utmost endeavours the which ground of impossibility to performe his duty will appease his conscience in the omission thereof in any other case whatsoever And thus this Objection with the ground thereof is taken away The second text is 1 Cor. 2.14 the words whereof are these But the naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnes unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned from whence it is supposed that no man in the estate of nature not endued with the Spirit of God can possibly understand or doe any thing required of him to his Salvation 1. The groundlesnesse of this supposition was clearly disproved before by the testimony of the Apostle concerning the Gentiles their doing by nature the things required of them to their Iustification and Salvation 2. But yet the more fully to take away the ground thereof By the things of the Spirit in this place must needs be understood either such things which are peculiar to the Spirits revelation to those which after their believing have received the same according to Iohn 16.12 where Christ telleth his Disciples That he had many things to say unto them which they could not then viz. before the Spirit was given unto them bear How be it saith he the Spirit of Truth when he is come he will guide you into all Truth and will shew you things to come Or else secondly By the things of the Spirit must be understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in generall mentioned chap. 1.17 18.21.2.4.5 By the wisdome of the World is accounted foolishnesse If that the things of the Spirit be taken in the first acceptation as may be conceived from the 12 and 13 verses where the Apostle intimateth that the things whereof he here speaketh were none other then what was revealed or taught unto himself and others by the Spirit which they had received then this text pretendeth not at all to prove that men in the estate of nature cannot perceive or doe any thing required of them to their Salvation but only that none can understand the mysteries or secrets of the Kingdome of God untill first they believe the Gospel Mat. 13.11 and are Baptized with the Holy Ghost which the World cannot receive Iohn 14.17 Nor yet secondly If that by the things of the Spirit are understood the Doctrine of the Gospel in general it will not thereupon follow that a man in the estate of nature by the exercise of his understanding cannot perceive or receive the knowledge thereof when it is plainly preached and by the evidence of the Spirit demonstrated unto him Seeing it is manifest by the Scriptures that the very worst of naturall men The Rulers Scribes and Pharisees have attained to the knowledge of the most fundamentall points of Christianity under which the whole Doctrine therof is comprehended As 1 They believed that there was a God 2. They believ that Jesus Christ was the Messias and Saviour of the World and so consequently that his whole Doctrine was none other then the undoubted Oracles of God Iohn 2.23 24 25. Iohn 12.42 43. And thirdly They believed the resurrection of the just and of the unjust Acts 23.7 9. Acts 24.15 And the Gospel being thus understood by men they are thereby sufficiently enabled to the obedience thereof whence it is that the Scriptures unto such persons speaketh on this wise Receive not the grace of God in vain having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and perfect holinesse in the fear of God He that knoweth to do wel and doth not or that knoweth his masters wil and doth it not to him it is sin and he shall be beaten with many stripes Such manner of speech alwaies presupposing an ability in the persons to whom it is directed to improve the same to the end thereof Wherefore we are not to conceive that because it is said The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit nor can receive them that therefore no man destitute of the spirit can possibly understand or give obedience to the Gospel of Christ when it is evidently in the preaching thereof demonstrated unto them But we are thereby given to know That no man whatsoever measuring the Gospel of Grace teaching him to deny al ungodlines worldly lust to live righteously soberly godly in this present world c. Tit. 2.11 12. by the natural earthly sensual principles and wisdom of the world * S. John in his 1 Joh. 2.15 exhorting not to love the world nor the things that are therein in ver 16 teacheth us what he would have us to understand thereby viz. the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life whereby we are also taught to understand whereunto the wisdome of the world so often spoken of in the first second and third Chap. of the 1 Cor. is to be confined viz. to the promoting and accomplishing the fore-said ends because that it cannot extend beyond it self or direct men unto any thing that is not comprehended therein the which may serve to admonish all men to beware of branding the vertuous and just principals whether of the Heathens or any other persons whatsoever though learned in the book of Creation only with the odious infamy of worldly wisdom An evil too ordinary in our times teaching him to deny all godlinesse and goodnes in this world and to live according to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eyes and pride of life 1 Joh. 2.16 can possibly receive the same and become obedient thereunto but must reject it as foolishnesse God and the world the wisdome of God and the wisdome of the world being so directly opposite and contrary each unto other That whosoever will love the one must hate the other or that will embrace the one must reject the other If any man saith James will be a
friend to the world he must be an enemy unto God James 4.4 Joshua having put it to the Israelites choice whether they would serve the Lord or the gods that their Fathers had worshipped Chap. 24.15 And they having in answer thereunto declared That they would serve the Lord only vers 18. He replieth unto them vers 10. in these words Ye cannot serve the Lord wherein his meaning is not that it was impossible for them to serve the Lord for then he would not have put it to their choice whether they would serve him or not but his meaning is that they could not serve him acceptably unlesse they did wholly cleave unto him and reject Idols vers 14.19 So likewise in this place when the Apostle saith That this natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God that is to say approve and subject himself to the wisdome and instruction of God contained in the doctrine of the Gospel we may not suppose that thereby he concludeth it absolutely impossible for them so to do but impossible only so long as they retain and nourish in themselves the vicious wisdome of the world whereby they are instructed to gain-say resist and oppose all godlinesse vertue and honesty The third Text is Ioh. 6.44 The words whereof are these No man can come unto me except the Father that sent me draw him From whence it is ordinarily supposed That no man can believe in Jesus Christ except that he be necessarily enforced thereunto by an immediate exercise or operation of the power of God upon his soul For answer whereunto I desire that it may be observed that this word draw whereupon the whole weight of this Objection standeth is diversly understood in the Scriptures and is not alwaies taken for a necessary compultion as it is here supposed but ordinarily for an argumentative perswasion only as appeareth by Act. 5.37 Where speaking concerning one Judas a seducer of the people it is said That he drew away much people after him As also by the words of the Apostle in Act. 20.30 where he declareth to the Church That from amongst themselves men should arise speaking perverse things and should draw away Disciples after them And that God only draweth men to the love of himself the Faith and Obedience of Christ by the discovery of his goodnesse towards them and of the danger of their ingratitude towards him doth evidently appear by these following Scriptures Hosea 11.3 4. where concerning backsliding Israel whose goodnes like the morning dew passed away the Lord thus speaketh I taught Ephraim also to goe taking them by their arms but they know that I healed them I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as one that taketh of the yoke on the jaws and I laid meat unto them And in Heb. 10.38 39. The just shall live by faith but if any man draw back saith the Lord my soul shall have no pleasure in him But we are not of those saith the Apostle that draw back to perdition but of those that believe to the saving of their soul In which Scriptures are discovered besides the means whereby God draweth men these two things 1. That God draweth all men the backsliding and those that draw back to perdition as well as those that believe to the saving of their souls And 2. That he so draweth none but that possibly they may draw back to perdition as Ephraim and those others supposed in the later Text it being otherwise to no purpose to present men with the danger of drawing back nor would it be any matter of commendations either in the Apostle or that number wherewith he joyneth himself that they did not draw back as well as others For what praise is it not to draw back when as it is impossible so to do Secondly The words of the Text compared with the former and following verses doe clearly import That the drawing of the Father whereof Christ speaketh consisteth only in external means and doctrinal instruction delivered unto men by his preaching In vers 41. Christ declaring himself to be the living bread or bread of life come down from heaven which giveth life unto the world and that by eating thereof a man should live for ever of which he had spoken before vers 33.35 And the Jews carnally weighing his words therein and not considering that he spake not unto them concerning material bread wherewith their natural lives should be sustained In vers 41 42. Murmur against him saying Is not this Iesus the son of Ioseph whose father and mother vve know How then saith he I came down from heaven Whereupon in vers 43 44 45. Christ that he might remove from before them the occasion of their stumbling at him by reason of his parentage and instruct them by vvhat means they should attain to the Belief and Obedience of his Doctrine answereth them to this effect Although that my father and mother be known unto you yet notwithstanding murmur not against me because I said I am the bread which came down from heaven to give life unto the vvorld For it is not my bodies descending from heaven but the promised Grace of God touching your Redemption Resurrection and eternal Salvation thorow my Death and Obedience to my doctrine which I intend vvhen I so spake unto you the vvhich you cannot receive except my Father vvhich sent me draw you according as it is vvritten in the Prophets They shall be all taught of God Every man therefore which hath heard and learned of the Father viz. received his instruction and submitted themselves thereunto cometh unto me And then in vers 46. least that he should be mistaken in vvhat he had here said concerning the Fathers drawing and teaching and be thought thereby to affirm That none could believe him to be the bread of life Saviour of the vvorld except that the Father immediately in his own person or by his spirit should instruct them therein enforce them thereunto He subjoyneth these vvords Not that any man hath seen the Father at any time save he that is of God he hath seen the Father intimating thereby That although that the Father teacheth men yet he teacheth them not personally or immediately but mediately by the Ministery of his Sonne vvho is God vvith us Mat. 1.23 and sent into the vvorld to the end that we may be taught of God by him according to these plain Scriptures Ioh. 1.18 Heb. 1.2 Ioh. 7.16 Ioh. 12.49 50. So that when it is said That none can come unto Christ except that he be drawn thereunto by the teaching of the Father The meaning thereof is only this That no man can receive Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the vvorld and become obedient unto him except that he hear and learn be drawn and perswaded thereto by the instruction of the Father in the Ministery of his Son The fourth Text alleadged to prove men incapable of improving the
means of salvation is 2 Cor. 3.5 The words whereof are these Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 1. To which I answer first That this Scripture is least of all to the purpose for which it is alleadged seeing that it is not pleaded that of our selves as of our selves or as we are men simply considered without either having the Law vvritten in our hearts or some discovery made unto us of our deliverance from mortality and happinesse in the vvorld to come to thinke any good thought either towards God or of reforming our selves according to the rules of vertue or Christianity It being according to the testimony of the Apostle if that the dead vvere not raised and consequently no felicity to be expected after death our only vvisdome to eat and drink to free and acquit our selves from all manner of troubles and sufferings vvhatsoever in this vvorld as for conscience sake 1 Cor. 15.32 with the 19.31 32. To fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and to let no flower of the spring passe by us to crown our selves vvith Rose-buds before they be vvithered and to leave tokens of our joyfulnesse in every place it being our portion and only lot Wisd 2.7 8 9. It s thorow Faith only in the Resurrection and eternal Salvation that we overcome the vvorld 1 Iohn 5.4 The crosse of Christ crucifieth us to the vvorld Gal. 6.14 The bloud of Christ or the bloud of the Covenant sanctifieth us in the world Heb. 16.29 And vve love God and keep his Commandments because he hath commended his love unto us by sending his Son into the world that we might live thorow him 1 Ioh. 4.19 with v. 9 10. cap. 5.3 But the intent of the Apostle in this place doth manifestly appear to be only this viz. That neither he himself nor any other of the Apostles vvere of themselves sufficient to think or conceive that glorious Ministery that was committed unto them For having in the 3. verse declared That the Corinthians were the Epistle of Christ ministred by them not written with inke but with the Spirit of God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of their hearts least that they should think of them above that which vvas meet 1 Cor. 4.6 And ascribe the honour of this ministration unto them as if that they had not received it 1 Cor. 4.6 7. In the fifth and sixth verses he addeth these vvords Not that vve are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the letter but of the spirit And therefore in 1 Cor. 4.1 desireth that they should account of them only as Ministers and Stewards of these things So that all that can rationally be inferr'd from hence is only this That like as the Apostles of themselves vvere not sufficient to conceive that Ministerie that vvas given unto them nor to accomplish any such things as vvere effected in men thereby So neither are any men sufficient of themselves to conceive or believe the things declared therein or to purifie their hearts thereby unlesse that the same be revealed unto them Faith herein and the effects thereof being by hearing and hearing by the vvord of God Rom. 10.17 Some other Scriptures there are of this nature but the answers to these duly considered may be sufficient to enlighten any indifferent mans understanding therin And therefore I shall proceed to answer to the second main Objection and to such principal Scriptures vvhich belong thereunto CHAP. IX Containing severall Answers for the clearing of such Scriptures which seem to import faith to be necessitated in men by the irresistable power of God THe Scriptures alleadged in favour of the second main Objection are such as these Rom. 8.28 29 30. Phil. 2.13 Phil. 1.19 2 Tim. 2.25 Rom. 11.5 6. Jer. 31.33 1. From the first of which the words whereof are these And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the chosen according to his purpose for whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he justified c. It s conceived that of man-kinde fallen in Adam God in that estate before the world chose a certain number thereof unto himself for his sons and daughters And that in reference thereunto in time begetteth them to faith in his Son justifieth them c. 1. To which I answer first That none are chosen to Adoption or Salvation before the world otherwise then in relation to their obedience to those duties which God in the Scriptures by Iesus Christ and his Apostles requireth of men unto those ends 2 Tim. 1.9 with the 10. Tit. 1.1 2. with the 3. 2. Secondly The Scriptures doe positively declare That election is only in Iesus Christ Ephes 1.5 with the 2 Thess 2.13 God hath chosen you to Salvation from the beginning through sanctification and belief of the truth 3. If that God should choose men to Adoption and Salvation before the world otherwise then in relation to their obedience to his will made known unto them Then the will of God in this respect should be two-fold and contradictions in it self The one whereby he chooseth and accepteth to Adoption and Salvation the wicked disobedient and impenitent The other whereby he will not choose nor receive to adoption or Salvation any other then the godly Philip. 4.3 the rich in faith Jam. 2.5 The penitent 2 Cor. 6.17 18. And obedient Matth. 22. the third to the fourteenth which contradiction is impossible to be in God 4. Nor doth the words of the Text prove the contrary Wherein first is laid down the happy estate of those that are called according to purpose ver 28. And 2. the ground thereof which in ver 29. is declared to be this viz. That all those whom God fore-knew that is to say before the world beheld in his Sonne through obedience unto him who are therefore in verse the 28. described to be such as love God least that we should conceive that God knew the workers of iniquity before time whom he refuseth to own or know in time Mat. 7.23 those he predestinated that they should be conformable to the Image of his Sonne in glory Phil. 3.21 For the accomplishment whereof he administreth unto them the means for their calling and upon their obedience thereunto receiveth them to justification and in the end to glory The second text is Phil. 2.13 the words are these For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure From whence it is conceived That whatsoever any man willeth or doth acceptable unto God and tending to his Salvation he is necessarily enforced thereunto by God Answ For the
removall whereof it s to be observed That in the Scriptures things are apprehended unto God as done by him upon severall grounds As 1. Such things are said to be done by him which he only suffereth or permitteth to be done Job 1 12-21 whether by men or devils Joh. 1.15 16 17 21. Job 2.7 with the 10. 2. Such things are said to be done by him which are no otherwise effected or brought to passe then by the use and improvement of the means that he affordeth for the doing thereof Thus he giveth man day by day his daily bread and feedeth the young ravens that cry Ps 147.9 3. Also such things are said to be done by him which he affordeth fit and necessary means unto men for the doing of Although that through their neglect or abuse of those means the same he never accomplished Ezek. 24.13 because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged therefore thou shalt not be purged from thy filthines untill I have caused my fury to rest upon thee And that God in this sense only is said to work in the Philippians to will and to doe plainly appeareth by comparing the 12. verse with the 13. where the same persons are required to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling because that God worketh in them c whereby his working in them to will and to doe is necessarily implied to consist only in providing and propounding prompt and fit means to induce and perswade them to will and to do the things that in the former verse is required of them because that otherwise the Argument which the Apostle useth to stirre them up to work out their salvation with fear and trembling should more fitly serve to perswade them to sit still and doe nothing nor take any thought or care at all for that purpose For if that God did work in them the will and the deed which is all that is necessary to salvation there should then remain nothing at all on their part to be done thereunto So that the words of the Apostle in this place are to be understood only as if he should have said Be you diligent and carefull to performe the things that God requireth of you to your Salvation * God wrought in the Pharisees and Lawyers to will and to do the things required of them to their Salvation by the Ministery of John or else in rejecting the same they could not be charged with frustrating and rejecting the counsel of God within themselves Luke 7.30 with the margent for he is not wanting but affordeth unto you al necessary means to enable you thereunto 3. And this may also serve to enlighten us in the understanding of Phil. 1.29 which is the next Scripture to be answered the words whereof are these For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake being delivered in the very same nature as the former viz. as a ground to perswade the Philippians to stand fast in the Spirit with one minde striving together for the Faith of the Gospel and in nothing to be terrified by their adversaries Forasmuch as that which is made the ground of an exortation must not only admit but also with some kinde of vehemency stirre up and provoke to industry and diligence for the obtaining of whatsoever is from thence urged pressed or perswaded unto And that the presence and assured possession of a thing doth prohibite a man to seeke and endeavour after the same and any other to exhort him therunto therefore the giving of Faith and perseverance in this place must not be conceived to consist in the actuall conveiance thereof but in the giving of such means and helps through the use and well improvement whereof they might be enabled to believe and believing to persevere therein to the end against all opposition whatsoever because that otherwise the Apostle must be understood to exhort them to strive for what they already have or else to keep what they cannot loose yea to strive for them because that they have these things already and cannot loose them which is most absurd and not to be imagined And therefore as God is said to give food unto all flesh Psal 136.25 By affording unto them means for the obtaining thereof Prov. 10.4 Prov. 20.4 And as he is said to give assurance or faith unto all men as touching the resurrection and judgement to come by Jesus Christ by his meer granting unto them a ground for their assurance therein Acts 17.3 Even so in this place God is said to give unto the Philippians to believe in Christ and to suffer for his sake by affording unto them means through the improvement whereof they were brought thereunto and might be furnished with power and strength to persevere therin against all the malice of their adversaries 4. The fourth text is the 2 Tim. 2.25 the words are these viz. In meeknesse instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth from whence it is conceived that repentance is not to be obtained by the use of externall means but is given unto men or wrought in them by the immediate hand of God Answ To which I answer That this inference doth neither suite with that which is exprest in the 18 and 21 verses afore-going in the chapter nor yet with the text it self For first in the 18 vers it is declared that some by the errour of Hymeneus and Philetus who taught that the resurrection was past already had their faith overthrown that is to say were thereby seduced to the belief of that opinion and from the deniall of that the foundation of God and godlinesse to Apostates from all the duties of Christianity and workes of repentance implyed verse 19 which must needs be imputed either to some change and alteration in God or else in themselves but unto God it cannot be imputed for he changeth not Mat. 3.6 His foundation standeth sure therefore it must be imputed to themselves and if so then it must therupon needs follow That repentance in men is not any otherwise obtained then through their own improvement of the means vouchsafed for that end for if that it did not wholly depend upon themselves then it should be altogether impossible either that any thing done or mis-done omitted or committed should be prejudiciall unto them in that respect And that this is so doth further appear by that in the 21 verse the words whereof are as followeth If a man therefore PURGE HIMSELF from these he shall be a vessell of honour sanctified and meet for his Masters use c. Wherein is plainly declared how and by what means Sanctification wherein repentance consisteth is to be endeavoured and obtained viz. That every man by the Doctrine of the Resurrection and Glory in the World to come through conformity to Christ verse 11 12. DOE PURGE HIMSELF from
to write his laws in the hearts of the Israelites in the later daies rather then in the former was because that in the later daies by the Ministery of his Sonne he would more abundantly demonstrate his love and goodnesse unto them then formerly he had done by the Ministery of any of his servants The which although it did most powerfully tend to imprint his Love and Fear in them and to perswade them to deny all ungodlines and worldly lusts and to serve him in righteousnes and true holines all their daies Lu. 1.74 75. yet forasmuch as that means did not inevitably effect the same in them for if it had then they should all of them been converted thereby therefore it cannot from hence be rightly inferred from this text That God hath promised effectually to beget the love and fear of himself in any one man more then another 2. It is also to be considered That when God in the Scriptures saith that he will doe this or that it doth not alwaies imply an absolute and peremptory resolution in him necessarily to enforce and bring the same to passe but to administer such means whereby he knoweth that men either by a direct or indirect use thereof will or may be induced to the doing of that which he saith he will doe In the later respect it is that he speaketh when he saith I will harden Pharaohs heart because that considering him to be a proud covetous tyrant he knew that he would take occasion of obstinacy against him by reason of his mercy towards the oppressed Israelites notwithstanding all his signes and wonders shewed unto him powerfully tending to humble him to the very earth before him and refuse to let them depart out of his Land as he was commanded And in the former respect are the words of the Apostle 1 Tim 2.4 to be understood when he saith That God would have all men to be saved And so likewise are the words of Christ in Iohn 12.32 to be taken where he saith And I if I were lifted up from the earth I WILL DRAW all men after me because that by his Death and Resurrection he should further manifest himself to all men to be the Saviour of the world For as when he affordeth unto men the means of repentance he is said thereby to purge them from their filthinesse though that they be not actually purged thereby as was shewed before in Ezek. 24.13 So according to these Scriptures when he dispenseth meanes extraordinary tending to lead men to Conversion and Salvation Then more especially it is said That he will put his Laws into their hearts will draw them to Christ and will have them to be saved Thirdly It is to be considered That like as God faith That he will write his Laws in mens hearts circumcise their hearts make them new hearts and new spirits Ier. 31.33 Deut. 30.16 Ier. 36.26 Even so he also requireth men to write his Laws in their hearts Prov. 7.3 Circumcise their hearts Ier. 4.4 and make to themselves new hearts and new spirits Ezek. 19.31 Now as the Evangelical precepts are not to be expounded against the promises so neither are the promises thereof to be expounded against the precepts and if considered together they are to be understood as if God should say I will afford means unto you for these ends do you improve them thereunto If it be said that these precepts serve only to expresse unto men that which God promiseth to work in them It is answered first That this is a very forraign exposition and will neither be warranted by Scripture or sound reason God being never known to require of men that which he himself promiseth to doe for them and most irrationall to conceive that he should not rather expresse his goodnesse towards men in requiring them to wait upon him for the things that he purposeth to bestow upon them then to give them precepts for the doing thereof thereby to divert their hopes and expectation as from the promises and to set them on work to beat the air or to make brick without straw But secondly seeing it is manifest that these precepts are unto all men and as manifest that all men have not the things enjoyned therein effected in them it cannot in any wise be supposed that the intent of God in them should be to expresse what he himself would work in men but to enforme us that his promises to put his Laws in mens mindes to write them in their hearts to make them new hearts c. consisteth only in affording unto them means serving for those ends which they themselves are enjoyned to improve for the effecting thereof 4. Lastly It is to be observed That those very persons the Israelites to whom this promise hath the most principal relation unto whom the Apostle most directly applieth the same in the 10 Chapter to the Hebrews are notwithstanding by him evidently declared to be under a possibility of sinning wilfully against the knowledge of the truth of trampling the Sonne of God under their feet and counting his bloud the bloud of this Covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing and of doing despite unto the spirit of Grace and thereby of incurring to themselves the sorest punishment judgement and fiery indignation which possibly could not be if that God in this Covenant had absolutely promised or undertaken to put his laws in their hearts and write them in their mindes c. as it is supposed or any otherwise then by administring unto them means for those ends which possibly might be neglected and contemned by them But because that this Scripture serveth so clearly to discover the intent and nature of this Covenant it shall be rehearsed verbatim Heb. 10.16 This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their mindes will I write them And their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin Having therefore brethren boldnesse or liberty to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And having an high Priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good workes Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching For if we sinne wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes But a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy