lusteth but in vaine which is contrary to that of the Apostle John greater is he that is in you speaking as it is clear of the Spirit of God unto true Believers then he that is in the World a 1 Joh. 4. 4. meaning Satan and all his auxiliaries Sin Flesh Corruption c. If it be demanded but if the Spirit of God in true Believers be greater §. 25. and stronger in his lustings then the flesh in his how commeth it to passe that in the spirituall duel the flesh so frequently prevaileth I answer the reason is because the spirit acts not at least to the just efficacy of his vigor and strength but onely when his preventing or first motions are entertained or seconded with a suâ—eable concurrence by the hearts and the wills of Men through a deficiency or neglect whereof he is said to be grieved or quenched i. e. to cease from other actings or movings in Men. This truth is the ground of these and such like sayings in the writings of Paul If ye through the spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body yee shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God b Rom. 8. 13 14. Believers doe then mortifie the deeds of the Body by the Spirit when they joyne their wills unto his in his preventing motions of grace and so draw or obtaine further strength and assistance from him in order to the great and difficult work of mortification In respect of which concurrence also with the Spirit in his first and more gentle applications of himself unto them they are said to be led by the Spirit as by their comportments with him in his higher and further applications they become filled with the Spirit according to that exhortation of the same Apostle to the Ephesians but be yee filled with the Spirit c Eph. 5. 18. i. e. follow the Spirit close in his present motions and suggestions within you and you shall he filled with him i. e. you shall find him moving and assisting you upon all occasions at an higher and more excellent and glorious rate But this by the way However by that which hath been now said it clearly appears that the reason why Believers are so frequently overcome by the lustings of the flesh notwithstanding the contrary lustings of the spirit within them before their foile is not because the flesh hath more strength to lust then the spirit but because they the Men Believers have more will to hearken unto and to goe along with the flesh in her lustings then with the Spirit in his it being the Law or Property of the Spirit not to advance or goe forward in his exertions of Himself when he is deserted and forsaken in his way by the wills of Men. It is true after such desertions of him in his motions by the wills of Men He doth not alwayes wholly and for ever desert them but most frequently returns againe in his motions and excitements unto them Onely in His first applications unto Men after He hath been so deserted by them as hath been said He doth not I conceive begin where He left but where He began first of all my meaning is that He doth not move or act in them at any such high or filling rate as at which He wrought or was ready to worke when He was forsaken but according to the line or proportion of His preventing motions which generally are of a cooler and softer inspiration then His subsequent But thus we see it an apparant error to say that true Believers never sin with their whole wills or fulnesse of consent which yet might be made more apparant by the consideration of Davids case in and upon His committing of those two great Sins Homicide and Adultery For doubtlesse had there been any reluctancy of will or renitency of Conscience or of the spirit within Him when He committed the former of the two Adultery He would not have added the second Murther so soon after to it Again had there been any such Reluctancy or Renitency in Him as we speak of when He perpetrated either the one abomination or the other doubtlesse He could not have digested both the one and the other without any remorse or self-condemnation for so long a time together as passed between the acting of His said sins and the time when the Prophet Nathan was sent from God unto Him to awaken Him unto Repentance Which space of time by the best calculation of Divines was ten Moneths at the least a Per decem minimùm menses distulit Deus correctionem Quod ad eos Sanctos attinet perpetuò agerent in sordibus nisi Deus potenti Verbo eos educeret Quòd ex tanto spacio intelligi potest quo David ad Deum non est conversus isto peccato irretitus non emerserit P. Martyr in 2. Reg. c. 12. ver 1. From the consideration of which distance of time between Davids Sin and His Repentance P. Martyr makes this observation that the Saints themselves being once fallen into sin would alwayes remaine in the pollution of it did not God by his mighty Word bring them out of it Which saying of his clearly also implies that the Saints many times Sin with their whole wills and full consents because were there any part of their wils bent against the committing of the Sin at the time when it is committed they would questionlesse return to themselves and repent immediately after the heat and violence of the lust being over by reason of the satisfaction that hath been given to it Therefore 2. To that which was alledged from Rom. 7. 19. to prove the contrary §. 26. viz. that the Saints never sin with their whole wills or full consent I answer 1. That when the Apostle saith the evill which I would not that I doe His meaning is not that He did that which at the same time when He did it He was not willing either in whole or in part to doe but that He sometimes did that upon a surprizall by temptation or through incogitancy which He was not habitually willing or disposed in the inner Man to doe But this no wayes implies but that at the time when He did the evill He speaks of He did it with the full and intire consent of His will Or if we shall affirme that the contrary bent or motions of His will at other times is a sufficient proof that when he did it the evill we speake of he did it not with his whole will or fulnesse of consent and so make this doing of evill or committing of Sin without fulnesse of consent in such a sence a distinguishing Character between Men regenerate and unregenerate we shall bring Herod and Pilate yea and probably Judas himself into the List or Roll of Men Regenerate with a thousand more whom the Scriptures know not under any such Name or relation as viz. all those whose Judgements
very excellent rate both of courage and confidence notwithstanding he knew that it was possible for him to become a Reprobate The assureance he had that upon a diligent use of those meanes which he knew assuredly God would vouchsafe unto him he should prevent his being a Reprobate was a golden foundation unto him of that confidence and courage wherein he equaliz'd the holy Angels themselves Suppose a Man hath a deepe well or pit of water in his Yeard or grounds neere adjoyning to his House he is no more afraid of being drowned either in the one or in the other then he that lives a thousand miles distance from them The reason is because he knowes he need not be in any danger of such a miscarriage by them unlesse he please The evill which a Man knows he may prevent if he will and that which simply is not or not possible to be is of the same consideration to a sober and intelligent Man especially if he knows that he may prevent it if he will without any dammage or inconvenience to him And for courage and confidence the truth is that there is no place for them but under a possibility at least of danger and miscarrying by an enemie 3. And lastly an assureance of a perpetuall injoyment of or abiding in the love and favour of God otherwise then upon condition of love and loyalty in the Creature towards him is neither honorable for God to make or grant nor meet for a Creature to expect or desire Who can judge it much short of blasphemy to put such a saying as this into the mouth of the most holy God unto any of his Creatures though thou addest drunkennesse to thirst and pollutest thy self with all the abominations of wicked and ungodly Men though thou committest Whoredome Adultery Incest Murther Theft though thou hatest to be reformed and castest all my Commandements behinde thy back c. yet shalt thou be precious in mine Eyes and mine Heart shall be towards thee in the greatest love and deerest affection for ever and thou shalt inherit my everlasting Kingdome thy desperate Rebellions against me notwithstanding I know my opposers are not wont to deliver themselves or expresse their Doctrine in such terms as these nor will they haply well beare such a Representation of it as this but I appeale to their Consciences and to the unpartiall Reasons of all unprejudiced Men whether their Doctrine of Perseverance doth not without any wresting strayning or perverting in the least directly lead to such an horrid thought or conceit of God as that presented in the said saying Certaine I am that the Lord Christ Himself resolves his abiding in his Fathers love into his keeping of His Commandements and informes His Disciples withall that he loves them upon the same termes As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue yee in my love If yee keep my Commandements yee shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandements and abide in his love a Joh. 15. 9 10. By the way had there been an unavoideable necessity lying upon the Disciples to continue in Christs love there had been no necessity of his exhortation unto them in order thereunto Who perswades a Man to doe that which is not in his power to neglect or not to doe In like manner had there been a like unavoydeable necessity upon the Disciples to keep Christs Commandements doubtlesse he would not have prescribed it unto them in the nature of a conditionall means for their abiding in his love No Man in his right mind makes conditions of things or actions that are unavoydable or which cannot but be performed by them of whom they are required To pretend that the weaknesse of the flesh even in the best of the Saints §. 35. considered and their aptnesse to goe astray they must needs lie under many troublesome and tormenting feares of perishing unlesse they have some promise or assureance from God to support them that notwithstanding any declinings or goings astray incident unto them yet they shall not lose his favour or perish is to pretend nothing but what hath been throughly answered already especially in the ninth Chapter I onely adde here 1. That the weaknesse of the flesh or the aptnesse of miscarrying through this is no reasonable ground of fear unto any true Believer of his perishing considering that no Man loseth or forfeiteth the Grace and Favour of God through Sins of weakness or infirmity It is onely the strength of Sin and corruption in Men that exposeth them to the danger of losing the love of God 2. If the Saints be willing to strengthen the Spirit in them and make him willing proportionably to the means vouchsafed unto them by God for such a purpose this will fully balance the weaknesse of the flesh and prevent the miscarriage and breakings out hereof This I say then saith the Apostle walk in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh And againe If yee be led by the Spirit yee are not under the Law a Gal. 5. 16. 18 and consequently are in no danger of losing the favour of God or of perishing for such sins which under the conduct of the spirit you are subject unto 3. And lastly There is no such aptnesse or pronenesse unto sin Sins I meane of a dis-inheriting import in Saints or true Believers as is pretended but on the contrary a strong propension or inclination unto righteousnesse reigneth in them We heard formerly from the Apostle John that whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he CANNOT sin because he is born of God b 1 John 3. 9 Which passage of Scripture the Reader may finde unfolded at large Cap. 10. Sect. 25 26 27 c. The same Apostle to the same purpose had said a little before He that committeth sin is of the Devill and consequently no Saint or true Believer And againe a little after he saith In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God c. Afterwards thus For this is the love of God that we keep His Commandements and His Commandments i. e. the keeping of his Commandments is not grievous c 1 John 5. 3. viz. to him that loveth God i. e. to a Saint or true Believer It followeth For whosoever is borne of God overcommeth the World and this is the victory that overcometh the World even our Faith Who is he that overcometh the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God From these passages with many others of like import which might have been added from the same Apostle it is fully evident that there is a pregnant strong triumphing propension in all true Believers to walk holily and to live righteously so that to refraine sinning sinning I meane as before customarily and against conscience which kinde of
observing the difference between Sin reigning and not reigning of the former speaketh thus Sin reigning is all or every Sin in Men unregenerate or in Men regenerate an error contrary to the Articles of Faith or against conscience excluding out of the heart actuall belief of remission of sins and making the sinner liable to eternall Death unlesse he should be forgiven In one word Sin reigning is to obey the lusts of the flesh Even those that are regenerate sometimes fall into this sin as David Peter and this the Apostles exhortation witnesseth b Regnans est omne peccatum in non renatis aut in renatis error contrà articulos fidei aut conscientiam excludens ex corde actualem fiduciam remissionis peccatorum obnoxium faciens peccantem exitio aeterno nisi fiat remissio uno verbo est obedire cupiditatibus carnis Renati etiam aliquando incidunt in tale peccatum ut David Petrus quod testatur hortatio Apostoli c. Par. ad Rom. 6. ver 13. Hi enim etiam mortaliter contrà dictamen conscientiae aliquando ruentes ut Aaron David Petrus c. ibid. in Dub. 7. And afterwards speaking of Regenerate Men and true Believers he grants that they may mortally and against the dictate of their consciences rush into Sin as Aaron David Peter did and saith moreover that when they thus sin they lay waste their Consciences disturb the Holy Ghost lose the joy of their heart and incur the wrath of God Doubtlesse these are not the symptomes or effects of sins of infirmity though the Author is pleased to say that which I think pleaseth few Men to believe that the sins of Aaron David Peter were not committed by them ex contemptu Dei out of any contempt of God but out of a preoccupation with or through the infirmity of the flesh Concerning the Sin of David certaine I am that the Prophet Nathan by the Word of the Lord chargeth it upon his despising or contempt of the Commandement of the Lord 2 Sam. 12. 9. Ursine is yet more cordiall and through in the point The most sad falls saith he of holy Men as of Aaron making the golden Calf for which God being angry was minded to slay him and of David committing Adultery and Murther to whom Nathan said Thou art a Man of Death doe plainely shew that even Regenerate Men may rush or fall headlong into reigning sin a Quòd etiam renati possunt ruere in peccatum regnans satis ostendunt lapsus tristissimi etiam Sanctorum hominum ut Aaronis vitulum aureum facientis quem Deus iratus propterea voluit perdere Et Davidis committentis adulterium homicidium cui Nathan dixit Tu es vir mortis Ursinus vol. 1. pag. 207. And those of the Contra-Remonstrancie in the Conference at the Hague held Anno 1613. confesse and teach that true Believers may fall so far that the Church according to the Commandement of Christ shall be obliged to pronounce that she cannot tolerate them in her externall Communion and that they shall have no part in the Kingdome of Christ except they repent b Deinde respondemus ad miâ—orem fieri posse ut verè fideles eò prolabantur ut Ecclesia ex mandato Christi cogatur pronunciare se eos in externâ communione tolerare non posse neque eos partem in regno Christi habituros nisi resipiscant Coll. Hag. p. 399. Therefore certainly their sence was that true Believers may sin above the rate of those who Sin out of infirmity in as much as there is no Commandement of Christ that any Church of his should eject such persons out of their externall Communion who Sin out of infirmity onely So that by the confession of our Adversaries themselves even true Believers may perpetrate such Sins which are of a deeper demerit then to be numbred amongst Sins of infirmity yea such Sins for which the Church of Christ according to the Commandement of Christ stands bound to judge them for ever excluded from the Kingdome of God without Repentance From whence it undeniably followes that they may commit such Sins whereby their Faith in Christ will be totally wreck'd and lost because there is no condemnation or exclusion from the Kingdome of God unto those that are by Faith in Christ Jesus whether they repent or not And therefore they that stand in need of Repentance to give them a right and title to the Kingdome of God are no Sons of God by Faith for were they Sons they would be heires also c Rom. 8. 17. and consequently have the clearest right and title to the inheritance that is So that to pretend that however the Saints may fall into great and grievous Sins yet they shall certainly be renewed againe by Repentance before they die though this be an Assertion without any bottome of Reason or Truth yet doth it no wayes oppose but suppose rather a Possibility of the totall defection of Faith in true Believers Some to maintaine this Position that all the Sins of true Believers are §. 24. Sins of infirmity lay hold on this Shield Such Men as these they say never Sin with their whole wills or with full consent Therefore when they Sin they never Sin but through infirmity That they never Sin with full consent they conceive they prove sufficiently from that of the Apostle For the good that I would I doe not but the evill which I would not that I doe Now if I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but Sin that dwelleth in me d Rom. 7. 19 20. I answer 1. That the Saints oft Sin with their whole wills or full consents is undeniably proved by this consideration viz. because otherwise there should be not only a plurality or diversity but even a contrariety of wills in the same person at one and the same instant of time viz. when the supposed act of Sin is produced Now it is an impossibility of the first evidence that there should be a plurality of acts and these contrary the one unto the other in one and the same subject or agent at one and the same instant of time It is true between the first moving of the flesh in a Man towards the committing of the Sin and the compleating of this Sin by an actuall and externall patration of it there may be successively in him not onely a plurality but even a contrariety of volitions or motions of the will according to what the Scripture speaketh concerning the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh but when the flesh having prevailed in the combate bringeth forth her desire into act the spirit ceaseth from his act of lusting otherwise it will follow that the flesh is greater and stronger in her lustings then the Spirit of God in his and that when the flesh lusteth after the perpetration of such or such a Sin the spirit as to the hindering of it
anteà obedierant defecisse ac eam deseruisse in Gal. 3. 1. Not long after He had said before that seeking Justification by the Law they cast away the Grace of God and that Christ dyed for them in vain Here He adds that such Persons crucifie Christ who had formerly lived and reigned in them As if He should say you have not onely CAST AVVAY THE GRACE OF GOD it is not onely true that Christ dyed for you in vain but that He is most unworthily crucified by you or amongst you c Suprà dixit Quaerentes Justiciam ex Lege abjicere gratiam Dei item illis Christum gratis mortuum fuisse Hic vâ—â—ò addit quòd tales crucifigant Christum qui anteà vixit regnavit in ipsis Quasi dicat jam non solum abjecistis gratiam Dei non solum Christus frustrà vobis mortuus est sed turpissimè in vobis crucifixus Ibid. Afterwards The Righteousness of the Law which Paul here calls the Flesh is so far from justifying men that they who after they have received the Spirit by the hearing of Faith make a defection unto it are consummated by it i. e. are â—ade an end of and destroyed utterly d Adeò ergo Justicia Legis quam Paulus hic carneâ—â— vocat non justificat ut hi qui post acceptum Spiritum per Fidei auditum ad eam deficiunt eâ cansummentur hoc est fâ—niantur prorsus perdantur Ad Galat. 3. 3. To conclude upon those words Cap. 5. 4. Ye are fallen from Grace i. e. saith He ye are no longer in the Kingdom of Grace He that falleth from Grace simply and absolutely loseth expiation or atonement remission of sins righteousness liberty and that life which Christ by His Death and Resurrection hath merited for us e A gratiâ excidistis i. e. non ampliùs estis in Regno Gratiae Qui excidit à gratiâ amiâ—tiâ— simpliciter expiationem remissionem peccatorum Iusticiam libertatem vitam c. quam Christus suâ Mortâ— Resurrectione nobis emeruit Many other Passages of like import with these might readily be cited from this Author in His Commentaries upon this Epistle So that there is little question to be made but that Luther abounded in this sence viz. that Persons truly justified and in present Possession of that Righteousness Justification Life which Christ merited for them may yet fall away totally from this Grace and to destruction and that He looked upon the Galatians as Paul describes them in their different Postures first of Faith then of falling away as perfect instances to evince the truth of such a Doctrine I shall conclude the Chapter in Hand with a brief Survey of that place §. 17. formerly mentioned For some are already turned aside after Satan a 1 Tim. 5. 15 These words Calvin in His Commentaries upon them dilareth thus This expression after Satan is observable because â—o man can turn aside from Christ though it be never so little but He follows Satan For He reigneth over all who are not Christs Hence we are admonished how destructive a thing it is to turn aside from a strâ—ight course which OF THE SONS OF GOD MAKES US SLAVES OF THE DEVIL b Post Satanam Notanda loquutio quia nemo potest vâ—l tantillum a Christo deflectere quin Satanam sequatur Nam regnum in omnes habet qui Christi non sunt Hinc admonemur quam exitialis sit deflexio a recto cursu quae ex Dei filiis nos facit Satanae mancipia So that His sence upon the place cleerly is that the Persons here said to have turned aside after Satan were before this their turning aside the children of God and therefore true Beleevers and that by means of their turning aside and after it they were the Slaves of the Devil which implies â— total defection at least from Christ and their Faith I desire the Reader to take knowledg once more upon occasion of the passage now transcribed from Calvin that He was not so absolute or intire in His Judgment for an impossibility of a total Declining in the Saints as the Friends of this Notion commonly presume or as if He never expressed His Judgment to the contrary In the words lately cited He expresly grants and supposeth that of the Children of God men may be made or become the Slaves of Satan And that the Persons spoken of in the Scripture in hand were as He supposeth true Beleevers is evident from hence viz. that they are said to have turned aside or to have been turned aside after Satan If they had been unsound or Hypocritical Christians before they could not by falling into any other course of impiety be said to have turned aside or out of the way c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after Satan because men and women follow Satan as much as directly as close by walking in ways of Hypocrisie and rottenness of Profession as in ways of uncleanness or of any other unrighteousness whatsoever Therefore certainly the way out of which they turned aside to walk after Satan was the way of a true Faith and of a life answerable thereunto And that a turning aside after Satan imports a total deserting of Christ or a total deprivation and loss of that interest which a Person had in Christ before is richer in evidence then to need Proof Nor do I finde any one Expositor who casting up the expression findes it to amount to any whit less CHAP. XV. Declaring the Sence and Judgment as well of the Ancient Fathers of the Church as of Modern Reformed Divines touching the Point of Perseverance and so concluding the Digression concerning this Subject IT is a Vanity whereunto the Tongues and Pens of Learned Men being §. 1. once engaged and declared for an Opinion especially in matters of Religion are much subject unto to cast undue aspersions upon and so to create undeserved prejudice unto all such Doctrines or Opinions which are inconsistent with that Opinion which themselves are known to hold and to have maintained Amongst other weapons of this warfare the Arrow of this reproach is most frequently unquiver'd and let fly if men can finde that any Opinion which hath the least semblance or sympathy though but in sound of words onely with that which opposeth theirs hath either been held by any former Heretique or Person voted Erroneous or else opposed by those unto whose lot it is fallen to be sirnamed Orthodox they make an importune outcry against this Opinion I mean which opposeth theirs as if it were nothing but an old infamous Error held onely by Heretiques and Erroneous Men but stigmatized and cast out of the Church by the Orthodox long ago The truth is that neither the one consideration nor the other no not when they are real and not in pretence or presumption onely I mean neither the asserting of an Opinion by men in many things erroneous nor the dis-owning of it by
the latter part of this Discourse In the mean time let us briefly consider what Companions and Friends we have even amongst those of the Reformed Religion and Protestant Party of Men in that great Article of our Faith which we have contended for hitherto the Gracious Intentions of God towards all Men without exception in the Death of Christ and the Redemption purchased thereby First concerning those whose Judgments and Consciences rather consorted §. 17. with Luthers Doctrine then with Calvins being upon this account distinguished by the Name of Lutherans these more generally and almost universally at least as far as my inspection into their Writings informeth me teach the Doctrine of General Redemption by Christ as orthodox and found I shall onely insâ—st upon a few Passages from the Writings of two or three known Authors of the Lutheran Perswasion leading men in their way Melancthon Luthers great Associate teacheth that EVERY PERSON of us apart ought to be firmâ—â— resolved of this that we are pardoned and received by God and that with this special or particular Faith EVERY particular MAN ought to apply the benefit of Christ to himself b Singâ—li statuere debemus nobis ipsis ignosci nos ipsos à Deo recipi Hac Fide speciali vt sic dicam quisque sibi applicare beneficium Christi debet Melancth Loc. De Fide Elsewhere He saith that the Counsel of God was that MANKIND should be redeemed and presently after asserteth the Love of God in His Son TOVVARDS MANKIND c Esi autem causas hujus mirandi consilij cur hoc modo redimendum fuerat genus humanum nondum in hâc infirmitate cernimus c. Conspiciuntur in hac victimâ Justicia Dei ira adversâ—s peccatum immensa miserecordia erga nos amor in filio erga genus humanum Idem De Justificatione In another place He affirmeth that God poured out His Wrath against the SINS OF MANKIND not of a few particular men upon His Son A little after speaking of Christ He saith He feels a greater burthen viz. the Wrath of God against the SINS OF MANKIND which He knoweth to be poured out upon Him He sorrowed also and was troubled that a great part of Mankinde would perish through a contempt of this great benefit of God b in quâ iram Dei adversus generis humani peccata in filium effudit Idem De Filio Et mox loquens de Christo sentit majus onus scilicet iraÌ„ Dei adversus peccata generis humani quam scit in sese effundi Doluit item magnam partem generis humani perituram esse spreto hoc beneficio Dei Ibid. In another place He saith It is necessary to know that the Gospel is an UNIVERSAL PROMISE i. e. that Reconciliation with God is offered and promised unto ALL Mâ—â— This universal Promise it is necessary to hold fast against any dangerous conceits about Predestination lest we fall to reason thus that this Promise belongeth to some few others but doth not belong unto us But let us be resolved of this that the Promise of the Gospel is universal For as the preaching of Repentance is universal so the preaching of Remission of Sins is universal also But that all Men do not obtain the Promises of the Gospel i. e. the things here promised it ariseth from hence that all Men do not beleeve e Necesse est scire Evangelium promissionem universalem esse hoc est offerri promitti omnibus reconciliationem Hanc universalem tenere necesse est adversus periculosas imaginationes de Praedestinatione ne disputemus hanc Promissionem ad paucos quosdam alios pertinere non pertinere ad nos Nos verò statuamus Evangelij promissioneÌ„ universaleÌ„ esse Sicut enim praedicatio poenitentiae universalis est ità praedicatio remissionis peccatorum universalis est Quod â—â—teÌ„ non omnes consequuntur Evangelij promissa eò sit quia non omnes credunt Idem De Promissione Evangelii The Writings of this Author have in them a large and full eye of that Doctrine which hath been protected hitherto Chemnitius another learned Champion of the Lutheran Faith riseth up §. 18. in his might from place to place to maintain the same Doctrine The whole Transaction saith He of the Mediator is considerable in this whether God the Father be willing to accept that satisfaction and obedience for THE WHOLE WORLD Now this He declared most signally in this that He left not His Son whom He smote for the Sins of THE PEOPLE in Death but raised Him up from the dead and placed Him at the right Hand of His Majesty f Et tota illa actio Mediatoris in eo vertitur an Pater illaÌ„ satisfactioneÌ„ obedientiam acceptare velit pro toto Mundo Illud verò Pater in eo maximé ostendit quod FiliuÌ„ quem propter peccata populi percusserat non dereliquit in morte sed resuscitavit ex mortuis collocavit ad dexteraÌ„ Majestatis suae Chemn Examen part 1. De Justificatione Elsewhere He saith Lest therefore all Mankinde should perish for ever that wonderful Decree of the Counsel of God concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God was enacted that He being our Mediator in our Nature assumed without sin should be made subject to the Law for us and should bear sin the guilt of sin the Wrath of God and THE PVNISHMENTS OF THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD being derived or cast upon Him g Ne igitur totum genus humanuÌ„ in aeternuÌ„ periret pactuÌ„ est mirabile illud Divini Consilij Decretum de Incarnatione Filij Dei vt is Mediator noster in assumptâ sine peccato nostrâ naturâ pro nobis Legi subderetur peccatuÌ„ reatuâ— peccati iram Dei supplicia peccatorum totius Mundi in se derivata portaret c. Idem Ibid. part 2. De Satisfactione Again The Father did not pour out part of his Wrath or of the Curse but his WHOLE WRATH with all the dregs of the Curse into that cup which He gave unto his Son the Mediator to â—e drunk by him in his sufferings And presently after Christ upon the Cross being about to commend his Spirit unto his Father saith It is finished whereby He testifieth that all those things which were necessary for the Expiation of Sins and for Redemption from the curse of the Law were fully sufficiently and super-abundantly consummated and discharged in or by his obedience and sufferings h Non enim partem irâ— vel maledictionis sed totam iram suam cum universis faecibus maledictionis Pater effudit in caliceÌ„ illuÌ„ quem Filio Mediatori in passione bibenduÌ„ proposuit Idem Ibid. part 4. De Indulgentiis Immediatè pòst Et Christus in cruce traditurus Patri spirituÌ„ dicit consuÌ„matuÌ„ est quâ voce testatur omnia ea quae ad expiationem peccatoruÌ„ ad
hereunto is onely the knowledg of himself i. e. of the truth of his Nature Attributes and transcendent excellency of Being This is the Word of Promise which came long since from the mouth of God himself unto the World They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain FOR the Earth shall be FULL OF THE KNOVVLEDG OF THE LORD as the waters cover the Sea c Isai 11. 9 clearly implying that when ignorance and all misperswasions concerning God in the world shall be led captive by the light of the knowledg of the Truth and when there shall be a good understanding begotten between him and his Creature the hearts of men will serve them no longer to rebel against him or to despise his Law So that what is commonly said of Knowledg may truly be said of God non habet inimicum praeter ignorantem he hath no Enemy but onely those who know him not The Devil had no door to open effectual enough by which to give sin an entrance into the World but onely the perverting of the streight thoughts and apprehensions of God which God himself had planted in the Minde and Vnderstanding of his Creature Man The Woman had a right and sound perswasion of the just severity and Truth of God in his threatenings until Satan prevailed with her to change it for a lye d Gen. 3. 4 5 into the spirit of which lye Adam himself also was presently baptized by her confidence under it Neither could the Devil have touch'd either the one or the other of them but by the mediation of some erroneous Notion or other concerning God And as Satan brought sin into the World by the opportunity of a misrepresentation of God unto his Creature so when God shall please to Reform the World and make a perfect ejection of sin out of it he will do it by repairing the breaches which Satan hath made upon the Judgments and Vnderstandings of men with a clear light of the knowledg of himself Well may the Holy Ghost call sin and wickedness in every kinde the works of darkness because they are never practised but by the illegal warrant and blinde direction of some false perswasion or other in the mindes of men Vpon this account also it is that the Apostle interpreteth the building of timber hay and stubble i. e. unsound Doctrines and Opinions upon the true Foundation Jesus Christ to be a corrupting or destroying of the Temple of God e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 17 i. e. of his Church and People as he explaineth it For every Error or false apprehension in the things of God and matters of Salvation is not onely of a defiling but of a corrupting nature also and according to the tenor and degree of malignity in it for there is some degree of a spiritual malignity in every Error disposeth the Soul which drinks it in and converseth with it to a spiritual Death being destructive to that communion with God wherein principally the life i. e. the strength peace joy and happiness of the Soul consisteth For God in whatsoever he revealeth or speaketh in his Word of any inconsistency with an Error and Error there is none about spiritual things in opposition whereunto God speaketh not more or less in his Word must needs be as a Barbarian or one that speaketh with an unknown tongue to him whose Minde and Vnderstanding is distemper'd with it When our Saviour told his Disciples in words express and plain enough that the Son of man should be delivered into the hands of men Luk. 9. 44. 18. 34. it is said that they notwithstanding understood not the saying The Reason plainly was because they were erroneously principled about the subject of which Christ spake which was his estate of Humiliation by suffering Death they supposing and taking it for granted that he was to be a great Potentate and Monarch in the World without passing through the valley of an ignominious Death thereunto In like manner when he said to Joseph and the Virgin his Mother Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business f Luke 2. 49 the Text saith that they understood not the saying that he spake unto them The reason of their non-understanding in this case was because they were under the command of such a supposition which thwarted that principle according to the exigency whereof he so spake They supposed that he was under no engagement in no due capacity at least at those years which at this time he had attained to manage the great affairs of God and his Kingdom in the World whereas his sence was that he was under the one and in the other and spake accordingly unto them So also the Reason why Festus supposed Paul to be besides himself and that much learning had made him mad g Acts 26. 24 implying that he could make neither sap nor sence of what he had said was because the tenor and substance of Pauls Discourse was diametrally opposite to his Principles After the same manner when and whilest a mans Judgment is perverted by any unsound Opinion that hath taken fast hold on it he is uncapable of all that light of Truth which God shineth in the Scriptures in opposition to that Error and must of necessity either relinquish this Opinion or else either deprave and mis-understand the Minde of God in all such passages or else profess dissatisfaction touching the true sence and meaning of them In both cases he suffers a proportionable loss in his communion with God Can two walk together saith the Scripture except they be agreed Civil Communion cannot be maintained or held under a dissent in Principles relating to such Communion at least not in such things unto which such a dissent extendeth or relatâ—th Beasts are uncapable of all friendly converse and intercourse of affairs with men and so men with Beasts The Reason is because neither of them have any Principle symbolical with the other the thoughts of men are not the thoughts of beasts neither are the thoughts or impressions of beasts the thoughts of men And though men being sound in some soveraign Principles of the Gospel and such which are as it were the life-guard of the heart and vital parts of Religion may possibly live in communion with God upon terms consistent with Salvation yet may they very possibly also in case they be intangled with Error otherwise by means hereof suffer loss to a very sad degree in the things of their present peace When the Sun is in the greatest Eclipse that is lightly incident to it there yet shineth so much Light to the World which is sufficient to make it day and whereby to perform ordinary works wont to be done in the day time notwithstanding during such an Eclipse as this the World through want of that fulness of light which that worthy Creature the Sun naturally affordeth suffereth many degrees of the damp and sadness of the night In
lightly can be For if only the Spirit of God within me apprehends the things of God and I my self apprehend them not and apprehend them I cannot but by my Reason or Vnderstanding having no other faculty wherewith to apprehend or conceive such an apprehension of them relateth not at all unto me Nor can I any whit more be said to apprehend them because the Spirit of God apprehends them in me then I may or might in case the same Spirit should apprehend them in another man That which another man meditates or indites in my house without imparting it unto me no whit more concerns me then in case he should have meditated or indited the same things in the house of another man Besides the Spirit of God being but one and the same infinite indivisible Spirit in all men he cannot with any tolerable propriety of speech nor with truth be said to apprehend discern or conceive that in one man which he doth not after the same manner apprehend discern and conceive in another yea in every man Therefore if there be any thing more apprehended or discerned of the things of God in one man then in another the difference ariseth not from the different apprehensions of the Spirit in these men but from the different apprehensions of these men themselves and this by their own reasons and understandings they having as hath been said no other faculties principles or abilities wherewith to apprehend but these If it be demanded But is any man able without the presence and assistance of the Spirit of God to discern the things of God or to judg aright in matters of Religion I answer 1. Plainly and directly to the Heart I suppose of those who make this demand No The Spirit of God hath such a great Interest in and glorious Superintendency over the Minds and Spirits Reasons and Vnderstandings of Men that they cannot act or move regularly or perform any of those operations or functions that are most natural and proper to them upon any worthy or comely terms especially in matters of a spiritual concernment but by the gracious and loving interposure and help of this Spirit For questionless the intellectual frame of the Heart and Soul of man was by the sin and fall of Adam wholly dissolved shattered brought to an absolute Chaos and Confusion of Ignorance and Darkness to a condition of as great an impotency to do him the least service in order to his comfort or peace in any kind as can be imagined So that if the Reasons and Vnderstandings of men quit themselves in their actings or workings with honour or in any due proportion to their benefit comfort or peace it must needs be by means of that Gracious Conjunction of the Spirit of God with them which is a vouchsafement unto the children of men procured by him who raised up the Tabernacle of Adam when it was fallen Jesus Christ Blessed for ever In respect of which vouchsafement purchased by him and given unto men for his sake He is said to enlighten every man coming into the world a Iohn 1. 9. So that what light soever of Truth what clear and sound principle or impression of Reason or Vnderstanding soever is since the Fall to be found in any man is an express fruit of the Grace that is given unto the World upon the account of Jesus Christ and is re-invested in the Soul by the appropriate interposure of the Spirit of God the gift whereof upon this account is so frequently and highly magnified in the Scriptures Yea not only the habitual residency of all principles of Light and Truth in the Soul is to be attributed unto the Spirit of God as supporting and preserving them from defacement but also all the actings and movings of the rational powers of the Soul according to the true exigency ducture and import of them as in all right apprehensions of things in all legitimate and sound reasonings and debates whether for the confirmation of any Truth or the confutation of any Error or the like But 2. Though the Spirit of God contributes by his assistane after that high manner which hath been declared towards the right apprehending understanding discerning the things of God by men yet this no ways proveth but that they are the Reasons and Vnderstandings of men themselves that must apprehend discern and understand these things and consequently must be provoked raised ingaged imployed and improved by men that they may thus apprehend and discern notwithstanding all that assistance which is administred by the Spirit otherwise nothing will be apprehended or discerned by them Nor will the assistance of the Spirit we speak of turn to any account of benefit or comfort but of loss and condemnation unto men in case their Reasons and Vnderstandings shall not advance and quit themselves according to their interest thereupon 3. In case the Spirit of God shall at any time reveal I mean offer and propose any of the things of God or any spiritual Truth unto men these must be apprehended discerned judged of yea and concluded to be the things of God by the Reasons and Vnderstandings of men before they can or ought to receive or believe them to be the things of God yea before such a Revelation can any ways accommodate benefit and bless their Soul When our Saviour speaking of the Spirit to His Disciples saith And he will shew you things to come and again He shall receive of mine and shall shew them unto you Joh. 16. 13 14. He supposeth that they viz. with their own Reasons and Vnderstandings were to apprehend and judg of the things that should be thus shewed unto them to have been shewed unto them by the Spirit of God and not to have proceeded from any other Author Yea in case men shall receive the things of God themselves FOR the things of God or of the Spirit of God before their Reason and Vnderstanding have upon rational Grounds and Principles judged them to be the things of God yet can they not receive them upon these terms As the things of God I mean as the things of God ought in Duty and by Command from Himself to be received by Men or so as to benefit or inrich the Soul by their being received For as God requires of men to be praised with Understanding a Psalm 47 7 i. e. out of a rational apprehension and due consideration of his infinite worth and Excellency so doth He require to be believed also And they that believe him otherwise believe they know not what nor whom and so are Brethren in vanity with those that worship they know not what b John 4. 22 and build Altars to an unknown God c Acts 17. 23 To trust or believe in God upon such terms as these is being interpreted but as the Devotion of a man to an Idol Yea the Apostle Himself arraigns the Athenians of that high crime and misdemeanor of Idolatry upon the account of
yet understand not 2. The naturall and plaine inclination of the Context leads to the interpretation §. 38. and sence of the whole World contended for For the Apostle doth not simply say that Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole World but he saith it by way of an emphaticall antithesis or addition to this saying that He was the propitiation for their sinnes And he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but also for the sinnes of the whole World This last Clause but also for the sinnes of the whole World is cleerly added by way of augmentation or further strengthning to the ground of their Faith and comfort Now evident it is that there will be little or nothing found in it tending to any such end as the further enlargement of their comfort or strengthning to their Faith above what the former Clause presented but rather that which will be prejudiciall and insnaring unto both unlesse these words of the whole World be taken in their comprehensive signification I mean for all Men in the World without exception For to say thus unto a Believer or to a Professor of the Faith of Christ who is doubtfull about the grounds of his Faith and but weake in the comfort of i◠which was apparantly the condition of those to whom Iohn Writes this Epistle and in consideration whereof that very Clause we now speak of was added to the former Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the Elect or of some few particular Men must needs rather add to their doubtings then their Faith and augment their feares rather then their comforts yea and would take from rather then add to that ground of consolation which He had administred in the former Clause And He is the Propitiation for our sinnes For when I am in suspence and doubtfull in my spirit whether Christ died for me or be a propitiation for my sinnes or no how should it any wayes tend or conduce to my establishment for me to know or consider that Christ died for his Elect or for some particular Men both of Iewes and Gentiles and for some only Hath not such a Doctrine or consideration as this fuell in it to increase the burnings of my feares within me instead of water to quench or allay them Or can I be ever a whit the more strengthened to believe that Christ died for me by believing that He died for some Particular Men or must not my feares in this kinde I meane whether Christ died for me or no needs be the more provoked and enraged within me by considering that Christ died for some few Particular Men only Or doth such an assertion as this that Christ died for some Particular Men though never so substantially proved though never so effectually believed any wayes enable or dispose me to believe that I am one of those Particular Men for whom he died Nay rather must not a rumination or feeding upon such a Notion or conception as that falling in conjunction with the weaknesse and doubtfulnesse of my Faith together with the sence and conscience of my many corruptions and infirmities otherwise of necessity involve and perplex me with so much the more grievous and inextricable fears that I am none of those Particular Men none of those few for whom alone Christ died Therefore any of those restrained interpretations of the whole VVorld which we have opposed do most manifestly oppose the plaine scope and drift of the Holy Ghost which was as hath been proved the strengthening or incouragement of their Faith upon rich and excellent terms whereas the true interpretation of the words and that which we plead hath the fairest and fullest consistance with such an intent which can lightly be imagined For the consideration that Christ by his death became a propitiation or made a full attonement for the sinnes of all Men without exception as it tends to magnifie the unsearchable riches of the Grace of Christ on the one hand and so is proper to strengthen the hand of every Mans Faith so on the other hand it throws down every Mountaine and fills every Valley removes all obstructions takes away all impediments cleers all scruples and so prepares a plain and smooth way for every Man to come unto Christ by believing yea and cuts off all occasion◠of relapses or faintings in Faith afterwards How it comes to passe and how it may well stand with the justice of God that notwithstanding the Death of Christ for the sins of all Men yet all Men are not saved shall be taken into consideration in due Time and Place Concerning the distinction mentioned of Christs dying sufficiently for all §. 39. Men but not efficaciously or intentionally on Gods Part as it was first hammered out by workmen of no great credit with us for spirituall building the Schoolemen I meane so is it built upon a false foundation or supposition as viz. that intentions are attributable unto God upon the same terms See also Cap. 7. Sect. 5. And cap. 8. 33. in every respect wherein they are competible unto Men the contrary whereof hath been undeniably proved Cap. 3. Sect. 7 8. c. where likewise it was particularly argued and made good that God is and very properly may be said to intend whatsoever He vouchsafeth proper and sufficient meanes to effect especially with a command to improve or use them accordingly whether the thing be effected or no. So that to affirme and grant that Christ died sufficiently for all Men and yet deny that he died intentionally for all Men is to speak contradictions and to pull down with the left hand what a Man hath built up with his right Certainly he that levieth and imployeth a proportion of meanes sufficient and proper for the bringing of any thing to passe must needs in one sence or other in one degree or other be supposed to intend the bringing to passe of such a thing Nor is it any dishonour at all unto God nor in the least unworthy of him that he doth not alwayes attaine his ends or things intended by him no more then it is that sin should be committed in the World notwithstanding his opposing it by his Authority Law and Threatnings though in strictnesse and propriety of speech it is most true that God never failes of his intentions or ends if by intentions and ends we meane only such things which are absolutely and positively intended by him But in this sence the actuall salvation of Particular Men under any other consideration then as believers is none of his intentions So God loved the World that he gave his only begotten Sonne not simply or absolutely that the World i. e. every Man no nor yet that any Man should be saved or have everlasting life but that whosoever believeth should have it So that the absolute and positive intentions of God concerning the salvation of Men are no◠concerning the salvation simply of Men or of any
Valdè indignum est sanguinē Christi qui Sanctificationis nostrae materia est profanare Hoc verò faciun◠qui desciscunt à fide Sed modum confirmationis notat quùm dicit nos Sanctificatos quia nihil prodesset fusus sanguis nisi nos per Spiritum Sanctum eo irrigaremur Vnde expiatio Sanctitas with much more to like Purpose in this Commentary Whereby evident it is that this Author by the Sanctification mentioned in the Text understands no other then that which was in himselfe and which is wrought by the Spirit of God in the Saints by Watering or Sprinkling them with the Blood of Christ. By which he was Sanctified i. e. say our English Divines in their Annotations upon the Place by which their sinnes were pardoned in regard of that meritorious sufficient satisfaction purchased by it sending us backe to their Note on Vers 10. of this Chapter where they interpret the word Sanctified as signifying our being freed from the guilt of our sinne and consecrated to Gods Service So that there is little question but that these also understand the Place to speak of a true Sanctification indeed and which either is or flows from justification it self And long before them both Chrysostome interpreted the Place as speaking of such a Sanctification which appertaines to a Son or Child of God God saith he hath made thee a Son and wilt thou be willing to be made a Servant * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The last of the Scriptures Produced to Prove that Christ Died even §. 54. for those also who Perish as well as others was Mat. 18. 32. 34. The tenor and carriage of this is of like consideration with the three last opened excepting only that whereas those speak of Sanctification this speaks of Justification The passages now to be insisted upon lie in the Body of a Parable which is somewhat large the Reader may please to peruse the whole in the Evangelist The Particulars in it for our Purpose are contained in these words Then His Lord after He had called Him said unto Him O thou wicked servant I forgave thee all the debt because thou desiredst Me Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee And His Lord was wroth and delivered Him to the Tormentors till He should pay all that was due to Him So likewise shall my Heavenly Father doe also unto you if yee from your Hearts forgive not every one His Brother their Trespasses In these words we heare of a Servant to whim his Lord and Master had freely forgiven all that debt which he owed unto Him which as we finde in the former part of the Parable was a vast sum of ten thousand Talents fit to typifie or represent that great debt of eternall sufferings which every Man owes for Sinnes and Trespasses unto God And yet we hear also that this same Servant by provoking this gracious Lord and Master of His by unmercifulnesse and cruelty to one of his fellow-servants forfeited his former Grace and Mercy which he had received from Him in the forgivenesse of his great debt and that this forfeiture was taken by His Lord and he delivered by Him to the Tormentors or Prison-keepers untill He should pay the whole debt i. e. for ever in as much as He had not nor was ever able to procure wherewith to make such a payment What was intended and signified by all this is cleerly expressed by our Saviour in those last words which containe the application and are the close of the Parable So likewise shall my Heavenly Father c. From which words the cleer and direct scope and intent of the Parable sheweth it self to be this viz. to give the World to know and understand that if Men who have obtained forgivenesse of sins by the meanes and Grace of Jesus Christ shall so far sin against the excellency and richnesse of this Grace as to deale cruelly and unmercifully by Men this act of Grace towards them shall be cancelled and revoked and the debt of their sins shall returne and recoyle againe upon them Yea he plainly tells his Disciples themselves for this Parable was in speciall manner directed unto them as appears from the beginning of the Chapter that they themselves must not looke to be exempted from this Law of the righteousnesse and equity of God So likewise shall my Heavenly Father doe also unto you or even unto you notwithstanding any Priviledge you may seeme to have above other Men by being My Disciples he will neither deale better nor worse with you but just as this Lord did by that wretched and most unthankfull Servant of his if you Provoke him after the same manner i. e. if yee from your Hearts forgive not every one His Brother their Trespasses That great Grace of forgivenesse of sins under which you now stand will be reversed and called in again by him that hath given it you if you shall so far tread and trample the glory of it under your feet as not in consideration and acknowledgement of the greatnesse of it to be open and free-hearted in forgiving one another such Injuries and Trespasses as are done to you This is the righteous and royall way of that God with the World who as Peter saith without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Mans work I shall not need I suppose to caution that which hath been delivered §. 55. upon this account with any such Item or Explication as this that it was far from our Saviours intent to threaten either his Apostles or any other Man that they should incur the sore judgement mentioned the losse of the forgivenesse of sins or be cast into the Prison of hell by every passionate or sudden heat conceived against a Man upon a Provocation or Offence given If this were so the whole World of Saints in a manner might cry out as the Apostles upon occasion of another Doctrine taught by Christ sometimes did Who then can be saved But his meaning clearly was and is that if they should harbour or nourish thoughts or desires of revenge against any Man that should at any time offend or injure them and remaine implacable not admitting of a clear and cordiall reconciliation with him and should live and die in this hatefull and revengefull Posture that then God would deale no better with them then the Lord in the Parable did by that Servant to whom he had forgiven a great debt upon his unmercifull dealing by his fellow servant when He delivered Him to the Tormentors to be cast into Prison untill He should pay the whole debt Nor doth any thing that hath been asserted concerning the returne of the §. 56. debt of sin upon any Man after forgivenesse upon occasion of cruell unmercifull and revengefull dealings by their Brethren beare at all upon that of the Apostle the gifts and calling of God are without Repentance a Rom. 11.
29. For the meaning hereof is not that what God once gives he never takes away we know there are instances in the Scripture without number to the contrary He tooke away that integrity and rectitude of nature from Adam upon his fall which he had given him in his Creation So in the Parable he commands the Talent to be taken away from the unprofitable servant b Mat. 25. 28 which before he had given him yea and threatens universally that from every one that hath not viz. by way of improvement or increase shall be taken away even Vers 29. that which he hath viz. by way of stock or originall donation So that the gifts and calling of God are not in this Sence without Repentance Therefore 2. When the Apostle affirmes the gifts and calling of God to be without §. 57. Repentance his meaning may be 1. That he never gives any thing to any Person or People whatsoever but that he knows and considers before-hand all the inconveniences and dis-accommodations that will follow upon it either in Reference to his own glory or to his Creature one or other in any kinde In so much that what ever be the event or consequence of any of his gifts if they were to give again he would give them Nor doth that expression concerning him and it repented the Lord that He Had made Man upon Earth and that it grieved Him at His Heart c Gen. 6 6. any way imply but that if Man had been now to make he would have made him or that when he did make him he did not fore-see the inconvenience which now followed upon his making of him The Phrase only imports a purpose of heart in God shortly to destroy him from off the face of the Earth for his wickednesse as he saith immediately after that he would do For which kinde of expression when attributed unto God we have accounted at large in the third Chapter of this Discourse 2. The gifts and calling of God are or may be said to be without Repentance §. 58. because let Men continue the same Persons I meane Geometrically or Proportionably the same which they were when the donation or collation of any gift was first made by God unto them he never changeth or altereth his dispensation towards them unlesse it be for the better or in order to their further good in which case he cannot be said to repent of what he had given But in case Men shall change and alter from what they were when God first dealt graciously and bountifully by them especially if they shall notoriously degenerate or cast away that principle or through negligence or otherwise devest and despoile themselves of that very qualification on which God as it were graffed his benefit or guift vouchsafed to them in this case though he recalls and takes away his guift he cannot be said to repent of the giving it because the terms upon which he gave it please him still only the persons to whom he gave it and who pleased him when he gave it unto them have now rendered themselves by their unworthinesse displeasing unto him and uncapable by the Lawes and Rule of his righteous dispensations of any further injoyment thereof This is the case between God and such Men who having once obtained remission of sins from him by such a Faith which wrought or was apt and ready to work by love afterwards upon the losse or degeneration of this Faith together with the operativenesse of contrary and vile principles are devested by him of that great and glorious priviledge and fall back into their former estate of condemnation Therefore from those quarters of the Parable in Matthew which we have §. 59. lately surveyed perfect intelligence comes that persons who have by meanes of a sound Faith received remission of sins upon the account of Christs Death may through negligence in not preserving this Faith or the sweetnesse and soundnesse of it so far provoke their glorious Benefactor as to cause him to repeale that His Act of Grace towards them and to suffer their former guilt to returne like the uncleane spirit with seven worse then himself upon them From whence it undeniably followes that Christ hath purchased Remission of sins by His Death for those who notwithstanding may through their own folly and wickednesse perish Chrysostome interprets the place in full consonancy with this inference or supposition Although saith he the graces and guifts of God are without Repentance yet malice or wickednesse prevailed so far as to dissolve this Law What then is there of more grievous consequence then to remember injuries which appeares to be a subverter or destroyer of such and so great a gift of God a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Amongst our later Expositors Musculus as Orthodox as Men can make a Man advanceth the same interpretation making it his third observation upon the place that those sinnes which are through the Grace of God pardoned at present shall not be remitted in the future unlesse we will forgive our Brother For it is an unjust thing saith he that he should enjoy the free remitment or forgivenesse of a debt of ten thousand Talents who refuseth to forgive his Brother a debt of an hundred pence b Tertia observatio est etiam eadelicta quae jam condonata sunt per gratiam Dei non fore remissa si nos nolimus remittere fratri Est enim injustum gaudere de re missis sibi Talentis mille qui nolit centum denarios fratri remittere Mr. John Ball himself nibbleth also at this exposition even whilest for the sake of those that sit at table with Him he opposeth it As in the Parable saith he the Lord is said to remit to his servant a thousand Talents when he desired him viz. inchoately or upon condition which was not confirmed because he did not forgive his fâ—llow servant so the false Prophets are bought by the Blood of Christ viz. in a sort as they believed in Christ but not sincerely and unfeignedly c Covenant of Grace p 240. A little after to these Men their sinnes were remitted in a sort in this World c. If he would have brought forth his darknesse of inchoately upon condition in a sort into a cleare and perfect light his meaning must have been that that Remission of sins which God gives unto Men in this World he neither confirmes unto them in the houre of Death nor in the Day of judgement the Authors own words a little after the former in case they live and die under an implacablenesse or unmercifulnesse of spirit towards those who injure them Such a sence as this is truly Orthodox whether Men vote it such or no. Our English Annotators though they neither buy nor sell this interpretation in expressnesse of terms yet interpretatively they buy or confirme it This Parable say they upon Verse 35. informes us that they shall finde God severe and
comes within our reach for such a purpose so ought we no less to rest satisfied with such grounds and meanes for our spirituall consolation which God hath judged meete for us and hath Himself administred unto us in His Word and not straine our phantasies or apprehensions to mould such Notions and Doctrines as we our selves conceit to be commodious and serviceable to us in such a way And as it is an high reproach unto the gracious and bountifull Providence of God for Men to have recourse unto the Devill or any of his uncleane Arts or Methods for their temporall supplies in any kinde so is it no less if not rather much more dishonorable to Him when Men shall make themselves beholding to a spirit of error for the supports or supplies of their inner Man But 3. No such Notion or Doctrine which is only comfortable and betiding §. 15. peace to the flesh i. e. the corrupt base and sensuall part of a Man ought to be esteemed especially by the Saints so much as comfortable simply and indeed or any meanes of peace truly so called but should rather be looked upon as prejudiciall unto and of an evill influence upon their whole interest in this kinde For that which is proper to strengthen the hand of the flesh can very hardly if at all be serviceable unto the Spirit in the things of the Peace and Comfort thereof Now that the Doctrine so often named is a grand Benefactresse to the flesh a full fountaine of joy and gladnesse unto it hath been sufficiently proved in this Chapter already I here only add this brief demonstration further It must needs be a Doctrine speaking to the heart of the flesh because it administreth a certaine hope unto it that it shall however escape the wrath and vengeance which is to come yea though it dispoâ—teth it self in all manner of loosenesse and licentiousness in the meane time For this iâ— the spirit that speaks in that Doctrine That it is no wayes comforting or strengthening to the spirit or spirituall §. 16. and regenerate part of a Man but rather fulsome and importune is evident from hence because a man so far as he is regenerate and spirituall desires not wisheth not Heaven or Salvation it self but only in wayes of Holinesse and of Honor nor would he purchase a dispensation though it were offered unto him with the least haire on his head to take his fill in the pleasures of sin without danger Nay if an Angell from Heaven should come and offer such a dispensation as this unto him upon the terms specified it would be as an uncleane and accursed offer unto him The Holy Angels because they have no flesh no corruption in them though they be mutable as all Creatures whatsoever by the unavoideable Law of their Creation are value not their happinesse or their security in their standings at the least mite the less because they have no liberty of sinning without danger nor would they account such a liberty any priviledge or comfort at all to them if they had it But that they are capable or in a possibility of sinning as well as Men regenerate though not in so neer a capacity we shall I conceive have opportunity to demonstrate in the sequell of the Discourse Now a Man regenerate take him so far as he is spirituall and borne of God valueth opportunities of sinning no more than an Angell nor desireth continuance in the love and favour of God upon any other terms or conditions then such on which the Lord Christ Himself as it seemes injoyed it If yee keepe my Commandements yee shall abide in my Love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandements and abide in his Love a Ioh. 15. 10 So then evident it is that the new Man taketh no pleasure rejoyceth not in any such Doctrine which insures either perseverance in Faith or continuance in the Favour and Love of God to it upon any other terms then of walking holily and humbly with him And upon these terms the Doctrine which teacheth a Possibility of the Saints declining insureth both the said glorious accommodations with as high an hand of security as it Yea the Truth is that the received Doctrine of Perseverance is so far §. 17. from gratifying the spirituall part of a Man that it is to it what Peter was to Christ when he counselled him to pitty himself b Mat. 16. 22 I meane an offence oâ— what those Christians were unto Paul of whom He complained that they brake his heart with weeping c Acts 21 13 For it secretly whispers and suggests unto it such things the Nature and Proper tendency whereof is to scatter what the spirit hath gathered to dissolve and break the strength of those holy Purposes and Resolutions wherewith the Regenerate part hath harnassed and armed it self against temptations unto evill When the new Man in a Servant of God shall with Paul have reasoned and resolved thus I will keepe under my Body and bring it into subjection lest that by any meanes when I have Preached unto others I my self should be a cast-away d 1 Cor. 6. 27 he that shall come and insinuate thus into him whether thou keepest under thy Body or no whether thou bringest it into subjection or whether thou sufferest it to wax wanton thou shalt be in no danger in no possibility of being a cast-away shall he not loosen the very foundation ground-work of such a resolution which was the sence and apprehension of the great danger of being a cast-away in case his body was not kept under Or suppose a Man should argue and conclude thus within himself I will labour with my hands that I may have whereof both to subsist honestly and to doe good unto others would not such a suggestion as this to him that he shall have that which will be abundantly sufficient for both purposes whether he laboureth with his hands or no be a temptation and snare upon him to retract his Conclusion in that kinde If it be here said yea but a certaine knowledge and full assurance that §. 18. God will never cease to love me will bestow Salvation and blessednesse upon me whatsoever my failings shall be is an effectuall motive unto my heart and soule to cleave unto him in all love and faithfullnesse and consequently is nourishing cheering and strengthning even to the inner man To this I Answer 1. That the inner or new Man in the Saints takes no pleasure at all in any such Notion or Perswasion as this that it may or shall injoy the Love of God or Salvation it selfe under the practise of all manner of sin and wickednesse whatsoever The very sound of these last words is harsh and uncouth unto it Nor can it easily be perswaded that any such Perswasion is from GOD. 2. Should it be granted that a full and Perfect assurance of the continuance of the Love of God upon all upon any
need to be of destroying their Naturall Lives upon the same terms I answer 1. There is nothing which indangereth the Salvation of the Soule but sin yea there is nothing that causeth this danger to any much considerable or formidable degree but only such sins which are notoriously manifest unto the Saints if not by the light of Nature yet by the light of Grace and of the Scriptures manifest I meane not only or simply as or that they are sins but manifest also according to that Relation wherein we now speak of them i. e. as and that they are sins threatning as it were with a loud voyce destruction to the Soule So that in the first place God hath vouchsafed unto the Saints means fully sufficient to informe them of whatsoever is imminently or apparantly destructive to their Soules 2. He hath given them Eyes wherewith and light whereby cleerly and §. 33. evidently to see and know that it is not more Rationall or Man-like for Men to refraine all such actions which they know they cannot performe but to the present and unavoideable destruction of their Naturall Lives then it is to forbear all sinfull acts whatsoever and especially all such which are apparantly destructive to their Soules 3. God hath not only given them the Eyes and the light we speake of §. 34. wherewith and whereby cleerly to see and understand the things mentioned but hath further endued them with a faculty of consideration wherewith to reflect upon and review to weigh and ponder as oft as they please what they see understand and know in this kinde Now whatsoever a Man is capable 1. Of Seeing and Knowing 2. of Pondering and Considering he is capable of raising or working an inclination in Himself towards it answerable in Strength Vigor and Power to any degree of goodnesse or desireablenesse which he is able to apprehend therein For what is an inclination towards any thing as suppose towards an act or course and frequency of actions but a propension and leaning as it were of the Heart and Soule towards it And how comes the Heart or Soule of a Man to propend or leane towards any thing but by apprehending and considering somewhat that is seemingly at least if not really also good for him therein And the greater the good is that is apprehended herein and the cleerer the more raised and multiplied the apprehension is the greater proportionably the fuller of Strength Vigour and Power must the Propension and inclination of the Heart and Soule needs be thereunto So that if 1. There be worth and goodnesse sufficient in any object whatsoever to beare it and 2. If a Man be in a capacity of discovering and apprehending this good cleerly and 3. Be in a like capacity of revising or considering this his vision as oft as he pleaseth certainly he is in a capacity and at liberty to work himself to what strength or degree of desire and inclination towards it he pleaseth Now evident and certaine it is to every Man or else easily may be 1. That there is more good in abstaining from things either eminently dangerous or apparantly destructive to his Soule then in forbearing things apparantly destructive to his Naturall Being 2. As evident it is that every Man is capable of attaining or comming to the certaine knowledge of and of cleerly apprehending this excesse of good to him in the former above the latter 3. Neither is it a thing lesse evident then either of the former that every Man is as capable of Ruminating or Re-apprehending the said excesse of good as much and as oft as he pleaseth as he is simply of apprehending it All which supposed as undeniably true it followes with an high hand and above all contradiction that the Saints may and have meanes and opportunities faire and full for the purpose Plant an inclination or disposition in themselves to refrain all manner of sins apparantly dangerous and destructive to the safety of their Soules fuller of Energy Vigour Life Strength Power then that Naturall inclination in them which teacheth them to refrain all actions which they know must needs be accompanied with the destruction of their Naturall Beings Therefore if they be more yea or so much afraid of destroying their Lives voluntarily and knowingly as by casting themselves into the Fire or the Water or the like then they are of falling away through sin the Fault or Reason hereof is not at all in that Doctrine which affirm's and inform's them that there is a Possibility that they may fall away but in themselves and in their own voluntary negligence they have meanes and opportunities as we have Proved in abundance to render themselves every whit as secure yea and more secure touching the latter as they are or reasonably can be concerning the former The Possibility they live under of destroying their Naturall Lives with their own hands doth not occasion the least trouble or fear of death in them in such a way Nor needs the Possibility they lie under of falling away being grounded only upon a Possibility of their own voluntary actings occasion the least disturbance uncomfortableness or fear in their spirits that they shall fall away Therefore 2. To the maine objection in hand I answer further concerning the §. 35. manifold weaknesses of the Saints their aptnesse to sin c. these indeed are sufficient and Proper to cause them to fear but nor the fear of falling away from God or from his Grace but that fear which the Scripture is wont to oppose to high mindednesse Be not high minded but feare a Rom. 11. 20 This fear is nothing else but an humble reflection upon a Man 's own weakenesse and insufficiency to stand by his own strength which necessarily draweth along with it an humble dependance upon God for strength whereby to stand together with an acknowledgement of strength received from him when and whilest he doth stand This is evident from that of the Apostle worke out your own Salvation with feare and trembling i. e. with humility with a sence and acknowledgement of no sufficiency as from your selves for so important a work for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of His good Pleasure a Phili 2. 12. 13. i. e. you are debtors unto him both for every disposition you finde in your selves to act and likewise for every action wherein you doe act in order to your Salvation But of this Passage of Scripture more hereafter God willing In the meane time certaine it is that the infirmities and weaknesses of the Saints through â—hich they are apt to sin doe not require any such Decree in God which â—ncludeth in it an impossibility of their falling away to render them secure from or against such falling For as the lighter crosses and discontents which men daily meet with in their houshold affaires conversings with Men and dealings in the World bring them into no danger or feare of
the Apostles themselves in Christian Churches and had professed the same Faith and Doctrine with them By reason hereof some Christians not so considerate or judicious as others might possibly think or conceive that surely all things were not well with the Apostles and those Christian Societies with which they consorted there was something not as it ought to have been either in Doctrine or Manners or both which ministered an occasion unto these Men to break Communion with them and to leave them To this the Apostle answers partly by Concession partly by Exception First by Concession in these words They went out from us Which words doe not so much import their utter declining or forsaking the Apostles Communion though there be an expression following which probably doth as the advantage or opportunity which they had to gaine credit and respects both to their Doctrine and Persons amongst Professors of Christianity in the World in as much as they came forth from the Apostles themselves as Men taught and Commissioned by them to Teach The same Phrase is used in this sence and with the same import Acts 15. 24. where the Apostles write thus to the Brethren of the Gentiles For as much as we have heard that certaine which WENT OVT FROM Us have troubled you with words subverting your Soules saying yee must be Circumcised and keep the Law to whom we gave no such Commission or Commanaement So that in this clause they went out from us the Apostle grants 1. That those Anti-Christian Teachers had indeed for a time held Communion with them and 2. That hereby they had the greater opportunity of doing harm in the World by their false Doctrine But 2. He answers further by way of exception But they were not of us i. e. Whilest yet they conversed with us they were not Men of the same Spirit or Principles with us we walked in the Profession of the Gospell with single and upright Hearts not aiming at any secular greatnesse or worldly accommodations in one kinde or other these Men loved this present World and when they found that the simplicity of the Gospell would not accommodate them to their minds they brake with us and with the truth of the Gospell it self at once By the way when He saith But they were not of us He doth not necessarily imply or suppose that they never had been of them i. e. sincere and single-hearted in the Profession of the Gospell as they were but only that about and at the time of their going out from them or perhaps somewhile after they were thus tainted and corrupted The cares of this World and the deceitfulnesse of Riches and those lusts of other things which choked the seed in the Thorny grâ—und are said to have entered in viz. some while after the seed was sown and sprung up a Mar. 4. 19 Nor is it said to have fallen among Thorns because there were Thorns on the ground when it was sown but because it fell on such a ground where it Proved to be amongst Thorns afterwards Nor is it like that Demas Himself loved this present World when first he imbraced Pauls company with that affection either for kinde or degree which he did afterwards So that it cannot be Proved from this clause that the Persons spoken of had never been sincere Christians but only that they were not such when John spake these things concerning them It followes For if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us In these words the Apostle gives a reason of his exception telling them to whom he writs that this was a signe or argument that those Anti-Christian Teachers were not of them in the sence declared viz. that they did not continue with them i. e. they quitted their former intimacy and converse with the Apostles refused to steere the same course to walk by the same Principles any longer with them which saith he questionlesse they would not have done had they been as sincerly affected towards Jesus Christ and the Gospell as we In which Assertion John plainely vindicateth himself and the Christian Churches of his Communion from giving any just occasion of offence unto those men whereby they should be any wayes induced to forsake them and resolves their unworthy departure in this kinde into their own carnall and corrupt hearts which lusted after such fleshly accommodations and contentments that were not to be obtained or injoyed in a sincere Profession of the Gospell with the Apostles and those who were Perfect in heart with them It followes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. but that they §. 24. might be made manifest that they are not at all of us meaning that God suffered them thus unworthily to break fellowship with us that hereby they might all of them one or other of those who thus causlesly deserted us be discovered to be Men of degenerous and ignoble spirits and not Principled like unto us the true Apostles of Christ or those that walke in uprightnesse of heart with us It appertaines to the just and righteous Judgement of God and withall is a dispensation of a gracious tendency and import for the Honour Peace and Safety of Christian Churches and sincere Christians that Men of corrupt minds amongst them should be timely discovered This being the cleere and undoubted Scope and Sence of the Place evident it is that no inference or conclusion can be drawn from it for the countenance or establishment of the received Doctrine of Perseverance All that can be made of it towards such an account as this is that Men sincerely affected towards the Gospell and free from that adulterous and inordinate love of this present World which turns such multitudes aside from the way of Truth whilest they abide in this Posture and Frame are seldome or never found to desert the Society of faithfull Teachers or sound Christians But concerning any absolute necessity of their continuing free who either have been free or are free at Present from the inordinate love of the World here is not the least overture or intimation Yea the non-continuance of those false-Teachers with John and the good Christians with Him here spoken of though it argues and imports a worldly and dangerous distemper in their Hearts and Spirits yet doth it not necessarily or demonstratively imply a nullity of their Faith Another Text of Scripture from whence the Doctrine of Perseverance §. 25. claimes countenance and credit is that which speaketh thus whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is borne of God a â— Joh. 3. 9. From hence such an Argument as this is levied in defence of the said Doctrine He that sinneth not neither can sin cannot fall away from His Faith Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not neither can sin Therefore whosoever is borne of God cannot fall away from His Faith To this I answer by distinguishing those terms sinneth not
of being as also because it is naturally apt to produce and yeild such bodies or things which according to the course of Nature are corruptible likewise in like manner the seed of the Word of God is not therefore said to be an incorruptible seed because it cannot be taken from or forsaken by those in whom it hath a residence for the present but because whether it be taken or not taken from whether it be forsaken or not forsaken by these it retaines its proper Nature which is to be incorruptible For it is meerly extrinsecall and accidentall to the Word of God to be either imbraced or refused to be either retained or let goe or lost by Men nor doe any of these things make the least alteration in the nature of it no more then the taking up or removing a corne of Wheat or of any other corruptible graine from the Ground or Field wherein at present it resteth or the letting of it there alone altereth the Nature or Essentiall Properties thereof But 2. It may be some question whether by the seed of God in the Scripture §. 34. in hand said to remaine in him that is borne of him be meant precisely the Word of God and not rather that which the Scripture elsewhere calls the Divine Nature which is the proper effect of the Word of God according to that of Peter Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature c 2 Pet. 1. 4 c. together with that of the Apostle James Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth d Iames 1 18 c. If you ask me what this Divine Nature is I answer it is a certaine Heavenly impression made by the Gospel in or upon the Heart or Soul of a Man or a Divine Principle Quality or Disposition wrought in him by the Word of God by which he resembles God Himself and is effectually inclin'd to walke and act according to those Principles of Righteousnesse and Holinesse in all things appertaining unto him to doe by which God Himself walketh and â—acteth in the World If you aske me further but why doe I conceive that by the seed of God in the Scripture in hand the Apostle should meane such an impression or disposition as this I answer because some such thing must of necessity be meant by it which is very spiritfull vigorous and active in turning the Heart and Soul of a Man against sin First the metaphoricall expression of seed importeth as much I meane somewhat that is very spirituous full of Vigor Power and Efficacy in the kinde of it Naturall Philosophy and experience joyntly teach that it is the nature of Seed to be full of spirits and thereby exceedingly vigorous and operative Secondly the effect here ascribed to it the keeping or preserving of the Man in whom it remaines from sinning which requires a Principle of very great Strength and Power to effect implieth the same Now such a Principle genius or quality in a Man as the Holy Ghost calls the Divine Nature may well be conceived to be very spiritfull and vigorously operative according to the kinde and tendency of it in which respect it is frequently termed Spirit and consequently to be sufficiently active and powerfull to preserve its subject from sinning Yea our Apostle in assigning the reason of his latter Assertion in this place which is that he that is borne of God cannot Sin the reason whereof he alledgeth to be this because he is borne of God supposeth the seed here spoken of whatsoever is meant by it to be so actuous and powerfull that it doth not only actually and de facto preserve him in whom it remaines from Sinning but also renders him impotent or unable to sin For this reason because he is borne of God is the same in effect and for substance with that of the former assertion for his seed abideth in him only it doth somewhat more emphatically import that the reason why the Seed of God remaining in a Man is so potently exclusive of sin in the same subject with it is the absolute Holinesse or most perfect hatred of sin which is in God Himself of whom the Person is begotten againe by such his seed As the reason why a Lion hath courage strength and other like leonine Properties is because he came of a Lion a Creature naturally endued with the same Properties But whatsoever is here meant by the Seed of God whether the Word of God or the Divine Nature so notioned as hath been described evident it is by what hath been argued that no inseparablenesse of it from the present subject nor consequently any impossibility of falling away from Faith can be inferr'd from any thing spoken of it as attributed to it in this Place There is only one objection more as far as I am able to apprehend that §. 35. lieth with any seemingnesse of strength against the Premisses The tenor hereof is this If the Seed of God whatever it be remaining in a Man regenerate worketh in him the greatest and strongest antipathy against or alienation and abhorrency of minde and affection from sin that can lightly be imagined which hath been granted all along in the traverse of the Scripture in hand how is it possible that such a man should fall away especially totally and finally from his Faith It is no wayes reasonable to suppose that it is possible for a Man so to fall away from his Faith without sinning no nor yet without sinning very grievously nor is it much more reasonable if not as unreasonable altogether to suppose that a Man may sin and that grievously who hath the greatest and strongest antipathy against sin the deepest alienation and abhorrency of minde and will from sin that lightly can be conceived Therefore how is it possible for him that cannot sin even in this sence to fall away totally or finally I answer He that hath the greatest and strongest antipathy against sin that flesh and blood is capable of yet retaines that essentiall character or property of a creature mutability which supposeth a possibility at least of Sinning if not in sensu composito i. e. whilest such an antipathy remaines in its full vigor and strength yet in sensu Diviso i. e. in case or when this antipathy shall abate and decline As though Water made hot to the highest degree of heat whereof the nature of it is capable cannot possible coole any thing whilest it remaines under such a degree of heate yet this hinders not but that it may in time its present heat notwithstanding returne to its naturall coldnesse and then coole other things in like manner a Man may by the Spirit of Grace and Regeneration be carried up to a very effectuall and potent antipathy of minde and will against Sin by meanes whereof he is in no Capacity or Possibility of sinning in the sence formerly declared whilest
of the Iews or onely true Beleevers amongst them it no ways so much as sembles a Promise of final Perseverance unto either Evident it is that this Promise exhibiteth and holdeth forth some new grace or favour like unto which God had not vouchsafed any formerly either unto the persons to whom the said Promise is now made or to any other The very Character and Tenor of â—â—e Promise importeth this clearly Let it be compared either with any for 〈…〉 Promise in the Scripture one or more or with any Dispensation of God towards any person or people and there will be found no comportment between them Now for the grace or favour of final Perseverance it is nothing at least in the Opinion of our Adversaries but what is common to all true Beleevers and what God hath conferred upon one and other of this generation of men from the beginning of the world 6. And lastly It is very unproper and doth not look like one of the wise Dispensations of God to make a serious and solemn Promise unto men of that which they might and ought to expect of course yea and which they might with as much comfort and security have promised unto themselves as he For according to those Principles which we now oppose every true Beleever may and ought to expect the grace of final Perseverance from God as matter of course and of common and unalterable Dispensation yea and shall sin if he doth it not If you ask but if the Promise now in discourse be not a Promise of final §. 7. Perseverance what is the matter or substance of it or what doth God promise in it Let Musculus a Learned and Orthodox Expositor answer you God saith he in this Promise speaks of the Spirit and Word of the New Testament both which he did put upon or into his people meaning the Iews in the beginning of the Dispensation of the Gospel nor hath he taken them away hitherto however blindness may seem to have wholy possessed Israel For there are some of this Nation that are continually converted unto Christ in whom the continuation of the Spirit and Word of God may or will take place until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israel shall be saved a Loquitur omnino de Spiritu Verbo novi Testamenti Posuit utruÌ„que super populum suum initio Dispensationis Evangelii nec ademit hactenus quantumvis caecitas Israelem prorsùs occupasse videatur Etenim perpetuò sunt qui ex eo populo ad Christum accedant spiritûs hujus ac verbi continuationem eò usque producant donec tandem in fine ingressâ plenitudine Gentium omnis Israel salvus fiat Muscul in Isai 59. 21. So that he placeth the substance of the Promise in this that the Nation of the Iews shall never from the days of Christ in the Flesh be wholly altogether or in all the members of it destitute of the Spirit and Word of Christ. This Exposition supposeth nothing in the Promise for the business of final Perseverance Notwithstanding I conceive that God here rather promiseth this viz. that He will advance the Dispensations of His Grace and Goodness towards and amongst this people to such an excellency and height that if they prove not extreamly unworthy and neglective above measure of their own Happiness they shall have of the Spirit and Word of God abundantly amongst them and consequently abundance of Peace and Happiness for ever The Promise thus understood began to operate and work and was performed in part in and upon their Deliverance from that seventy years captivity wrought yet more effectually at the coming of the Messiah unto them in the Flesh but the full and signal accomplishment of it remaineth yet behinde and shall take place when the Redeemer shall come out of Sion unto them and their Messiah visit them the second time For the third and last of the three places mentioned And I will betroth §. 8. thee unto me for ever c. it is much of the same consideration with the former nor hath any whit more in it to support the common Doctrine of Perseverance then they For 1. the Promise of the betrothing here specified is made unto the intire Body and Nation of the Jews as well Unbeleevers as Beleevers as appears by the carriage of the Chapter throughout 2. It is Conditional and the performance of it I mean of the betrothing mentioned in it suspended upon the Repentance of this People especially of their Idolatry and return to the true and pure Worship of God as appears Vers 14 16 17 c. which plainly sheweth that it was made as well nay rather to those that were wicked and Idolatrous amongst this People then unto others as being administred and held forth unto them chiefly for this end to wooe them away from their Idols unto God 3. Nor can it be proved that this Promise so properly or directly intends the collation of spiritual or heavenly good things unto them as temporal Yea the scituation of it between temporal Promises immediately both behinde it and before it perswades the contrary Read the Context from Vers 18. to the end of the Chapter Therefore 4. and lastly the true intent and purpose of this place and Promise And I will betroth thee c. is as if he should have said When I shall by my Word and Spirit and other gracious Administrations wherein I shall appear to this People so far prevail with them and overcome them as to cause them to cast away their Idols and turn with their whole heart unto me I will express my self so with so much love and affection unto them that they shall not lightly neither they nor their children after them go a-whoring from me any more but remain united unto me in a mutual chaste conjugal affection for ever I will betroth them unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in loving kindness and in mercy q. d. I will engage and attempt to insure both them and their affections unto me by all variety of ways and means that are proper and likely to bring such a thing to pass as 1. By shewing my self just and righteous unto them in keeping my Promise concerning their Deliverance out of Captivity at the end of seventy years I will not fail them herein no not to a day or hour 2. By punishing and judging their Enemies and destroying those that led them captive and held them in bondage and subjection 3. By heaping the fruits of my love and kindness upon them otherwise as in giving them peace plenty health honour c. in abundance 4. And lastly by dealing mercifully with them in pardoning their sins and infirmities which they will commit dayly against me I will not be extream to mark what they shall do amiss whilest their hearts shall remain perfect with me I will even betroth them unto me in faithfulness i. e. By these and all
of their Crucifying him should be Forgiven them i. e. should not be imputed unto them by way of bar to their Repentance either by any suddaine or speedy destruction or by a delivering them up to such a spirit of obstinacy or obduration under which Men seldome or never repent which was also the sence of Stephens prayer for those who stoned him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lay not this sin to their charge c Acts 7. 60. So from Christs Prayer for all those that should believe in him that they might all be one as the Father and He were one and as the Father was in Him and He in the Father d Joh. 17. 21 22. it cannot be concluded that therefore there should never fall out any difference in judgement any dis-union in affection between the Saints because there is neither between him and the Father the intent of this Prayer being only this that God would vouchsafe gracious and plentifull means unto them as well for the uniting of them in judgement as affection not that he would necessitate or compell them into either of these unions either by such means or without So againe when he Prayeth to the Father to keepe his Disciples from evill a Joh. 17. 15. it cannot be gathered that therefore they never sinned or never did that which was evill or if it be to be understood of the evill of suffering as some conceive that they never suffered Therefore 2. To the Scripture cited for proof of the said Proposition And I knew §. 29. that thou hearest me alwayes b Ioh. 11. 42. I answer that the cleer sence of these words is that Christ knew and doubted not but that God the Father perfectly knowing the secret of his heart and soul in every Prayer that he made unto him had formerly and would still accordingly answer him and gratifie him in every thing according to the true intention of his Prayer He knew that what he prayed for absoutely God the Father would absolutely grant and doe and what he prayed for with or under a reserve exception or condition that he would grant and doe where and as far as such a reserve exception or condition did not take place and interpose Whensoever he prayed for the Fathers concurrence with him to work Miracles for the confirmation of his Doctrine he prayed absolutely and consequently was heard absolutely the matter and letter of his Prayer was never denied unto him in such cases but when he prayed that the Cup which he afterwards drank might passe by him without his drinking it though he prayed thrice and that very earnestly as the Text saith yet because he prayed this Prayer with a Reservation desiring what he prayed for only conditionally and with submission to his Fathers Will and the great exigency of Mankinde these standing in opposition to what he prayed for it was not granted unto him Now certaine it is that Christ never prayed for the absolute Perseverance of Believers in their Faith yea it is no wayes likely that he would have prayed for it as he did I mean with so much seriousnesse and affectionatenesse of spirit if God had absolutely Decreed the giving of it unto them whether he had prayed for it or no. Therefore 3. And lastly concerning His praying for Peter that his Faith might not faile which is all the strength of the minor proposition I answer 1. That from hence it apparantly followeth that therefore Peters Faith §. 30. was in danger of failing or might have failed had not Christ interceded for him and consequently that God had not absolutely decreed the Perseverance or non-failing of Peters Faith or of the Faith of any other Man Otherwise what efficacy can we ascribe to the Prayer of Christ for Peters Faith Or how can it be known upon what account Peters Faith was preserved whether that of Christs Prayer or that of Gods Decree for the non failing of it 2. Neither can it be proved that Christ Prayed that Peters Faith might never faile totally but only if so much that it might not faile upon that particular and sore rentation which He knew would soone after come upon Him It is evident from the Context that this was all if not more then all that Christ Prayed for on the behalf of Peters Faith And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith faile not and when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren c Luk. 22. 31 32. Now then to infer from Christs Prayer that Peters Faith might not faile by or under a particular temptation that therefore it could or should never faile is a straine of no better Logique then it would be to conclude that those who were with Paul in the ship never died because God made a Promise unto Paul that He would give their lives unto Him a Act. 27. 24. as for that Voyage 3. If it be by the vertue and efficacy of Christs Prayer for Peters Faith that the Faith of true Believers can never faile then was the Faith of all true Believers before this Prayer made by Christ obnoxious unto a failing If this then neither was there nor is there any peremptory Decree of God concerning the non failing of the Faith of Believers If so then is there a possibility that their Faith may faile For whatsoever is possible in respect of the nature of the thing and of second causes sufficient to produce it may very possibly come to passe where no Decree of God to the contrary obstructeth the possibility Now our adversaries themselves acknowledge that the Faith of true Believers is in it self faileable and in respect of severall causes destructive to it might perish 4. Nor is it so cleer from the tenor of Christs Prayer intimated by him §. 31. that He prayed against the totall failing of Peters Faith under the said temptation much lesse against the finall failing of it afterwards but most likely it is that what He Prayed for was only this that Peters yeelding to the tentation or his being overcome by it might not extinguish his Faith upon any such terms but that he might and should eft-soones recover it by Repentance If this were that which Christ Prayed for on His behalf then might His Faith faile totally under the temptation as Ambrose amongst the Fathers conceiveth that it did notwithstanding Christs Prayer though not finally And that Peters Faith did indeed faile totally by the force of the temptation seemes very probable at least from those words of Christ to Him when thou art CONVERTED strengthen c. Men are not said to be CONVERTED a gradu ad gradum sed a specie ad speciem i. e. from a lesser degree of Faith to a greater but from unbelief unto Faith And besides that Peter upon His deniall of Christ was untill His Repentance in the state and condition of those
who shall be denied by Christ at the great day which could not be under any degree of true Faith remaining in Him is evident from that generall and expresse intermination of Christ Mat. 10. 33. Whosoever shall deny Me before Men Him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven 5. And lastly whatsoever the intent or subject matter of Christs Prayer for Peter was evident it is that as His temptation with an eye whereunto this Prayer was made for Him by Christ was singular and particular so was Christs Prayer also for Him And a Man may as well from Peters temptation argue that all true Believers shall be tempted after the same manner and to the same degree as from Christs Prayer for Peter that His Faith might not faile conclude that the Faith of no true Believer shall faile So likewise from Christs looking back upon Peter to provoke Him the more effectually to Repentance as good an argument as that now under Contest may be framed to prove that Christ will visibly look upon all true Believers when they sin to provoke them to Repentance It is in the case of Christs Prayer as it is of His Precepts When He commands any thing upon a particular occasion or ground the obliging force of the command is to be extended no further then where the same or like occasion and ground take place And intimation hath been given formerly that the Apostles in respect of that great and extraordinary service of carrying the Name of Jesus Christ up and down the World so full of enmity and opposition to it had many prerogative favours vouchsafed unto them by Christ wherein the generality of Believers having no such ingagement lying upon them have no ground or reason to expect an equality or share with them Therefore there is nothing of any value in Christs Praying for Peters Faith to support the falling cause of the common Doctrine of Perseverance A fifth Argument advanced in defence of the same Doctrine is drawn from §. 32. the Intercession of Christ at the Right Hand of God for His Saints Who is He that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ a Rom 8. 34 35. c. So againe Christ is entered into Heaven it self to appeare in the presence of God for us b Heb. 9. 24. and since he ever liveth to make intercession for them c Heb. 7. 25. From hence it is thus argued If those for whom Christ intercedes at the Right Hand of God may fall away from their Faith so as to perish notwithstanding then is the intercession of Christ ineffectuall and insufficient to preserve them But the Intercession of Christ is not ineffectuall c. Ergo. To this I answer 1. It is no where affirmed that Christ intercedes for the Perseverance of the Saints in their Faith or that they who once believe should never cease believing how sinfull and wicked soever they shall prove afterwards But Christ intercedes for His Saints viz. as such and as continuing such that no accusations from any hand whatsoever may be heard against them that no afflictions or sufferings which they meet with in the World may cause any alienation or abatement in the Love of God towards them but that God will preserve and protect them under them c. and consequently that they may be maintained at an excellent rate of consolation in every estate and condition and against all interposures of any Creature whatsoever to the contrary This to be the tenor and effect of Christs Intercession for His Saints is evident from the first of the three passages cited And for that demand who shall separate us from the love of Christ it is not meant of separating us from that love wherewith we love Christ but from that love wherewith Christ loveth us viz. as we are Saints and abide in His love by keeping His Commandements d Ioh. 15. 10. Neither is it to be so conceived as if sin wickednesse loosenesse prophanenesse c. could not un-Saint Men and hereby seperate them from the love wherewith Christ sometimes loved them for that iniquity will separate between Men and their God is evident from Esa 59. 2. but the cleer meaning is that nothing no Creature whatsoever person or thing can make Christ an enemy unto those who shall in Faith and Love cleave fast unto Him 2. Were it granted that part of Christs Intercession for his Saints is that their Faith may never faile yet the meaning hereof would not necessarily nor indeed with any competent probability be this that no sin or wickednesse whatsoever that shall or can be perpetrated by them might cause them to make shipwrack of their Faith but rather that God would graciously vouchsafe such means and such a presence of His Spirit unto them whereby they may be richly inabled to keepe themselves in Faith and a good Conscience unto the end If Christ should simply and absolutely intercede that no sin or wickednesse whatsoever may destroy the Faith of any true Believer and consequently deprive Him of Salvation should He not hereby become that which the Apostle rejects with indignation as altogether unworthy of Him I mean a Minister of sin Is therefore Christ the Minister of sin God forbid a Gal. 2. 17. Or whereby or wherein can it lightly be imagined that Christ should become a Minister of sin rather then by interceding with His Father that such and such Men how vile and abominable soever they shall become may yet be precious in His sight and receive a Crown of Righteousnesse from His Hand Or doth not such an intercession as some Men put upon Him as viz. they who make Him to intercede simply and absolutely for the Perseverance of Believers in their Faith amount to an Intercession of every whit as vile and unworthy an import as this If it be said that the Men I speak of doe not make Christ an Intercessor §. 33. for the non-failing of the Faith of His Saints upon such terms as I pretend as viz. that their Faith may not faile how wicked or abominable soever they shall be but thus that God will preserve them from such wicked and abominable wayes and practises which should they fall into them would be the ruine of their faith and that he would effectually direct and perswade them into the use of such means which thorough His grace and blessing on them shall preserve them at least from a totall and finall declining To this I Answer 1. If this be asserted for the tenor of Christs intercession for His Saints that God will Preserve them from such sins which would be the bane and ruine of their Faith should they fall into them the assertors render the intercession of Christ every whit as invalid and ineffectuall as they pretend such Men
it And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Perfecter of Faith not because he actually consummates or perfecteth the work or grace of Faith in his Saints for this work is never brought to perfection in them in this life and though it be in a sence perfected in the life to come yet this perfection is extra speciem i. e. not by adding degrees to it of the same kinde but by a transmutation of it into vision but because by his most noble example he taught Men the very perfection of Faith or believing which consists in a quiet patient and contentfull suffering of all manner of Tentations and Tribulations which a Man is called to suffer in the World and the suffering whereof he cannot decline without sin out of setled and firme belief of receiving that incorruptible Crowne of blessednesse and glory in the end of his Race which God hath promised unto all those that are faithfull unto Death To the last of the Texts cited in favour of the argument in hand 1 Pet. 1. 5. plenty of light hath bin already given a Cap. 10. Sect. 18. whereby it fully appeares that it holds no correspondency at all with the opinion or Doctrine which pretends unto it in the argument A further argument advanced by some to promote the common Doctrine §. 42. of Perseverance uncapable of Preferment is this They who are sealed in their hearts by the Holy Ghost that they shall certainly be saved can neither totally nor finally lose their Faith But all true Believers are thus sealed Ergo they cannot but Persevere without any either totall or finall amission of their Faith For the proofe of the Minor these Scriptures are produced 2 Cor. 1. 21. Eph. 1. 13. 14. Eph. 4. 30. which all speake of the Obsignation of Believers by the Spirit of God To this also we Answer 1. By distinguishing the Major Proposition thus They who are sealed c. that they shall certainly be saved c. viz. with such a sealing which is unchangeable or irreversible by any interveniencies whatsoever as of sin wickednesse apostasie c. cannot lose their Faith But if the sealing be only such the continuance whereof depends upon the continuance of the Faith of the sealed and consequently may be reversed or withdrawn it no wayes proves that all they who are partakers of it must of necessity retaine their Faith without all possibility of any either totall or finall miscarriage of it Therefore 2. We answer further that the sealing with the spirit spoken of in the Scriptures specified is the latter kinde of sealing not the former i. e. such a sealing which depends upon the Faith of those that are sealed as in the beginning or first impression of it so in the duration or continuance of it ◠and consequently hath none other certainty of its continuance but only the continuance of the said Faith which as we have already proved in part and shall God willing further prove ere long being uncertaine the sealing depending on it must needs be uncertaine also and reversible That the sealing proveable from the Scriptures mentioned depends upon the Faith of the sealed is evident by the tenor of one and by the Contexts and plaine circumstances relating to them all In whom also saith the Apostle Eph. 1. 13. AFTER that yee BELIEVED yee were sealed with the spirit of Promise Nor can it reasonably be here objected that this indeed proves the dependance of the sealing spoken of upon the Faith of the sealed in the first act or impression but not in the duration of it for the answer hereunto is plain viz. that if it depends upon it in respect of the beginning or first act of it much more doth it thus depend in respect of the perpetuation of it The reason is because he that hath once believed and afterwards shall make shipwrack of his Faith is far more uncapable of this grace of sealing then he was before his believing If it be objected that Believers are said to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of §. 43. God against the day of Redemption a Eph. 4. 30. and God is said to give them the earnest of the Spirit in their hearts b 2 Cor. 1. 22. which gift of the Spirit is likewise said to be the earnest of their inheritance untill the Redemption of the purchased possession c Eph. 1 14. i. e. by an Hypallage untill the possession of the purchased Redemption meaning their full deliverance from sin and sorrow which expressions seeme to import that the sealing of the spirit once granted unto Believers is granted upon such terms that it shall continue in them and upon them untill their Resurrection unto life and glory to this I answer 1. By concession it is very true the sealing of the spirit granted unto Believers is granted with an intent or purpose on Gods Part that it should remaine perpetually with them So that if there be an interruption or cancelling of it it shall not arise from any variableness or mutability in him nor from any change of minde or affections in him from what he was in both when he first vouchsafed it unto them But 2. I answer further by way of exception that the sealing we speak of is never granted by God unto Believers themselves upon any such terms that upon no occasion or occasions whatsoever as of the greatest and most horrid sins committed and long continued in by them or the like it should never be interrupted or defaced For this is contrary to many plaine Texts of Scriptures and particularly unto all those where either Apostates from God or evill doers and workers of iniquity are threatened with the losse of Gods favour and of the inheritance of like Such are Heb. 10. Verse 26 27. and again Verse 38 39. Ezek. 18. 24. Eph. 5. 5. 6. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. with many more of like import Therefore 3. Believers are said to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of God against or untill or for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day of Redemption because that Holinesse which is wrought in them by the Spirit of God qualifies them puts them into a present and actuall capacity of partaking in that joy blessednesse and glory which the great Day of the Plenary and full Redemption of the Saints i. e. of those who lived and died and shall then be found such shall bring with it And it is called the earnest of their Inheritance because it is binding or obliging on Gods Part as well in respect of His Promise for He Promiseth Part and Fellowship in this Inheritance unto those that shall live holily and not turne aside into wayes of sin as of the nature of the thing it self being somewhat for kinde and Property of that undefiled inheritance which He hath Promised unto holy Persons and which is reserved for them in the Heavens But as earnests given and received amongst Men though they be ingaging and obliging on both
no more then a Fish that is already in the net or fast upon the hook can be said to be allured or deceived by a baite held to her 4. Hypocrites are no where said neither can they with any congruity to Scripture Phrase be said to have escaped the pollutions of the World through the acknowledgement for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be translated of Jesus Christ the acknowledgement of the truth and so of Christ and of God constantly in the Scriptures importing a sound and saving work of conversion as we lately observed in this Chapter c Sect. 20. 5. And lastly the Persons to whom the Apostle addresseth Himself in this Epistle being looked upon by him as true Believers yea â—â— partakers of like precious Faith with Himself and the rest of the Apostles d 2 Pet. 1. â— â—â— cannot reasonably be imagined that in so short an Epistle He should hang so â—ong as the whole second Chapter amounteth unto upon a subject or discourse which little or nothing concerned them to whom He Writes nor much indeed any other Man if the Principles and Tenents of our Adversaries would stand If true Believers be uncapable of any such backsliding which should make their latter end worse then their beginning to what purpose should the Apostle make a large Discourse unto them concerning such Men who had miscarried by such backslidings Or would there be upon such a supposition any more savour in this Discourse then if Solomon should have made a journey to the Queene of Sheba's Court to informe Her that Theeves and Murtherers were sorely punished in His Kingdome And for Hypocrites themselves neither would the Discourse have been of much concernment unto them in case such a Personall and Peremptory Election and Reprobation as our Opposers contend for could be with truth obtained If I be upon such termes elected I am in no danger of falling under that heavy doome of Hypocrites whose latter end is worse then their beginning or if I be so Reprobated I am in no capacity in no Possibility of redeeming my selfe by the tender of any Admonitions Cautions Exhortations Threatnings or Examples whatsoever of Persons who have made Shipwrack of their Soules against the same Rock before me To what purpose then be I elected or be I Reprobated be I a sound Believer or be I an Hypocrite should any application be made either by God or Men unto me either in order to my obtaining of that which all my sin and wickednesse cannot keepe from me or for the avoiding or preventing of that from which all my Care Diligence Faithfulnesse cannot deliver me Therefore questionlesse the Apostle Peter all along that quarter of Discourse which we have lately had under consideration clearly supposeth that even true Believers such as upon good grounds He concluded those to whom He Writes to be are obnoxious to such an Apostasie and declining in and from their Faith which is accompanied with the signall ruine and destruction of those who value holinesse and close walkings with God at no higher rate then to cast them behinde their back without looking after them any more Which Doctrinall conclusion might be further argued and confirmed abundantly from very many Scriptures besides those insisted upon in this Chapter and particularly from those frequent and Pathetique Admonitions Cautions Exhortations Incouragements c. administred by the Holy Ghost unto the Saints to ingage them in such wayes of care diligence and faithfulnesse to themselves and their own Soules whereby they may be strengthened to Persevere unto the end But of these at least of some of the most Pregnant of them we shall have occasion to consider in the Chapter following where we shall further plead the cause of the said Doctrine by force of Argument and Demonstration CHAP. XIII Grounds of Reason from the Scriptures evincing a Possibility of such a defection even in true Believers which is accompained with destruction in the end THE Opportunity which Error commonly findeth to build Her self §. 1. a Throne amongst Men and to reigne over the Judgements and Consciences of those who are debtors of Homage and Subjection to the Truth lieth not so much in the strength or beauty of those Arguments or Pleas which she is able to ingage in Her cause as either in the weakness or negligence of the Friends and Professors of the Truth as when they are either not able or not industrious enough to shew her unto the World like Solomon in all his glory and to spread that light of Evidence and Conviction round about Her which belongeth unto Her and which would commend Her like a Daughter of God in the Eyes of Men. Truth whose native residence and seat is as the old Philosophers were wont to expresse it in profundo in the depths remote from the common thoughts and apprehensions of Men cannot in many Particulars be drawn up into a clear and perfect light but onely by a long coard well twisted of much labour attentive Meditation together with some dexterity for the Work God Himself is said to inhabit a light that is inaccessible a 1 Tim. 6. 16. that is as I conceive to be capable of more and more glorious attributions or of having a greater number of excellent things and things of a greater excellency spoken of Him and that with Evidence and clearnesse of Truth then either Men or Angels are able to discover or comprehend much more to utter or declare unto the World And the Truth is that many Truths dwell in such a light which is not accessible without much difficulty to the Judgements and Understandings of Men being onely manifestable in their certainty and perfect beauty by such Arguments and Considerations which they must dig deep who desire to discover and they look narrowly and with a single Eye who desire to be made fully capable and sensible of them being set before them Whereas Error being of neer affinity to the corrupt and dark minds and understandings of men dwells in propinquo and as it were at their right hand and though Her servants the reasons I meane which negotiate Her affaires with the judgements of Men be all flesh and not spirit all shew and no substance yet having the advantage of a naturall sympathy and compliance in those with whom they have to doe their cause is readily accepted and approved as just and good When the Disciples saw the Lord Christ by no better light then what the night afforded and that at a distance walking upon the Sea towards them they were troubled thinking he had been some uncleane spirit that would have destroyed them and cried out for feare but when He came neer them and sayd to them Be of good comfort it is I be not afraid b Mat. 14. 26 27. they perfectly knew that it was their dear Lord and Master So many looking upon that Doctrine which opposeth the un-conditioned Perseverance of the Saints and asserteth a
blesse them in one kinde or other I will heare saith David what God the Lord will speak for He will speak peace unto His People and to His Saints but let them not or that they may not See Piscator upon the place turne againe unto folly a Psal 85. 8. He will speak peace unto His People c. i. e. He will speak onely such things which have a proper and kindly tendency to doe them good and to procure their Peace and welfare If so then must the threatnings we speak of be in respect of the intentions of God of a gracious import unto Believers to whom as hath been said they are administred Which gracious import cannot be conceived to stand in any other thing but onely in that powerfull aptnesse which is so apparantly visible in the said threatnings to cause the Persons to whom they are directed through feare of the sore evill threatened to bethink themselves how and by what means they may escape it and to ingage them accordingly in the use of them there being no Vertue Property or Tendency in these threatnings to affect or work upon those whom they concern in any other way then this From whence it clearly followes that it is no wayes unworthy the greatest Saints or soundest Believers under Heaven to act in order to their Salvation out of a Principle of fear lest by their negligence they should deprive themselves of so unvaluable a treasure in as much as in such a course and method of acting as this they conform themselves to that gracious counsel and advice which God out of his signal love and care over them hath recommended unto them And upon these very terms our Saviour expresseth Himself to His Apostles who were Saints of the highest elevation and the first born of His delight And I say unto you MY FRIENDS be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do But I will forewarn you whom you shall FEAR FEAR HIM which after he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you FEAR HIM b Luk. 12. 4 5. Therefore certainly it is no ways unlawful no nor matter of disparagement or dishonor in the least to the greatest Friends or Lovers of God and of Jesus Christ to act righteously out of a Principle of Fear of being cast into Hell by God for unrighteousness That pronoun Relative who or which WHICH after He hath killed c. is not so much descriptive in the sentence as ratiocinative or causal i. e. it imports the reason or motive of that counsel which our Saviour here gives His Disciples of Fearing God to be His Power of casting in Hell Which is further manifest by the force of the same Particle in the opposite clause of the Passage Be not afraid of them WHICH or who kill the body c. Our Saviours intent in these words was not so much to describe those whom He would not have His Disciples to Fear viz. men but to assign a Ground or Reason why they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. should not fear men viz. because they had power onely to kill the body In the Original the said Relative Particle doth not appear in either of the clauses mentioned but the force and import assigned unto it in both are here more significantly implied by the use of the Participle in both it being a known Propriety of the Greek Tongue to import the Reasons or Grounds of things by their Participles See 1 Tim. 5. 17. Hâ—br 6. 6. Hebr. 10. 26 28 29. 2. Though the Saints and true Beleevers do many things and should do §. 14. more out of a Principle of love to God yet are they not bound to wave or decline the influence or assistance of other Principles which incline and lead them to the same actions and ways with the love of God For in this case also that of Solomon is true Two are better then one because they have a good reward for their labor For if they fall the one will lift up his fellow and if one prevail against Him two shall withstand Him a Eccles 4 9 10 c. c. The fear of evil threatened is as natural and genuine a fruit of Faith as love it self yea and of very choyce acceptance with God By Faith saith the Apostle Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet MOVED WITH FEAR prepared an Ark for the saving of His House by the which He condemned the World and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith b Hebr. 11. 7. So that men may condemn the World and save themselves and others as well by actions done out of a Principle of Fear as of Love Because thine Heart was tender said God to King Josiah by Huldah the Prophetess and thou hast humbled thy self before the Lord when thou heardst what I spake against this place and against the inhabitants thereof that they should become a desolation and a curse and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me I also have HEARD THEE SAITH THE LORD Behold therefore I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace c 2 King 22. 19 20. c. By these and many more instances of like consideration which may readily be added it fully appears that the Holiest and best of men yea even the Greatest Friends and Lovers of God and those that have acted as much and as freely out of a Principle of Love at other times as any have yet been afraid of the Judgments and Displeasure of God threatened yea and suffered themselves to be conducted and carried out by the Hand of this Impression to such actions and ways for the Preservation of themselves and others wherein they were accepted with God and found peace and safety for both Yea 3. And lastly the present state and frame of the Hearts and Souls of the Saints duly considered which are made up as well of flesh and corruption as of Spirit and Grace the former having need of bridles for restraint as well as the latter of spurs for quickening evident it is that Arguments or Motives drawn from fear of punishment are as necessary and proper for them in respect of the one as incitements from love in respect of the other A whip for the Horse saith Solomon a bridle for the Ass and a rod for the Fools back d Prov. 26. 3. The flesh even in the wisest of men is a Fool and would be unruly without a rod ever and anon shaken over him Nor should God have made such gracious bountiful and effectual provision for the Perseverance of the Saints as now he hath done had he not engaged as well the passion of fear within them as of love to be their guardian and Keeper It is true Perfect Love casteth out Fear e 1 Joh. 4. 18. but who amongst
by keeping under his Body c. He should prevent His being a cast-away and remaine for ever in the love and favour of God upon the account of which assureance notwithstanding his feare he rejoyced that joy unspeakable and glorious who shall separate us from the love of Christ 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 e Rom. 8. 35. 38 39. So that that feare and trembling with and out of which the Children of God not onely lawfully may but of duty ought to worke out their own Salvation f Phil. 2. 13 or which is the same deliverance from condemnation are not of those kinds of feare and trembling which have torment or expectation of evill or doubtfulnesse of safety and well doing attending them but of those which are quickning and provoking to the use of means for safety upon an apprehension of danger coming upon the negligent and sloathfull and accompanied with a peaceable and blessed confidence of obtaining safety thereby So that we may safely conclude that the threatnings of eternall death in the Scriptures which are bent against the faces of Apostates and Backsliders are a means graciously vouchsafed by God for the preserving of His Saints from Apostasie and this by raising a feare of Hell within them in case they shall neglect His Counsell for their Perseverance and consequently that all such threatnings are turned into stubble and rotten wood in the Dialect of the Almighty Job 41. 27. I meane are made powerlesse and uselesse by the Principles of that Doctrine which teacheth any absolutenesse of Promise made unto the Saints for their finall Perseverance Thirdly and lastly as this Doctrine evacuateth all the Exhortations §. 17. and Comminations which the Scripture holdeth forth as means to preserve the Saints in Faith and Holinesse unto the end so doth it all the Promises also which are here given in order to the procurement of the same end the Vertue Efficacy and Power whereof are meerly nullified by such a supposition as this that Believers stand bound to believe an absolute impossibility of their finall declining or falling away to Perdition For when Men are secured and this by the infallible security of Faith that the good things promised are already theirs by the right and title of Faith and that they shall certainely Persevere in Faith unto the end what need or occasion is See more of this Sect. 33. of this Chap. there to perswade or move these Men to doe that which becomes them in order to their Perseverance by any argument drawn from the Promise of such things A promise made to a Man of having or keeping that which is His own already and which he certainely knowes shall not cannot be taken away from Him can have no manner of influence upon Him by way of excitement or inducement to labour for the obtaining of it or to doe the things by which it is to be obtained For as the Apostle reasons in somewhat the like case hope that is not seen is not hope i. e. that which sometimes was the object of Hope when it comes to be seen or injoyed is no longer the object of Hope for what a Man seeth why or how doth he yet hope for g Rom. 8. 24. So may we argue in the case in hand a Promise of what is already injoyed and possest is no Promise hath not the nature property or operation of a Promise in it especially not of a Promise ingaging unto action in order to the obtaining of the good promised A promise of this import I meane that is any wayes likely to ingage unto action must be of some good thing so conditioned in relation to Him to whom the promise is made that he hath no ground to expect the injoyment of it but upon condition of the performance of such or such an action one or more For if such actions and wayes which are proper and requisite for the obtaining of the good promised be otherwise and in themselves desirable and would howsoever be chosen by him to whom the promise is made evident it is that the promise we speak of doth not in this case work at all upon Him or raise such an election in Him Againe if those actions and wayes which are proper and necessary for the obtaining of the good promised be in themselves unpleasant and distastfull unto the Person we speake of to whom the Promise is supposed to be made it is a clear case that he will not lift up his Heart or Hand unto them but onely for the obtaining of such a good and desireable thing which he hath reason to judge will never be obtained by Him but only by the performance of such things For who will trouble Himself to run for that which He knowes He may and shall obtaine by sitting still Thus then it every way appeares that the common Doctrine of absolute and certaine Perseverance makes nothing but winde and vanity of all those most serious and weighty Exhortations Threatnings and Promises in the Scriptures which concerne the Perseverance of the Saints and are directed by God unto them for this end and purpose that by them they may be inabled i. e. made willing watchfull and carefull to Persevere and consequently the very face and spirit of the said Doctrine is directly set and bent against that high concernment of the Saints I meane their Perseverance For whatsoever nullifieth the means is clearly destructive unto the end And thus we have done with our second Argument for the confirmation of that Doctrine which teacheth a possibility of the Saints defection and this unto Death A third Argument is this That Doctrine which representeth God as §. 18. Argum. 3. weake incongruous and incoherent with Himself in His applications unto Men is not from God and consequently that which contradicteth it must needs be the Truth But the Doctrine of Perseverance opposed by us putteth this great dishonor upon God representeth Him weake incongruous c. Ergo. The Major Proposition in this Argument is too great in evidence of Truth to be questioned The Minor is made good by this consideration viz. that the said Doctrine bringeth God upon the great Theater of the Scriptures speaking thus or to this effect in the audience of Heaven and Earth unto His Saints You that truly believe in my Son Jesus Christ and have been once made partakers of my Holy Spirit and therefore are fully perswaded and assured according to my Will and Command given unto you in that behalfe yea according to that ensealing of truth within you which you have from me that you cannot possibly no not by all the most horrid sins and abominable practises that you shall or can commit fall away either totally or finally from your
like unto them or no. Their unbelief alone is sufficient matter of exclusion against them Now how vain a thing and unworthy the Spirit of God is it to threaten men with such a punishment in case they shall commit such or such particular sins who are at present obnoxious unto it and shall certainly suffer it whether ever they shall commit any of these sins or no 3. There is not in the said Dehortations or Threatenings the least intimation of any difference of Persons in respect of their present estates or conditions but onely a designation or nomination of such things which exclude from the Kingdom of God 4. To affirme that God excludeth Unbelievers from His Kingdome for the committing of such sins which according to the sence of our Adversaries they have no sufficient Power to refraine and according to truth have no such provision or furniture of meanes to refraine as true Believers have and to affirme withall that yet He excludeth not Believers for such commissions whom they acknowledge to have sufficient power to refrain them is to render or represent God notoriously partiall or unjust For he that sinneth having lesse means to refraine is a lesse sinner then he that sinneth the same sin or sins having more or greater Now to punish and that with the utmost severity lesser or lighter offenders and not onely to discharge greater and more hainous offenders in the same kinde but highly to reward them the hainousness of their demerits notwithstanding is an act of the broadest injustice that lightly can be 5. And lastly though the tenor or forme of the said Dehortations or Threatnings in the Scriptures mentioned be indefinite and not universall yet from other passages of the same sence and import with them where the signe of universality is expressed it may be clearly evinced that they are in sence and meaning universall and so comprehensive as well of true Believers as Unbelievers But the fearfull and unbelieving and the abominable and Murtherers and Whore-mongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and ALL Lyars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone a Revel 21. 8 c. Again And there shall IN NO WISE enter into it the new Jerusalem ANY THING that defileth neither WHATSOEVER worketh abomination or maketh a lye b Vers 27. c. In the former of these passages ALL lyars and consequently ALL Murtherers and ALL Whoremongers c. are adjudged to have their Portion in the lake that burneth with Fire c. In the latter that ANY THING that defileth or WHATSOEVER worketh abomination shall IN NO WISE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or upon no terms or conditions whatsoever enter into the new Jerusalem Therefore when God threateneth and saith that neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers c. shall inherit the Kingdome of God evident it is that he includeth as well Believers as Unbelievers If it be objected but true Believers have a promise from God that they §. 22. shall never lose their Faith I answer 1. That this hath oft been said but never so much as once proved 2. Upon examination of those Scriptures wherein such promises of God are pretended to reside or to be found we found no such thing in them We found indeed many promises of Perseverance but all of them conditionall and such whose performance in respect of actuall and compleat Perseverance is suspended upon the diligent and carefull use of means by Men to Persevere See Chap. 11. Sect. 16 17. c. 3. And lastly to affirme that true Believers can by no commission of sin or sins whatsoever how vile horrid abominable soever how frequently reiterated how long continued in soever either make shipwrack of their Faith or fall away from the grace and favour of God so as to perish what is it but to provoke the flesh to an outragiousnesse in sinning and to incourage that which remaines of the old Man in them to bestir it self in all wayes of unrighteousnesse And doubtlesse the teaching of that Doctrine hath been the casting of a snare upon the World and hath caused many whose feet God had guided into wayes of Peace to adventure so far in desperatenesse of sinâ—ing that through the just judgement of God their Hearts never served them to returne But of these things we spake somewhat more at large Cap. 9. Others plead that there is no reason to conceive that true Believers though §. 23. they perpetrate the works of the flesh should be excluded from the Kingdome of God upon this account because what they sin in this kinde they sin out of infirmity and not out of malice I answer 1. By concession that there are three severall kinds of sin in the generall which also make so many degrees in sinning in point of demerit There are sins of ignorance and sins of infirmity and sins of malice And sins of this last kinde we acknowledge to be far greater in demerit then either of the former But 2. By way of exception To say that true Believers or any other Men doe or perpetrate the works of the flesh out of infirmity in strictnesse of interpretation involves a contradiction For to doe the works of the flesh implies the dominion or predominancy of the flesh in the doers of them which in sins of infirmity hath no place The Apostle clearly in sinuates the nature of sins of infirmity in that to the Galatians Brethren if any Man be â—vertaken with a fault 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. be prevented or taken at unawares in or with some miscarriâ—ge or sin yee which are spirituall restore such an one in the spirit of meeknesse a Gal. 6. 1. c. When a Mans foote is taken in the snare of a temptation onely through a defect in that spirituall watchfulnesse over himself and his wayes which he oughâ— to keepe constantly and so sinneth contrary to the habituall and standing frame of his Heart this Man sinneth out of infirmity But he that thus sinneth cannot in Scripture phrase be said either to walke or live according to the flesh Rom. 8. 4. 12 13. or to doe the works of the flesh Gal. 5. 21. or to doe the lusts or desires of the flesh Eph. 2. 3. because none of these are any where ascribed unto or charged upon true Believers but onely upon such persons who are enemies unto God and children of death 3. If by sinning out of malice they meane sinning with deliberation with plotting and contriving the method and means of their sinning sinning against judgement against the dictates of conscience c. and what they should or can meane by sinning out of malice but sinning upon such terms as these I understand not certaine it is that true Believers or at least such as were true Believers before such sinning may sin out of malice Yea and this our Adversaries themselves forgetfull of their own occasions at this turniâ—â— otherwhile plainely enough suppose and grant Pareus
absolutely the certainty of Gods love to him that is godly as it promiseth conditionally the certainty of this love to him that is prophane viz. in case and upon condition that he hath been once godly 2. Neither is certainty of reward in every sence or kinde more encouraging unto action then uncertainty in some kinde To promise withall possible assureance the same reward or prize to him that shall not run in the race which is promised upon these terms to him that shall run is not more incouraging unto Men thus to run then to promise it conditionally viz. upon their running which is a promising of it with uncertainty in this respect viz. because it is uncertaine whether Men will run in the said race or no and consequently whether they shall receive the said prize or no upon such a promise Certainty of reward is then and in such cases more incouraging unto action then uncertainty when the certainty of obtaining or receiving it is suspended upon the action noâ— when it is assured unto Men whether they act or no. 3. And lastly though an assureance of the unchangeablenesse of the love of God towards him that is godly upon any and against any terms whatsoever suppose such an assureance could be effectually and upon good grounds given unto Men be or would be a more effâ—ctuall and prevailing motive unto godlinesse i. e. to an entrance into godlinesse then an uncertainty whether this love of God would be continued to such a Man unto the See before Sect. 17 of this Chapter end or no yet would it not be any thing comparably so effâ—ctuall or prevailing upon Men that are godly to persevere in godliness as such an uncertainty which hath been asserted Nay the truth is that such an assureance effectually given to him that is godly without any condition of his remaining godly is no incouragement at all unto him to persevere in godlinesse but rather to turne aside unto prophainness The reason is plaine No reward which is promised unto Men simply and absolutely is incouraging to any action or ingagement whatsoever It is true a simple and absolute promise of a reward may be and commonly is oblieging unto action by way of duty or thankfulness unto him who maketh the promise but is never so oblieging unto action simply as such a promise which assureth the reward onely upon the performance of the action Hence it is that the Apostle incouraging and perswading Men unto holiness holds forth not absolute but conditionall promises unto them in order hereunto The tenor of the promises we meane is this wherefore come out from among them and be yee separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you And will be a Father unto you and yee shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty a â— Cor. 6. 17 18. meaning that upon condition you will come out c. and touch no uncleane thing I will receive you and be a Father unto you c. Upon the account of these promises he immediately subjoyns Having therefore THESE promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God b â— Cor. 7. 1. q. d. Such Promises at these viz. which hold forth such great and blessed Rewards and withall require and injoyn Holiness by way of condition for the receiving and enjoyment of them are of the most soveraign efficacy and import that can be imagined to perswade you unto Holiness Nor can any instance I beleeve be given from the Scriptures where the Holy Ghost presseth or perswadeth unto action or ways of Righteousness by any other kinde of Promise then that which is either in form or in matter i. e. in sence and meaning conditional Besides whether any such assureance of the unchangeableness of the Love of God towards Him that is godly as the Objection speaks of can be effectually and upon sufficient grounds given unto men is very questionable yea I conceive there is more Reason to judg otherwise then so Yea that which is yet more I verily beleeve that in case any such assureance of the unchangeableness of Gods Love were to be found in or could regularly be deduced from the Scriptures it were a just ground to any intelligent and considering man to question their Authority and whether they were from God or no. For that a God infinitely righteous and holy should irreversibly assure the immortal and undefiled inheritance of His Grace and Favor unto any Creature whatsoever so that though this Creature should prove never so abominable in His sight never so outragiously and desperately wicked and profane He should not be at liberty to withhold this inheritance from Him is a saying doubtless too hard for any man who rightly understands and considers the Nature of God to hear For what can it be conceived that he should promise more to such a Person who should remain loyal in his affections and constant in his obedience unto him without turning aside either to the right hand or to the left all his days And where now would be the God of Judgment Ye have wearied the Lord with your words saith Malachi in Gods Name unto the People Yet ye say wherein have we wearied Him When ye say every one that doth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delighteth in them and where is the God of Judgment a Mal. 2. 17. Clearly implying 1. That to say that God delighteth in them that do evil is highly displeasing and dishonorable to him amounting to no less being interpreted then a denyal of his being a God of Judgment i. e. of his Wisdom and Righteousness or that he puts any difference in his affections between the best and worst of men 2. That notwithstanding the great offensiveness unto God of such a saying yet they that utter it are backward to consider any such unworthiness in it It is possible that yet some will further object against the Argument in §. 34. hand unless the Saints be assured of the Perpetuity of their standing in the Grace and Favor of God they must needs be under fears of falling away and so of perishing and fear we know is of a discouraging and enfeebling nature an enemy unto such actions which men of confidence and courage are apt and ready to undertake I answer 1. That the strength of this Objection hath been already troden down and that more then once See Sect. 15. 16. of this Chapter and more upon the same account Cap. 9. I here add 2. That the Saints notwithstanding the possibility of their final falling away have or may have such an assureance of the Perpetuity of their standing in the Grace and Favor of God which may exclude all fear at least that is of a discouraging or enfeebling nature The Apostle as we have formerly shewed b Sect. 16. of this Chapt. lived at a
Sin onely is exclusive from the love and Kingdome of God is no such great mastery no such matter of difficulty unto such Men and that when they are overcome and fall into such Sins it is through a meere voluntary neglect of stiring up the Grace of God that is in them and of maintaining that holy Principle we speak of in strength and vigour by such means as God most graciously and indulgently vouchsafeth unto them in abundance for such a purpose And thus we see all things unpartially weighed and debated to and fro that the Doctrine which supposeth a possibility of the Saints finall declining is the Doctrine which is according to godlinesse and the corrivall of it an enemy thereunto That Doctrine whose genuine and proper tendency is to advance the peace and §. 36. Argum. 7. joy of the Saints in believing is of a naturall sympathy with the Gospell and upon this account a truth Such is the Doctrine which informeth the Saints of a possibility of their totall and finall falling away Ergo. Our adversaries themselves in the cause depending will not I presume regret the granting of the former proposition the truth of it being a truth so neere at hand The Minor hath received confirmation in abundance from what was argued and evinced in the 9th Chapter where we demonstratively proved that the Doctrine we now assert is of the most healthfull and sound constitution to make a Nurse for the peace and joy and comforts of the Saints whereas that which is opposite to it is but of a melancholique and sad complexion in comparison The ground we built our Demonstration upon was this That Doctrine which is of the most incouraging quickning and strengthning import to the Spirit and Grace of God in Men on the one hand and most crucifying and destructive to the flesh on the other hand must needs be a Doctrine of the best and choycest accommodation for the Peace and Comfort of Believers The reason hereof is because the Peace Joy and Comfort of Believers doe if not wholly yet in a very great measure depend upon the fruits of the Spirit and the testimony of their Consciences concerning their loyalty and faithfulnesse unto God in doing His will keeping His Commandments refraining all false wayes as David speaketh abstaining from the works of the flesh c. As on the contrary that Roote of bitternesse in the Saints from which feares and doubtings perplexities agonies and consternations of soule spring is the flesh when for want of a sharpe bridle still kept in the jawes or lips of it it breaks out becomes unruly and magnifies it self against God and His Lawes These things we prosecuted more at large in the fore named Chapter where likewise we proved above all reasonable contradiction that the sence of those who assert a possibility of the Saints drawing back even to perdition is a Doctrine of a very rich sympathy with the Spirit or regenerate part in Men of an excellent and high animation unto it and on the contrary a Doctrine morrally inspired against the flesh with all the lusts and wayes hereof Here also we gave an answer in full unto those who are wont to object and pretend that the best and holiest persons more generally cleave in their judgements to the Doctrine of absolute Perseverance as on the other hand that persons more carnally and loosely disposed more generally take up that which is contrary unto it So that we shall not need to add in this place any thing further to give weight or strength to the Argument in hand unlesse it be to certifie the Reader that since the publishing and clearing the Doctrine now asserted some very godly and seriously Religious persons have with their whole Hearts blessed God for it We proceede to another Argument That Doctrine which evacuates and turns into weaknesse and folly all that §. 37. Argum. 8. gracious counsell of the Holy Ghost which consists partly in that diligent information which he gives unto the Saints from place to place concerning the hostile cruell and bloody minde and intentions of Satan against them partly in detecting and making knowne all his subtil stratagems his Plots Methods and dangerous machinations against them partly also in furnishing them with spirituall weapons of all sorts whereby they may be able to grapple with him notwithstanding and gloriously to triumph over him partly againe in those frequent Admonitions Exhortations Incouragements to quit themselves like Men in resisting him and making good their ground against him which are found in the Scriptures and lastly in professing his feare lest Satan should circumvent and deceive them that Doctrine I say which reflects disparagement and vanity upon all these most serious and gracious applications of the Holy Ghost unto the Saints must needs be a Doctrine of vanity and error and consequently that which opposeth it by like necessity a truth But such is the common Doctrine of absolute and infallible Perseverance Ergo. The Major in this Argument is greater then exception For doubtlesse no Doctrine which is of an undervaluing import either to the Grace or Wisdome of the Holy Ghost in any Scripture transaction can be Evangelicall or consistent with truth The Minor likewise is evident upon this account All those actions or transactions ascribed to the Holy Ghost in the Major Proposition as viz. his discovering and detecting unto the Saints the hostile Spirit and machinations of Satan against them his furnishing them with spirituall weapons to conflict with him and fight against him c. are in severall places of Scripture plainely reported and attributed unto him particularly in these Jam. 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 8 9. Eph. 6. 11. 12 c. 2. Cor. 11. 3. 14. 2. 11. Mat. 12. 43 44 c. 2 Thess 2. 9 10. 1 Cor. 7. 5. not to mention many others Now if the Saints be in no possibility of being finally overcome by Satan or of miscarrying in the great and most important businesse of their Salvation by his snares and subtilties all that operousnesse and diligence of the Holy Ghost in those late-mentioned addressements of his unto them in order to their finall conquest over Satan will be found of very light consequence of little concernment to them Yea if the said addressements of the Holy Ghost be compared with the state and condition of the Saints as the said Doctrine of Perseverance representeth and affirmeth it to be and be digested or formed into an hypotyposis accordingly the utter uselessenesse and impertinency of them will yet much more evidently appeare Suppose we then the Holy Ghost should speake thus unto the Saints O you that truly believe who by vertue of the Promise of that God that cannot lie are fully perswaded and possest that you shall be kept by God by His irresistible Grace in true faith until death so that though Satan shall set all his wits on work and by all his stratagems snares and cunning devices seek to destroy you
accepted with God But this was Davids case He committed Murther and Adultery not onely against the light of His Conscience but c. Ergo. The Minor Proposition is in all points evident from the Tenor of the story layd down Chap. 11 12 of the second of Samuel where the Holy Ghost very particularly and at large reporteth the manner and method of Davids actings and behaviors in order to the committing of the said sins But this Proposition I conceive hath so much light of truth shining upon it from the Scriptures that they who deny the Conclusion will not deny it For the Major this hath been sufficiently argued and proved in the former Chapter in our traverse of the fifth Argument there propounded to prove a Possibility of a total defection in the Saints Sect. 20 21 c. where likewise all the Pleas of exception commonly made against it were largely debated and answered to the full I shall here onely add this brief Argument for the further confirmation of it Whosoever is truly godly hath by Grace and Promise from God a Right and Title to the Kingdom of God This Proposition is current Doctrine amongst our Adversaries Therefore I assume But whosoever commits Murther and Adultery and this against the light of Conscience with deliberation and premeditated contrivance and remains impenitent under the guilt of such commissions during such His impenitency hath no Right or Title to the Kingdom of God Ergo. This is proved ex abundanti from Gal. 5. 21. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. places formerly argued Touching the former the Apostle after a large enumeration of the works of the flesh Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Envyings Murthers c. subjoyns of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that THAT WHICH DO SVCH THINGS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM O◠GOD. The other place is of the same import So likewise are the Passages Ephes 5. 5 6. It seems this was a Doctrine frequently incultated by the Apostle into the mindes and consciences of such as were Saints at least so judged and reputed by Him and therefore such as we ought to judg to have been none other Now if those who formerly had been Saints and in this capacity Heirs of the Kingdom of God should have retained the same capacity under the doing of the things mentioned and before any remorse of Soul or Repentance for them the Apostle could not either with reason or truth have pronounced this heavy doom against them that they should not inherit the Kingdom of God So that David having done two of the most notorious and vile works of the flesh in the Practise or Perpetration of Murther and Adultery and that as hath been said with circumstances of greatest aggravation doubtless for the time whilest He remained impenitent in or under the defilement of them was obnoxious to that Law of Death by which the workers of iniquity or of the works of the flesh are sentenced with the deprivation or loss of their Right and Title to the Kingdom of Heaven and consequently was not a godly person or accepted with God We have already profaned all those lawless Sanctuaries at which Men being pursued by the Scriptures lately mentioned are wont to take shelter as viz. 1. That the said places are not to be understood as applicable unto the Saints they mean such as at any time have been Saints but unto natural or unregenerate men onely 2. That Saints have an absolute Promise from God that they shall never totally lose their Faith 3. That the Saints sin onely out of infirmity and not premeditatedly or with full consent These Alledgments with their fellows we have once and again in several places upon occasion clearly detected to be of the spurious and ignoble race of shifts and evasions fought out by men for the gratification and relief of Error and to obstruct the Truth in the course of it that it might not run and be glorified But some object that David prayed unto God during his impenitency §. 3. under the said sins and that this is a sufficient proof that He was all the while a Person truly Godly and endued with Justifying Faith I answer 1. It no where appears that David did pray unto God during the term of His impenitency or until Nathan the Prophet came unto Him to awaken His Conscience unto a consideration of them The 51 Psalm which is indeed Precatory and Penitentiary is in the Title said to have been made by David when Nathan the Prophet came unto Him i. e. upon his coming unto Him after He had gone in to Bathsheba Which implies that David was now in a Posture of Repentance when He conceived the Prayer expressed in this Psalm 2. Neither from one act of Prayer nor from many can the truth or soundness of any mans Faith be concluded Our Saviour Himself supposeth that Hypocrites pray and that often a Matth. 6. 5 Yea and that the Scribes and Pharisees were wont to make long Prayers b Mat. 23. 14 and affirmeth that they were liable to the greater damnation upon the account of these Prayers in respect of the wicked ends intended in them Yea men may pray unto God with some degree or kinde of acceptation with Him whilest they are yet but unregenerate men as some of our Adversaries themselves more considering then their fellows do acknowledg Nor doth that of the Apostle Without Faith it is unpossible to please God c Heb. 11. 6 any ways contradict it of which place we shall I conceive have occasion to speak more at large hereafter 3. It it yet further the Doctrine and sence of our Adversaries That Reprobates themselves may have and many times have some excellent gifts of the Spirit conferred upon them and among others the gift of Prayer it self So that were it granted or could it be proved that David under His impenitency for His crying sins did pray or was wont to pray unto God it cannot be inferred from hence that therefore He was not in an estate of Reprobation or destitute of the saving Grace or Favor of God It is not necessary that He that totally falls away from saving Faith should be especially on the sudden devested or dispossest of any much less of all such gifts of the Holy Ghost which are consistent with an estate of Reprobation or Unregeneracy 4. If David was a true Beleever during the time of His wallowing in the mire of those two foul crimes oft mentioned then was not His washing by Repentance necessary to His Salvation The reason is because true Faith giveth a sufficient Right and Title to Salvation and it is the main stream and current of the Gospel that Whosoever beleeveth shall be saved But if Davids washing by Repentance was not necessary to His Salvation how can the Holy Ghost be justified in ranging Murtherers and Whoremongers amongst those who shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire
Pardon of His Sins Therefore Justification or Pardon of Sin may according to the Doctrine of this Father be lost yea so lost as never to be found again The same Author elsewhere saith That Solomon and Saul and many others had power were able to retain the Grace that had been given them whilest they walked in the ways of the Lord but when the Instruction or Discipline of God departed from them His Grace departed also Therefore it stands us in hand to hold out in the strait and narrow way of praise and glory c Solomon denique Saul caeteri multi quamdtù viis Domini ambulaverunt datam sibi gratiam tenere potuerunt recedente ab ipsis disciplinâ divinâ recessit gratia Perseverandum nobis est in arcto in angusto itinere laudis gloriae Idem Ep. 7. ad Rogat caeteros confess c. c. Yet again The very same spiritual Grace which in Baptism is equally received by those that believe is afterwards in our conversation and acting either diminished or increased as in the Gospel the seed whereof our Saviour speaketh is equally sown but according to the diversity of the ground part of it is consumed or comes to nothing another part of it bringeth forth fruit in abundance yet in a different proportion some thirty some sixty some an hundred fold c Planè eadem gratia spiritalis quae aequaliter à credentibus in Baptismo sumitur in conversatione atque actu nostro postmodùm vel minuitur vel augetur ut in Evangelio dominicum semen equaliter seminatur sed pro varietate terrae aliud absumitur aliud in multiformem copiam vel tricesimi vel sexagesimi vel centesimi numeri fructu exuberante cumulatur Idem Epist 76. ad Magnum A little after Oft-times it comes to pass that some of those who are spiritually sound when baptized if afterwards they fall to sin are shaken with the unclean spirit returning unto them so that manifest it is that the Devil is by the Faith of the Believer excluded in Baptism and that in case this Faith of his afterwards fails that he returneth d Et contrà saepé nonnulli de illiâ— qui sani baptizantur si postmodùm peccare coeperint spiritu immundo redeunte quatiuntur ut manifestum sit Diabolum in Baptismo Fide credentis excludi si Fides postmodùm defecerit regredi Ibid. Chromatius who according to some Writers had his time of mortality §. 12. allotted unto him about the year 350. though others bring it down much lower having upon those words Mat. 6. 12. And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors affirmed That unless we forgive our debtors we make our selves guilty of eternal death before God with our own words subjoyneth a little after thus This the Lord Himself elsewhere doth most plainly make manifest producing the example of the Servant who had been a Debtor to whom though he ought much yet upon his intreaty his Lord forgave him the whole This servant after his debt had been freely remitted unto him denying the like favour in a smaller matter to his fellow-servant was cast into prison and condemâ—ed to punishment e Hoc autem alio in loco ipse dominus apertissimé manifestat proferens servi illius debitoris exemplum cui plurimum debenti rogatus Dominus debitum omne concesserat qui cum post indultum debitum conservo suo debenti sibi nollet ipse dimittere in carcerâ—m traditus damnatus in poenâ est Chromatius in Mat. 5. 6. Macarius who lived about the year 370. is a diligent and frequent Assertor of the Doctrine maintained in our present Digression in his Writings After the same manner saith he the Spirit admonisheth the Soul which by grace knoweth God and is purified from her former sins and is endowed with the ornaments of the Holy Ghost and hath tasted the divine and heavenly meat or nourishment yet because she doth not walk in this knowledg with that diligence which is meeâ— nor preserveth that good affection and love which she oweth to her heavenly Husband Christ as becometh her she IS CAST OFF AND DRIVEN AVVAY FROM THAT LIFE OF WHICH SHE DID PARTAKE Not long after Wherefore we must strive and take heed with the greatest wisdom that we work out our Salvation with fear as it is written Whosoever therefore of you are made partakers of the Spirit of Christ see that in nothing neither small nor great you behave your selves carelesly nor reproach the Spirit of Grace LEST YOV BE BANISHED FROM THAT LIFE WHICH YOV HAVE NOVV OBTAINED f Eodem modo etiam Spiritus admâ—net animam quae per gratiam cognoscit DeuÌ„ purificata est à pristinis peccatis ac ornamentis spiritús sancti dotata et prâ—gustavit divinuÌ„ ac coelosteÌ„ cibuÌ„ ob id tamen quòd non sicuti decebat deligenter in eâ noticiâ versata est nec decenter bene volentiaÌ„ ac dilectioneÌ„ Christo Sponso coelesti debitaÌ„ conservavit projicitur expellitur à vitâ cujus erat facta particeps Macar Hom. 15. Et paulò post Quapropter certanduÌ„ est suÌ„ma prudentiâ nobiâ— cavenduÌ„ ut cuÌ„ timore saluteÌ„ nostraÌ„ operemini operemur sicut scriptuÌ„ est Quicunque ergo participeâ— facti estis Spiritus Christi in nullo pusillo vel magno contemptim vos geratis neque gratiam spiritus contumeliâ assiciatis ne exuletis à vitâ quam jam adepti estis c. Yet again a little after But when the Soul hath obtained Grace now is there need of much understanding and perspicacity in discerning which things themselves God also gives unto the Soul asking them of Him that so this Soul may serve Him in that Spirit which she hath received with all acceptation and in nothing be overcome of evil or deceived through ignorance turning aside through rashness and sloth and falling to do all things besides or contrary unto the comely Order of the Divine Will For PVNISHMENT DEATH AND MOVRNING ABIDE SVCH A SOVL which in effect the divine Apostle Himself also saith lest when I have preached unto others I my self should be a castaway You see after what manner or at how great a rate He feared notwithstanding He was an Apostle of God The same Father in the same place speaketh words to this effect For man is of that nature or frame that though He be fallen into a deep gulf of vice and is become the Servant of Sin yet He may be converted or turned to that which is good and on the contrary being the bond-man of the Holy Ghost and overcome with the drunkenness of spiritual and Heavenly things He may be turned back to that which is evil g Et paulò post Caeterum ubi anima gratiam est adepta tuÌ„ intellectu multo atque perspicatiâ opus est quae etiaÌ„ ipsa largitur Deus animae ab eo
Forgiveness of His sins past through the Grace of the Clemency of God shall become so notoriously ingrateful and neglective of His own Salvation as like unto a Dog returning to His vomit to break off the course of His Repentance and shall plainly shew that He more despiseth then feareth God He declareth Himself absolutely worthy to bear or suffer the punishment due to those former sins from which He had been absolved And to this sence speak the two places which I lately cited from Ezekiel Besides if He who through Mercy hath obtained the Forgiveness of a thousand Talents shall refuse to forgive His Brother an Hundred pence that is if He who hath obtained the Remission of all His sins from God shall refuse to forgive His Brother upon His request made unto Him in that behalf a Trespass or Offence committed against Him is there any ground or cause why we should ask why such a man should be deprived of all that Remission of sins which He had obtained and be called to suffer the punishment which He had deserved It being most equal that what we desire should be done unto our selves we also should do unto others or if we shall deny or refuse to do this that we should be deprived of that Favor which we deny unto others In this case then it may come to pass and justly happeneth that Grace once received should be made vain or frustrate But this is not to be imputed to any instability of the Divine Clemency which in God hath no place but unto our wickedness In which respect the Apostle not without good ground intreats and warns us 2 Cor. 6. that we receive not the Grace of God in vain a Si quis igitur prâ—teritorum peccatorum coÌ„donationem per gratiam Dei clementiae coÌ„sequutus usque adeò ingratus ac salutis suae negligens evaserit vt instar canis ad vomitum reversus coeptam resipiscentiam rumpat palámque ostendat Deum se contemnere magis quà m timere plané dignum se esse declarat à quo praeteritorum peccatorum à quibus fuerat absolutus poenae exigantur Et huc pertinent duo loci Ezekielis quos suprà citavimus Adhuc si quis mille Talentorum condonationem miserecorditer adeptus centum denarios fratri suo remittere detrectaverit hoc est si quis omniuÌ„ peccatoruÌ„ suoruÌ„ remissioneÌ„ à Deo consequutus fratri in se peccanti ac veniaÌ„ posteá oranti offensam remittere noluerit debemusnè quarere quâ—re omni peccatorum suoruÌ„ remissione quaÌ„ nactus fuerat privetur ad meritas poenas luendâ—â— revocetur AequissimuÌ„ prorsus est vt quod nobis ipsis contingere cupimus faciamus ipsi aliis vel si id detrectemus eâ— privemur gratiâ quaÌ„ aliis negamus Hactenùs igitur fieri potest meritò accidit vt semel accepta gratia reddatur irrita VeruÌ„ non debetur hoc divinae clementiae instabilitati quae locuÌ„ in Deo non habet sed nostrae pravitati Quare praeter rationeÌ„ non est quòd Apostolus 2 Cor. 6. obsecrat monet ne gratiaÌ„ Dei in vacuuÌ„ recipiamus Musc in Loc. de Remiss Peccat Sect. 6. The same Author elsewhere doth not onely declare His Judgment simply and positively for the Doctrine asserted by us but with a plain intimation also of his dissent herein from others Some dispute saith he whether it may not so come to pass that such a sin which was venial may not by circumstances become mortal as in case Drunkenness should be much frequented and become customary and Anger by being long retained become strengthened My sence is that even here also the quality of the Offender ought to be considered But if He who was made Partaker of the Divine Grace or Favor shall FALL FROM THIS GRACE AND OF A PERSON JVST Religious Faithful and fearing God SHALL BECOME UNIVST impious unbeleeving and a contemner of God as this mans Conscience by losing the purity of Faith becomes liable unto death so likewise all those Sins of His which whilest He was in Grace were venial are now turned into mortal Thus we read Ezek. 18. When the righteous shall forsake his righteousness and shall commit iniquities He shall dye in them And again all his righteousness shall not be remembred Now what else can follow but that if a good tree be corrupted the fruits which were good must become evil They who from the Principles or beginnings of Faith and of the good Spirit degenerate into perfidiousness or Unbelief render the whole course of their lives which was partaker of Grace culpable of death Such as these are they who with the Galatians begin indeed in the spirit but end in the flesh They are liable unto condemnation and their Sins are no longer venial but mortal unless they repent and return to the Grace of the Blood of Christ from which they are fallen if yet they be fallen upon no worse terms then that they are in a capacity of returning unto Grace Some I know are otherwise-minded in this point but I freely declare mine own judgment without any injury done to them b Disputant de eo fierinè possit vt quod veniale peccatuÌ„ erat propter quasdam circuÌ„stantias fiat mortale vtsi ebrietas frequeÌ„tetur in consuetudineÌ„ ducatur ira diutiù◠reteÌ„ta corroboretur Nos sentimus hîc quoque qualitatem delinquentis esse considerandaÌ„ Quòdsi is qui coelestis Gratiae fuerat particeps factus ab eâ gratiâ exciderit ex homine justo pio fideli ac Dei timente factus fuerit injustus impius infidelis ac conteÌ„ptor Dei queÌ„admodoÌ„ hujus conscientia puritate Fidei amissâ Morti facta est obnoxia ita omnia illius peccata quae duÌ„ in gratiâ erat venialia fuerant in mortalia convertuntur Sic Ezek. 18. legimus QuuÌ„ recesseriâ— Justus à Justiciâ suâ fâ—ceritque iniquitates morietur in â—is IteÌ„ omnes Justiciae ejus oblivioni tradentur Quid auteÌ„ aliud consequi poterit si arbor bona pervertatur in malaÌ„ quà m vt ipsi fructus è bonis fiant mali Qui à principiis Fidei ac spiritus boni ad perfidiaÌ„ degenerant omneÌ„ suaÌ„ vitaÌ„ quae veniae particeps erat mortaleÌ„ constituunt qualeâ— illi sunt qui cuÌ„ Galatis spiritu quideÌ„ incipiunt tandeÌ„ verò carne desinunt Illi condemnationi sunt obnoxij eoruÌ„ peccata non ampliùs venialia sunt sed mortalia nisi resipiscant ad gratiaÌ„ sanguinis Christi unde prolapsi sunt revertantur si tamen ità prolapsi sunt vt resipiscentiae ac redeundi ad gratiaÌ„ locus esse possit Scio hîc á nonnullis aliter sentiri verùm quid mihi videatur absque illoruÌ„ injuriâ liberè dico Musc Loc. de Peccat Sect. 5. These last words Some I know are otherwise-minded c. plainly shew 1. That the deliberate and resolved
deserat atque ita extrà Christi Fidem pereat Metonymia effecti Pro quo mortuus est Quippe qui mortuus est pro omnibus credentibus For what is is this being interpreted but to affirm that true Beleevers even such for whom Christ dyed may fall away so as to perish Nor doth the gloss of Mr J. Deodat as his Englisher presenteth it upon §. 22. 1 Cor. 8. 11. look any other way PERISH i. e. saith he shall be in danger of wounding His Conscience mortally and whereas before through tenderness of Conscience He abhorred any thing that drew neer to Idolatry He may peradventure use Himself to it to THE SHIPVVRACK OF HIS SALVATION He that is dead is in no danger of being wounded mortally but He who being alive is in this danger is in a possibility at least of suffering accordingly Nor can any Person be said to make shipwrack of that of which He never was possessed nor yet to be in danger hereof Nor doubtless was learned Junius otherwise minded when He delivered Himself in these words If there were no possibility that a righteous man or Beleever might fall away neither would the Apostle have made this Hypothesis or supposition nor would He have inferred so grave or weighty a saying upon the Supposition nor would He have applyed this saying to the Hebrews to whom He wrote in the cause which was now in hand b Si non posset furi vt justus vel credens aliquis deficeret neque Hypothesin hanc facturus esset Apostolus neque ex Hypothesi tam grave pronunciatuÌ„ allaturus neque ad hanc causam quae agitur hoc dictum Hebraeis quibus scribebat accommodaturus Junius in Parallel ad Heb. 6. 4 5 6. These Passages also from the same Author are no slender evidences of the Propension of His Judgment the same way Nothing at all shall he wanting to us on the Lords part if we be not wanting unto our selves c A Domino nihil planè defuturuÌ„ est modò ne nobis deficiamus ipsi Idem in Parall ad Heb. 3. 6. And again Christ requires onely one condition from us viz. That we abide in Him and be circumspect and attent to keep our selves from all sin and unbelief even as He promiseth that He will abide in us d Christus postulat à nobis unicaÌ„ conditionem nempe vt maneamus in ipso circumspiciamus attendamusque nobis ab omni peccato infidelitate quemadmodum ipse in nobis spondet se mansurum esse Ibid. ad Vers 12. In the former of these sayings He clearly suspends the Perseverance of the Saints and the continued collation of the Grace of God which is absolutely necessary hereunto upon the care and faithful endevors of men for the obtaining of it In the latter with like clearness He makes their Perseverance Conditional and requires circumspection and watchfulness in the Saints in order to their abiding in Christ notwithstanding His Promise of abiding in them hereby plainly declaring that He understands this Promise of Christ in a sence Conditional and not Absolute Mollerus upon Psal 51. 12. commenteth that David lâ—st the Holy Ghost by His sin and was deprived of His Gifts So that He departing from or not governing David His Heart became polluted with Wickednesses of all sorts Therefore He prays that a clean Heart might be again created in Him which the Apostle Acts 15. calls an Heart purified by Faith viz. from sin and the guilt thereof that so He might have right thoughts of God might truly acknowledg God without Hypocrisie or Simulation but might come unto Him call upon Him beleeve on Him fear obey Him a David amiserat Spiritum Sanctum per peccatuÌ„ privatus erat Donis Itaque ipso discedente aut non regente Davidem cor statim pollutum est omnis generis sceleribus Ideò petit rurâ—ùm in se creari cor mundum id quod Apostolus dicit Act. 15. purificatum Fide à peccatis scilicet reatu vt rectè sentiat de Deo veré agnoscat Deum sine hypocrisi aut simulatione sed accedat ad eum invocet eum credat in eum timeat eum obediat ei c. c. This Text needs no Commentary I might here add the Testimony and Consent both of former Councils §. 23. and Synods as likewise of the Confessions of many late Reformed Churches But because others have prevented me in both as viz. the forementioned Gerard. Joh. Vossius in the former c Hist Pelag. l. 6. Thesi 12. and P. Bertius in the latter d Hymenaeus Desertor pag. 105 106 c. I chuse rather to desire the Reader desirous of satisfaction in either to consult these Authors respectively then to imbulk our present Discourse with transcriptions which are of so ready an inspection elsewhere Onely for a taste I shall here present the Reader with a few lines out of the Confession of the Reformed Churches of Saxony wherein they professedly give the right Hand of fellowship to us in the Doctrine held forth in our present Digression When it is said saith this Confession that sins remain in the regenerate it is necessary that a difference he made For from that saying Luk. 11. He goes and takes unto Him seven other spirits worse then Himself and they entering in dwell there c. and such like sayings it is manifest that some REGENERATE PERSONS grieve and shake or dash the Holy Spirit out of them ARE AGAIN CAST OFF BY GOD AND BECOME GVILTY OF THE WRATH OF GOD AND OF ETERNAL PVNISHMENT And Ezek. 18. it is written When a righteous man shall forsake His righteousness and shall commit iniquity He shall dye therein And when the unrighteous shall forsake His unrighteousness and do righteousness He shall live therein Therefore there is a necessity of putting a difference between such sins which remain in holy men during this mortal life but do not expel or drive the Holy Ghost out of them from such other sins for which a man becomes AGAIN LIABLE TO THE WRATH OF GOD and to Eternal Punishment And PAVL Rom. 5. distinguisheth between sin reigning and not reigning And elsewhere He saith If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if by the Spirit ye shall mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live e Quum dictum sit in rena tis manere peccata necesse est tradâ— discrimen Nam ex dicto Lucae 11. Vadit assumit septem alios spiritus nequieres se ingressi babitant ibi c. similibus dictis manifestum est aliquos renatos contristare excutere Spiritum sanctum ruâ—sus abjici a Deo ac fieri reos iâ—ae Dei aeternarum poenarum Et Ezek. 18. scriptum est Quum recesseâ—it justus a justicia sua fecerit iniquitatem â—â—riâ—tur in ea cum recesseris impius ab impietate sua fecerit justiciam vivet in ca.
them the monitory assisting and strengthening presence of his Infinite Spirit with them and that upon such terms that if they regard and comport with him in his first and lower motions they shall have an advance and increase of such his presence and be stirred up and strengthened by him mightily to oppose tentations unto sin to walk in paths of righteousness and generally to act in due and regular order as to the escaping of the Wrath and Vengeance which is to come so to the obtaining of that life and glory which God hath promised to those that love him Now the consideration of these Particulars with some others of like import that may be added maketh it fully evident That Men have 1. All the real engagements upon them and 2. All the most efficacious means vouchsafed unto them that they are capable of to refrain from Sin and to love and practise Righteousness in which regard the most severe Punishment that can be inflicted upon them for a wilful obdurateness in ways of Sin is but equitable and just 4. And lastly Concerning the pretended disproportion between the §. 7. Practice of Sin as being but for a short time and the Punishment of Hell fire continuing for ever it hath been sufficiently attoned and the seeming hardness thereof taken off by the prâ—mised considerations The demerit of a sin which may be suddenly and in the twinkling of an eye committed may be such and so enormous as to deserve Punishment of a long continuance The act of Murther is or may be committed almost in an instant yet all men judg it but equitable that the Murtherer should have his life taken from him which in truth and strictness of consideration is a perpetual Punishment being a perpetual deprivation of that which is or was most dear to the Offender And generally the Law of retaliation which requireth an eye for an eye a tooth fâ—r a tooth c. is I suppose judged by all men most reasonable and equal And yet this Law in the ordinary process and execution of it inflicteth Punishments very disproportionable in respect of continuance to the time wherein or whilest the transgression was in acting A man may in an instant of time well-nigh strike out the eye of another and yet the loss of one of his own eyes which according to the exigency of the Law we speak of he must suffer for such a misdemeanor would be a Punishment to him whilest he liveâ— When a Laborer receives his hire or wages for his days work there is no proportion between the time of his labor and the time wherein or whilest he receiveth his wages the proportion which in this case is in equity to be considered is not between the time or continuance of the one and the other but between the value or worth of the one and the other A man may receive in the fourtieth part of an hour the full value of his twelve hours labor In like manner the proportion which Reason and Equity requireth to be observed between sins and Punishments consisteth not in an equality of time between the committing of the one and the inflicting or suffering of the other but in an equality between the degrees of demerit in the one and of suffering in the other Now it hath been clearly proved that such an equality as this is to be found between sin which is practised or committed but within a short space of time comparatively and between the Punishment of Hell fire though continuing for ever And let me here add this that the shortness of the time wherein men are and know themselves to be in a capacity or possibility of sinning knowing withall that their Punishment for sinning will be sore and endless is in justness of account rather an aggravation then extenuation of the demerit of their sinning For of the two it is much more irrational and unworthy of men knowingly and voluntarily to bring an Eternity of most grievous Punishment upon their own heads by sinning for a short space onely then it would be to incur the same misery upon the account of a larger time of sining as it is a point of greater folly and indiscretion for a man to waste a fair Estate and to bring Poverty or Beggery like an armed man upon him by the vain luxury and excess of one day or one hour onely then it would be to continue in a spending posture for ten or twenty years together and to come to Beggery at the last The Holy Ghost in Scripture frequently insinuates the irrationality of sinning by the consideration of the short and inconsiderable continuance of the accommodations accruing unto men thereby Wilt thou saith Solomon set thine eyes upon that which is not i. e. the Being whereof is inconsiderable and next to that which is not or which hath no Being at all for the short continuance of it for Riches certainly make themselves wings they fly away as an Eagle towards Heaven l Prov. 23. 5. Now every whit as certain it is that the fruits or contentments which accrue unto men by other ways and means of sinning are every whit as perishable of as short and uncertain a continuance as riches which are the birth that Covetousness travelleth with and is pained to bring forth So that all Particulars relating to the business in hand being put to account and truly summed up together amount to this that there is no unrighteousness or hardness in it at all that God for the sins which men impenitently and with wilful obdurateness of heart commit within the short compass or space of mortality should inflict a Punishment of an everlasting continuance Nor is this his severity against sin any whit the more obnoxious or disparageable because He Himself suffers no inconvenience thereby in the least His estate in Blessedness and Glory being liable to no breach or disaccommodation This rather commends the equity of such His Proceedings against sin and sinners and clearly evinceth that what He doth in punishing the one and the other with that severity of Punishment which hath been oft mentioned He doth not out of any spirit of revenge properly so called or as it is frequently found in men nor out of any desire of self-reparations but out of the most absolute and perfect Righteousness Holiness and Purity of His Nature in conjunction with that most exquisite sedate and dispassionate knowledg which he hath of the just demerit of sin Whereas in the Explication of our Doctrine concerning Christs dying §. 8. for all Men Sect. 1. of this Chapter we signified that Intentions and so reality of intention are not competible unto God in all and every respect wherein they are ascribed unto men though we have sufficiently accounted for our sence and meaning herein formerly m Cap. 3. yet we shall here for the Readers satisfaction briefly review that account that so it may clearly appear how and in what sence we affirm and hold that God
He had of His Christ and that most gracious and wise contrivement of Him in order to such a Purpose which was before Him He framed and made within Himself from the days of Eternity or before the foundation of the world The Purposes or Intentions of God concerning such and such Acts or Dispensations are very usually in Scripture expressed by the Names of the Acts or Dispensations themselves as likewise the Purposes or Intentions of Men are after the same manner Thus Rom. 8. 30. Rom. 8. 30. God is said to have glorified those whom He intends or hath decreed to glorifie Thus also 2 Tim. 1. 9. and again Tit. 3. 5. He is said to have 2 Tim. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 5. saved those who were not actually saved but onely under His Purpose of saving them to omit many the like So in the Scripture in hand He is said to have chosen us before the foundation of the world because He purposed or decreed before the foundation of the World to chuse us Well but what was the Nature or Tenor of this Purpose or Decree of His concerning our Election or how and in what sence it is said to have been in Christ as the Apostle here asserts it to have been According to the most usual and proper signification of the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in in such a construction that is said to be done in Christ which is done by means of Him or for His sake or by the meritorious influence or contribution of His Death and Sufferings by way of motive towards the doing of it In this sence the Preposition is used a Verse or two after a place that will give light to the phrase in hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to Ephes 1. 6. the praise of the glory of His Grace whereby He hath made us accepted in His Beloved i. e. hath made us dear and neer and precious to Himself by means of the Death Satisfaction and Attonement made by His Beloved Son for us By the way if the Grace of God it self and that in the glory of it in which consideration the Apostle here speaks of it doth no other ways upon no other terms render us accepted with Him but onely in and through His Beloved viz. as having made our Peace by the Attonement of His Death for us then were we not so highly accepted with Him through any Purpose of Election especially if we shall conceive this Purpose of Election to have been conceived in God before and without all consideration of the Death of Christ as the common Notion of Election suggesteth So then God is said to have purposed our Election or chusing in Christ because His Purpose was to separate elect and chuse those who should beleeve in Christ for his sake in whom they beleeve to Salvation This Interpretation might be much cleared and confirmed by the opening of these words which we had not long since in hand Rom. 9. 11. That the Purpose of God according to Election Rom. 9. 11. might stand not of works but of him that calleth The Purpose of God according to Election i. e. that Purpose Counsel or Decree of God according unto which or in conformity whereunto He ordereth and manageth His Election of Persons in time is here described 1. Negatively not of works 2. Affirmatively in these words but of him that calleth When the Apostle denies the Purpose of God according to Election to be of works his meaning clearly is that God did not purpose to elect separate or chuse those men to eternal Life who should seek their Justification by the works of the Law Again when he affirmeth this Purpose of God according to Election to be of him that calleth meaning of God himself who calleth Men to Justification and Salvation his meaning as clearly is that the Tenor of Gods Purpose according unto which he means to elect and chuse Men and Women to eternal Life is this viz. to make choyce of those for this blessed end and purpose who shall beleeve in his Son Jesus Christ or seek their Justification by Faith This Purpose is said to be of Him that calleth in opposition to a Being of Works because a Purpose according to Election which should be of Works is the Purpose of them that are called viz. Men they conceive and think that God should purpose and intend to chuse those only unto life who should be diligent Observers of the Law and seek their Justification that way but now the Purpose of God according to Election is not formed or shaped according to the sence or Notion of those that are called who generally pitch upon Works but according to the sence and minde of God Himself who calleth who as we know hath declined Works for such a purpose and hath chosen Faith So that the Apostles meaning in this Antithesis not of Works but of Him that calleth is plainly this not of Works but of Faith Faith and Works being famous Antagonists or Competitors in the writings of this Apostle for Justification the one as set up by God the other by Men. The same Interpretation of the phrase who hath chosen us in Christ may be yet further strengthened by that in Peter Elect according to the Foreknowledg of 1 Pet. 1. 2. God the Father through Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ First he saluteth them as persons Elect or chosen according to the Foreknowledg or Pre-approbation as we have formerly observed the word frequently to signifie of God the Father i. e. as persons so qualified or as having obtained such an estate and condition wherein God the Father from Eternity judged it meet to Elect or chuse the persons of men unto Salvation or to estimate and account men meet or worthy eternal Life In this sence he terms them Elect according to the Foreknowledg or Fore-approbation of God meaning that their present condition in beleeving did according to the Tenor of the eternal Counsel and Purpose of God in that behalf separate between them and the generality of the world who in respect of their unbelief were looked upon by him and adjudged as the refuse of Men in comparison of them and in their present posture unmeet to have Salvation conferred upon them 2. He particularly describeth what that qualification or condition is which God foreknew or fore-approved as meet for Him to regulate His Election of the Persons of Men by and wherein now they were invested and consequently Elected in those words through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling c. His meaning is that they through the assistance and gracious co-operation of the Spirit of God were now brought to yeeld Obedience unto the Gospel to beleeve in Jesus Christ as he who by his Death had purchased Remission of sins for them c. implying that such an estate and condition as this Sanctification by the Spirit c. is
own hands if so then the perfect workmanship of his own hands must be the object of his Reprobation and consequently that which is good For God saw every thing that He had made and behold it was very good g Gen. 1. 31 But unpossible it is that that which is good especially very good should be the object of Gods Reprobation Again if that sinfulness wherein it is pretended that God looked upon men when He Reprobated them was any ground or cause of such his Reprobation then was it a ground or cause morally moving him hereunto for other influence or efficiency upon him it could have none If so then 1. The Will of God may have a Cause superior to it and productive of it which is generally taken for an impossibility 2. If the sinfulness of men foreseen moved God morally to conceive or make a Decree of Reprobation against them then was this Decree made by him in a way of Justice and Equity yea upon such terms that had He not made or passed such a Decree upon the grounds and reasons that were before him He had been unjust If so there being the same Reason why He should pass a like Decree against those men also who are now called his Elect in as much as a like sinfulness in them was foreseen likewise by him from Eternity He must be unjust because He hath not passed a like Decree against these The truth is that such a Decree of Reprobation as men commonly notion in God involves so many inextricable difficulties palpable absurdities that I say not intolerable Blasphemies also that my hope is it will shortly mole mali sui ruere fall and sink with the insupportable weight of its own evil in the mindes and judgments of men As for those places of Scripture with the Arguments commonly drawn from them which are counted the Pillars of such a Reprobation we shall in due time the inflexible hand of Death or some other grand diversion not preventing us by the gracious assistance of the Spirit of Truth clearly answer and disengage from that service In the mean time we shall further countenaâ—ce the Doctrine in hand with this Demonstration If Christ dyed not for all Men without exception then is the Sin of Adam §. 39. Argum. 12. more extensive or extensive unto more in a way of Condemnation and Death then the Death of Christ and the Grace given by Him unto the World is in a way of Justification and of Life The Reason of this Consequence is apparant viz. because the Sin of Adam extended unto all Men without exception in a way of Condemnation Therefore I assume But the Sin of Adam is not extensive unto more in a way of Condemnation then the Grace given by Christ is in a way of Justification Ergo. This latter Proposition is clearly enough asserted by the Apostle and this over and over But not as the offence so also is the free gift i. e. the free gift of Grace by Christ unto the World meaning that the offence or sin of Adam did not operate so forcibly or with so high an hand towards or to the Condemnation of Men as the Grace given by Christ operateth towards or to the Justification or Salvation of Men. For thus he explains himself in the words following For if through the offence of one many be dead i. e. obnoxious or liable unto death much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many h Rom. 5. 15 As if he should have said there is great Reason to conceive and judg that the grace of God and the gift of Jesus Christ thereby should be much more effectual to procure the Justification and Salvation of many then the offence of one the Condemnation of many partly because the offence of one wrought onely in its own strength and native tendency in bringing Condemnation and Death upon many having onely the permissive Will of God not his operative or designing Will for or towards the Production of such an effect whereas the operative and projecting or designing Will of God interposed went along with yea and magnified it self in the gracious gift by Jesus Christ in order to the bringing of the Justification of Life upon or unto many partly also because Jesus Christ being the eternal Son of God consecrated and given by the Father for this end and purpose viz. to bring the Justification of Life unto or upon many i. e. to put many into such an estate of Justification wherein continuing they should live or be saved was a far more likely Person to carry on and make good his engagement for the Justification of many then Adam being a weak Creature and of an earthy frame was to bring the Condemnation of Death upon many Now to say that by the offence of one a far greater number of men incomparably more are made dead brought into an estate of Condemnation and Death then by the Grace of God and by the gift of Jesus Christ through this Grace are brought into an estate of Justification is quite to alter the Property of the Apostles arguing in this place and to invert the express tendency of it For whereas his intent clearly is to assert a far more emphatical likelyhood or rationality that the Grace of God in the gift of Jesus Christ should operate and prevail to the Justification of many and that accordingly it doth thus operate and prevail then the Sin of Adam to the Condemnation of many such an assertion as that mentioned makes him to say or at least it self saith that whether there be more likelyhood or rationality or no that the Grace of God by Christ should justifie many then that the Sin of Adam should condemn many yet for matter of fact it is otherwise and that the grace of God by Christ justifies a few onely in comparison whereas the sin of Adam condemns all without exception To affirm for the strengthening of the Faith of Beleevers upon which account questionless the Apostle here speaketh it that there is a far greater probability that many should be justified by Christ then that many should be condemned by Adam and yet to affirm withall that this probability notwithstanding many yea all without exception are condemned by Adam and but a very few comparatively justified by Christ is to blow hot and cold with the same breath and to pull down with the one hand what a man builds up with the other The commensurableness or coextensiveness of the Grace of God in Christ in order to the Justification of Men with the Sin of Adam in respect of the Condemnation of Men is very pregnantly avouched the second and third time also by the same Apostle in these subsequent Passages of the same contexture Therefore as by the offence of one Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto
debt of any other by dying whereas amongst the Sons of Men our Lord Jesus alone was found in whom all Men â—ere crucified all Men dyed all Men were buried yea and all Men rose again g Singulares quippe in singulis mortes fuerunt nec alterius quisquam debitum sâ—o funere sâ—lvit cum inter filios hominuÌ„ solus Dominus nostor Iesus extiterit in quo omnes crucifixi omnes mortui omnes sepulti omnes etiam sint suscitati Leo. Serm. 12. de Passione Domini Elsewhere thus That general and deadly Hand-writing of our being sold under sin and death was cancelled and made voyd and the bargain of our captivity passed into a right of Redemption h Evacuatum igitur est illud generale venditionis nostrae lethale chirographum pactum captivitatis in jus transiit Redemptionis Idem Serm. 10. de Passione Domini Once more That He Christ might repair the life of ALL MEN He took on Him the cause of all Men and that which He of all Men was not bound to do He made voyd the force of the old hand writing by making payment of the debt due thereby FOR ALL MEN i Vt autem repararet omnium vitam recepit omniuÌ„ causam vim veteris chirographi quod solus inter omnes non debuit pro omnibus solvendo vacuavit Idem Epist 72. Fulgentius about the year 500 succeeded His Predecessors in the inheritance of their Judgment concerning the Universality of Redemption by Christ. As the Devil saith He smote or wounded whole man by deceiving him so God by assuming whole man saved him that so one and the same might be acknowledged both the Maker and REDEEMER OF THE WHOLE CREATVRE or Creation who was able both to make that which was not and to REPAIR or restore THAT WHICH WAS FALLEN k Sicut totum hominâ— Diabolus decipiendo percussit ita Deus totum suscipiendo salvavit vt agnosceretur idem creaturae totius Conditor Redemptor qui potuit quod non erat facere quod dilapsum est reparare Fulgent ad Thrasimund l. 1. c. 14. Primasius who lived somewhat more then an hundred years after Augustin §. 11. helped to keep the Doctrine we plead alive in the World As Christ saith He suffered reproach from his own he means the Jews whom He CAME TO REDEEM when they said unto Him Thou hast a Devil and offered Him all other indignities even to his Passion it self l Sicut enim Christus improperiuÌ„ sustinuit à suis quos vâ—nerat reâ—mere quadâ— ei dixerant Damonium haâ—es catera maâ—â— ei intulerâ—nt usque ad Passionem c. Primas ad Heb. c. 11. so did Moses likewise c. If Christ came to redeem those who charged Him with having a Devil with casting out Devils through Beel-zebub and who maliciously prosecuted Him with all manner of injuries and evil entreaties and this unto death doubtless He came not to redeem the Elect onely or such who in conclusion repent beleeve and are saved for some of these and particularly those that said He had an unclean spirit were charged by Him with that sin which He saith shall not be forgiven neither in this World nor in the World to come Matt. 12. 32. compared with Mark 3. 28 29 30. The same Author elsewhere saith that Christ as much as lay in Him DYED FOR ALL MEN how ever his Death profiteth none but onely those who are willing to beleeve in him m Ita Christus quantum in se fuit pro omnibus mortuus est quanquam non profit ejus Passio nisi soluÌ„modo iis qui in eum credere volunt Idem ad Heb. c. 2. And yet again The Father Son and Holy Ghost is or are the God of all Men and therefore desireth that ALL THAT HE HATH MADE SHOVLD BE SAVED A little after The Blood of Christ hath verily been shed FOR ALL MEN benefiteth them that beleeve n Pater Filius Spiritus Sanctus omniuÌ„ hominum Deus est ideo cupit omnes salvari quos fecit Et paulò post pro omnibus quidem effusus est sanguis Christi sed credâ—ntibus prodest c. Idem in 1. ad Tim. c 2. c. Gregory sirnamed the Great about the year 570 counted it neither Heresie nor Error to teach the same Doctrine The Father then saith he being just and punishing him who was just meaning Christ disposeth all things justly because upon this account HE JVSTIFYETH ALL or all things because he condemneth him for Sinners who was without sin o Pater ergo cum justus sit justuÌ„ puniens omnia justé disponit quia per hoc cuncta justificat quòd eum qui sine peccato est pro peccatoribus damnat c. Greg. Mag. Moral l. 3. c. 11. Elsewhere he termeth Christ THE REDEEMER OF MANKINDE p Redemptor quippe humani generis Mediator Dei hominis per carnem factus c. Idem Moral lib. 9. c. 21. vid. lib. 33. c. 10. and in another place expresly saith that Christ REDEEMED ALL MEN by his Cross but yet that it remaineth that he that endevors to be redeemed i. e. to enjoy the Redemption purchased for him by Christ and to reign with God be crucified q Remansit quidem quia non omnia nostra Christus explevit Per crucem suam quidem omnes redimit sed remansit vt qui redimi regnare cum Deo nititur crucifigatur Idem in 1. Reg. cap. 9. 24. Bede somewhat above an hundred years after Gregory propagated the same Doctrine in the World for Truth Joseph saith he in the Egyptian language signifieth Saviour of the World This is manifest in Christ since under the figure of Joseph He is declared to be the SAVIOUR not of the one onely Land of Egypt but also of the WHOLE WORLD And soon after But in our Joseph meaning Christ the WHOLE WORLD deserved to receive increase r Vocaturque Joseph linguâ Egyptiacâ Salvator Mundi Manifestum est de Christo quando sub figurâ Joseph Salvator ostenditur non tantum unius terrae Egypti sed totius Mundi Bed in Gen. c. 41. Et mox In nostro verò Joseph augmentum habere Mundus omnis meruit Theophylact who lived more then two hundred of years after him viz. about the year 930 as some of our best Chronologers calculate the time of his mortality is a sufficient witness that the same Doctrine was alive in the Church in his time He verily saith he speaking of Christ dyed FOR ALL MEN and canst not thou endure to pray for them s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophylact in 1 Tim. c. 2. 6. Elsewhere we have words to this effect from his Pen As by the offence or fall of one the curse came upon all Men that which before he called judgment or condemnation he now calleth an offence that is the sin of
He Acta Synodi Dordr part 2 p. 120 doth not withall give them Faith in His Son But certain it is 1. That all Men come not to be saved and 2. That the great Love of God in the gift of his Son doth not vanish in unprofitableness Ergo. A like Argument is fram'd upon the account of the great Love of the Son Himself towards those for whom He dyed Christ saith the Argument so loved us that whilest we were Enemies He dyed for us Is it now credible that He should not apply a benefit merited or procured with so much sweat and with such precious Blood unto those for whom He merited it These Arguments with some Texts of Scripture not here mentioned cited to prove some of the Particulars together with some few Sayings from the Fathers both which we intend to take and give knowledg of upon occasion were in a manner the whole strength wherein the Synod of Dort so much magnified themselves against their Adversaries the Remonstrants in the traverse of the second Head of Matters Controversal between them which concerned the Intentions of God in and about the Death of Christ as far as I am able to observe from the Records of this Synod Concerning which Arguments I shall say no more at present but onely these two things 1. That though they be somewhat numerous yet there is none of them but lieth very opportune and fair for Answer and 2. That some of them if not the greater part stand bent against such an Opinion which I beleeve their Antagonists did not hold certain I am they do not oppugn that Doctrine of Redemption which is maintained in this Book Nevertheless because they may possibly be conceived by some less considerate to rise up with much strength against it we shall take them into consideration respectively in their places I will not say that there have been sufficient grounds layd yea and sufficiently proved in the Premisses of our present Discourse whereon to frame satisfactory Answers even to those that are counted Pillars amongst them but shall leave the consideration hereof to the intelligent and unpartial Reader and to the Disquisitions about them intended in the second Part of this Work I do not meet with any thing of moment in any other Author to infringe §. 7. the credit of the Doctrine of General Redemption which doth not make one spirit with one or other of the Arguments levyed as we have heard by the said Synod This which I shall presently recite from the Collocutors of the Contra-Remonstrancy at the Conference at the Hague Ann. 1613. is but the same in effect with the first and fifth of those used by the Synod For whom soever Christ dyed and obtained Remission of sins and Reconciliation with God for these also He obtained by his Death Deliverance from the bondage of sin and the spirit of Regeneration for Newness of life But Christ did not obtain Deliverance from the bondage of sin or the spirit of Regeneration for all Men. Ergo. If any man conceives there is somewhat more in this Argument of the said Collocutors which I shall next transcribe then in any of the former I am content that it shall stand as additional unto them I finde it in this form All they for whom Christ dyed can freely say Who is he that condemneth 20 Reason It is Christ that dyed for us Rom. 8. 34. But they are onely Beleevers and the Elect that can speak thus Vers 33. not Unbeleevers Mark 16. 16. Ergo. The Minor is further strengthened by this consideration The Consolation raised from the consideration of the Death of Christ which the Apostle here Rom. 8. 32 33 c. administreth unto the Saints or Beleevers would have little solidity or worth in it in case Reprobates and Unbeleevers could as truly say that Christ dyed for them also This Argument likewise from the same Authors is vertually contained in that already mentioned in the fifteenth place Yet let it have the Honor of an Argument by it self If Reconciliation with God and Remission of sins be obtained for all and 21 Reason every man none excepted then should or ought the Word of this Reconciliation i. e. the Gospel be preached or declared and this continually to all and every man But the Word of Reconciliation is not thus preached to all and every man Ergo. The Reason of the Consequence is because they for whom Reconciliation is obtained not being capable of enjoying it but by Faith and Faith not being to be obtained but by hearing the Word of this their Reconciliation it seems contrary to all Reason that they should be deprived of the means of beleeving The learned Chamier advanceth this Argument against us the strength 22 Reason Chamier Panstrat â—om 3. lib. 9. c. 13. Sect. 19 whereof the observant Reader will finde lodged in the nineteenth Reason already propounded To all those for whom Christ truly dyed the Death of Christ is profitable But this Death of his is not profitable unto all Men. Ergo. The Major he proves 1. From the proper import of the Particle for which saith he always notes some benefit accruing to him for whom any thing is said to be done 2. From the state of the Controversie 3. And lastly From the Scriptures as where it is said He gave himself for us that he might redeem us c. Tit. 2. So again from Matt. 26. 28. Rom. 5. 8 9. The Minor he proveth 1. From the Concession or his Adversaries themselves the Papists concerning Infants who dye unbaptized all which they exclude from Salvation and consequently from all benefit by the Death of Christ. 2. From the Concession almost of all concerning persons of years of Matury viz. that very many of these perish everlastingly and so never come to receive any benefit by the Death of Christ. In the same place the same Author subjoyneth this Argument the same in 23 Reason substance with the former If Christ dyed for all Men then all Men are saved or shall be saved But this is not so Ergo. The Minor which needs no proof he proves from Joh. 3. 36. Rom. 2. 8. For the Consequence in the Major Proposition he cites the Apostles Discourse Rom. 5. 8 9 10. under the Notion of an express Probation of it But God commendeth his love towards us c. The Scriptures and Arguments now propounded are the effect and substance §. 8. of all that I can readily finde or call to minde pleaded and argued against the Doctrine of General Redemption as it hath been stated and asserted in our present Discourse excepting onely some quotations from the Fathers If any thing of moment upon the same account shall further occur or be offered unto me either before or under my examination of these I shall not conceal it but shall as in the presence of God and without the least touch or tincture of prejudice or partiality acknowledg strength in any thing
actions necessitated 319. Natural Causes why ordinarily left to themselves 28 Nazianzen for Vniversal Redemption 534 Necessity free Causes not necessitated by any act of God 53 Nicene Council for General Redempt 544 Notions some of a lighter others of a deeper impression in the Soul 1 Nyssen for Vniversal Redemption 534 O OBedience natural and spiritual how differ 315. Spiritual the more perfect by how many the more motives raised Ibid. Oecumenius for Vniversal Redemption 543 Origen for Vniversal Redemption 535 536 For Falling away 334 Original sin not necessarily supposeth liableness to condemnation 519 P PArable of the Sower opened 291 Patience Gods Patience respecteth chiefly wicked men generally not elect or beleeving 422 Pelicanus for Vniversal Redemption 407 Perfection of life not fixed by God 42 43 Periods of life not fixed by God 8 9 Permissive Gods permissive Decrees not illative 25 26 Perseverance of Saints not promised absolutely 317 318. Such a supposition dishonoreth God Ibid. 319. Common Doctrine of Perseverance a most dangerous snare upon men 322. Reflects weakness upon the Holy Ghost 339. Occasioneth Jealousie amongst Brethren 342. Hath been unduly magnified 343 c. Ancient Doctr of Perseverance how come to be lost in the Reformation 383 384. Of signal necessity in matters of Christian Religion 388 Asserted by Ancient Fathers 378 379 380 c. Both by Councils and Synods 394. 〈…〉 fessions of many Churches Ibid. Piscator sometimes for Falling away 393 Denyeth Christ to have dyed sufficiently for all men 97 Possibility of perishing no ground of Fear that hath torment 474. God hath provided more then a bare possibility of Salvation for all 400 Praying no sign of Regeneration 346 Predestination what consistency with Gods Glory p. 69. Anciently held to be from foreseen Faith or Works 366 Prerogative wherein Gods Prerogative Will consisteth 67 68 Primasius for General Redemption 541 Promises made unto Perseverance made voyd by the common Doctrine of Perseverance 317 c. Promises conditional more engaging unto action 334 Prosper for Vniversal Redemption 539 540 Providence interposeth not out of course for most events Pag. 14 Mr Pryn his undue report of Austins Judgment in the point of Perseverance 383 Punishment what wonderful means God useth to prevent the eternal Punishment of the Creature 444 Purpose Gods Purposes and Executions still parallel 460 R REason some Reasons in general may be assigned of the equitableness of Gods ways not all in particular 349. Grounds of Reason how necessary for confirmation of Doctrines 453 454. No man to act without a ground in Reason 496 Reconciliation how God may be said to reconcile the World 88 89 Redemption Doctrine of general Redemption so necessary that the greatest enemies it hath cannot but build upon it at some turns 405 523. In what sence general Redemption is maintained in this Discourse 433 434 c. General Redemption typified by the brazen Serpent 520 c. by the Feast of Jubilee 521 522 What places of Scripture are commonly argued in opposition to it 563 564. The Arguments ordinarily produced against it 564 565 c. Redemption limited makes the Gospel a lottery 412 dishonorable unto God 413. quencheth hope and endeavor in men 414. frustrateth Christs Death in the main 465. representeth God as hollow-hearted 468. nourisheth Jealousies against God 476. injurious unto God 478. Scriptures commonly pleaded for limited Redemption 563 564 Arguments 564 565 c. Regeneration wherein resembleth the Birth natual 265 266. Repeated no inconvenience 329. It importeth a repetition of a generation or birth but not natural 329 330 Repentance why rather to be ascribed to God then to men themselves though it be their act 511 512 Reprobation 47 not from Eternity 514. not of individuals but species 63. The end of Gods Reprobation is that men should not be Reprobates 479. No Reprobation of men whilest righteous 513. Common Doctr of Reprobation miserably encumbred 514 515 Reward what actions capable of reward 319 341 Mr S. Rutherford his undue censure of general Attonement 73. His mistake about Joh. 17. 2. 116 S SAints capable of sinning out of malice 323 Sealing of the Saints with the Spirit 255 256 Servile what Obedience servile or mercenary 315 Simplicity of God 43 44 Simulation not in God 472 Sinners Pardon for wilful sinners typified in the Feast of Jubilee 521 Sins of infirmity what 323. Sin upon what account eternally punishable 443. What wonderful means God useth to prevent the eternal Punishment of the Creature for sin 444. Shortness of time to sin rather an aggravation then extenuation of sin 446 Spirit to be quenched what 325 T TAste what signifieth in Scripture 285 Tertullian for Falling away 371. For Vniversal Redemption 535 Threatenings against Apostates made voyd by the Common Doctrine of Perseverance 311 312 313. Work not but by the mediation of Fear Ibid. Truth many Truths oft asserted in the Scripture not so much for knowledg or belief as consideration p. 2. Reigneth when Objections are answered 562. Acknowledgment of the Truth proper unto Saints 283 Reigns not until Objections be answered 562 Dr Twiss his Notion about Christs praying for his Crucifiers 245. about Gods permissive Decrees 25 U UNbelief without power to beleeve no cause of wonder or of shame 500 501 c. Unbelievers upon what account unexcuseable 502 503 c. Unchangeable how God is unchangeable 208 Unregenerate no unregenerate person can have any ground of hope that he is or may be according to our Adversaries one of the Elect. 414 494 W WIll of God diversly taken in Scriptture 38. When or in what sence efficacious 473 474. How distinguished into Antecedent and Consequent 448 106 Will of Man not determined by God p. 5. Gods actings upon it how unfrustrable how Physical how Moral 305 306 307 c. Wisdom the more wisdom the less liberty to do unwisely 427. Requires variation in practice 428 429. Wisdom of God infinitely perfect 431 World what it signifieth 76 80 81 Z ZAnchius defines Justifying Faith by assent 400. for universal Redemption 559 A Table or brief Collection of some general Rules for the Interpretation of Scriputres delivered in the foregoing Discourse The Knowledg and Consideration whereof will give much Light into the Controversies there debated 1. IT is frequent in Scripture to express a thing after the manner of an Event or Consequent which shall or will follow upon such or such an occasion or means some ways likely to produce it which yet frequently cometh not to pass nay the contrary whereunto many times follows and comes to pass in stead thereof Pag. 216 221 234 2. Many Promises absolute in form are yet conditionate in matter and meaning 154 209 218 221 225 258 231 307 3. Promises m ade with respect to special qualifications are to be understood with such an Explicarion or Caution wherewith Threatenings against particular sins are to be interpreted 231 4. There is nothing more frquent in Scripture then to ascribe the Effects
like manner when in His Epistle to the Church of Thyatira He writeth thus And He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to Him will I give power over the Nations b Rev. 2. 26. doth He make this Promise of giving power over Nations with any other eye or intent then to raise hereby a spirit of Christian valor and resolution in them not to give over fighting the good fight of Faith unto the end which would be the victory or conquest here intended Not to instance more particulars when He speaketh thus to His Disciples but He that shall endure meaning in the loyalty of His affection unto Him and the Gospel unto the end the same shall be saved c Mat. 24. 13. doth he promise Salvation to him that must or shall be necessitated will he nill he to endure unto the end Or is there any more savor in the Promise thus interpreted then there would be in such a Promise as this But He that breatheth unto the end the same shall be saved Therefore questionless our Saviours intent in promising Salvation unto him that should endure unto the end was by this Promise of so great a Reward to provoke animate and encourage men to persevere unto the end Let all Expositors both ancient and modern be consulted upon the place Although saith Calvin upon the place the love of many being surcharged with the weight of iniquities shall fail yet Christ admonisheth that this obstacle also or impediment in their way must be overcome lest those that are faithful and beleeve being wearied or tired out by evil examples should start back or recoyl from the Faith Therefore He repeats that saying that none shall be saved but He that shall strive lawfully so as to persevere unto the end d Quanvis ergo iniquitatum molâ— oppressa multorum charitas deficiat hoc quoque obstaculum superandum esse admonet Christus ne fideles malis exemplis fracti resiâ—ant Ideo sententiam illam repetit neminem posse salvum evadere nisi qui legitime certa verit ut in finem usque perseveret So that his sence clearly is that Salvation is here particularly promised or appropriated by Christ unto Perseverance and consequently and by way of intimation destruction threatened against backsliding to perswade and to prevail with those who do beleeve so to strive as to hold out and persevere striving unto the end The matter is so clear that we shall need to produce no more witnesses So then it being evident that final Perseverance in the Saints is truly and properly rewardable by God evident likewise it is by the light of what hath been argued that it is not any thing physically necessitated upon them or irresistibly wrought in them by God but that it is such a service or course of obedience unto God wherein they are voluntiers and the performance whereof is as well in their power to decline as to exhibit A fifth Reason evincing the same Conclusion is this They who are §. 20. Argum. 5. in a capacity or possibility of perpetrating the works of the flesh are in a possibility of perishing and consequently in a possibility of falling away and that finally from the Grace and Favor of God in case they be in an estate of this Grace and Favor at the present But the Saints or true Beleevers are in a possibility of perpetrating the works of the flesh Therefore they are in a possibility also of perishing and so of falling away from the Grace and Favor of God wherein at present they stand The Major Proposition in this Argument viz. that they who are in a possibility of perpetrating or customary acting the works of the flesh are in a possibility of perishing c. is clearly proved from such Scriptures which exclude all workers of iniquity and fulfillers of the lusts of the flesh from the Kingdom of God of which sort there are many Of the which saith the Apostle speaking of the lusts of the flesh Adultery Fornication c. I tell you before as I have also told you in time paâ—â— that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God a Gal. 5. 21. So again For this ye know that no whoremonger or unclean person nor covetous man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience b Eph. 5. 5 6. Yet again Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not ye deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God c 1 Cor. 6 9 10. From such Passages as these which are very frequent in the Scriptures it is as clear as the light of the Sun at noon day that they who may possibly commit such sins as those specified Adultery Fornication Idolatry c. may as possibly perish and be for ever excluded the Kingdom of God Now that true Beleevers are under a possibility of perpetrating and committing such sins as these which was the effect and sence of the Minor Proposition is altogether as evident as the former as both the Scriptures last cited with their fellows being in special manner directed unto true Beleevers as also the sad and frequent experience of such Persons as these falling into such sins do abundantly manifest Nor is this Proposition denyed by our Adversaries themselves Therefore when they deny that the Saints when they commit such sins do fall away from their Faith do they not grant the Premisses in a lawful Syllogism and deny the conclusion To pretend that the Threatenings of non-inheriting the Kingdom of God in §. 21. the Scriptures last quoted are not bent against true Beleevers or the execution of them intended upon them though they shall commit the sins specified but onely against Unbeleevers is to set up Darkness against Light For 1. The said Passages are all directed to true and sound Beleevers yea to these onely or at least to those and onely those whom the Apostle judged to be such If then this saying or Threatening They that do the works of the flesh shall not inherit the Kingdom of God concerns onely Unbeleevers when they do such works and shall be executed onely upon them if they come under the dint of it to what purpose should it be directed especially with so much seriousness and particularity as it is unto true Beleevers onely Or what is it to true Beleevers that God will shut out Unbeleevers from His Kingdom for the perpetration of such and such sins if they these true Beleevers may commit them without any such danger 2. As concerning Unbeleevers they are at least according to the Judgment of our Adversaries in an estate of exclusion from the Kingdom of God whether they perpetrate the works of flesh mentioned or any others