Soveraignty towards all in a most equal dispensation in which he justifies himself to all that plead with him to be good and holy And yet this doctrine leaves him at liberty too to do to any one more or less to make one more exemplary and singular in mercy and another in severity as he pleases But now the doctrine opposed by us derogates from God in these things for it speakes of him in respect of most as an Abaddon not a Saviour an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a friend and lover of men but a hater and destroyer of them for what else I pray you speakes that language that they preach as a truth concerning the greatest part of men that God hates them from eternity and so in hatred made them and necessitated their sinning and perishing Is this to represent God lovely and gracious or dreadful and one that delights in mans misery and ruine I know they say his love is but velle bonum creaturis to will that that is good to creatures and so that he may be said to love them in that he gives them outward good things in which I conceive they either give too scant a definition of his love or call that good in it that upon second thoughts if made their own portion they would scarcely deem so I conceive his love is rather to be thus defined A velle bonum creaturis quo iis benè esse possit a willing good things to creatures for their good for otherwise the willing of a good thing is not good if it have in it a destructive intention as for a man to will another a massy Wedge of Gold that he might cast him into the Sea and drown him with it and yet such is their doctrine of Gods willing good things to most for they make his first or eternal thoughts of them as to themselves to be their misery and so all the bounty patience and whatsoever they have from him to be to that end that they might by them arrive at it as some have said Gods dealings with some men are as if one should hang a man in a Goldchain or tie a wedg of Gold about his neck to sink him Quis talia fando temperet à lachrymis Now while they thus deny the extent of his mercy and goodness and give such direful representations of him they also by consequence obscure his justice for whereas his justice is illustrated by mercy they that obscure this must needs obscure the other also Justice is then seen in acts Retributive when voluntary unnecessitated transgressions are severely punished and by how much the more have been the advantages incouragements and liberty afforded for doing what is required so much the cleerer is the equity of punishing the fault committed How do they then cleer or magnifie Gods justice that make him to punish only necessitated wickedness Yea that make the Decree of eternal vengeance upon such and such persons to be in order of nature Antecedaneous to any consideration of sin deserving it for these to be some of their conceptions and the sum of their expressions too they well know that are acquainted with any thing in this controversie Now I propound to any rational understanding whether of these two most declare and glorifie justice for a master to punish his servant for not doing something that he could not do or doing what he could not but do yea what he himself necessitates him to do or for a master to punish his servant for that he gave him command and ability yea also incouragement and promised assistance for doing and he voluntarily and slothfully neglected or refused to do it Sure any man that hath his wits about him will say this latter But now against this particular I know what they object and its Mr. Owens in his preface They say the earth-worms of the world must not prescribe to God what way to glorifie himself in it s rather for us to ascribe that glory to him that he makes his own then devise ways for his glory by our inventions and speak lies in his behalf which things are in themselves rightly spoken onely they therein intimate that those things which we have said of God are of our devising and ascribing to him which he neither ascribes to himself nor owneth at our hands to take off which we shall come to another particular viz. That 2. The perswasion I have defended is a truth of Gods own revealing and not of our devising but on the contrary theirs a falshood not revealed by him but devised by them in which they as well give God the lye as deny him to be love What I here defend is grounded on the Scripture-expressions in maintaining which I indeavor to keep close to them and subject reason to faith theirs have no Scripture expression to maintain it but leans upon reason exalting it self against faith They are the plain Scripture expressions that God is love hath loved the world is good to all the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe that he delights in mercy but delights not that the wicked should die but rather turn and live that he is not willing that any should perish but that all come to Repentance that his goodness forbearance and long-suffering is not to be despised it leading to repentance even such as not repenting treasure up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath c. So also that Christ dyed for all and every one that he gave himself a ransome for all and is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world if any hear him and believe not he doth not judg him because he came not to judg the world but to save the world That those whom he shall judg to death he will so judge for their not believing in the light he gave them for not hearing his voice not receiving the truth but imprisoning it in unrighteousness c. these and many such like are the revelations and expressions of the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures upon which we ground our perswasion desiring simply to believe and hold them for true yea though all things therein held forth we knew not how by reason to comprehend judging him true and his word pure and perfect but our reasons and wisdom against it and where it Judges it absurd to be folly and bruitishness We believe and receive also all those places that they produce to us as that he came to save his people gave himself for his Church Sheep c. that the Saints and faithful were elected in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world that God said to Rebecca concerning Jacob and Esau before they were born or had done good or evil that the elder of them with his posterity should serve the younger with his and that God said by Malachy that he loved the one and hated the other and that God chuses not either according to birth or works in us
foreknowledge and owning to be made like his Son whom in order of nature he had fore-ordained as their pattern to dye rise and be glorified in all which he ordained his foreknown ones even them that believe in him should be conformed to him and unto which he called them and in that conformity in sufferings justifies and maintains them and as he hath done so yet he doth bring them to glory with him Yea in his calling men we deny not his liberty of pulling in more powerfully preserving from general Apostacies actuall chusing and ordaining in his Son glorified to their hearts whom he pleases and as he pleases but that either any company of men as in themselves as of the world uncaled are ever called or signified by the word Elect much lese that any were chosen to be the object of Christs death and the others left out Election being ever coupled with or respecting mens calling to Christ and right to his priviledges not Christs dying I can no where finde in Scripture Besides that which is more secret and mysterious in his decree or dealings we neither confound with what he hath done in the death of Christ for us and declares in the Gospel to us as the object of our faith or motive to believe and that in which he so calls puls in and saveth according to his good pleasure Nor dare we make them to run cross to the Scriptures that more plainly declare his good will and love to men acknowledging rather our want of capacity to comprehend those more abstruse things then daring to call in question the extent of the truth of his other expressions that are more fitted to our understanding and speak to the more intelligible principles of Christian Religion Nor finde we warrant for making our narrow conceptions of those more abstruse things of God which are ever delivered in Scripture without any opposition to or limitation of the things we treat of to be the measure of and to give limits to them they that so do both contradicting the Scripture expressions in the things we speak to and swarving also from them and their method in propounding and speaking of those things of Election and Reprobation by which they measure them 2. For the Heathens that have not had the Gospel opened to them they put us needlesly upon that to stumble men about the truth of our doctrine for we could content our selves with the Scripture expressions of all and every one and the whole world unlimitedly without running into any nice speculations but when men propound that to us I know not upon what ground we should say Christ died not for them except the Scripture did in some place exclude them from being of that all for which he dyed if any man can finde an exception as to them I shall listen to it but for my part I have not yet met with it And to make exceptions without warrant in the word of God about the matters of the Gospels doctrine I judg very dangerous I know there are many cavils of reason which have some specious colour for it but they all amount to no more then those admirations of its ignorance and enmity in other cases 2 Cor. 10.4 How can this thing be they are but high imaginations and thoughts exalting themselves against obedience to the faith of Jesus Math. 16.24 which are to be captivated to faith not faith to them Reason being a part of that self of ours which he that will be Christs Disciple must deny in what it would stop us from receiving the doctrines he propounds to us So that this is but a trick of Satan to stir up men to cast such stumbling considerations in their own and others way that they might not believe and have the benefit of the truth declared to them to whom its best to say Get thee behinde me Satan to leave disputing and inquiring into things more secret and say either produce me some Scripture that saith he dyed not for them or else be silent It s good in such cases to take what Christ said to Peter curiously inquisitive after John for a satisfactory answer How God deals with them further then the Scripture says what is that to thee they shall be found excuseless when Christ shall Judg them and therefore follow thou Christ in the receit of his word and let not any seeming absurdities to thy reason prevaile to impede thee And so we might say to Mr. Owens Cui bono quaeso about them that perish what good doth the death of Christ to them which reasonings are but of the spawn of the Serpents wisdom pretending to teach our reason the knowledg of good and evil from the beginning Such a question might have been as well made by many Israelites in the wilderness might not reason thus have led them to argue either God absolutely willed to possess us all of Canaan or only some few of us if the first how come so many of us to perish short of it if the latter then I pray Cui bono to what end or what good was in the deliverance of the rest from Egypt seeing they had as good have dyed there as have been consumed in the Wilderness Nay if our corrupt and blinde reason shall be umpire then what Satan and unbelief suggests is righter then what God himself saith for did not the Israelites perish in the Wilderness many of them as their reason and unbelief suggested and did they attain to Canaan though that was the promise set before them but as we said before Let God be true and every man in his best wisdom but a blinde fool and liar We durst not believe our carnal reasonings against Gods word nor exclude inlarge or limit his word by our own hearts dictates but as we see God in other places instruct us to it Not but that we can give reasonable answers to their reasons against Christs dying for the Heathen they being all faln in Adam and the sentence being executable upon them and all men in him in the day that he sinned so that what life and mercies of life with goodness leading to seek after God and to repent they do injoy may well and necessarily be conceived to spring from Christs interposing himself as mediator and ransome But yet if any can shew that Christ died but for all in these latter times or that the Gospel is preached to and shew it by Scripture proofs we will be willing so to interpret those general expressions till when we cannot admit of that interpretation O Object but we must not believe Scriptures as they lye in their litteral expressions for that is dangerous and will introduce transubstantiation and to believe Christ to be a door a vine c. there are in the Scriptures many figurative expressions To which I answer Answ that this is another stumbling block cast in our way much what like to what the Papists used to object against the Scriptures
not finding that which they had mistakingly looked for but that he was a dry tree and barren wilderness to them was it not more excusable that they should leave him and take such comforts as the world would afford them and not go on to suffer for him that would not save them he having not dyed for them Whereas he further adds that the Apostle is silent about washing them in the bloud of the Lamb what a sorry shift is that How many places speak of buying men and yet mention not the washing them in the bloud of the Lamb where yet there is no doubt but his bloud was the price that bought them as to instance in Rev. 14.4 1 Cor. 6.20 Again What is it to wash in the bloud of the Lamb I feare there may be some mistake in that Is it any thing else but when the death sufferings or bloud of Christ declared in the Gospel set home by the Spirit do cause the heart for his loves sake that so loved it to renounce its vanities affections lusts c. and removes its fears despairs horrors c. that the guilt of sin before the remedy was known filled it with do we think that this washing the souls in the bloud of Jesus is without application of the bloud to it Was there ever such a washing heard of in which the medium of the washing and the thing washed were not to each other applyed Or do we fancy any bodily or materiall application of the materiall bloud of Christ that issued out of his side Sure it s nothing but through the Spirits revelation of the death and sufferings of Christ for us and the hope therein set before us a cleansing of the heart and conscience from guilt and pollution And is not that intimated here Is not the knowledge of Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour to know him as one that dyed for us and is appointed to be our Mediator and way to God able and ready to save us by vertue of those his sufferings for us could there be lesse in that knowledge of Christ that will give a man escape from the worlds pollutions and when that knowledge doth wash from pollutions is it not the bloud of Christ therein known that washes Was not that it that washed Paul from his former conceits in his Pharisaisme and from all his pollutions Phil. 3.7 8 9. Tit. 3.4 5 6. and that washed the believing Corinths 1 Cor. 6.11 because he names but the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the appearance of Gods love to man the name of Christ and Spirit of God as the way of his and their washings shall we say neither he nor they were washed in the bloud of Christ These are sorry evasions unmeet to shift off the shining truth with 3. But his last evasion is vainer then any of these viz. That he might speak of them only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not according to Truth but according to appearance for which he quotes again that formerly answered place of 2 Chron. 28.23 As if the Apostle writing Dogmatically and laying down Propheticall declarations of things that would be and aggravating the hainousness of their sinne that should deny Christ should conjoyn things according to truth not conjungible If he had spoken of some particular person then in being there had been somewhat more shew for such an evasion and yet in truth not enough to make the Apostle couple as incompatible things together in his expressions as to talk of Christs or his Elects perishing But much lesse colour when he speaks of things in the Theory and Dogmatically not with Designation of this or that person This is but all one as to say Christ or God seemed but to be their Lord and Master and they to be his servants by way of purchase and so they had the more ground of denying him seeing he was not what he seemed to be nor had done what he seemed to do And whereas he addes That its the custome of the Scripture to ascribe all those things to every one that are in fellowship of the Church which are proper to them only that are true spirituall members of it as to be Saints Elect c. Not to examine the truth of that again were it so yet it could not be of force here these in the very formality of them as the subject spoken of being stiled false Teachers Sure though he might write to All in fellowship with the Church that is in Doctrine and Profession as Saints c. as in some sense they were truly yet it s not supposeable that he judged these he looks upon as departed from the Truth and false Teachers to be such or to be bought by Christ if he thought indeed such manner of people were never so bought To be a member of the Church and to be Elect are terms very competible but to be and so to be spoken of as a false Teacher bringing swift destruction on himself and yet in the same view to be looked upon and spoken of as bought by the Lord if no such are indeed bought is componere non componenda to couple words and things together that are we not competible like those that talk of Almighty nothings So that wee see no solidity in his exceptions to this place neither Whereas in his winding up he tels us that this will not conclude Vniversall Redemption and 2. That those who are so redeemed may perish is contrary to expresse Scripture and 3. That this could be no peculiar aggravation of the sin of any if the matter was common to All. These are but prevarications For 1. We conclude not hence the universality of Christs death but onely that it s not so bounded up to the Elect onely as Mr. Owen and his partners bound it 2. That its contrary to expresse Scripture as to Rev. 14.4 That any so redeemed should perish is a speech fallacious and untrue For 1. How knows he that that in Rev. 14.4 is expresse Scripture and speaks according to truth and not only according to appearance more then this might not we by as good Authority say that the Apostle speaks there but according as things seemed to him in a vision but not that all he sayes there is spoken according to truth as he hath to say so of Peter here 2. What means he by So redeemed if only that Christ dyed really for them and not in shew only and that the knowledge hereof and of that salvation that thereby is in him even for them to look after and attainable to them by Faith bought them really off from the world and engaged them to Christ then there is no such passage in Rev. 14.4 as that none such can perish That speaks onely of a certain number redeemed from the earth and men that were virgins and defiled not themselves but followed the Lamb where ever he went But it says not either that All bought by Christ and brought to escape the pollutions of the
we look upon perfection as provided in himself for them viz. that thereby they are so compleatly furnished with all things needful for them that they need not to turn any whither else for any perfection he being a fountain of living waters for them or if we understand it of his former dealings in all times propounded as an encouragement for our abiding in him he hath for ever perfected his sanctified ones by that one Sacrifice and therefore we may comfortably attend to him in and by that for perfecting us also nothing being able to keep us from that perfection to be had in and by it but our renouncing that that is appointed for our perfection That many do believe for a time and turn away again is affirmed in Scripture as also that that faith was operative in them to make them rejoyce and spring up as the green corn on the stony ground yea to purge them from their former sins to give them to escape the pollutions of the world through lust to make them devote themselves to God c. which I think is that the Apostle calls their sanctification So that except Mr. Owen can produce a Scripture that says That All that are ever sanctified by the bloud of the Covenant shall not nor can perish but shall be eternally saved his instance is not parallel with this in hand That admonitions and warnings of things that in regard of Gods purpose shall never come to pass are not in vain and fruitless we grant it being supposed that such a purpose hath appointed to keep off such an issue by such admonitions those admonitions and warnings being taken and submitted to by them to they are given But that ever God so purposed concerning all that at any time or in any degree are sanctified and that none such ever do or can reject such warnings and fall away is the thing in question and to be proved First before we can grant that so it is here and that that strengthens our conception to the contrary beside what is said above is what the Apostle says ver 25. where he tels us some were in those waies that lead to this back-sliding with reference to whom he admonishes them the more earnestly and backs this warning with these threatnings 3. He tels us that these made profession of all these things and that an open renouncing these deserved such a commination though the Apostates never had any such true interest in the bloud of Christ c But I answer that their professing such things as they had not is both a devise of which the Text speaketh nothing and it comes not up to the case by the Apostle propounded nor suites with the type to which he alludes for he alludes to the people in the wilderness that were really delivered from the Egyptian bondage and had the bloud of the Old Covenant sprinkled upon them as really as others though they made not so good an use of it nor were perswaded to such stedfastnesse in the Covenant by it he speaks of such despising the Law as the Law it self declares Now to match with this such as onely boasted of those things but Christ never did any of them to them and so that had no such reall ingagement to Christ as they had to Moses is unparallel Beside the case propounded is thus what such a one is worthy of that being so sanctified should despise that bloud that sanctified him not what he is worthy of that never having such an engagement to that bloud but onely boasting himself of it should despise it so that that 's impertinent too 4. He saith It was the manner of the Saints and Apostles to speak of all baptized persons as sanctified and so mentions back-sliders as they were esteemed so to be To which I answer as before that that is to make the Apostles not to write in things Dogmaticall and Doctrinall after an infallible Spirit but after a fallible judgement of their own and other mens Besides the Scriptures say not they so judged of any in their writings that were not so But suppose they did so yet after what rule walked they in so doing He says in Chap 1. the rule of charity to which I answer that that might perhaps be ground for so speaking of men while they walked in the Doctrine and Profession of the Church but no ground for so speaking of Apostates as such That 's not charity to suppose that a man that doth so trample under foot the Son of God sin wilfully after the knowledge of the truth c. to have ever been sanctified by the bloud of Christ if they that so do never were or could be so or if those that ever were so could never do as is here supposed 5. He says if the Text be interpreted positively and according to the truth of the thing then these two things follow 1 Faith and Sanctifition are not the fruits of Election Ans That follows not but onely this That then All Faith and Sanctification are not the fruits of such an Election as he speaks of And that 's true enough For I suppose he will say the faith in them that fell away compared to the springing up of seed on stony ground was not the fruit of Election nor yet that goodness of conscience that some put away nor that escaping of pollutions that others fell from all which I look upon as equivalent to this sanctification and indeed to be the very thing here spoken of 2. That believers may fall finally away which I do believe they may such as we have spoken of and I think Christ himself implies it too and all that Mr. Owen can say cannot disprove it 6. He says Nothing in the Text inforces that these persons spoken of must needs be truly justified and regenerated believers much lesse that Christ dyed for them but onely by strained consequences The first part of which is not to our purpose how far they were believers or how regenerated but for the latter of them that Christ dyed for them will inevitably follow both from that it s said There remains no more sacrifice for sin upon such sinning which to me implies that there was one for them till then and also in that such are said to have been sanctified by the bloud of the Covenant except he can shew that ever the bloud of a sacrifice sanctified any for whom and whose sanctification it was never shed Whereas he says The ancients called Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which by a solemn aspersion of the symbole of the bloud of Christ they were externally sanctified set apart c. intimating that the Apostle might mean but that too it s too weak He should tell us how the Apostles use to call things not how other Ancients and particularly that the Apostles ever call the outward Baptisme or the Water in it the bloud of Christ and their Baptisme the being sanctified by that bloud though it was
sufficient to demonstrate their election and so that there is any thing in Christs mediation for their wearied souls to rest on but on the contrary the more they look into themselves the worse they finde themselves and the less ground to think God loves them and so by consequence to hope in believe on love and serve him The former throw by the corner stone the sure foundation Gods good will in Christ held forth to them in the Gospel making that but a superstructure built upon their frames endeavours and conceptions The latter are Wholly without any foundation but slote up and down without any setling yea and 3. Others go between both these halting sometimes the one way and sometimes the other as they finde good frames as they conceive so they grow confident of their righteousness and like the Pharisee dare go to God and thank him and as they finde flaws again in their works and performances so they sink down again and are ready to conclude that God never loved them in the mean time how Hagarish selfish pharisaicall and slavish are all their services to him So that God is deprived of that service and affection that he should have from them and themselves of that good incouragement and comfort that they might have from him And yet this is not all the evil that this doctrine doth to men for it also in the very bowels of it holds forth an undenyable liberty to men as yet unregenerate to reason after this maner Either they are such as Christ died for or not if the first then they are well enough for all their sins are satisfied for that they either have done or shall do they may sin freely it cannot hurt them for Christ hath drunk up every drop of wrath due to them and shall not shed one drop of bloud more or suffer any pain more then he hath for any thing they shall do against him nor yet can God in Justice damn them his Son having dyed for them and therefore they will take no care but follow their own wayes If it be said ah but this will dishonour God and hurt others What care unregenerate persons for God or others if they know not that God cares for them its themselves they most look at and they can easily answer his grace will be commended by forgiving them and when they know he loves them and gives them the grace then they shall glorify him And for others if Christ died for them it cannot hurt them all is paid for that they shall commit by occasion of their walking and they cannot miss of eternal Salvation otherwise no matter what becomes of them God cares not for them and why should they If the latter that Christ died not for them then they cannot avoid suffering to the utmost what Gods hatred of them will lead him to inflict upon them he hates them and what cause have they then to love and serve Him Why should they deprive themselves of certain present satisfactions to their mindes to avoid what they no way can or get that which no way is possible or which they must have notwithstanding if Christ hath died for them So that be I one of these or those may such a one say its best for me to take my pleasure here at least till God make me do otherwise for if Christ died for me I shall have the pleasure of such sins here and happiness hereafter too if not then I had better have my pleasure here then not at all This kinde of reasoning I say that directly tends to looseness and neglect of the means of Salvation springs from the bowels of this Doctrine whereas from the truth that I have endeavoured to defend no such bad consequence follows but it sets before men sure ground of hoping in and loving God and yet cause of watchfulness and diligence to seek him least by neglecting him they deprive their Souls of that good he set before them It s true many in that way perhaps may not yeild up to such reasoning as I have said but yet the Doctrine gives them ground for it nor can the defenders of it be able to disprove it It s true again some that believe the truth may abuse it but it gives no fair ground for it as may easily be seen we are not to judge of doctrines by mens practices that hold them because their consciences and practick principles may contradict their erronious speculations or their wills and affections cause them to warp from their true principles of judgment A Pharisaical Saul may walk more strictly then a Christian Corinth but by their natural undeniable influences into mens practices we may judg that to be erronious that leaves men to and upholds them in a loose practise not that that is turned from into a loose practice which it doth discountenance I know it is sometime objected against what I plead for that by it a man may be led to take liberty to sin and do what he pleases for he may repent when he pleases it s in his own power But to that I say it s a slander cast falsly upon our doctrine For we deny that it s in a mans power to repent and believe as and when he will but only as and when God gives it him when God works upon him and affords ability to him and that he gives also in such means as he hath pitcht on and when he pleases so that its needful that men neglect no opportunities that he presents to them nor presume upon their power or Gods patience for though we affirm that God gives them his help in his seasons and succors them in the day of salvation yet if that be neglected or received in vain God may justly cut it short with them and therefore it stands men in hand to take his times and seasons and lay hold on his strength when he reaches it forth to them for as one sayes well qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit procrastinanti poenitentiam But to pass from this particular Of their doctrine its further observable That 1. It s injurious also in respect of mens doing good to others while it takes away those motives of doing good that the truth propounds unto them For first as it obscures the apprehensions of Gods goodness in mens selves which are most effectual motives to do good to others If he so loved us we ought also to love one another So also Secondly It takes away Gods example of being good to all and rather presents him as an example of pretending one thing and intending another as if we might hate and seek to harm some men in our hearts so we do but speak them kindely and that 's to love and be merciful as God is Yea and it puts us upon a straight whom really to love and pitty because we cannot be certain whom God loves and pitties and so that we do not love whom God hateth And thirdly It takes away
stuck to amongst the Heathens found such usage and t is nothing better amongst us called Christians if an * Bona conscientia fiduciam mihi dat Honesti amore illud sine lâ—ge poena colo caeteri parietibus januis velis teguntur ego sub dio in propatulo ago omnium oculis inqui sitioni expositus Deo me probo Epict. Epictetus approve himself to God sufferings will follow as he expresses it Cum haec facio evenit ut malè audiam imò ut vapulem at quid mirum à pueris et fatuis et qui ulcera sua tangi nolunt Truth will gall some mens consciences and then they will kick against it so he found it so may I too idque etiam a prudentibus populi senioribus qui sibi sapientiae titulum quasi proprium arrogant O let the Gospel produce its fruits in me parallel in this matter to his following expressions ut affectum nec mutem nec mittam ut eos ipsos qui me verberant diligam tanquam pater omnium tanquam frater that my love may overflow their ignorance or envy and I may overcome their evil with goodness as the Apostle counsels seeking their good as if they were my friends and Lovers yea though they shall as some perhaps will do by my good will as too many do by Gods render me hatred for it at least despise and scorn it As I look not for much better from the most so shall I not be much troubled if I â—o finde it May but God accept and uphold me and good men approve me though not for the worth of my performance yet for the readiness of my endeavours and any be thereby benefited I shall be contented But stay I must speak to one or two objections I know some honest hearts for I would not be conceived to think that none such may dissent from me may be snared with the other perswasion be filled full of scruples about this doctrine as conceiving it cross to what the Scripture saies of Eelction and to go too far in extending it to the Heathen that never heard of him as ascribing to man too much in his salvation establishing his free-will more then gods free grace Which things though they be spoken to in the Treatise Yet give me leave to say a word or two about them here too for thy further satisfaction if it may be premising first That in the matters of God we are to exalt faith above reason admit his word for our sure guide not our wisdome 2 Pet. 1.19 1 Cor. 3.18 knowing that our wisdom in the things of God is but foolishness his word the truth and his Gospel the wisdom of God unto Salvation to them that believe it Thence if any man seem to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise let him be so much a fool as to judge God true and wise not making his own blind reason the measure of Gods unsearchable wisdome and of the truth of his holy words as if all we can fathom and conceive ground for is true and no more and so all the rest to be cut off that is above our reach or crosses our reasonings least that befal us that befel both Jew and Gentile in the like case pretending to be wise we become fools thinking to mend Gods words and carve them into a better fashion for our instruction in the knowledge of him by our additions detractions limitations and contradictions as we think good as they did his works by their inventions we as they turn the truth of God into a lye Rom. 1.25 and change the Glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made to the capacity of corruptible men I cannot but commend to thee therefore that of Erasmus Desine disceptare incipe credere ita citius intelliges only I would have thee apply it to Gods words not to mine or any mans else but as they evidently agree with Gods and so it s one in meaning with what himself says Isa 7.9 If thou wilt not believe thou shalt not understand or be established thou wilt either mistake or be waved up and down with specious arguments but in minding his sayings and doing his will in yielding up to him in the light and power he affords thee thou shalt understand doctrines John 7.17 whether they be of God or of men Of this also be thou admonished to prefer Gods sayings before mans traditions the Apostles expressions before mens glosses and lame deductions for when men leave Gods word to lean upon men and have the fear of God taught them by their Traditions because of their Authority learning or seeming Sanctity God justly leaves them and then they lean on to run into delusion infatuating their understandings because they refused to give glory to Him But to speak a word to those particulars 1. For the matter of Election I no whit deny it nor doth it rightly looked on as the Scripture expresses it any whit contradict the extent of Christs Death I confess that it was made either in Massa pura or in Massa corrupta simply as they speak I finde no where asserted but in Christ which I conceive holds forth a view of Christ as mediator in the act of Election as in him as mediator we are blessed and so that the Election of believers was made in him tanquam in Radice as in Abraham Isaac and Iacob God chose their seed the Israelites so in Christ Jesus in choosing him in the manhood into unity with God and to be the store-house and treasure of all divine blessings he is said to have chosen to the same priviledges I mean by way of participation of his fulness those that after are brought into him and believe on him As he is in the humane nature chosen to be the holy one of Israel as united to the Divine so we are chosen in him to be holy a dedicate people and select portion for his inhabitation as the Temple in that sense with the Land and People of Israel were called holy and to be blameless before him in love that is as presented without blame and reproof in Christ and to be made blameless by Christ and so those that are believers in Christ are blessed and were so chosen to blessing holiness and blamelesness in him from eternity as the present Freemen of Lynn might be said to have been by foregoing Kings chosen to such priviledges as they have now in the first chusing it to be a Corporation and in those that were then made members of it though many of these present members perhaps all of them were then in their progenitors other Country-men so I say those that are now belivers were in Christ before the Worlds foundation chosen to the priviledges they have in and by him being also foreknown of God both that they should be in Christ and as owned in Christ and predestinuted in that his
being translated into the English tongue for fear the Bakers and Plawmen not understanding some passages should be disheartned from or miscarry in their callings things without any great shew of weight worth other answering then Mr. Latimer gave to Hubberdine That in some places we are to take the Scripture as it lies none that are sober doubt Now if this objection suit not to the Scriptures in general but only to some places then who shall tell us what they are in which it suits not Sure the Apostles speak plainly in laying the foundation truths that are propounded to bring men to believe for if the language there be strange who shall understand what it is that is said if the trumpet there give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to battel Now this point we speak of namely the death of Christ and for whom it is is fundamental and the propositions that the Apostle the Teacher of the Gentiles lays down as the Testimony he Preached in the other parts of them are very plain and perspicuous And that this only that he gave himself a ransom for all should be obscure is a groundless evasion of them that do not believe the truth seeing in their preachings of the Gospel he himself tels us they put no vaile over their faces in their ministration but manifested the truth to every ones conscience which sure they did not if they spake so figuratively that many might mistake and few could perceive their meaning as is pretended It s true the Gospel is a mystery but yet a mystery now revealed many things hard to be understood says Peter speaking of Pauls writings but that 's spoken particularly in the things of Christs second coming the word is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which things not in which writings Again the speeches that are figurative are generally conspicuous by the maner of speaking as plain as Latimers Fox preaching in a Monkes Cowle and sometimes expresly called parables but no such thing is conspicuous in those places except in the allusive words of ransom and propitiation nor will the places bear such limitations as they speak of as the following Treatise proveth As for that inference of transubstantiation we deny it or the rest proveable upon that supposal No one Scripture saying that either Christ called the bread his body or the cup he took in his hand his blood more then that he said to the Jews destroy the Temple that he was walking in John 2. but by this he might mean and indeed point to his present body and by this Cup his present instant sufferings that he was about to undergo which the Scripture and himself also cals a Cup and the Cup that his Father gave him much less say they that the one or other was turned into his natural body or blood nor is the parallel fair between the doctrines of the Gospel preached as the first principles of faith and these Sacramental and more mysterious speeches Gen. 17.14 15. with ver 2 3 21. As inept it is almost as to make the Every fowl and beast that entered into the Ark to be a fit exposition of the Every man that Christ dyed for whereas the Scripture there expresly limits them to seavens and to two and two of every kinde and excludes the rest and there is no such limitation to any sums numbers qualities or conditions about Christs death they would hiss at men that should produce such places to parallel and limit the All and Every that shall arise or give an account of themselves to God by which shews them to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absurd and foolish men in these their reasonings for want of faith These and such like rubs are sorry Remoraes to any that are capable of understanding reason and will Judg impartially in this controversie 3. For free will we say that God deales not with men as with stocks and stones and so much all generally grant us But what other I pray are men if their wils have no power or freedome given it of God to act this or that but as external powers carry them if they can only go quò fata trahunt whether they are necessitated can avoid no evil that they commit or do no good that they neglect And yet good reader mistake me not I believe man hath no power but what is given him of God either in naturalls or in spiritualls nor any power or liberty to spiritual acts till some spiritual force or power come to him from God That men are naturally dead in sins and trespasses and wholly strangers to the life of God cannot come to Christ except God draw them and when they are brought to him they cannot of themselves as of themselves think any good thought that 's right and approveable without the grace of God But I believe that God in naturals hath given men as more understanding so also more liberty of choice then the bruit beasts to them more then to insensitive creatures and in reference to spiritual life he hath and doth afford means to the natural man suited to his liberty and power to make choice or refuse to make use of as to read the Scriptures hear the word look upon and view his works c. and we conceive that though those things have no natural ability in them to to save or spirituallize such as use them nor the acts of men in using them can do any more thereto then the blinde mans washing in cold water to open his eyes Yet in as much as God useth to work in them as mediums and sends forth his Spirit with them to inlighten and draw men they are justly guilty of their own destruction that neglect those things when God affords them Yea further I understand and believe that God by his goodness and with and in those means prevents men and wroks in them manifesting his truth in them and giving them a discerning apprehension of it with convincing or drawing power and that he then gives them ability to do what they could not before as to acknowledg the folly he shews them confess the truth and goodness he makes evident to them strive against the ways they see harm them c. though yet these are not spiritual acts of divine and Christ like life they springing from self-love and desire of their own proper good not out of love to God But they that when they are so prevented and in such preventions reproved called allured to listen further to God in the means afforded do stop their ears close their eyes harden their hearts imprison the truth they see and neglect to use the power given them in these strivings of Gods truth with them are justly guilty of their own destruction should God there leave them and strive no longer with them and they that turn at such reproofs and listen yet to the truth that speaks to them and do not slothfully
neither is that true that after follows in him That if he should intercede for All All should undoubtedly be saved meaning eternally for he may intercede for some for other things not for eternal salvation as in Luke 13.7 8. Lord let it alone this year till I dig about it dung it and if it bring forth fruit well if not then afterward thou maist cut it down sure he was the prime Vine-dresser and that 's likely to be his intercession for the barren Nation of the Jews or if it was of subordinate Officers yet sure their intercessions prevail not for patience and continuance of the means of Grace as that Parable compared with what went before v. 1.5 intimate they do where he intercedes not and carries not up their prayers for that particular so that how he should be there excluded I know not and so he may pray as Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do and yet they not be saved for that 's not Father justifie them and bring them to life eternal there is forgiveness mentioned in the Scripture short of what is attended with that as Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7.61 and such as are mentioned in Numb 14.19 Psal 73.37 38. Amos 7.2.3 5 6. Math. 13.27 34 35. So that neither of these is proved Either that he intercedes for All he dyed for or that if he do they are all saved eternally It s true indeed as he after saith He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever liveth to to make intercession for them but neither proves that he makes intercession for all that he dyed for nor that whosoever he makes Intercession for he makes it for them for ever and they shal be saved to the utmost The Fig-tree notwithstanding that intercession made for patience and means of grace yet not coming to God by him might be cut down It says not all that he goeth to God for any thing for shall be saved to the utmost but he is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever lives to make intercession for them He is able to save them to the utmost by vertue of that powerful office but if men come not to God by him or withdraw from him he says not that he lives for ever to execute his office for them and to save them to the utmost Indeed from this his office and intercession founded on his oblation believers men that come to God by him have notable confidence as is expressed Rom. 8.33 34 another place quoted by him even as Caleb and Joshuah whose spirits were right with God had notable confidence from the great things God had done for them and his presence amongst them to possess the Land of Canaan and subdue their enemies Numb 14.9 and yet it was not therefore a truth that all that God had done those mighty things for and was walking amongst either had that confidence or their success which being considered keeps alive the General Ransom from that break neck with which Mr. Owen threatneth it for though its true that those for whom he dyed hearing and believing his love to them have no cause but to trust in him and seek and hope for great things from him as all the Israelites that came over the red Sea and see Gods mighty works for for them had no cause but to have believed in God as well as the rest Numb 14.11 yet as there all that shared in those great things did not so believe as some nor had the like issue but many through their unbelief sell short of Canaan so here many not believing the goodness of God to them for which in part many may thank their Ministers that leave them to seek whether they have a mediator appointed of God for them or not do not believe in Christ and so for not believing and by not believing perish for the Apostle saith not that All that Christ dyed and rose for he intercedes for nor that all that he intercedes for shall be saved and have no condemnation no more then Caleb said All that God brought out of Egypt and that he at that present was with should enter into Canaan but as he so the Apostle believingly feeding upon the goodness of God joyes in it and is raised up to exceeding confidence by it and shews that they who are in Christ and walk after the spirit as they did have no condemnation but are kept from it by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ believed on by them but he affirmes not that of all that he dyed rose and intercedes for Whereas a little after he saith That God only promised to Christ that he should be Captain of all Salvation to all that believe and effectually bring many sons to glory he saith not truely for he promised him also Psa 2.8 9. That he should rule the Nations with an Iron rod and break them in pieces as a potters vessel as he tels us he hath also received Rev. 2.26 27. And therefore that Christ looked only and alone as Mr. Owen also saith for the accomplishment of those things that he there mentioned is false also He looked for and doth and shall see the other made good to him too But so much to his deviations in this Chapter The fifth only shewing that the Holy Ghost hath his concurrence and had his operation in the birth death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and no Argument being thence drawn to his purpose I shall pass it over and proceed to the following Chapters CHAP. IIII. A further view of what he affirmes of the equal latitude and extent of the Oblation and Intercession of Christ in his sixth Chapter and seventh HIs sixth Chapter goes over the same things again spoken of in the fourth only here they are considered as means conducing to an end namely the Incarnation Oblation and Intercession of Christ the last of which Intercession he says contains every act of his exaltation even his Resurrection for which he brings no proof at all nor any reason wherewith to back it only quotes Rom. 4.25 which saith no such thing but that he rose again for our justification no nor appears it as he saith that by his Resurrection all his following dispensation and perpetual intercession is there intended It s but his conception without proof it may rather he conceived that in saying For our justification he means that he might do all those acts conducing to our justification and so include his Intercession there then that in the word Resurrection those acts are intended Nor saith Acts 3.26 any such thing and her falsifies it doubly in his quotation of it For first he renders it thus that God raised up his Son Jesus to bless us Whereas the Text is having raised him up he hath sent him to bless I conceive he means it of his sending him in the Gospel
ever that were broken off might and did miss of by observing lying vanities forsaking their own mercies Jonas 2.8 either by unbelief or negligence in a vain cursory receit of the Ordinances and grace of Reconciliation therein tendered So that neither doth that conclude the thing intended namely that by the word world is there meant only Gods Elect and Chosen His proof from Colos 1.6 Lib. 3. ca. 6. We have before spoken to in Chap. 1. That of 2 Cor. 5.19 We have also spoken to largely before in the Chapter about Reconciliation Onely I shall add here that the word world cannot there mean the Elect onely for then no need of fearing that any toward whom that grace was vouchsafed should receive it in vain as is intimately feared by the Apostle Chap. 6.1.2 As for the Argument used from the Non-imputation there spoken of we have shewed it to be weak also God reckoned not the sins of the world to it in that he winked at them and did not demand satisfaction at their hands for them but preached forgiveness to them which indeed was a very great blessing but it comes to life and happiness onely upon them that receive it and believe as the Apostle says Rom. 4.6 7 9. His reasons why the Elect should be called the world as they are especially the three first very slender ones so they do all fall to the ground except it can be first proved that it is so called 4. His fourth Reason is like Nicodemus's How can these things be Why doth not God give the Gospel to all then who do any perish c. He might as well say If God brought Israel out of Egypt that they might go to Canaan why did he not make them all trust in him and carry them all thither This is not to believe the VVord of God that says Christ is the Propitiation for the sins of the whole world c. But to set our Reason against it though we could say God hath told us more about his revealing Christ then he doth believe viz. That He is the true Light that inlightneth every man that comesin to the world But hewil there say too as the manner of our darkness and unbelief is at every truth of God that it cannotcomprehend Durus est hic sermo How can this be for he will scarce conceive that the Word can sparkle through the Humanity united to it into the hearts of every man except the Manhood too be plainly declared or that that divine being that the Gentiles are led to see in the VVorks of God is no other then the VVord that was incarnate and is the true God this may seem as strange to him as that to the Jews Before Abraham was I Am and may meet with as many stones about it For Truth is full of Paradoxes to the wisdom of the Flesh though plain to him that findes understanding Besides God hath sent his Gospel to All Nations and Peoples though many have put the light from them and chosen darkness rather even whole Countries and Peoples and therefore shall be justly condemned not for that they had it not but because when God sent it they received it not but have from age to age slighted and rejected it 5. He heaps up another nest of absurdities upon us As 1. That we cannot understand this to be All and Every man except we grant some to be loved hated from eternity But how our granting that should depend upon that large extent of the Word it will pose Reason it self to conceive and Scripture too Sure he meant Except we deny it as we do if by hatred he mean a purpose not to send his Son for them without their disobedience to his Son and the light extended through him to condemn and destroy them 2. He says We must make the Love of God toward innumerable to be fruitless and vain We deny that too For there-through they injoy their lives liberties patience bounty goodness hints of truth to their mindes some more some less as he sees fit in his wisdom and God shall receive much glory Though its true and no absurdity to say that some do reject much grace or receive it in vain in regard of many further fruits it would effect yea and turn that that was for their welfare into a snare Turning that grace and goodness into wantonness that should lead them to repentance 3. That then the Son of God is given to them that never hear word of him nor have any power to believe Answer It s not said He gave him to the world but gave him simply out of love to the world and give him he might for them to whom so properly he may not be said to give him I suppose you think he was given for if not also to some children that die in infancy and yet they never hear of him and so many former Jews might never hear of him distinctly as that he should be crucified and yet they had good by that they heard not of Death came in upon All through Adam though many never heard of him and so may and doth much mercy by Christ to such as never hear distinctly of him And did men in that mercy grope after God as the Apostles say they might haply finde him What power God gives to men to yield up to the light that comes from him I cannot say for others I am not in their bosoms but for my self I am sure more then I have acted forth and followed him in And that God gives no power to believe or at least soberly to attend to God that they might be helpt to believe but onely where men indeed do believe is as inevident as that God gave not power to Adam to forbear eating the forbidden fruit because he did not forbear I cannot see into those secrets how far God acts or acts not upon others but the not seeing such secrets shall be no reason to me to wave what is revealed if not plainly in this yet in other Scriptures of larger expression If Mr. Owen see into mens spirits and can tell us what God doth to all and how far he deals with them or finds the Scripture expressing it let him demonstrate to us that God doth give no power to any to attend to him in the ways wherein he useth to beget faith according to the means vouchsafed but onely to them that are actually brought to faith and I shall listen to him 4. He says Then God is mutable in his Love Answer That follows not for so far as he says he loved it he acted and never altered it he did give his Son and never reversed it that whosoever believes should not perish c. And yet we being mutable and corrupting our selves God may say to us as well as to Ephraim Hos 9.15 I will love them no more and yet the alteration in us onely not in him The effects of the same act may be different to an object without
seeing Christ preached the Kingdome of God to them it s no sufficient evasion God usually punishing men with deprivation of temporal mercies for neglecting eternall Mat. 22.7 Psal 2.10 11 12. He says Rom. 2.5 speaks of the Gentiles who had the works of God to teach them and the Patience of God to wait upon them yet made bad use of both which is too slender an Answer to the place Could he not finde it in the Text that they led them to repentance and can he shew us any ground of Repentance and change of mind for any man that hath no cause in and from God for it nothing better to be enjoyed by them in and with God then what he sets his mind upon already or that any have any such favours afforded them as lead to Repentance with whom God deals according to the sentence pronounced upon All in Adam and for whom Christ never came to procure any such things for them or that Christ procured such things for any for whom he did not interpose himself between the Sentence of Death and them Sure these things deserve a little more consideration then he affords them Besides that they make against his exposition of 2 Pet. 3.9 where he would tye up Gods willing men to come to Repentance to the Elect only for here he speaks of Gods goodness and patience leading such to Repent as treasure up wrath to themselves by occasion of Gods goodness to them Mat. 6.26 Mark 8.36 Sure he will not tell us they are the Elect onely too He makes little of those expressions in which men are said to lose their own souls but onely as if therein was intimated That they make the losse of them sure to themselves then it seems it was not sure enough to them in Adams sinning and why not Sure Adam lost us All sure enough If Christ did nothing for recovering them they are lost sure enough without any mans doing any more to loose them But perhaps he means that they make it evident to themselves that Christ did nothing for them and so that they remain lost by Adam Sure this is a new way of exposition and before it pass for currant he must prove that to lose or save in Scripture signifies onely to make it evident that a thing was lost or saved before-hand or that we are said to lose by doing this or that that that was lost out of our power before we did that As that if a Corporation have forfeited their Charter and it was taken from them an hundred years ago so that now they have none yet they that are now of it do forfeit and lose it by so doing something that they should not let him shew us that the Scripture speaks in that language and we shall listen to his evasion His after Collection from T. M. is spoken to before it s but his own misunderstanding of him and so are all his Inferences drawne from it For his Argument from Gods expostulations pag. 296. it is to shew that God wils them to be saved and delights not in their destruction which opposes M. Owens Interpretation of 1 Tim. 2.4 and by consequent intimates Christs interposing himself between God and them there being no salvation to be had for any but in him and those expostulations being with others then the Elect about looking and listning to him c. What there is in God we cannot tell but as the only begotten Son hath revealed to us and that is indeed that there is in him no imperfection But that he desires not those salvation that miss of it he hath no where told us that I know of but often the contrary and yet that may be in him without imperfection We are no competent Judges by our narrow conceptions of his perfections There is that in and with him that seems foolishness to our wisdome and weakness in our judgements that yet is wiser and stronger then we can conceive of 1 Cor. 1.22 23 24. It s sauciness in us to prescribe rules to Gods wisdome and perfection and rashnesse to say what is or is not in God but as Christ hath revealed to us Obedience is better then Sacrifice and a simple belief of his words better then our wisest reasonings against them In pag. 298 299. There is some difference about judging All men by the Gospel Indeed it should be said according to the Gospel the difference is grounded on the divers understanding of that phrase Rom. 2.16 They take it that this Truth That all shall be Judged is according to the Gospel We understand it also that Christ in judging shall proceed according to the Gospel Not that we mean that they had heard not the Gospel shall be judged for rejecting or not believing what they heard not but that they shall be judged onely for and by what they had given them and they received or abused but that Christ in judging by and for those things shall not go according to the Law of Creation requiring them to have done according to that that was given them in Adam and so according to the strict rule of that first Obligation but only as in rejecting Light and Truth given them or accepting it they have sinned against Rom. 1.18 19 20 21. or submitted to God dealing with them in and by the Mediator the Word of God by whose interposition of himself between God and them their lives liberties mercies and all the light they had since the Fall was derived to them Joh. 1.9 and so according to the Gospel that relates Christ to have died for them and to be Lord over all thereby And that such shall be his proceeding in Judgment I am the rather perswaded by that of Christ himself in Matth 25.31.46 c. where declaring the maner of his Judging All Nations he tells us his Rewards and punishments shall be given according to mens carriages of themselves towards him in such Mediums as he appeared in to them He Judges men to life as feeding and cloathing Him to death as not doing such and such things to him Which he makes out to be an equal sentence though many shall reply that they never see or knew him as an object to be so or so acted toward by them He mentions nothing there to be charged upon them as acted by Adam or by them but with reference to himself which deserves also some consideration Whereas in page 299. He tells us of Totus mundus ex to to mundo a whole world out of the whole world That he says without book I mean without Gods Book speaking of the world as it now is having borrowed it from Prosper or at highest from Austin But we desire not to prefer the Traditions and Documents of the Elders though they might be in many things worthy men in their times so highly as for them to justle out or by them to Interpret Apostolical Doctrine or by them to teach men their fear towards God as was
for him To make good which denyall he sayes 1 That no man is bound to believe that that 's false but that he dyed for every man is false and he hath proved it so before This is Petitio Principii and contrary to the Scripture He is no competent Judge in his own cause and any that reads my Answers may see his proofs have all failed 2. Then he says men should be bound to believe immediately that that is not revealed though Divine Revelation be the Object of all Faith I deny this consequence from the Minor either as laid down by me or stated by him in the second way And whereas he says That the Scriptures do not hold out any where that Christ died for this or that particular as such but indefinitely as sinners specified of times antecedently by Gods purpose and consequently by their owne purchased obedience To the first of these passages I say that the Scriptures holding out an Universall proposition of truth are though not immediately yet mediately the Object of Divine Faith to any one particular for himself that 's included in the generall As when it s said All have sinned To believe thence that I have sinned is a Faith closing with and springing from that that is revealed though not immediately in the expression yet by undeniable intimation and consequence And so in the case of the Resurrection and Judgement in closing with this divine Revelation that all shall rise and be judged I necessarily upon the same divine Revelation believe that I shal rise and be judged also Yea unlesse I believe for my self I do not believe the Divine Revelation as concerning All. So is the case here God having revealed that Christ dyed for every one and all men c. In believing that Divine Truth I believe that he hath done so for me for that Divine Revelation includeth me as a man and one of the world And if it be not so I deny that any particular mans Faith in that particular can be proved to be grounded on the the word of God or that he hath any right to believe on the Mediator or that there is a Mediator for him To the latter passage about the Scriptures holding it forth only for sinners indefinitely often so and so specified I answer 1. That 's untrue It s held out also for the world universally 1 Ioh. 2.2 and for men generally 1 Tim. 2.4 6. Heb. 2.9 Again 2 He contradicts himself for if Scriptures specifie those Sinners for whom Christ dyed to be such or such then it holds not out his Death for sinners indefinitely Scripture holds forth nothing in any place but as it agrees with the truth of other places and indefinitely and boundedly are contradictions when spoken of the same subject Sinners unlimitedly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and limitedly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are incompetible expressions 3. I deny that the Objectum totale the full Object of the Death of Christ is any where specified either by the purpose of God to save them eternally or the consequent obedience found in them which denyall we have managed throughout this discourse 3. He saith The purpose of God and his intention is not propounded as the Object of the Faith of any but only his commands promises and threatnings the latter clause of which is not full enough for neither are his commands properly the Object of Faith but of Obedience nor are those things mentioned the onely object of Faith sure his Declarations may have a share therein too 2. His purpose and intention that he should die for this or that man is necessarily involved in the object of Faith propounding that he died for All men But his purpose or intention of bringing this or that man absolutely to eternal life is not revealed as the object of Faith to any not united to Christ by Faith and the inhabitation of the Spirit But that 's beyond our question not intended at all in the Argument as either way produced and so it s impertinently here mentioned by Mr. Owen In this also is answered his fourth Exception viz. That no command in Scripture to believe is to be measured by Gods purpose and intention His fifth onely answering to the Minor as disowned by me I have nothing to say to it But then he says That the not owning the Argument as in the first way propounded makes it useless as to the cause defended To which I answer That for Christs dying for every man in the world we have more divine proofs then that can come to but as altered into the second form it proves that Tenent untrue that Christ died onely for Gods Elect and them that shall for ever be saved against which I own it Besides this being granted it will follow That the Gospel being proposeable to All the world and that obedience of Faith also requireable thereupon of All there is the same truth in the matter of the Gospel concerning Christs Death for them all also it being otherwise not proposeable nor the obedience of Faith requirable of them His answer to this That it s no safe disputing of what should or would be if things were not as God hath appointed them satisfies not For as 1. We need not such disputings were men contented to be so far fools as to believe Doctrines as God propounds them And 2 As such suppositive Conclusions may be as strong and undeniable upon such supposed principles as positive conclusions 〈◊〉 positive premises yea and may illustrate positive truths too at lest they are as lawful for us to use as for them that oppose us So 3. This is not onely suppositive but positive that the Gospel is predicable to All and therefore the commission runs to preach it to All and I say it s in this positive truth implied that the truth therein declared as true before mens faith is true for All for otherwise there would not be in it a predicability unto All and ground for requiring Belief and Obedience of All we have opportunity and that we might preach it unto upon such preaching it But he excepts That if the Gospel were preached to All the world and All in the world yet this is all the will of God that could in general be signified by it to them viz. That he that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned and so that God hath concatinated these two together Faith and Salvation Which that its untrue we have shewed before in Chap. 1. The Gospel declares good will to All That God would have all men saved and come to know the truth c. ut supra It argues mens wisdom have too much blinded them from seeing into or understanding the Gospel when they finde nothing in it for sinners and men in general but that they that believe shall be saved and can shew them no good reason that any of them have to believe in God more then the Law can shew that says he
their souls in particular whereby they become weary heavy laden and burdened 4. A serious full recumbency and resting the soul upon Christ in the promise of the Gospel as an Alsufficient Saviour able to deliver and save to the utmost them that come to God by him Ready able and willing through the preciousness of his blood and sufficiency of his ransom to save every soul that shall freely give up themselves to him for that end amongst whom he is resolved to be one Now says he in doing all this there is none called on by the Gospel once to inquire after the purpose and intention of God concerning the particular object of the death of Christ every one being fully assured that his Death shall be profitable to them that believe in him and obey him but after all this and not before it lies upon a believer to assure his soul of the good will and eternal love of God to him to send his Son to dye for him in particular I might here return him his own words with admiration Oh what a preposterous course is this and how differing from the right way of the Gospel 1. I would know what is that Gospel that men in the first place are to believe to be true Is it onely that Jesus Christ is the power and wisdom of God to salvation and the connexion of faith and salvation That we have shewed before to be untrue The Word of God it self tells us that the Gospel used to tell men of Christs being sent of God to turn them in particular from their sins and to lay down that as the ground of Repentance and believing on him 1 Tim. 2 4.6 And the Apostlesays expresly that that wâs the Testimony or Gospel that God ordained and sent him to preach ver 7. Acts 3.26 And that God would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth for there is one God and one Mediator between God and man the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for All and can a man believe that to be true and not believe that he gave himself a ranson for him Is he no body So that what he says in this first step overthrows him But 2. See the preposterousness of these men that that the Apostle writ about the High-Priesthood of Christ to the believers as peculiarly useful for them to lead them up to perfection in their faith and confidence viz. That Christ hath the office of an unchangeable Priesthood is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever liveth to make intercession for them that is here produced as the ground to draw in unbelievers though the intercession there mentioned is not affirmed there for any as while yet unbelievers and on the other hand that which the Apostle tells us was the Testimony whereof God had made him a Minister an Apostle to preach to the Gentiles that were ignorant of God as that before repeated that is not to be preached as true for any ones particular and as so to be believed by him till they are made believers Who would think that wise men should go so preposterous a way but that its the judgement of God for their leaning to their own wisdom and no more then is fore-prophesied that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise c. 3. He impertinently mixes the object of faith with the operations of that object attended to and believed as conviction by the Spirit of their need of a Redeemer and recumbency in him with the truths of God that lead to that convincement and reliance on him The Argument is about the object of faith needful to be believed by all that hear the Gospel that they may believe to justification And he tells us of an order in the operations of God upon mens spirits before they believe as they should do And yet he minds not that the convincement of the great sin of unbelief is not kindly effected till men see they have ground of believing and yet believe not till when the heart rather thinks it is sin and presumption to believe But when it sees that Christ hath done so much for it then it must needs be convinced that it sins greatly in not betrusting it self wholly to him 4. He confounds the object of faith about the Mediation of Christ and the object of his Death with the secret Purpose and Counsel of God about our particular right to and injoyment of eternal salvation 5. He talks of rolling the soul upon Christ in a Promise whenas he cannot prove that any can have him in a Promise to be rolled on further then he is supposed first to have dyed for him the Promises being sealed in his blood and the way of closing with them is believing in his blood which how should men do whâ—le its wholly doubtful to them whether they have any thing to do with his blood or nor Indeed 6. He supposes that a soul is brought to believe in God and to trust in his mercie through Christ before it know of any love in God toward it whereas he uses to draw with the cords of love and testimonies of his goodness It s goodness seen in him leads us to repentance It s not only a letting sinners see a need of a Saviour that there is one able to save them that go to God by him that will suffice to draw in a man that yet cannot see him as a way for him to go to God by as he is not for any otherwise then he hath died for them Heb. 10.19 20. to rowl himself upon God for salvation Never yet could any sinner that indeed was convinced to be so and to be under wrath and that saw Gods Justice and Anger against him hope in and expect help from God by Christ not being first perswaded that Christ had done so much for him that he might have salvation through him Many men may delude themselves and take their own self-actings for acts of Grace as the Pharisee did Luke 18.10 11. and from their endeavors and self reformations seem to commit themselves to God and conclude themselves to be believers that yet never knew what it is rightly to believe The true Gospel-believers believe through Grace 2 Cor. 6.1 as they Acts 18.27 That is by the grace and goodwill of God declared to them in the Gospel The grace of God appearing to them teaches them to live godlily and saves them from their former disobedient condition Tit. 2.11 12. and 3.4 5. They do no per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Pharisee argue Gods grace towards them by their frames towards him that God loved them first because they as they conceive love him but on the contrary they therefore love him because he first loved them and sent his Son for them Believing Gods Testimony of what Christ hath done for them they are helped through the power of God to believe
not ever true that he that believes that God delivered him from one danger is confident he will from another much less That that belief in all that so believe yea or in any is the confidence that he will deliver from another 2. Whereas he askes if it include not a sense of the spirituall love of Christ I answer That where the Death and Resurrection of Christ are opened to the heart by the Holy Ghost there the love of God is shed abroad into the heart also but not wherever this proposition is believed viz. Christ dyed for me many a man believes that and yet seeth not into the glory of it nor the depth of goodness held forth in it and so hath not the love of God therethrough shed into his heart yet the minding God in this is the way to meet with the holy Ghosts displaying that love Many Israelites believed that God brought them out of Egypt 2 Pet. 1.9 that had not such a view of his power and love therein or at least like them that forget that they were purged from their old sins forgat what they had seen as to be lead to confidence in God for the future by it 3. Whereas he says By this a man must believe before he believe What strange thing is that with reference to diverse acts of believing did not he himself say that we must have a faith of reliance and recumbence in Christ and before that too believe many truths of the Gospell before we can believe that Christ dyed for us so that there is believing before believing and believing before believing again and yet he counts that absurd in us when we say only we must believe the word of God to be true before we can by it be led to believe in God we must believe Gods goodwill to us-ward and a medium provided for us by whom to go to God before we can be perswaded to go to him by faith whom otherwise we look upon as angry and dreadfull ready to consume us We cannot put our confidence in his blood and there through rise up to assurance of eternall life except we first be perswaded that he shed his blood for us So long as we doubt whether he be a Mediator for us or no and whether he hath given himself to ransome us from death we shall doubt whether God will accept us or no or whether he hare us from eternity or not and whether we have any thing to do to take incouragement from the blood of Christ to approach him because we know not we have any right unto it Nor can Master Owen nor all the world beside to help him make it appear to be otherwise but that the soul will question whether it may expect salvation from God or betrust it self with God so long as it knows not but he hates it and Christ hath never done any thing with him for it 3. He denies That a perswasion that it was Gods will that Christ should dy for him in particular neither is nor can be necessary that a sinner be drawn to believe because other grounds will do it without The consequence of this is that many things were spoken unnecessarily by the Apostles Act. 3.26 as when Peter says Christ was sent to turn every one of them from their iniquities And Paul that the grace of God reconciling the world 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 6.1 was to them Corinthians to perswade them to be reconciled That he preached to the Corinths in the first place that Christ dyed for our sins 1 Cor. 15.2 3. And so all those generall phrases that include mens particulars But let us see what other grounds he gives viz. That it is the duty of sinners as such to believe Math. 11.28 Isa 55.1 To believe in what in the blood of Christ as Rom. 3.25 Then it supposes it shed for them all and so it s a truth according to the Gospell-declaration but denying the extent of his Death how can he make it out that sinners as such * A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia which reaches to All sinners ought to believe in Christ What have sinners if not Elect to do with Christ besides he had said before they must be sinners so and so convinced and qualified before they are to be called upon to believe in Christ And I fear he will upon second thoughts say that those Scriptures hold forth that sinners not as such but as so qualified with thirsting after Christ and being weary c. are there required to believe but many a soul is hereby put upon doubting whether it be Elected or so convinced and thirsty c. as is required and so whether God be not an enemy to it from eternity and so whether it hath cause of trusting in him 2. The command of God John 3.23 That shews it to be its duty if it could be proved to extend to it for that says That we believe in his name and a soul may more justly doubt whether that We reach to it seeing they that deny the extent of Christs Death and teach it to doubt of it use such applicatives as We to oppose an Universality and to signify but the Elect and Church c. This therefore yet leaves the soul to doubt whether it may hope in him for salvation especially being told that these things God sends to men indefinitely that the Elect onely might be brought to him he hath no goodwill to any other and that its Elect it knows not commands to believe while men are taught to doubt whether the object to be believed in as such pertains to them can give no more security from doubting then the building with one hand and pulling down with another secures the building from falling 3. The threats against unbelief That indeed doth as much as the threat for not keeping the Law fils the soul with terror on every side while it hears that God commands more to believe then have cause so to do and threatens them for not believing and yet gives them nothing to induce them to it no evidence of his goodwill to them to draw them to believe this may fill them with hard thoughts of God representing him to them like one that bids another eat or else he will kill him but yet gives him no meat to feed on no evidence of his goodness that may induce him to hope and trust in him 4. The alsufficiency of the blood of Christ to save all believers This may make the soul say O how happy are they that do believe and that have his blood to drink for its able to save them but as for me I know not whether it belong to me or not or whether one drop of it was shed for me and so how I can lean upon it I hear it s not sufficient to save any that it was not shed for not for want of inward worth in it but because it s not for them and I may