their saying hath not done so much for many of us as for many of them who haue enioyed more excellent outward means of grace offered then many of the others Oh you the followers of these guides yea you the guides your selvs call to remembrance the dayes of your ignorance and prophanenes specially divers of you before your first conversion to the Lordâ— and consider whether you were not deeper rooted in sin then many others who yet haue not received the grace which you haue done to beleev and repent and giue the glory to Gods grace and not to your own free-will that you beleev repent and obey rather then they Be not unmindfull of this unspeakable mercie of God towards you aboue others equal and aboue you in the enioying of outward means least it come to â—o appeare in time that you were never indeed partakers thereof ADVERSARIES NExt they come to shew what Election is laying down for that end at large the Parable of the mariage of the Kings son Math. 22. and infisting specially upon the Lords conclusion vers 14. Many are called but few are chosen inferring thereupon that it was the Kings will and pleasure that all the bidden guests should come and bring their wedding garment DEFENCE THE Scripture we acknowledge and their inference but both affirm and haue proved that besides and aboue this will of God in bidding and inviteing the guests common â—o those that came not and that came and to those that came with and without the wedding garment there was a further work of Gods pleasure and will towards the Elect vessels of mercie setting awork his powerfull spirit in their hearts to make them willing to come and that furnished as they ought And so oft as these men as they doe it very often doe urge the will of God that men should beleeve repent and be saved so oft the Reader must call to mind this distinction First that this will of God extends but to such persons as to whom the Gospell the onely means of inviting men is preached Secondly that towards those that do effectually beleeve and repent there is also a further degree of Gods good will and pleasure according to which he reveales unto them effectually heavenly things opens their hearts to attend to the things spoken and gives them to beleev and repent upon their hearing as the peculiar fruit of their eternall election Their spiritual sense also of the parable I acknowledge But whereas Ereunetes sees that Election consists in the wedding garment and righteousnesse of Christ which is Christ himself whom the faithfull do put on by faith and obedience He sees that which is not to bee seen and sees not that which is plain enough Who having common sense will say that Christ and his righteousnesse and the chusing of a man or his election are all one Christ is not our election but he in whom we are chosen or elected Neither is our putting on of Christ by faith and obedience our election as they unskilfully make it Election is Gods work not ours for it is God that clruseth us and not we our selues but the putting on of Christ by faith and obedience is our work by Gods grace and not Gods God doth not beleeve and obey but we by his grace Now before we come to refute their opinion about Election hereafter layd down more plainly but here more confusedly with certain scriptures rather heaped together then orderly brought for their purpose it is expedient we examine a distinction brought by them of this divine Election by occasion of an objection from Ephes. 1. 4. which is that election is either in the decree or purpose of God onely or else effectually and particularly made as they speak This distinct on in a good sense but not in theirs is good and true For God elects men before the world or before they be in his decree and purpose onely But it must withall be considered that this election is also in Gods purpose actuall and particular before the world Nothing in God is potentiall bâ—t all actuall Otherwise there should be imperfection in God as all potentials are being to be perfected by their actualities They should therefore say that Gods election of some particulars was onely in his decree before the world and is by him in time brought into actuall execution And here also it must be minded that whereas all the question in effect amongst all is about election as before the world and in Gods eternall decree they in effect passe that wholly by and onely treat of it as God in time puts that in decree in actuall execution Now though their reasoning of election here be full of confusion and contradiction as any judicious Reader may see â—â—d such as out of which their meaning can hardly be pickeâ—â— yet this is plain that they will haue it to depend upon the condition of faith and repentance going before affirming expresly that those persons in whom God findeth faith and obedience them he electeth to salvation in his son of meer mercie for the quality which he findeth in them But now wherein this election properly stands they neither shew us nor understand themselues as is plain by their crosse and unconstant assertions of and about it wherein yet they are so peremptory and bold as if they carried all by plain demonstration of undoubted truth What course then are we to hold with them Considering it is with them as Salomon speaks of the harlot who was lowd and stubborn whose feet aboad not in the house but she was now without now in the streets and laying wayt in every corner I haue no other way but to pursue them into and hunt them out of every corner where they lye in wayt to deceive First then for Math. 22. Many are called but few chosen It must be noted that there are three degrees of mens calling to Christ. The first when the Gospel is preached but the so called refuse wholly to answer come so were the first guests called The second is when men are perswaded to come after a maner and in some shew but without truth of faith and repentance and so he came who wanted the wedding garment The third is when men come in true faith and obedience as they ought and so the rest of the guests came Of this third and last degree of calling the Apostle speakes saying Whom he predestinated them also he called whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them also he glorified This cannot be sayd of either of the two former sorts of called but of the latter onely And for the Election here spoken of it may well be understood of the eternall election in Gods decree the fruits and wholsome effects whereof this unprepared guest shews himself not to be made partaker of though he participated of the outward calling even to the making of some shew of that which in truth
God hath predestinated some persons to salvation and some to damnation without any condition and that these persons the elect making never so great shew of wickedness and walking in the wayes of Belial are still elect and can by no means fall out of their election the other persons having never so many testimonies of godlâ—nesse and walking in the Church of Christ yet can never but be reprobates and if ever they fall away from the Church or truth that they were never truely of it We affirm that God predestinates none to salvation but with condition of the death of Christ and the persons coming to years of discretion faith and repentance and continuance therin to the end to goe before that their salvation nor to damnation but with condition of sin and impenitency therein to goe before that their damnation But our Adversaries being bold and presumptuous speak evill of the things which they neither know nor are walling to understand Onely these two things we further hold in this case First that the former conditions Christ and faith in him are Gods free gifts also infallibly and effectually obtained by the former persons the latter condition impenitency in sin the certain effect of Satans malice and their own corruption being left of God thereunto The second is that other reason why God hath of two alike corrupt in themselvs preordained the former to salvation by the former means and the latter to condemnation by the latter the Scriptures doe not acquaint us with then the meer pleasure of him who hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and whom he will hee hardneth and who hath loved Iakob and hated Esau to wit in decree the children not bing yet born neither having done either good or evill Secondly we say not that the elect so remain though walking in the wayes of Belial but deny that ever they so walk after their effectual calling though through the remainders of corruption in some more strong then in others they haue not onely their common slidings but often their greater fals from which they recover themselvs by repentance the spirit alwaies lusting against the flesh and they in regard of the Law of their minde and spirituall man not allowing but hating the evill which through the sin dwelling in them they doe Neither on the other side doe the Reprobates ever shew any one much lesse many true testimonies of godlinesse though many seeming such oftentimes both in their own judgments of themselvs and other mens of them He that should challenge a man for affirming that it could not but be light at mid-day nor but be dark at midnight in comparison that he affirmed that it could not but be light at noon though the Sun should not be up nor but be dark at midnight though the Sun were not set should but use slaunderous cavillation even such and no better is their collection upon our assertion Where they add that as all mens estates are one by creation and one by transgression all being dead in sins and that as all are shut up in unbeliefe so he hath mercy on all to wit every particular person alike they mis-interpret the Scripture as hath been formerly shewed mistake the proportion of nature whether by creation or corruption with that of meer grace and are most impious against Gods mercy which they make all one towards Pharaoh and Moses Herod and Paul Besides it should follow hereupon that God hath mercy actually on all and every person in the world in taking away their sinnes and saving them for the Apostle whose words they cite speaks expresly of such an all as obtain mercy that way With like truth do they after affirm from Math. 13 that the sower soweth the seed of salvation upon all It cannot with modesty be denyed but there are and haue been many millions unto whom the Gospell the onely seed of salvation was never preached And as they begin so goe they on with this parable as being of them in whose mouth a parable is like the legs of the lame that are lifted up and like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard As first where by the good seed they understand the seed of salvation or Gospell and by tares false doctrines as if they know the minde of our Saviour better then he himselfe who expresly teacheth that the good seed are the children of the Kingdom so called because they are the heyres of their Fathers Kingdom in which the righteous are to shine forth as the Sun v. 43 and the tares the children of the wicked one which doe iniquity are to be gathered by the Angels in the end of the world and cast into the furnace of fire c. And if the good seed were the Gospell and the tares false doctrines as they transforming persons into things would make them yet is it untruely affirmed by them that the persons of them who receiv the good seed were no better then the other nor the persons of them who receiv the tares any worse then the other That both are alike to wit dead in sin when God offereth the Gospel we willingly grant and are glad to hear them confess but to say they are both alike when the one receivs the Gospell and the other refuseth it and receivs the tares contrary unto it is to say that the good ground and the bad are both alike For what makes them that are alike when the Gospel comes alike unto them not to remain alike stil And what is the reason why the one receivs it and not the other They say because the goodnesse of the Sower first sowed it and therfore he hath cause to praise him onely But say I this goodnesse is alike to both the two in sowing or offering the Gospels seed Whereupon it must follow that he who receivs this good seed hath no more cause to praise God the Sower then he that receivs it not for it is sowen alike on both in regard of outward offer but for the ones receiving of it rather then the other he hath cause to thank himselfe alone and his own freewill And indeed this is the mark at which all those Adversaries arrows are shot But the Scriptures teach us a further thing then these ungratefull persons will acknowledge which is that besides and aboue the offer common to both God giues the encrease to some without which all preaching is nothing even by opening of the heart to attend unto it as he did the heart of Lydia And as persons receiv the word of God into their hearts by his opening them first so in that his gracious work in them hee makes them which were before alike in spirituall consideration to become unlike and better then other and so more beloved then others for the godly qualities as they call them which he hath wrought in them Neither doth the Lord hate onely the works of wicked men as they say but
also the workers of iniquity not with a passion of the mind as hatred is in man but with a holy will to punish the violation of his righteous Law And though with a generall loue of the Creator to the creature he alwaies after a sort loue the persons of men as being his generation yet he loues as is meet the honour of his holinesse more then the happinesse of his creature having violated and prophaned it without repentance They further bewray their ignorance where they think to mend the matter in saying that God hates the persons as weapons and instruments of those wicked qualities Where hath God ever so spoken or any other man before them The godly qualities or graces of knowledge faith loue patience and the like are the spirituall armour and weapons of godly men the members also of men are called the weapons of righteousnesse or unrighteousnes for that with them they practise perform the works thereof But to say the persons are weapons and instruments of the qualities is to put the person in the hand of the weapon to be used by it wheras on the contrary all know that the weapon and instrument is in the hand of the person and to be used and exercised by him They here in desiring the Reader well to observ what they haue said as being a most blessed truth are loath that their nakednesse should not be seen in their spirituall drunkennesse ADVERSARIES NOW for the words of the Apostle to which they return after so long wandring their comment is They went out from us c. that is say they Those lying spirits those persons who had once the spirit of truth in them went out from the Apostles and other Saints And again those lying spirits and Antichrists in mens persons went out c. and were never of the truth the summe of all being that lying spirits and Antichrists in mens persons went out of the truth DEFENCE A Riddle better fitting H. N. then the professours of the truth in simplicity It behoues us therefore a little to insist upon the Text opening it according to the Apostles meaning and ours with him and first proving against them that by those that went out are not meant the lying spirits in the persons but the persons themselues And first these words They went out from us or better from out of us shew that those out-goers were formerly of them in a respect else how could they haue gone out from them But lying spirits were never of the Apostles and Saints but the persons sometimes were Secondly hee saith not as they corrupt the Text If they had been of the truth but of us nor they would hane continued with it but with us nor but they are not of it but they were not of us all carrying it to persons so and so qualified Thirdly Is it to be conceived that the Apostle would complain as heere he doth that lying spirits did not continue with the Churches Fourthly in saying They went out of us that it might be manifest that they were not all of us he shews that by their out-leaps something was manifested which was hid before But it was plain before to the Apostles and Saints that lying spirits were not of the truth He speaks therefore of the persons of hypocrites whom by this their professed defection God discovered Fithly in saying they were not all of us he insinuates that some of them were What some lying spirits of the Spirit of truth No but that not all the persons that formerly professed the truth with them were true members of Christs body which they were Lastly v. 20 He makes an opposition between them of whom hee writes and to whom But yee What yee spirits and so v. 28 little children that is little spirits All may see with what spirit these men are led He then speaks of the going out of persons not of spirits as they mean but being indeed Antichrists as v. 18 in regard of their spirits and doctrines for which they pretended the spirit of Christ. That which they add of the spirit of Hymeneus together with his person being in fellowship with Paul is like the rest By his Spirit it seems they mean his faith in saying faithfull Hymeneus was of the truth erroneous Hymeneus was never of it Hath the faith of a person fellowship with the Saints Or did Hymeneus his faith sometimes hold faith and a good conscience and after put them away Or are not these things plainly spoken of the person of men Paul speaking that of Hymeneus and others which hee knew in regard of outward appearance and not that which he knew not of the inward truth in the heart The meaning of Iohn is plain enough that these Antichrists went out of the Church not by making any seperation or schism from it as some thinke for they still continued in the outward fellowship preaching and prophesying and deceiving but in it by heresie and prophanenesse contrary to that outward profession of faith and holinesse which they had formerly made by which their defection they shewed that they were never truely regenerate and inwardly and indeed living members of the body but having been hypocrites at their best God so ordered that they should hereby discover themselvs For had they been indeed of the number of the faithfull they had so continued to the end Which truth this Apostle confirms further ch 3 very evidently saying whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin For his that is Gods seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God He doth not say as some would haue him he cannot sin or commit sin that is giue himselfe to sin as the wicked doe whilst the seed of God remains in him or whilst hee is born of God but for or because this seed of the new birth remaineth in him One observation I will here annex and so conclude this Head It cannot be saith Christ but offences will come And of all offences none is greater and which more wounds the tender heart of a weak Christian then when he sees such as by their former profession and appearances haue purchased to themselvs the opinion of piety and godlinesse to apostate and fall away from that their former profession either to grosse errour or prophanenesse This occasions him to suspect Satan by suggestions of unbelief furthering him herein that there is not in the course of Christianity that power of grace stablenesse and true comfort which it promiseth This stone of offence which Satans malice casts in the way Gods spirit removeth in providing that where there is in the Scriptures either mention or insinuation of mans falling away from the grace of God there is withall commonly an item given in the same place that such persons were never effectually sanctified but hypocrites at their best whatsoever they seemed either to others or to themselvs Thus where some at the first
the punishing of sin and mercy for the pardoning of it except withall man become actually changed and sinfull Can there be use of justice for punishing or of mercy for foregiuenesse of sin but where sin is Their reason therfore if it bear weight proues not onely that man might possibly but that he must sin necessarily Which I lay down and apply formally thus That without which the Attributes of Gods justice to punish sinne and of his mercy to pardon it had been utterly without use towards men that must necessarily be but without mans sinning the attributes of Gods justice to punish and of his mercy to pardon had been utterly without use towards men ergo man must necessarily sin by just consequence upon their antecedent Their reasons thus answered I will plainly proue that God could if it had so pleased him haue kept Adam unchangeably good as the Angels and soules of men are and bodies shall be at the resurrection unchangeably immortall And first the Scriptures teach us to giue this honour to the power of God as to beleeue that our God in the heaven doth and therefore can doe whatsoever pleaseth him and so could had it pleased him and been his will haue preserved Adam from sinning against him Of their distinction of Gods will we shall speak by and by If in the mean while they except that God could not so will I would know the reason of their such presumption If they say there are some things which God cannot doe as to lie to deny himselfe to make the same thing to be and not to be at the same time and the like inferring either impotence in the Creatour or contradiction in the creature I demand what had there been herein against the nature either of the Creator or creature if God by his grace had kept the understanding of Adam from being overclowded with errour or false opinion and therewith his will and affections in the integrity of obedience This had not been as some imagine to destroy but to perfect his nature Hath not God so kept the elect Angels without all change from their primitiue purity Was not the Lord Iesus in his Manhood so kept upon earth And shall not all the elect be so kept for ever in heaven These are were and shall be unchangeably righteous and yet were not nor are nor shall be made Gods They themselues confesse that the devils are unchangeable in evill And why then might not both Angels and men be unchangeable in good that is so kept by the power of God as they never turn from their goodnes Or what barre would these men haue put against the power of God if his will had been so to haue preserved and kept Adam I demand whether the Apostles in their time could possibly preach any thing but the truth being immediately and infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost All these instances serue to proue that it is possible to God if it please him so to assist and confirm by his Spirit a reasonable creature though of a changeable nature in its selfe as that in regard of the same divine assistance it is not possible it should be changed from good to evill or sin against God Lastly if God could not haue so made and ordered Adam as that he could not haue sinned then God did not so much as suffer him to sinne seeing none can be said properly to suffer a thing to be done saue he that could hinder it if he would It were absurdly said that I suffer the wind to blow or sea to swell though I hinder them not seeing it is not in my power to hinder them ADVERSARIES THey add from Ezech. 18 33 Gods asseveration that as he liues he would haue no man transgresse and so come under the exequution of his justice making withall a short description of the will of God as they call it and ever confounding these two things necessity and compulsion and Gods not decreeing with his forcing men to sinne DEFENCE FOr better answering and understanding of the answer unto these things it must be considered first that the will of God though simple and one in its nature yet exerciseth it selfe diversly in regard of divers objects The first and weakest degree of Gods willing to speak of God as man is able to conceiu of him is that by which he wills the permission or suffering of sin as sin For if God suffer it he suffers it willingly seeing he both takes knowledge of it and could hinder it by his omnipotent power if he pleased The second degree of Gods willing is that by which he commands a thing to be done and approues of it if it be done The third and last degree is that according to which he workes all things by his omnipotent power And if a man whose will is finite yet can will things according to those degrees how much more both possible and easie is it to Gods infinite will to exercise it selfe more intensly or remisly according to those degrees I may be willing in cases to suffer that in another which I approue not of so may I command my servant or child to doe a thing and approu of it if it be done and yet not so will it as to use all the power that possibly I can to haue it done Some things again there are that I so will as that I doe or am bound to use all my possible skill and power to haue them effected These things are much more rightly said of God considering the infinite largenesse of his will compared with my straitnesse The same may be said of the Spirit of God which is one for there is one Spirit whose operation yet is divers and the same sometimes more and sometimes lesse forcible as we see in the knowledge of an Apostle compared with the knowledge of an ordinary Minister or Christâ—an and many other waies And these differences of the will of God in the exercising of itselfe towards the creature I desire the Reader here carefully to obseru for after use Their short definition as they unskilfully call it of Gods will by which he either wils what man is to doe or what he will doe in himselfe is short indeed as cutting off all that God will doe and doth out of himselfe and in the creature as are all his workes ad extra as they are called It remaines that in the next place we shew the difference between necessity and compulsion and Gods decreeing in our sense and his forcing of things which our Adversaries with great errour confound as the same and withall that things may after a sort be done necessarily and freely too Freely yea contingently also in regard of men and necessarily in regard of Gods work of providence according to his decree I mention Gods work according to his decree because to speak properly Gods decree or will works not things but his power according to his will There is indeed
actuall chusing of David to the Kingdom of Israel was that by which he had first actuall right to that Kingdom to which he had right before onely in Gods decree and of which afterwards he had possession So Gods actuall chusing of a man to the Kingdom of heaven is that by which he hath first actuall right to that Kingdom to which he had no right before saue in Gods decree Gods chusing a man therfore actually as they speak to the Kingdom of heaven is the very giving of him faith and holinesse for by these he hath this actuall right to eternall life and glory If therfore Gods chusing men actually opposed to his chusing them in decree be his giving them actuall faith and repentance then their faith and repentance goes not before Gods choise but on the contrary his chusing before their beleeving The giving of the grace by God must needs goe before the having of it by men With like successe they quote Rom. 9. 25 and â— Pet. 2. 10 c. which haue no shew of ground whereon to build their assertion that God chuseth men actually and particularly because they beleev and repent but most firm foundation for the contrary truth Men become Gods people and beloved actually by actuall faith and repentance which before were his and beloved onely in the purpose of his will according to election Rom. 9. 11. 13 and elect according to Gods foreknowledge 1 Pet. 1. 2 God therefore actually chusing men and making them his people and beloved which are all one by giving them to beleev and repent their beleeving and repenting cannot goe before his chusing them but the contrary The giving of the gift is in nature before the having and using of it by him to whom it is given and therefore â—ods chusing them which is his giving them faith and repentance is before their beleeving and repenting The next place being Rom. 11. 5. 7 they set down craftily thus v. 5 If they seek righteousnesse by faith and these are thâ— the elect according to the election of grace The words of the Apostle are So then at this time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace and v. 7 the election hath obtained it and the rest were hardened The thing obtained was the righteousnesse of God and of faith the wedding garment the righteousnesse which Israel obtained not because they went about to stablish their own righteousnesse but the election obtained it by beleeving even that remnant wherof Paul was one according to the election of grace What can be more plain against these men Or how can any more directly crosse the Apostle then they doe The Apostle saith we obtain the righteousnesse of faith which is the wedding garment according to the election of grace They say we obtain the election of grace according to the wedding garment and righteousnesse of faith and obedience The Apostle saith the election obtains the righteousnesse of Christ by faith they say the righteousnes of Christ by faith obtains the election turning Gods work upside down that they may establish their own Besides this proud exaltation and Babylonish building of mens works against Gods grace for if it be of obedience as they say then of works to wit the works of obedience the Apostle v. 6 clean overturns saying If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise works is no more works In alledging from 2 Pet. 1. 10 that this election must be made sure they as before craftily conceal part of the Apostles words which being laid down as the Text hath them overthrow plainly their errour The words are Giue diligence to make your calling and election sure He joyns calling and election together they leav calling out And herein I commend them as the master did the unrighteous steward for doing wisely though not honestly For who knows not that Gods calling us goes before our answering him by faith and obedience as the cause therof God cals and also elects men to faith and obedience and not for them The Apostles meaning is that the faithfull should use all godly care for the establishing and confirming of themselvs in the grace of God to which they were formerly called and chosen The like prophane boldnesse they use towards 1 Thess. 1. 4 where for the Apostles text Knowing beloved your election of God or Knowing beloved of God your election they put their own glosse The houshold of faith the Church of God are the elect of God The Apostle v. 4 mentions his knowledg of their election and v. 5. 6 the ground of that his knowledg and perswasion which was their faith and obedience by receiving the Word by him preached They were not therefore made elect of God by faith and obedience but therby known for such by men Col. 3. 12 makes against them also where their election is mentioned as a reason to moue them to put on bowels of mercy and all goodnes As indeed the gracious purpose of Gods election with his effectuall calling followeth and manifestâ—th is the onely Evangelicall motiue to all earnest study of obedience Their assertion following that Election is not of particular persons but of qualities is monstrous and most crosse to the Scriptures which never mention election of qualities but alwaies of persons Is the meaning of Christ Math. 22. Many are called but few chosen that many qualities are called and few chosen What quality but of sin and misery sees the Lord in them whom he calleth Or how can qualities be either called or chosen to grace or glory Christ tels his Disciples that he had chosen them out of the world If they were chosen out of the world which lyeth in wickednesse and hates the good for what good qualities trow we were they chosen If they were chosen out of the world and so were of the world before they were chosen out of it how had they faith and obedience for which these men wil appoint God to chuse them or else not That we are Gods generation viz. by creation is true but impertinent Of â—ods working good qualities in men by his word and spirit and of their resisting or not resisting we haue spoken and shall speak else where Rom. 8 29 makes for them as the former places shewing plainly â— that our predestination or election goes before our calling our calling before our justification our justification before our glorification The note in the English Testament upon Ephes. 1 is the same which the Synode at Dort and all Evangelical Churches professe Onely these mens errour is in their not putting a difference between Gods decree to saue and his actual saving of them that beleev whether by justifying or glorifying them Gods chusing a man whether in decree from eternity or by actuall and effectuall calling and calling of him out of the state of
haue not known them The Heathens therfore if we will giue credit to the word of God had not the knowledg of Gods word so not of the Gospel which is most hidden as being of supernatural revelation onely Of the same Gentiles the Apostle testifieth that God in times past suffered them all to walk in their own wayes that is did not manifest Christ unto them for faith in his bloud and repentance through him but onely his power and God-head giving them rain from heaven and other bodily blessings to witnesse the same With this accords that elswhere The times of this ignorance which had been amongst the Gentiles before Christ God regarded not or winked at but now commandeth all men every where as well Gentiles as Iewes to repent The Apostle opposeth the time now in which he preached to the former times and shews that God now and not in times past called all to repentance by the preaching of the word To conclude the same Apostle expresly teacheth that there is no salvation but by beleeving in the name of the Lord Iesus by the preaching of the word and Gospell by preachers sent of God for that end But now for any to say that every particular person in the world hath had or hath the word of the Gospell preached unto him by a preacher sent of God for that purpose were an assertion of him whose impudencie better deserved a club then any grounds that possibly he could lay a refutation considering both the infallible experience of all ages and testimony of scripture to the contrary and that there were places even in the latter end of the last Apostles time where Christ had not been named nor spoken of Next follows to be examined their exposition upon Rom. 9 in the introduction whereunto they mingle truth with errour They deal craftily in bearing the Reader in hand that the disputation of Paul herein is hard and the matter darkly handled that so they may turn the thoughts of the Reader from it or at least dim them with prejudice against that plain and evident truth of Gods free election and reprobation joyned therewith Both which things he sets down most clearly though the reason of the Lords different dealing towards them that are in themselves alike he makes unsearchable and determines in the free purpose of his will if men did not trouble the pure and cleare water of Gods sanctuary with the foul feet of their corrupt glosse They also erre in makeing this one of the places in Pauls Epistles of which the Apostle Peter speaketh 2. Pet. 3. 16. Peter doth not say neither wil the Greek text beare it that there are things hard in Pauls Epistles but that in those matters in his Epistles to wit about the day of the Lords comming and the dissolution of the heavens and elements and the new heavens and new earth promised were things hard to understand c. Their perverting of the Scriptures which they lay to the charge of others both in the Epistles of Peter and Paul and every where else wee haue formerly disclosed Neither do we affirm as they here charge us that God reprobates either the greatest number or any as they understand and elsewhere expound themselves that is predestinates them to condemnation without any condition Hee predestinates none to condemnation or which is all one purpose to condemne none but for sin freely by them to be practised as the fore-going condâ—tion and onely deserving cause of condemnation Neither say we as they slander us that God denieth means of salvation to men because he would haue them perish but as the Apostle reacheth that he hardens by that and other his holy dispensations whom he will that he might shew his wrath and make his power known upon the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction ADVERSARIES LEt us now come to their exposition The scope say thâ—y as of the whole Epistle so of this chapter is that not the Law but the Gospell is the power of God to salvation and that we are not justified by the workes of the Law but by faith even that faith which Abraham had DEFENCE AS the proper and particular scope of divers parts of this Epistle is divers so do they misse of the drift of this particular chapter which is not as they conceive to prove justification not to be by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Christ in the Gospell But to shew that the first and highest cause why of all mankinde faln in Adam one is cleared and another not is onely the good pleasure and free wil of God and not mans deservings and yet that God in so choosing or electing one before another doth nothing unjustly as shall appeare in the particulars hereafter to bee explained and may in the mean while be gathered by these three generall reasons First for the Apostle when of purpose he handles the matter of justification by faith chap. 3. 4. doth so oft and againe iterate and inculcate the terms of Faith and Iustification almost in every verse whereas here he never so much as once mentions either of them in the disputation it selfe which is to the end of vers 24. where he descends from the matter of election to the calling of the elected both of Iewes and Gentiles Secondly it is unreasonable to conceive that the Apostle having in the third and fourth chapter so fully handled and so expresly concluded that matter of Iustification by faith and not by works and chap. 7. the effect and end thereof Peace with God and perseverance to salvation and chap. 6. the matter of sanctification and chap. 7. the imperfection of that sanctification in this life and chap. 8. the afflictions of the faithfull and their perseverance notwithstanding to the death should now again without any occasion and against all order return to the same matter of justification so fully handled and ended before This might wel agree with these mens wandrings in this their treatise but agrees not with the wisdom either divine or humane wherewith the Apostle was furnished Much more absurd is it to imagine that having formerly handled that subject matter of justification so plainly as he hath done chap. 3 and 4. he should returne to handle the same matter so darkly and obscurely as all the adversaries to the truth and fautors of this conceit are compelled to confesse he hath done in this place Thirdly if this were the Apostles proper drift what needed he to have made such deep protestation of his hearty sorrow for the Iewes as he did more in this place then in the former where he handled that matter more clearly then here It was in truth no other thing that moved the man of God to these sad and sorrowfull protestations then to remov the offence which might be taken at the Iews rejection and calling of the Gentiles in their stead of which and the highest cause thereof hee was now to
speak in the 9. 10. and 11. chapters Lastly we shall God willing make it appear in sundry particulars that these Adversaries by wresting of some things and omitting of others pervert the Apostles words to a strange sense how soever they think to get advantage by striking others first with that imputation And first though they account it plain and without difficulty that the Apostles meaning v. 5 6 is that not all the Israelits not all the children of Abrahams flesh specially not such as boasted of the observation of the Law were therefore in the state of salvation or should be saved yet in truth he plainly means another thing namely that all Israel all that were the seed of Abraham and children of the flesh were not that Israel that seed those children to whom the promise was made that is were not they touching whom God by his promise declared his purpose of election mentioned v. 11. For though all are saved that receiv the promise by faith and none by the works of the Law yet the Apostle in this place neither speaks a word of salvation as the effect of the promise but of election as the cause therof nor yet of mens receiving the promise by faith but of Gods making it according to election that so the purpose of God and promise manifesting it might stand according to election v. 11 that the word of God might take effect v. 6. even the word of promise At this time will I come c. v. 9 they are then called children of the promise not because they received but because the promise Sara shall haue a Son c. was made unto them according to the election of grace and stableness of Gods purpose v. 8. 9. 11 which promise also they did in time receiv by faith according to the election of that remnant from the rest the promise following the purpose of election and faith and salvation by it following the purpose and promise Though Israel that is all which were of Israel obtained not that which he seeketh for yet the election hath obtained it even the remnant of Israel to whom Gods promise is according to the election of grace in regard of which remnant according to election the word of God is effectuall and the promise fulfilled touching the yonger son of Rebeca of whose two sonns it was said before they were born or had done either good or evill the elder shall serv the yonger And as they truely affirm that neither birth nor works did prefer with God so I demand here what those works were by which Esau sought for justification The Scriptures expresly term him a prophane person that is a despiser of goodnes yea of his very birth-right which was a speciall legall priviledg How then sought he to be preferred with God and justified for birth or works Or how doth this example of Esau fit their imagined plain exposition specially to proue that the children of Abrahams flesh were not in the salvation who so much boasted of being Moses disciples in the observation of the Law when as the Law of Moses was not yet given nor the Law-giver born Their words following that God purposeth to prefer those that seek it by his free election through faith in Christ are true in themselvs but not in their sense Their meaning is that God purposed to saue them effectually that should beleev in Christ Iesus whereupon should be meant in this place onely such a purpose of God as was no more towards Iakob then towards Esau for God by their doctrine purposed to chuse Esau if he beleeved and not Iakob but upon his beleeving first But the Apostle speaks more then evidently of such a purpose of God as was towards Iakob particularly and alone excluding Esau. Besides the standing of this purpose and election are here noted as two distinct things of which election is the former and that according to which this purpose of God stands whereas they make them one and the same accounting election nothing but the purpose of bestowing salvation upon them that beleev Thirdly the Apostle cannot mean such a purpose and election as presupposeth faith in Christ which they would haue seeing he expresly affirms it to haue been when the children had done neither good nor evill Is to beleev in Christ to puâ— on the wedding garment by faith and obedience to submit to the righteousnesse of God which they will haue the condition upon vvhich election depends and the quality for which God elects the persons in whom he finds it are these to doe no good with with these men and is the doing of the contrary to doe no evill Lastly he saith not that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of vvorks but of faith as they say but not of vvorks but of him that calleth that is as followeth that vvill haue mercy on whom he vvill haue mercy By which it is plain that Paul doth not in this chapter as chap. 3. and 4 and Gal. 4 oppose works and faith but vvorks and Gods calling He should haue said for their purpose that the purpose of God stands not of works but of faith or of him that beleeveth and not as hee doth for the purpose of the Holy Ghost of him that calleth Shewing thereby his meaning to be in this whole discourse that the obtaining of righteousnesse or standing of Gods purpose in its actuall effect depends upon God alone according to three degrees here expressed first his gracious purpose of election in himselfe towards some secondly his free promise manifesting his purpose thirdly his effectuall calling in which his vvord of promise hath effect and his purpose stands firm and undisappointed notwithstanding the unbeleif of the body of Abrahams seed Their making Iakob and Esau types as they doe is like the rest or worse The Scriptures are not to be drawn from their natural simple sense without apparant warrant It is the high way to heresie to be bold in framing typical expositions And with what spirit these men are led this way appears by their expounding the parable Luk. 15 making the Iews the elder brother vvho sought salvation by vvorks and the Gentles the yonger in the offer of the Gospell seeking salvation onely by the free promise of God wheras the plain meaning of Christ is onely to avow his preaching to the Publicans and sinners resorting unto him against the pride and envy of the Pharisies those Publicans and sinners being Iews as well as the other Secondly I demand what it was in which Iakob typed out beleevers seeking righteousnesse by God and in which Esau typed out workers seeking justification by their own works The contrary in Esau is expressed in the Scriptures Lastly seeing it cannot be denyed but that Iakob as a faithfull and godly man was in time actually beloved of God and Esau as godlesse and prophane actually hated it must needs follow that God before the world was
obtain it as exhortations and warnings are to perseverance Is it a good argument that the conduit may want water because a man skilfull in water-works layeth the conduit pipes with all diligence and Art between the Spring-head and the Conduit Or that the childe whom his father holding him fast by the hand in a slippery way and bidding him look that he fall not can fall out of his fathers hand Nay though left to himselfe he may yea cannot but fall yet considering his Fathers strength supposing him one that cannot fall himselfe wherof the childe is made partakers for his supportance he cannot fall Such a holding and helping hand of God are these exhortations made effectuall by his Spirit in the hearts of his children true beleevers Vnto whom as the Lord suith Seek yee my face so they answer Thy face Lord doe we seek The Lord saith in his word Take heed Stand fast Beware that ye fall not away and the like Vnto which their godly hearts answer Lord wee doe take heed doe beware c. For by these the servant of God is warned They are as seed sown in good ground which brings forth fruiâ— with patience to the harvest So as in truth the clean contrary doctrine to these mens collection is true that therfore the truely faithfull cannot fall away because they they I say being faithfull obedient and of honest hearts are by such exhortations and admonitions armed against such evill of apostacy To conclude this point The Lord Iesus giues his Apostles in charge to teach all Nations whatsoever he had commanded them adding thereunto the promise of his presence with them if they so did to the end of the world against whom also a Woe was denounced if they did not preach the same Gospell I would now know whether it could so come to passe that these Apostles should not and that willingly preach this Gospell and the truths thereof This to affirm were to blaspheme the holy Spirit of God by which they were immediately and infallibly guided in their Ministery Promises therfore and threatnings are not in vain for the provoking of men unto those duties which by reason of the Spirits powerfull work in them it is not possible but they should perform ADVERSARIES THE Scriptures brought by them for their Assertion follow The first is Hebr. 11. 15. whence they gather that as Esau lost his earthly inheritance to which hee had right so may the Saints loose their heavenly inheritance which they haue right to DEFENCE THE Apostle doth not so conclude but exhorts them onely to take head thereof and of that matter we spake even now at large Esau was a prophane person before he sold his birth-right and never other No doubt but a prophane person or hypocrite nourishing in himselfe the root of bitternes though living in the Church may loose whatsoever right he had and of such the Apostle here speaks If it be further objected that Esau had right indeed to the birth-right by them unskilfully called the inheritance I answer that he had never right to it spiritually nor in Gods appoyntment but onely in outward course and in regard of men and such a right to the heavenly inheritance may be and is by too many lost as the Apostle here insinuates Lastly who sees not the difference between the inward grace of faith and holines in the heart of a true beleever and the carnall right to that which is common to good and bad In Math. 5. 15. Christ sayth not as they accuse him that salt may loose his savour but if the salt loose his savour as he sayth If it be possible let this cup passe from me which yet all things considered could not be Of which form of speech we haue lately treated and shall more hereafter I suppose it was never seen that salt wanted saltnesse and if it doe how is it salt Besides Christ calles not his Apostles salt and light in regard of the grace of faith in their hearts but of their preaching the Gospell therewith to season and inlighten the world 2. Pet. 2. 20. they pervert as the former places making that absolute which is but conditionall and with an If. They say they which are washed may return with the sow to wallow in the myre and their latter end be worse then the beginning The Apostle sayth If after they be washed c. These forms of speech whether in scripture or other where If this then that do not necessarily prove that either this or that is so indeed but onely that if this be so then that also Both this and that in themselves may be impossible and yet the consequence good as if I should say at mid-night If it be day the Sun is rising or at mid-day If it be night the Sun is set so in the Scriptures Luk. 19. 40. 1. Cor. 15. 13 14. 15. 16. c. Gal. 1. 5. 10. and in infinite other places It is sufficient for the truth of a conditionall proposition that the latter part follow infallibly upon the former if it be but requires not that it should be These men and others herein labour of the same mistaking with the Disciples Ioh. 21. 22. 23. who upon Christs words to Peter touching Iohn If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee concluded that Iohn should not dye but should survive till the second comming of Christ which fancy also continued a long time in the mindes of many But the Evangelist in the same place teacheth them that will learn not to interprete conditionall speeches as absolute Iesus sayd not unto him he shall not dye but if I will that he tarry till I come or dye not If it be further replyed that the Apostle aimes at certaine particular persons which denyed the Lord that bought them whose pernicious wayes others followed unto whom it did happen according to the true proverb The dog is turned to his vomit again which same persons Iude also chargeth to haue turned the grace of God into wantonnesse I willingly grant the thing so to haue been but deny the conditionall form of speech to proue it absolutely And for the thing I answer that the Apostles there speak of mens being purged and washed and the like according to the outward profession onely which they formerly made and which the Church took knowledge of and not according to the inward truth of the heart which they knew not but God alone I add to put the matter wholly out of question that these Apostles thus speaking doe in the same places both gather themselves by the event and teach us that these persons of whom they speak were never truely and effectually sanctified but onely in their own and other mens opinion as where Peter v. 7. 8. 9. opposing righteous Lot to the wicked Sodomites addeth that as God delivered him so fo he knoweth that is can and will deliver the godly out of
threatning that if they continued not in the bounty of God they should be cut off ch 11. 21. I answer as before first that the threatning is conditionall as Gal 1. 8 If we c. Was it possible that Paul should preach any other Gospell Or were he an Angell from heaven or of God that should so doe I suppose no ch 4. 14. But an Angell from hell rather and of the divell The question is not whether if any should not abide in the bounty of God they were to be cut off or no But whether any with whom hee hath dealt so bounteously as indeed to justifie and sanctifie them haue not also a promise by his power to be kept in that his bounty by the means which he hath appointed Secondly Paul pronounceth those Romans justified not from the judgement of certainty but of charity Of whom as some were undoubtedly sincere whom God did by this and the like warnings preserv and keep in his grace so for the hypocrites mingled amongst them it was but that which we say if in their time they were broken off from that which formerly they seemed to others by their profession and it may be to themselvs also to haue had And indeed this very place if it be well minded ministers full answer to the most of their Arguments This warning though immediately given to the Romans concerns all Christians as well as them And being founded upon an example of the Lords dealing with the Iews must be expounded and applyed accordingly Who then were these exemplary Iews formerly cut off by the Lord from the oliue tree Were they such as had once truely beleeved but had after made defection I suppose not even in these mens judgment but such as occupying a place in the Church yet were in truth faithlesse hypocrites and as chaff in the Lords flore which the Son of man comming with his fan in his hand purged out And in these we may see what kind of branches they are which in time come actually and visibly to bee broken off from the Oliue The instances following of Elies house loosing the Priesthood Saul the Kingdom of Israel and the Israelites Canaan serv onely to fill up room That Priesthood Kingdom and Canaan were not the graces of faith and sanctification in the heart nor the losse of them sin but punishments onely Onely the last place Math. 18. 32 where debt forgiven is as they say recalled were something to the purpose if the drift of the parable were to shew that God indeed forgivs sins and after unforgives them which were lightnesse unbecomming any graue and honest man But the scope of the parable being no more then that we ought to forgiue such as offend us and that otherwise God will not forgiue us to draw more from it is to forget that it is a parable and to take the high way to to most grievous errour Besides there is in this parable no colour for falling away from grace and true godlinesse formerly had but onely even their exposition being admitted that a man may haue his sins pardoned who yet wants all brotherly loue and goodnesse which the Scriptures every where deny Math. 6. 14. 15 Mark 11. 24. 25 1 Ioh. 3. 14. 15 Rom. 8. 1 Ps. 32. 1. 2. Thirdly by these grounds no man can certainly know that his sins are indeed pardoned whilst he liues in the world because he may still fall away and so haue his pardon recalled though sealed up unto him by the very spirit of God it selfe And so all our faith must be but adventure whilst we liue in the world whether our sins past be in truth pardoned or no contrary to the Scriptures Lastly this impeacheth both the justice of God and his truth His justice in making him require double satisfaction for the same debt first of his Son even the price of his bloud and the same also by faith applyed to the person that hath sinned and beleeveth and after of the person himselfe Of his truth and that both of his word absolutely promising forgiuenesse of sins to him that beleeveth and also of his spirit by which he seals up the same unto their hearts Their second and third reason taken from the fall and sin of Adam and all mens falling and sinning in and by him are wholly besides the question which is onely of falling from the grace of God in Christ from election in him from the loue of God towards us when we were enemies from mercy which presupposeth sin and misery and is properly Evangelicall God gaue Adam his portion in grace by creation and left it in his own keeping which hee soon mispent but hath dealt more mercifully with us in making his Son our feofâ—er in trust that he as our head might keep and improue the grace of God belonging to us as is meet for us lest we having â—ll at once and that same left in our own hands should mispend all as Adam did To that which they alledge from Eph. 1. 4 compared with Rev. 2. 4. 5 I answer first that Paul stiles those Ephesians elect onely as he knew them so to be which was by outward appearance of holinesse Secondly that the leaving of their first loue was not a total falling from grace but onely a decaying of their former zeal Thirdly the threatning of the Candlesticks removing was to the truely called an effectuall means of drawing them to repentance When these men can make it appear that any one of the truely elect and sanctified Ephesians did wholly despise this and the like means of their bettering I will then grant their proof strong It may as well be concluded that therefore the fire goes out because it hath good and fresh fuell put unto it and is diligently blown For these exhortations and admonitions are as fuell and blowing to preserv from going out the spark and fire of grace in the hearts of beleevers That onely he that continues to the end and overcomes shall be saved and that the promise of acceptance and salvation by them miscalled the promise of election is no otherwise intended to us then upon our abiding in the faith and obedience of Christ. Wee beleev and confesse with them according to the Scriptures but withall are taught and beleev according to the same Scriptures that God keeps all his holy ones unto the end and giues them to overcome that he puts his fear in their heart that they shall not depart from him that the seed sown in good ground shall neither wither by persecution nor be choaked by cares of the world or deceitfulnesse of riches or otherwise but shall grow up to the harvest that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church or any one member thereof built upon the rock of Peters confession that God is faithfull who with the temptation will giue a way to escape for all his that they are kept by the power of
in Adam haue sinned and by sin lost the Image of God in which they were made so as the Law is impossible unto them by reason of the flesh and so cannot possibly but sin by reason of the same flesh raigning in the unregenerate and dwelling in all which these light persons expresly confesse in the sequel of this book and that this so comes to passe by Gods holy decree and work of providence answerable not forceing evill upon any but ordering all persons in all actions as the supreme Governour of all and that the wicked being left of God some destitute of the outward means the Gospell all of them of the effectuall work of the Spirit from that weak flesh and naturall corruption daily increased in them sin both necessarily as unable to keep the Law and willingly as having in themselvs the beginning and cause thereof the blindnesse of their own minds and perversenesse of their will and affections and so are inexcuseable in Gods sight Here with the lowd boasts of their large and undenyable proofs they joyn sundry errours As first in making the good things of creation to come from Gods grace viz. for salvation of which our question is The good things of creation the Scriptures account our own and of our selvs ever opposing them to the good things of grace to salvation Secondly they err egregiously in saying that what Adam had in creation and lost by transgression for himself and his posterity that is restored through Christ to wit to all for so the question is By this all should be restored actually into Gods favour haue his image repaired in them and be wholly free from that weak flesh making the Law impossible unto them With like perversnesse doe they misapply to all Adams posterity without difference that which the Apostle speaks of himselfe and other godly Ministers and Christians onely Rom. 8. 3. 4 2 Cor. 3. 5 Phil. 4 13 as any that pleaseth to peruse the places may see Lastly they most absurdly affirm that the flesh through Christ is able to fulfill the Law wheras we fulfill the Law no further then as we kill crucifie and destroy the flesh and lusts thereof by the Spirit ADVERSARIES TO the question Whether a man can doe any thing in the work of his regeneration they answer after much froath of words that faith and repentance is regeneration and that it is most plain as what is not to their peircing eye that even in the work of regeneration man may submit to it or hinder it DEFENCE AN ignorant assertion shewing the ground of their errour in not putting difference between Gods work and mans They may as rightly say that the life and motion of the childe is its begetting To regenerate is nothing else but to beget anew Doth the child beget it selfe Or doth not the parent onely beget it So God begets by the Ministery of the Word and man is begotten by him according to that of the Apostle Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him So Iam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth By these mens doctrine we should beget our selvs of our own will Begetting in creatures is both in nature and time before the being of the begotten Men then before they be must beget themselvs by their saying And as God regenerates and not man so doth man being regenerated beleev and obey and not God Wheras if faith and obedience be regeneration then God beleevs and repents seeing God regenerates Besides as the outward means of regeneration may be and are by too many hindred from working and made unprofitable So where God pleaseth to add to the outward means and motives of the Gospell the inward work of the Spirit of which Spirit we are born or begot anew of the Spirit I say though by the Word by the same Spirit which he puts within them he takes away first what might hinder thier regeneration even their stony heart and giving them a heart of flesh a heart to know God and putting his fear in their hearts and by putting his Spirit in them causing them to walk in his statutes he thereby regenerates them or giues them faith and repentance which they must haue before they can beleev or repent as the childe must haue life before it can liue or doe acts of life and must be generated or begotten before it haue life or being Regeneration therefore goes before faith and repentance This Head they shut with answering three Scriptures The first Math. 22 but mistaken for Luk. 14. 23 which as it is frivolously objected if by any so is it easily answered The second is Ioh. 6. 44. No man can come to me except the Father draw him This is not meant say they of violent compulsion True nor yet onely as they would haue it of outward teaching by heavenly doctrine For thus the Father drew many that came not to Christ whereas hee speaks here of such a drawing as is peculiar to them that come to him who shall never hunger v. 35 and whom he will in no wise cast out v. 37. He speaks not therefore of the outward teaching onely but withall and principally of the inward teaching of the spirit as Esa. 54. 13 Ier. 31. 33. 34 1 Ioh. 2. 27. The most of them whom the Father drew by heavenly doctrine that is to whom Christ preached murmured at him v. 41 this hee reproues vers 43 vers 44 takes away the offence which might arise at the consideration of the small effect which his words had with many considering what he testified of himselfe v. 39. 40 shewing that such was mans perversenesse in spirituall things as that except God to the outward word adjoyned the inward work of the Spirit thereby drawing him his obstinacy could not nor would not be tamed nor he turned to God Lastly to Phil. 2. 13. It is God that works in you both the will and deed after much impertinent discourse and many errours mingled among they answer that God doth this in men by reasons and perswasions that they would chuse life and avoyd death And first they conclude without and against reason that if the regenerate haue power to resist they haue power not to resist which is as if a man should say if a fool can doe foolishly then he can doe wisely or the like Secondly it is a slander upon the Calvinists that they are divided in this point or that any of them affirms that the elect though unregenerate cannot resist good Whilst they are unregenerate they can doe nothing else but resist in spirituall things But God in time as he hath decreed by the spirit of regeneration overcomes their corruption and works in them not to resist but willingly to follow him that calleth them Thirdly I would know what they mean by these phrases of Gods sending his word and spirit to
in them and their children with them upon their repentance This could be no other then that promise made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed in that blessed seed Christ. Thirdly he exhorts the Iews to repent and to be baptized for that the promise was unto them and their children and therein shews that he speaks not of a promise made to Abrahams children upon their faith and repentance as they mistake but on the contrary exhorts to repentance upon a promise made The promise is the ground of the exhortation and presupposed by the Apostle as going before it Hence also it is that hee cals the Iews which had denyed and killed the Lord of life and not yet repented as appears v. 19 Children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with the fathers with which accords that Act. 13. 32. 33. They were not therfore here called the children of the promise because they repented for that they did not but because they came of Abraham Isaak and Iakoh and so had Christ promised unto them as their King and Saviour and so were by faith and repentance to receiv the fruit of the same promise and the confirmation or seal thereof by Baptism to them and their children Of which here and every where they are exhorted not to depriue themselvs and theirs Neither is this exhortation to repent and be baptized made to the children but to the parents for the obtaining of the benefite and confirmation by Baptism of the promise both to parents and children If any demand Was not Christ promised to the Gentiles also I answer not as to the Iews He was promised to the Iews indefinitely as the Church of God and Abrahams seed as being their King but to become the King of the Gentiles the Iews were his Citizens the other were by faith to become his Citizens and of the houshold of God ADVERSARIES TO 1 Cor. 7. 14. Else were your children unholy but now are they clean they answer that the beleevers children were no otherwise holy then as their unbeleeving wiues were holy namely to be used by their parents DEFENCE HEre first as commonly they treasonably clip the Lords coyn in leaving out for their advantage to the beleeving husband and to the beleeving wife The Apostle saith simply The children are holy so saith he not simply that the unbeleeving wife is holy but holy to her beleeving husband and the unbeleeving husband sanctified or holy to the beleeving wife as all things are pure to the pure Now for the better clearing of this place the Apostles drift is to be considered which was to teach beleeving husbands that they might lawfully and without scruple keep and converse with their unbeleeving wiues and so beleeving wiues with their unbeleeving husbands as being sanctified to them though not in themselvs This he proues by an Argument taken from their children Else were your children unclean but now are they holy that is if the beleeving husband might not lawfully retain his unbeleeving wife then the children so born should be unholy but they are holy Whereupon it follows that he may lawfully keep and converse with her This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 else or otherwise ever includes in it a casuality as Math. 18. 32 because thou desiredst me ch 27. 6 because it is the price of bloud So 1 Cor. 5. 10 Else or for then you must goe out of the world As if he had said seeing Christians are not to goe out of the world but to liue in it they may therfore eat with the fornicators of the world So here seeing your children thus born are not unclean but holy therfore you may and ought to retain your though unbeleeving wiues The Apostle therfore making the children holy and their holinesse a ground of the husbands lawfull keeping and conversing with his wife can haue respect to no other thing then the Covenant with Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed as a known and received ground by the Corinthians and all other Churches This will yet be the more plain if we bear in mind that the question propounded to Paul by the beleeving Corinthians was not whether they might keep their children or no but their wiues Hee had therfore no occasion of mentioning the children as he doth but to fetch from them an Argument for the retaining of the wiues Now if his meaning were as they say that the children were holy to the beleevers use as the wife was then he should haue argued from the holinesse of the wife to proue the holinesse of the children But thus he doth not but the clean contrary Besides if the Apostle had argued as they would haue him where had he laid the foundation of his proofe Or how had he removed the scruple out of the Corinthians hearts They add that the Corinthians made no question of their children True and that overthrows their exposition as shewing that the Apostle argues not from the wiues to the children as they make him but from the children to the wiues Secondly the Apostle disputes not from the Corinthians supposition or perswasion but from the truth of the thing the holinesse of their children But now are your children holy They object that these children must be holy either as the beleeving or unbeleeving part is holy We say they are holy as the beleeving part in regard of that foederall holinesse and the spirit of regeneration Then say they They are separated from common uses in which they were used and are set now apart to Gods use We say they are as were the Infants in Israel set apart or severed from the world and taken into the number of Gods people They themselvs affirm a few lines before that Israel was sanctified and set apart from common and prophane uses to the service of God And were not the Infants part of Israel thus set apart and sanctified And yet could they not testifie any purity of heart or other grace That which in the very same period they build with one hand they pull down with another Secondly if as they say Infants bee no otherwise sanctified then to the use of others and as unbeleevers are then can they not be saved except the unholy can enter into Gods Kingdom They object further that then all the children of beleevers though of age and unbeleevers should be holy also But why rather holy then Innocent which they will haue all Infants to be By their unbelief they are cut off from Gods Covenant as the Iews were and from all holinesse therby The next objection is ill framed as they set it down and the answer worse The errour in both is that they consider not Iohns Baptism and Christs according to their distinct parts Iohns as outward Christs as inward Iohns outward Baptism and Christs outward Baptism were the same for Christ was baptized by Iohn thereby sanctifying Baptism to us as
Christ promiseth to be present alwaies even to the end If I should answer as I know not but I might lawfully that these words of Christ I am with you alway even unto the end of the world are to be expounded as those of the Apostle 1 Thess. 4. 15. 17 Wee which are aliue and remain unto the comming of the Lord and that the meaning of both is that all should so walk as if that day of the Lord were to come every day of their liues what would they reply But admit this be spoken mediately to the successours of the Apostles not in their power Apostolicall for that ceaseth with their office Apostolicall and their office with their persons neither is there left in the Church any authority or direction for the chusing of Apostles but in the performance of such ordinary works in lawfull order as the Apostles were to exercise themselvs in specially of teaching and baptizing there mentioned I thus proue that by those successors are not meant as they conceiv disciples but such as haue speciall commission and authority and so specially Pastors And first Christ here opposeth them to whom he speaks as the makers of Disciples as the words are to Disciples to be made by them Secondly if every disciple of Christ then why not women also which are disciples as well as men and wherof there are diverse to be found better gifted then any of this fellowship Neither can they object the Apostles prohibition of women 1 Cor. 11 1 Tim. 2 seeing they hold Baptism no Church action but personall onely and so administer it as privately as Midwines use to doe Thirdly if Pastors be most rightfully the Apostles successors in other works of their Apostolicall commission here given by name in administring the Lords Supper and over-seeing the flock and defending the same in the truth which they grant why not in teaching and baptizing also which alone are expressed Math. 28. ADVERSARIES BVT this they account a meer fiction seeing converting and baptizing is no part of the Pastors office which is to feed watch and oversee the flock of Christ and defend the same in the truth then which they deny further charge to be laid upon him by his office quoting for that purpose Act. 20. 28 Tit. 1. 9 proceeding also to challenge it as an imagination that he is to preach by vertue of his office yea adding that any disciple having ability is authorized yea commanded to preach convert and baptize as well and as much if not more then any Pastour To this height of usurpation are these Chorites come DEFENCE FIrst here as alwaies they alter the state of the question which between them and me is not whether onely Pastors but whether onely such as haue a speciall Church-calling may baptize Secondly it is true that Pastors in the right state of things are not to be set over heards of goats and swine but over flocks of sheep yet doth it not follow thereupon that Pastors in no sort convert For first there may be in the Church hypocrites undetected or after detection yet uncensured which they may by Gods blessing effectually convert Secondly the Pastor as Pastor of the flock and feeding it may convert a stranger comming in and why then not baptize him by their own ground The person so converted publiquely may and ought to be baptized publiquely and should not the Pastor doe it by whom also hee is converted rather then a private member Thirdly it is not all one though they confound them to convert to wit from being wicked to become godly and to make a disciple Children born in the Church may be made Disciples yet not so converted as it may be never having been such as of whom it could be said that they were wicked Fourthly it is their ignorance to make converting of men and the baptizing them actions of the same nature seeing onely men and women before converted and repenting are to be baptized Lastly in granting according to the Scriptures that the Pastor is by office to feed the flock they cannot deny but that hee is to baptize thereby seeing baptism is a part of that feeding properly serving to confirm the faith of beleevers in the washing away of their sinnes by the bloud of Christ Begetting is by the seed of the word the word of truth and so whatsoever means follow thereupon is but for feeding and nourishing the so begotten ADVERSARIES BVT that which followeth is admirable viz. that the Pastour is not required to preach nor doth perform it by vertue of his office when he doth it DEFENCE MAny men and these with the rest haue spoken many absurd things in religion but these in this exceed them all yea and themselves They from Act. 20 affirm that the Pastours are to feed the flock by their office And can the flock be fed as it ought without preaching and where the bread of life is not broken unto it They also graunt in the same place from Titus 1. 9. that he is to defend the flock in the truth against all gainsayers But why to defend the flock c. as their cunning and corrupt glosse is rather then as the words of the text are by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsaier Are exhortations and convictions by sound doctrine no preachings with these men yea are they not directly for the conversion of gainsayers And how then belongs it not to Pastours to whom these things belong to convert So where it is required that the Bishop to be called be apt to teach is he not by his office to doe that which is requisite in him for his enabling unto it I say for the enabling of him unto his office and not for the adorning of it onely as hospitality is which though he wholy want ability to perform yet that disables him not as the want of aptnes to teach doth Ioyn with these the Apostles exhortation that the Elders that rule well be had in double honour specially they that labour in the word and doctrine for the labourer is worthy of his reward and what can be clearer then that the Pastour is to preach by his office and that as being the speciall work for which his wages are due unto him Is not to labour in the word and doctrine here spoken of for him to preach and that as an Elder as the former rule as Elders Strange it is that a Pastour or Teacher by office should not teach and preach by office that is not exercise their office or ministery the Teacher in teaching and Exhorter or Pastour in exhortation And see we not here what new Patrons dumb ministers haue gotten of whom the old almost every where are ashamed If it be not required of the Pastour to preach by his office then though he never preach at all yet it cannot be said to Archippus fulfill thy ministery which thou hast received in the Lord. The Pastour
he wanted And as the Apostle affirms of the Ephesians that they were elect of God in Christ before the foundation of the world in regard of the faith and holines appearing in them so might the Lord well say of this and other his like hypocrites and unsanctified ones that they are not of the number of the elect or chosen in Gods eternall decree so far as their present state manifests Neither is it the meaning of the Lord in those words simply to reprove him for not having on a wedding garment but for coming thither and not having it on Friend how comest thou hither not having on a wedding garment and so to warn others to make sure their election and not to content themselues with the shew of obedience without inward truth And taking the words thus they make for our and against their opinion Or take the words as meant of the actual execution of election and that in the largest sense so as in the same be cōprehended whatsoever God doth in time for the effectual procuring of a mans salvation as of the giving of Christ for him of the Gospell to him and by it faith and holinesse and the spirit of adoption and so glory in the end and we say all this he doth according to his eternall purpose of election effectuall onely in those who are made partakers of the inward calling and wedding garment thereby and not in all that are called outwardly For known unto the Lord are all his workes from the beginning of the world Whatsoever God doth in time that he purposed to do from eternitie as he doth it But take election as these men do in most places and which seems likewise to be their meaning upon best advise for that first work of mercie in God by which he actually and particularly as they speak chuseth persons to salvation they erre with great error in holding that this election is for the qualitie which God findes in persons and upon the condition of faith and repentance going before and that God onely chuseth and electeth where he finds faith and obedience to his son For first the Apostle teacheth Eph. 1. 4. that we are chosen in Christ to wit as the mediator and meanes of communicating all spirituall blessings with us before the foundation of the world was layd that we might be holy and unblameable in loue before him This is meant our adversaries granting it of the decree of election the meaning therefore must needs be that God hath from eternity decreed to elect or chuse us in time actually not because we should or would be holy as these men perversly imagine but that we might be holy As God from eternity purposed to chuse men so hee chuseth them actually in time But he purposed from eternity to chuse men that they might be holy and therfore actually in time chuseth them that they might be holy and unblameable before him and therfore not because they are holy or beleev and obey Gods actuall chusing therfore goes before our actuall faith holinesse repentance and obedience as the cause and follows them not as an effect as they mis-judge The same is confirmed from v. 5 where we are said to be predestinated to the adoption of children by Iesus Christ With which joyne that Rom. 8. 30 Whom he predestinated them also he called and whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them also he glorified To be elected to wit in decree and to be predestinated in the good part as here are the same in substance onely we are said to be predestinated in respect of the supernaturall ends and means leading therunto unto which God in time bringeth us and to be elect or chosen in respect of others from whom God selecteth us Now if we be predestinated of Christ to the adoption of children then not because we are children or beleev which are the same Ioh. 1. 12. To this purpose it is that the Lord so oft by Moses beats upon this that he chose the Israelits to be his people out of his loue to them and loue and promise to their Fathers excluding all other motiues and placing the cause of his chusing them in himselfe alone and his loue and the stability of his purpose and promise Moses testifyeth that God chose them that they might be a holy and peculiar people unto the Lord But these men will make God begin at the other end and chuse men because they are an holy and peculiar people that is having faith and repentance going before Ioyn we with this that in the Psalm Blessed be the man whom thou chusest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts we shal be satisfied with the goodnesse of thy house of thy holy Temple Faith then and holinesse are not the fore found conditions for which God chuseth a man but the actuall conferring and giving of them according to an eternall purpose is the very actuall chusing of him even that by which God severs elects selects and chuseth him out of the masse of the wicked Every mans common sense will teach this All are of themselues and by nature sinners and subject to wrath Now what is it for God actually to chuse some from the rest but to bestow that upon them actually and effectually by which they differ actually from the rest which is faith and repentance God doth not therfore as these adversaries imagine chuse upon condition of faith and repentance going before but doth by the very bestowing of these graces of faith and repentance which others want chuse elect select and sever actually from others the elected from eternity in his decree Lastly by the crosse doctrine of these men we should chuse God before God chuse us for by beleeving and obeying we chuse God to be our God and for this by their crooked rule God after chuseth us to be his people Thus proud flesh will needs be before hand with God But Christ our Lord leads us another way saying You haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you to wit first which he speaks not onely of their Apostolicall but of their Christian state also as the words following make it plain that whatsoever ye shall aske of the Father in my Name hee may giue it you Vnto the state of faith and obedience onely doth this promise appertain Their assertion thus disproved wee will come to their proofs which are partly impertinent and partly against themselues The first is The Lord chuseth to himselfe a righteous man The place which is Psal. 4. 3 they note not for what purpose they best know but all may know it is grosly perverted a◠not being meant of Davids election to salvation but to the Kingdom of Israel whose glory that way his adversaries would haue turned unto shame but all in vain v. 3. But consider we this choise in proportion to the other and see what followeth Gods