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
herein then the body of Truth it self then the word of God made flesh and manifested in the flesh met with in the dayes of his flesh Came not He from the bosome of the Father to open his name unto men and to shew to them the way of their salvation was not he truly Jesus the salvation of God and Saviour of the world one that came to teach men the knowledg of God and lead them unto life But O what course usage did He finde Did not the world abominate him as if he had been a Devil incarnate filled with Satan the great deceiver of mankinde leading them to Destruction how often did they cry out against him and offer to lay violent hands upon him as if he was unworthy to live amongst them What evil laws enacted they against him casting out of their Synagogues meetings and fellowships those that would own him Did they not call a councel about him and condemnâ— him therein and crave yea almost force it upon the Secular power to deliver him up to be crucified by them till they got their wills in that matter on him how did they after his condemnation all-to revile mock and taunt him yea dispitefully intreat and kill him And as if they would leave no stone unremoved for effecting their designes upon him they seal him up in his Sepulcher and set a guard to keep him therein And who I pray were the persons that thus used him Were they not the generality of the people but principally the Priests and Rulers the zealous and devout the seeming godly party that were so strict for tithing mint and rue for keeping Sabbaths keeping out errors and blasphemies as that a man that judged by the outside would have sworn they were the holiest people and best beloved of God that the world contained The wise the prudent the powerful the Scribes Pharises and Rulers of the people But I pray was Christ less the Son of God or the great Truth of truths because he found so bad entertainment by these prudent zealots because they condemned him and put him to Death was he therefore really guilty of that deceit and blasphemy with which they charged him was it not indeed as himself told them because he spake the truth to them and they could not endure to hear it from him Because he testified of them that their deeds were evil and their doctrine vitious which they set so high a price upon many good deeds have I done saith He for which of them do ye stone me And truly friend so have men dealt with this truth in hand It s cryed out upon as a Doctrine of Satan as error and blasphemy as the most pernicious Doctrine that can be taught almost they sit upon it in councel and condemn it they have reviled it railed on it mocked taunted it yea have they not crucified it and almost killed it and all this too hath been acted by the Learned Prudent Rabbies Scribes and Rulers but what evil hath it done Why disturb the Churches peace so they said Christ and the Gospel did their Synagogues Deprives believers of their comfort nay t is but them that believe it not as Christ did them that believed not in him not any right believers as we shall shew they can prove it guilty of no evil and therefore let not their charges of it move thee Veritas magna est praevalebit let them bury it and set a guard upon it banish it their cities countries kingdomes strike hands with Satan himself and combine with the gates and powers of hell to under it out it will and shall and shall be received As Moses lift up the Serpent in the wilderness so shall the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him may not perish but have eternal life For truth is truth though hated and reproached its cause is just their accusations groundless their opposite positions Antichristian but it self divine no nicety or fancy but of great concernment it being a truth that glorifies God and brings good news or tidings to men which with thy patience I shall a little demonstrate with the differences of their Anti-position of Christs dying only for an elect number in these following particulars 1. It s a doctrine that gives glory to God and magnifies his mercy or goodness and justice toward the sons of men in his dealings with them whereas the opinion it opposeth detracts from his glory in those particulars First I say it commends and magnifies the goodness of God in the exercise of his mercy while it speaks of him as love it self one that is good and therefore doth good good to All a lover and Saviour of mankinde and of the world in general one that delights not in the death of the wicked nor would that any should perish and run themselves into destruction but rather come to repentance and live to which end it shewes that he hath provided a means for banished mankinde to be brought back by to him again from that estate of misery unto which they were banished yea that to that end he enlightens manifests his truth calls to look to him lades with benefits waytes with patience upon sinners chastens them in mercy to keep their souls from the pit and to inlighten them with the light of the living and all this not bounded up to a few the far fewer part of men but in some degree or other inlarged generally to all And is not this a commendation of him as good and loving is it not the nature of love to diffuse it self abroad to extend it self to all as well as to burn intensively to any And 2. Doth not that that speakes of God as so mercifull illustrate also his justice the more brightly when it shewes his wrath and vengeance to come upon men for abusing love undervaluing goodness and for not accepting his grace can any thing be thought more just then to punish him that transgresses a command of an Authority in it self not onely lawful but also good and Fatherly that not only by its soveraignty might exact but also by its clemency and goodness did deserve obedience to its injunctions from all under it such as this doctrine declares Gods dealings with men by way of justice to be not only in respect of Adam our first parent and all in him but also in respect of us in our particulars and yet we ascribe his Soveraignty to him in all things too while we say all these his dispensations are not necessitated to him but free and voluntary so as that his giving Christ the streams of goodness that come to us through Christ were all of his good will not of our works yea his extending these or those means longer or shorter time with less or greater power are all free dispensations according to his will the Law he gives to men and the rewards he propounds all according to his own will only we say he acts forth this his
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
kinde of Faith not so infallibly attended with eternal salvation as that compared to the stony ground Matth. 13.19 20. And in those that made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience But he says That that 's the substance of the Gospel promulgation whoever believe shall be saved that 's the onely thing held out to innumerable That Faith shal be attended certainly with eternal life Truly I believe that that 's All the Gospel held out to innumerable indeed For they that know of no other Gospel predicable to them at least believe it not how should they preach it And truly though that 's a truth yet not a truth meet to beget Faith but that declares God in Christ an object fit for souls in general and particular to believe on That that 's all the divine Truth that God bids us preach as Gospel to innumerable of men I deny He quotes for it Matth. 16.16 1 John 5.11 but fails in them of his purpose He shews his mistake of the first in that he thinks that that in Mark 16.16 is a declaration of the Gospel that they should preach As if our Saviour had said This is the Gospel you shall preach He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Now that this cannot be the Gospel is plain for then the latter sentence He that believes not shall be damned should be part of the Gospel too and so good news which I suppose will be hardly judged so The truth is Our having Saviour bid them preach the Gospel informs them what should be the consequences of their preaching it He that believes that is that believes the Gospel that you preach shall be saved but he that believes not but rejects it shall be damned The Gospel that they were to preach was his Mission into the world as the Saviour of it his Death for our sins his Resurrection Ascention c. with the promises of Life to them that believing the Gospel believe on him and so the Apostle preached also as we have before shewed We declare to you good tidings that God hath performed his Promises to us in raising up Christ from the dead And be it known that in this mans name is preached to you remission of sins And to instance no more his other proof is plain that they preached more fully then as he tells us For in that 1 John 5.11 He says not onely this is the Record that life is in Christ and he that hath him hath it but also which he leaps over God hath given us that life eternal that is in Christ so as that it behoves us to receive it in receiving him or else we are ingreateful and guilty of our own destruction Whereas he chargeth us with a Conditional will in God for saving men I speak not of any thing conditional in him but I say God propounds to men salvation on condition and will make good his VVord where-ever that condition is performed by men That which follows in this Consideration is spoken to generally before and therefore I shall pass it and come to the next Consideration 9. He mindes us of the mixt distribution of Elect and Reprobates Consid 9. Believers and Vnbelievers throughout the world in the several places thereof in all or most of the single Congregations and that 's another ground of tendring the blood of Christ to them for whom it was never shed Here are a heap of beg'd questions all without proof As 1. That some are Elect and others Reprobates before the Gospel come to them and fasten upon some to pull them to Christ and his Justice pass upon others in hardning them for their rejection of Christ 2. That there are believers and unbelievers in the Congregations throughout the world antecedently to the Gospels publishing to them and therefore the Gospel must be tendred to All and the blood of Christ offered to them for whom it was never shed 3. That there are some men for whom Christ never shed his blood and that God hath ordered it to be offered to them But 4. Chiefly This is to be admired that the holy Ghost that knows the secrets of God and revealed them to the Apostles should out of these grounds affirm that Christ died and gave himself a ransom for All when he wrote to one of the Churches All which are no matters of our Faith till they have better proof VVhat he says of the Promises there is impertinent for it s not of those we speak but of the affirmations of the extent of Christs Death Propitiation and Ransom which are not promises upon any condition propounded but Declarations and Assertions of things done for us in Christ that are grounds to us for Faith Even such grounds as upon which the Apostles exhorts to Faith Matth. 22.4 2 Cor. 5.19 20. c. and from them though not from the promises which are the believers portion Faith meets with something to perswade us of his Death for All. VVhereas he says the offer is not absolutely universal If he speak of it as profferd in act by men its true but if as proferable and according to the terms of its Proposition in the Scripture its untrue for there it s expresly said To all the ends of the earth and to the whole Creation For Gods refusing to bestow Faith I would have him shew me that God any where expresses himself as unwilling and unready to bestow Faith upon men where they have not first wilfully rejected him as if it was a vain thing to preach to most and for most to hear because God will not afford them power of believing 10. His last Consideration is of the several degrees of Faith Consid 10. tending to clear this That men have an object fit to believe on though they believe not that Christ died for them Which I deny for this believing on God the onely ultimate object of Faith being a reliance or depending on him presupposes an apprehension of God as one able and willing to help him and that apprehension springing from his VVord reporting him to be such which cannot be apprehended with this in question Whether God hath given Christ for him or not for if that be doubted or uncertain its uncertain too whether God be willing to help him seeing he hath appointed help no ways but by him and through his dying for men But let us see what are his Positions He tels us there is 1. This That sinners cannot have salvation in themselves in as much as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Nor can be justified by the works of the Law This is indeed a truth to be believed but not properly Gospel or good news much less doth it shew the object to be believed on 2. That life is to be had in the promised seed But this is a lame Proposition for it expresses not whether life is there for them to whom it s preached or onely for some
answerably may doth speak of them more intelligibly and profitably As when it says The Lord hath set apart for himself the man that is godly Psal 4.3 Such a chusing or setting apart for himself as is there spoken of is and may be profitably propounded as an inducement unto godliness Also when it s said That God for such wilfull refusings of him and his Word Truth and Grace cast off reprobated or gave over such and such men as in Psal 81.9 10 11 14. Jer. 6.16 30. Rom. 1.28 Such a propounding of Reprobation may both be apprehended and good use may be made of it to and by men yet unrenewed to deter them from their obstinacy in evill and warn them to give diligent heed to God lest they should be so dealt with but in such a maner of speaking of and propounding these things I would not be understood there but as under those tearms men understand hidden abstruse acts of the Counsell and Will of God in himself from everlasting In Pag. 21. of the same Epistle there is lapsus memoriae a mistake of Hubberdine for Dr. Buckneham through the defect of my memory I not then having the Martyrology by me In Pag. 74. lin 15 16 17 c. some interlined passages of Mr. Owens Inferences were mistaken and misplaced by the Printer It should have been printed thus All that Christ dyed for 1. He gives that is compels to believe an inference wholly groundless from that Text it speaking of actuall believers and not of faith as a thing yet to be given them 2. All that he dyed for he justifies makes righteous and brings them to glory 3. All he dyed for he makes Intercession for for collating on them all the choise benefits of his death In Pag. 75. Where I say The ascribing an antecedent will Whose fulfilling depends on any free contingent act of ours fals not upon us my meaning is it fals not upon what I said in the beginning of that Chapter about Impretration and Application That that follows viz. But I conceive c. should have been yet I conceive that without injury to God that may be called an Antecedent will which respects some Antecedent condition in us in respect of some will of God respecting us as its proper object in a consequent condition in which I hope the ingenuous Reader will conceive that I speak of the Actings or determinations of Gods will which are called sometime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not that I assert that there are in God divers Wills or Principia volendi for that would be all one as to assert divers Gods or divers Essences of the same God What I say in Pag. 58. About Christs meriting his own exaltation in the humane nature is so clear that I hope none will deny it and yet I find that Zanchy was somewhat questioned about it by some in his time the learned Reader may see his defence of himself and his confirmation of the Orthodoxness of that assertion by the Testimony of divers of the Ancient Fathers as Augustine Jerome Ambrose Beda c. in Epist ad Lectorem tractatui de Fide Christianâ five Confessioni suae praefixâ amongst the rest that of Augustine is curt and pithy in Phil. 2.10 Wherefore God hath highly exalted him Humilitas claritatis meritum olaritas humilitireis praemium sed hoc factum est in formâ servi c. And by Humility he merited his glory and his glory was the reward of his humility but this was not in the form of God but in the form of a servant or as he was made man c. Zanchies Assertion that occasioned that defence is thus De Relig. Christ Cap. 11. Apho. 15. Credimus Christum suâ perfectâ obedientiâ non solùm sibi sed etiam nobis vitam aeternam promeruisse c. What I say Pag. 125 to that place in Phil. 1.29 That the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should rather be translated As pertaining to Christ is the judgment of divers Learned men as well as mine Zanchi renders it Pro Christi id est In Christi negotio vid. Zanch. in loc Beza In negotio Christo ad verbum in eo quod pro Christo suscipitur alioqui inquit redundaret articulus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bez Annot. in loc Camerarius in loc thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod attinet ad Christum ea vobis contigit gratia c. In Pag. 173. That of every herb I think upon further conâ—â—deration may be numbered amongst those places which speak 〈◊〉 the species or sorts of things and so the sense is they took the tenth individual of every species of herbs but yet that will make nothing to prove the word All to be taken so in the places in question To the Reader Reader WHosoever thou art quaedam tecum vellem in limine I have a word or two to say to thee before thou goest any further I desire thee to peruse this Treatise throughly for it cannot harm thee but if thou beest not thine own hindrance it may profit thee Though it be hostile its only against that that would hinder thee of good or obstruct those passages by which thou mightest be led out to do good It pleads for God and thy good yea the common good of all that do not wilfully deprive themselves thereof for vanity It pleads for Love to defend and maintain that God loves thee and to let thee see that there is good ground and cause for thy loving him And it s the nature of love to stand enemy to nothing but that that hinders its course and keeps the parties loved from the good it wishes them It pleads for a truth a part of that Doctrine of truth which the Apostle and Teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth both instructed our Fathers in 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. and left upon record for us their posterity namely that God wills that men be saved and come to the knowledg of truth and that evidenced in this that as there is but one God so there is one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus by whom God dispenses his goodness and makes known his good will to us and by whom we may have access to him and he is ready to accept of and imbrace us He having given himself a Ransome for all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A truth to be testified to men in due or proper or in their own times A truth it is though in these dayes covered over with reproachful tearms of error and heresie and as from the beginning the way of Christ hath been every where ill spoken of and exploded as little better then blasphemy Such force hath Satan Gods and mans adversary in the hearts of many that they love not nor believe that that speaks good of God to them and that which might do them good But marvel not at that good Reader for this beam of truth findes no worse entertainment
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
that doctrine that we should hold forth that word of life by which we should win men for it makes it uncertain to them that undertake to preach whom they should hold forth Gospel motives of Repentance and Faith to I mean any good will in God toward them to be testified to them to draw them to repent and believe in him whence many Ministers are put to it about Gospel preaching yea in stead thereof become teachers of the Law and jumble Law and Gospel together so that they confound them that they neither preach Law or Gospel but a mingle mangle of both not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm talking of duties to them that want principles to perform them rightly and not declaring to them that doctrine of Gods goodness that should by declaring his love to them rightly principle them telling men of believing and of the fruits and priviledges of faith but not holding forth Christ to men as one that dyed for them and so is become a sure foundation for their faith Yea telling men that are yet in unregeneracy of election and reprobation though none can understand them aright or make use of them profitably till brought into Christ in whom Election is and for rejecting whom God rejecteth and reprobateth an unprofitable doctrine to them and good for little as many teach it to such but either to lead men to a careless presumption or drive them into desperation Nay in stead of preaching Gospel to every creature they cannot preach Gospel in a certain sound so as they or the hearer may say its Gospel to him to any creature except they presume they first see in him some fruits of Election And so I conceive its a doctrine very serviceable to Satans design of hindering men from seeing that glorious grace of God in Christ in and by which they should be turned into him the contrary to all which is evidently affirmable of the Doctrine there pleaded for Vpon these and such like differences good Reader as also to stop the clamors of some and herein give answer to them that deny me liberty thereof otherwise was I moved to undertake this task of grapling with Mr. Owen in this controversie not for any hopes I have to finde preferment and advantage in this world the hopes of which I have thrown behinde me and desire further so to do for Christ being well acquainted with the worlds temper in this matter I know it s ever an enemy to the truth of God and to its own good through the subtile working of Satan with the craftiness of the seeming prudent men high in esteem with it I know for I sometimes hear how suporbous supercilious men deride the simplicity of the words and Gospel of Christ how generally they fling against it and cast dirt upon it so that we may truly say the visage and form of Christ is marred more then any form and the truth of God in this matter rendred more contemptible then any doctrine they that will not abide an argument or two to their faces yet if they get into a Pulpit where none may interrupt them or elsewhere where there are none to answer them like the hypocritical mockers at feasts spoken of Psal 35.16 then they will gird and argue strenuously against it or deride and vilifie those that preach it and more ingenuous men and confident of their cause appear in print against it I know the most odious names of Pelagianism Semipelagianism and Arminianism are cast upon it as Samaratinism and Sathanism too were often cast on Christ to make him odious and fear people from him on the other side their device is clothed with the names of sound and Orthodox doctrine and shews its pedegree as high as Prosper and Saint Austin The world deals with these two doctrines as some would have the Kingdom deal with Presbyterie and Independency as they call them as Tamars Midwise dealt with her two children It says concerning their doctrine as she of Zarah this came out first it is the eldest brother and they would have a Scarlet thred upon it establish it by a civil bloody Sanction and so authorize it to suppress the truth that is opposed by them of which they say as she of the supposed yonger but indeed the Elder for Christ was in his bowels and he came out first it s name shall be Pharez it s a maker of Schism upon it and its Preachers be charged our breaches and divisions and so they vilifie and reproach Christ whose it is and who is in it and who for all the others forwardness will give it the dominion I know the truth of the old adage Obsequium amicos veritas odium parit flattery is befriended and conformity to mens determinations is esteemed but the truth is hated I look for my cleaving in this to the word of God to be ranked with the worst of Hereticks and to meet with no better name with this generation then Christ and his former servants have met with in theirs I look to have my name cast out as odious and made to stink in the nostrils of men or else Satan and his instruments will want of their will while they that oppose the truth of God grow famous but I much matter not it s but the reward with men that Christ hath appointed for his followers It s his saying to his servants ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake and it s properly the name of Christ viz. That he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Saviour of the World that is defended by us and it s his consolation too that the servant is not greater then his Lord If they call the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more them of his houshold and again Blessed are yee when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their companies as some have endeavoured and shall reproach you and cast out your names as evil for the Son of mans sake rejoyce yee in that day and leap for joy for great is your reward in Heaven for in the like manner did their Fathers unto the Prophets We have in our dayes too them that can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scoff and deride my weakness in such an undertaking that will say in their puff-pride swelling in conceits of their learning and abilities as sometimes the Athenians did of poor Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What will this illiterate babler say Our age will afford those that read and preach the commendations of the Prophets and Apostles garnishing their writings though they believe them not as their fathers did their Sepulchres but yet will oppose and hate those that follow their footsteps and cleave close to the word of God that they have published Non ignota loquor I have the experience of some things of this nature and know that truth cannot be sincerely profest at easier rate then such course usage the glimmerings of it in inferior streams when
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
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
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
gives a good answer by his resurrection that is by it as not only acted in Christ but as discovered to us in the word and as its that medium by which we behold Gods goodness toward us Rom. 3.25 and 5.1 And so the bloud of Christ Justifies us by faith in it as by vertue of the satisfaction made by it Christ presents us righteous being brought into him through the faith of it and so for sanctification it 's by his bloud sprinkled on us and through the power of the spirit working powerfully in us That place in Heb. 9.14 quoted by him p. 64. to prove sanctification to be an immediate product of his death is horribly mistake for it speaks not of his Death simply assuffered or his blood as presented by him to God but as sprinkled upon the conscience and therefore it s brought to answer the type of the red heifer Numb 19. which not by its death and oblation immediately sanctified the people but the ashes of it being reserved and after mixed with clean water and sprinkled on the unclean then Sanctified to the purifying of the flesh and not otherwise so also he hath misapplyed 2 Cor. 5.19 in his first chapter p. 2. bringing it to prove Reconciliation accomplished in the Death of Christ When the Apostle speaks but of it in fieri not in facto its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reconciling to the accomplishment of which in them he exhorts them in ver 20. Be ye reconciled unto God so in pag. 3. he hath to wrong purpose quoted Heb. 9.12 and 1 Pet. 2.24 as speaking of redemption or justification as accomplished upon men when they so far as he quotes them speak but of Christs finding or obtaining it of the father in himself or into his hand nor is it there expressed for whom or for how many he obtained it the words for us being not in the Text. Again he there misquotes Rom. 3.25 rendring it We have all sinned and are justified as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas it is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All have sinned being justifyed c. But I pass from these things His drift in all this he afterward in pag. 4. and more plainly chap. 3. lib. 2. discovers to us It s to beat down a spreading perswasion as he calls it of Christs giving himself aransome for all and every one a perswasion which the Teacher of the Gentiles in truth and verity broached in those very expressions 1. Tim. 2.5 6 7. Heb. 2.9 a sad time when men of parts study to oppose his doctrine totidem verbis in the very tearms that he delivered it in But Hic labor hoc opus est To this purpose the aforesaid considerations were laid down to be the foundation and Basis of an argument or two as to that purpose he hath inlarged them also lib. 2 cap. 3. producing more scriptures tending to the same thing to which those above mentioned were produced as That he shall save his people from their sins shall see his seed and carry on the pleasure of the Lord Sanctified himself that they may be Sanctified through the truth gave himself for us that he might deliver us from this present evil world was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him most or all of which we shall after meet with and speak more particularly to from all which he draws this argument That which the Father and Son intend to accomplish in and towards all those for whom Christ died by his death that is most certainly effected But the Father and Son intended by the Death of Christ to redeem purge sanctifie purifie deliver from Death Satan the curse of the Law to quit of all sin to make righteousness in Christ all those for whom he dyed Therefore He dyed for all and only those in and towards whom all those things recounted are effected and so not for All. This is a main pillar of his edifice let us by Gods assistance assay to shake and evert it And first not to speak to the form how the conclusion should have been inferred for the major if taken in this sense What the Father and Son did intend purpose and wholly take upon themselves absolutely to do by his death that was and shall be thereby effected His determinate purpose shall not fail so it s granted But if by intended we understand what he propoundeth as an end intended in which there may be something suspended in the proposition upon some condition in that way I say what ever is propounded as his intent may not be fulfilled and accomplished in All for whom he dyed But I know he intends it in the former sense and therefore 2. I shall deny the Minor and desire his proof for it namely that the Father and Son intended that is absolutely purposed and wholly took upon themselves without condition to redeem purge sanctify c. all for whom Christ died For 1. This is beside the scripture that saith He dyed for all but never that he so intended to purge sanctifie set free and save All. 2. It s against that intimation in Rom. 14.15 and 2 Cor. 8.11 that one for whom Christ dyed may possibly perish and makes a meer scare-Crow of the Apostles reasoning as if he would deter them from evils by propounding impossible consequences of it and suppositions quite contrary to the faith to say nothing that it thwarteth that too in 2 Pet. 2.1 3. None of all the Places quoted prove what is affirmed for either they say not that the object named is all that Christ died for but some specially distinguished from others by the intervention of faith either in the eye of God or in real existence in them as his people 1 Pet. 2.10 them that believe on him the Church that is a people called out of the world Vs who were then actually believers them that were given him out of the World had received his words believed were sent into the world by him to preach the Gospel to say nothing of his begging the question that by sanctifying himself he meanes his dying or setting himself apart to dye in Joh. 17.19 so that that Minor is peccant in that it wants proof none of those Scriptures saying that those things he aymed at in all he dyed for To illustrate the business the proof is like this It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe and he called you by the Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of the Lord Jesus Ergo All to whom it pleased God that the Gospel should be preached shall be saved and obtain eternal Glory To propound as a truth that God intended to redeem purge and save All for whom Christ dyed and then to prove it by telling us he intended to do so to Vs that believe to his Church and people is as lame a proof as if I should propound for truth that God intended to
his Intercession as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Advocate in this assertion so I believe he will not prove it by Scripture And yet no need of saying he refused to do it for them it will be difficult I suppose for him to prove that the wisdom of God did see it meet to impose that upon him so to intercede for all that he dyed for And if it was not propounded to him though he do it not yet may he not be said either to refuse or omit it It becomes us to believe what God hath declared not to deliver for truths or impositions of God what our fancies conceive he must have imposed where he hath declared no such imposition he hath said Christ dyed for all but where he saith he makes intercession for all or for all he dyed for I leave to Mr. Owen to finde and I would he would remember his own language in the Preface To honor God and Christ in his own language or else be for ever silent and that our inventions be they never so splendid and I add rational too in our eyes yet to him they are abomination God doth not act alwayes according to our rules do the lesser where he hath done the greater but may suspend the lesser upon condition if it so please him as he doth not alway supply with bread and keep from perishing by famine him that he hath given life to though the life be more then food and a man that believes and walks in Gods ways may reason affirmatively as our Saviour instructs us Math. 6.25 but let us view his pretended proofes of it from Scripture The first is Psal 2.8 Ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession c. But doth that say That Christ should make intercession for all he died for no such matter nor is there a word about inerceding for any but that they should be given him as his inheritance and possession and if that be his intercession there then it s extended to all elect and others the Nations and the utmost parts of the earth not an elect people onely but even those that he should rule with an iron rod and break in pieces as a Potters vessel I hope Mr. Owen thinks not at least will not prove that God rules his Church Tam duro imperio so as to break them in pieces as a Potters vessel make them unprofitable or that he rules them onely so nor I suppose upon second thoughts will he say that the next place that he quotes viz. Joh. 14.2 I go to prepare a place for you is either a good exposition of that in Psal 2.8 as if his going to prepare a place for his Disciples was asking them for his inheritance to rule them with an iron rod or proves that he went to entercede for all he died for nor doth Heb. 9.7 say any thing to that purpose but that the high Priest went into the second Tabernacle once a year with the blood that he offered for the ignorances of the people nor sayes ver 24. That Christ appears in the presence of God to intercede for All that he died for much less as an Advocate and as the Apostles speak of his intercession with reference to believers The 1 Joh. 2.1 2. which he nextly quotes extends his Propitiation beyond his Advocation and doth not speak of the one as largely as the other Minde the words We have an advocate and he is the propitiation for our sins I hope the Our there is as large as the We of whom he had said We have an advocate that Our being a repetition of and so the same with the former We but now see his Propitiation expresly extended further And not for our sins onely but also for the whole worlds so that that makes more against his Assertion then for it It s true that his Advocation as he saies is founded upon his propitiation and may be found in exercise for the same persons as there is proved We have an Advocate who is the propitiation for our sins but that the Advocation must therefore extend to all the same persons that the propitiation reaches to is a fond inference like this A Prince by his favor with a King and by his own great cost and charge mediating for twenty men condemned forfelony gets a pardon for them all therefore when afterwards ten of them love and honor him yet have their failings and the other ten openly rebell against him still and reject his love he must keep them all still in the Kings special favor if he keep any of them therein The roof of the house and every particular Chamber of it is built upon and upheld by the foundation therefore every Chamber must be every way as large as it so that hitherto this Assertion wants proof of Scripture That of John 17.9 proves it not neither for that saies I pray not for the world but the Scripture saies God was in him reconciling the world and that he came to save the world and indeed good reason for his not praying as there for the world whether the Elect in purpose and fore-knowledg or not for his requests there are onely for things consequent to faith as Union Preservation in Faith Sanctification and Glorification and therefore meet to be put up for none but men called out or viewed as called out of the state and fellowship of the world that in ver 20. though its for persons as then of the world yet as such they are not there the object of his prayer but as supposed in an after-believing state even as when a King grants to the Mayor of a Corporation the honor of having a Sword or the like born before him and saies neither give I this honor to thee onely but to all succeeding Mayors of this Corporation also and to none else the subject of that Grant is a Mayor as a Mayor of that Corporation though in saying such as shall be Mayors its plain the Grant reaches to persons as are then that not so perhaps then not born and yet the expression is true that it s given to none but the Mayor of that Corporation for they that after shall be Mayors and now are not are not the subject of that Grant as now unborn or unfree but as after they come to be made Mayors so here they that are of the world now may come to be such persons as there are prayed for and yet the world as and while the world wholly excluded from being the subject to whom those postulataes are desired to be given And to Mr. Owens saying that the world there is opposite to the Elect except by Elect he mean men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is gathered out of the world as the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie is yet to prove and his Assertion too looses by the bargaine Though yet
to shew Whether the condition of believing be procured by him for All or for any I leave to its place and in the mean time desire him to prove by Scripture his perswasion that to whom Christ is in any sense a Saviour in the work of Redemption them he saves to the uttermost from all their sins of infidelity and disobedience with the saving of grace here and glory hereafter and in particular that he so saved those to whom in the knowledg of himself as a Saviour he gave an escape from the pollutions in the world who afterward backslid from him 2 Pet. 2.20 21. Whereas answer was further made to his Objection T. M. that he in some sort intercedes for transgressors the sons of men yet in and of the world that they through Gods blessings on their ministration may be convinced and be brought to acknowledg that Jesus is the Lord c. but more especially for the called believers c. Here Mr. Owen first mistakes his Answer M. O. as if he had said he prayed for them that they might be brought to faith in God through Christ effectually saving to life eternal and then opposes him in that conception Whereas he only said to believe the report of the Gospel according to that in Joh. 17.21 23. and to come to some perceptions of light therein whereto attending they might be brought further or which refusing they may be hardned for it Then he askes 1. In what sort Christ intercedes for that for such John 17 I answer for him in that sort as Christ expresses himself in John 17.21 23. obliquely as we pray for the good of a Kingdom when we pray for a spirit of wisdom and government on Kings and men in authority It s true believers are the direct Object of his intercession for those things conducing to this convincement and to this knowledge and faith even as Kings and Magistrates are in those prayers instanced 1 Tim. 2.2 though in other instances they may be the direct object as the Fig-tree of that Intercession Luk. 13.7 and the persecutors of that in Luk. 23.34 But then he askes whether it be intended to be accomplished I suppose it is and shall be in due time according to the tenor of our Saviours praying for it but to me he seemes to wrangle with our Saviour himself about his expressions because he gives no fuller account of his petitions It s likely he would the same query about our Saviours praying for believers unity and say Did Christ absolutely intend it or no and if so then why is it not better effected but that there are so many divisions even amongst them Christs prayers have I conceive in part their Answer here but not fully till the perfect day when all the world shall see and say This is Sion the City of the Lord and this is the truth of God c. 2. He demands if it be by vertue of his blood shed for them I answer I conceive it is had he not offered up himself a ransom and removed their death and condemnation he had had no ground to ask any further favor for them had he not come with blood for sin that cryed for vengeance no hearing I conceive of any supplication for them But then he saith it follows that by his death he procured faith for all But that 's a mistake For first Neither is this asserted for All though for others then the Elect only Nor secondly Follows it that his death if he mean simply and per se procured it nay rather the contrary for then what need of any further Mediation or petition for it frustra fit per plura c. A man may with boldness go to request a new lone of another for a man that plaid the bankrupt had run far into his debt bringing pay with him for the former debt that perhaps might have had no admittance for his suit in that kinde without that payment made and yet that payment meerly procured not the second lone That may be causa partialis sine quâ non of a thing that is not causa propriè plenè effectiva of it It s not the payment of the old debt that either obliges him that pays to borrow anew or him that lends to lend anew but grace in both from the * Orgiver lender to the borrower and from both to him for whom he borrows it Christ hath such grace in his Fathers eyes that he having paid our old score may ask a new stock and obtain it though his meer payment without that asking did not oblige the Father to it 3. He askes if he interceded for them with an intention and desire that they should believe or not I answer Yes sure for I suppose else he would not so have prayed and so they do and shall though not so far as his question here supposes That which he desires to be granted conducing to that end shal be granted but the end that he would have men attain to by those means afforded may by them not be so far obtained as he desires them to press to He would have them being convinced of the truth cleave to it follow after it acknowledg it c. but many do not grant him his desires even as he would have gathered Jerusalems children and yet they would not and as he rather pleases that men would turn and live and yet many do not Matth. 23.27 Ezek. 33.11 Yet that that he asks of his Father to that purpose as conducing to that end viz. a blessing with his means afforded so far as that they have light drawn to them to attend on that they have and shall acknowledg when their mouths shall be stopt for abusing it And in this is answered his two following Queries As first Whether it be for all and every man in the world That neither was affirmed nor in that place Joh. 17.21 held forth but men of the world others then the Church Secondly Whether absolutely or conditionally so that absolutely that his Disciples might be made fit means for such an end but for the worlds further believing and making good use of what they have that 's left to them upon the means and those convincements whether to chuse the good and refuse the evil or persist in evil and not â—huse the good and yet not without divers exhortations motions end counsels to chuse that that 's good and therefore for not chusing ahe fear of the Lord they are after charged Pro. 1.29 Whereas he t' demands Whether Christ prayes that they may use well the means ' of grace or not I Answer I finde no such prayer and yet it follows not but that he prayed that they may believe those things there mentioned or rather that the Believers may walk so well as that the world did they not wilfully shut their eyes might see and believe those truths viz. both that that Doctrine concerning Christ is the truth and
God might deal in a way of mercy with them And he eyed further the Testament of promises made to his called ones that God would bring in to believe in him layd down his life for confirmation of their faith in those promises and also for confirmation and ratification of the truth of his doctrine to those to whom he preached it Now in the first consideration he says he took in All men though not all but his called ones and such as he should have for his seed In the second against which Mr. Owen saith nothing worth the Answer but faults the things that he seems not well to understand and quarrels with want of smoothness in the expressions and unaptness of quotations not rightly taking them to the Authors meaning as I conceive For I suppose Heb. 9.9 26. He only quoted to shew that as a Priest he offered sacrifice Joh. 1.29 1 Joh. 2.2 to shew that he was as a propitiation and that extended to All Heb. 9.14 15. Matt. 26.26 he quotes to prove his Death to be for Ratification of his Testament and so the Apostle made use of it in Rom. 5.10 8.32 none of them expressing his utmost end that being known sufficiently and granted on every hand Now whereas Mr. Owen saith that his proofes for the sealing the Testament hold out but the first end of the death of Christ he speaks not rightly for neither of those places viz. Mat. 26.26 Heb. 9.15 speaks only of procuring of remission of sins or power and prerogative of forgiving but of sealing the Testament also which bequeaths not to all he dyed for but to all that heartily believe in him and such the Apostles were the receit and injoyment of forgiveness and of the inheritance it self which remission the believers indeed confess that they experimentally receive from him in his blood believed on by them Rom. 3.25 as in Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 which Scriptures speak not of procuring Redemption though that must needs be supposed as a thing fore-done but of the receit and injoyment of it that they being brought out of darkness into Christs Government met with and partook of as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declares too Whereas he cals his distinction of these ends mentioned his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's only his want of discerning and so till he see better may be forgiven him as all the rest of that following froth he hath not worth repeating or answering for whereas he saith that he may this way answer any thing by saying its otherwise in his opinion it seemes strange to me that he cannot see the places above recited cleerly proving what was affirmed by him Doth not his being a Lamb to take away the sin of the world and the propitiation for the sins of the whole world shew that the work of his Priest-hood had something in it extending beyond the bounds and limits of the Church and chosen except he can first shew that the world the whole world is the Church of God and all of them the chosen of God and so confound the distinction so cleerly held forth in Scripture between the Church and the world John 14.17 22. 15.18 19. 16.20 17.9 1 Cor. 6.2 11.32 c. And doth not Heb. 9.15 with Mat. 26.26 plainly say that Christ also intended to confirm the faith of his called ones in expectation of the eternal inheritance and to make that sure to them Is there not a plain difference between these two the breaking in peices the bond of Death man was faln into and so delivering him out of that and the making a Covenant of promises with some of them so ransomed Is it all one for a Prince to ransom a thousand men out of prison in which they were to perish and save them from hanging when the rope was about their necks And his entring into a bond and Covenant to prefer so many of them being ransomed as will submit to and serve him Did not Christ undertake for both in his death both to ransom man faln and to confirm his Church in faith But who can give eyes or who shall perswade wise men to be willing to be fools in themselves that God may give them eyes I shall leave the Reader to God intreating sobriety from him and that he will not wink with his eye willfully when light is propounded to him And so having through Gods assistance finished my answer to his first book In expectation and confidence of the same assistance I shall follow him to the second The Second Book CHAP. I. A further view of his consideration of the ends of the death of Christ as further handled in his first and second Chapters of his second book COnsidering further the end of the Death of Christ He tels us it was either 1. Ultimate and supream viz. the glory of God the Father Or 2. Subservient to that viz. The bringing men to God and in that both 1. That men might have means of coming to God And 2. The end it self coming to God or Salvation Which I suppose not as so indefinitely propounded though I think the ends of it may be more fully and cleerly assigned thus viz. 1. Gods Glory Phil. 2.11 2. Nextly the glory of the Son of God that he might have the preheminence and God be glorified in him John 17.1 4. Phil. 2.9 10. Rom. 14.9 To this end he both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of quick and dead So John 5.22 The Father hath given to the Son to have life in himself which I understand of the life communicable to men for that is said to be in him 1 John 5.11 and so life in him through his death for men that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father for that 's the life indeed for which he is so worthy to be honored of all men in their looking to him and believing on him as on the Father and that 's the honoring him as the Father to give him all the honor of believing and staying on him resting and glorying in him acknowledging his Lordship c as to the Father 3. To these purposes that all might be set free and ransomed from the sentence of death under which they were fallen that so God and Christ might be glorified in them all and an object of hope and faith be provided for them to look to and believe in for salvation and for God to glorifie the riches of his mercy in drawing men to according to his good pleasure Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 2 Cor. 5.14 15. 4. That those that believe in him might have eternal life So in Iohn 3.16 be brought to God 1 Pet. 3.18 and to glory Heb. 2.10 having Christ for a witness and Covenant ratifying and sealing an everlasting Covenant with them and being an example and pattern yea a Captain and leader to them Isa 49.6 55.4 Heb. 9.15 Matth.
I have propounded that distinction Christ is not wanting to apply what is impetrated according to the will of God for application or compact made in Impetration and therefore his second Argument is vain too viz. That 2. It s contrary to reason that the Death of Christ in Gods intention should be applyed to any one that shall have no share in the merits of that Death None of all his adversaries produced by him say any such thing they rather deny the application of it to many then say that some to whom it s to be applyed have no share in his merits Whereas he says many know not of it we have shewed before that a man may have a fruit of love from another that he knows not Cyrus was girded and strengthned by God though he knew him not So men have a release from the dealing of God with them according to the merit of Adams sin which should else unavoidably have come upon them and this by Christ though many know not him And all receive some fruits of Adams sin though many knew not that there was such a one or what his sin was Whereas he saith it s against reason that a ransom should be paid for captives upon compact of deliverance and yet upon payment those captives not be made free and set at liberty that Christ should be a ransom upon compact of deliverance of captives and yet the greatest number of them never be released That is falsly bottomed for God released All from that deadly destroying sentence which hath God taken the forfeit of Adams sin in that very day had ruined Adam and his whole posterity Justification of life is to all so that they All have life here and shall however be released and brought out of the death that is ordered to them by occasion of Adams sin in the resurrection so far are all acquitted that if any perish it s not in that but in a second Death Yea all are released also in this regard that whereas all were cast out of Gods presence and might not approach to him now through Christ all have free leave to approach to him all are commanded to repent and turn to him to look to him and be saved whoever will may come and welcome yea God is so far from keeping them away that he faults men for not coming to him John 5.40 Now if a ransom be paid for captives and the prison doors opened and means afforded for leading them out and prisoners willingly and stubbornly refuse but will stay in prison still as in this later respect many do shall that be imputed as a defect of justice in him to whom the ransom was paid for them Surely no except it could be proved that that was the compact that he should in that regard compel and forcibly cause to come out of prison all that the ransom was paid for which I am sure Mr. Owen will not be able to prove in this matter Christ no where says to any God would not have you come to him you are not included in the ransom nor that all that he dyed for shall be brought in to him but he often tels us God would have them seek him and come to him and faults them that they will not For that after-shift as he cals it of conditional and absolute obtaining of things it fals not upon me I affirm that liberty from that first sentence's execution upon us was absolutely obtained Justification of life to All. And that liberty is opened in the Gospel to All and men exhorted to enter and for not striving to enter now the door comes to be shut upon many that which they have shall be taken from them because they liked to have it and then they cannot enter Also that all life remission and fulness are absolutely put into Christs hands only I say the will of God for his dispensation and so to his proposition of the things to be dispensed not his obtaining them into his dispose nor the freeness and openness of them for men to look after and come to him for them hath a condition annexed God wils Christ to dispense them to men upon coming to him and Christ holds them forth upon that condition to any Whoever will let him come c. we deny that Christ is bound to make known to all for whom he dyed the fulness that is in him like evidently or himself or the way of salvation to all alike expresly or expresly at all That all are bound to minde and imbrace what he revealeth to them is clear but that he is bound to make known this or that to all he dyed for I deny that Mr. Owen can any where prove He may bring infants to himself and dispense his salvation to them and yet never give them capacity to hear the condition of salvation and yet we believe what the Scripture saith John 1.9 that he is the true light that inlightens every man coming into the world He is not bound to give every man ten talents alike open and plain declation of himself and Father no not for saving them but every man is bound to improve and submit to God in what he gives them be it more or less and if they do so he is able and ready to give more being liberal and free and can tell how to save them if not he is just to take away what they have and not bound to save them He being Lord of them Nor yet say we that men have power of themselves to improve what is given them but he who gives them the talents gives them the power too in which he requires them to improve them and it s not inability but slothfulness and obstinacy for which they are faulted and condemned by him because they rather chuse to live idly in themselves and dy then stir abroad to seek God John 8.31 32 34 36. or yeeld to what he brings home to them and live Christ as he is the Truth of God is the great Physitian of souls and by revelations of truth both cals to himself for healing and by further revelations of it to those that come to him doth heal John 14.6 The truth shall make you free and this because He hath given himself a ransom for them in the first place without which neither ground of calling nor fitness to heal them Now this Great Truth of God doth send abroad his beams of divine light and so some sparklings of himself as the Word of God and God by vertue of his relation to the humane nature first virtually and then actually united to him to men in generall John 1 4 5 9 though not so clearly nor so many beams at all times as in some nor to All men as to some Yet to the generality some Beams of truth Rom. 1.18 19 21.28 Acts 17 27 28.27 Job 21.14 those beams have their force in their leading them to know something of God so to
give to this or that muchless to all he dyed for effectually to believe in him and to be saved not a word to that purpose So that that piece of doctrine viz. That for whom Christ dyed them he procured faith for is none of those scripture-Scripture-truths that will scatter the supposed clouds and mists Nor yet follows it that the whole impetration of Redemption is made unprofitable For 1. God hath ingaged himself so to glorifie his Son that some shall be brought in though he no were say All he dyed for nor that I know of any particular persons so as that this or that individuall must or else he should be unjust 2. He shall have much glory from his good bounteous and merciful dispensations to men through the Death of Christ that yet he compels not to believe on Christ Matt. 22.2 3 4 5. with Rom. 11.36 yea in the just and righteous condemnation of those that sin'd against that mercy and refused to submit to him For that condition upon which he supposes we will say Christ is to bestow salvation viz. so they do not refuse or resist the means of grace It s a mistake we know no such imposition put upon him for men may receive the means and yet rebel against the grace it self that comes in them have a form and deny the power of godliness and for that perish Though that all Pagans and infidels are left destitute of all means leading them to seek after God or that any that have no outward means from Christ nor ever resist Gods workings in them shall be condemned as Mr. Owen would perswade us I leave for him to prove Christ says to the Jews that if he had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin and for ought I know If Christ neither come in Word Joh. 15.22 nor in any spiritual way as he preached to the old world by his Spirit if any such he can finde they may not have sin charged on them to condemnation and destruction Yet if Mr. Owen can shew me otherwise I will believe it For making Christ but a half Mediator its frivolous yet we shall speak to it lib. 3. c. 3. where it occurs again That Christ did not dye for any on condition of their believing I believe nor that he dyed only for the Elect of God that they should believe nor finde I any Scripture calling any man while yet in and of the world an Elect person He dyed for All that being Lord of them and presenting his light to them according to the good pleasure of the Father whosoever believes might not perish but have eternal life And here ends this Second Book and my Answers to it The Third Book His third Book contains Arguments grounded for the most part upon his former premises against the universality of the Death of Christ we shall Favente Deo orderly view them CHAP. I. An answer to his two first Arguments contained in his first Chapter of this Book The first Chapter contains two Arguments Argu. 1 As FRom the nature of the Covenant of Grace established ratified and confirmed in and by the Death of Christ His Argument runs thus The effects of the death of Christ cannot be extended beyond the compass of the new Covenant or Christ died only for those that are within the New Covenant But this Covenant was not made universally with all but particularly onely with some Therefore those alone were intended in the benefits of the death of Christ A very vitious Argument whereof the Conclusion contains a quartus terminus for in stead of any effects the tearm propounded in the Major He says the benefits therein as is clear by what follows in him comprehending the choice benefits of the death of Christ applied The Major also is ambiguous and uncertain For either it is universal as No effect of the death of Christ c. or else particular as Some do not c. If the latter its impertinent and concludes not against the death of Christ for All but onely its having some effects in All which is besides the thing in question if the former as I suppose he intends it then I deny it I deny I say that Christ died for none or that none have any effect of his death extended to them but onely such as with whom the New Testament is made He brings no other proof for it which he perhaps therefore lisped in because he saw himself weak in the proof of it but onely from that title given to his blood that it s called The blood of the New Testament So that his Argument to prove that runs thus It s called the blood of the New Testament Therefore shed onely for them that are heirs of the New Testament Which is like this The Spirit is called the Spirit of Comfort and the Comforter Therefore whoever it works upon it comforts them and so when it convinces the world of sin it s their comforter too and when it kindles the fire of Tophet Isai 30.33 it comforts them that are tormented with it A wilde Argument and yet such is his The truth is As its an office of the Spirit to comfort and he is a Comforter to all that obey him so is it an office of the blood of Christ or rather one end of its shedding to ratifie the new Covenant which it also doth to all that believe in it But as that is not all the work or business of the Spirit to comfort so neither was that all the work or end of the blood of Christ to establish the new Covenant but first of all to ransom from the death that was passed upon men and then to confirm a Covenant to the house of Israel and Judah This blood where ever it s tendered the Covenant is tendred with it Hear and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you the sure mercies of David and he that obeys this is entred into Covenant by it but not All for whom it was shed are in Covenant by its shedding no more then all for whom the water of Purification was made were therefore purified because it was made for them and called the water of Purification Numb 19 9.20 Mr. Owen also mistakes the parties with whom the Covenant is made For he understands them to be a certain number of persons yet lying in the world and that its one clause of the Covenant to give them faith or make them to believe whereas indeed especially as pertaining to the Gentiles the proper object with whom the Covenant is made is the called of God believers in Christ Jesus into those mens hearts God will put his fear not to bring them to him but to keep them from departing from him which argues their being brought to him before these shall have the Law written in their hearts an allusion to the old Testament written in Tables of Stone not before they were brought out of Egypt but after they
me you have sinned against my blood and troden me under foot and therefore it now requires vengeance on you Mark by the way that it s not said Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect because Christ dyed for them but God justifies them who is he that condemns them Not who shal condemn them but who is he that is in comparison of God that justifies them that here reproaches and condemns them It s Christ that dyed one who hath infinite favor with God dyed for them being enemies and shall not such a one being now at his right hand prevaile for more strength for God to uphold them they being his choise ones men in him and believers on him then is in all their adversaries to overthrow them But as for those that neglect his salvation he saith How shall they escape Heb. 2 3. not how shall they but be owned and protected in their way by him His next Scripture-proof is Matth. 11.25 26. Scrip. 3. Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent c. thence he gathers That from whom the Lord in his Soveraignty hides the Gospel either in regard of its outward preaching or inward revelation in their hearts Them Christ dyed not for But our Saviour here affirms there are such c. Both these propositions I deny The first for he reveales it not to children dying in infancy by the outward preaching yet we dare believe they are not all heirs of hell and he may justly hide the inward revelation from those that stop their ears against or attend not to the outward preaching and yet Christ might dy for them to ransome them from the Death that they were adjudged to in Adam that so he might further glorify the Father in his dispensations towards them and dispose of them Besides he hath not one patch of Scripture to attest that proposition Again I deny the minor for Christ saith not there that those wise and prudent men never heard of the Gospel in its power The words are not I thank thee that thou hast hid the Gospel from them much less that thou will never reveal it to them But These things which may be understood they way of his Judgments of which he had been speaking ver 20.24 and also how mens names are writ in Heaven Luk. 10 13-20.21 In Matth. 13.11 It s the Mysteries of the Kingdom Secreta abdita the things only to be shewed to those that are Scholars to Christ as there are certain mysteries in trades that are for none but those that are bound prentices to know and he there gives a reason in ver 15. they had closed their eyes against the powerfull convincements of the Gospel they refused to turn at Christs reproofs and therefore he would not pour out his Spirit Prov. 1.22 23 24. These things he hath hid from the wise and prudent and revealed to babes by babes he means men humbled and emptyed of themselves like infants that knowing nothing are docible and dispute not against what is taught them but believe it though they comprehend not what is in it attending till growing up to perfecter capacity they be able to comprehend the truth of it By wise and prudent men he means them that being strong-parted men of reason and learning do think by reason to finde out truth or to be the measure of truth propounded able to judge of what is said to them and therefore believe not upon the bare authority of the Master as Children and babes do but measuring what God says by their reason and prudence judge many things to be cross to reason and absurd and so receive them not Now these men while they thus lift up their wisdom and think to comprehend truth in a way of reason they finde fault with truth overlook despise and condemn it and so come not to see into the mysterious things of it which God hath put out of that way of reason in which they think to finde it But men that think not themselves wise but are willing to learn of to be taught of God and his word and therefore dare not but own and receive his sayings and cry to him for light about them they finde wisdom and to them he shews one thing after another even the mysteries of the kingdom Prov. 2.2 6. thence the necessity of mens becoming humble as little children and that they that are wise in this world become fools that is deny their own reason and wisdom not leaning to it as it objects against and findes absurdities in the truth of God that they may be made wise Now though God doth this according to his meere good will yet he doth it also as a just judgment upon some for exalting their reason against Gods word as in Isa 29.13 15. and also to abase flesh that he that glories may glory in God and that men might be instructed to deny themselves and cease from their own and other mens wisdome becoming as babes in a simple belief of Gods sayings so should they understand what now by the just will of God is hidden from them I might apply it by way of Caution to these very men who exercise not babe-like simplicity in giving credit to Gods word but exalt and lift up their own understanding they are sick about questions 1 Tim. 6.3 4. as the manner of unbelief is and say with Nicodemus How can these things be To what purposeshould Christ dy for All seeing all are not saved and many hear not of it c. who have the truth and usefulness of it hidden from them God having not ordained that men should know it by reason and wisdom but by faith and supplication Thence that in Isa 9.9 If ye will not believe ye shall not understand and that in Jam. 1.19 Be swift to hear slow to speak be more ready to hear what God says then to exercise thy reason in objecting against God Yet I will not say that Christ dyed not for these men that being prudent and full of humane wisdome and exalting that above faith have the things they dispute against hidden from them that would be found as too harsh so too unjust a censure Some of these wise and prudent from whom these things are hidden may become babes and then have them revealed to them Again we may apply that saying to the mysteries of Christ revealed to weak despised men to be published by them and not to the Scribes and Pharisees and wise men that so the glory of God might not be obscured by their Wisdom as if that found out or helped forward the propagating of the Gospel but even those things though revealed to poor weak simple men were not to be concealed by them but to be divulged to the wise and prudent also for their conversion or just confusion if they when revealed would not accept or yield up to them for what he told them secretly in the ear they were bidden to
tears from all faces Esa 25 7.8 it hinders not but the Reprobates may be cast out tò eternity I answer He did in and by his Death wipe off tears from all faces giving himself a ransome for All and being the propitiation for the sins of the whole world he keeps off many a judgment that else would seize upon all and produce many tears and much sadness to them yea and delivers all from many a trouble and sorrow that would else overwhelm them though he doth not wipe off all tears from off all faces as he will do off from some namely such as believe on him and follow him Rev. 7.17 and 21.4 Others abusing his goodness and sinning against those mercies towards them and deliverances of them pull upon themselves tears and sorrows afresh that shall never be wiped off them And besides it s more equal that the Apostolical expressions should expound the prophetical then on the contrary the prophetical to expound them the prophetical expressions being as in a darker manifestation of Christ so more obscure then the Apostolicall who were to unfold the things of God more plainly And to speak in the light what was told them in darkness 6. He bids us observe Consid 6. That the Scripture speaks of persons and things often according to appearance and not to reality as calling men wife just and righteous c. he names no Scripture-instance for them but I hope he knows of righteousness in morall acts and performances and that reall and true in its kind an humane righteousness not only in semblance but in reality though not enough to present a man righteous to God as pertaining to his rule for admittance into his Kingdom and so wisedom after the flesh which is really a fleshly humane wisdom though not the wisdom of God but foolishness with him and yet a real wisdom in its place and kinde for worldly things Luk. 16. but of the Death of Christ there is but one kinde so that it must be really or not at all His instance of Mat. 27.53 that Jerusalem is called the Holy city and yet it was a den of theeves is his mistake to conceive holiness to be inherent frames in the heart which Jerusalem as a place and building was not capable of Holiness as we have noted before in Scripture more frequently signifies the being separated to God for his name and service and so it was really holy not seemingly only Nay rather in appearance it should be unholy but in its reall consecration and separation to God a thing not visible to the eye a holy eye So he instances 2 Chron. 21.23 That the Gods of Damascus smote Ahaz which says he were but stocks and stones and could never help nor smite him but it was God that smote him Sure he hath forgotten that the Gentiles did not only sacrifice to stocks and stones but to Devils also by them idols 1 Cor. 10.20 And I trow the Devills might really smite him or strengthen men to it and yet God suprcamly smite him too God as supreme Judge Sathan as the executioner or hangman using men as instruments as in the case of Job So that this fails too but much more his after-proof of John 5.18 where he brings the Jews imputing to Christ that he brake the Sabbath day in which they spake falsly to interpret Gods sayings by his Apostles by as if he spake so mistakingly too To which he adds That many things proper and peculiar to the children of God are often assigned to them that live in outward communion with them though in truth aliens in respect of inward participation of the grace so assigned But whether things were so assigned to them by the unerring and infallible spirit of God or by the erring and fallible spirit of men he tels us not nor in what Scriptures they assigned things to them as erring men that wrote not by Gods spirit Therefore I can say no more at present to it but that his conclusion That some may be said to be redeemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ungrounded and hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A dangerous suggestion of a rule which men may make use of to any Scriptures as well and subvert the truth of them as is also his next consideration viz. 7. That the Apostles spake many things according to the judgement of charity otherwise in themselves untrue Consid 7. and therefore those things not to be exactly squared and made answerable to verity in respect of them of whom any thing is affirmed This I say in substance is one with the former and both of them are dangerous principles and the very openers of the gap to all the abundance of error brought in by the Antiscripturists they are directly their principles That the Apostles writ as other good men by a judgment of charity and appearance and so what they say may be false we must not square them to verity because they would not then hold out And grant this that the Apostles were not in all things guided by an infallible spirit except where they themselves faithfully tell us so and where shall we stay who shall tell us where that infallible spirit assisted them and where it left them Nay though Paul tels the Thessalonians That he knew their Election and that of God yet Mr. Owen will tell him he might be deceived in that knowledg though 1 Thes 1.4 and 2 Thes 2.13 But I believe Paul durst not have said he knew it if he did but think so out of a charitable perswasion grounded upon a truth fallibly applied to or discerned in them But perhaps the Apostles spake not of Election there as Mr. Owen doth He thought perhaps that it might be made firm or sure and perhaps it might be neglected He perhaps spake of it as Moses of the Election of the Israelites who though he tells them they were chosen to be a special people to God Deut. 7.6 7. and yet freely too yet tells them That if they walk after other Gods and forget Him they should surely perish as the other Nations that he destroyed before them Chap. 8.19 20. I do but propound that to Mr. Owens consideration as also whether he by Election meant not an actual choise of them in pulling them out of the world and bringing them to look after his salvation But however I will by no means yield him That the Apostle spake at random and out of a fallible humane conception of charity and not by the infallible Spirit and so he hath no advantage for his following And why not why not when he says That Christ died for some that might possibly perish 8. He tells us of The infallible connexion according to Gods Will and purpose of Faith and Salvation Consid 8. Which we grant understanding it of Faith rooted in the heart and having singled the heart to God for otherwise there is a degree or
they know not who If the latter this not yet meet to beget faith in God in them it being yet uncertain wheher he bean object for faith to them That many believe not this that are outwardly called is not material nor proves that there is no more gospel-Gospel-Truth that appertains to them proposable to them And indeed one thing that makes many not believe it is that they regard not the report of it and they regard it not perhaps because it propounds nothing for certain that may be beneficial to them 3. That Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified at Jerusalem was this Saviour This also is a truth to be believed but yet affords no certain ground or motive for any mans expecting good from God to himself nor propounds him as a fit object for this or that man to believe on But then 4. He says The Gospel requires resting in this Christ as an All-sufficient Saviour with whom is plenteous redemption able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him But can a soul rest on him that it knows not to have done any thing for it to rest in To rest in is to sit down and be at quiet in the belief of something in which the soul sees it need stir no where else for satisfaction but it may certainly have it there But how can a man preach to any one or he believe that Christ is an All-sufficient Saviour as to him and so meet for him to rest on for safety and yet cannot say by the Word of God That Christ died for him or was appointed by God to be a Mediator for him to rest on Is Christ sufficiently furnished for saving a man without an offering made to God for him Or can he remit his sins without shedding blood for him To come to God by Christ is through the viewing and considering his Person Sufferings and Mediation to be incouraged to hope in God and in that hope to ask and waite for his salvation Now what am I more helped for trusting in God by believing that all that finde such incouragement in him as Mediator as that they are raised up to hope and to have confidence in God thereby have Him Al-sufficient to save them if in the mean time not knowing whether he be sufficient to save me that is whether he hath done any thing as Mediator for me I cannot see incouragement from thence to hope and rest on God for his saving me It s true few within the Pale of the Church may finde strength to perform that act of resting on God and that is because they see not nor are shewed what ground they have to do so They are held in suspense about their right to rest on him or to think he is appointed for them They see not the way of entrance to God how then should they approach by it but deceive themselves oftentimes in thinking they approach to him when they do not The Truth of God which being believed should work in them effectually to draw them to God is kept back from him viz. That there is a Mediator between God and them who hath died for them That Word of God is suspended upon acts in themselves which indeed properly slow forth from that Truth first believed by them It s love in God discovered to us that makes us hope in and stay upon him but that in this way is held back from men till they do hope in him and so the Cart is set before the Horse the thing that should draw us is set after our drawing in O poor preposterous way that souls are led in 5. Now after all this He tells us We are called on every one in particular to believe the efficacy of the Redemption that is in the blood of Christ towards our souls This also is obscurely or preposterously laid down For why I pray says he The efficacy of that Redemption is then to be believed and not rather our interest in that act of the Redeemer in giving himself a ransom for us Doth he think that came in before why then did he in no place mention it and shew where it comes in that we are to believe that Christ died for us The efficacies of his Redemption in and upon us we indeed look for and expect in and upon our coming to him and we therefore come to him that we might receive them even grace and mercy to help us in times of need and in believing and resting on him we shall experiment them After believing we are assured of remission of sins and eternal life but where come we to know that Christ died for us and so that the Mediation of Christ hath that in it for us that we may be imboldned by to hope in God Men talk of Gods working faith by an Almighty power in them as if he wrought it through the Air and not by opening his love and goodness in the Mediation of Christ and so by his VVotd that declares him I cannot but question a great many of these mens faith whether they yet know what it truly is they talk so strangely of the working of it It s by an Almighty power its true ay but that 's put forth in the Record of the Gospel concerning Gods goodness in Christ to us Doth he mean by efficacy of Redemption but this that Christ died for us Beside that that 's an notable confusion of an act done without us for us and the operations of it by faith in us it crosses the way of the Apostles who laid down the Gospel thus There is one God and one Mediator between God and man they staid not there Nor yet at this the Man Christ Jesus Which is all the Gospel that Mr. Owen hints at that is to be preached before mens coming to rest on God but the Apostle goes a step further Who gave himself a ransom for All. All this the Apostle the Teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity lays down as the Testimony of God the object of our Faith concerning God and Christ the foundation of our approaching to God for salvation and the demonstration that God would have us saved Now what 's the matter that men can dare to venture upon all the other parts or steps of the Gospel Truth to be preached to men as that there is a difference between God and Man a Mediator and Saviour appointed for men and that this is the Man Jesus Christ and then in stead of the last He gave himself a ransom for All boggling at that and avoiding it as a dangerous rock put in this That you must rest upon 〈…〉 in him before you have ground to believe 〈…〉 ransom for you and then you shall know 〈…〉 for All that believe and so for you 〈…〉 that men have departed from the 〈…〉 down by the Teacher of the Gentiles in Faith and that that he calls Verity is accounted a dangerous Very-lye and yet they say they can set before men an object
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
difference in the act as the same shine of the Sun may refresh a sound eye and yet hurt the same eye when sore 5. Then he says He gives not all things to All to whom he gave his Son This with the Scripture alledged for it is once and again answered before 6. Then he knows not certainly who shall believe and be saved Which no more follows from it then this God loved Israel to bring them out of Egypt that he might bring them that followed him into Canaan But he brought not all the Israelites into Canaan Ergo If he brought all the Israelits out of Egypt he knew not who would believe in him and follow him into Canaan What a piece of Non-sense is such an Inference But against the inlarging of the object he further thus reasons from the next particular That who so believes thus If the object be restrained there to believers then that depends upon the will of God or upon themselves If upon themselves That contradicts 1. Cor. 1.7 and men make themselves to differ If upon God then we make the place say thus God so loved All that but some should partake of the fruits of his Love and to what end then did he love All Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear To which I answer That the second act the giving the injoyment of eternal life is here asserted but for them that believe and both the appointing life to the believer and the effecting of that faith depend upon Gods Will. As we can make no Law upon what terms to have that life So neither can we work in our selves that condition upon which God giveth that life Faith is the gift of God Acts 28.26 27. with Joh. 12.40 Yet this latter is so of God as that it is not without some actings of man to which he exhorts men and for want of which he justly faults them yea brings them not to faith It s by mans hearing though not of mans power Whence though one man listen to the means and is brought to believe and another that had as much power to have listened stop his ear and believes not yet it follows not that the first made himself to differ because not his listening but God by it gave the faith no more then one Israelite looking to the brasen Serpent being healed might be said to have made himself to differ from another that looked not up in point of healing in which they had both yet remained alike had not God given healing to the one and not to the other The impertinency of the Allegation of 1 Cor. 4.7 I shewed before Nor yet follows that other Inference That it s but thus God loved All that but some might partake of the fruits of his love For 1. There are other fruits then eternal life of which all partake 2. There is no exclusion of any from that condition by which we may partake of that When he says That every one that believes It s to incourage all to believe not to hinder any The whole Argument is but like this God brought Israel out of Egypt that he might bring them that obeyed and followed him into Canaan Either that restriction was determined by Gods Will or their own If their own then they made themselves differ one from another contrary to the Apostle If by Gods then the sense is He brought all out of Egypt that he might bring but some into Canaan To what end then I pray did he bring All out of Egypt Is not this Out with the Sword and run the Dragon through with the Spear Is not this folly and soppery thus to reason or from such a reason to deny the Truth of Gods Word and say God surely did not bring any out of Egypt but whom he brought into Canaan Or will he ascribe Caleb and Joshuah's faith more to will then the believing that which is attested by the VVord of God or by the powerful working of miracles or the like is the Truth of God Ay But if believers onely be the object that shall have salvation Then the general ransom is an empty sound Answer It is so to Unbelief as God himself is in respect of that infinite satisfaction that is in him and so was Gods bringing Israel out of Egypt to them that believed not Such is the pernicious nature of Unbelief that it turns wholsom food into poyson but to such as have learned to become fools that God might make them wise to those that learn to subject their reason to Gods Truth it s not so for they finde it a motive to draw them in to believe in God and to admire his Love to men and the depth of his judgments towards them yea in a word to teach them to deny ungodliness and live godlily as Tit. 2.11 12. And they finde it a very wholsom useful Truth to hold forth to others to let them see cause for believing in God and hoping in him and to charge them with folly and madness that having such ground to believe yet refuse it The most pretious Truth that is is an empty found in respect of spiritual good to the Unbeliever Shal we conclude Ergo it s a falshood Gods goodness it self that lead men to Repentance is an empty thing to those that harden themselves against it and brings them to no spiritual good or happiness shall we therefore teach men to say God is good to none but them that rightly use his goodness and receive the fruit of it in life eternal Is not this to teach men to despise the riches of Gods goodness O the blindeness of our reason in the things of God the folly of preferring it as Umpire in matters of our faith waving the Word of God that should rightly guide us But yet this let me say Unbelievers shall see and finde one day that this general ransom was no empty thing in it self it was meerly their folly and wickedness that made it so to them and then it shall be full of dread and terror to them that they have denied him that bought them His premises being such humane mistakes high thoughts lifted up and strengthned against the Scripture-Declaration his Conclusion that Christ died not or God gave not his Son for them that believe not c. falls with them They being notable justifications of all Unbelievers and Patronizers of slothfulness from which these things follow That to Unbelievers God was not an object meet to be believed on by them nor had any reall reason to love him they being ever hated by him and he never doing them any good in his Son That the want of faith was no fault of theirs for they could no way have avoided what they did in not believing God neither gave them cause nor grace to believe c. But I shall rake no further in so unclean a dunghill that savors so much of Satan and justifies the case of
do fall we have but discovered a hypocrite and parted with him and discern that Christ never died for him Is this to expound the Scripture or to pervert and elude it But why did he but seem to be a brother Surely hypocrites use-rather to boast themselves of strength and seem to be strong then to appear weak they use not to dissimble and counterfeit the lowest places or least strength as we may see in Jehu But we are brethren onely by Faith That 's untrue In a Church-Fellowship Faith and Confession make brethren with professed agreement in joynt worshiping And such also as have true illuminations and some measure of saith in believing the truth and seeking God therein may and do turn aside as the Scriptures witness As the Galathians did run well not hypocritically but well and yet some of them Paul greatly scared for they were turned away from him that called them And others put away a good conscience making shipwrack of faith 1 Tim. 1.20 Sure a counterfeit profession never makes a good conscience Weak believers not yet setled and rooted nor so far prevailed with as to be brought to commit their souls to Christ nor made one with Christ and his chosen ones in spirit throughness of heart are in danger of falling off by corrupt doctrines and temptations if they take not diligent heed to Christ and his doctrine Thence the Apostles were especially earnest in watching over admonishing such And yet that faith truth confession goodness of way and walking they had might truly denominate theÌ„ brethren And such the Apostle speaks of here as had had some illuminations and their hearts closing with the truth yea the truth so powerful in them as to pull them out of the worlds way and fellowships and made them attend amongst the Church for further knowledg and divine teachings yet being not established and so throughly united to them in Spirit they might be shaken and turned away again by offensive carriages But that the Apostle should mean him thou countest a brother and Christ to have died for or wish him onely to avoid endeavouring his perishing is a meer perverting of the Apostles saying The Apostle uses not to speak things contrary to truth to suit with seeming appearances to men as we noted above As for his making us draw an universal Conclusion from this or the other Scripture viz. That therefore he died for all Reprobates it s none of ours but this Therefore the after perishing of men proves not that Christ died not for them as they use to argue nor did he dye for the Elect onely as they say 3. The third place is 2 Pet. 2.1 Denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction In which he questions every thing As 1. Whether by Lord be meant Christ as Mediator 2. Whether by buying be meant an eternal Redemption by the blood of Christ 3. Whether it be spoken according to Reality or appearance To the first he says It rather signifies God the Father because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is every where given to him To which I answer 1. Christ calls himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. 10.25 alibi 2. Jude in his Epistle which is almost word for word the same with this Chapter tells us speaking of these men that they deny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the onely Master God and Lord Jesus Christ where a Vnicus articulas omnibus istis epithetis communis omnino declarat Christum esse Herum illum unicum Vid. Bez. in locum Beza strongly contends that all those Epithites are given to Christ there being no pause between them and but one Article prefixed before them All blaming Erasmus much for otherwise rendring it Nay He tells us That one ancient Greek Copy Codex Complutensis reads it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And sure if that b Vide etiam Zâ—nch in Jud 4. Qui Deitatem Christi inde arguens haec habet Petrus verò à quo Judas desumpsitsua docet Jesum Christum esse hunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quem falsi doctores negant Etiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inquit Petrus qui illos mercatus est abnegantes quis mercatus nos est nisi Christus suo sanguine c. Et Paulò post Confirmat Judas Christum esse hunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nostrum Deum Illà enim omnia praedicata de uno subjecto Jesu Christo praedicantur cum unus tantùm sit articulus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 communis omnibus ille praedicatis Zanch. de trib Elohim par 1. lib. 6. 5. place that answers this so exactly ascribe that title to him it s not to be denied that this doth it too But he says It s not a proper word for our Saviour in that work of Redemption because its such a Lord and Master as refers to servants and subjection but the end of Christs purchase is always exprest in words of more indearment But this is frivolous for in 2 Cor. 5.15 He died for all that they might live to him expresses subjection and to be as his servants as the end of his death So in 1 Cor. 7.22 23. upon this ground that Christ bought us with a price it s said He that is called being free is the Lords servant and so in Rom. 147 8 9. Thence the Apostles through redeemed by Christ I trow stile themselves the servants of Christ To say nothing that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used to denote as much reference to subjection as this can and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used over all in the house Elect and others See Matth. 15. â—7 27 and 18.25.32 Joh. 15.15 Matth. 20.1.16 2. Was not such a word as argued their duty of a subjection fittest to aggravate their sin of denying subjection Whereas he says God only in the following verses is named and not Christ That 's not so for in ver 20. where he speaks again to this Apostacy of theirs they are said to have escaped the pollutions of the world through the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ But 3. Suppose it be meant of God Is not Christ as Mediator God too And is not God said to purchase his Church with his blood Acts 20.28 Doth he buy any into his Church but by the Death and bloodshed of Jesus Christ He says Yes and that 's the second thing to be spoken to in which he says 2. its uncertain whether this buying was made with the ransom of his blood or by the goodness of God delivering them by the knowledg of the truth from Idolatry To which I answer By both The goodness of God is not extended to faln man but by Christs death The Declaration of which as so testified is the truth that God makes forcible for drawing men to himself from their Idolatry Tit. 3.4 5. 1 Cor. 15.2 3. That there must be a price is evident and
after makes I have undertaken it here with him though not in every passage in terminis but thus I will maintain that the death of Jesus Christ had not onely the Elect and them that shall be saved eternally for its object but was in generall a ransome for All men and that Christ hath thereby obtained life and salvation in himself free for all men or any man to look to him for and to partake of in believing In pag. 271 272. there is a controversie about that in Ioh. 1.7 that all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through him might believe whether that be spoken of John the Baptist or of the Light to which he witnessed Authors there are of both minds yet it must be attributed to M. Mores Sophistry learned from the old Serpent to apply it to the Son of God the light witnessed to And yet for ought I can see or he can shew there is neither danger in so applying it nor incongruity with the Text. All that he says against it is That we are said to believe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in and on him but not by him in which he is out for I can shew him where we are all said to believe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. 1. Pet. 1.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that by him to believe in God So that more of the Old Serpent was in Mr. Owens answer then in Mr. Moors Position Whereas T.M. having said that God wills all men to come to the knowledge of the truth adds that God will not be wanting in sufficiency of helpfulness to them if as light comes they suffer themselves to be wrought upon and to receive it M. O. in pag. 273. all to berates that saying and tels us There is in it of the poyson of the old Serpent the Pelagian poyson of Free-Will and Popish-Merit of congruity with I know not what as if he thought it spake too well of God whom they rather make to be an Abaddon a man-destroyer as if he made them in hatred and with intent to ruine them and therefore is not so gracious to them But I would Mr. Owen would disprove the saying and shew that God ever denyed sufficiency of helpfulnesse to any one for coming to know the truth of God that as light was afforded received it and submitted to it or else be more sober then to speak so evilly of things he knows not and that deserve no evill from him Free-will further then God frees it and Merit of congruity we utterly disclaim and what he calls the Arminian Universall grace we well understand not What good God doth to any it is of mercy not of merit and that he doth more to all and gives them more liberty of will then they walk up to I am perswaded till Mr. Owen refute it In pag. 275. Whereas T. M. speaks in his Argument of Will and Power in the Spirits moving sufficient to bring men to believe Mr. Owen in his Answer pag. 276. mistaking his expression talks of the Spirits giving Will and Power to men to believe Whence his Query How a man may have a Will given him to believe and not believe is groundless as to his Discourse and needs no answering But he further denies That any internal assistance is required to render a man excuseless for not believing if he have the object of faith propounded to him though of himself he hath neither Power nor Will of himself so to do having lost both in Adam To which I say 1. Man having power to attend the outward Mediums of faith in which the Spirit useth to convey Light Understanding Convincement and to draw men to believe if he neglect them he is inexcuseably chargeable with unbelief though he never had internal Power or Will given him of believing He that dispises the means that are suited to his power despises the end propounded in the means and may be charged for not attaining it this I believe And this Answers in part to one grand objection of our opposers Have men power to believe We say that 's no matter let them hear and attend in means afforded and as God convinces in them let them confess their follies and turn in his reprovings according to that ability he gives them more or less Vt supra cap. 4 lib. 3.2 That man had Power and Will in Adam to believe in Christ and there lost both I deny for there was an incompetibleness with that his innocent condition and believing in Christ a Mediator for this implies sin which that estate knew not Again it was a vain thing that a man should have Power and Will to that which was not for him in that condition nay which he could not come to have need of but by losing that condition in which he had that power and will and so the power and will also supposed to be had therein we use to say Deus natura nihil faciunt frustra Mr. Owen must bring some proof for that more then his bare affirmation before it will pass with us for an Article of our Creed In pag 280. He undertakes to clear the meaning of Ezek. 18.23.32 and 33.11 to belong nothing at all to the extent of the ransom which indeed more directly speak to his willing that all men be saved and not willing that any perish but that all come to Repentance to which purpose and in some such like cases I have made use of it and so more remotely it intimates the ransom and Christ as Mediator he being the way by which there is both ground of returning and an object meet to be returned to for life propounded to us and provided for us But he endeavors to bound this up to the Israelites Only in respect of outward judgements and to that purpose 1. He would have us minde who this is spoken of or to and says doubtless its onely to the house of Israel Which is fallaciously answered for propounding two questions he answers but to one and yet passes it as taking it for granted that in that one both are answered He asks of whom or to whom he speaks and he answers doubtlesly he speaks to the house of Israel only which as its not denied so is it unsatisfactory too For the persons spoken of in a Proposition may be of larger extent then the persons spoken to As to instance The Apostle speaking to the believing Ephesians Chap. 5.3 4 5. Bids them flee fornication wantonness c. for saith he for such things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Shal we say that because he speaks to the believers at Ephesus only Chap. 1.1 therefore that saying The wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience is true concerning them onely Or because in 1 Cor. 6.9 he speaks to the believing Corinths only or at most but to believers that call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus therefore that proposition No unrighteous person shall inherit
of old and yet is too common a fashion Philosophical Speculations and the Elders Traditions are used as pillars in Gods building and many lean more upon them then on the pillars of Gods own erecting setting up their posts and pillars by his and slighting his for them which we approve not Lastly Whereas he sayes The common faith is the faith of Gods Elect. I easily grant it and say That the Apostle in Tit. 1.1 4. in both places means The faith delivered to the Saints the Doctrine of Faith as it s no unusual thing for him to do which is the faith of Gods Elect because its that which they believe and hold forth to others even to the world and it s the common faith because as it s believed by them All so its common to the world in point of right to be preached to them and imbraced by them It s that that contains good news for and matter to be believed by All. But I have done with these his prevarications with which he Answers T. Moors twentieth Chapter I have passed over many of them the whole being a heap of mistakes and disdainful jerks anwhat seems to be of any weight is already fully answered CHAP. VII A view of and Reply to Mr. Owens Answers to some other pretended Sophisms as he calls them against his Doctrine IN his last Chapter he pretends to Answer some usual Sophisms and captious Arguments of the Arminians which he stiles empty Flourishes yet remaining As first this Argument That which every one is bound to believe is true Argum. But every one is bound to believe that Christ died for him Therefore that Christ died for every one is true An Argument which for my part I own not in this form as to All and every man in the world it being not preached to every one that Christ died and is risen And I conceive that God requires not an explicit faith of propositions that they have no Revelations of giving them ground to believe But thus I own it against their restrictive doctrine of tying Christs Death to the Elect onely viz. That which of every one to whom the Gospel is preached is required as necessarily to be believed that he might come to believe on Christ for salvation that is for every such man true in it self But that Christ died for him in particular is required to be believed of every one to whom the Gospel is preached as necessary for his believing in Christ for salvation Therefore for every one to whom the Gospel is preached That is true The Major leans upon this truth That he that is required to do or believe any thing is therein required to do or believe all those things that are necessary thereto so as that without his doing or believing of them he cannot do or believe those other things required of him The Minor we shall speak to by and when I have examined some things that he saith to the Minor of the Argument as mentioned by him As 1. He saith The believing that Christ dyed for a man is the saving application of Christ to the soul as held out in the promise In which he mistakes for its onely a believing Christ to have so satissied for his sin by his death and to have such fulness of Redemption in him for him that he may hopefully go to him for remission and salvation there is good ground for him so to do and it s his sin if he having opened such a way for him to God and to salvation he should neglect it But for the promises they belong only to those that through this belief of the grace of God Gal. 3.22 are drawn actually to trust in Christ and love him whence they are called the things prepared for them that love God and that trust in him before the sons of men and for the confirmation of these men in the expectation of those promises the belief of Christs death for them is further usefull The Death of Christ was for sinners enemies the ungodly All men but the promises of God in Christ and so the Kingdome are not the portion of any such but men are made heires of them through believing Ioh. 1.12 Gal. 3 26.29 Tit. 3.6 7. so that here is a very foundamentall mistake as to the question in hand in this very saying 2. He says To believe that Christ dyed for any must be with reference to the purpose of God the Father and intention of Jesus Christ himself and that that is it which with regard to any Vniversality is opposed by him Which words I well apprehend not his meaning in If he mean by Reference to Gods purpose and Christs intention according as God purposed and Christ intended for them or that God purposed and Christ intended that he should dye for them so we indeed mean by that phrase But if by it he means that God and Christ purposed in so doing eternally to save him we so mean not that every man is bound to believe of Christs death for him But that such was Gods purpose and intention in Christs dying for him that if he believe in him and in God through him he shall undoubtedly be saved Ioh. 3.16 And yet we put no If unto Gods purpose which as secret concerns not our Faith for as Luther well says De Deo abscondito nulla est fides cognitio c. But we put that If into the way of mens participation of that salvation as God hath revealed it Besides to tell us how he opposes the Universality of Christs death when he hath almost done opposing it was not done no though he had exprest himself more clearly in it very learnedly He says The term Every one must relate to All men in the like condition which we grant it may And that like condition in my stating it here is not only as sinners unregenerate c. but also as the Gospell coming to them and reporting good news to them in Christ requires obedience of Faith of them that they may be puld out of that sinfull estate Something he sayes to the Major too viz. That that every one is bound to beleive is neither in it self true nor false but good which to me is a Paradox good being not the Object of Faith but of appetite desire and love Truth is the Object of Faith chiefly of that that is divine and required by God for men may believe and in some cases ought to believe that that in it self holds forth evill to them as men are bound to believe that they are sinners though its good that they should believe so yet it s not a good thing that they are bound to believe therein their being sinners is not a good thing But now to the Minor not only as in the first place mentioned by himself but also in a manner as owned by me He denies that every one that 's called to by the Gospel Preached is bound to believe in particular that Christ dyed
that doth thus and thus shall live For ought that they can tell them God hath from Eternity hated them and there is no way to salvation made for them Surely that 's not so much as what he further points to That there is no name under heaven whereby they may be saved but that of Jesus for that intimates that by that Name they may But to this I have spoken sufficiently before To what he says about the not believing Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ and their need of him that its a soul-condemning infidelity of such obstinate refusers to come in upon the Call of the Gospel and not a refusing to believe that Christ died for every one of them in particular I have answered also before and say here further That each of them are condemning The last because there is not a believing of the Testimony of God that he bears of his Son and so not a receiving the love of the Truth the love that the Truth witnesseth and so not a leaning upon his Mediation nor an approaching to God thereby For how should he come to God by his Mediation that refuseth to believe that he died for him in particular and so that his Mediation for him The Jews sayes he were charged with infidelity for not believing Christ to be their Messiah And truly by Mr. Owens Doctrine he was not so For how was he for them if he was a Mediator for none but the Elect seeing they persisted in unbelief and rebellion Sure mens not believing their need of a Mediator or that Jesus is He proves not that they are not chargeable with not believing Christ to have died for them no more then others not believing themselves to be sinners proves that they are not chargeable with not believing in Christ The object of Faith I trow is not to be measured by mens acts of Faith but their acts ought to come up to that that 's in the object But beyond all these he hath somewhat more to the Minor viz. That they to whom the Gospel is preached are bound to believe with that faith which is required to justification onely I will not stand upon that word onely I am content that he grants They are bound to believe with that Faith but then he assumes That that is not a full perswasion that Christ died for any one in particular Here I except against the word full perswasion as being a Quartus terminus which is not fit for a Disputant to put into a Syllogism Nor is it to the purpose that it is not justifying Faith it s enough to this business if it be necessary to a justifying faith according to the Revelation of the Gospel since his Ascension to believe and be perswaded that Christ died for him in particular though his perswasion be not full Rom. 3.25 and that I say is necessary For to believe to justification is to believe on God through Christ or in the bloud of Christ and that is from that that Christ as Mediator hath done and is further authorized to doe to be perswaded to rest on God for salvation by him Which I deny that any man can rightly come to except he believe that that which God hath done in Christ and that which Christ hath done as Mediator between God and man was done also for him I can Divinely gather no boldness from the bloud or sufferings of Christ to approach the Holies and look to God to save me further then by a Divine Faith that leans upon Gods testimony I am perswaded that those sufferings of Christ concerned me and were for me But let us see how M.O. goes on in this business and that is thus He says there is an order naturall in it self and established by Gods appointment in the things that are to be believed so that till some of them are believed the rest are not required As a man is not commanded nor can be reasonably to get to the top of the Ladder by skipping all the lower rounds But what makes this to prove the business in hand 1. This shews that a mau cannot come to believe with a justifying Faith the thing ex confesso required of them to whom the Gospel is preached except he orderly believe those things that lead unto it of which I contend That this is one to believe that God hath provided him Christ to be his Mediator and that he hath died for him and so that he hath good ground to believe in him and rely on God through him and so it makes for what I say but it proves not that every step in that order are not required of every one to whom the Gospel is preached that so he may come to that that is principally required viz. To justifying Faith His comparison is not worth a Rush to that purpose For though I would not rationally bid a man climb up into a chamber by a ladder and skip all the rounds save the highest yet I may rationally bid him climb up to it and go by all the rounds and so by the highest and I trow his not going up one step will not excuse him for not going all even up the highest too He that commands me to believe with a justifying faith surely commands me therein to go by every step that tends to it and to believe all that 's absolutely requisite for believing with that faith 2. He here speaks against his main Concession viz. That men that hear the Gospel are bound to believe with a justifying faith For here he says in substance That that 's not required till they have first believed the truths that lead to it and so Gods Commands shall be bounded by mans obedience If any man to whom the Gospel is preached shall deny to believe that there is such a one as Christ that man is not required of God to believe in Christ for its irrational to require him to believe in him till he hath first obeyed him in believing the other I suppose any man that understands reason will rather think that Mr. Owen had not the exercise of reason about him when he here talked of irrationality the first proof of his Argument contradicting his Argument For the Argument saith That they to whom the Gospel is preached are bound to believe with a justifying faith and the proof says it is irrational that they should be required to that till they believe that there is an object of faith To say nothing that the believing Christ to have died for a man is not the highest step to that faith as he supposeth But after this he sets down his order viz. 1. That men are to repent and believe the Gospel to be the Word of God to contain his Will and that Jesus Christ therein revealed is the power and wisdom of God to salvation 2. That there is an inseparable connexion between faith and salvation 3. That there be a conviction by the spirit of a necessity of a Redeemer to
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
upon them that believe not though they say God never gave any power to them setting men upon an indeavouring by their own power and approving their such indeavors as the products of Gods Grace as the Pharisee did Luke 18.10 11. though they have not declared that to them as pertaining to them We attribute no more to Will then the Scripture affords It s meerly with our expressions suitable to the Scriptures that they quarrel at As when we say God would have done this or that but they would not they will not come to Christ for life they did not chuse the fear of the Lord. These kinde of expressions many when they hear from us as if they were so wholly taught the Fear of God by the Precepts of mâ—â— or were so destitute of the fear of the Lord as not to minde whose expressions those have been by and by they cry out What have men free-will then You set up Freewill now as if the expressions of our Lord and Saviour were judged dangerous and hereticall by them and not fit for his servants scarce to mention but these are of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of whom Paul speakes from whom we have need to pray God to deliver us We know no power or freedom of will that men have to good that God hath not given them And we think it less derogation to his grace and more agreeable to the Scriptures to say that God in his workings with men gives them liberty and power to make use of and listen to the means of light and life afforded them and that when he in those means works and convinces moves at and strives with their hearts he gives them in those strivings and convincements power and liberty to see and minde and acknowledge what they could not do before and in such acknowledgement yet to attend the means and grope further after him if perhaps he may when he hath unraveled them of themselves inable them to believe and that they wink with the eye refuse and reject the means put within their reach and suited to their infirmity or if they do attend them yet that when they meet with reproof and convincement they refuse to see or take notice of what God shews them and to hear the inward voices of spirit that speak to them rebell against the light and pull away the shoulder quenching smothering and imprisoning the operations of Gods Spirit and truth and that for these things he justly rejects them then to say that God doth nothing for men gives no power to them requires all that they had in Adam for which the Scripture affords them not one title of proof cals upon them to do things to which he gives no power or means and yet condemns them for ever not for doing them and yet such are M. Owens expressions as when he says We make God to propound life upon such a condition as he knows they cannot perform without him and yet in it he will do nothing for them he will not give them it Which is a great mistake for want of believing the truth of God recorded for when he bids men listen to him and their souls shall life if some refuse to listen and others when convincements come tending to the saving them out of their sinfull condition willingly turn from them and will not abide them nor fall down under them and so not listen to his inward convictions of them but run away from him that would not be wanting in their further listening to him to quicken them up to believe and so to gather them shall we slander God and say now because these never come to that believing that he would not bestow upon them that condition he knows that they cannot believe of themselves and he will give them no faith Because they cannot believe of themselves followes it therefore that they receive no power from him by which they might attend upon the means in which he uses to beget faith and give it to men shall he be said to deny them faith when they refuse to listen to him that would gather them to the faith says not he himself that he would have gathered Jerusalems children and they would not was not this gathering them a bringing them by faith into himself as the Chickens under the Hens wings for safety was not their refusall in not soberly attending to him but shutting their ears against his sayings shall we say he refused to give that that he chides them for refusing to receive Come forth the best of you all and prove that God hath not given you in his workings upon you power to have sought him and attended to him better then ye have done and then I will say your reasoning for the wicked is good that he set salvation before them upon a condition that they could not have without his gift and yet he refused to give it them otherwise his after-comparison in which he says We make God like a man tendring a blind man a thousand pounds if he will open his eyes which he cannot is but an inept one for God complains of men for shutting their eyes and otherwhere bids them but look with their blind eye-holes that they might see his word that he sends giving light to them that attend upon it being never so blind But enough to these Rhetoricall Flourishes and Rabshekah like language against the glorious grace of God and Scripture-truth for which I am perswaded one way or other serius aut citius God will rebuke him What he says about the Gentiles is before answered Where he gives less he lookes for less again obedience to his truth being acceptable to him and rebellion against him detestable whether in more or less nor will it be an excuse to them that they had no more when they have volunrarily put away and rejected that more that God sent them I mean the Gospell or imprisoned and abused that less they had And yet I am perswaded many of them shall rise up in judgement with their lesse against many amongst us that have more he lets them know and perceive more then they acknowledg and gives them more of his goodness and kindness then they answer so that when he pleads with them they shall have no excuse Romans 1.18 19 20 21. That our Doctrine everts the whole Covenant of distinguishing grace is another untruth we hold and prove that the Death of Christ seals and ratifies it and we think the free grace of God freely made it and powerfully puls men into it as he pleases holding it forth to men largely and ready to enter into it any that will hear him Isa 55.2 3 4 Whereas he askes Did that ever do good to any as to salvation which is common to all he speaks as one despising the riches of the bounty of God that leads men to repentance because of their wickedness that are not lead by it teaching others also wickedly to blaspheme it The Gospell that
's common to good and bad doth good to many being the power of God to salvation to them that believe The Death of Christ yea and the patience of God that 's common to all is effectuall for good to salvation to many and shall be to any that are led to repentance by it * The grace of God that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all men saving teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live godlily righteously and soberly c. 1 it 2.11 12. He askes further If they be not the two properties of the grace of God that it be Discriminating and effectuall He should have proved rather then have moved questions only We say it is both effectuall in all that receive it rightly and Discriminates them both in priviledge and disposition from all those that reject it and so doth this that 's extended in Christ to All men Besides the grace of God in the Death of Christ discriminates men from fallen Angels its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If he say all they for whom it is and to whom it is extended in any degree are made to receive it effectually to life eternall we waite for his proof for it but surely Paul intimates otherwise 2 Cor. 6.1 These that follow are slanders viz. That we make the bestowing of Faith no part of free grace or at least leave room to free-will to have the best share in the work of salvation even of believing it self which is as untrue or more then that Naaman had the best share in the work of his healing because he washed in the river Jordan or the blind man Joh 9. in his receiving his eye-sight because he went at Christs bidding to the pool of Siloam and washed there would that be good Doctrine that Because upon the doing those triviall things God gave them healing therefore not God and Christ but themselves were to have the greatest share in the glory of it Apage has impietates calumniosissimas of which nature is that too that follows That this Assertion brings Roprobates to be the object of free grace and denies the free grace of God to the Elect makes it Vniversall to all but ineffectuall to the Elect all to have a share in it and none to be saved by it which are all as gross untruths against us as he could have invented But then he askes In what point their Doctrine makes it not free grace I answer in that ye debar the greatest numbers of any liberty and possibility of coming to partake of it ye make it not free to or for all but bound it up to some few We know in some regard ye make it free that is in point of any merit of it in them to whom yee say it is but not free for any to come to and hope in as pertaining to them nay for none so without much fored one by them to evidence that it belongeth to them but he says He cals not that grace that goes to hell No sure nor we neither nor is that goodness or patience that goes to hell or Gospell that goes to hell but I hope we may say they that having free grace extended and held forth to them not receiving it or receiving it in vain or turning it into wantonness may go to Hell as well as they that abuse Gods goodness patience Gospell and yet none of these things abused go to hell So Psal 139 8. Jonas 2.3 except in a sense to the disordered dismall conditions of men to bring them from the nethermost hell in that sense as David sometime speaketh Psal 86.13 6.3 I can but wonder that wise men should be so infatuated as to think there is any weight in such their sorry expressions but for not inlarging it to all he says Is it in their power to enlarge it No Sir not further then it is but it s in your power surely to let it alone to have its own bounds that God hath given it and so to speak largelyer of it then you do We know he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy in point of more abundant striving with men and compelling them and in receiving whom he pleases even the worst of sinners coming to him and hardens and gives over whom he will and we know too by the same authority that he is good to all and free for all to look to would have all to be saved and come to know the truth delights not in the Death of the wicked but rather that he should turn and live and that Christ hath given himself a ransome for all Le ts not have the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ neither with respect of persons nor of places of Scripture either let us believe all or reject all He says further Should he throw the childrens bread to Dogs Nor Sir nor yet be wiser and holier then God to shun his words out of pretense of service to him nor call that common that God hath cleansed esteem any as Dogs but such as turn again and bite against the favours shewed them and are scorners of the mercies tendred them or deceitfull workers that bark against Gods truths and are ready to bite too if power be given them otherwise take heed that you deny not free grace to ungodly and sinners under opinion that they are Dogs to whom mercy is not to be tendred He saith further that they believe that the grace of God works faith in all to whom its extended Yes I believe that they are readier to believe their own conceptions for which they have no Scripture proof yea against diverse intimations of Scripture then the plain Scripture-expressions For the New Covenant here again mentioned by him I have before expressed my self about it I believe righter then that he can disprove it What follows are generally revilings of the truth of God despising the grace extended to All as not worthy mens thanking God for it a grace that doth no good a sigment of our own making c. only he tels us he will pray for us that we may have infinitely more of his love then is contained in effectual Vniversal Grace and indeavor to keep people from being seduced by us For the first We tell him it s his unbelief of it makes it seeme ineffectual to him Tit. 2.11 12. 3.4 5. but to such as believe it we we find it effectual both towards God and others and prove it an open doore and way for our approaching to him for those more especiall things that all through unbelief receive not For the second I pray God shew him and his companions in doctrine how much they stand in peoples light to hinder them from seeing that goodness by which they should be saved But what need he indeavor to keep me from being seduced Seeing he thinks it impossible for any that Christ dyed for to be seduced and all the rest must perish to to what end
him that yet doubts of Gods love to him reject that devised Doctrine that contradicts the Scriptures and letting alone the secrets of God which pertain not to him yet to know nor shall hurt him if he attend and yield up to that that is revealed yea shall be also profitably revealed to him if he submit to what is revealed Psal 25.14 let him I say mind the record of God that he hath given of his Son that he hath given himself a Ransom for All yea and that God hath given us eternal life even us whom he commands to believe in the name of his Son 1 Ioh. 3.23 and this life is in his Son he that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life thence shall he see both ground to believe that God hath given him eternall life and put it into Christ and also both necessity and incouragement to believe on Christ that in believing he may have that life even that eternall injoyment of God in Christ that will for ever satisfie him and make him happy FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Symphony of some Ancient Doctors of the Church with the truth here defended added to shew that it is no novelty of yesterdays standing as some are pleased to charge it Chrysostome in Joh. 1.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem in Heb. 2.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Clemens Alexandrinus Orat. ad Gentes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Athanasius De incarnatione verbi Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Et Paulo Post 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those sentences forealledged are in English thus Chrysostome upon Joh. 1.29 That Lamb speaking of the Paschall Lamb or the Lambes offered up in the Jewish sacrifices never took away any one mans sins But this that is Christ the Lamb of God takes away the sins of the whole world for it being in great danger to be destroyed he quickly freed it from the wrath of God The same Author upon Heb. 2.9 saith thus That by the grace of God he might tast death for every one not for the believers only but also for the whole world for he dyed for All but what if all believe not yet he hath performed that which concerned him to do Clemens Alexand. Hear ye that are afar off and hear ye that are nigh hand The Word is not hid from any the Light is common and shineth unto All men Athanasius in his tractate about the Incarnation of the Word of God Now forasmuch as the debt of All ought to be paid for All ought to dy therefore for that cause especially he came and sojourned here and after the manifestations of his Divinity by his works it remained that he offer up a sacrifice for All delivering up his Temple the Temple of his body unto Death for All that he might discharge and free All from the old transgression And a little after in the same Tractate There was need of Death and it behoved that Death should be indured for All that the Debt due from all might be satisfied wherefore the Word for that it could not dy for it was immortall took to itself a body capable of dying that he might offer that as his own for All and that he suffering for All by reason of his conjunction with that he might destroy him that hath the power of Death to wit the Devill Cyrillus Hierosolymitanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophylact in Johan 6.51 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August in Joh. 3.14 15. Serpens aneus in ligno positus venena vivorium serpentum superavit Christus in cruce suspensus mortuus antiqua diaboli venena restinxit omnes qui ab eo percussi fuerant liberavit Idem in Psal 69. Judas abjecit pretium quo ipse vendidit Christium non agnovit pretium quo ipse a Christo redemptus erat Prosper in Respons ad object Gallorum Christus dedit pro mundo sanguinem suum mundus redimi noluit Item sent quartâ super capita Gallorum Qui dicit quod non pro totius mundi redemptione salvator sit crucifixus non ad Sacramenti virtutem sed ad infidelium respicit partem quum sanguis Jesus Christi pretium totius mundi sit A quo pretio extranei sunt qui aut delectati captivitate redimi noluerunt aut post redemptionem ad candem servitutem sunt reversi Vide Ambrosium in pag. titul Cyrillus Alexandrinus in Joh. Evang. lib. 11.25 Quemadmodum praevaricatione primi hominis ut in primitiis generis nostri morti addicti sumus eodem modo per obedientiam justitiam Christi in quantum seipsum legi subjecit quamvis legis author esset benedictio atque vivificatio quae per spiritum est ad totam nostram penetravit naturam Leo Epist 72. ad Juvenalem Vt autem repararet omnium vitam recepit omnium causam vim veteris Chirographi pro omnibus solvendo vacuavit ut sicut per unius reatum omnes facti suerant Peccatores ita per unius obedientiam omnes fierent innocentes inde in homines manante justitiá ubi est humana suscepta natura Cyrill of Hierusalem in his Instruction or Catechise 13. The Crown of the Cross is that it inlightned those that were blind in ignorance and loosed All that were held in bondage under sin and redeemed the whole World of mankind Nor marvell thou that the whole world was redeemed by it for he was not a bare Man but the only begotten Son of God that dyed upon it Theophylact in John 6.51 By the life of the World perhaps he meaneth the Resurrection for the Death of the Lord procured the Generall Resurrection of all the whole kind or race of man perhaps also he named the life of holiness and happiness the life of the World for though All have not received that sanctification and that life that is in the spirit yet Christ gave himself for the World and as to what appertained to him the world is saved and the whole nature sanctified inasmuch as he hath received power to conquer sin and sin fled away by that one Man Our Lord Jesus Christ even as by that one man Adam it that is the world or the nature of man fell into sin Austine in Joh. 3.14 15. The brazen Serpent put upon a pole of Wood overcame all the venome of the living Serpents And Christ being hung upon the cross and dying quenched the force of the old poisons of the Devil and freed All that were smitten by him The same upon Psal 69. Judas cast away the price for which he sold Christ and acknowledged or owned not the price by which he was redeemed by Christ Prosper in Answer to some objections of the Gaules Christ gave his blood for the World and the World refused to be redeemed that is actually set at liberty by him So again He that saith the Saviour was not crucified for the Redemption of the Whole world hath not his eye upon the pretiousness or vertue of that mystery but upon the part of them that believe not whereas the blood of Jesus Christ is the price of the whole World from which price they are strangers who either being delighted with their captivity refuse to be set free or after they are set free return again unto their former bondage Cyrill of Alexandria upon Johns Gospell lib. 11. cap. 25. As by the transgression of the first man we were as in the first fruits of our kind bound over unto Death after the same manner by the obedience and righteousness of Christ forasmuch as he subjected himself unto the Law who was the Author of the Law the blessing and quickning which is by the Spirit or Divine nature hath pierced to our whole nature Leo in his 7◠Epistle to Juvenal That Christ might repaire the life of All he took the Cause of All and loosed the force of the old handwriting by satisfying for All. That so as by the Guilt of one All were made sinners so also by the obedience of one All might be made innocent righteousness thence flowing down unto men where is taken the nature of man I Might have added more Testimonies both Ancient and moderne as amongst the ancient Ignatius Jrenaeus Theodoret c. and amongst the moderne Luther Hemingius and in a word the generality of the Lutheran Divines as also Musculus Vrsinus Suffragium Britanicum Bishop Davenant yea the Articles and Catechise of the Church of England but these already alledged may be sufficient