faith implicite as most weak to faith more strong and expressive as formerly is proved His third Reason is Because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all unrighteousness of men which withhold the truth in unrighteousness for as much as that which may be known of God is manifest in them for saith he God hath shewed it unto them namely by the Creation and the Gospel Rom. 1.19 as aforesaid for that is here implyed The first Reason why the Spirit of God thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else may be this although it be all alike unto God in respect of his final end whether the most or least number of men be made vessels of honour or dishonour unto eternity so all be either one or the other because by his mercifull and just proceedings in the suitable rule his glory in a most sweet righteousness shineth forth eternally in either to his praise and yet nevertheless in respect to man it being his Creature Acts 17. from 25. to 29. his offsprings and generation which as saith the Text he hath made of one blood and under the aforesaid universal election yet in this respect God would rather man would as he should and might according to this rule and Christs Spirit striving with his spirit return by his operation into the said posture to receive the said gift of life and be blessed for ever As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 18.27 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his waies and live when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed Ezek. 33.11 and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall save his soul alive The second Reason why the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men is because the Apostate Angels do universally indeavour by their temptations lies and delusions to keep all mankind from receiving the said gift of life and therefore do endeavour not only to extinguish the Preaching of the Gospel but also to extinguish and turn the internal light of Christ in all men into darkness and if they could possible draw all men into eternal darkness and their main end in all this is that God might not have any glory in mans felicity to eternity and therefore to repel this their designe in that particular branch it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives with all men and for this end we see the seed of the woman was elected to be Christ the Lord and second Adam and for this end God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever by believing operations will receive the said gift of life shall not perish but have everlasting life for therefore we see God elected the falne Mass of mankind out of that despicable estate into the said posture as is proved and also therefore we see that God elected one Nation to be and to be in the said posture to carry on his said final end as it respected this particular branch not for their sakes but for his own names sake and likewise we see to carry on this said final end in this particular branch He hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth when by their acquired habits in sin against the said posture they are all alike dead in sin and trespasses I say not in love or hatred to any of these men personally considered but only in love to himself in the prosecution of this branch of his said final end as is proved that he called the Gentiles to this posture but denied it at that time to the Iews and so on this sixteen hundred years and that in pursuance of the said branch will call them to this posture again by which they may receive the said gift of life and this is the ground why he precedently made so many glorious promises of calling the Gentiles and also of the Iews according to his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and from this cause only they are beloved for their Fathers sakes as is proved and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strived with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else as is proved The third Reason may be this Because the more men are brought by the striving of Christs Spirit with their spirits to believing operations in this posture by the reception of this gift of life in point of justification the more fruit of righteousness abounds also in their sanctification in a redundancy to Gods glory against the Apostate Angels said designe and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives as with these Heathens so with all men The first Use is for Information That if the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of all mankind to bring them to and to keep them in this posture Hence we learn two things First That the striving of this Spirit to all mankind as is proved is the universal favour of God in Iesus Christ to all men in the world The second is this That those amongst men which by believing operations rightly receive the said gift of righteousness shall muchmore receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness and shall reigne in life by one namely Iesus Christ that as sin had reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousnesse Rom. 5.19 unto eternal life by Iesus Christ The second use is this That God will never revoke that pardon of the guilt and punishment namely eternal death due to all mankind for Adams one offence First because of his said gift of life which came upon all men unto justification in the imputative righteousness of Christ as is proved for for this end he gave the Spirit of Christ thus to strive with the spirits of all men from the beginning of the world to the end thereof that they might receive the said gift of life therefore the pardon of the said guilt and punishment due to all mankind for Adams one offence stands irrevocable to eternity for ever since the fall this is the condemnation now this light of life is come into the world because men love darkness rather then light The third Use God is irrevocable in this Point also namely To give to any man the possession of eternal life in this world by belief and the fruition in the next world which is constant in his believing operations in the said posture according to the striving of Christs Spirit with his spirit for saith our Lord He that endureth to the end shall be saved In the fourth place this informs us also That if any man be by God dispossest of his eternal life in this world and so in the next it must needs follow he quencheth this Spirit of Christ which thus by belief gave him possession of it here and so would have done there had he not
from Nature by vertue of the Creation as such for that was lost in the fall as is implyed in the Text because it saith The Creation is not subject unto vanity willingly that is by its own natural instinct but by reason of God who caused the Creation to depend first upon the operations of the first Adam and then upon the second Adams as is implyed in the Text namely by reason of him who hath subdued the same in hope from whence the earnest expectation of the Creature or Creation waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God Yet again note this by the way That although the Creation by mans fall lost its blessedness to its self and to man yet it lost not its being no more then the Apostate Angels or damned men which detain their being to eternity for the being of all things is grounded on Gods essence only and never depended on either Adams operations and because the Creation thus travels by the force of Gods favour in Christ it was the ground why the Psalmist sweetly sings that Jehovah is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works and if tender mercy be over all then misery was first over all for misery is mercies most proper object to which mercy is extended from the premisses thus proved Psal 145.9 follows this conclusion That the Voice Language or Speech of the whole Creation of good from God to man in all its force and effects by all creatures ever since Christ was the first-born in the promise to break the Serpents head is the general voice of glad-tidings of God to man by Iesus Christs satisfactory righteousness imputed for we see its tendency and dependancy to blessedness hangeth only upon that so that in a word the whole Creation in general is the voice of the Gospel and that is the reason why in the New Testament and the Old the voice of the Gospel Preached by men is brought in in a sense speaking one and the same thing to mankind yet note that it is with this difference The one a general and remote voice and the other the more distinct and particular as by Writings in the Oracles of God and by the speech and language of man to man by the word Preached and thus David brings them in joyntly saying The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shew his handy works day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledg there is no Speech nor Language where their voyce is not heard their loyne is gone forth throughout all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world in them he hath set a Tabernacle for the Son and so forth and then he joyneth the Gospel thereunto in these words Psal 19. from verse 1 to 8. Note The Creation began thus to preach Christ from its first step into this travel from the bondage of corruption to be partakers of the glorious liberties of the Sons of God and when that first step began you may see in my former Treatise page the 35. The Law of God is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure and giveth wisdom unto the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right and rejoyce the heart and so forth And Paul speaking of the Preaching of the Gospel concludes Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God and then having spoken of Iews and Grecians in the 12 verse concluding That be that is Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him and then puts the Question in the 18 verse saying But I demand Have they not heard meaning the Grecians or Heathens as well as the Iews and then he answers the question namely That the Gospel was heard by them in the said words of the Psalmes No doubt their sound went out throughout all the earth and their words into the end of the world implying That both voices ought to be heard and being rightly heard they both breed vertually in the heart of man faith in Christ Rom. 10.12 17 18. yet with this difference the one implicite and more weak because its voyce is but general and remote the other more clear and strong because his voyce is more clear and near to the spirit of a man So much for the external truth of God in Christ by which Christs Spirit strived with their spirits to direct them in that narrow way to eternal life Secondly The internal truth of God in Christ by which the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of the said confounded and scattered off-spring of Noah at Babel in a word is no more but this namely The remainder of the said internal Law and light of Christ in their hearts for as is proved they were excluded the residence of the Gospel with them as is implyed in the Text Rom. 2. it saith Rom. 2.14.15 The Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law and are a Law unto themselvs which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts And this Law in the hearts of them all if they had submitted to this inward striving of of the Spirit of Christ with their spirits and not detained it in unrighteousness as they did it would have produced the circumcision of the hearts of them all which is the true rectitude of the mind or sanctification as it did to some of them which did in that little they had seek to do well and so it was effected in them namely Circumcision which is by nature saith the Text verse 27. and in the 29 verse To be circumcision of the heart and spirit whose praise is not of men but of God So much for the internal truth of God in Christ to direct the Heathens in the narrow way to life But the Question may be What life that was that the best of those Heathens did attain unto I answer Neither more nor less but the same eternal life which the believing Iews received by operations in Gods gift of Christs imputative righteousness as appears in the sixth verse God will render every man according to his works that is To them which through a patient well-doing Rom. 2.6.7 10. seek for honour and glory immortality everlasting life and in the tenth verse To every man that doth good shall be glory and honour and praise to the Iew first and to the Grecian for there is no respect of persons with God for to this hath our Lord Christ made his promise They that seek shall find and to him that knocketh it shall be opened From this ground it was that the Apostles were not ashamed to Preach the Gospel in Heathenish Rome to believers his first reason is Because it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Iew first and also to the Grecian His second Reason is Because by it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith that is from
persisted in quenching and also in resisting the said Spirit by following lying vanities and so forsaking his own mercies as did Demas and the seven Churches of Asia till God removed the Candlestick from them and left them in darknesse and Demas to imbrace this present world Is it so That the Gospel and the Universe of this Creation has a tendency and bends joyntly as one in mans universal good and vertually to breed in him the faith of God in Iesus Christ as is proved Then hence observe That those that stand in an universal relation to men at the Stern of Magistracy as Gods stand bound universally to further the good of man not of this life only but of that which is to come namely to set up in their Territories and Dominions in all convenient places the Preaching of the Gospel to beget the belief of God in Iesus Christ in the minds of men CHAP. XI In which is handled the third particular in the said Rule namely to let all men see how suitabble this Rule is to them THe suitableness whereof is opened in nine particulars as first It has its Institution in Gods word of truth and the natural property of the understanding of all men being as is proved to follow truth as such or as it appears to be such wherefore we see the Apostate Angels came to our first Parents in the appearance of truth therefore it is universally suitable to all mankind in this respect Secondly This rule tenders to man not only a good to be received by his operations according to it but also his sweetest and chiefest good namely to enjoy God in belief of the truth in this life and according to truth to eternity in the next and so this rule is suitable to mans will whose natural property is to follow good or as it appears so to be as the natural property of the eye is to follow the light wherefore the Apostate Angels came to us in our first parents as is proved in appearance of a good wherefore this rule is universally suitable to all men in this respect Thirdly ever since the fall of Adam God in his word requires no man by his workings to attain eternal life for himself or others but only by his workings in the said posture to receive eternal life attained only by the Lord Christ and given imputatively by God himself therefore this rule is universally suitable to all men none excepted but Christ himself Fourthly Because the natural liberty of mans will consists in this namely to chuse and refuse all objects as it likes them or as it likes them not as is proved And because this rule tenders a twofold object to will or nill that is to chuse or refuse namely good or evil that is eternal life or death for it to chuse or refuse therefore it is universally suitable to all in this respect none excepted Fifthly because this just and mercifull rule admits mercy to man after he hath not done well according to his said posture man being ever since the fall imperfect therefore this rule is suitable universally to all men none excepted but Christ the Lord. Sixthly Because it is propper to all men which propound to themselves an end in their workings to ground those workings and operations upon their own belief or faith of a good to be attained and attainable as do Merchants which send or go by Sea or Land for wealth or the like or upon their own belief of some evil or danger as did these Marriners which to avoid the danger of death by their operations cast the wheat out of the Ship into the Sea and therefore because this rule requires mans own belief of Gods truth and the said good and to avoid the contrary evil to be the ground of all their operations in the said posture He that believes shall be saved he that will not believe shall be damned as is proved Wherefore because this Rule requires all men thus to make their own belief as is said the ground of their operations in this posture therefore this rule is universally suitable to all men none excepted but men that are dead in sins and trespasses by acquired habits herein or sots idiots mad men or the like From this ground it is that our Lord saith This is the work of God That ye believe and so forth and from this ground it is that Abrahams believing operations in this posture Rom. 4.4 was so much respected as opposed to men that made their own works as works in this posture to be the ground only of their acceptance with God to eternal life and from this ground namely That man makes his own belief of Gods truth and the said good to be the ground of his operations in this said posture it is that faith is so highly extol'd in Scriptures by the Spirit of Christ for in so doing they render unto God the sole glory of all his truth and goodness revealed in the seed of the woman Christ the Lord and his imputed righteousness and Gods gift of life therein Seventhly Because mans reasonable soul or spirit is of an everlasting duration and never to be extinct and mans body when raised a spiritual body so to be also and because this rule tenders to man an estate of well and woe of an everlasting duration and that all things else under the Sun are only suitable to his moldring body and to a change as also is it therefore this rule is universally suitable to all men in this respect none excepted Eightly Because this rule not only admits man to do well after he hath done evil as is said but when he so returns admits pardon of the guilt and punishment due to him for his sin or sins as is proved therefore this rule is suitable to all men capable to operate to this rule Christ only excepted in whom was no sin Ninthly Because God hath given an impression and dictate of the effect of this rule as it respects its execution in reference to his final end in the minds of all men naturally namely that he will render unto all men according to their works and from this ground it is that the consciences of all men do either excuse or accuse them according to their own works good or bad the which is the dictate of this rule and Gods said final end as is said therefore this rule is universally suitable to all men none excepted From the Premisses thus proved ariseth these following Observations First That this Gospel as carrying along in it this Tenor a just and a mercifull rule is it which all mankind are under to work by in relation to their eternal state and none other as is proved Hence saith the Apostle The Gospel was Preached unto us as to them meaning to us in the last daies as to the Jews and unto all in former ages before them wherefore not any of mankind since the fall ever was or now is nor never shall
THE Fulness and Freeness OF GODS GRACE IN CHRIST DECLARED Namely How God Orders and appoints Men to their final ends some to Honor some to Dishonor to Eternity The Second Part. LONDON Printed by Thomas Newcomb for John Clark and Miles Mitchel and are to be sold at their shops in Mercers Chappel and in Westminster Hall 1655. The Epistle to the Reader Gentle Reader THis Treatise The First Part was printed 1642. being the Second Part of Gods Free and Full Grace and favour to miserable man In this Second Part is handled this point What is Gods final End for which he made both Men and Angels together with all things in Heaven and in Earth subservient to them their use and benefit and also that in pursuance of his final End he doth Order and appoint both men and Angels to their Final Ends according to their Works good or bad some for Honor some for Dishonor to Eternity and it is granted on all sides that God doth order and appoint them thereunto But all the Question and Controversie is how he doth order and appoint them thereunto Wherfore I have endeavored to help where most need is for then and there help is most seasonable and whereas my former Treatise is something obscure by reason of the depth and heigth of the point there handled namely Election and Reprobation and that in both Treatises I deny personal Election and personal Reprobation without respect to Faith or Works good or bad and this way goes Reverend Calvin and others Also I deny any Election of any man or men personally to Eternal life infallibly upon Gods foresight of their perseverance in Faith and Works to the End as that Reverend man Arminius and others for the Truth in sacred Scripture falls between both these two mistakes yet to the Learned and Intelligent Reader that has his minde and wits exercised in Divine Misteries it is not obscure for before I printed that First Part I presented my Manuscript to three Grave Reverend and godly Divines to have their judgements upon it namely Dr. Twist Dr. Gouge and Mr. Gataker and they all understood it cleerly with much ease for one of them said unto me that you in that Treatise say all that we do but stay not there but say a great deal more my Answer was because you say not enough to the depth of the fall of man in the first Adam nor to the raising of the World and all mankinde by the second Adam therefore I must say more then you and the height and depth of this point in this manner handled is it that makes it obscure to some that will not studiously take pains to understand it but in this second part I have brought it as low and plain as I can to the Understanding of all men as the nature of the point will admit and Gentle Reader I wish thee as much good in reading it as I have had in studying and writing it Farewel Thine in Jesus Christ FRANCIS DUKE The Contents of the several Chapters in the ensuing Treatise CHAP. I. IN this Chapter by way of Introduction two things are premised first in what sense known unto God are all his works secondly what is Gods final end for which he made all things that is both men and Angels together with all his works subservient to them and their use pag. 1 CHAP. II. In this Chapter is proved that God made seven means to accomplish his final end six whereof are briefly handled in this Chapter p 7 CHAP. III. In this Chapter is briefly handled the fall of man by way of Introduction to that which followeth p. 12 CHAP. IV. In this Chapter is proved That God gave being to the seventh means to carry on and accomplish his final end p. 15 CHAP. V. In this Chapter is proved the manifold Wisdom of God in six particulars in pursuance of his final end p. 20 CHAP. VI. In which is opened the second Branch propounded That as Adams unrighteousnesse in its guilt and punishment by God imputatively in the faine Mass was extended unto all mankind even so in that falne Mass the righteousness of the seed of the woman was by God imputatively extended to all wankind to justification of life that is to put them in a posture in which they may receive his said gift of life eternal or to be either as is said p. 31. CHAP. VII In this Chapter is handled the first ingredient to make up the said posture namely that immediately upon the said universal imputation God by the Spirit of Christ did put or infuse an internal disposedness naturally in all mankind toward himself hereditarily to descend through all Generations p. 36 CHAP. VIII In this Chapter is handled the second ingredient to make up the said posture That is the Spirit of Christ strives with the spirits of all men in the world universally to depress the seed of Original Sin in them and to preserve and encrease the said disposedness to God in them p. 42 CHAP. IX In this Chapter is handled the third and last ingredients which makes up the said posture namely that God immediately upon the fall of man gave a rule suitable to all men to work and operate by in reference to his final end upon all men p. 54 CHAP. X. In which is proved that the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of Noahs posterity which were confounded and scattered at Babel in their succeeding Generations to preserve them in a narrow way to eternal life p. 59 CHAP. XI In which is handled the third particular in the said Rule namely to let all men see how suitable this Rule is to them p. 70 CHAP. XII In which is handled the sixth Branch of the manifold wisdom of God formerly propounded in the fifth Chapter namely the Execution of Gods final End upon all men some to honour and some to dishonour by the said Tenor of the Gospel according to their works good or bad to men without the Church and to men within the Church visible yea and the invisible members of Christ p. 78 CHAP. XIII In which is proved how God ordained and executed his final end upon all the Angels to their final ends for ever according to their works some to honour some to dishonour p. 37 CHAP. XIV Containing some usefull Observations and Answers to Questions for further clearing the precedent Premisses CHAP. I. In this Chapter by way of Introduction two things are premised First in what sense known to God are all his Works Secondly what is Gods final End for which he made all things that is both Men and Angels and all his Works subordinate to them and their use IT is affirmed in the Text Acts 15.18 That from the beginning of the World God knoweth all his Works Now all Gods Works whatsoever as his had a threefold beginning and may be comprehended in three particulars First the Angels and the Heaven of Heavens their own habitation Secondly
one extended judgement to condemnation upon all Gen. 12.1 even so we see the other removed the guilt and punishment thereof that is of Adams one offence so as never man perished for it that is for Adams one offence once committed for it came as saith the Text upon all men to justification of life as is proved Again observe That in this universal justification in the Point of remission of the said guilt and punishment so far as to put all men into a capacity to the said posture I say Hence observe That mans faith or belief was of no use in this justification for we see it came upon all men when it was neither thought on nor sought by them even when God said Adam Where art thou Seeking to save that which was lost in the seed of the woman by breaking the Serpents head as is proved Again Though in point of remission of the guilt and punishment of Adams one offence so farr as to put man into a capacity to the said posture his faith was of no use but observe that as that righteousness is a gift which brought in it the said life so also in this point mans belief of this truth is now of use namely as an instrumental qualification in point of reception of that gift for as it is a gift so it must be received for as the imputative gift gives man right unto eternal life so his reception of it gives him possession of that gift from this ground It is said He that believeth hath eternal life but he that receives it not has it not and therefore abideth in death because he hath not believed in the only begotten Son of God Again Observe therefore when the Scripture affirms man is justified by faith it is because by his belief he received this justification as is opened in this Point of Eternal life for then he hath the end of what did precede his reception thereof namely of the remission of Adams one offence and the said capacity to the said posture because he hath so received that gift of eternal life Again If this gift of righteousness thus came upon all men to justification as is described hence observe That to ascribe justification to a mans Faith or Belief is to arrogate to man that which is not his because we see it is in the said gift of righteousness and also this doth derogate from Gods glory in that gift of life as also from the glory of Christ who obtained it by his righteousness as well as the remission of the guilt and punishment of Adams one offence the said capacity to that posture in which by faith he may receive the said gift of life as precedently is proved and as will further appear in due place Again If the said gift of life came upon all men as is proved Hence observe That when the Apostle saith Abraham was justified by faith he means as faith is an instrumental qualification submitting to this righteousness of God by receiving it by belief of the Doctrine in Christ as in opposition to a supposed Doctrine of Works to attain eternal life maintained by the children of Abraham in the flesh but not his children after the faith in this Doctrine of Christ as clearly appears in the drift and scope of the third and fourth Chapter to the Romans Again If this gift of righteousness so came upon all men to justification and that before faith it justifies as in pardon of Adams one offence and so brought all mankind into the said capacity and posture and this gift of life to them then certainly God never ordained nor instituted mans faith or belief for his justification that is for acceptance to pardon of his sin and life eternal but it only comes upon man in his gift of this one righteousness as is described but for what this one righteousness is I refer the Reader to my former Treatise in pag. 113. CHAP. VII In which is handled the third Branch of the manifold Wisdom of God propounded and the first Ingredient in the said posture namely that immediately upon the said Election and Imputation God did by the Spirit of Christ put or infuse an internal disposedness into all mankind hereditarily to descend in their natural generations and so in a capacity to the said posture in which man may receive Gods said gift of eternal life TO this end immediately after the fall of Adam God dissolved the total amity of Will and operations which was between man and the Apostate Angels for God no sooner will'd it but immediately he did it by saying to the Serpent I will put enmity between thee and the woman Gen. 3.15 mans productive root for that is implyed but the foundation of it and the derivation of an internal disposedness in all mankind to the said posture was laid in the seed of the woman namely in Humane Nature in the person of Christ who only made way to it by breaking the Serpents head for as Adam in his fall deservedly brought a total internal darkness as well as death upon all men so Christ the second Adam deservedly John 1.4.9 is life and light in himself for as saith the Text In it was life and that life was the light of men this was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Thus the Spirit of Christ doth write his Law in the hearts of all mankind Rom. 2.14 as a continued Act in their natural generation from this only ground it is that all mankind do by nature the things contained in Christs Law which as saith the Text sheweth the effect of the Law written in their hearts if written then it must needs be God writ it by Christs Spirit there being no middle state between perfection before his fall and a total devastation of righteousness and holiness in his fall Again If the effect of Christs Law be in the hearts of all mankind and disposeth them naturally to do the same things as saith the Text consequently this is a disposedness to amity with God and consequently this is a disposednesse to enmity to the apostate Angels designe in all mankind according as God said I will put enmity between thee and the woman from this light of Christ in every man it is that their consciences doe accuse and excuse as the Candle of the Lord in every mans breast which he hath thus set up Again We find in men that are apostate from the said posture to Idols by custom or the acquired habits dead in sins and trespasses to that posture to receive the said gift of life yet we find in them the remainders of this light of Christ I do not mean so much remaining only among the best of the Heathens who by a patient well-doing did seek honour and glory immortality and eternal life as in the aforesaid Text Rom. 2. but as for instance those Idolaters mentioned in Jonah as appears in two particulars First they