hereunto is onely the knowledg of himself i. e. of the truth of his Nature Attributes and transcendent excellency of Being This is the Word of Promise which came long since from the mouth of God himself unto the World They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain FOR the Earth shall be FULL OF THE KNOVVLEDG OF THE LORD as the waters cover the Sea c Isai 11. 9 clearly implying that when ignorance and all misperswasions concerning God in the world shall be led captive by the light of the knowledg of the Truth and when there shall be a good understanding begotten between him and his Creature the hearts of men will serve them no longer to rebel against him or to despise his Law So that what is commonly said of Knowledg may truly be said of God non habet inimicum praeter ignorantem he hath no Enemy but onely those who know him not The Devil had no door to open effectual enough by which to give sin an entrance into the World but onely the perverting of the streight thoughts and apprehensions of God which God himself had planted in the Minde and Vnderstanding of his Creature Man The Woman had a right and sound perswasion of the just severity and Truth of God in his threatenings until Satan prevailed with her to change it for a lye d Gen. 3. 4 5 into the spirit of which lye Adam himself also was presently baptized by her confidence under it Neither could the Devil have touch'd either the one or the other of them but by the mediation of some erroneous Notion or other concerning God And as Satan brought sin into the World by the opportunity of a misrepresentation of God unto his Creature so when God shall please to Reform the World and make a perfect ejection of sin out of it he will do it by repairing the breaches which Satan hath made upon the Judgments and Vnderstandings of men with a clear light of the knowledg of himself Well may the Holy Ghost call sin and wickedness in every kinde the works of darkness because they are never practised but by the illegal warrant and blinde direction of some false perswasion or other in the mindes of men Vpon this account also it is that the Apostle interpreteth the building of timber hay and stubble i. e. unsound Doctrines and Opinions upon the true Foundation Jesus Christ to be a corrupting or destroying of the Temple of God e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3. 17 i. e. of his Church and People as he explaineth it For every Error or false apprehension in the things of God and matters of Salvation is not onely of a defiling but of a corrupting nature also and according to the tenor and degree of malignity in it for there is some degree of a spiritual malignity in every Error disposeth the Soul which drinks it in and converseth with it to a spiritual Death being destructive to that communion with God wherein principally the life i. e. the strength peace joy and happiness of the Soul consisteth For God in whatsoever he revealeth or speaketh in his Word of any inconsistency with an Error and Error there is none about spiritual things in opposition whereunto God speaketh not more or less in his Word must needs be as a Barbarian or one that speaketh with an unknown tongue to him whose Minde and Vnderstanding is distemper'd with it When our Saviour told his Disciples in words express and plain enough that the Son of man should be delivered into the hands of men Luk. 9. 44. 18. 34. it is said that they notwithstanding understood not the saying The Reason plainly was because they were erroneously principled about the subject of which Christ spake which was his estate of Humiliation by suffering Death they supposing and taking it for granted that he was to be a great Potentate and Monarch in the World without passing through the valley of an ignominious Death thereunto In like manner when he said to Joseph and the Virgin his Mother Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business f Luke 2. 49 the Text saith that they understood not the saying that he spake unto them The reason of their non-understanding in this case was because they were under the command of such a supposition which thwarted that principle according to the exigency whereof he so spake They supposed that he was under no engagement in no due capacity at least at those years which at this time he had attained to manage the great affairs of God and his Kingdom in the World whereas his sence was that he was under the one and in the other and spake accordingly unto them So also the Reason why Festus supposed Paul to be besides himself and that much learning had made him mad g Acts 26. 24 implying that he could make neither sap nor sence of what he had said was because the tenor and substance of Pauls Discourse was diametrally opposite to his Principles After the same manner when and whilest a mans Judgment is perverted by any unsound Opinion that hath taken fast hold on it he is uncapable of all that light of Truth which God shineth in the Scriptures in opposition to that Error and must of necessity either relinquish this Opinion or else either deprave and mis-understand the Minde of God in all such passages or else profess dissatisfaction touching the true sence and meaning of them In both cases he suffers a proportionable loss in his communion with God Can two walk together saith the Scripture except they be agreed Civil Communion cannot be maintained or held under a dissent in Principles relating to such Communion at least not in such things unto which such a dissent extendeth or relatâ—th Beasts are uncapable of all friendly converse and intercourse of affairs with men and so men with Beasts The Reason is because neither of them have any Principle symbolical with the other the thoughts of men are not the thoughts of beasts neither are the thoughts or impressions of beasts the thoughts of men And though men being sound in some soveraign Principles of the Gospel and such which are as it were the life-guard of the heart and vital parts of Religion may possibly live in communion with God upon terms consistent with Salvation yet may they very possibly also in case they be intangled with Error otherwise by means hereof suffer loss to a very sad degree in the things of their present peace When the Sun is in the greatest Eclipse that is lightly incident to it there yet shineth so much Light to the World which is sufficient to make it day and whereby to perform ordinary works wont to be done in the day time notwithstanding during such an Eclipse as this the World through want of that fulness of light which that worthy Creature the Sun naturally affordeth suffereth many degrees of the damp and sadness of the night In
them f Jer. 18. 7. 8. Much after the same manner elsewhere having promised or said that He that hath walked in his statutes and kept his judgments to deal truely being righteous or just shall surely live g Ezek. 18. 7. addeth afterwards But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abhominations that the wicked Man doth shall he live h Verse 24. In this passage we cleerly see that this Promise made by God to a righteous Man He shall surely live is to be understood with this Proviso and Condition that he departs not from his righteousnesse which is here plainly enough supposed that he may very possibly doe Therefore this Promise also They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion c. being of that kinde of Promise which God makes out of those gracious respects which He beareth to some speciall qualification in Men carrieth no further obligation in it on Gods Part unto those to whom it is made then as and whilest they remaine so qualified as they were when first they came under the Grace of the said Promise i. e. as and whilest they trust in the Lord. So that this Promise hath nothing to doe little or much with that Doctrine of Perseverancâ— which we oppose but looketh quite another way Another Text of Scriâ—ture sometimes urged to prove the Proposition of §. 10. our present Contest viz. that God hath made an absolute Promise of Perseverance unto trâ—â— Beleevers is that of our Saviour But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up to eternal life a John 4. 14 But neither doth this Scripture any whit more if so much then onely face the business in hand For here is no Promise made that they who once beleeve how unworthily soever they shall behave themselves shall still be preserved by God or the Spirit of God in beleeving or that they shall be necessitated always to beleeve but onely a Declaration and Assertion made by Christ of the excellency and desireableness of that life which he comes to give unto the World above that life of Nature which is common unto all This by comparing the words transcribed with those in the former Verse is evident Jesus answered and said unto her Whosoever drinketh of this water i. e. of material water such as this well affordeth shall thirst again i. e. is subject notwithstanding his drinking hereof to thirst again But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him c. q. d. The best means that can be had or enjoyed to render this present life which we live free from inconvenience and that which is troublesom and contrary to it will not effect it the condition of this life being subject to dissolution will not admit of any such freedom or perfection but whosoever shall drink inwardly receive and beleeve that Doctrine which I shall administer unto him shall hereby be made partaker of such a life which shall within a short time if men be careful in the interim to preserve it by reason of the nature and perfect condition and constitution of it be exempt from all sorrow trouble and inconvenience whatsoever as being eternal But 1. that he doth not oppose that life which accrues unto men by §. 11. drinking the water which he gives them unto that natural life which they live by other means in respect of the present condition or constitution of it or as it is enjoyed by men in this present world is evident from hence because he asserts it free from thirst shall never thirst Now we know that the Saints themselves notwithstanding the life of Grace which is in them by drinking the water that Christ hath given them are yet subject to both kindes of thirst as well that which is corporal or natural as that which is spiritual yea that spiritual thirst unto which they are now subject though it argues a deficiency of what they would further have or desire to be and in that respect is troublesom yet is it argumentative of the goodness or blessedness of their condition Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled b Mat. 5 6. By the way this spiritual thirst which is incident even unto that life which is derived by Christ and the waters given by him unto men as it is enjoyed or possessed by them in this present world is according to the purport of our Saviours own arguing in the Scripture under debate an Argument that for the present and whilest it is obnoxious to such a thirst it is dissolveable and may fail For in the latter part of the said passage he plainly implies that the eternalness of that life which springs from the drinking of his waters is the reason or cause why it is exempt from thirst Let the whole passage be read and minded and this will clearly appear If then the eternality of a life be the cause or reason why it is free from the inconveniency of thirst evident it is that such a life which is not free from thirst is not during this weakness or imperfection of it eternal or priviledged against all dissolution I easily grant that such a life as we now speak of may notwithstanding the dissolvableness of it be in a sence called Eternal as it is frequently called in the Scriptures viz. in semine or in fieri as they say as the conception of a man in the womb may be called a man or because in respect of the native and in-bred tendency of it and being duly nourished and preserved it is apt in time to become Eternal formally and properly so called even as the conception of a man in the womb by reason of the natural frame and tendency of it will in time if it meets with no unnatural and destructive accident by the way come to be a man in his full stature and strength But as this frame or tendency of the conception we speak of doth no ways prove that therefore it must of necessity or what will or can befall it come in time to be a perfect man so neither is it necessary that that life in the Saints which is seminally inchoately and conception-wise Eternal should against all possible occurrences of things adverse to it come to be actually properly and compleatly Eternal The result of this discourse amounts clearly to this that our Saviour in the words in hand doth not oppose the life which comes by drinking his water to the life of Nature in respect of the present and imperfect condition of it in this World but in respect of the future and compleat growth and condition of it in the World to come Therefore 2. When he saith that the water which he shall give him shall be in him §. 12. a well of
should be meant such as were naturally or corporally dead viz. because such only are to be buried with that kinde of buriall whereof our Saviour had occasion to speak as appears from the former verse Again why by the dead in the beginning of the said passage should be meant those that are spiritually dead and not those that are corporally dead there is this reason every whit as plain as the former viz. because those that are naturally or corporally dead are not capable of burying those that are dead either with one kinde of buriall or other So why the word WATER in the latter of the passages mentioned should in the first place signifie materiall or elementary water in the latter spirituall water or the Holy Ghost reasons are obvious and neere at hand we shall not need to name them But why the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all men in the place of the Apostle under debate being twice used should be conceived so far to vary in their significations as in the former clause to signifie All men without exception in the latter very few men no like reason nor indeed any competent can be given 3. Though All men doth in some places signifie only a greater number §. 21. of Men not All men simply or universally yet it never signifieth a small number of Men either in opposition to or in comparison with a greater least of all with the greatest number that is as they must make it signifie in the Scripture in hand who will have no more signified by it in the latter of the two clauses where it is used then only those who come in time to be actually saved by Christ For these are a very small number few there be saith Christ that finde it speaking of the straite gate which leadeth unto Life in comparison of those upon whom condemnation came by Adam 4. If condemnation should come upon all Men simply by the offence §. 22. of Adam and righteousnesse only upon some Men and these but a few neither comparatively by the obedience and gift of Christ then where sin abounded Grace should not superabound as the Apostle saith it did nay sin should superabound and Grace be confined to a narrow compasse comparatively To say that the superabounding of Grace above sin here spoken of is to be considered in the intensivenesse of it i. e. in its prevalency over sin where it is vouchsafed not in the extensivenesse of it as if it extended to more Persons is thus far acknowledged for a saying of truth Grace doth not extend to more Persons then sin at least not to more Persons of Men because sin extendeth unto all and Grace cannot extend to more then all But if we shall straiten and limit Grace in respect of the extent of it to a small number of Persons as viz. unto those only who are or shall be actually saved the glory of the superabounding of Grace above sin in respect of the Prevalency of it where it is in such a sence given will be fully match'd or rather overcome and swallowed up by the prevailing extensiveness of sin above Grace 5. The Apostle both before and after as viz. Verse 15. and Verse 19. §. 23. computeth the condemned ones of Adam and the justified ones of Christ by one and the same numericall expression He tells us in both places of many dead by Adam and of no fewer then many justified and redeemed by Christ. Now what the Holy Ghost makes equall for Men to dis-equalize especially to such a Proportion or Degree that the one number shall be inconsiderable and as nothing in comparison of the other is to lift up themselves above their line and so take hold of vanity in stead of Truth The Apostles expression Verse 15. is somewhat more emphaticall For if through the offence of one many be dead much more the Grace of God and the gift by Grace which is by one Man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many If it shall be supposed that many more millions of Men are dead through the offence of Adam then are justified or made alive by the Grace of God in Christ Pauls glorying over the Grace of God in Christ as much more abounding to the justification of many must fall to the ground For if by the offence of Adam all became dead and a few only be made alive by the gift of the Grace of God in Christ who will not judge but that the offence of one much more abounded to the death of many then the Grace of GOD to the Justification or Life of many 6. And lastly the Apostle having said Verse 20. That where sinne abounded Grace superabounded he adds Vers 21. that as sinne hath reigned unto Death so did Grace reigne through righteousness unto eternall Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now evident it is from Verse 14. and Verse 12. that sinne reigned over all Men without exception unto Death therefore Grace must have a proportionable reigne unto life i. e. must by a strong and over-ruling hand put all Men into a capacity or estate of life and salvation If so it undeniably followes that Christ Died for all Men without exception of any because otherwise all Men could not be put into an estate of Grace or Salvation by Him Nor was this interpretation counted either hereticall or erroneous by the §. 24. most Orthodox Expositors of old Chrâ—sostome himself commenting upon the place makes the Apostle to speake thus If all Men were punished through the offence or his offence meaning Adams they i. e. these all Men may doubtlesse be justified from hence a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. by that over-abundance of grace and righteousnesse as he there speaketh which is given in Christ The former part of his commentary is more full and Pregnant to this purpose but because the transcription would be somewhat long I leave it to be read in the author himself Nor are there wanting amongst our late Reformed Divines sirnamed Orthodox Men of eminent Learning Piety and Worth who subscribe the said Interpretation That our Reparation Restauration saith Mr. Bucer upon the place is made by Christ and that it is more efficacious then the sinne of Adam and that it is of LARGER EXTENT is that which the Apostle argueth in this and the following Section b Reparationem nostri factam per Christum esse Adae noxâ â—ffica cioreÌ„ pa tere latius est id quòd Apostolus hâc sequenti Sectione pertractat Intelligit gratiam Christi bominum generi profuisse amplius quà m nocuerit lapsus Adae Again upon those words Sed non ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thus The Apostle here meaneth that the Grace of Christ did more profit MAN-KINDE then the sinne of Adam damnified it Doubtlesse if all Men without exception were brought into a condition of misery by the sin of Adam and but an handfull only in comparison made happy by the
making away themselves or destroying their own lives though there be no absolute Decree of God to secure them in this behalf the Naturall desire of self-preservation which God hath planted in them easily over ruling by the Power and Strength of it all motions â—or dispositions towards self-destroying which are wont to arise from such occasions in like manner the strength of that inclination or desire which is or ought to be and very possibly as hath been Proved might be in the Saints to save their Soules and consequently to preserve themselves from apostasie is sufficient without any such Decree in God as was mentioned to secure them both from all danger and from all feare of apostatizing to destruction notwithstanding all weaknesses or infirmities that they are subject unto The truth is that the infirmities and weaknesses of the Saints as such are so far from being any necessary or just ground of fear unto them that they shall fall away that the sence and acknowledgement of them are most cleer pregnant and effectuall Antidotes and Preservatives against falling away For he that is inwardly and truly sensible of his own weaknesse and inability to stand will especially being a Saint or Believer most certainly depend upon him for strength who is both able and willing to supply and furnish him upon such terms 3. And lastly upon the former accompt and for a close of this Chapter §. 36. I answer that if the Doctrine of falling away be so uncomfortable unto the Saints as the objection pretends the truth is as we have in the Premisses of this Chapter made it to appear they are not much relieved at this Point by the Received Doctrine of Perseverance For this Doctrine as hath been shewed scarce suffereth any man to believe upon any Rationall competent or sufficient grounds that he is a true Saint or Believer yea and doth little lesse then tempt him to such things which are exceeding apt and likely to fill him with feares and questionings touching the truth of his Faith And what great comfort can it then be unto him to hear or believe that true Believers cannot fall away or perish whereas the other Doctrine leaveth them a good latitude of competent ground whereon to judge themselves true Saints and true Believers nor doth it deprive them of sufficient ground on which to secure themselves both against the danger and against all feare of the danger of Apostatizing or falling away to Perdition This Doctrine therefore of the two is questionless of the more benevolous aspect and influence upon the Peace and Comforts of the Saints CHAP. X. A Continuation of the former Digression wherein the Texts of Scripture commonly alledged to prove the impossibility of Saints declining unto Death are taken into consideration and discharged from that Service BEing occasioned and after a sort necessitated for the securing of §. 1. some passages of interpretation Cap. 8. being of main concernment to the Principall cause undertaken in this Discourse to ingage home in the Question about Preseverance I should according to ordinary Method and that hitherto observed in the traverse of the maine Doctrine first have argued my Sence and Judgement in the Question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assertively and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. by answering such Objections whether from Scripture or otherwise which are wont to be levied by Men of contrary judgement in opposition thereunto But finding by experience that weaker men through too much fulnesse and aboundance in their own sence in matters of Controversie and this chiefly by meanes of some Texts of Scripture running still and working in their heads which in sound of words and surface of Letter seeme to stand by them in their Sence and Notion are under a very great disadvantage either for minding or understanding such things which are spoken unto them for their information in the Truth I thought it best for their relief in this case to invert that Method in the present Dispute and first to endeavour to take from them those weapons whether of Scripture or argument wherein they trust and afterwards present them with such other Scriptures and grounds which are Able Pregnant and Proper to build them up and establish them in the Truth We shall not tie our selves to any Rule or Prescript of Order in bringing §. 2. those Scriptures upon the theatre of our Discourse which men of differing judgement in the cause in hand are wont to plead in defence thereof themselves as far as I have observed observing none but shall produce them one by one as God shall please to bring them to mind unlesse haply two or more of them by reason of affinity or likenesse in Phrase or import may commodiously enough be handled together Most of the places compelled to serve in this warfare I finde scituate in the New Testament The first that commeth to hand is that of our Saviour unto Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it a Mat. 16. 18 From hence it is argued that those that are once built by Faith upon the Rock Christ or upon the truth of the Gospell are not in danger or in a possibility of being prevailed against viz. to destruction by all the Powers of darkness whatsoever I answer 1. That this promissory assertion of Christ the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile §. 3. c. doth not necessarily respect every individuall and single Person who de praesenti is a Member of his Church so as to secure him of his Salvation against all possible sins or wayes of sinning whereunto he may or can be drawn by Satan but may well be understood of the Church in generall i. e. considered as a body of men separate and distinguished from the world Now the Church in this sence may be said to stand and be secured against all the Power and Attempts of the Devill though not only some but even all the Particular Saints of which this body consists at present should be prevailed against by Satan to destruction Because the ratio formalis or essence of the Church in this sence doth not consist in the Persons of those who do at present believe and so are members of it for then it would follow that in case these should die or when they shall die Christ should have no Church at all upon the Earth in as much as nothing can be without the essence of it but in the successive Generation of those who in their respective times believe whether they be fewer or whether they be more whether they be such and such Persons or whether others As suppose there be not now one drop of that Water in the chanell of the River of Thames as it is like there is not which was in it seven years since yet is it one and the same River which it was then and so put the case there be not one Person now alive in any