now to expect a Revelation of all Truths necessary to salvation by the immediate objective teachings of Gods Spirit It is not for us to expect and promise our selves or others this if the Lord hath no where promised it Can it be proved when Christ saith The Spirit shall lead you into all truth that this is to be understood without means without the Scripture When God saith They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me The sense is they shall not teach as the unconverted are to be taught who believe not who have no saving knowledge of God at all So they who have received the anointing need not as doubting and unbelieving persons that any teach them that Jesus is the Christ Can it be proved that the words are to be understood in that sense as to exclude the Ministry from edifying the Body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith This Assertion That God is pleased objectively and immediately by his Spirit to reveal to all men or to his own people at least all Truths and all Duty necessary to Salvation so that they need not mind the Scripture but only wait for these immediate objective Teachings is the Wile of Satan whereby evil men take people off from what they acknowledge the full and the only Rule to lead them into a thousand Errours I prove it an Errour by these Arguments following Arg. 1. God hath promised that in order to his peoples instruction in matters necessary to Salvation his Word shall concur with his Spirit to the end of the world Therefore 't is not his pleasure to teach his people these necessary Truths immediately or without the word much less to teach all men The promise we have Isa 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Arg. 2. God never from the beginning of the world to the Apostles days so taught his Church much less all men Therefore 't is without reason to imagine he doth so now Not in Innocency for the Moral Law he taught Adam by that Light he was created with which Moral Law contained necessary Truths to his Salvation In Moses's days though he himself was so taught yet none else the Church was taught mediately by Moses his Ministry In the Apostles days the Church was taught by their Ministry The Apostles themselves had immediate Revelation the Prophets also but 1 Cor. 12.29 Are all Apostles Are all Prophets Arg. 3. Excepting Moses there cannot a man be shewn to whom God by immediate Revelation discovered all Duties necessary to Salvation Paul might seem the most likely but though the Gospel was so manifested to him yet not the Law this was partly by the Law of Nature partly by the consideration of the works of Creation especially by the Scriptures How fond is the Conceit then that the whole Church should now be so taught Arg. 4. Had it been Gods purpose in Gospel times to teach all men nay to teach his whole Church immediately all their Duty then would he not have provided for this end Scriptures inspiring his word into Holy men and moving them to write it and enduing them with the Spirit of Prophesie and the Spirit of Miracles to render them credible that without hesitancy his Church might embrace the word wrote by them for the undoubted Truth of God Had this been Gods pleasure he would not have appointed a Ministry and that to continue to the end of the world for this very end to instruct his Church in those Truths that are necessary to Salvation Go preach saith Christ I am with you always to the end of the world And he gave some Apostles some Pastors and Teachers for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come into the unity of Faith Did God provide Scripture and appoint Ministers with an intent not to use them but to do all immediately by his Spirit without them When God gives Means he doth not ordinarily work without means but by them It is worth observation where the Scripture and Ministry are vouchsafed the Heathen attain only to know Moral Duties nothing of Christ Is it not because God concurs to teach them with the means they have the Law of Nature but doth not supply the want of means they have not to teach them immediately Jesus Christ Where therefore he hath given Scriptures and the Ministry he doth not ordinarily teach without them Men may as well expect God should ordinarily preserve life and strength without Bread Arg. 5. Immediate teachings were extraordinary things Therefore not to be expected by all men nor ordinarily and for continuance by the Church Look on them in Abraham in Moses in Samuel or any of the Prophets they were extraordinary Those persons chosen above any for God thus to reveal himself to The Revelation at certain times only 1 Sam. 3. The Lord called Samuel and to him denounced Judgment upon Elies House It was so extraordinary that all Israel v. 20. from Dan to Beersheba took notice of it and hereby knew that Samuel was established a Prophet of the Lord. And v. 21. It is said God appeared to him again in Shiloh This was no ordinary thing Daniel's and Ezekiel's Visions no ordinary things nor were Joseph's and Nebuchadnezzar's and Pharaoh's Dreams nor John's Revelation Every one nay every Believer must not look that the Sun should stand still at his Prayers or the Sea be driven back for him This were to confound ordinary with extraordinary Arg. 6. He that is by the Spirit immediately taught the Gospel can say I received it not of man neither was I taught it but by Revelation of the Holy Ghost But every Believer cannot say so Therefore every Believer is not immediately taught the Gospel Arg. 7. If immediate teaching be a sufficient Rule to Heaven then Believers need not hear the Word or read the Scriptures But God commanding Believers Be swift to hear Remember the Law of Moses my Servant Vnto the word of Prophesie ye do well to attend Thou shalt read Deut. 17.10 puts them not upon a needless duty Arg. 8. If every Believer hath immediate teachings then every one of them can write Gods mind as infallibly as the Pen-men of the Scripture Then every believer may add to the Scripture and enlarge the Churches Canon Whereas Heb. 1.1 God did deliver the Churches Canon by parts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now by his Son which opposed to the former discovers the whole Canon is by Christ delivered no more parts that may be added are now to be expected Arg. 9 They that hold this must either say
alwaies when it makes use of the word Job 1.1 Job was a perfect man yet not without sin for he cursed his day Phil. 3.15 As many of us as are perfect It signifies not free from all sin for in this sense saith he ver 12. I am not already perfect Hence it follows an Argument from the use of the word in Scripture as I spake wisdome among them that are perfect c. concludes not unless it be first proved that the sense of the word in that place be free from all sin In the First Dispute G. W. objected many things As 1. Christians to destroy the works of the Devil It was Answered So he will in his time He took Six dayes to create the world when he could have done it in a moment Thus he mortifies sin more and more in this Life and will remove its being in the next Quest But why will he not in this Life Answ It is his good pleasure Quest p. 22. Can he see good not to abolish it Can he see the Continuance of evill good Or that his Commands should not be kept Answ He sees good to suffer the ungodly to go on in sin for the eternal advancement of his Justice If it were not so how easily could he change them He sees good to suffer Corruptions in part mortified in his Saints to keep them humble exercise them drive them to his blood and Righteousness for shelter from wrath and to render the infinite perfection of his merits and of his Fathers pardoning grace to all eternity more resplendent and glorious Ob. 2. Then his pleasure and commands are contrary for he hids us be perfect Answ God commands to offer Isaac he purposeth Isaac shall not be offered This shews he doth not efficaciously will every thing he commands Yet though here is a seeming here is no real contrariety By commanding he made it Abrahams duty his pleasure was to make it Abrahams duty Yet was it his pleasure it should not indeed be performed What real contrariety is here If he had further Objected God commandeth us nothing but what he enables us in this life to perform Answ He commands us from the beginning of Life to the end of Life to continue in all things written in the Law to do them yet he enables none of us to obey this command because he will not save us without Covenant of Grace and the continued sinless obedience of Jesus Christ our surety Ob. 3. Either sin is perfectly remeved in this Life or after death If after death whether doth it remain one moment after death Answ It sufficeth me to be assured from Gods word it is not done away in this Life it shall in the next Let the Lord take his own time to effect it Because I see mention of Purgatory p. 20. I further adde that since no unclean thing shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven since Christ is to present us holy unblameable unreproveable in his sight a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle As part of what Christ hath merited touching this point is applyed from time to time to a Believer whereby he dyes unto sin by degrees so at his death the whole of Christs merit is applyed immediately whereby sin is for ever totally abolished and the soul prepared to see God to his unspeakable comfort face to face Ob. 4. But it is the end of the Ministry which is to continue till we come to a perfect man Eph. 4.13 It was Answered That perfect man is Christ with all his Members for he consists of many till we all come to a perfect man And he is thus to be a perfect man in the other world not this Quest Is the Ministry to continue in the other World It was Answered The Ministry is to continue to the last Trump and to the last Trump will sin be in the Saints but then in a Moment will the Saints be changed and perfected and in the same moment will the Ministry cease In the second dispute he urged ver 12. Christ gave Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints Here I asked how long was the Ministry to continue in perfecting of the Saints whether till death or no After a pause he answered not so long as death I gave him a Scripture to prove that the Ministry and Scriptures were perfecting the Saints as long as they live Deut. 17.19 The King shall read therein all the days of his Life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God If he is to learn to fear God all the dayes of his Life Hence thus I argue whilst the Ministry and Scriptures are perfecting the Saints they are not perfected As whilst a Carpenter is building an house the house is not builded whilst God was creating the world the world was not created In the very moment when the world was created in that very moment God did cease from creating But the Ministry and Scriptures are perfecting the Saints all the dayes of their Life therefore the Saints are not perfected all the dayes of their Life He answered the Jews are under another dispensation or Covenant I asked in regard the Scriptures were perfecting the Jews all the dayes of their Life whether he would grant that the Jews at least were not porfected all the dayes of their Life here he was gone for he knew not how to deny it being made so plain though he would not grant it I could get no answer from him Here we may see how false that Assertion of theirs is that there is no coming to heaven for any in the other world who are not first freed from all sin in this It is evident God brought the Jews to heaven yet was not one of them made free from sin in this Ob. Psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled It was Answered 1. In point of Justification Believers are in Christ their head spotless clear as the Moon fair as the Sun 2. In point of Sanctification through renewing and assisting grace they do not allow themselves in any known sin but in Gods fear oppose all and this is their evangelical perfection or sincerity Ob. 6. Psal 119.3 They also do no iniquity To which may be added Divin of Christ p 3. He that abideth in Christ sinneth not doth not commit sin in whose spirit is no guile Answ 1. They allow themselves in no sin but sincerely strive to do their duty Answ 2. So far as regenerate and acting from the regenerate part they do no iniquity a Parallel place is Rom. 7.17 It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me Where Paul manifestly distinguisheth between his regenerate and unregenerate part nor is this Tautologie as G. W. insinuates Glory Christs Light p. 21. For to say a man acteth from his regenerate part speaks the springing of his actions from a right principle to say he doth no iniquity speaks the conformity of his Life to a right Rule It follows not hence the Saints are perfectly free
it by Faith as kindleth love to God and Christ above their lives and engageth their hearts in all obedience It is true such have many faylings but far from open petulant derision and contempt of God their unavoidable infirmities are their burthen in these they can read their own deserts even to have them as dung cast back into their faces and to be rejected for them but their sin is their misery they loath themselves and cease not to make their spotless Saviour who bled for them their refuge and thus in him they have peace comfort safety Salvation The Lord convince and humble slanderers and establish his own people in his Truth Concerning Election and Reprobation I Should not have medled with this deep mysterious point but that by his additional depravation of Gods truth he hath engaged me thereunto I shall therefore God assisting briefly lay down manifest and vindicate the truth so far as I see it opposed And here this Proposition That God did most freely unchangeably and from all eternity choose some particular persons to partake of saving grace and salvation by Jesus Christ for the praise of the glory of his grace From whence it will necessarily follow that he hath reprobated or passed by others I must manifest this by parts 1. Gods Act which essentially takes in the object thereof he hath chosen some particular persons 2 Thes 2.13 God hath chosen you Jo. 15.19 I have chosen you Eph. 14. He hath choseu us This being directly denyed I shall adde Arguments Arg. 1. Particular persons in time receive mercy are converted made to persevere are saved therefore did God decree this before hand For God worketh according to the Counsel of his own will Eph. 1.11 Arg. 2. God hath made absolute promises of the first saving grace Ezek. 36.25 26. I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean A new heart will I give you Chap. 11.19 20. I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within you I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my Statutes Jer. 31.33 This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel in those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Laws in their inward parts Isa 54.13 All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord. These promises are but a declaration of his purpose or Decree and they are not made concerning all but particular persons whom God hath in his eye to save otherwise every one would be made clean would have a new heart a heart of flesh Gods Law written in his heart would be taught of God and so come to Christ but experience shews the contrary Arg. 3. Persons by name are particular persons but God hath chosen persons by name Rev. 13.8 All that dwel on the earth shall worship the beast whose names are not written in the slain Lambs book of Life from the foundation of the world So may the words be read Arg. 4. All that are chosen do infallibly believe in time and partake of Christs Righteousness Act. 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Rom. 11.7 The Elect have obtained it Therefore some particular persons were Elected for if all were Elected all would infallibly believe and so partake of Christs Righteousness Arg. 5. Jacob was a particular Person and loved before he had done any good according to Gods purpose of Election Rom. 9.11 Arg. 6. God knows his Elect from others and this not only after but also before they are called 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God stands sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his Jo. 13.18 I know whom I have chosen Jo. 10.14 I am that good shepheard and know my sheep ver 16. Other sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also I must bring and they shall hear my voyce Therefore are they particular Persons These and not others that the Lord hath chosen Jo. 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me Arg. 7. This appears from the very Nature of Election for where all are taken or all are left there can be no Election 2. The end and intendment of this Act. This with respect to Man is that he might partake of saving grace Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us that we should be holy That we might also partake of Salvation by Jesus Christ. 2 Thes 2.13 God hath chosen you to Salvation 1 Thes 5.9 God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord with respect to God that the glory of his grace might be praised as we have it exprest Eph. 1.6 verse 11 12. Predestinated that we should be to the praise of his glory 3. The Properties of his Act. 1. Most freely did God Elect those that are Elected Rom. 9.11 The Children not being yet born neither having done good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth it was said the elder should serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Though these last words were spoken when Esaus posterity was the border of wickedness Mal. 1. Yet whatever G. W. saith p. 45. were they spoken to signifie the free choice that God long before bad made of Jacob and his seed which free choice was manifested in those words of Love concerning Jacob the elder shall serve the younger for they were spoken before the Children had done good or evil nothing had Jacob done to move God thus to preserve him before his brother And further the Apostle tells us this was done that the purpose of Gods Election might stand or take place So that God did but Act then as he had decreed of old to do And further yet the Apostle tells us this Election is not of works but of him that calleth No mans good works foreseen are the things that move God to choose but it is the meer good pleasure of God who effectually calls and prevails on whom he will This is further manifest from Ver. 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy The Truth is we have naturally no will to that which is spiritually good how should we when we cannot know the things of God when holiness and faith in Christ are foolishness to us so Ver 18. He hath mercy on whom he will The Apostle goes on Ver 21. Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel to honour another to dishonour The Lump is Men and Women to be created the making of Vessels is Gods creating mankind with a decree of permitting their fall the making of this Vessel to honour that to dishonour is Gods creating such a person with a Resolution to recover him out of his fallen state by saving grace this resolution is