consisteth is not of God but only of Man wherefore Man alone is the author of sin as such Arminians accusing us to make God the author of sin do but follow the steps of their Elder Brothers the Papists Calvin and Beza c. falsely aspersed by slanderers speak well of this matter The first in his Treatise of Predestination a piece much worth reading the (a) Beza contra Castellinem other as quoted in the Margin are both (b) De gratia lib. arbit cap. 20 21. St. Austin's followers against Pelagius They who in this permission attribute nothing to God but only that he leaves the wicked to act according to their mind or to turn themselves to this or to that Object make God an idle spectator of things and one of these two things they must own either that God doth not execute his just Judgments by the sins of the wicked which is false and contrary to Scripture or else that many of God's Judgments are executed accidentally or by chance so that God decreed to punish David by his Son Absolom because he did foresee Absolom would go about rebelling against his Father and to punish Israel by the Kings of Assyria because he foresaw the Assyrian would make War against Israel a thing absurd and altogether contrary to Scripture which expresly saith that Tyrants are called God's (c) Isai 13.3 sanctified the Medes and Persians to execute his Judgments and in the same verse I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger They are called (d) Isai 10.5 6 15. the rod of God's anger and in their hand is the staff of his indignation as the Assyrian which is also called the Ax the Saw the Rod and the Staff in God's hand vers 15. I will send him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath will I give charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the street God sent him and he had God's Commission for what he was to do He is called (a) Jerem. 50.23 the hammer of the whole earth and in the following Chapter the King of Media is called God's battle-ax and weapons of war c. Certainly all this is more than a bare permission Chap. 51.20 whence we conclude there is an effectual acting of God and directing wicked Instruments to a certain Object against which God is pleased to execute his Judgments We have so many more Texts of Scripture to prove the effectual concourse of God with bad actions of Men against those who assert only a bare permission and a direction of evil to a good end The expressions of Scripture upon this subject are so full so clear so significant and so much to the purpose that Men must be blind who will not see Here we will produce only some few God saith to David (b) 2 Sam. 12.11 12. I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun for thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Sun By Absolom (c) 2 Sam. 16.10 the Lord hath-said unto Shimei curse David (d) 1 Kings 22.22 God sent a lying spirit in the mouth of all his Ahab's Prophets (e) Jerem. 15.8 I have brought upon them a spoiler at noon day (f) Ezech. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived that Prophet The falling off of the ten Tribes is the work of God (g) 2 Chron. 11.4 Ye shall not fight against your brethren return every man to his house for this thing is done of me (h) 1 Kings 12.15 And Roboham hearkned not to the people for the cause was from the Lord. (i) 2 Kings 10.32 33. God stirred up the heart of the King of Assyria to carry a way some of the Tribes of Reuben Gad and half of Manasseh The destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to (k) 2 Chorn. 22.7 Joram (l) Chap. 25.23 Amaziah would not hear for it came of God that he might deliver them into the hands of their enemies because they sought after the Gods of Edom. Besides what we said before of God's hardning Pharaoh's heart God (m) Josh 11.20 hardned the hearts of several Kings that they should come against Israel as he had done before to Sihon King of Heshbon †Deuter. 2.30 For the Lord thy God hardned his spirit and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver him into thy hands Must all this be understood of a bare permission Farthermore God by Deborah said to Barak (a) Judg. 4.7 I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera the captain of Jabin's army and deliver him into thine hand (b) Psal 78.49 He sent evil Angels amongst the Egyptians And †Judg. 9.23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (c) Isai 19.14 The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of Egypt (d) Jer. 13.13 God will fill the Kings that sit upon David's throne and the priests and the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness In another place 't is called (e) Isai 29.10 a spirit of deep sleep (f) 1 Sam. 2.25 The Sons of Ely hearkned not unto their Father because the Lord would slay them God saith by the mouth of his Prophet (g) Isai 45.7 I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things (h) Amos 3.6 Is there any evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Hence it is that (i) Psa 17.13 the wicked is called the sword and hand of God David prays to God (k) Psal 141.4 not to incline his heart to any evil thing to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity And also (l) Psal 15.25 God turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate his people (m) Psal 69.27 Add iniquity to their iniquity saith David (n) Isai 54.16 God hath created the waster to destroy And the same Prophet saith (o) Isai 42.24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers did not the Lord (p) 2 Chron. 21 16 17. God stirred up against Jehoram the heart of the Philistins and of the Arabians that are near Aethiopia and they came up to Judah and brake into it and carried away all the substance that was found in the King's house and his Sons also and his Wives And three Chapters after 't is said (q) Chap. 24.24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a great host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers so they executed judgment against Joash Hence it is clear out of the very
look upon any thing in the Creature when we seek amongst men that which we can find only with God this makes our Saviour say (d) Joh. 5 44. How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only Thus we have done with this great Subject as much as relateth to our present purpose CHAP. XII Christ dyed not for All. WE are now come to another Point about the extent of our Saviours death This is a matter of very great importance both in it self and in the consequence thereof and because the deciding of a question doth sometimes much depend upon the right stating of it I will endeavour so to do in this in order to it in few words I here lay down what Papists and Arminians say 't is thus They teach that Christ by his death intended the universal redemption of all and every particular Man whether Elect or Reprobate without distinction that by his death he actually obtained for all the grace and favour of God That the application of these graces thus obtained dependeth only on the free-will of Man some according to their liberty making use of that purchased gift others to whom that Grace and Salvation was alike purchased and intended on God's part do by their own contempt and neglect according to the same liberty of their will reject it But we say that the Lord Jesus did not give his Blood and Life for all only for the Elect his Members and that by his death he hath satisfied Gods Justice only for those who get good by it that is all Believers before his death in the time of or after his death to the worlds end In the beginning of this Treatise I made use of a kind of argument which here I shall not repeat only say that Scripture reduces it to many and who are to be understood by the many I instanced out of several Texts of Scripture Now we proceed to other proofs and argue thus He who will not do the least thing for one will not do the greatest for him He who will not speak a good word for a man surely will not dye for that man but our Saviour would not pray for the world for Reprobates therefore he would not dye for Reprobates Our Saviour is plain upon this (a) Joh. 17. in that Prayer of his which makes up a whole Chapter just before he was taken where after he had prayed for himself he prayed also for them whom the Father had given him out of the world for his Elect and Believers He solemnly declares he excludeth the wicked from his Prayer (b) Vers 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me out of the world This he saith if I may so say upon his death bed when he was about going to dye 't is as good as if he had said I dye not for the world the world of Reprobates for that 's the signification of the word in that place as anon by the grace of God we shall make it appear Again those for whom Christ dyed he loved so as that he could love them no more for he saith himself (c) Joh. 15.13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends But it cannot be said that Christ loved Reprobates so that he could love them no more therefore he dyed not for them I say farther surely Christ would not dye for those whom he will never own nor suffer to come near him but he saith and we ought to believe him how at the last day (d) Matth. 7.23 He will profess unto them I never knew you Depart from me ye that work iniquity 'T is not to be supposed he would dye for those whom he will use so at last as to deny he ever knew them with that knowledge which is joyned with special love and favour Farthermore (e) Rom. 5.10 They for whom Christ dyed were reconciled to God by his death and being reconciled shall be saved by his life But it cannot be said that Reprobates were reconciled to God or shall be saved therefore Christ dyed not for them Now sins are not imputed to those who thorough Christ's death are reconciled to God but sins are imputed to all that are damned wherefore none of those that are damned were reconciled to God by the death of his Son The major or first part of our argument is grounded upon Scripture (f) 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their sins unto them Neither doth the Lord Jesus as we said before cause his death to be preached to all for 't is said in relation to this (a) Eph. 2.12 That the Gentiles were without Christ aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world If so then certainly he dyed not for all if his death was not published to all and it was not to those that were without Christ and there can be no benefit by Christ's death for men come to age except that death be preached but it is much less and more easie to have a death preached to one than to die for him Lastly I say if Christ be dead for all and every man without exception then he dyed for those that were in Hell long before his death and to whom he knew his death would do no good And do we take that precious Blood of the Covenant to be so slight a thing as to be shed in vain for those who could not be the better for it Nay for (b) Heb. 10.20 those who had trodden or should tread under foot the Son of God and count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing This were too much to prophane it that this holy blood should be shed for Judas who as our Saviour said (c) John 6.70 was a devil (d) John 17.12 the Son of perdition against whom he pronounceth a woe (e) Luke 22.22 Matth. 26.24 Woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed it had been good for that man if he had not been born Christ then had dyed in vain if for those that were in Hell out of which there is no redemption and this with an intent to procure them Salvation What an Opinion is this How injurious to the wisdom of Christ So the word all is to be restrained as when John's Disciples said John 3.26 of Christ all men come to him surely not every individual man All the Arguments whereby they endeavour to oppose this Dectrine may be reduced under two Heads for they lay a stress chiefly upon two words in Scripture the first is the word world the other the word all Under the first come in several Texts of Holy Scripture as these (f) John 1.29 Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of
Mercy they attain to everlasting Felicity Here are also the Particulars by which that general bringing to Salvation is perfected so that to joyn both together it is but one and the same and from first to last there is such an indissoluble Connexion that he who is elected to eternal Life shall infallibly have it Upon this certitude and assurance it is that St. Paul concludes nothing can deprive us of eternal Life because nothing can separate us from the love of God which is the Ground of our Happiness Wherefore he defieth any thing or person to do it though Arminians undertake to accept of the Apostle's Challenge not caring how they come within his Defiance For they seem to answer that there are many or some things that can separate us from the love of God in Christ tho' after and before a long Enumeration St. Paul concludes In all things these we are more than conquerours And Job will trust in God John 13.15 though he kill him Now that which maketh us to Conquer is not our own free-Will but it is God that loved us In conformity to this in the same Article it is said The consideration of Election doth greatly establish in the Saints and confirm their Faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ And the same Interpreter upon the 17th Article in his 3d. Proposition out of the Words constantly decreed doth infer this Wander then do they from the truth which think that the very Elect totally and finally may fall from Grace and be damned c. I think this is very clear for us And in the latter end of his 8th Proposition he condemneth those who call the Doctrine of Predestination a licentious Doctrine As to the point of Justification which is a Fundamental Article of our Religion and much corrupted by Arminians the xi Article of the 39. saith We are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works and Deservings These last Words do reach Arminians as well as Papists for free Will Faith Perseverance right use and improvement of Means do come under the Word Deservings There is then nothing of Man and Rogers in the Proofs of his 1st Proposition explains it thus By his only Righteousness we are justified It expresses only Christ's Righteousness and excludeth any thing else But I must not be too long upon this Out of what hath been said I hope it doth appear how of the 39 Articles those which speak about these Matters are clearly for us against Arminians Now we must come to the Liturgy or Common-Prayer-Book which now and then and in several places doth strike against those Errors and for the Truth And as the Church teaches us those Doctrines by Articles of Faith so in the Liturgy she doth confirm it by Practice But before I come to it I must take notice of some Passages in the Catechism which is also a publick Record and Evidence of the Doctrine of the Church Know this that thou art not able to do these things of thy self nor to walk in the Commandments of God and to serve him without his special Grace See also the Answer to the first Question about the Lord's Prayer I desire c. Read the Answer to the 4th Question and by God's help so I will c. Now to come to Particulars out of the Prayer-Book In one place we have thus (a) Collect on Christ's Nativity Grant that we being regenerate and made thy Children by Adoption and Grace may daily be renewed by thy holy Spirit Those Benefits we receive as effects of Grace not of our free-Will and our being renewed is by God's Holy Spirit not by our Will If it be by one it is not by the other because in Matters of Salvation Grace and natural Strength are opposed In another place (b) Collect upon Ash-wednesday we beseech God to create and make in us new and contrite Hearts Then we cannot have it of our selves and the Word to create sheweth it to be beyond the power of any Creature it is the Work only of the Creator Elsewhere we own (c) Collect on 2d Sunday in Lent to have no power of our selves to help our selves If we have a free-Will we have a Power Again (d) Collect on Monday and Tuesday in Easter week As by thy special Grace preventing us thou dost put into our Minds good Desires so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect This is plain and full against Arminians If there be good Thoughts in our Mind good Desires in our Heart it is God alone that puts it therein By what Motive and upon what Account Not for any thing in us but by his Grace nay his special not a common universal Grace not for our Faith Repentance good Works right use of Means but by his special Grace preventing Grace before we can think and desire But this is not all for as the beginning is from God as are Desires so is the Progress for we pray for his continual help so also is the end that we may bring the same good Thoughts and Desires to good effect Without that help nothing doth or can come to any good We have more than this to shew (e) Collect on 4th Sunday after Easter Almighty God who alone canst order the unruly Wills and Affections of sinful Men grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou command-est and desire that which thou dost promise We are all sinful Men even God's People Our Wills and Affections are unruly where then lays their Freedom They are obstinate Slaves to their Passions therefore called unruly None but God can order them nothing under a Divine Power can influence them to what is good nay in things that are natural to them as to love and to desire Nothing seems more natural than Love and Desire nothing more free yet here we see our Wills cannot love that which God commands or desire what he promises except God makes them do it Surely these are mortal Wounds to free-Will Furthermore we cannot so much as to think any good thing but by the Spirit of God For St. Paul saith of our selves we cannot have a good Thought so the Church which believeth his Doctrine saith to God (f) Collect on 5th Sunday after Easter Grant to us that by thy holy Inspiration we may think those things that be good This is of Grace and not by Nature therefore (g) Collect on 1st Sunday after Trinity we can do no good thing without thee grant us the help of thy Grace that we may please thee both in will and deed God puts into our Hearts to do Duties and to perform them well (h) Collect on 3d. Sunday after Trinity Thou hast given us a hearty desire to pray We pray God to grant (i) Collect on Ascension day and Collect on Annunciation day