in God all labours bestowed in a wrong way of Doctrine or practice will then be burnt up and prove unprofitable to those that have wrought them 3. That it is possible that some who are themselves built and do build on the true foundation may yet so far err in their work at least some part of it as that it may not be approved in this day but must be lost even as Wood Hay and Stubble is consumed by the Fire and they miss of that reward which shall be given to those whose labour hath been better imployed in the promoting of sound Doctrine and Godliness to the glory of God and the profit of their own and others Souls And 4. That this notwithstanding those that have an interest in Christ and have been in the main sincere with God shall themselves be saved yet so as by fire they cannot escape this tryal of their work and loss of that superadded gracious reward which they should have received if they had built upon the foundation Gold Silver and precious Stones Now let the whole context be diligently read and weighed by his Reader and mine and I doubt not but he will see that this Scripture proves not at all the Salvation of any that dye in their sins after the final sentence is past upon them And here it may not be unseasonable to remind Mr. Collier of those rules of interpreting Scripture that he would seem to have some regard to p. 39. viz. 1. Not to understand any dark Scripture contrary to the plain revealed will of God in his word 2. Not to understand any Scripture so as to contradict others especially so as to contradict the Volume of the Book of God This himself confesseth must needs be corrupt and dangerous and yet every one may see that his business throughout this Chapter is to oppose some few sayings of Scripture that have some difficulty attending their interpretation with parabolical and figurative expressions corrupted by his false glosses unto a multitude of plain Texts and the whole scope of the Scripture bearing plentiful witness to the certainty of the Everlasting punishment of the ungodly But I shall proceed He saith again The Lord of all lets us to know that none shall be Eternally damned but those who sin against the holy spirit Mat. 12. 31. Three of the Evangelists state this for confirmation Mar. 3. 28. Luk. 12. 10. And if all sin shall be forgiven then there must be a deliveâ—ance from the Judgement Now is Mr. Colliers mask of pretended modesty put off and laid aside and instead thereof a daring assertion of his Heresie is introduced and that by him boldly intitled to the Lord of all which oweth its Original to the Father of lies viz. That none shall be Eternally damned but those who sin against the holy spirit and that he may at once give full proof of his confidence he adds that this is stated by three of the Evangelists whereas in truth there is no such thing so much as intimated in any one of them But in divers Texts of Scripture the Lord of all lets us know that many shall be Eternally damned for other sins that may not be chargeable with the sin against the holy Ghost unto those already pleaded you may add Rev. 20. 15. 21. 8. As for the Texts abused by him The scope and design of them plainly is to let the malicious revilers of Christ and his Miracles know That although the Grace of God to sinners is so abundant that all sin and blasphemy of those that truly repent and believe in Christ may be and to some hath been and shall be forgiven on the terms aforesaid yet those that willingly and maliciously reject and blaspheme Christ so doing despight to the spirit of Grace whereby they have been so far enlightened as to know that what the Gospel reveals concerning Christ and salvation by him is truth are utterly excluded from hopes of pardon or possibiâ—ity of salvation it being impossible to renew them to Repentance and there remaining no more sacrifice for sin Compare the Texts cited with Heb. 6. 4 5 6. chap. 10. 26 27 28 29. The words in Mat. 12. are v. 31. Wherefore I say unto you All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men v. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shalâ— not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come The same thing is intended in either of these Verses though the expression thereof be doubled for the greater certainty and remarkableness thereof Wherefore I say unto you This refers to what is before recorded v. 24. c. all manner of sin and blasphemy i. e. sin and blasphemy of every kind not every individual sin and blasphemy The adultery of Repenting David was forgiven but not the adultery of those mentioned Rev. 21. 8. The blasphemy of Paul and the words that he spake against the Son of man but not of Caiaphas Herod c. shall be forgiven unto men and so v. 32. it shall be forgiven him i. e. it is remissible By the grace of God through Faith in Christ it may be forgiven and to some it hath and shall be forgiven Verbs that signifie action are sometimes understood only of a faculty or power of action so Psal 22. 18. I may tell all my bones in the Hebrew it is I will tell all my bones The sense is well exprest in our translation and Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean c. In the Hebrew it is who saith Many will say and pretend this but the meaning is who of right can say so And that the words should here be taken in this sense the analogy of Faith doth require but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost or whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost i. e. whosoever blasphemeth wittingly and maliciously against the inward enlightening and conviction of the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men and v. 32 it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in that which is to come Thus you have the certainty of their damnation first absolutely exprest v. 31. and then emphatically repeated in such terms as may serve farther to cut them off from all hopes and exclude all possibility of their forgiveness v. 32. And in them no more is intended then was before exprest and is in like absolute terms exprest by the other Evangelists no intimation which Mr. C. vainly imagines p. 48. that any which are not forgiven in this world may obtain pardon in that which is to come It is certain that it was a familiar phrase with the Jews to call the age of the Messiah the world to come and some with great probability to accept this sense both here and in Heb. 2. 5. 6.
that which they have been warned to flee from by those that know the terrour of the Lord. These with some other things of like import prevailed with me to account it necessary That those precious truths opposed by him should be vindicated from his cavils and reproaches though for my self I can truly say I had much rather for many reasons some other of my Brethren had undertaken this work and I have many witnesses this task was imposed on not sought by me for I have no such esteem of my ability as to desire to trouble the world in Print and therefore I beg a candid interpretation of my appearing in publick on this occasion In my answer I have been forced very briefly to touch upon many of Mr. Colliers notions being desirous to bring it into as little room as might be lest by its length it should be rendred the less serviceable to many of those for whose good it was chiefly intended and therefore have passed over many things more remote from the main controversie in silence which otherwise might have deserved some remark Amongst which you may reckon that which so often occurs in his Book viz. This and that is true in a Gospel sense or some Scripture sense which sense he yet gives us no account of but what we must gather from his accommodation of that which he saith is true in a Gospel sense to his own absurd Opinions which may serve to amuse and deceive his ignorant and unwary Reader This I am abundantly satisfied in That what I have asserted against Mr. Collier is plainly confirmed in the Scripture of truth and agreeable to that Doctrine which the Church of God hath always been possessed of and are no new notions of my own coyning and therefore I hope by the Grace of Christ to be enabled farther to clear and strengthen what I have written if occasion be really offered by Mr. Collier his making such a reply as hath any colour of reason urged against it otherwise I shall not concern my self with a noise of vain words but rest satisfyed in that I have once for all born my witness against him and detected his Errors I earnestly desire that God would give him Repentance unto the acknowledgement of the truth that by his own recantation of what he hath published so contrary thereto and offensive to true Christians this contest may have an end put to it And forasmuch as I understand Mr. Collier pretends some respect to the Labours of Dr. Usher I could heartily wish he would seriously read over his Body of Divinity and his Treatise of the Incarnation of the Son of God called Immanuel printed at the end thereof that if he will not attend to what I have written yet he may by that holy man be better informed about the principles of Christianity And that he may for the future escape that absurdity and confusion he hath cast himself into in his first Ch. concerning the Person of Christ I desire he would compare this observation of the Dr. with what I have written on the same head to the same purpose By reason of the strictness of the personal Union whatsoever may be verified of either of those natures the Divine or Humane the same may be truly spoken of the whole Person from whethersoever of the natures it be denominated And let him take in the other parts of that discourse with it wherein he solidly proves that the Son of God took the nature of man not an humane person into a personal Vnion with himself and so was manifest in flesh and wrought out our Redemption as also his pithy and pious discourse of this subject in his Body of Divinity p. 164 165. c. and it may prove of singular use to guide him out of that labyrinth of Errour he is at present lost in if more gross tenets do not lye in the bottom of his discourses then he is yet willing to speak out plainly before the world which I would not suggest my suspicion of did I not discern ground for it in what he hath already written especially if compared with the Heresies formerly espoused by him but being willing to wait for his more plain and ingenuous opening of his own sense I have for the present passed over many things especially in his first Ch. that are of an harsh sound in Christian ears though clouded in ambiguous terms expecting that his Rejoynder will either give me occasion to put a better sense upon those phrases then the words at present seem well to bear or else engage me to a farther detection of his abomination couched in them With the latter part of Mr. Colliers Book which he intitles An healing word I have not concerned my self though divers things therein are lyable to just exception but I must tell him There can be no Gospel Peace without truth nor Communion of Saints without an agreement in fundamental principles of the Christian Religion We must contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints and mark those that cause divisions among us by their new Doctrines contrary thereto and avoid them And lest any should be deceived by Mr. Colliers good words and fair speeches I cannot but take notice that his General Epistles were ushered into the world with the same pretext of making peace and discharge of his Conscience and with as great shew of zeal for God and other as plausible pretences as any he now maketh or can make And yet one shall hardly find more contradictory and blasphemous notions in the writings of any called or pretending to be Christians then in them For besides his contempt of the holy Scriptures and all Ordinances there he tells us To have Communion and Fellowship with the Father is to be one in Common with God to have fellowship is to be Gods fellow so is Christ so are Saints p. 243. Christ is no more then a Christian p. 244. with other like blasphemies which I abhor the recital of These things indeed as I am informed he saith he hath repented of but never yet thought himself obliged to publish to the world an ingenuous recantation of them that so those concerned might have from himself a plain and particular warning to take heed of that poison which hath flowed from his own pen however it may be a good warning to us not to heed the smooth or swelling words of a man carried about with every wind of Doctrine I have but a word or two more and that is to acquaint thee that I have been troubled for the delays that this little work hath met with both before and since it went to the Press which yet I could not help I have taken what care I could that Errata's in Printing it might be prevented and desire that those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which do occur may be pardoned and amended in reading I hope they are not many nor very material And that thou maist the sooner have a taste of the
shall have a large share in them when the desired day of their calling and returning to God is come but their claim of right in new covenant blessings must now be on the account of their Faith in Christ not their natural descent from Abraham Let us now look into the Text and first we find that when the Prophet enters upon this comparison of Jerusalem with Samaria and Sodom v. 44. he saith Every one that useth Proverbs shall use this Proverb against thee c. which doth plainly lead us to a metaphorical sense of divers terms used in this proverbial or parabolical discourse Yea he saith v. 45. to the Jews your Mother was an Hittite and your Father an Amorite which certainly is not to be taken in a strict literal sense but is rather intended to note their corrupt manners then their natural descent And so although in the name Sodom there is an allusion to literal Sodom and the punishment thereof yet may we rather understand the Moabites and Ammonites to be intended who were like to Sodom and Gomorrah in their sinfulness and in their punishment See Zeph. 2 9. And there seems to be some farther occasion of this allusion not only in the situation of these Countries near to the Land where Sodom stood but more in that they sprang from Lot who was once an Inhabitant among the Sodomites whose evil manners his posterity did now conform to And indeed we find this in Scripture to be a common brand of Great sinners See Job 36. 14. Isa 1. 10. Rev. 7. 8. Now many of these two Nations did return to their Country as divers of the ten Tribes did also when Judah returned but especially are these promises made good in Gospel times in the gathering of Jews and Gentiles into one Church under one head Christ Jesus And these things duly weighed lead to such an interpretation of this prophecy as is according to the analogy of Faith and fully agreeing with other Texts both which are crossed and contradicted together with the whole scope of the Text under consideration by the sense that Mr. C. would force upon it For 1. It is evident that the promises here made must have their accomplishment in this world which is the only time and place for godly repentance and entring into Covenant with God by Faith in Christ 2. The Scripture and Reason doth cut off all hope of the returning so much as of any remnant of literal Sodom see Isa 1. 9. and saith expresly that the Sodomites do suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Jud. 7. which passage Mr. Collier mentions a little after I suppose to prevent others objecting it against him for certainly he cannot be so ignorant as to think that it strengthens his sense no doubt those that suffer the vengeance of Eternal fire are cut off from all hope of deliverance 3. The Grace promised in v. 62 63. is not a deliverance from torment only but a full and free pardon and taking of the persons pardoned into Covenant with God which includes their enjoyment of him as their portion which by Mr. Colliers own grant is no ways applicable to the damned in Hell And it is evident that the tollerableness allowed unto Sodom in the day of Judgement Mat. 18. 15. which he pleads is only comparative they shall be tormented less then those that have rejected the Gospel And the reasoning of our Saviour in that and like Texts is to this purpose That the condemnation of the Sodomites will be great is easily granted by you because they were great sinners and you are promising to your selves a far better portion then theirs is like to be in the day of Judgement but do not deceive your selves for your sin in rejecting the Gospel is greater then any they were guilty of and your punishment if you go on to neglect so great salvation will be heavier then theirs It shall be more tolerable for them in the day of Judgement then for you And there is no force of reason or terrour to the persons threatned suitable to what is intended if according to Mr. Colliers notion p. 53. The day of general Judgement should be the day of Sodoms ease That they should not be then condemned but released from their punishment and escape the Judgement that the rest of the wicked world fall under If this assertion of his be not bold and antiscriptural I know not what deserves to be so accounted Mr. Collier proceeds to argue Why may we not suppose that God may in time be pacified towards sinners after they have born their sin and judgement as formerly he hath declared himself to be or will be in time to come Ez. 16. 58. Seeing God hath been or will be pacified in Judgement why should we suppose him to be unreconcileable and never to be pacified in this last and great Judgement Is there indeed no difference betwixt the state of men in time and in Eternity why then can Mr. C. see no reason against sinners expectation of the same mercy hereafter as now some do partake of in the pardon of their sins and salvation by Christ Men are now under a mixt dispensation of justice and mercy and the time of life in this world is the only time of Gods patience 2 Pet. 3. 9. and while this time doth last he doth as well design the reclaiming of sinners by temporal Judgements as the vindicating of his own holiness and therefore when this is accomplished he may be here and oft-times is pacified towards sinners But in the world to come this mixt dispensation ceaseth and the Vessels of mercy shall enjoy the fruit of mercy perfectly and only and the vessels of wrath the extremity of justice all that is then designed towards them being the making known of wrath and glorifying justice upon them Rom. 9. 22 23. They must drink the Wine of Gods wrath without mixture Rev. 14. 10. And therefore no hope for them after this last and great Judgement He proceeds The Scripture saith expresly That God is the Saviour of all men but especially of those that believe and it is not present outward salvation that the Apostle is there speaking of c. The Text referred to is 1 Tim. 4. 10. where the Apostle is giving an account of his diligence and constancy in the work of the Ministry notwithstanding the persecutions that did or might attend him on that account as also the encouragement he had thereto because he trusted in the living God who is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe which can intend no other then the conserving providence of God which is over all and especially his own people So the 70 render Psal 36. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou wilt save or preserve Men and Beasts O Lord. It is evident the Apostle encourageth himself in that salvation that is presently enjoyed in this world who is the Saviour c. and if Mr. Colliers corrupt sense of this Text
be admitted I cannot see how he will exclude those that have sinned against the holy Ghost otherwise then by an arbitrary exception of his own for every man is partaker of the salvation here intended In the 7 § p. 50. Mr. Collier repeats again who it is for whom he intends this deliverance from Hell-torments But with his vain words we are not concerned being well assured There is no such thing and that distinction insisted on § 8. we have already proved to be vain and groundless Those that are under the Eternal Judgement must suffer Eternal torment as well as loss And indeed according to this mans principles they may as well expect deliverance from the one as from the other for those that have forgiveness of sin have also Righteousness imputed to them and are on that account received to glory not for their own good works the want of which he makes the only bar unto the admission of these persons into the Kingdom of Heaven Yea he asserts farther § 9. That this favour and mercy shall be extended to them on the account and for the sake of Christ and again p. 54. Why we should make that an argument against all Grace after the Judgement the infinite Sacrifice remaining the same to have its influence herein which hath been our alone hope and help before the Judgement I do not yet understand It is pleaded that sin is against an infinite Majesty and therefore deserveth Everlasting punishment and this Mr. C. acknowledgeth to be true but yet saith that God is infinite in Grace as well as in Justice and therefore this property of God can be no bar to the relief of the damned and then pleads That the infinite sacrifice of Christ remains the same to have its influence for the obtaining of Grace after the Judgement as before Now if this be so either Heaven was never purchased by Christ for those that believe in this world or the damned have through the influence of his sacrifice as free access thither upon their Repentance as we Nay if Mr. Collier will suspend it on mens good works seeing they may repent when damned why may they not do other good works also to such a measure as to earn Heaven as well as we But behold here another instance of his daring confidence in asserting his antiscriptural and pernicious notions where is the Scripture that saith Christ died for the Redemption of the damned in Hell or that his Sacrifice was ever designed for the obtaining of Grace for such as die in their sins It is most certain that when the great day of Judgement is past the Lord Christ hath finished all his work as Mediator and will then present his Church compleat before God and so give up the Kingdom to the Father that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15. 24. c. There will therefore remain no more sacrifice for sins pleadable for the remission of any that are not already saved but their Redemption ceaseth for ever And although sinners in the day of Gods patience are invited and encouraged to come to him on the account of his infinite mercy in Christ yet is it no where proposed as a ground for hope or spring of comfort to the damned who are the objects not of mercy but divine vengeance In the last place he pleads That this is rational and most God-like who hath let us know that he will suit his Judgements to mens various facts for measure That is most rational and becoming God which he hath revealed in his word and it is the highest presumption to dictate unto him another way for the manifestation of his glory upon the vessels of wrath then himself hath fixed on Who hath been his Counsellor Himself also hath revealed That as a righteous Judge he will suit his Judgements to the various facts of men and that some shall be beaten with many stripes others with few Luk. 12. 47 48. But this difference of punishment doth not consist in a differing duration but present degrees of torment Their fire that have sinned ignorantly shall not be so hot as theirs that have sinned wilfully neither will their worm gnaw them so grievously yet of both it is true That their worm never dyeth and their fire is not quenched He adds From the same reason and rule of Righteousness hath he given us â—ints of limitation in respect of time as if he would not be for ever punishing Luk. 12. 58 59. And this word till or untill in Scripture rarely imports Eternity but limits to time Mat. 18. 34 35. 5. 25 26. That we have any hint in the Scripture of limitation in respect of the time of the punishment of the wicked is false And that reason and righteousness do render such a limitation necessary is audacious boldness to assert Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance shall vile dust be so bold as to fix the demerit and limit the punishment of an offence against the infinite Jehovah But Luk. 12. 59. is brought in to give countenance to this abomination the words are I say unto thee thou shalt not depart thence untill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou shalt have paid even the last mite Apply this now to the case of sinners in the prison of Hell as Mr. Collier doth And 1. It utterly overthrows his notion of their release by forgiveness on condition of repentance through the influence of Christs sacrifice no such thing can be admitted in this case no favour is to be expected but even the last mite must be paid or no release can be obtained 2. It most emphatically sets forth their irrecoverable and everlasting damnation for if they may not expect any mercy but must themselves pay the utmost mite they are indebted to dâ—vine Justice we know they must be paying it for ever it being impossible for a finite creature to satisfie the demands of an infinite God justly provoked to anger by our rebellion against him so in the other Texts mentioned untill being referr'd to and determined by that which never can be done doth utterly cut off all hopes from those that are once fallen into the hands of the living God and so by consequence doth necessarily infer an absolute denial of the thing spoken of See 1 Sam. 15. 35. And this is directly the scope of the parable to take men off from their presumptions of relief in another world and to press them now to make their calling and Election sure And if it may be thought that men may satisfie divine Justice and pay the last mite I know not out the Devils may possibly do so too and may as well as men on this account justly claim a release from their torments sooner or later Thus far I have confidered and removed what Mr. Collier offers for the countenancing of his new Doctrine and by reason of my having already exceeded the room I intended to have comprized this reply in I shall be forced only to touch upon