of Jews and Gentiles indefinitely to whom he gives hopes of Salvation through Faith in Christ for that is the scope of that whole Chapter so the sence is this God hath concluded under sin Jews and Gentiles to have mercy on both in Christ apprehended with Faith so that Jews and Gentiles may ascribe their Salvation only to God's mercy This Text compared with another (f) Gal 3.22 Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe doth clear the point this last interpreting the other for as it appeareth that all are concluded under sin so it sheweth how special mercy reacheth only those who through the grace of God do believe and through Faith are elected to everlasting life To say that God hath from Eternity decreed to save all and every Man under this condition if they believe in Christ not only they find in Scripture nothing to ground it upon but withall intangle themselves in two very great difficulties First to God they attribute a vain and imprudent Decree for if from Eternity God hath foreseen that the condition of Faith in Christ shall not be performed by many to what purpose to make such a Decree of Salvation to depend upon such a condition Such a Decree doth not become the wisdom of any Man much less of God The Second inconveniency is this they submit and make faith a free gift of God to depend upon the free-will of man dead in trespasses and sins that it is in the power of Man to believe or not believe which is meer Pelagianism and wholly contrary to Scripture These considerations have so wrought upon some that they wave off the fore-sight of Faith but betake themselves to the fore-sight of the right use which Men would make of outward means of Conversion and Salvation as the serious saving hearing reading and meditation of the word of God receiving of the Sacrament frequenting of Churches c. But alas the first of these is the fruit of the Spirit not of corrupt Nature the saving hearing of the Word as well as Faith proceedeth from our Election For (a) 2 Cor. 2.15 16. the word is a Saviour of life unto life to none but the Elect but to others that perish it is the Saviour of death unto death And if going to Church and every hearing of the word of God could make a difference between chosen and reprobates and was necessarily joyned with Election all those that perform those duties would be Elect which we know to be false Experience teacheth us how sometimes the worst of Men most averse from hearing of the Word or walking in the way of Salvation are converted to God others who seemed better and fitter for the Kingdom of God being passed by and left so calling is sometimes for those who seemed the worst not for those who appeared the best Farther this opinion makes the rejecting of the grace of the Gospel outwardly offered the only cause of reprobation What then shall we say of those who from the beginning of the world to the birth of our Saviour were damned whereof the thousandth part never heard a word of Christ Now we proceed and say in the third place the lesser part òf sinners is elected and the greatest part left in their state of Damnation which Scripture clearly affirmeth (a) Rom. 9.29 Chap. 11.5 4. Except the Lord of Sabbath had lest us a seed 't is but a Seed a remnant a little one seven thousand amongst all the people of Israel our Blessed Saviour who knew it very well saith though (b) Matth. 20.16 Chap. 7.13.14 many are called yet few are chosen and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat But strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it They are called the little Flock whereof the Members at certain times are so few as thereby invisible to man's eye some times in God's not one Fourthly Kings 19.14 Ezek. 22.30 We say that these few ones are chiefly chosen out of those that are low and contemptible in the world for which we have that famous Text (c) 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28. For ye see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak to confound the mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen c. Hence we learn two considerable things First Not to judge of the love of God or his special grace out of humane Wisdom Power or Nobleness The Second patiently to bear the lowness meanness weakness and despicableness before the world for they are signs rather of Grace than of Wrath. To that purpose also is that passage in the Gospel (d) John 7.48 49. Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed These learned and wise High-priests and Pharisees in their own conceit would not go into Heaven nor suffer others to enter into it Ver. 47 not only they called the people cursed but also the Officers they had sent deceived are ye also deceived But upon occasion our Saviour plainly tells them the truth ye who think your selves so wise and righteous are fools in comparison of those whom you despise For (e) Matth. 21.31 Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you As every wise Agent proposeth an end to himself in every thing he doth so likewise the only wise God in our Election purposed the manifestation of his mercy in his gracious Salvation of some sinners this St. Paul speaks of when after having said (a) Ephes 1.4.6 We are elected in Christ he addeth to the praise of the glory of his Grace Hence it is that the Elect be called (b) Rom. 9.23 Vessels of mercy Which mercy when God gives us grace to depend upon then we are grounded on the rock of Eternity but Man's Pride makes him desire to be loose from the Rock and stand on his own bottom which is meer quick Sand and Mud. So at last he must needs sink into it if God leaves him Now two things belong to the Decree of Election and are inseparable from it which do afford us matter of unspeakable comfort they are Eternity and Immutability for our Election is eternal and unchangeable First Eternal (c) Ephes 1.4 chap. 3.9 God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world which in the same Epistle is called the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God And in another place (d) 2 Tim. 1.9 Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began And in another the same Epistle calls it (e) Rom. 16.25
are common mercies though great which come short of saving and converting grace 't is not every manifestation that there is a God which must be called a sufficient grace amongst the Devils themselves God hath not left himself without witness CHAP. X. Of Vniversal Calling AND now we are upon this let us view another branch of this universal grace for they say God according to his Decree doth universally call all Men Reprobates as well as Elect to receive and believe in Christ and this by the means of the word preached to every Man What we already said may also serve in answer to this namely that before and after the coming of Christ millions of Men are dead who never heard Christ preached unto them yet we may charitably believe that God shewed some of them mercy for though they were deprived of the outward ordinary means God who is not tyed to second causes might by the inward call of his spirit have revealed unto some of them his saving knowledge We may say of this Ordinance of the Word as is said of Baptism which is another (a) Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned He doth not say and is not baptized shall be damned so he that heareth the outward preaching and believeth shall be saved we may say that though the outward hearhing of the word be the usual means to breed Faith yet he that wants it may be taught inwardly and believe and be saved However things be those are secrets of God which we ought not to dive into Our Blessed Saviour is positive against universal calling when he saith (b) Matth. 20. many are called he doth not say all but many we may say very many or the greatest part are not called for as we see he comes to narrower bounds if few be chosen many are called so by a gradation we may say if many be called more are not called Indeed David saith (c) Psal 47.1 Let all the earth fear the Lord let all the inhabitants of the world stand in are and O clap your hands all ye people shout unto God with the voice of triumph But this is no such an universal vocation to all the Inhabitants of the World as the question is about all the earth besides the reason of saving grace hath cause enough to fear the Lord and to praise him All the world could not hear what David said and did write but the question is to have Christ offered to every Man in the Gospel by the ministery of Men. This leadeth us to another question between Remonstrants and us namely supposing every Man in the world had been called by the preaching of the word yet it doth not follow they should have been converted and saved without God's special saving grace because in Adam men lost the power of believing the Gospel This question these innovators started up to show how God is bound to give every Man a sufficient grace to believe in Christ if they will So they say the grace of believing in Christ was not given to Adam therefore he could not lose it and so God may no justly require of Man faith to believe in Christ except he giveth him sufficient grace to believe But we say God gave Adam that grace and he lost it For whatsoever Adam received from God for himself and Posterity that same through his fall he lost for himself and Posterity too now that with other privileges he received also the power of believing the Gospel it appeareth for he received for himself and Posterity the power of loving God and believing his word whatsoever it might be in time to come this is proved because without this power the image of God had not been perfect in him neither had he been without it provided with a sufficient grace to avoid all manner of Infidelity In the state of innocency God might have revealed him future things and in case of a fall have promised him a gracious restoration by the means of his Son Who can deny but that Men in the state of Innocence might and ought to have believed such a promise of God Let us hear what they say for themselves Adam in the state of Innocency stood in no need of Faith in Christ therefore God gave him not power to believe in Christ but though in the state of innocency he had no need of Faith it doth not follow but that God might give it to him strength and power is not always given to nature for use but sometimes for perfection In this sence 't is said (a) Matth. 3.9 God is able of these stones to raise up Children to Abraham Yet there is no need of doing it God had given Adam strength to travel all the world over which he never did neither was there any occasion for him to do it Again they object God gave Adam the Law therefore he was not bound to believe in Christ because Faith is not commanded by the Law but though the Law was given unto Adam yet he was bound to believe in Christ for although Faith be not expresly commanded in the Law yet 't is implicitly because by the Law a Man is bound to believe every word of God which in time to come should be revealed unto him We have already shewed there is no such universal vocation as they are for However it is granted several Reprobates have an outward calling but seeing they are not converted the question is put to what purpose and for what end are reprobates thus called Our Adversaries say 't is to the end they should be made partakers of everlasting life This we cannot agree to because they do not attain to it Whence necessarily followeth that as I said heretofore God is frustrated of his end which is a sign and effect of want of Power and Wisdom which must needs be so if in what God doth he proposeth to himself an end which he foreknoweth he cannot and shall not attain unto no Man of sound mind will do so and of God it cannot be affirmed without blasphemy This consideration is so pregnant that they think to shift it off with a distinction God doth not absolute say they intend they should be saved but upon condition they shall obey and come in at the call and persevere therein now this condition not being performed by Reprobates they say God is not disappointed of his end but what a pitiful coming off is this shall a Man not deprived of his wits make an end which he in earnest aimeth at depend upon a condition which he is sure shall never be God foreseeth Reprobates will not obey the call much less continue in obedience I farther say no Man who hath his wits will make an end which in earnest he proposeth to himself depend upon such means as none but himself can procure and which he is resolved never to procure But to incline to obedience the hearts of
those that are called and to turn stony hearts into hearts of flesh none can do 't but God alone but experience teaches he will not do it in Reprobates a sign he hath decreed not to do it And let the nonsence of their Hypothesis and Assertion be taken notice of which is thus God in calling reprobates intends to save them in case he giveth them effectual grace to obey the call which he resolved never to do God doth not intend the effectual calling or conversion of every one whom the Gospel is preached to and have only the outward means of Salvation as it appearet out of the fore-quoted places Ezech. 2.5 For sometimes a Prophet sent to a people or to a person is a stumbling block to that people or person so of some other Providence John 15.22 And this is God's own doing for he saith Ezech. 3.20 when I lay a stumbling block before a man whether righteous or otherwise or when God's own Son came into the world 't was as said before to take from unbelievers all manner of excuse to make them unexcusable for saith the Apostle as to them that believe he is a chief corner stone elect and precious so unto those that are disobedient he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence 1 Pet. 2.6 7 8. And this is the Lord 's doing Psal 118.22 saith David wherefore it is marvellous in our eyes John 8.43 Our Blessed Saviour said to the Jews Why do you not understand my speech In the same verse he gives the reasons even because ye cannot hear my word His word they heard and the meaning they understood but it did not work upon them neither could they effectually understand it of themselves they could not do 't neither did God intend they should or else it had been effected Gamaliel spoke well the truth Acts 5.39 when he said if this counsel be of God ye cannot overthrow it For 't is beyond any Man's power to disappoint God of his ends wherefore whensoever he intends by preaching of the word to convert any one he shall certainly be converted but if he be not it is a certain and infallible sign that God thereby never intended his conversion or that he should believe To what end then are Reprobates called I answer to know their duty and at last to own they are justly punished for having neglected it and herein God doth attain to his end Rom. 9.7 out of Exod. 4.21 9 1◠1◠20 St. Paul shewing how God called Pharaoh not to the end he should obey but that he should be hardened and should not let the people go In several places Holy Scriptures shew how God in calling and offering means of grace to wicked and reprobates doth not intend their Conversion but to make them unexcusable and to have Witnesses and Testimonies against them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that at the last day every wicked man may hear this Thou art unexcusable O man When God gave Ezechiel his Commission and commanded him to go to the people he gave him no hope of success nor seemed to intend their conversion for saith he Ezech 2.34.5 they are a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me they and their Fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day for they are impudent children and stiff-necked to what purpose then doth God send him to them God declares it and they whether they will hear or forbear et shall know there hath been a prophet amongst them There is an Evidence and a Witness against them I have given them warning and they cannot pretend ignorance or any ground of excuse God doth not declare to the Ministers at first whether or no they will hear but to do and obey what is commanded When our Blessed Saviour sent his Disciples to preach the Gospel he gave this charge Mark 6.11 and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you when ye depart thence shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them St. Paul did it for he shook his raiment and said let your blood be upon your own heads To the Jews that opposed themselves and blasphemed Acts. 18.6 as a testimony against them for verily it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorah in the day of Judgment than for such And elsewhere but upon the same argument doth before-hand tell his Disciples and ye shall be brought before governours and kings for my sake but to what end and purpose Matth. 10.18 to convert them not for if it was to that intent they would be converted for who hath resisted his will Luke 10.11 but for a testimony against them and the gentiles And according to another Evangelist the Lord directeth them what to say even the very dust of your City which cleaveth on us we do wipe off against you notwithstanding be ye sure of this that the Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you As if he had said this shall be the ground of the charge against you at the last day and this dust shall rise in Judgment and as a witness against you Our Saviour saith how before the end of the world this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world Matth. 24.14 not with an intention in God to convert the whole world for then God would be disapointed of his purpose For Scripture and Experience teach us the contrary that all shall not answer the call and be converted In the Text the Lord Jesus declares why the Gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations At the last day shall be the general Assize where every Man shall be called to an account for his sins the Causes shall not be between Man and Man but between God and Man and the Lord Jesus shall be the visible Judge for by him God will judge the World Now as matters of fact do require proof by Evidences so God makes sure of Witnesses to convince and confound the wicked for as St. Paul and Barnabas said to those of Lystra God left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave us rain and fruitful seasons Acts 14.17 These mercies though common will be Evidences against those that abused or remained unthankful under them So shall the outward means and offers of grace against those that neglected and rejected them though God never intended they should thereby be converted for God's secret will was unknown to them and the revealed they ought to have obeyed as Abraham did when commanded to Sacrifice his Son so ought all when commanded to repent and believe Now those witnesses of God are of two sorts First those that are of his own immediate appointment as were the Lord's Disciples to whom he said John 15.27 ye also shall bear me witness because ye have been with me from the beginning which he repeated after his Resurrection Ye shall be
persevere unto the end though they sometimes fall through infirmity into grievous sins yet they never fall totally or finally from the habits seeds and state of Grace They say that true justifying Faith is neither a true special fruit of Election Arm. IV. nor yet proper to the Elect alone that 't is often found in Reprobates And that the very Elect by falling into sin may and often do fall totally and finally from the very habit seeds and state of Grace We say that Christ's death is of sufficient intrinsecal merit in it self Orth. V. though not in God's intention or his holy Spirit 's application to redeem and save all mankind wherefore he died really and effectually for none but the Elect for whom alone he actually and effectually hath obtained remission of sins and everlasting life They say Jesus Christ died effectually alike for all men whatsoever Arm. V. whether Elect or Reprobates without any special intent to save the Elect alone or any particular persons more than others With a general purpose to save all men alike upon condition of their believing and applying of his death which dependeth principally upon every man's own actual will and powers not of Christ's actual application of it to them by his Spirit To this one thing more I shall add against one of their Opinions Orth. VI. We say there is not any such Free-will any such universal and sufficient Grace communicated unto all men whereby they may Repent believe and be Saved if they will themselves They say there is an universal sufficient Grace derived upon all men since the fall of Adam Arm. VI. by vertue of which they may all Repent Believe and be Saved if they will themselves These and several other things of that kind as namely the important point of Justification which they so highly have corrupted of Providence and others which by the grace of God in due time we shall have occasion to speak of are the matters we do differ about yet to what we already said of their adhering to Pelagians Massilienses and Semipelagians we may add how some of them own Socinus's and Worstius his Blasphemies against the Trinity of the Divine Persons the simplicity of divine Nature it self c. as King James charges them with it and well so he might for after Arminius's Death they were so desirous to be headed by Worstins that they used all their endeavours to have had him to succeed the other in his place of Professor of Divinity at Leyden Hence it is that they openly declared they had nothing against Worstius nor had found any thing in his Writings contrary to Truth and Piety and that it would be most profitable for Church and Commonwealth if his calling should go on This account we have in the Preface of the Acts of the Synod of Dort And it is well known how King James opposed effectually that man's promotion to that place and whose Book De Deo Attributis was here burnt by the hand of the Hangman according to King James's special Order and by advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury But because it is not enough to affirm things without proofs therefore now before I proceed I must bring in evidence for the Articles I set down Scripture which in this is Judge and Rule affordeth us a great cloud of Witnesses And to begin with our first Article clearly proved out of that excellent place of (a) Ephes 1.4 c. St. Paul which hereafter I shall have occasion to make use of but for the present omit to prove first the Eternity of God's Decree out of another Text of the same Apostle God who (b) 2 Tim. 1.9 hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began This Text is very comprehensive here is the Decree under the name of his own purpose out of which are excluded any thing of our own not according to our works but attributed only to his Free-grace according to his own purpose and grace The eternity of this Decree is thus expressed before the world began this Decree of Election is the ground of our Salvation God who hath saved us the next effect is our Vocation and called us with an holy that is an effectual calling We want not other places of God's word to prove the Eternity of his Decree but afterwards we shall have occasion to make use of them for often one and the same Text doth prove several things As for the Immutability of God's Decree of Predestination we have clear and undeniable proofs (c) Psal 33.11 David saith The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations As positive as this is what he saith in another place (d) Psal 89.28 33.34 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my covenant shall stand fast with him And a little below nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth Here we see how the Counsel of the Lord and the thoughts of his heart which are his Decree shall stand that is are unchangeable so are his mercies his loving-kindness his faithfulness which the Decree of Election is grounded upon as to his Covenant called the thing that is gone out of his mouth it shall not be broken nor alter'd but it shall stand All this is for its immutability And the prophet saith (e) Isai 14.24 The Lord of hosts hath sworn saying surely as I have thought so shall it come to pass and as I have purposed so shall it stand Vers. 7 We have not only God's Word but his Oath for his Truth which must needs convince us of what a high concernment it is yet as if 't was not enough three verses lower 't is added For the Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disanul and his hand is stretched and who shall turn it back This makes good the immutability of a Decree both of Election and Reprobation so it doth the final unrefistibility of Grace and of the works of his Providence St. Paul that great Preacher of Free-grace out of a sense of the great mercy God had shewed him doth almost every where batter down Works Free-will and all pretences of man's strength to set up the Grace and Power of God specially in his Epistle to the Romans but above all in the 9th chap. which before we have done we shall often have occasion to make use of for it seems to have been written to condemn Arminianism In a place there the Apostle saith (a) Rom. 9.11 For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or any evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him
Scripture in matter of Predestination speaks only of men we shall consider it only as men are the object thereof but before I must shew what a Decree is because it entereth within our definition now God's Decrees are the eternal and unchangeable counsels and resolutions he hath taken from all Eternity about what he purposed to do in time according to the first rule we have laid down These Decrees are called God's essential works ad intra inward according to our capacity and manner of conceiving which himself in his word is pleased to condescend to We then call them Decrees after the manner of Men for Decrees and Resolutions of Men are works or acts really distinct from Man from his Understanding and his Will By this way we do conceive God's Decrees or rather God Decreeing though properly they may not be called his Works for every act so properly called is an effect really distinct from the Agent But in God 't is not so or else his supream Simplicity would come to nothing when 't is said of God are known all his works that knowledge is nothing else but his Decree of doing all things to be done in time Of ELECTION PRedestination hath two parts Election and Reprobation the word is not restrained only to Election as Papists and some others would have it It is in vain amongst Hebrews or Greeks to search the Original of the word which is Latin The ancient Latin Authors used the word destinare to destinate or appoint for Pains as well as Rewards so did the ancient Doctors of the Church as (a) Enchirid. cap. 100. de Civit. Dei lib. 12. cap. 24. Austin (b) Ad. capital Gallor Prosper (c) Lib. 1. ad Monim Fulgentius Now the Election we here speak of is not to an Office in which (d) 1 Sam. 10 24. Saul and David were chosen Kings over Israel So Matthias (e) Acts 1.24 26. was by lot chosen one of the twelve But 't is Election to Eternal Life and Salvation Now Election is a Predestination of some Men to Eternal Life to be obtained by Faith in Christ only out of God's pleasure in them to declare his Divine Mercy Every part of which definition we by the grace of God shall speak of This point most of any is to be taken notice of because it is the ground of our Hope Faith Holiness in a word of the whole mystery of our Salvation which doth wholly run and depend upon the decree of our Election therefore to darken it the Devil hath stired up so many instruments to oppose it In Scripture among many Texts we have one specially lays open the whole matter before us which here I quote to be read with great application (a) Ephes 1.3 4 5 6 7. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood c. The eternity of God's decree of Election is here asserted he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World this Election is affirmed to be the cause of all spiritual blessings which God hath blessed us with some of those blessings are named as Holiness Blamelessness and Adoption Now Faith Repentance Charity and such graces are parts of Holiness and the fruits of the Spirit Holiness is posteriour to our Election All those blessings are in and by Jesus Christ Out of this Text it also appeareth that the good pleasure of God is the only impulsive or moving cause if we may use such a word which is improper here to Elect us nothing from without all from within according to the good pleasure of his will Hence between Papists Arminians and Us for I must say in matters of grace they both joyn against us ariseth the question What it is that moved God to appoint some Men to Eternal Life We say nothing but God's good will and pleasure moved him to it Amongst several reasons we have to prove it I will only bring two of the chief The first because Scripture assigneth no other cause but that as the only and when the word is silent we ought not to speak The whole 9th Chapter to the Romans is a sentence of condemnation against the Adversaries there St. Paul saith of Election (†) Rom. 9.16 15. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Which is but a conclusion out of what God said to Moses in the foregoing verse verse 18. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion whence he thus concludes so then it is not of him c. 't is only of free grace Why three verses after the Apostle gives the reason He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth This is very plain if any one is willing to dispute God's right herein let him do 't but he shall find God is a strong party (a) 2 Tim. 1.9 God hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us before the world began Here the Decree of Election is made the cause of calling and other graces we receive in time The other reason is because in those that were elected was nothing at all that could move him to love them (b) Ephes 2.1 We were men dead in trespasses and sins unfit for any good thing and guilty of eternal death They say God hath chosen some because from Eternity he foresaw they would believe in Christ and continue in the Faith to which some add the foresight of some good works with Faith but against this I say God could foresee in sinful Man no spiritual good but what out of his mercy he was to give him this none but Pelagians can deny consequently God could not foresee Faith or Good Works as a motive to his Decree God elected us to be holy and without blame before him That is to the end we should be and not because we were such Holiness is an effect and not a cause of Election Faith also is an effect of Election as clearly expressed in Scripture (c) Acts 13.48 And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed If so then Faith is not the cause that moved God to elect us we were elected to believe not because we believed before for then we had chosen Christ and not he us contrary to what he positively saith
the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began And in another Epistle (f) Colos 1.26 The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest to his saints 'T is named (g) Tit. 1.2 the hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began Because our hope of it is grounded there upon which place proveth also the immutability and certainty of it for God cannot lye And St. Peter calleth Christ (h) 1 Pet. 1.19 20. the lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world All which Texts do point at our Election in Christ from all Eternity so we need no longer to insist upon this but to proceed to the unchangeableness When we say Election is unchangeable we mean that none of those that are elected to everlasting life can perish and be damned which is the same as to say the number of Elect is certain and can neither be augmented nor diminished so that the Elect ever remain Elect and are never reprobates Several places in Scripture do prove this immutability of Gods Decrees as the following which are so clear that there is no need of enlargement or exposition I (a) Mal. 3.6 the Lord change not not in his Nature which is always the same that was that is and that is to come Eternal immortal c. Nor doth he change place because he always is every where filling all with his infinite Being nor is his Mind and Will which is the question in hand he is not as men who often alter their resolutions but God being most and infinitely wise the only Wise is unchangeable in his Decrees So that (b) 2 Tim. 2.19 the foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his His chosen (c) Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance for (d) Numb 23.19 he is not a man that he should lye neither the Son of Man that he should repent I know our Adversaries cast a slanderous aspersion upon this Doctrine as thus let a Man walk continue and obstinately persevere in sin and do all the evil he can if he be unalterably elected to eternal life he needs not care what he doth for he shall be saved which say they is an encouragement to sin so a Man that is a reprobate let him do all possible good things 't is in vain he can never be saved But those that say so must either have a great deal of gall and malice in their Heart and be in the bonds of iniquity or be very ignorant of God's ways and of the workings of grace upon the heart What an injurious opinion have they of God as if he knew not what he doth to bring Men into Heaven by the way of Hell or into Hell by the way of Heaven hath the Lord forfeited his wisdom as to separate the means from the end Is it not blasphemy to think nay which is more to say that God who so strictly forbideth Sin and commandeth Repentance and Holiness in his word would therein give an encouragement to all manner of vice and wickedness We own that if the Elect would obstinately continue in sin they should be damned but God who will not have them to be damned and Perish but after they have sinned to return to him and (e) 2 Pet. 3.9 come to repentance doth convert and with threatinngs and chastisements contain them in their duty as it appeareth in the cases of David Peter c. I add 't is no more consisting for an Elect to persevere in sin to the end than for a Reprobate to persevere in grace and true Faith which he never had They who in consequence of their Election be converted are of another sort of temper than those Slanderers take them to be of notwithstanding the frailty of the Elect there is in them a fear and love of God sin dwelleth but doth not reign in them though sometimes they commit wickedness yet they have not sold themselves as 't is said of Ahab to commit it they sin but are none of those whom the Apostle speaks of (a) 2 Pet. 2.14 that cannot cease from sin If sometimes God leaveth them to themselves yet he returns to them with his restraining preventing and strengthening Grace (b) Psal 68.28 He strengtheneth that which he hath wrought for them and in St. Peter's words God doth (c) 1 Pet 5.10 make them perfect stablisheth strengtheneth and settleth them After sin God doth give them Checks We read of David that after his sin of numbering the People (d) 2 Sam. 24.10 His heart smote him they have reality of faith though it be weak sincerity of Repentance though it be unperfect truth of love to God and Charity for the Neighbour though attended with much frailty and weakness Those that have experience and some inward assurance of God's mercy to them in Christ have better thoughts of their duty and will not be drudges of sin and Satan they will be afraid of doing things unworthy of God's Children for fear of displeasing so gracious a Father they will endeavour to work their Salvation with fear and trembling and as much as humane frailty and the sinfulness of their nature will allow they will avoid doing things unworthy of their holy calling they who have such an opinion of them have not yet tasted how good and sweet the Lord is We who assert this true and sound Doctrine of Election know (e) Ephes 1.4 we are chosen that we should be holy not commit sin and wickedness we are called unto holiness and certainly in God's Children the persuasion of Election is the greatest motive and encouragement they can have to a good life and conversation We know we are God's workmanship Chap. 2.10 created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Not to lead a loose and vicious life and that (a) 2 Tim. 2.19 Psal 85.8 every one that nameth the name of Christ let him as much as he can depart from iniquity And not turn again to foll Every one that hath a saving knowledge of God's word which is the rule of Practice as of Doctrine is convinced it is against a vicious and wicked life (b) Tit. 3 8.14 This is a faithful saying saith Paul And these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works And the 6th verse following he gives the same charge Let ours also learn to maintain good works We do and so will all true Believers joyn with St. Peter in a just and right conclusion of a gracious premise (c) 1 Pet. 2. â— Ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people All this is admirable well but what will our
all this they make two Objections first 't is against the Justice of God to reprobate Men who have done no evil though Scripture saith clearly it is so to father injustice upon God is certainly a great impity God is most just in every thing he doth though we cannot fathom into the particular causes yet his justice is a general one the consideration whereof ought to stop the mouth of every Creature What shall we say to the case of the Flood which was a great judgment whereby the whole World eight persons excepted perished in the Waters 'T is true the wickedness of Men was raised to an utmost degree but withall it must be owned that there were many Infants new born Babes yea several quick in the Womb who had committed no actual sins yet were involved in that general destruction Death saith Rom. 5.14 Paul reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression Adam's sin was an actual sin eating the fruit of the Forbiden-tree it could not be Original for he was created in Innocency but seeing (a) Chap. 6.23 death is the wages of sin and that those Infants who had committed no actual sin dyed in the Flood we must find another sin not after the similitude of Adam's transgression and that is Original-sin Now I say that as Original-sin was a just cause of the natural Death of those Babes so the same sin when it pleases God to leave them in it is a just cause of Eternal Death in those whom he punisheth with it for Eternal Death as well as Natural is the wages of Original as of Actual-sin And though sin be not the cause to move to pass sentence upon any yet that sentence is passed upon none but what are sinners Hence I conclude that as God was just in inflicting by the Flood Natural Death upon those Children that were unborn or newly born before they had done any evil so this holds for Election as for Reprobation in relation to Faith as to Unbelief according to that famous place of Romans about Jacob and Esau It is to be observed how St. Peter calls (b) Pet. 2.5 the world of the ungodly that world which the Flood drowned without any exception at all of Infants or others What hath been said of the Flood may be spoken to the same purpose of that terrible judgment upon Sodom and Gomorah and the Cities about them where no doubt were also Infants new born Babes and some quick in the Womb which as (c) Jud. 7. St. Jude saith suffered the vengeance of eternal fire and are set forth for an example Yet in all those things no exception against God's justice for he is most just in all his ways For if we must believe David the Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Psal 15.17 What shall we say as to the case of Achan his sin was personal he alone had committed it yet that same sin his Sons and Daughters nay the very Beasts as his Oxen Asses Sheep as well as he were by God's immediate command stonned to death and burned with fire Though in the eyes of Men they seemed innocent yet were guilty in the Lords eyes Josh 7.24 25. So in the particular case I before quoted of the Man that was blind from his birth our Saviour saith that neither the Man had sinned nor his Parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him This was a sufficient answer to the disciples they put no more questions about it But Arminians will impeach God's justice for denying sight to one who had not actually sinned Do not they do so in calling the equity of God's Decrees touching Men into question Can any thing in Scripture be plainer than this (a) Rom. 9.18 22 23. Ephes 1.11 that God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth that he hath appointed some to be vessels of mercy to the praise of the glory of his grace and some to be vessels of wrath to make his power to be known and that he maketh all things after the counsel of his own willâ— Yet what more usual than to dispute how this can agree with justice And with what reason God may punish that sin which by vertue of a Decree is unavoidable 'T is strange yet too true how peremptory sawcy and blasphemous speeches some in their Cups and others sometimes upon other occasions break into upon this subject and would reduce God to such terms of reason as they fancied to themselves After such declarations about these things which God hath given in his word were it not better to give him Glory and with David say O Lord thou art just when thou speakest and pure when thou judgest And if they cannot conceive how this should stand with equity rather than to call to question God's justice were it not better to own their weakness And with David say this is my infirmity For wo unto him that striveth with his Maker according to Solomon (b) Eccles 8.4 't is prudence not to controll an earthly King's actions who may say unto him what dost thou And O man who art thou that repliest against God and if in reference to Politicks of Government and Mysteries of State the same (c) Prov. 25.2 Solomon saith the heart of a King is unsearchable there is some secret reasons which many cannot dive into In God's matters as his Decrees and wise dispensation of his Providence much more we must think it to be so for in the same Chapter the wise Man saith it is the glory of God to conceal a thing The second Objection they make and which we already have given a hint to is this if I be reprobate and 't is God's pleasure I should go to Hell it is not in my power to help it so their Damnation they father upon God's pleasure This is too much like our first Parents to lay the fault upon others to excuse themselves Gen. 3.12.13 The woman whom thou givest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat He throws it on the Woman and she upon the Serpent the serpent begiuiled me If God had not given him the Woman then he would not have sinned nor the Woman if God had not created a Serpent so if God had not reprobated us say some we had not been damned But this is no more able to excuse them then the fig-leaves were to cover their nakedness though never so cunningly sewed together The Apostle lays open the case how God directeth and turneth all for his glory even the worst of things For our unrighteousness doth commend the righteousness of God and thorough our lie the truth of God hath more abounded unto his glory Rom. 3.5 6 7. Yet for all this though these evil things are turned to the greatest good that is the glory of God we are nevertheless
Messiah Jesus Christ that should be born of his Seed but also this other promise that he should be (b) Gen. 17.4 7. Father of many Nations and that he would be a God to him and to his seed after him and these promises the Apostle calls (c) Gal. 3.8 The Gospel preached before unto Abraham And to shew how this relateth to the Elect and Believers the Apostle saith (d) Rom. 4.16 Therefore it is of faith that it may be by grace to the end the promise may be sure to all the seed not only to that which is of the law but that a so which is of the faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all That is of all Believers so then there was a double Seed that which is of Faith and that which is of the Law and accordingly a double promise one of Temporal the other of Spiritual Blessings which both were surely performed and this the same Apostle enlargeth upon and spiritualiseth the promise with saying that (e) Rom. 9. â— 3. all the seed of Abraham are not children of Abraham for there are the children of the flesh and the children of God But the children of the promise are counted for the seed And he instances it not only in Isaac who was the son of the promise but also in Jacob and Esau the first a child of God and of the promise the other the child of the flesh one was loved the other hated but there is in the Book of (a) Rev. 12.5 Revelation something much to our purpose the Woman was delivered of a Man-child that is the Lord Jesus for two reasons The first by the character therein given of him who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron a thing applyable to none but him The second reason is the attempt of the Dragon at his birth for that ancient Dragon would have destroyed him in his very Cradle by the means of Herod (b) Matth. 2.19 20. who sought his life So that Christ was that true individual person promised under the name of the Woman's Seed but there is besides her the remnant of her Seed for when the Dragon could hurt neither the Man-child nor the Woman he went (c) Rev. 12.17 to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ That is the Elect and Believers This hath not led us out of our way but all along shewed us a distinguishing mercy of God upon some which others were excluded from and that nothing of a natural privilege moved God to do so only out of his own good-will even in some places against the intentions of the good Instruments he made use of and this hath by degrees led us to the great points of Vocation and Election which St. Paul doth treat of in the last quoted place all which together doth concur to the clearing and further manifestation of the truth I could carry it on further in both branches as to the person of the Messiah and as to his Seed and his Chosen and to entail those promises chiefly upon the Tribe of Judah and the Family of David and also to shew how great and visible a difference there was after Solomon's death and the renting of Ten Tribes only Judah and Benjamin adhering to Reoboham David's Grandson How Jeroboam upon a Politick account altered the true worship of God whereby he made Israel to sin after that division not one good King over Israel they all generally fell into Idolatry and all manner of wickedness till after several interruptions in the Succession and after the cutting short the Tribes of Gad Reuben and Manasseh and how by Tiglath-Pileser the people of (a) 2 Kings 15.29 Gilead and Galilee and of Naphtali were carried into Assyria And at last in the days (b) Chap. 17.6 Chap. 25. of Hoshea the Ten Tribes were by Shalmaneser transported into Captivity and about 140 years after in Zedechiah's time Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar and Judah carried into Babylon whence after 70 years Captivity they returned the City was newly built and also a new Temple but they could never recover themselves as before Antiochus came after upon them then they passed under the Dominion of the Romans and then in the fullness of times after great Confusions and Revolutions the promised Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ came into the World whose coming made a new face of the Church then the Woman's Seed bruised the Serpent's Head the Ceremonial Law was abrogated a new Ministry instituted the Gospel Preached the Gentiles called and though the Oracles concerning the coming of the Messiah be fullfilled yet the promises about his Seed do go on and will till all be gathered in one and their number perfected So with David we must say his work is honourable and glorious Psal 111.3 All these things I say I could have insisted upon to shew the wonderful and adorable Providence according to his Eternal Purpose (c) Heb. 2.10 In bringing many sons into glory by the way of Grace and amidst a great variety of Dispensations but I think what hath already been spoken is sufficient for our present purpose and it directly leadeth us to say something about Providence CHAP. IV. Of PROVIDENCE GOD hath not only created the World but he doth also govern it this is called actual Providence whereby he ruleth all his Creatures specially mankind We shall not speak of it in its full extent for the whole world and every thing therein is the Object of God's Providence he takes care of and governs great and small things necessary and contingent good and evil but we shall speak of it only as much as is conducing to our present purpose and as it chiefly relates to good and wicked Men in order to their Salvation and Damnation as much as it leadeth to the execution of God's Decree of Predestination for this is the part of it which the Papists and Arminians do strike at and which by the help of God we now intend to vindicate as far as he will be pleased to enable us Some make a confusion of Predestination and Providence as if it was the same thing but there is a great difference this last is of a larger extent and as we already said is extended upon every Creature of what nature soever but Predestination regards only Men and Angels at the most yet such a relation they have that one is the Decree and the other the execution of it Whereof for the present we shall give but two instances to shew how these things which in the world seem to us to be in a Confusion and meer accidents of Man's malice and designs are by God's ordering most wisely directed to a good end to the unspeakable comfort of those who observe such effects of Providence The first instance is that (a) Gen. 3â— 21 of Joseph's being sold by his Brethren a most wicked thing in
words how by some men God doth execute judgment upon others Thus also a Prophet said to Amaziah when he refused to hear and repulsed him I know that God hath determined to destroy thee Neither would he hear what Joash sent to him For it came of God who would as I quoted before deliver him into the hands of his enemies Furthermore Shishak (a) 2 Chron. 12.2 3 4. King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem because they had transgressed against the Lord. Then the Lord brought him up to punish them and took their fenced cities in execution of Gods Judgments and again the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the King of Assyria Chap. 33.11 which took Manassch amongst the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon Why should we any longer insist upon a thing so clear by God's Order and appointment (b) 1 Kings 15.29 Baasha destroyed Jeroboam's Family And (c) Chap. 16.12 Zimri that of Baasha And (d) 2 Kings 10.17 Jehu that of Ahab And all along in the Old Testament God takes upon him self to be the Author of all punishments inflicted upon his people by cruel Princes and upon all other Nations Assyrians Syrians Chaldeans Moab Ammon Egypt Tyre Sidon Philistines c. in so many Chapters of the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah Not only whole Nations but also individual though publick persons were made sensible of God's working in and against them as in the Case of Saul (e) 1 Sam. 16.14 The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord trouble him The most excellent and glorious work that ever was managed by the worst men in the world namely the death of our Blessed Saviour yet Judas Herod Pilate and the Jews and Gentiles concurred in 't did nothing but what the Hand and the Counsel of God had determined before to be done and fullfilled all that was written of him So that we see this truth contained in the †Acts 4.27.28 and chap. 13.27 29. New Testament as in the Old God gave some to (f) Rom. 1.24 26 28. vile affections and to a reprobate mind and to uncleanness and to Idolatry (g) Acts 7.42 So as to worship the host of heaven And God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye Thus we see how God as a just Judge doth inflict not only bodily but also spiritual punishments upon men (h) 2 Thes 2.11 And if all these places were heaped one upon another and many others we could bring do not fully and clearly express the effectual concourse of God in and upon Men then all actings of God mentioned in Scripture must be explained of a bare permission and I dare say that those who amidst so great a light will not see must be in that darkness which comprehendeth not the light and there is cause to suspect (f) Psal 81.12 God hath given them up to their own hearts lust and to walk in their own counsels And sometimes God (g) Deut. 28.23 smiteth with madness blindness and astonishment of heart St. Paul speaks to the purpose of this universal and special actual Providence of God when he saith (h) Rom. 4 3◠For of him and through him and to him are all things none excepted good and evil not evil of sin which God abhorreth and 't is Blasphemy to say it but evil of punishment upon the wicked and of chastisements and afflictions to try the Faith and Patience of his Elect God threatneth to punish them that deny it (i) Zeph. 1.12 And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with Candles and punish the men that are set on their Lees that say in their heart the Lord will not do good neither will he do evil Though they speak it not with their Mouth but say it only in their Heart and he will so strictly search into it that they shall be found out These Effects and Workings of Providence come from him and do serve his Ends (k) Job 37.13 For saith Job He causeth it to come whether for correction or for his land or for mercy And in another place he saith (l) Chap. 5.6 Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground That signal Plague of Egypt that is the Lice came out of the Dust which became Lice Yet the wicked Magicians of (m) Exod. 8.17 18. Pharaoh perceived God in it for they said This is the finger of God And the holy Man Job though the Sabeans or Arabs and Chaldeans had plundered and robbed him of his Oxen and Camels and killed his Servants yet he said (n) Job 1.21 22. The Lord gave and the Lord not the Sabeans or Chaldeans hath taken away Here some will be apt to say Why doth he attribute unto God those Actings of Men Job is to blame for fathering upon God the Actings of wicked Men. But as the Spirit of God knew there would be those so pragmatical as to cavil thereat so in the following Verse he doth clear him from such Imputations when it is said in all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly in saying that God had taken away So God speaking of himself in relation to his dealings with Men declareth how because of the Sins of Israel he had given them Laws as a Punishment So he saith (o) Zech. 20.24 25. Wherefore I gave them also Statutes that were not good and Judgments whereby they should not live We know all God's Laws are good but the meaning is they shall do them no good nor be profitable to them Thus the best things can do no good without God's special Blessing nor the evil harm with-it his sanctifying grace makes a difference yet both (p) Job 2.10 good and evil we receive at his hand This Doctrine as we see is strongly grounded upon the Word of God yet by some it is aspersed with the abominable slander that it makes God the Author of sin which we call Blasphemy and in our Minds and Hearts we abhor detest and pronounce a Curse against and appeal to the Judge of the World to vindicate our Innocency against so notorious false and impudent Aspersions They make God the Author of Sin who call Sin a positive Being as doth one of their great Men Dr. Pierce in several places For God is the maker of every positive Being but sin is a negative Being which God never was the Author of In the New Testament the name of Sin is with an Alpha privative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is a non-conformity to God's Law Wherefore he that calleth Sin a positive Being makes God the Author of it We sufficiently declared how tho' God doth concurr with the natural and Physical part of the Act he hath nothing to do as Author of the Moral or of the Deviation no more than the Sun when it
the world And (g) John 3.16.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should have everlasting life And this (*) 1 John 2.2 He is a propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world Again God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved And some others to the same purpose whereof these are the chief whence they would conclude that the Lord Jesus died to take away the sins of every man in the world In answer to this we are first of all to observe that the word world and whole world have several significations in Scripture which I reduce chiefly to four First it is taken for the whole work of Creation (a) Heb 1.2 By his Son also God made the worlds in the plural so (b) John 1.10 the world was made by him Jesus Christ Heavens Earth and the Sea are meant by this Secondly It signifieth all men whether good or bad in this sence 't is taken by David (c) Psal 33.8 Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him of God in the beginning of the verse 't is called the earth as it is also in another place (d) Psal 96.13 The Lord cometh to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousness and in the Gospel 't is so taken (e) Matth. 13. the field is the world the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the Wicked one So in several other places but these two significations are not very much to our purpose Thirdly 'T is taken restrictively and only for the reprobates and wicked of the world As thus (f) Luke 16.8 The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light where you see the opposition between bad and good so in that place (g) John 1.10 and the world knew him not Jesus Christ we are to take notice that commonly when the word world signifieth the wicked the particle this is joyned to it as in the fore quoted Text and in the following (h) Rom. 12.2 be not conformed to this world (i) 1 Cor. 1.20 Chap. 2.6 Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world and in the next Chapter We speak not the wisdom of this world nor of the Princes of this world And therefore the world is opposed to God (k) â—am 4.4 Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God c. And the Apostle saith the spirit (l) 1 John 4.3 4 5. Chap. 5.19 of Antichrist is in the world And again They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them And in the next Chapter he addeth the whole world lieth in wickedness Take notice it is called the whole world yet only of reprobates for to lie in wickedness is not by Scripture attributed to the Elect so when the word whole is used to represent the world of Believers it is to be restrained to them as here it is to the wicked But fourthly The word world in Scripture signieth only Believers and is more strictly taken either for the whole universal number of the Elect and Believers in all Ages dispersed all the world over divided into Jews and Gentiles Or for a particular company of them in some particular Ages or Places of the world and in this sence only it is used in all the objected Texts of Scriptures Thus the word world is sometimes used in the same sence as 't is taken in that place quoted before (a) 2. Cor. 7.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Surely none but Elect and Believers are reconciled to God and to them alone their sins are not imputed In the same sence 't is also taken when Abraham is called (b) â—om 4.13 the heir of the world And the following too in St. John's Gospel Christ faith he is (c) cha 9.5 Chap. 14.31 the light of the world not the world of wicked which lay in darkness But of the Elect and the world may know that I love the father they only they (d) John 17.7 8 23. have known that whatsoever the father had given Christ was of the father and they have known surely that the son came out from the father 'T is that same world that knows that thou hast sent me in that same sence also 't is taken by St. Paul (e) Rom. 11.12 15. The fall of them Jews is the riches of the world and the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world And in his Epistle to the Colossians 'tis very full (f) Colo. 1.5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven is come unto you as it is in all the world The word all is in too Neither can the same expression be understood in any other way than this in that other place (g) 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh c. believed on in the world It must be then the world of Believers for it cannot be believed in the world of Unbelievers So then in Scripture the word world is taken for the whole world the greatest part the worst part or the best part of the world Now after this it is easie to answer their Objections out of the fore-quoted Texts of Scripture for in them by all are not understood all and every singular man whether Elect or Reprobate but only the Elect dispersed all the world over who at last receive the gift of Faith and through the application of Christ's satisfaction are saved And I hope this is made clear enough to any who impartially desireth to be informed of the truth However because they lay a great stress upon that place of 1 John 2.2 I shall now say in particular something to 't we already have taken notice how there is a world of Believers taken out of the general world who by these means is divided into the world of Believers and of Reprobates hence it is that our Saviour saith (a) John 15.19 I have chosen you out of the world And this number of chosen men though comparatively small as to the wicked world yet it is great enough to deserve the name of world which is a Scripture phrase restrictive as we read it in the Gospel (b) Luke 2.1 There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed Not every part and corner of the world for many either never heard of or had any thing to do with the Roman Empire and the Pharisees said of our Saviour Behold the world is gone after him 'T was but a very small part of the Jewish world Thus in this place of St. John is to be
will of God obligeth Man to believe such things as God in his secret will never intended to accomplish So Abraham was bound to believe as also he believed it that God surely intended the Sacrificing of his Son because he commanded him to do it Yet God intended to try his Faith The Ninevites were bound to believe and so they did the Prediction of Jonah (a) Joh. 3.4 Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed yet God intended their repentance not their ruine It is a mistake to think that every one whom Christ is preached unto is bound to believe that he died for him which not being he is bound to believe a lye which to understand the better one must know the several degrees of Faith in this case Upon hearing the Gospel preached there is a general Faith required namely that the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners the next thing for a Man to believe is that if I repent and believe Christ came into the world to save me so this is but conditional and many a wicked Man can believe thus far but the third and last degree is proper only to the Elect and 't is this when upon self examination and inquiry a Man finds that he repents as thus formerly I delighted in sin now I hate it heretofore I did eagerly run after the occasions now I avoid them and also doth find and feel that he believeth thus I know and am sensible of the desperate condition I am in by nature and see there is but one way to come out of it namely through the Lord Jesus for there is no Salvation in any other wherefore I hope and trust for mercy in him I lay hold upon and believe in him and do feel within me a comfort and inward assurance in the holy Ghost whereby I am sealed and which is the earnest of the Inheritance and assures me that I am the child of God Now a Man in such a condition is bound to believe that Christ died for him and believes it and so believes the truth according to this method St. Paul makes this declaration (a) Tim. 1.15 16. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief how be it for this cause I obtained mercy Ye see he hath the general notion wherefore Christ came into the world then he proceeds to apply it unto himself Lastly he is sure and believeth he obtained mercy This is the case of every Elect and Believer for there is for all but one way to Salvation Some go another way to work and say all are bound to believe Christ dyed not effectually but sufficiently for all if thereby be meant that the death of Christ as to the value and Merit be sufficient to save all we agree to it for if there had been ten thousand worlds Christ's death had been a sufficient value and price to save all but that distinction of effectually for the Elect and sufficiently for Reprobates doth not well become the dignity and merits of Christ's death wherein the design and wisdom of God and Christ are concerned to dye for one is properly so to die on his behalf as that he thereby may be delivered from death and this as our Saviour saith (b) Joh. 15.13 Implyeth the greatest love that can be Now to say that Christ dyed sufficiently not effectually is as good as to say Christ out of his infinite love for Reprobates dyed in their stead that they should be sufficiently delivered from death but noteffectually that is that they should never be actually delivered To say that Christ dyed for Reprobates not to the end they should actually be delivered but only put in a possibility of being so 't is in a manner to imply or else what they say is to no purpose that it lays in their power to receive Christ by Faith seeing without it they cannot be saved which all comes to this that God decreed from Eternity to save all and every Man upon condition they shall believe which smells of Pelagianism and Semipelagianism These are a new late sort of Arminians who would have minced and mitigated things but did not God from Eternity foresee many would not believe and decreed not to give them Faith which except he doth they can never have Why then should God have made a decree upon a condition which he knew shall never be performed having decreed never to grant the means to do it when a wise Man will not become guilty of so much imprudence But let this be enough upon the matter which in our hands is swelled beyond what we at first intended but 't is so copious that 't is almost unavoidable and yet how many things more might have been said Now we will proceed to something else CHAP. XIII That the Doctrines we hold concerning these Points are the same as Austin and other Orthodox Doctors maintained against Pelagians and Semipelagians WE have been at the Spring of all Truth and out of it I hope clearly and sufficiently proved all the Doctrines in question Now by the grace of God only to satisfie some we will come to something of humane Authority which indeed after God hath in his word passed a sentence is not necessary nor much material However 〈◊〉 shew we are not singular and that those high truths are not our particular opinion we shall make it appear how many hundred years ago some Hereticks having published their corrupt phancies against these truths God raised those who powerfully and successfully stood up in defence thereof Our Adversaries like prostitute Women which in a scolding fit hasten to call Whore first are gone about falsely to asperse us with innovation giving the points controverted between us the name of Calviaian Doctrines as good and as fit for them to call a Calvinist Austin who lived much above a thousand years before Calvin which in effect is to overturn the world and make last first and first last Hence it is that in a fit of rage some of them brake loose upon that worthy Servant of God who hath been an Eminent instrument in his hand to beat down the strength of that Roman Anti-christ to which so many pious and learned Men have given their Evidence Yet no Papist though never so violent spoke against him more unbecomingly and with greater fury than some Arminians have but we must not wonder at it the Cause he fought against is common to Papists with them and so they look on him as their Common Enemy However amongst Enemies if there be any sence of Christianity and Humanity there should be something more of Moderation and Generosity if they were capable of it Cannot we dispute about the things we differ in and let persons alone Forbear making reflections upon the Dead who in their Generation were better Men than we are in ours we should mind the merit of the Cause and not pick an unjust quarrel against the person And here before I
against in and that in time As to the point of free will and effectual grace he expresseth his mind thus The only way for enabling us for to do it Meditation on the Lord's Prayer namely the will of God is by our earnest prayer to God that he will enable us to do it according to that of St. Austin da domine quod jubes jube quod vis And upon the petition against temptation and lead us not into temptation the Arminians cannot but mistake the frame of this petition for I am sure they wou'd have it and suffer us not to be led into temptation c. St. Austin is the best decider of this question to whom I refer my self And indeed he quoteth in the Margin of his Books de Praedesi inatione Sanctorum and de Dono Perseverantiae contra Pelagianos passimalibi this is a proof of what I asserted in another Chapter how our doctrine about these points is the same with that Doctors of the Church In the same Book of his Meditation on the Lord's Prayer that King says It is enough for us to know that Adam by his fall lost his free-will both to himself and all his posterity so as the best of us all hath not one good thought in him except it come from God who draws by his effectual grace out of that tainted and corrupt lump whom he pleaseth for the work of his mercy And elsewhere he declareth thus (a) Protest Antivorst The nature of man through the transgression of our first parents hath lost free-will and retaineth not now any shadow thereof saving an inclination to evil those only excepted whom God of his meer grace hath sanctified and purged from this original leprosie For certainty of salvation and perseverance against the Apostasy and falling away of true Believers his mind he declareth thus (b) Protest Antivorst About the same time one Bertius a Scholar of the late Arminius who was the first in our age that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a letter unto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a Book intituled de Apostasia Sanctorum And not thinking it enough to own the sending of such a Book the Tittle whereof only were enough to make it worthy to be burnt he was moreover so shameless as to maintain in his Letter to the Archbishop that his Doctrine contained in his Book (c) Our Arminians are this man's Disciples agreed with the Doctrine of the Church of England Let the Church of Christ then judge whether it was not high time for us to be stir our selves when as this gangren had not only taken hold amongst our near neighbours so as non solum paries proximus jam ardebat not only the next house was on fire but it also did begin to creep into the bowels of our own Kingdom O the care care of a Prince Nursing-father to the Church never enough to be commended would to God the like was now taken to oppose Socinianism as was then to prevent the coming in of Arminianism But that Prince goes on thus It is true that it was our unhappiness not to hear of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the reformed Churches of Germany See how all Protestant Churches opposed Arminianism had with open mouth complained of him but as soon as we heard of that distraction in your State which after his death he left behind him we did not fail taking the opportunity when your last Extraordinaray Ambassadors were here with us to use some such speeches unto them concerning this matter as we thought fittest for the good of your state and which we doubt not but they have faithfully reported unto you for what need we make any question of the arrogancy of these Hereticks or rather Atheistical Sectaries amongst you when one of them at this present remaining in your Town of Leyden hath not only presumed to publish of late a blasphemous book of the Apostasie of Saints but hath besides been so impudent as to send the other day a Copy thereof as a godly present to our Archbishop of Canterbury together with a Letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Book to lye so grosly as to avow that his heresies contained in the same Book do agree with the Religion and Profession of the Church of England For these reasons therefore have we cause enough very heartily to request you to root out with speed those Heresies and Schisms which are beginning to bud forth amongst you which if you suffer to go on any longer you cannot expect any other issue thereof than the curse of God infamy throughout all Reformed Churches a perpetual rent and distraction in the whole Body of your State And all this was his Majesties special order backed with the earnest and frequent sollicitations of his Ambassador in Holland where they have been since so sensible of the spirit of that Party that though they have given them an indulgence yet are not admitted to have a hand in the Government Hence it clearly appeareth how earnest that Prince was to have Arminianism suppressed and what opinion that wise and learned King who had studied the points had of their Errors which he calleth Heresies and Schisms and them Hereticks and Atheistical Sectaries specially upon the occasion of Bertius his Book the title whereof he saith makes it deserves to be burnt he calls it a blasphemous book and by his Ambassador saith to the States not to suffer the followers of Arminius to make their actions an example for them to proclaim to the world that wicked doctrine of the Apostasie of Saints And as herein we see that King's opinion about Arminian Tenets so by him we are informed how false it is to say that they agree with the Doctrine of the Church of England which after him we may speak to the Arminians that to say Arminian Heresies agree with the Doctrine of our Church is a gross and impudent lye and that King knew very well what is the Doctrine of the Church of England and a third thing we learn hence is the dangers that arise from this kind of Doctrine in three particulars First The Curse of God Secondly Infamy throughout all Reformed Churches Thirdly A perpetual rent and distraction in the whole body of the State where it is tolerated for Arminius left behind him a great distraction in the state out of which considerations we see that King took a good resolution when he saith it was high time to bestir our selves when as this Gangrene had not only taken hold on our nearest neighbours but did also begin to creep into the Bowels of our own Kingdom Arminian Opinions he compareth to a Gangrene but he is not satisfied to take good Counsel himself but he also gives it to the Hollanders therefore for these respects saith he we have cause enough very heartily to request you to root out with speed these Heresies and Schisms